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James Brains

Senior Reporter, Business Insider Reviews

James Brains is a home and kitchen reporter and product expert with over seven years of experience in service journalism. He is passionate about providing helpful buying advice to readers based on extensive testing. 

Experience

As a Senior Reporter for Business Insider’s Reviews team, James focuses on testing home and kitchen products. He uses his hands-on experience to write in-depth reviews and buying guides, tackling everything from air fryers and toaster ovens to air conditioners and vacuums. 

Before joining Business Insider in 2021, James worked as a freelance writer and ran Brains Report, his personal product review site. In addition to home and kitchen products, James also has a background in writing about tech, health, and fitness.   

Why you can trust James

James uses his background in experimental psychology to develop objective tests and review methodologies for all the products he evaluates. He’s tested over 100 mattresses to write our guide to the best mattresses, even touring a mattress manufacturing facility to further enrich his expertise. Seeing how mattresses are constructed has provided key insights into what to look for and what materials and features are best for certain sleepers. 

James believes high-quality sleep is worth a premium, and he’s passionate about helping readers get a better night’s sleep — but he’ll always help you find a good deal on a mattress in the process. He is always on call to find the best mattress, bedding, and vaccum deals (among others) on any given day, but especially during big sale days like Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. 

Expertise

  • Mattresses and sleep products

  • Kitchen appliances and cookware

  • Heating and cooling products

  • Vacuums

Education

James holds a master's degree in psychology from the University of Oregon and a bachelor's degree from Michigan State. 

He lives in Lansing, Michigan, with his wife, two kids, and a kitty. When he’s not testing a new mattress or air fryer, James enjoys running the Facebook foodie group Lansing Foodies. The group has over 70,000 followers and puts on an annual Olive Burger Festival.  


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