HP, which stands for Hewlett-Packard, was founded in 1939. At the time, neither personal computers nor the internet were a thing yet. Since its founding, HP has made a variety of products, from oscillators for testing sound equipment to calculators and frequency synthesizers used in space vehicles before finally entering the personal computer space in the late ’60s. Fast forward several decades, and the company has grown to become worth billions of dollars.

HP is a well-known manufacturer of laptops, desktop computers, and printers, producing products across different price segments. The company has a strong reputation in the portable computer segment and is known to make some of the most reliable laptops. In addition to its main product lines, the company has expanded its reach through the acquisition of various tech brands. Currently, HP owns several tech brands, most of which it acquired outright from other companies. However, some of the tech brands that HP owns no longer exist after being integrated into its product line and having their names phased out.

If you’re familiar with the Compaq name from the ’90s and early 2000s, you’ll be surprised to learn that the company is now owned by HP. However, that wasn’t always the case. Compaq started as an independent company, then in 2001 HP announced its intention to acquire it for $25 billion. For the uninitiated, Compaq was a U.S. computer manufacturer that was once a dominant player in the PC market. If you wanted to buy a PC back then, you probably considered one of the company’s models.

Compaq was started in 1982 by three former Texas Instruments employees, Rod Canion, Jim Harris, and Bill Murto. The company got started in the PC market by manufacturing IBM-compatible personal computers. In fact, the Compaq name was made by blending two words: “compatibility and quality.” Soon after entering the market, the company’s products became a hit, and Compaq rose through the rankings to become a leading PC manufacturer from the mid-’90s to 2000.

However, you won’t see the Compaq name around anymore. After it was acquired, HP began rebranding Compaq’s products under its EliteBook and ProBook lines within a few years and eventually discontinued the company’s branding in 2013.

Poly is another tech brand that HP owns. The American tech company acquired Poly, formerly known as Plantronics, in 2022for around $3.3 billion to expand its reach into the hybrid work and communications technology market. Poly sold video-conferencing equipment, specifically gadgets meant for hybrid work setups, such as headsets, webcams, office telephones, and more.

You might not have heard of Poly, but it’s an old tech company dating back to 1961. It was founded by two airline pilots who joined forces to develop an upgraded headset design. The company was founded in Santa Cruz and was known at the time as Plantronics. Its first product, a headset known as the MS-50, was a game-changer that NASA astronauts requested the organization to include in their helmets. Sure enough, NASA adopted it, and it was even used during Apollo missions. 

The company expanded into the wireless office headset space and gaming segments in the ’90s and 2000s and merged with Polycom in 2018. After the merger, it rebranded to Poly. Since its acquisition in 2022, it has operated as a brand within HP, with its products branded HP Poly. HP currently sells headsets, webcams, earbuds, IP conference phones, and other gadgets for hybrid workers under the HP Poly brand.

HyperX is yet another tech brand that HP currently owns. Like Compaq and Poly, HP acquired HyperX. However, this acquisition is more recent than Compaq’s, as HP finalized the purchase of HyperX on June 1, 2021. It acquired HyperX for $425 million from its parent company, Kingston Technology, known for selling memory and storage products such as hard disks, SSDs, DRAM, USB flash drives, and memory cards.

HyperX is a gaming-focused brand that makes a variety of accessories meant for gamers. That includes products like keyboards, mice, mouse pads, and headphones that are optimized for console and PC gamers. HyperX has a solid reputation in the gaming accessory market, with its headsets (most of which are wired) being praised for their excellent audio quality and microphones. Since the acquisition, HyperX has continued pumping out gaming-related products.

As of this writing, its website lists gadgets that span categories and target platforms such as the Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. These include gaming headsets, keyboards, mice, microphones, and controllers, to name a few. HP is also expanding the brand’s product lineup, with the company announcing HyperX’s first pair of open-back headphones, the Cloud Alpha Air, priced at $149 and set to hit shelves in September 2026.

