What do you think of Consumer Reports?

[dennis thompson]

I was reading the "Tires" thread & was wondering if you use Consumer Reports as a guide for products? When you're buying items that you only buy once every three or four years , it seems like a good place to start. (After ,of course, checking with Sawmill Creek)
Thanks
Dennis

[Chuck Wintle]

they are reputed to be unbiased in their opinion of products and services.

[David Weaver]

They get a lot of flack, but I like them. I think when buying things, you're never going to get a sure thing, not with review sites, not with amazon feedback and not with consumer reports. But what you are trying to do is get the odds to be in your favor as much as possible when you buy, and they do compile results from a lot of different places, about as close to being without bias as any large testing organization. The only problem is the results are fairly cursory and there isn't a lot of long-term testing on consumer items, but I'd imagine they've carefully planned what they can and can't do and what their time is best focused on.

[Dave Anderson NH]

I was a subscriber for over 30 years but last time around about 6 months ago decided to let my subscription lapse. It was of mixed use to us over the years since not always were the products available in our area or the product was superceded by a new model. At other times it was very useful and helped us make good choices. The decision to not extend our subscription was largely made for 2 reasons. Now at 62+ years old we are not buying much in the way of appliances, yard equipment, or the other major areas of products they review. Food, drink, computers, and some of the other areas of their reviews are a personal choice and I tend to go with either brands I like or shop the discount areas like the Dell return and refurbished computer site. We also made the decision to reduce the number of magazines and the amount of paper flowing into the house. Magazines which are of limited interest and utility we dropped. This is in no way a slam on CR, it just no longer fills a need for us.

[David Weaver]

I'd have to imagine that dropping magazines is the case for a lot of folks. I had subscribed to a bunch of WW magazines at one point, but realized that I didn't really do anything other than read them for a half hour, and that their publications (books and DVDs) were a lot more useful to me, available used pretty cheap and much easier to reference than a stack of magazines that may be a bit brief in description of a project.

Same with CR magazine, I went straight to online, I have no use for the magazine, and as referenced above, it's something to use on infrequent purchases where you don't stay current with what's going on.

I have let it lapse from time to time (the online subscription) and then just renew it when I'm going to make a purchase or two on a fairly large ticket item (like tires or an appliance).

The digital age has really made it a lot easier to fit the publication / information to your own needs, get only what you want, and pay only when you want it.

[Mike Circo]

They make an attempt to do the impossible. It is just so difficult to define everybody's needs in one article. The manufacturer's also make the task difficult by having so many models, types, places of manufacture and options. Over time, I see CR contradicting themselves.

I had a stack of old mags around and did some compares. A 42" Toshiba TV similar to mine was rated highest in a November issue. In the March issues, Toshiba was low on the list. So in 5 months that brand went from highest to lowest? You can argue the reasons for this switch, but you see the problem. From month to month so many models, so many changes, so many options it becomes a diminishing return on what they can truly tell you.

Still has value to check if there is a massive problem with a car or device. I'll just scan the issues at the library.

My experience.

[Jeff Monson]

I have an online subscription. It seems every time I want to research a certain product, the model I want is not reviewed. I usually end up looking at a similar model. It is nice to get the ups and downs of the mfg. anyway. I wish I had gotten it before we bought our last washer and dryer, they are complete junk, consumer report agrees :(

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I have an Online Subscription. I have found their reviews to be good when buying major appliances, vehicles etc.

[Brian Kent]

I use the online version and find it worth the money. Several times I have saved the cost of the subscription. At other times I have gone for the higher quality item.

[John M Wilson]

Funny thing about CR.

On the things I know most about (cars and computers) I find their advice to be flawed, occasionally laughably in error.

But on things I don't know as much about (appliances, cameras, etc) I tend to take their advice quite literally.

There is probably a psychological term for this, but my wife finds it amusing...

[Marty Paulus]

I have an online subscription. It seems every time I want to research a certain product, the model I want is not reviewed. I usually end up looking at a similar model. It is nice to get the ups and downs of the mfg. anyway. I wish I had gotten it before we bought our last washer and dryer, they are complete junk, consumer report agrees :(

Jeff, What brand/model did you get? We are going to be need new washer and dryer soon and knowing what to stay away from can be helpful.

[Jim Koepke]

My thoughts on CR is their reviews may be useful in showing what to look for in a product.

