Consumer Reports articles from May 2005

Consumer Reports archives from May 2005

By the numbers.
May 1, 2005... this issue by the numbers RANGES Number of cookies baked to test 1,500 over performance LAWN TRACTORS Pounds of grass 1,286 clipping cut SCANNERS Images scanned in our tests 362 CRACKERS...

Those: three little words.(Have You Heard?)(Editorial)
May 1, 2005... On the cover and on the bottom of most left-hand pages in this magazine, three words appear: Expert, Independent, Nonprofit. Each of these sets the course for everything we do; together, they set us apart. Expert. For many products, there's...

Check it out: new ways to gouge guests.(Up front: news / trends / advice)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... A tip for a bellhop who didn't carry a single bag; $1 a day for "unlimited" local phone calls; $2 for the coffee that comes with your "complimentary" coffeemaker; $5 for the corkscrew in the minibar. Those are charges you might find on your...

Clothing confusion: the tag says 8, but the tape says 12.(Up front: news / trends / advice)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The size tags in women's clothing have lost much of their meaning. Manufacturers are cutting clothes larger and labeling them smaller, a practice known as vanity sizing. At the same time, we have found, there's little consistency in...

Mini and shuffle: apple goes budget.(Up front: news / trends / advice)(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2005... Apple's much-ballyhooed new products--the Mac Mini computer and iPod Shuffle music player--bring a company known for first-class pricing back into coach. Prices are low, but do the new products offer value? We bought and tested these new...

Keeping baby's drink cool.(Claim Check)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The claim: Jennifer Stork, a reader in Hamilton, Mich., spotted an ad for an insulated sipping cup that claimed to "keep a drink cool and fresh longer than a nap." Stork told us that in her informal experiment, the insulated cup she bought...

Protect yourself: when your airline flies into financial trouble.(Up front: news / trends / advice)
May 1, 2005... When you plan your next flight, you need to consider schedules, fares, and now, the airline's balance sheet. With several carriers navigating financial turbulence, the one you plan to use may go the way of Eastern and Braniff before you're...

We have the skinny on cracker nutrition.(food wise)
May 1, 2005... When snacking on crackers, health-conscious consumers often think more about the topping than about the cracker itself. But crackers have a wide range of calories, fat, and sodium, as we found when we assessed the nutrition of 15 varieties,...

Sharper image pays $525,000 to end lawsuit against CU.(Up front: news / trends / advice)
May 1, 2005... Sharper Image Corp. has ended a product-disparagement lawsuit that it brought against Consumers Union, publisher of CONSUMER REPORTS, paying CU court-ordered attorneys' fees and costs totaling $525,000. Sharper Image sued after CONSUMER...

First look.(Up front: news / trends / advice)(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2005... Product: Ford Freestyle Full report: July 2005 Ford's new Freestyle, a variation on the new Five Hundred sedan, embodies a wagon, minivan, and SUV. We bought a Freestyle SEL that lists for $32,460 with all-wheel drive, continuously...

Infomercial industry polices itself (Wait! there's more! call now!).(Up front: news / trends / advice)
May 1, 2005... Infomercials have a reputation for selling gadgets, gizmos, pills, and schemes that sound too good to be true. Millions of viewers make infomercials and other direct-response advertising a $250 billion-a-year proposition, but one with little...

TVs and gear.(Your Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... In your March report on DVD recorders, you don't mention whether any of the units you tested can record on double-layer discs. I've seen DVD drives for computers that can write to these discs. I would have also liked to see a comparison between...

Mutual funds.(Your Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... Thank you for your March report on stock mutual funds, "70 All-Weather Winners." I had been blithely contributing the maximum to my workplace 401 (k). Like many people, I simply went with the default fund recommended by the investment company...

Crib safety.(Your Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... Thank you, thank you for the March Up Front report about crib safety. Your information on the appropriate crib setup was right on target. We only wish that we had known that information 21 years ago. Perhaps then our daughter wouldn't have died...

Cell-phone batteries.(Your Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... In your March Up Front report, "The Dangers in Phone Batteries," you pointed out that no standards exist for cell-phone batteries, mentioning only that design and performance standards are being examined. The real solution we consumers need in...

How we buy cars.(Your Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... CR notes the price as tested in its auto reports. I assume this is the sticker price. If CR follows its own advice and bargains hard with the dealer, however, the actual price paid must be lower. Why doesn't CU tell its members the price it...

Sugarless gum.(Your Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... Having just read the March Up Front, I have this to offer concerning sugarless gum. I always have a pack or two in my car for refreshing my mouth. In warm weather, the heat of a parked car makes some gum mushy and stick to the wrapping. Brands...

GE, Kenmore, and Whirlpool dishwashers recalled for electrical problems.(Recalls & Safety Alerts)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Whirlpool and General Electric have recalled 236,300 dishwashers sold in the past 18 months because they could overheat and catch fire. Some were sold under the Kenmore name. A GE model was included in our March Ratings report. WHIRLPOOL:...

