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No Paid Advertising - Refreshing
April 8,2005
This magazine evaluates thousands of products including new and used cars without advertising and without the biases that go hand in hand with accepting advertising. Before one buys a car, TV, computer, fax machine, washing machine, dryer, vacuum cleaner, refrigerator, stereo and many other items one can gain excellent insight into the quality and value of the products by subscribing to Consumer Reports magazine or by looking it up in the library. It is so refreshing to receive information on products without all the usual distortions and lies that one finds in advertising.


No Paid Advertising - Refreshing
April 8,2005
This magazine evaluates thousands of products including new and used cars without advertising and without the biases that go hand in hand with accepting advertising. Before one buys a car, TV, computer, fax machine, washing machine, dryer, vacuum cleaner, refrigerator, stereo and many other items one can gain excellent insight into the quality and value of the products by subscribing to Consumer Reports magazine or by looking it up in the library. It is so refreshing to receive information on products without all the usual distortions and lies that one finds in advertising.


informative
February 7,2004
Consumer Reports is very informative. They test out different products and write up a review about them, the cool thing is they care about quality and not the brand name. I'd suggest this magazine if you frequently buy things and need to have a guide to inform you which product is the best. Sometimes the issues are filled with stuff that might not interest you, but don't give up because each month is different and overall its a very helpful magazine. This is one of those magazines where I keep the issues for a few months to refer back to when I am ready to make a purchase.


informative
February 7,2004
Consumer Reports is very informative. They test out different products and write up a review about them, the cool thing is they care about quality and not the brand name. I'd suggest this magazine if you frequently buy things and need to have a guide to inform you which product is the best. Sometimes the issues are filled with stuff that might not interest you, but don't give up because each month is different and overall its a very helpful magazine. This is one of those magazines where I keep the issues for a few months to refer back to when I am ready to make a purchase.


Somewhat Useful
July 15,2003
A friend of mine once remarked that CR seesm like a great magazine "until they write about something you actually know a bit about..." and that's the problem with CR. They're great when it comes to quantifiable things like repair frequency, reliability, warranty information and so forth. They're much less useful when it comes to reporting on subjective things, or on technical matters.

That's a problem with trying to review every possible consumer item; you can't be an expert on everything. Sure, CR has their own labs and testers, but they're as likely as not, when confronted with something they can't quantify, to come up with some arbitrary measure and then rate products on that. For example, I've read some hilarious HiFi reviews that never involved actually *listening* to units. Instead, they take some statistic they consider to be critical and rate all units on that. Computer reviews often are very superficial- you'd do far, far better with PC or a similar magazine. And some of their financial advice on life insurance, mortgages and investment has been rather narrow, preaching single solutions for all.

So yeah, read CR when you're buying that next vacuum cleaner, or toaster, or popcorn popper, but before making any major purchasers or investments I'd look a bit further than the pages of CR.



Somewhat Useful
July 15,2003
A friend of mine once remarked that CR seesm like a great magazine "until they write about something you actually know a bit about..." and that's the problem with CR. They're great when it comes to quantifiable things like repair frequency, reliability, warranty information and so forth. They're much less useful when it comes to reporting on subjective things, or on technical matters.

That's a problem with trying to review every possible consumer item; you can't be an expert on everything. Sure, CR has their own labs and testers, but they're as likely as not, when confronted with something they can't quantify, to come up with some arbitrary measure and then rate products on that. For example, I've read some hilarious HiFi reviews that never involved actually *listening* to units. Instead, they take some statistic they consider to be critical and rate all units on that. Computer reviews often are very superficial- you'd do far, far better with PC or a similar magazine. And some of their financial advice on life insurance, mortgages and investment has been rather narrow, preaching single solutions for all.

So yeah, read CR when you're buying that next vacuum cleaner, or toaster, or popcorn popper, but before making any major purchasers or investments I'd look a bit further than the pages of CR.



Helpful, but mainstream re. "green" goods/alternative meds.
December 9,2002
As a 25-year reader of and current subscriber to Consumer Reports (CR), I find the magazine quite informative and money-saving, despite some flaws, which I discuss below. CR covers a wide range of consumer goods such including automobiles, small and large home and garden appliances, consumer electronics, groceries, and more. They also cover a variety of services such as car insurance, hospital billing, mutual funds; and issues such as consumer privacy and safety. I enjoy their clear writing style, informative photos, charts that pack a lot of information into an easy to understand format, and helpful index of products covered in the past year's back issues. Each month I first check their "selling it" section on the inside back cover, where they chronicle "excesses in the world of marketing" with photos and delightfully sardonic yet understated comments.

I consider CR's product testing and research of tangible consumer goods to be among their strongest assets. When I bought my car and digital camera, CR was the first place I turned for market research. The product tests, comparisons, and recommendations are first rate. Also, CR gave this tool-clueless read a good education on cordless drills. :-) CR buys all consumer goods themselves and doesn't accept gifts or advertising, which helps them maintain impartiality.

