My Favorite YouTube Channels

Jeff is genuinely one of the most likeable people on YouTube. He's been making renovation videos for years and has somehow built a four-million-strong subscriber base, while what feels like half of the comment section keeps telling him he's doing everything wrong. "Wrong subfloor." "Wrong screw." "You'd never see that on a real job site." He just keeps cheerfully going.

The contrast between his calm Canadian demeanor and the comment section's permanent state of mild outrage is its own kind of comedy. And the funny thing is — he doesn't pretend to be the world's foremost expert on anything. He's a renovator who happens to be on camera, sharing what he knows, taking the criticism in stride. Whatever he's doing, it's working.

If you're about to tackle your own DIY project, you'll probably find a video on his channel covering it — drywall, tile, framing, electrical, plumbing. And you'll come away both more informed and, somehow, weirdly cheered up.

I lived in apartment complexes for years; sometimes quite old ones. So much of your quality of life as a renter depends on if your apartment complex has good maintenance people. This content creator is a pure genius at fixing stuff... and filming himself doing it. Of all the home improvement channels, I like his the most, as it covers so many different typical things we've all encountered at one time or another... from a dishwasher not draining, a dryer not drying, fixing small plumbing leaks, and more.

Sometimes I wish he'd explain in more detail what's happening, such as with HVAC repairs, but part of his channel's appeal is that he's just doing his job and you're along for the ride... unlike "This Old House" et al, he does not go into long-winded explanations for n00bs.

"For entertainment purposes" — because clearly a lot of this stuff is best left to, well, professionals.

Occasionally he works on his own home, so it's not just apartment-type stuff.

Guys like him have the knowledge to make about anyone's life better in just an hour or two... potentially save people hundreds of even thousands. I hope as I gain more experience with gigs, I also build up my knowledge, though I'll probably never reach the pinnacle of the tool collection he has at his disposal.

I love plants. I wish I could travel around just to look at different plants. This channel creator used to jump freight trains and see many places in the country that way. Botany is his special interest, and he talks in the most entertaining way about various plants. One of his main concerns is how in the U.S. many subdivisions and companies cultivate landscapes that are (in his words) "spiritually depraved and misery-inducing."

Anyone who is living in Richmond City, especially the general river area, probably moved here for the amazing liveability, due to the tree foliage and wealth of various plants and flowers.

While his channel mostly covers Texas (where he now lives) and the deserts out West (which are gorgeous, and I miss the endless sky over the unique desert flora with cacti, etc.), he also has many videos covering landscapes in other states, including Virginia. It makes you want to go out and look at every single plant.

His unique accent is part of the appeal, of course. Weird to hear someone rattle off Latin names of various plant species in a voice that seems more suited for a crime drama set on the Southside of Chicago.

I love philosophy, but it seems I rarely find the time these days to pick up a book.

Einzelgänger provides "bite-sized," thought-provoking video essays that help you take a step back and think about the bigger picture, when you find yourself lost in everyday details of projects and thoughts and trying to make something of yourself.

Forty-plus years of contracting experience, distilled into the kind of explanations you wish you'd had the first time you tried to build anything. He's the friend you wish you had when you bought your first house — the one who can tell you why the corner of the foundation is cracking, what the right kind of fastener is for that job, and which shortcut you absolutely should not take.

He doesn't oversimplify, and he doesn't make you feel dumb for not knowing. He just explains, calmly, with the assurance of someone who has done this work for clients who actually paid for it. The "pro" job, done the way it should be.

Every now and then he reacts to other people's videos — there's a wonderful series where he watches Japanese carpenters frame houses with traditional joinery, and you can hear the genuine appreciation in his voice. That's the moment you realize this isn't just a guy who knows construction; this is a craftsman who loves craft, full stop.

Rajiv has the rare gift of taking a completely mundane chore — folding laundry, organizing a junk drawer, scrubbing a stovetop — and treating it with the gentle attention you'd give a small ritual. There's no urgency in his videos, no "wait until you see the after." Just a calm voice talking you through what he's doing and, often, what he's been thinking about while doing it.

It's the antithesis of the HGTV vibe — no tearful reveal, no sponsor placement every two minutes, no shouting that you have to do this one thing right now or your home will fall apart. He just does the chore, well, with the kind of care that makes you feel a little better about the small acts of upkeep that make up most of adult life.