How to protect your biggest investment.(Your home: buying / owning / selling)
May 1, 2005... Time was, buying a house followed a fairly simple scenario. You found the one you liked, went to the bank, got a mortgage, and moved in. Selling wasn't challenging either. You hired a real-estate agent, paid a 5 to 7 percent commission, and...

For some child car seats slim safety margins.
May 1, 2005... The American Academy of Pediatrics advises parents to keep children in rear-facing car seats as long as possible--ideally up to the car seat's weight limit--because it's generally safer. But when we crash-tested rear-facing car seats at...

New concerns about ionizing air cleaners.(CR Investigates)
May 1, 2005... Buying an air cleaner that doesn't clean the air is bad enough. Some of the least effective ionizer models also can expose you to potentially harmful ozone levels, especially if you're among the roughly 80 percent of buyers with asthma or...

As you like it.(Laser and inkjet printers)
May 1, 2005... Color inkjets will typically print photographs more slowly and at higher cost than many neighborhood photo processors. They print black-and-white text more expensively than laser printers. So why are they still top sellers? Because paired...

New versality.(Scanners)(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2005... Flatbed scanners are no longer restricted to making digital copies of printed originals. Our tests show that the best flatbeds are now a match for pricey film scanners when it comes to digitizing slides and negatives. That's no small...

More on the menu.(Evaluating ranges and stoves)(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2005... More features, new capabilities, and diverse designs give you a lot to digest when you're shopping for a new range. With prices starting below $300 for the most basic ranges and soaring beyond $5,000 for the costliest pro-style models,...

Have it your way.(Wall Ovens & Cooktops)
May 1, 2005... Flexibility is the biggest reason to forgo the typical range and buy a separate cooktop and wall oven instead. You can place a cooktop just about anywhere--in a center island, say--and install the oven in a convenient spot at a height that...

Cheaper, safer, better.(Lawn Tractors)(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2005... Falling prices for tractors that cut a wide swath and mowers that turn on a dime have created a buyer's market for homeowners with ample lawns, John Deere's latest 42-inch-wide tractor is an example. The $1,600 model performs as well and...

Interval training: more benefit, less fatigue.(Health)
May 1, 2005... New federal guidelines announced in January advise adults to exercise moderately to vigorously for about an hour most days just to prevent gaining weight as they age. Those who've lost weight need even more activity, up to 90 minutes of...

False security: check-bounce protection.(Money)
May 1, 2005... Across the country, banks are adding "bounce protection" to customer accounts. Some are touting the service, which prevents bounced checks, as a way to gain "peace of mind." With bounce protection, a Pioneer Bank ad says, "we've got you...

Hybrid vehicles: mean green machines.(Cars)
May 1, 2005... Just when we have come to know gas-electric hybrid cars as efficient but slow little vehicles for the environmentally conscious, the merger of this technology with larger engines has yielded a surprising benefit: Some of the new hybrids are,...

Small sedans: the Ford focus scores best in our road tests, but poorly in IIHS crash test.(Safety)
May 1, 2005... The updated Ford Focus, powered by a new Mazda engine, has regained the top road-test score of all small sedans we've tested. The Focus was also named a small-sedan Top Pick in our April Annual Auto Issue. But just as that issue hit the...

Put a stop to the check-hold squeeze.(View point: the consumers union perspective)
May 1, 2005... Congress has an opportunity to fix a problem it created with the new "Check 21" law, which went into effect last October. The law makes it easier for banks, thrifts, and credit unions to process checks by sending electronic images of checks...

Big news.(Selling it: goofs / glitches / gotchas)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... What's up with M&M's? Here we have a "small bag" of plain M&M's that weighs 9.4 ounces and a "big snack bag" that weighs exactly the same but has slightly bigger dimensions. The designation "large" actually makes sense: That bag weighs 21.30...

Hail to the cheeky.(Selling it: goofs / glitches / gotchas)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... For $5, this mailing from American Mint says, you can "commemorate the leadership of George W. Bush with this meticulously designed legal tender 10-dollar coin." So we asked a customer-service representative, can someone really use it to buy...

Sorry, we're shopping for a pancreas.(Selling it: goofs / glitches / gotchas)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Behold, a coupon intended to discount a store purchase. "When the clerk was asked what the price range was for stomachs," a reader reports, "he simply replied they were 'all out.'"

The other shoe drops.(Selling it: goofs / glitches / gotchas)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... "Gotta love the disclaimer," writes a reader from Canada of the notice at the bottom of this junk fax, which hyperventilates over a company called Bullion River Gold (stock symbol BLRV). It begins, "Always consult a professional investment...

Bogus bonus.(Selling it: goofs / glitches / gotchas)
May 1, 2005... After a staffer bought this toothpaste with BONUS tube, she was displaying her teeth, but in a growl, not a grin. Why? Check out the size of the extra tube.