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Do you think $26/year for Consumer Reports online is money well spent?

Usually you can find a "friend" with a subscription to help you out when you want to make a major purchase. but if you just plain enjoy reading it, it's not a bad deal
 
I don't think so, unless you buy a lot of things or just like to know what's the best out there. Usually I just look for a specific issue at the library if I'm going to buy a large ticket item.
 
I pay it. Its great to have a credible source of info. And they cover a wide variety of things. I especially recommend it if your a home owner.
 
Someone successfully demonstrated to me that their reviews sometimes have hidden biases/agendas behind the scenes. While they report accurate data in showing which model is better according to their tests, some of their tests may have been developed with the beforehand knowledge of how to get one brand to appear better than another brand.

To give you the basic idea of how it works - suppose one toaster cooks toast just slightly slower than another model. Using a thinner or thicker piece of bread can affect the quality of the toast. Slow may be better for thicker bread - fast may be better for thinner bread. Choose the bread and you choose the winner.

IIRC, one company that grumbled the most was Rainbow vacuums. Apparently there was some link between CR and Kirby (the other overpriced vacuum company). CR's test allegedly used something less likely to be vacuumed on a day to day basis to show that Kirby outperformed Rainbow. Apparently if the test was dirt or sand or dust or whatever, rainbow allegedly would have out-performed the Kirby.
(or was it the other way around?)
 
I always thought that CR was so good because they don't have any company affiliations and don't advertise. What you said completely defeats that if it's true.
 
Not only does my library have the issues available there, I can access Consumer Reports online through the library site!
 
Absolutely not. On top of information being freely available on the internet, they have rated Sony products highly, when in reality all Sony products are garbage.
 
Originally posted by: Gurck
Absolutely not. On top of information being freely available on the internet, they have rated Sony products highly, when in reality all Sony products are garbage.
Click to expand...

That has got to be the dumbest post of the day and if not for the month. Sony makes some of the best consumer electronics available. They may be expensive, but certainly top quality.
 
CR sucks to me, not because of what they test, or how they test, but what they DON'T test! In the past, I checked out their findings on particular products, and they really were lacking. Sometimes they throw remarks in the report that show bias as well. I'd rather gather info from various sources and decide for myself. Having to pay for their opinion is like insult to injury.
 
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