If you've ever felt that "cleaning the kitchen" shouldn't be the most stressful part of your weekend, his channel is the gentle counterweight you didn't know you needed. By the end of a video you find yourself wanting to wipe down your own counters — not because you have to, but because you actually want to.

A German channel that's exactly what its name says — Handwerkskunst means "craftsmanship," or more literally "handcraft as art." Each film follows a single craft from the first step to completion: blacksmiths, bookbinders, glassblowers, basket makers, organ builders. No voiceover narration trying to dramatize anything. No swelling music telling you when to feel something. Just long takes, calm cuts, and the actual sounds of the work.

Watching these is genuinely meditative. There's no pretense, no editorial spin, no "today on a very special episode." You just get to see, slowly and carefully, how a thing is made by someone who has spent decades learning how to make it well.

I sometimes put one of these on when I want to feel less rushed. The world has a lot of content designed to hijack your attention; this is the opposite of that. By the end you understand, viscerally, why good craftsmanship really is its own kind of art.

If you like to stay up-to-date with news stories, but dislike mainstream news sources for all the advertising, clickbait, biases, and people shouting at each other, Agenda-Free TV is the ideal refuge. I started watching early 2020, and since then his channel has grown tremendously, to the point where his livestreams now have a larger audience than those of Reuters or Fox, with 10,000 to 50,000 concurrent viewers. The host Steve Lookner is a very smart, well-spoken guy who is extremely easy to listen to. He attended Harvard and worked as a writer for Saturday Night Live and Seinfeld during the 1990s. I feel his personal story is extremely inspiring... he loved news reporting, but was unhappy with the available jobs in the news media, so he created his own news media.

Funnily enough, his right-wing audience accuses him of being left-wing, and his left-wing audience often accuses him of being pro-Trump.

I feel what he's doing deserves more credit. He reports on the news with intelligent commentary, but as his channel title says, without an agenda. He does have to explain to people over and over though... not having an agenda does not mean you have to "even out" everything to 50-50. Some events are objectively negative or positive, and being "agenda free" does not mean you have to be neutral or to avoid criticism; it just means to objectively analyze without being swayed by preconceptions or, well, an agenda.

Due to his large audience, he now often gets the best leads from commenters who are "in the know" about subject matters and events. (He always diligently fact-checks, and unlike other YouTube livestreaming news channels, he never spreads unconfirmed rumors; nor does he re-stream any media without permission.)

Sometimes I picture myself in his place, especially when he gets baited by the live comments that users post. I feel it's admirable how he almost always avoids getting "triggered." He never (or, almost never) responds with sarcasm or dark humor or anger to accusations that come up in the live stream comments. At this point, even the constant insults for his appearance don't seem to faze him. But of course, his fans relish when every now and then he allows himself a rant, belaboring how some people spread inane comments in the chat.

Oh and did I mention that he sometimes livestreams for eight, ten, even twelve hours, almost non-stop... without ever drinking coffee? That alone makes him near super-human, in my opinion.

I felt bad as my list so far happened to only feature male creators. So I am throwing this in here. I love how Chelsea documents her life... without major clickbait, without Instagram-style polish and fakeness. Just a woman in her mid-thirties trying to figure out life. Always set to nice music, very well shot. I get to live vicariously through her, imagining I'm going out with friends to have drinks at some Speakeasy, or have a delicious meal at some hole-in-the-wall place. And she has two adorable cats.

I always thought it would be neat to live in New York City for a while. Not long-term... just for a few weeks or months or something. (Well... let's face it, the noise and crowds alone would drive me crazy.) I always loved exploring places, and in New York City there is so much to explore. Love the food, or just sitting in a park and taking in a busking performance and such.

Do I agree with all of Chelsea's choices? No. She went back to college to study Computer Science last year, which seemed a crazy thing to do in 2025, especially for someone who never did any coding for fun. (Seems she is switching plans now, though.) And her "What I bought at Trader Joe's today" segments make me cringe... her grocery budget must be enormous. Why not save that money and buy, for example, a stick of RAM or a graphics card?

I am a big fan of "Right to Repair"... for many reasons, from avoiding waste, helping save money, conserving natural resources, to trying to stem the trend toward an ever more "throw-away" consumerist culture.