Founded in 2004, Teradici built a business around PC-over-IP (PCoIP), a technology that enables users to access powerful workstations remotely while maintaining high graphics quality. Its products proved particularly useful for accessing graphics-intensive applications over the cloud, such as 3D modeling software, including 3D CAD. The Teradici brand was acquired by HP in 2021 as the company sought to expand its foothold in the hybrid work environment.

However, under HP’s leadership, the Teradici brand has since faded into oblivion. Roughly nine months after the acquisition, the American tech company launched HP Anyware, a remote computing service that combines Teradici’s Cloud Access Software platform and HP’s own ZCentral Remote Boost technology. As of this writing, HP has even redirected the original Teradici website to HP Anyware. However, the existence of HP Anyware is living proof that Teradici’s technology is still in use under the hood.

Teradici started by making dedicated hardware for PCoIP, offering products such as PCIe cards for workstations and servers. It later shifted its strategy to PCoIP software, first through the Workstation Access Software name and later through the Cloud Access Software branding. By the time HP acquired Teradici, the company’s PCoIP protocol was being used by over 15 million endpoints.

Harbor Freight’s outdoor power tool section is filled with a mix of brands, some of which offer a broader range of tools than others. Bauer has one of the most expansive selections of outdoor tools of any of these brands, with a mix of corded and cordless options available.

That abundance of choice shouldn’t come as a surprise to any buyers who are already well acquainted with Bauer’s DIY power tools. Though, just like the brand’s DIY tools, not every Bauer outdoor power tool is worth buying. Thankfully, there’s a reliable way to check which tools are well-liked by Harbor Freight customers and which don’t make the grade.

Thousands of customers have already left their feedback about Bauer’s most popular tools on Harbor Freight’s website, and those reviews are a great way to gauge overall customer sentiment on any tool. These top 12 picks are some of the safest choices if you’re on the hunt for new outdoor power tools for your collection.

Some outdoor power tools are essentials that the vast majority of home landscapers will find useful, while others are niche tools that fewer people will be able to justify investing in. Hedge trimmers sit firmly in the former camp, and as a result, most power tool brands offer their own cordless trimmer.

Buyers looking for a cheaper alternative to those big-name brands would do well to consider Bauer’s 20V hedge trimmer, which retails for $55. It gets consistently high ratings from buyers at Harbor Freight, and it runs using the same 20V battery packs that fans of Bauer’s cordless tools will already have in their toolkit.

Bauer recommends using a 3Ah battery for optimal performance, but any one of the brand’s interchangeable 20V battery packs will be able to run the tool. The trimmer can tackle branches up to 9/16 inch in diameter, and it reaches a peak of 2200 SPM (strokes per minute), so it can cut through foliage quickly. It’s lightweight too, coming in at less than five pounds (battery pack not included).

A chainsaw is another essential home landscaping tool, and Bauer offers both a cordless and corded version. The cordless version is the Bauer 20V 10-inch chainsaw, which promises high capability and low maintenance. According to its maker, it takes less than a second to reach full throttle, and can cut through wood up to nine inches thick.

Tools like chainsaws need to be durable, but even the most durable examples might need some replacement parts eventually. If your Bauer chainsaw ever needs repairs, Harbor Freight will sell you replacement parts, and there’s no shipping fee to pay on any of them.

The chainsaw is available at Harbor Freight for $85 as a standalone tool, and it’s not available as part of a kit. Newcomers to the brand who do not already have a Bauer 20V battery and charger will need to purchase both items separately at an additional cost. It’s worth keeping in mind that battery packs designed for other Harbor Freight brands, such as Hercules, are not interchangeable with Bauer tools.

Bauer offers the majority of power tools in its outdoor range as standalone products only, but the 20V 338 CFM Blower can be bought as a kit. That makes it a good entry point into the brand for anyone who doesn’t already have a toolkit full of Bauer products. In most cases, buying a kit with a tool, a battery, and a charger is cheaper than buying all three items individually. That remains true here, with the blower kit retailing for $99.99.

In contrast, the standalone version of the blower retails for $54.99. That means buyers get a 5Ah battery and 1.7 amp charger for an additional $45. Buying both the battery and charger separately would be more expensive, since the battery costs $69.99 and the charger is on clearance for $14.97, at the time of writing. As a result, buyers save roughly $40 by buying the kit.

