Home & yard: more value for less.

Growing competition among retailers and independent dealers has made this an ideal time to upgrade your arsenal of indoor and outdoor home products. Besides driving down prices on an array of items, big-box home centers such as Home Depot and Lowe's have dialed up pressure on manufacturers to move high-end features down to the mainstream.

Months of testing have shown that newer isn't necessarily better, however. Some manufacturers are delivering more features for less by taking shortcuts that could affect performance. Here's what to look for--and watch out for--as you shop:

Vacuums get new pet-hair test. We've taken our upright and canister tests beyond just dust and dirt and have begun evaluating how well they pick up what pets leave behind. Using fur from coon and other longhaired cats, we measure how much pet hair stays in the rug and how much sticks to the rotating brush without reaching the bag or bin. Bagless vacs proved especially vexing when emptying because of their static electricity from their plastic bins.

Among the vacs that are leading the pet-hair competition so far: Models from Dirt Devil, Hoover, Kenmore, and Panasonic.

Cool prices on room air conditioners. At prices as low as $100, room ACs cost less than ever and they have more features such as remote controls and relatively precise electronic temperature controls. The latest also save energy; all models met or exceeded the 10.7 Energy Efficiency Rating needed for Energy Star ...