Consumer Reports articles from May 2006

Consumer Reports archives from May 2006

How to right retailing wrongs.(Have You Heard?)
May 1, 2006... When I was a kid, my parents bought our manual push mower from Mutual Hardware in my hometown of Amherst, Mass., in part because Mutual stood behind the products it sold. (Not literally-mowing the lawn was my job.) Shopping for one of...

Face-off: get the cleanest dishes.(up front: News / Trends / Advice)(Product/service evaluation)
May 1, 2006... Cleaning dirty dishes is big business, with Americans spending more than $500 million a year on powders, gels, tablets, and gel pacs for their dishwashers. Among the 20 detergents we tested this time, there was a wide range of scores, with...

Cell-phone music is costly and clumsy.(up front: News / Trends / Advice)
May 1, 2006... Up until now, music capability on cell phones has been mostly confined to ring tones-the pricey song snippets that you order via the phone's Web browser. A few phones allow you to import music from a computer, but it hasn't been possible to...

Whole-grain bread for white-bread lovers.(CLAIM CHECK)(Sara Lee Corp's whole grain white bread)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... The claim. Wonder White Bread Fans 100% Whole Grain Bread is "a wholegrain bread even white-bread lovers can enjoy," with the "mild, not strong, taste and soft texture white-bread lovers prefer." (Wonder has recently come out with a few more...

How Bank of America holds on to the change.(up-front: News / Trends / Advice)
May 1, 2006... It was hard to miss the upbeat commercial during the nightly 2006 Winter Olympics broadcasts: a happy-go-lucky couple spending their way through a night on the town, paying for everything with a Bank of America debit card. The spot was...

Mulch match rubber stacks up well against wood.(up front: News / Trends / Advice)
May 1, 2006... Rubber mulch may sound as aesthetically appealing as an artificial Christmas tree, but it has a few selling points. It can eliminate the need for annual mulching, since rubber doesn't break down as wood does; it's heavy enough to stay put;...

ROBO-MOP: Scooba struggles in the clutch.(up front: News / Trends / Advice)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... The robotic Roomba vacuum cleaner has a new partner. iRobot's Scooba is an automatic mop that is slightly larger and heavier than Roomba and costs $399. It comes with a battery charger, a battery pack, cleaning solution, a spare front-wheel...

Induction cooktops are promising, but not perfect.(up front: News / Trends / Advice)(Gaggenau VI 411-610, Kenmore (Sears) Elite 4280[0], Viking VCCU1054B[SS])(Product/service evaluation)
May 1, 2006... Induction cooktops are the fastest-heating cooktops we've ever tested. Here's how induction works: Electricity passes through the magnetic elements under the cooktop's glass-covered surface. This produces a magnetic field that heats the pan...

Correction: hybrids.(YOUR LETTERS)(Correction notice)
May 1, 2006... In our April report "The Dollars & Sense of Hybrids," a calculation error involving projections for depreciation for six hybrid vehicles led us to overstate how much extra money the hybrids will cost owners during the first five years,...

Hundreds of thousands of tires could lose air pressure or fail prematurely.(Recalls & Safety Alerts)(Cooper Tire and Rubber Co. recalls 288,000 tires)
May 1, 2006... Cooper Tire & Rubber is recalling 288,000 tires, sold as aftermarket replacements, because they could lose air pressure or come apart, resulting in a possible crash. In three separate recalls, the firm said it would replace the following...

All-in-ones: print, scan, copy & more.(Buyers guide)
May 1, 2006... An all-in-one printer proves that a jack-of-all-trades isn't necessarily a master of none. In our tests, the best all-in-ones rivaled stand-alone printers at producing top-notch photographs and text and were competent at copying and scanning....

Cameras update: compacts take on SLRs.(single-lens reflex )(Buyers guide)
May 1, 2006... While the single-lens reflex (SLR) design has no peer for all-around performance in a digital camera, the point-and-shoot type wins for convenience. Now, new advanced point-and-shoot cameras with SLR-like features promise to reduce the need...

Outlet stores: where to shop & how to save big bucks.
May 1, 2006... If your idea of outlet shopping is scrounging through bins of mediocre merchandise, your perception, and perhaps your wardrobe, could use a makeover. And it starts here. To tell you which outlet stores deliver the best shopping...