As well as being a money-saving option for Bauer newbies, the blower is also an appealing yard tool in its own right. It reaches a peak speed of 96 mph and an output of 338 CFM, weighs just over five pounds, and features a dual-speed dial to prioritize either runtime or debris clearing power.

Harbor Freight shoppers have several options when it comes to picking a pole saw. The cheapest option is a wired tool sold by the Portland brand, which features a shaft that can extend to over eight feet. At the other end of the price spectrum, Atlas’ 80V cordless pole saw extends up to nine feet for a total maximum reach of 15 feet. In the middle of those options, in terms of both price and reach, is the Bauer 20V pole saw.

This tool retails for $89.99 and its shaft extends up to nine feet, giving the tool a total maximum reach of 14 feet. It’s able to make cuts of up to 7.4 inches using an eight-inch bar, and it weighs 10.65 pounds. Of course, the numbers only tell half the story; The key thing is whether users actually think the pole saw is any good.

The answer is that they do, although both the Portland pole saw and Atlas pole saw get marginally higher average ratings. Still, the Bauer saw remains one of the brand’s top-rated outdoor power tools.

Buyers who are interested in Bauer’s cordless tool range are well served, but anyone who prefers to stick with corded tools certainly isn’t missing out. That’s because Bauer’s Corded 115 MPH/805 CFM Jet Blower is not only cheaper than the brand’s cordless blower kit, but the tool is also far more powerful.

The 20V 338 CFM Cordless Blower kit retails for $99.99. Meanwhile, this corded blower costs $76.99, and it generates a far superior peak airflow of 805 CFM. Its peak air speed is also slightly higher, at 115 mph versus the cordless blower’s 95 mph.

The corded blower has received fewer reviews than its cordless counterpart, but buyers that have left their feedback have been consistently impressed. At the time of writing, it has racked up an average review rating of 4.8 out of five stars, making it the joint highest rated tool in Bauer’s entire outdoor power tool lineup.

Browse through Harbor Freight’s range of electric pressure washers and you’ll find six different products to choose from, with five of those being sold under the Bauer brand. Out of those Bauer tools, the one with the highest average user rating is the 1,800 PSI 1.2 GPM portable pressure washer.

It’s available for $99.99 and can be carried around the yard thanks to its top-mounted handle. That makes it more portable than most other pressure washers, although it still relies on a traditional wall outlet for its power rather than using batteries. At least the power cord is 35 feet long, which means you’re unlikely to need an extension cord if you have a small or medium-sized yard.

The tool comes with a trio of nozzles which can be stored onboard when they’re not in use. Also included is a 20-foot hose, a spray gun, and a quick-connect coupler, alongside a soap siphon hose. It has plenty of in-house competition, since many different Harbor Freight pressure washers get good reviews from buyers, but its compact proportions and comprehensive equipment list make the Bauer portable pressure washer a particularly safe bet.

Although Atlas’ 80V cordless weed eater is the highest rated model at Harbor Freight, it’s also the priciest, at $80 for the tool only. Bauer’s 20V string trimmer isn’t far behind in terms of ratings, and most users are still very happy with it too. Plus, assuming you already have a Bauer cordless tool in your tool kit, you’ll be able to buy it as a standalone tool without needing to factor in the cost of batteries.

The trimmer runs on the same 20V batteries that power the brand’s other outdoor cordless power tools, as well as its highly-regarded cordless DIY tool range. Atlas requires users to purchase battery packs specific to the brand, which unlike Bauer only produces outdoor tools. The Bauer trimmer retails for $54.99, and it’s designed to be easy to use for all kinds of home landscapers. Its adjustable shaft lets users adjust the tool to better suit their height, and the handle pivots into six different positions for better control. The tool is multi-talented too, and can convert into an edger or mini-mower in just a few seconds, thanks to the 7-position adjustable head.

Although most users are happy with the trimmer overall, it does get more mixed feedback than the majority of the other tools here. Many of the less satisfied reviewers say that it’s not tough or powerful enough to tackle longer grass or thicker overgrowth, and some say that the automatic line feed doesn’t work. For tougher jobs, the Atlas trimmer might be a better bet, despite the additional cost.

