The 30 best YouTube channels you've never heard of (2017)

YouTube has been around a long while, so long, in fact, that you've probably developed an impression of it that's a bit obsolete. Once the bastion of cat videos and fail compilations, YouTube has developed into a platform with some seriously great content — including series and shows with production and writing quality that'll rival anything you see on TV. Still, finding this content is not a simple task, and so we're here with a list of the 30 best channels you've (probably) never heard of.Friendly Tip: The best way to use YouTube as an entertainment platform is by subscribing to channels you enjoy. This will result in new episodes showing up in your recommendations, as well as getting notifications when these new videos are published. Not sure how to subscribe to a YouTube channel? Everything you need to know is here.

Dan Bell's channel is home to a few different series, including one that tours dead malls and another that involves inspecting ultra-cheap and typically disgusting motel rooms. Both video series have earned Bell a growing audience, but the latter, called Another Dirty Room!, seems to be the shining show here, bringing with it a bunch of (NSFW) comedy.

The Slingshot Channel has been around for years, and so there's a decent chance you've happened across a video here or there. If you've never taken the time to really watch the series, though, you should give it a try. German fellow Joerg Sprave builds all sorts of slingshots (and other weapons) and demonstrates them on video. If nothing else, watch the video where he launches a Christmas tree.

This history channel is all about World War I.

Red Letter Media is one of those channels you're going to have to watch for yourself to get a feel for it. Perhaps its most popular offering is the 'Half in the Bag' series, which is a bit of an acquired taste, but one that's ultimately worth the effort.

This is a gaming channel where 'bullshittery' takes center stage.

If you spend any amount of time on Reddit, you've no doubt caught one of these videos by now. For everyone else who enjoys cooking shows, Binging with Babish is absolutely a series to give a chance. The show combines excellent production quality with rapid-pace, humorous attempts at recreating food from popular movies and TV shows.

The Slo Mo Guys channel is exactly what it sounds like: some guys doing stuff and recording it in slow motion. The production value is great, and in fact the team has utilized some slow-motion cameras that are beyond the scope of the ordinary consumer, making it especially interesting.

Cow Chop is a hard-to-describe mostly-gaming channel.

These videos aren't posted very often, but the quality is worth waiting for. 'In a Nutshell' takes topics you've probably heard in the news but not researched much yourself and offers details about them alongside adorable, highly-saturated animations.

It's true, you probably have heard about the Hydraulic Press Channel by now. If you've been living under a rock, though, you're in for a treat. This channel revolves around a big hydraulic press, showing off on video all the stuff it can smash.

Domics is one of the few animated shows on this list and it is something like an animated comic strip — funny and definitely worth the watch.

Want to wow everyone at social gatherings with your eclectic and vast knowledge of fairly weird stuff? If so, Today I Found Out will serve you well. This video series covers topics about things you may not know, providing all the details via fairly short episodes.

Yet another educational series has made the list, this one revolving around numbers and everything that makes them awesome. You'll love this series if you love math, and you'll probably feel stupefied if you're not familiar with the topic. You've been warned.

Yes, Happy Tree Friends is still around. This animated series has been around for years, once having been quite popular, and the video quality is better than ever. The channel still enjoys more than three million subscribers, though you're not likely to stumble across one of these videos casually, and so many people have lived blissfully unaware of its existence.

Note: despite the cute child-friendly graphics and audio, this series is very much not intended for young children.

Last but not least is Joey's World Tour, another food channel that, in this case, centers around reviewing food rather than creating it.