Ranges don't get burned.(Buyers guide)
May 1, 2006... Expensive ranges aren't always better. Our tests of 65 ranges found a $450 electric and a $550 gas model that performed better overall than a $5,200 pro-style one. But paying more can get you added style and the latest features. ...

Golf balls: slicing through the hype.(Buyers guide)
May 1, 2006... Once upon a time, every golfer sank birdies. The game's first ball was made of a stout leather cover packed with boiled chicken or goose feathers and laced shut. The feathery, as it was nicknamed, was surprisingly heavy, never precisely...

Canada extra.
May 1, 2006... canada extra INFORMATION FROM CONSUMER REPORTS[R] FOR CANADIAN READERS How to use the Canada Extra section Every month, Canada Extra provides Canadian pricing and availability information about products tested for that issue. The Ratings...

Steps to take & mistakes to avoid.(Your best lawn ever)
May 1, 2006... Lush, weed-free lawns needn't involve hours of work. A few simple mowing, watering, and fertilizing steps from the lawn experts at CONSUMER REPORTS' 175,000-square-foot Florida test site can get you the verdant field of green you want without...

Lawn mowers: more make the cut.(YOUR BEST LAWN EVER)(Buyers guide)
May 1, 2006... A number of lower-priced lawn mowers are making a showcase lawn more attainable by delivering the cutting, mulching, and bagging you'd expect on $700 models. But some manufacturers are cheaping out with questionable designs. Several new...

String trimmers: better electrics for less.(YOUR BEST LAWN EVER)(Buyers guide)
May 1, 2006... String trimmers provide the finishing touch that sets manicured lawns apart. But getting one that edges along walks as capably as it trims around trees has meant spending $100 or more for a gas model. This year, we found several new plug-in...

Web shopping: 4 ways to protect yourself.(Money)
May 1, 2006... Odds are you don't think twice about firing up your computer and shopping online instead of at the local mall, whether you're looking to buy a DVD or a set of dishes. But let's face it, the convenience of buying on the Web comes at a price....

Chronic pain: relief without drug risks.(Health)
May 1, 2006... Growing concern about the side effects of virtually all pain relievers has left people wondering if there's any way to safely control their pain. The largest group of analgesics--including ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and other nonsteroidal...

Tools 10: essentials for every household.(Home)(Buyers guide)
May 1, 2006... You could easily spend hundreds of dollars on tools you'll never use. Instead take our experts' advice. Here are the ones you really need and which features to look for, as well as CR's Quick Picks of recently tested models that provide...

Driving ambitions: sports sedans: the refined Lexus is 250 shines among six spirited four-doors.(Buyers guide)
May 1, 2006... For some, buying a sports sedan is the key to entry for the luxury-sedan club, and the first rung on the ladder to larger and plusher cars. Others, however, may buy them more for their fun factor. The six sedans in this test follow the...

False promises: 'consumer driven' health plans.(View point: THE CONSUMERS UNION PERSPECTIVE)
May 1, 2006... A promotional pamphlet for a health savings account (HSA) boasts, "If you plan correctly, you may find that you spend far less for health care than ever before." True, if you could plan to avoid cancer, being hit by a car, or growing older....

Guest the test.
May 1, 2006... For 70 years, CONSUMER REPORTS has tested just about everything you can think of, including the kitchen sink. (And if there isn't a device to test a product, we create one.) For the rest of the year, we'll invite you to look at a photograph...

Fire the proofreaders.(selling it: Goofs / Glitches / Gotchas)
May 1, 2006... Readers have sent a torrent of typos our way in recent months, and we couldn't help noticing that many show disturbing evidence of a subliminal anger among copywriters: "Over 100 Items With Altercations Daily" (an ad for a Pennsylvania buffet...

Especially not after drinking the beer.(selling it: Goofs / Glitches / Gotchas)
May 1, 2006... The little map shows no depths, buoys, or landmarks. To any boater who is tempted to use it for navigation: Report to the poop deck to be keelhauled. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

A black hole award.(selling it: Goofs / Glitches / Gotchas)
May 1, 2006... ... goes to this deceptively deep box of chocolates, which has one layer, not two or three. A Rhode Island reader says she paid $6.95 for the 12 pieces inside. "Even worse," she writes, "I gave another box of this candy as a gift." ...