Consumer Reports articles from July 2004

Consumer Reports archives from July 2004

What to do on your summer break.(have you heard?)(Editorial)
July 1, 2004... When I was a kid, summer meant more than freedom from school. Limits my parents set for my sisters and me the rest of the year sailed out the wide-open window just as the bell of the ice-cream truck drifted in. As an adult, indulging in a daily...

We put hammocks to the test: swing into summer.(Up front: news/trends/advice)
July 1, 2004... What's the difference between a hammock that sells for less than $50 and one that costs $200? To find out, we asked staffers to kick back in 10 hammocks. The answer: Midpriced and expensive hammocks have small but important refinements to help...

Summer soaring.(Up front: news/trends/advice)(evaluating variety flying toys)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Three staffers landed an assignment to satisfy their Inner Child: Test several new flying toys that looked like good bets earlier this found no real duds, but the toys didn't always soar as high as the packaging hype Implied. Four of the more...

Compost bins: the best cost less.(Up front: news/trends/advice)(Smith and Hawken Inc. new bin Biostack)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Some of the newest compost bins promise to do their work in just a few weeks and with minimal fuss. That's wishful thinking, judging by our tests. Slow decay. In our test of composting conditions, we found that it took 8 to 10 weeks to see...

Drive smart, save money.(Up front: news/trends/advice)(gas prices higher)
July 1, 2004... As summer begins and Americans hit the road, gas prices are an average of 15 percent higher than they were a year ago. Short of buying a more fuel-efficient hybrid car like the Toyota Prius or the Honda Civic Hybrid, or a gas-engine car with...

Dispute over car-seat advice.(Up front: news/trends/advice)
July 1, 2004... Several months ago, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued new advice: Parents can be confident that a child car seat will continue to do its job after a minor crash. In the past, NHTSA advised replacing seats after any...

Is the government too lax in advice on tuna consumption?(Up front: news/trends/advice)
July 1, 2004... This spring, two federal agencies issued the government's first advisory on limits for safe amounts of tuna to eat, because of its mercury content. The Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency say that women of...

Let the chips fall.(Claim Check)(Procter & Gamble and Frito-Lay competition)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The claim: "America prefers the taste of Lay's Stax Original Potato Crisps over Pringles Original Potato Crisps," says a full-page ad in The New York Times. Fine print attributes those findings to a national taste test. The claim has Procter &...

XM and Sirius satellite radio: a down-to-earth guide.(Up front: news/trends/advice)
July 1, 2004... Satellite radio is attracting lots of listeners who want a break from the homogenized playlists and endless ads on local FM and AM stations--and they don't mind paying at least $10 a month for it. We first listened to satellite radio two...

Dangerous supplements.(your letters)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... CONSUMER REPORTS does the American people a great service by reporting in the May issue on nutritional supplements in "Dangerous Supplements Still at Large." But your solution to this problem--giving the FDA total control--is the wrong one. The...

Toyota Prius.(your letters)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... I was immensely disappointed by your review in the May issue of the Toyota Prius. wherein you compared it to porker midsized cars like the Malibu and Stratus. Had you written about highly efficient cars like the small Ford Focus, the Toyota...

Medicare scams.(your letters)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... Concerning your May Up Front report "Phony Medicare Drug Cards," the real scam artists of the Medicare drug program seem to be the drug companies themselves. Under the new law, they can continue to make extraordinary profits while consumers are...

Safer beef.(your letters)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... I read your May Up Front article "People Would Pay More to Get Safer Beef." After working in the retail food industry for more than 40 years, I find it curious that anyone is considering asking consumers to pay for safer beef. It is the beef...

Correction.(your letters)(Correction Notice)
July 1, 2004... The May report on dangerous supplements incorrectly described a recall of PC SPES, which was found to contain a prescription drug thinner, warfarin. The FDA did not seize the products; it monitored a voluntary recall by the manufacturer.

TV/VCR carts recalled after child dies.(recalls & safety alerts)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The death of a 19-month-old girl and injuries to four people have prompted the recall of 592,000 Sauder TV/VCR carts because they could easily tip, causing the TV set to fall onto anyone nearby. The recall involves models 2655 and 2755,...

Hotels.(CR Investigates)
July 1, 2004... The Internet has set the lodging industry on its ear, leaving consumers less loyal to "brands," such as Holiday Inn, and more likely to pick a hotel by price, the way they'd buy a quart of milk. Before booking a room, about 4 of 10 travelers...

Guide to a great rate.(CR Investigates; hotel and motel management)
July 1, 2004... You're less likely than in years past to see vastly different rates from different hotel-room vendors, for two reasons. First, the chains aren't generally selling excess inventory to travel Web sites such as Hotels.com, Expedia, Orbitz, and...

Outdoor lightning: illuminating finds.(Home: your backyard)
July 1, 2004... Low-voltage outdoor lightning used to have all the allure of a hitching post. No more. Low-voltage--12-volt fixtures that generate areas of soft light--now dominates lightning for pathways, lawns, and gardens. That's because it comes in...

Decking: serious alternatives.(Home: your backyard)
July 1, 2004... Today's houses use an abundance of synthetic materials: vinyl siding and windows, fiberglass shingles, resin molding, and more. However, one place where solid wood still rules is backyard decking. Synthetic planks--plastics or composites of...

Deck treatments: best long-term choices.(Home: your backyard)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... If you've chosen real wood for your deck, it will need regular protective treatment to maintain its appearance. Our tests show that the longest-lasting and thus most economical treatments are opaque. They hide wood grain like a coat of paint....

Air conditioners: cool deals.
July 1, 2004... If you're in the market for a room air conditioner, now is a great time to buy, Overall, they're more energy efficient and a better value than they were even a year ago; our tests of 36 models include CR Best Buys in all sizes. Across the...