Personally my opinion of them is not real high. Just a caveat here, I have not looked at a CR in ages. The last time I did read CR, their conclusions were based on "committee" consensus. If my memory is correct, not all reviewers handled all of the products.

There were a few reviews in particular that soured me on CR. One was on appliances. Just to show how ancient this bias is, the Montgomery Wards branded refrigerator was chosen as the best. The same refrigerator with the makers name on the name plate was not rated as well.

Another was on bicycles. The "top model" they chose was considered to be a heap of junk by people in the bicycle riding world. At the time, I was an avid cyclist and worked in a bicycle shop.

Lastly, was cookware. The cookware that I had at the time, and still have BTW, was panned by them as being too heavy. Some of mine is going on 40 years of steady use. The biggest problem for me is misplacing parts of my set while moving. We still have hopes of finding an unopened moving box with some covers or another pot inside. Yes, Le Creuset is heavy, it is cast iron covered with porcelain enamel, but if it is treated with care it will last a lifetime.

The cookware they suggested was coated aluminum. I have never had aluminum cookware that didn't warp or lose its coating over a period of 40 years.

The OP mentioned tires. I think the best you can do on tires is buy from a national distributor and do not try to scrimp.

The last time I bought tires for my wife's car, I asked a Goodyear distributor about the best they had for her car. She was surprised when the bill came by what they cost.

My comment was it is not the tires, it is what they carry. I do not want to worry about her, our children and grandchildren on bargain tires.

jtk

[David Weaver]

The cookware they suggested was coated aluminum. I have never had aluminum cookware that didn't warp or lose its coating over a period of 40 years.


Was it all-clad? (though that's not coated aluminum, it does often have an aluminum core and steel exterior on both sides - it lasts forever - but the big fry pans are also extremely heavy)

[Neal Clayton]

There were a few reviews in particular that soured me on CR. One was on appliances. Just to show how ancient this bias is, the Montgomery Wards branded refrigerator was chosen as the best. The same refrigerator with the makers name on the name plate was not rated as well.



there are tons of examples of that. i remember seeing one similar awhile back about LCD monitors. if i remember correctly they didn't like the dell but did like a samsung of the same size, but what everyone on the internet knew, and consumer reports didn't, was that the two of had exactly the same hardware, you could just shop the coupon codes and get the dell one a bit cheaper than the samsung.

it's a joke, to be honest.

you guys do know that they aren't actually testing all this stuff, right? they are sending out surveys to people. you think if i sent a survey to a guy with two iphones, he'd give me a positive review of a blackberry or nokia? or vice versa?

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

I don't like CR and don't believe they results. many times very mediocre products they put on the first place only because it cost less. I always check internet professional sites for people' review or experience with something. it is happened with many different products - TV, washer/drier, DVD, cars.
I do agree with Neal - they are not testing just surveying.

[Jim Underwood]

I think the biggest problem with CR is not with CR. The biggest problem with buying stuff today, is that it's being made cheaply and it's not as reliable or well made. I know for a fact that it's that way with heat pumps, and other major appliances.... This stuff is just not as good as it used to be. And the technicians will confirm it if you ask them.

[Jim Koepke]

Was it all-clad?

No, not as I recall. It was a non-stick coating and so easy to clean… When it is new.


The biggest problem with buying stuff today, is that it's being made cheaply and it's not as reliable or well made.

I think this could be partially the fault of the buying public and partially the fault of a quest for corporate profits. I have also been in a work situation where the upper management was just trying to suck every dollar out of a business they could. This is never good for a company.

I have worked with people who didn't know the difference between cheap and quality. One guy didn't care if something broke the first time he used it because it was cheap. He would just keep buying them.

Makers of quality items have to compete with people making junk. If the buyers want cheap, the quality makers have to cut corners or risk going out of business.

jtk

[Larry Edgerton]

I had it for a while but as someone else mentioned they were way off on the things I knew about, so why would I trust them on the other stuff.

One I remember in particular was a scathing review of a Dodge version of a car, but a favorable review of a Mitsubishi car that was the same thing. They were not badged until the end of the line in Kenosha Wis. and so there was absolutely no difference.

I always remember that the Vega was "Car of the Year" in 1972, and I bought one. Never trusted magazines since......