CR does have some biases though. They're very luke-warm toward any type of alternative medicine. Several years ago, I laughed when they pronounced acupuncture, practiced successfully for thousands of years, a sham. Overall, they're quite mainstream, not taking into account purchasing factors increasing numbers of people now consider, such as whether an item is made with slave labor or tested on animals. Often, they'll only review a token "green" household product made of recycled paper or non-toxic ingredients. However, they do cover hybrid automobiles, but not fully electric ones. You may not always find the brand you're looking for within a product category. Their report on luggage might not cover the brand of suitcase you're evaluating, but does provide good advice on what to what to look for when choosing a suitcase.

Recommendations: There's probably less of a need for CR now that one can find so many reviews and testimonials on the Internet. Yet they're fabulous for side-by-side professionally-conducted product comparisons of features and performance, as well as information of interest to consumers. If you only want to consult CR to research an occasional purchase, it may suffice to check CR out of the public library. But if you like to keep up on product technology and issues of importance to consumers, you may benefit from a subscription. When making a purchasing decision, don't automatically buy the best-rated item in the category. Carefully evaluate how the product features fit your lifestyle, plus any price/feature tradeoffs. Two years ago, I purchased the top of the line digital camera, found it difficult to use, and traded it in for an easier to use digital camera rated a bit less highly but which works better for me. Overall, despite its flaws, CR is one of my favorite magazines and I read it cover-to-cover the day it arrives in my mailbox.



Helpful, but mainstream re. "green" goods/alternative meds.
December 9,2002
As a 25-year reader of and current subscriber to Consumer Reports (CR), I find the magazine quite informative and money-saving, despite some flaws, which I discuss below. CR covers a wide range of consumer goods such including automobiles, small and large home and garden appliances, consumer electronics, groceries, and more. They also cover a variety of services such as car insurance, hospital billing, mutual funds; and issues such as consumer privacy and safety. I enjoy their clear writing style, informative photos, charts that pack a lot of information into an easy to understand format, and helpful index of products covered in the past year's back issues. Each month I first check their "selling it" section on the inside back cover, where they chronicle "excesses in the world of marketing" with photos and delightfully sardonic yet understated comments.

I consider CR's product testing and research of tangible consumer goods to be among their strongest assets. When I bought my car and digital camera, CR was the first place I turned for market research. The product tests, comparisons, and recommendations are first rate. Also, CR gave this tool-clueless read a good education on cordless drills. :-) CR buys all consumer goods themselves and doesn't accept gifts or advertising, which helps them maintain impartiality.

CR does have some biases though. They're very luke-warm toward any type of alternative medicine. Several years ago, I laughed when they pronounced acupuncture, practiced successfully for thousands of years, a sham. Overall, they're quite mainstream, not taking into account purchasing factors increasing numbers of people now consider, such as whether an item is made with slave labor or tested on animals. Often, they'll only review a token "green" household product made of recycled paper or non-toxic ingredients. However, they do cover hybrid automobiles, but not fully electric ones. You may not always find the brand you're looking for within a product category. Their report on luggage might not cover the brand of suitcase you're evaluating, but does provide good advice on what to what to look for when choosing a suitcase.

Recommendations: There's probably less of a need for CR now that one can find so many reviews and testimonials on the Internet. Yet they're fabulous for side-by-side professionally-conducted product comparisons of features and performance, as well as information of interest to consumers. If you only want to consult CR to research an occasional purchase, it may suffice to check CR out of the public library. But if you like to keep up on product technology and issues of importance to consumers, you may benefit from a subscription. When making a purchasing decision, don't automatically buy the best-rated item in the category. Carefully evaluate how the product features fit your lifestyle, plus any price/feature tradeoffs. Two years ago, I purchased the top of the line digital camera, found it difficult to use, and traded it in for an easier to use digital camera rated a bit less highly but which works better for me. Overall, despite its flaws, CR is one of my favorite magazines and I read it cover-to-cover the day it arrives in my mailbox.



Excellent
October 25,2002
The kids and I got the suscription for my husband for Christmas last year. We both love it. I usually get the mail and most of the time read it first. The reveiws are great and easy to read. It's wonderful even if you don't plan on buying any big ticket items in the near future. We've used it for other people in our family that did need to purchase vaccume cleaners and the like. Wonderful. Excellent. I renewed.


Excellent
October 25,2002
The kids and I got the suscription for my husband for Christmas last year. We both love it. I usually get the mail and most of the time read it first. The reveiws are great and easy to read. It's wonderful even if you don't plan on buying any big ticket items in the near future. We've used it for other people in our family that did need to purchase vaccume cleaners and the like. Wonderful. Excellent. I renewed.