Using a regular chainsaw to cut through smaller tree branches is overkill. Instead, a pruning saw will do just fine: It’s smaller, lighter, and generally less unwieldy, but it still packs enough power to get the job done. Bauer sells a 20V 5-inch pruning saw that gets good reviews, and it retails for $65 in tool-only form. According to its maker, it will cut branches up to 4-¾ inches thick, yet it only weighs 2.5 pounds without its battery.

The number of cuts that buyers can expect to achieve on a full charge will vary based on the capacity of the battery pack they’re using, but Bauer says that a 3Ah battery should achieve over 160 cuts before it needs to be recharged. Like all of Bauer’s power tools, the pruning saw is covered by a 90-day standard warranty, although Harbor Freight does offer extended warranties for buyers seeking extra peace of mind.

Sometimes, the only time you can get a job done is after the sun goes down, and for that, you’ll need the right lighting setup. Bauer can help, since it has multiple affordable jobsite lights in its current range, including the 20V 220 Lumen Work Light. It ranks among the top-rated flashlights at Harbor Freight, and it uses the same battery packs as other Bauer outdoor tools.

The light is claimed to deliver a beam of up to 426 feet, and it can either be stood upright using its battery as a base or held in your hand. In both instances, the pivoting head helps position the beam exactly where you need it. Bauer says it can rotate up to 110°. There is also a hook built into the top of the work light, so it can be hung from a higher position for even more versatility. Bauer offers the tool for $14.99, which is cheaper than many similar-looking work lights from big-name brands, just like you’d expect from any Harbor Freight staple.

Arguably one of the more under-the-radar tools that Bauer sells is an inflator that can be used for everything from car tires to sports balls. The 20V 0-to-160 PSI inflator is available for $29.99 as a standalone tool, and the vast majority of reviewers think it’s worth its purchase price.

The tool comes with ball, air bed, and tire adapters, so it’s more versatile than you might think given its low asking price. When those accessories aren’t needed they can be stored on the tool. Unlike some pricier inflators, there’s no auto-stop feature, but there is a straightforward pressure gauge so you’ll know when you hit the target pressure. Air is sent through a 19-inch hose, which should be long enough to reach even the most awkwardly placed stems on tires.

This isn’t the only cordless inflator that Bauer sells, since the brand also offers an inflator and deflator that can be run using either a 20V battery pack or 12V DC power. However, that dual-power inflator has a slightly lower average review rating, and it’s also $20 more expensive, making the $29.99 inflator arguably a more worthy addition to your tool kit.

Given its name, you’d think that the Bauer 2,000 PSI 1.3 GPM Max Performance pressure washer would be the highest performance pressure washer that the brand offers. That’s not actually true, since Bauer also uses the “Max Performance” moniker for a pair of even pricier pressure washers that offer higher maximum pressures. In fact, compared to the full range of five different electric pressure washers, this washer is right in the middle in terms of max pressure.

So, why have we selected it above the other, more powerful options? There are several reasons: Firstly, it’s considerably cheaper than its more powerful siblings, with a retail price of $189.99. Secondly, it has accumulated the highest number of reviews by a significant margin, most of which are very positive. Thirdly, it’s likely to be the best bet for the broadest range of buyers, and there’s no point in paying more for additional capability you mostly won’t need.

Bauer claims that a pressure of 2,000 PSI is enough to remove tree sap and rust stains from vehicles, and even strip a wooden deck. Even most of the dissatisfied reviewers have no significant complaints about its power — instead, most complaints revolve around reported reliability issues. However, it’s worth reiterating that these complaints form only a small part of the overall feedback, and when asked, 90% of reviewers still said they’d be happy to recommend the item.

Cordless electric chainsaws are more convenient for their portability, but corded chainsaws are usually a cheaper option if you’re not already invested in a cordless tool ecosystem. As an example, take the Bauer 14.5 Amp 16-inch Chainsaw, which retails for $75. It’s the same price as the brand’s cordless electric 10-inch chainsaw, but it doesn’t require costly batteries and a charger to run. That makes it equally appealing to both longtime Bauer fans and buyers who are entirely new to the brand.