[Charles Wiggins]

Dennis, et al.,

As both a consumer and librarian I use Consumer Reports all the time. We have both print and electronic versions available (you probably do too through your local public or college library). However, I don't take it as gospel, and I only use it as one tool in an arsenal of research tools. I also look at user reviews on Amazon, Tiger Direct, and other sites, recall data, reviews from other sources, and professional advice, etc. I usually research most major purchases over several days or weeks, and often end up changing my mind about my first impulse.

Cheers,
Charles

[Scott Shepherd]

it's a joke, to be honest.

you guys do know that they aren't actually testing all this stuff, right? they are sending out surveys to people. you think if i sent a survey to a guy with two iphones, he'd give me a positive review of a blackberry or nokia? or vice versa?

You do realize that they slammed the iphone 4, right? It was headline news on every tech website. The only issue is that the other phones in the market had the exact same issues, but they didn't report negatively on those brands. So I'm not so sure that's how they work. I thought I saw a video of them some years ago, testing products in their own labs. In fact, info is here :

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/aboutus/labtour/index.htm

[Ken Fitzgerald]

First,

I would never use just one source as a recommendation or reference for buying anything of major importance.

But...it's my understanding that CR does, in fact, test and they use the customer surveys for the history/reliabilty portion of their reports. You have to consider that fact they can't spend 10 years testing that Yugo you are considering buying.

The difference is they don't use advertising thus they should be a little less biased in their reporting. But, I don't think you will ever take out personal bias on the part of the person testing a product.

[Kent A Bathurst]

We had the online subscription for some years, then let it lapse 3 - 4 years ago, because we weren't using it. Then, since "our" Nikon SLR digital camera was usually not available to all of "us", I decided to get a "me" camera. I had a couple in mind, but there was enough $ on the table, in a topic on which I am supremely unqualifed, that I re-upped. Made a big difference...there were many things I did not know. Got one of their 4 or 5 "recommended" cameras, and have been very happy - none of my initial candidates made the cut.

I have no doubt that there are many other sources, but for something I know nothing about, I don't even know who to go to, or how to evaluate their legitimacy.

I think CR makes mistakes. I think every alternate source makes mistakes. I am comfortable with relying on their input.....especially the "repair history" type of thing that has input from CR subscribers with real-world experience. But - I know when my values and interests do not concide with what they are testing....like new autos - they tend to focus on things that are valuable to know, but not my primary criteria.

[Orion Henderson]

Good tool, not the end all be all. Their methodology is somewhat flawed and really relies on surveys rather than actual research. Because they don't test all the items themselves, and they don't get freebies from the mfg, they are forced to rely on peoples perceptions and memories of events. And of course peoples biases play into that rather heavily. Some years ago they gave the Chrysler Town and Country a "best bet" at the same time as they warned against the mechanically identical Dodge Caravan for being unreliable. Different buyer demographics (and brand loyalists) play a role in how a purchase is perceived and that can significantly affect statistical data.

[Bryan Morgan]

Funny thing about CR.

On the things I know most about (cars and computers) I find their advice to be flawed, occasionally laughably in error.

But on things I don't know as much about (appliances, cameras, etc) I tend to take their advice quite literally.

There is probably a psychological term for this, but my wife finds it amusing...

I'm sort of with you. I find them to be incorrect on some things that I know about so I tend not to trust them on things I don't know about... I used to subscribe but just realized it was a waste of money. You can get much better information online for free.

[Chris Padilla]

For tires, I like to use Tirerack.com and so far, reading the comments there has yet to STEER me wrong.

We used to get the magazines but as some have alluded to, magazines build up and become somewhat useless over time.

I now go online and pay the $5 to use it for 30 days. I last did this for the stove we bought. They seem quite reliable for appliances in the home.

[Mike Null]

As a former marketing executive in the major appliance industry there have been some horror stories about CR. Their testing is almost always flawed in one way or another--most commonly with not testing currently available products. (the mfrs would donate the products and they would have current models to test--and yes, they could go to a warehouse or factory and randomly select one)

Another example, because they are a low budget operation, they were running a test on dishwashers and, get this, concurrently a test of dishwashing detergents. Their test used all the dishwashers but with different detergents. The result, naturally none of their test for either category was valid. That was years back so maybe they've improved.

I have not found them to be biased though. But I would never use them as a source of buying information.