I feel Louis is a rare specimen... the modern version of the old-fashioned businessmen of decades ago: the kind whose business model was doing right by his customers; providing real service to others; teaching the next generation to follow his success; and keeping high moral standards rather than ripping people off to make a quick buck.

He's clearly fighting a losing fight. Electronics have become less and less repairable... not just the laptops and phones that he used to specialize in, but also everything from tractors to refrigerators and washing machines. He's exposing how companies try to screw customers over and force people to replace rather than repair. How features that used to be "built in" and repairable are becoming added "subscription features" that milk customers for even more money, after they already paid for devices.

He tries his best to "lobby against the lobbyists." It's a bit depressing as there are not enough people like him to stem the tide (and none, it seems, within the companies that always put shareholder value and profit margins above customer service).

Do I agree with everything he says? No. (Especially on AI, where some of his takes seem to re-iterate public preconceptions, rather than looking deeper into the issues.)

And he deeply cares for his cats, which is just lovely.

Disclaimer: I don't play video games. But when I just want to relax and watch something funny and entertaining, I enjoy CaseOh play video games. He is a phenomenon in the gaming space with 10 million subscribers... a high-energy streamer who showcases games with an amount of energy, humor, and wit that is just unbelievable, as he makes his way through all the inventive storytelling levels of (mostly) independent games.

This man is a tour de force... "Best get your diapers on!" as he embarks on tackling yet another low-budget horror game.

The gaming landscape is so interesting, especially as gaming engines have matured over the last few years that single developers (often in their teens or early twenties) can create nice-looking 3D games. I am convinced, if Leonardo da Vinci or Michelangelo grew up today, they would be creating video games.

I love how we can learn indirectly about the game creators' lives by entering the worlds they create. The character dialog is often hilarious... exactly how you would think a 16-year-old would imagine for adults to converse. The fact that many games are made in non-English-speaking countries adds a level of hilarity.

And then there are the game masterpieces, often by small studios (CaseOh does not tend to play the big "Triple A gaming company" releases). From the "Goob Lagoon" Waterpark simulator, to the incredible "Baby Steps" game, to captivating games such as "No I'm Not A Human," "Quarantine Zone," "A Game About Digging a Hole," and others, much of the gameplay is more interesting and funny than anything you find on Netflix or Prime Video.

Every video on his channel walks you through a real medical case — usually one that landed someone in the ER for some preventable but fascinating reason — explained with the patience and clarity of someone who actually does this for a living. The re-enactments are deadpan and absurd, with a small cast of recurring actors that the fan community has come to love. Half the joy of a new video is spotting which of them shows up.

The comments section is its own art form. People treat each case like a Greek tragedy. Fans celebrate when "the patient made a full recovery" and bemoan when he reports merely "a recovery." (One of my favorites: "You know your blood sugar is high when entire sugar cubes are floating around in there.") That kind of energy.

What I find most inspiring is the journey. He started out years ago as a student making gaming and weight-loss videos, and has been a practicing doctor for many years now, quietly educating millions of subscribers on the intricacies of how the human body works. There's something deeply satisfying about watching someone follow a long, hard road and end up with both the credentials and the audience he set out to build.

What sets this channel apart for me is how well the animations are made to explain what's going on. They don't just replay the trick from a sneakier camera angle — they overlay clean, well-drawn diagrams right on top of the performance, showing exactly what the hands are doing out of view, where the gimmick is hiding, how the load travels. It's the kind of patient, frame-by-frame explanation you'd want from a great teacher with a whiteboard, except it's happening over a real performance.

Some of the tricks featured are a real trip down memory lane — the classic stage illusions I remember being mystified by as a kid, finally explained. Others let me catch up with the kind of magic that is currently popular on social media, which I'd otherwise have no way of decoding.

What I find most interesting is the contrast that emerges once you've watched a bunch of these. A lot of the trending social-media "magic" turns out to be leveraging AI, green screens, or clever video editing — its own kind of craft, but a fundamentally different thing from what real magicians do. The genuine article relies on dexterity, misdirection, ingenuity, and physics to pull off something that actually happens in the room, in front of you. Both can be entertaining, but they deserve very different amounts of credit, and this channel makes the difference easy to see.