Soy: cutting through the confusion.
July 1, 2004... Fifteen years ago, U.S. consumers didn't care beans about soy. Now they're swallowing soy pills, soy milk, soy energy bars, soy smoothies, soy pasta, and even a vodka distilled from soy. By 2005, Americans are expected to spend $4.7 billion...

PDAs: for a networked world.(personal digital assistants)
July 1, 2004... The personal digital assistant is evolving in ways that make it easier to use and better able to connect to the Internet and to other devices. Two types of PDA dominate in sales to U.S. consumers. Seventy percent use the Palm operating...

Vacuums: widening your options.
July 1, 2004... Central vacuums are quietly joining upright and canister vacs on America's list of cleaning choices. While still a small percentage of the market, these whole-house systems are sucking up sales increases of more than 10 percent each year in the...

Bicycles: more bike for the buck.
July 1, 2004... If you plan to buy one of the 19 million new bikes Americans will pedal home this year, chances are your new ride will have an aluminum frame, even if it costs less than $500. It might even have disc brakes or 27 gears These features, once...

Bike helmets: for safety's sake.
July 1, 2004... Some bike helmets are getting better and easier to adjust, thanks to technological improvements appearing at all price levels. But several other helmets failed our tests because the buckle broke--a recurring problem with bike helmets we've...

Do-it-yourself tile: new Edge flooring offers ease at a price.(CR home)
July 1, 2004... Until now, if you wanted the look of a tile floor, you had two basic choices: Opt for real stone or ceramic tile and spend days cementing and grouting it in place or choose a plastic-laminate floor, which only looks like the real stuff, yet is...

Lowballs can be high-stress.(Did You Know?)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Going with the lowest-bid contractor could be highly disappointing if you're remodeling your kitchen. CR subscribers who did so weren't as pleased with the results, based on responses to our latest Annual Questionnaire. Choosing the...

5 ways to cut cooling costs.(season tips)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Electricity rates typically rise during the peak cooling months of July and August, according to the federal Energy Information Administration. Prices could get higher in the years ahead; the EIA projects that electricity rates will rise 12...

10 insurance policies you don't need.(CR money)
July 1, 2004... If you're like most people, you don't relish spending money on insurance. Sure, you need it, but it's not bright and shiny, you can't drive it, and no one is going to admire it. So it's all the more galling when you find out you've purchased...

You can avoid probate.(Did You Know?)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... With a so-called payable-on-death account, testamentary account, or Totten trust, you can bypass the expense and delay of probate. At a local bank, you simply designate beneficiaries for an account and make a declaration that you want the funds...

Take care: uptick in Lyme disease likely.(CR health)
July 1, 2004... Populations of the ticks that spread Lyme disease are expected to increase in the Northeast U.S. and spread out across the Midwest and South this summer, experts say. Lyme disease is also appearing in parts of Canada, Europe, and Asia. So if...

Ask for safest Rx drugs.(Did You Know?)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... When prescribed a new medication, ask your doctor whether it's the least risky choice available, especially if the medicine is a pain reliever, sedative, antidepressant, or antianxiety drug. The Feb. 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine...

Can Trident White whiten teeth?(names & claims)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... "Smile brighter," promises a TV commercial for Trident White. The label for the sugarless gum claims it "whitens teeth," but can an 89 cent pack of gum do that? Even if the evidence from the unpublished manufacturer-funded study is taken at...

A truck for all reasons: crew-cab pickups: the Toyota Tundra tops this group of passenger-friendly pickups.
July 1, 2004... The Toyota Tundra is our new top pick in the pickup-truck category That's especially notable because for 2004 there are more full-sized pickups from which to choose. * The Ford F-150, the volume model in the U.S.'s best-selling model line,...

Preventing the next ephedra.(Viewpoint: the consumers union perspective)(dietary supplements)
July 1, 2004... In April, the seven-year battle to remove the dangerous stimulant ephedra from store shelves came to an end when a federal judge upheld the government's ban on the supplement. The Food and Drug Administration had logged nearly 17,000 adverse...

Suction power.(then & now)(selling vacuum cleaners)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... With a Classic Omega vacuum cleaner in tow, the Kirby sales rap of the 1970's knocked on America's doors and faced the challenge of cleaning shag carpets. Users of that Kirby upright model could remove its handle and hook on a shoulder strap...

Readers seeing red.(Selling it: goofs/glitches/gotchas)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Road rage is old hat, but how about reader rage? Lately, Selling It has received a batch of beefs from subscribers to various magazines. One man's GolfDigest subscription was marked "overdue," his account was "red-flagged," and he was ordered...

Check the weight, mate.(Selling it: goofs/glitches/gotchas)(Pepperidge Farm Inc. products)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Behold Pepperidge Farm Chessmen and New! Mini Chessmen butter cookies. The new Chessmen are smaller, and the package is, too--only 4.9 oz., vs. 7.25 oz. for the big Chessmen. Does the smaller package come with a pawn-sized price? Of course not....

The article has minced? You said it!(Selling it: goofs/glitches/gotchas)
July 1, 2004... These fractured phrases appeared on the box of an herb-and-vegetable chopper. We're most curious about how to pull the inferior bell. The text goes on to tell owners how to rinse and reassemble the machine. At least that's our best guess.

More of what you don't want.(Selling it: goofs/glitches/gotchas)
July 1, 2004... Hey, Campbell's: How about more chicken or pork? Or maybe a change of name, as in Rice With Chicken and Beans With Pork?

One savvy piece of plastic.(Selling it: goofs/glitches/gotchas)
July 1, 2004... Bigger and taller? Maybe--though we're not sure with whom this action figure is being compared. But we especially love the other claims. His muscles are an illusion. He'll only be fast if picked up and moved around. And he'll only be as smart...