Three years ago, Consumerist told you about the possible shattering risk of so-called “oven-safe” Pyrex bakeware. And for the last year, our investigative siblings at Consumer Reports have been combing through complaints to the Consumer Product Safety Commission and testing Pyrex and other glass bakeware in the CR testing facility. [More]
consumer reports
Check Your Blind Zones When Test-Driving A Car
By 12.3.10
Even if you do happen to have an eye installed in the back of your head, every car has a blind spot behind it, and the dangerous possibility of running over low-to-the-ground animals and children in that massive blind spot. While rear-view cameras in vehicles are becoming more common, they’re still more of a luxury add-on than necessary safety equipment. [More]
Put A Lid On Shipping & Handling Charges
By 11.16.10
The price of a clock radio we found at Target.com: $9.99. The cost of shipping and handling said clock: $6.13. That’s reasonable, based on what UPS or the post office would have charged, but who wants to pay two-thirds of a product’s price to have it sent? Especially at holiday time, you’ll want to avoid S&H gotchas. Here’s how: [More]
Is Your Home Ready For Winter?
By 11.15.10
Winter’s breath is just around the corner, so make sure your house and yard is ready with this handy checklist from Consumer Reports. Hose turned off? Programmable thermostat settings reviewed? Smoke detectors and fire extinguishers checked? Go through the list and get prepared. [More]
Best Buy Plasma TV Prices Crash Below $400
By 11.12.10
Attention morons who’ve smashed their TVs by using the Xbox Kinect in a room with a ceiling fan: Best Buy is offering a 42-inch plasma TV for under $400 as part of its Black Friday sale. Just find another room to put it in before hooking up your 360. [More]
Govt Report Shows Debt Dropping, But Credit Cards Haunt You Forever
By 11.8.10
The Fed is out with its latest report on consumer credit, and it’s filled with good news — kinda sorta. While the report says that, for the seventh consecutive quarter, consumers are borrowing less and paying off more of their debt, that doesn’t necessarily mean the economy is healthier. The numbers “can be a result of both tightening credit standards and voluntary changes in saving behavior,” said Fed economist Donghoon Lee. So, maybe you’re borrowing less because you don’t want to get stuck with more debt — or maybe it’s just because nobody wants to lend you money anymore. [More]
No, The Kinect Is Not Racist
By 11.4.10
Speaking of the Microsoft Kinect, you know those
rumors that it has trouble with, er, certain skin tones? Yeah, just
turn up the lights, OK?
Haunted House Or Dead Rodents? 5 Tips From Consumer Reports
By 10.28.10
Do your appliances and lights randomly turn on and off? Are doors all over your home opening and closing by themselves? Do you hear ghostly footsteps in the attic? If so, your house may be haunted — or you could just have dead rodents, really bad appliances, and low relative humidity. Consumer Reports goes Ghostbusters to help you get Gozer out of your garage. [More]
Consumer Reports 2010 Car Reliability Survey: Who Makes The Best Cars?
By 10.26.10
Our gear-head bros at Consumer Reports have published the results of their Annual Auto Survey and there’s good news for General Motors, whose numbers showed considerable improvement. Still, no U.S.-based car makers were able to beat out either Honda or Toyota for reliability. [More]
iPhone App: Scan Barcode, Get Consumer Reports Ratings
By 10.19.10
(iOS4 only) Yesterday fellow publishing family member Consumer Reports launched a new $9.99 iPhone app that lets you scan a barcode and get official Consumer Reports ratings, reviews and specs for that product. Fret not, an Android version is in the works. Video walkthrough, inside. [More]
Evenflo Recalls Maestro Car Seat After Failing Consumer Reports Test
By 10.15.10
After a crash test commissioned by our test-happy kin at Consumer Reports on the Evenflo Maestro Combination Booster Seat showed the product could experience a failure that could lead to severe injury for a child passenger, the company has announced a voluntary recall. [More]
Putting Vacuum Cleaners To The Cat Hair Test
By 10.6.10
Among the seven different tests that our science-minded sibling publication Consumer Reports used for its most recent vacuum ratings, the one that seems to get the most attention is the fur test. Steven Colbert once accused CR — jokingly, we hope — of killing cats and tearing their fur off. Fortunately for everyone involved, that’s not how it works. [More]
Consumer Reports Finds The Absolute Worst Credit Card
By 10.5.10
Think your credit card is bad? Check out this specimen that our sister-publication, Consumer Reports, says is the absolute “worst credit card.” [More]
Choose A Multivitamin
By 10.4.10
Multivitamins come in an array of packages like “Silver,” “Kids Chewables,” and “Schwarzenegger,” but it’s all marketing. Just buy the cheapest. They’re all the same, just in different colored boxes. That’s the advice Consumer Reports is dishing out after it tested 21 different kinds of multivitamins, and finding most were indistinguishable from one another, with two exceptions. [More]
VIDEO: How Consumer Reports Tests 3D TVs
By 10.4.10
Since 3D TVs are still a new and developing consumer technology, the testers at Consumer Reports have had to develop new ways to put the figure out which of these sets — if any — are worth recommending. [More]
How To Get The Best Deals At 10 Major Retail Chains
By 9.22.10
Everyone wants a bargain, which is why more Americans shop at discount chains like Target and Walmart than at any other type of big store. But a new survey of more than 30,000 subscribers by the Consumer Reports National Research Center reveals that folks are also finding low prices at department stores, warehouse clubs, and general-merchandise retailers. We recently reported on why consumers shop where they do. [More]
Consumer Reports Puts Pledge Fabric Sweeper To The Test
By 9.10.10
It’s the problem that has vexed cat and dog owners for centuries: How the hell do I get all this damn fur off everything. There have been countless inventions that promise to lift animal hair off your furniture and carpet, but do they work? [More]
Pick A Backpack That Won't Break Your Kid's Spine
By 8.24.10
Here are some tips from Consumer Reports for making sure your kid’s backpack won’t turn them into a hunchback: [More]