The other big difference is the size of the chainsaw’s bar. Buyers of the cordless tool receive a saw with a bar that’s 6 inches shorter than its corded counterpart. Plenty of things remain the same between the two tools, their short 90-day warranty being one of them. That hasn’t been enough to put off buyers, who have left more than 1,600 reviews of the tool to date, most of which give it a full five-star rating.

Although the brand has a generally good reputation among Harbor Freight customers, not every Bauer outdoor power tool is worth buying. When making this list, we only selected Bauer outdoor power tools that were still on sale at the time of writing. To whittle the list down into these 12 top picks, we relied on feedback from reviewers on Harbor Freight’s website. Each pick has a minimum rating of at least 4.4 out of five stars from at least 200 reviews at the time of writing, putting them among the best-rated Bauer outdoor power tools overall.

When people talk about performance cars built around driver engagement, a few things usually come up — strong power-to-weight ratios, confidence-inspiring handling, and an overall purist driving experience. Some cars chase that feeling with brute force; others get there through compact packaging and low weight. One segment where that feeling is getting harder to find is compact performance cars and hot hatches. 

The Ford Focus RS is gone. The underdog Honda CR-Z is also gone, so is the Mercedes-AMG A45, and the Mazdaspeed3. Nissan is keeping the flame alive with the new Z – the last sports car of its kind in the U.S. — but just barely, and Mazda has killed the MX-5’s larger 2.0-liter engine in Europe. The Porsche Cayman and Boxster are set to become electric, the Audi A5 Coupe no longer exists, and even the Toyota GR Supra and its BMW Z4 cousin are on their way out.

All of which is reason enough to celebrate the compact sports cars that still deliver what made this segment worth loving in the first place. The market is shifting in strange directions, and cars like these may not stick around much longer — something I’ve gotten to appreciate firsthand, having driven every car on this list. Here are five compact cars that are genuinely fun to drive.

For many enthusiasts around the world, the words “fun” and “compact car” are almost synonymous with the MX-5. The Fiat 124 Spider, the Honda S2000, the Audi TT, and many other similar cars are relics of the past, but the MX-5 isn’t. When we reviewed the 2025 Mazda MX-5, we gave it a near-perfect nine out of ten and included it on our Editor’s Choice list for 2025’s best cars.

Thanks to a short wheelbase, a manual gearbox, a relatively lightweight body, and a clear emphasis on driving feel, the MX-5 has defined the segment it lives in. I used an ND3 as a daily for a while, and one thing that stood out to me is how easy the car is to work on — a refreshing change from a lot of the German cars I’ve spent time with. 

With a manual transmission, the MX-5 appeals to the purist driver the same way it did decades ago when it had far more competition. Many modern iterations of long-lasting performance cars have changed a lot, but the MX-5 did not, and you can feel that the moment you step behind the wheel. It is agile, the chassis is very communicative, and thanks to its RWD setup, it is playful in the corners.

Prices can range from just a few thousand dollars for an older high-mileage example, all the way to $40,000 plus for brand-spanking new models. The MX-5 is also a relatively reliable car, meaning that after spending that kind of money, you are more likely to enjoy it trouble-free compared to most cars.

Although the hot-hatch segment is dying, one of the O.G. hot hatches, the Volkswagen Golf GTI still manages to endure. Not only that, but it actually manages to impress. Car and Driver recently reviewed the brand-new 2027 Volkswagen GTI, and the verdict was: “Forget the spec sheet and the price creep—the GTI still has that intrinsic goodness to put a big smile on your face every time you get behind the wheel.”

This is exactly what you’d expect from a hot hatch, and VW has kept the same basic formula of the GTI since inception. I daily drove a Mk7.5 GTI with a manual gearbox, and I’ve also test driven the DSG-equipped Mk8. The EA888 engine is torquey at the low end, the DSG is rapid, and considering just how quick the GTI can go, there is a remarkable lack of twitchiness that can often be experienced with FWD cars. 

