Consumer Reports articles from October 2001

Consumer Reports archives from October 2001

Toward better health care for all.(Editorial)(Cover Story)
October 1, 2001... For many of the 174 million Americans who get their health insurance through an employer, fall is the "open window" period, when they can change plans. In this issue, a survey of more than 83,000 readers helped us rate managed-care plans for...

Holes in our product safety net.(Memo To Members)(Editorial)
October 1, 2001... What if your coffeemaker catches fire when it's warming your coffee? Or sharp metal strips on your new sneakers send you to the hospital for stitches? Those very products, with those problems, were recently recalled by major manufacturers in...

Quick, put a cap on it.(disposable dish covers)(Product Test)
October 1, 2001... Before plastic wrap and Tupperware, granny used vinyl showercap-like covers to protect dinner leftovers in the fridge. The caps are still sold through catalogs like The Vermont Country Store. Recently, SC Johnson put a modern spin on them with...

High cholesterol? Check your risk.
October 1, 2001... Should you be on a cholesterol-lowering drug? For millions of Americans who thought their cholesterol level was just fine, the answer to that question changed when the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recently issued new guidelines for...

Two excellent pruners for small hands: gardening.(Evaluation)
October 1, 2001... Gardening has never been more popular, and most gardeners are women. This got toolmakers thinking: Tools for smallish hands make for big business. For this report, we focused on small-scale pruners, one of the most essential tools in a...

Mommy, did you borrow my blush?(Trend Watch)(Column)
October 1, 2001... Borrowing Mom's lipstick has been a playtime ritual for generations. But now, makers of cosmetics and toys are taking that fascination a step further by pushing makeup for kids, some as young as 6. At your mall now: Bronzed Babe Lip Gloss...

Fix it or forget it?(Buyers Guide)(Cover Story)
October 1, 2001... Rule of thumb: If a broken VCR, CD player, or printer is more than two years old, replace it. But if a lawn tractor, wall oven, or projection TV goes on the fritz, it may be worth fixing even after six or seven years. Those are some of the...

Red hot.(red wines)(Buyers Guide)(Industry Overview)
October 1, 2001... The reds are on the rise. Amid the sea of white wines that Americans have favored in recent years--including the tsunami known as chardonnay, the white-wine varietal that alone represents nearly 20 percent of U.S. wine sales--there's a strong...

Auto preview: what's new for 2001 - versatility now comes in many forms.(Cover Story)(Industry Overview)(Product Announcement)
October 1, 2001... The versatility of sport-utility vehicles is one of the things that helped make them so popular over the last decade. Targeting that appeal, automakers are now developing a range of new vehicles--from car-based SUVs to a new breed of four-door...

Leading the charge: auto batteries - test.(Evaluation)
October 1, 2001... This may be the last decade for the 12-volt batteries that have been used in cars and trucks since the mid-1950s. As early as 2004, carmakers will begin upgrading to a 42-volt system to cope with the added demands of electronically controlled...

HMO or PPO: are you in the right plan?(Health Care - Survey)(Cover Story)(Industry Overview)
October 1, 2001... To escape the tight restrictions of many health maintenance organizations (HMOs), more people than ever are flocking to preferred provider organizations (PPOs), believing that more choice, albeit at a higher cost, will be more satisfying. PPO...

Coming clean on bath soap.(Bath Soap - Test)(Buyers Guide)(Industry Overview)
October 1, 2001... Lather up in your morning shower and you'll face the day with "soft and silky smooth skin," "a healthy clean you can feel," even "an energy rush," soap makers promise. The ingredients they've packed into their products--including vitamin E,...

Recalls: children's products; vehicles and equipment; recreation.
October 1, 2001... Children's products. * "Let's Start Numbers" and "Optical Illusions Lab" educational kits Lettering contains lead. Products: 160,000 kits sold 2/99 to 5/01 at various book chains, warehouse clubs, and other stores for $13 to $20....

Taking charge of diabetes: self-care is crucial - and widely neglected.
October 1, 2001... Diabetes, an abnormality in how the body controls blood-sugar levels, is turning out to be the ultimate self-care disease. Some 10 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes, and an estimated 5 million more have the disease but don't...

Sensing danger: carbon-monoxide alarms - test.(Evaluation)
October 1, 2001... You can't see it, smell it, or taste it. Yet there's at least a chance it's in your home if you have a furnace, a fireplace, a water heater, or anything else that burns fossil fuels. Carbon monoxide (CO) kills some 500 Americans and puts an...

Walk the talk.(cordless phones)(Buyers Guide)(Industry Overview)
October 1, 2001... The new wave of cordless phones using the highest frequency yet, 2.4 gigahertz (GHz), must be better than the 900-megahertz (MHz) models that have been around for a few years. Right? Not necessarily. In our tests, 2.4-GHz phones did not...

Refrigerators: what's new.(Product Updates)(Buyers Guide)(Industry Overview)(Product Announcement)
October 1, 2001... WHAT'S NEW Improved energy efficiency. Refrigerators made after July 1 must meet updated federal standards that require them to use about 30 percent less energy than under the previous 1993 rules. (Some models made before July 1 also meet...

House stains with staying power - ratings.(Evaluation)
October 1, 2001... WHAT WE TESTED, WHAT WE FOUND Three years into our continuous tests of exterior house stains, about half of the red and green solid stains are holding up well. The white stains are ready for cleaning and a new coat. This testing represents...

Foul-weather friends: all-wheel-drive wagons and SUVs combine practicality with all-weather capability.(Cover Story)(Industry Overview)(Evaluation)
October 1, 2001... People interested in four-wheel-drive vehicles for the extra security they provide in slippery conditions would do well to consider all-wheel drive instead. AWD is simpler and lighter than four-wheel drive, which helps improve fuel economy. In...

XP and OS X: new operating systems for Windows and Mac.(TechLife)(Evaluation)(Product Announcement)
October 1, 2001... This year, both Microsoft and Apple brought out new computer operating systems, Windows XP and Macintosh OS X. Both adapt operating systems long used by businesses to make them less crash-prone. Although both represent major improvements in...

Bringing up baby on budget: the cost of raising a newborn baby through age 5 has never been higher.(Your Money)(Column)
October 1, 2001... If baby just wanted a new pair of shoes, that wouldn't be so bad. But as new parents know, baby also has to have a car seat, a crib, a changing table, a playpen, a mobile, a stroller, and piles of clothing to spit up on. There are the...

Selling It.(humorous advertising and product labels)(Humor)(Column)
October 1, 2001... Blue Crab Bay Co.'s Crab Cake Kit offers "Tastes and Traditions of the Chesapeake." Elsewhere on the label: "If tastebuds could describe the Chesapeake Bay region, the celebrated crab cake would sum up its pleasures.... Treat yourself to this...