Even at full tilt, the chassis remains composed, the car shifts balance nicely, and you can truly push the GTI hard before it breaks traction. This means that you can actually explore any GTI on a normal road without landing in jail. This is what stood out to me, especially compared to more powerful cars, the ones you can only explore on a track.

Volkswagen also finally listened to its customer base and ditched the frustrating touch-sensitive steering wheel buttons — one of the features we were most hoping to see in the Mk8 GTI facelift. Ultimately, one of the GTI’s best aspects is how it can serve multiple purposes at the same time, without being compromised. Whether it’s daily driving or canyon carving, you can do it both.

The Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ are still very much around in 2026, and they are truly among the last of their kind. Car and Driver named the pair to its 2026 10Best”Cars list, pointing out that “these two are some of the last remaining sub-2900-pound cars” still on sale.

Mechanically, the twins carry over unchanged for 2026: a 2.4-liter naturally aspirated flat-four making 228 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque, sent to the rear wheels through a standard six-speed manual or an optional six-speed automatic. Where the two cars diverge is price. Subaru dropped the base BRZ Premium trim for 2026, pushing the BRZ’s starting price to $37,055.

The Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ are mechanically identical, but they’re still not the same car when it comes to tuning. I’ve test driven both but spent a lot more time with a manual BRZ. Behind the wheel, both feel small, nimble, quick to change direction, and they appeal to drivers the same way every other car on this list does. On a tight and technical mountain pass, these can effectively shrink around you and give you an amazing experience for the price. 

On a more open road, you can feel the lack of weight in sweeping corners, plus I loved the firm brake pedal and the way the weight transfers once you are on it. With the manual BRZ, the experience was rather amazing. Best of all, when letting go of the brakes mid corner, you will be reminded that these are RWD cars after all, meaning that all kinds of fun is guaranteed with these.

The 2026 Civic Type R starts at $47,395, up from $47,090 the year before, with none of the car’s hardware touched in the process. The powertrain is single and non-negotiable: a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder rated at 315 hp and 310 lb-ft, feeding the front wheels through a six-speed manual and nothing else.

There’s also just one trim, loaded with the equipment most rivals charge extra for — Honda backs off nothing on the options sheet, an approach reflected in items like the Type R’s standard limited-slip differential. MotorTrend’s own testing put the Type R’s 0-60 time at 5.3 seconds — matching the number the outlet recorded for the previous-generation Limited Edition. 

What makes the Honda Type-R so special is the purity we mentioned at the outset of this article. It gets rid of noise and clutter and gives you boatloads of fun. In my experience with a 2025 model, the Type R felt very racey and stiff, but never unlivable. The brakes felt firm and the engine felt fairly linear for a turbocharged unit. It is a much sharper and more special performance car compared to something like a Golf GTI.

On the other hand, this also means the GTI felt like a better daily. Like the rest of this list, the Type R makes the same case — moderate horsepower and a manual gearbox, applied to a car this light and this focused, will beat raw numbers every time when it comes to actually having fun behind the wheel.

The gas-powered Fiat 500 Abarth left the U.S. market in 2019, and the new Abarth 500e replaced it. Still, used gas-powered 500s stuck around as some of the cheapest ways into a proper Italian hot hatch on the used market.

Under the hood, a 1.4-liter turbocharged MultiAir four-cylinder made 157 horsepower and 170 lb-ft, sent to the front wheels through a five-speed manual, in a car weighing barely over 2,500 lbs. Interior space might not be as generous as some other cars on this list, but once you settle inside, you feel cocooned. 

I used a 500 Abarth as my city car for three months, and it felt mad and angry — like it had the spirit of something a lot more powerful than its numbers suggest. It leans hard into that raw, unfiltered character, and the numbers don’t really tell the whole story. It was amazing at getting me from point A to point B around town, though it felt a bit weird at highway speeds. The overly upright driving position isn’t great either, and at 6’5″, I often felt like I was driving a shopping cart.

The car’s skittish braking manners and its unusually high center of gravity for something so small are flaws, but they are also charming. Clean manual examples routinely turn up for well under $15,000, putting genuine turbocharged fun within reach of buyers who’d otherwise be priced out of this list entirely.