ConsumerReports.org

[reallyfull]

I have a couple big appliance purchases I need to make and would like some insight on. Have any of you used ConsumerReports.org? Was it worth paying for? Thanks.

 

[kranky]

I go to the library and read them there.

 

[ChaoZ]

No. Go to Borders.

 

[mugs]

Considering the cost of the appliances and the cost of the subscription... I paid for it.

 

[Fritzo]

Not really...I find a lot of their testing to be a bit lopsided and based on opinion than results. Especially in cars and appliances.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Not really...I find a lot of their testing to be a bit lopsided and based on opinion than results. Especially in cars and appliances.

I find everything they comment on to be extremely biased and not based in reality. Not worth it.

Especially anything that plugs into a wall or has 4 wheels.

 

[rivan]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Not really...I find a lot of their testing to be a bit lopsided and based on opinion than results. Especially in cars and appliances.

I find everything they comment on to be extremely biased and not based in reality. Not worth it.

Especially anything that plugs into a wall or has 4 wheels.

I have exactly the opposite opinion.

And not just for the usual, disagree-with-lifers-just-to-be-difficult reasons.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Good source for info.

However, you may want to try and just read the customer reviews at sears.com, bestbuy.com and homedepot.com

 

[edro]

Read online reviews.

 

[Special K]

I found it useful for appliances.

 

[imported_Lothar]

Waste of money.
Why pay for it when you can read it for free?

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: rivan

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Not really...I find a lot of their testing to be a bit lopsided and based on opinion than results. Especially in cars and appliances.

I find everything they comment on to be extremely biased and not based in reality. Not worth it.

Especially anything that plugs into a wall or has 4 wheels.

I have exactly the opposite opinion.

And not just for the usual, disagree-with-lifers-just-to-be-difficult reasons.

I'm more of an in-between type. I look at the data they provide, and draw my own conclusions which are often different from theirs. i.e. in rating DSLR's, they seemed to weight the categories equally.
i.e. it works something like this:
the cameras range in weight from 4.2 pounds to 4.8 pounds (I'm just making these numbers up for illustrative purposes)
Camera A is one of the lightest cameras of the group, at 4.4 pounds. Image quality was average or just slightly lower than average of the pack
Camera B is one of the heaviest: 4.7 pounds (a 6.8% difference), but has incredibly sharp images

Camera A is actually selected as superior by those morons as better, because they try to remove the opinions of which categories are more important. "well, yeah, weight might be really important to some people." Agreed, but not a 6.8% difference in weight.


However, there are other occasions where they consider their testing methodology to be neutral (or pretend their methodology is neutral), but their testing methodology actually provides a bias for or against one of the products by unintentionally (or intentionally) taking advantage of a minor design "defect". Some of their tests seem rather fair, but if you really think about it, you have to think "is that test really realistic? Would I ever use the product that way?" i.e. suppose brand A of dryers had a drum made out of stainless steel, brand B had a tub that was teflon coated. "To time how quickly it dried, we soaked 5 pairs of nylon blouses in water, weighed them to make sure they had the exact same amount of water, and put them in the dryer" Surprise! "The Teflon coated tub was unacceptable because there was way too much static building up. The stainless steel tub was excellent in this category." Had they used cotton instead, the test would have come out pretty even. If they used polyester, the teflon might have been better. The average consumer isn't going to know why, and isn't going to recognize the bias in the testing.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: rivan

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Not really...I find a lot of their testing to be a bit lopsided and based on opinion than results. Especially in cars and appliances.

I find everything they comment on to be extremely biased and not based in reality. Not worth it.

Especially anything that plugs into a wall or has 4 wheels.

I have exactly the opposite opinion.

And not just for the usual, disagree-with-lifers-just-to-be-difficult reasons.

Take a look at their magazine the next time you're in the store. You'll see their rating system with those stupid circles. You will also often see the top scoring products are often beat out by products with lower scores simply because the review team "likes it better".

 

[Jeraden]

I enjoy reading the magazine, anytime I stop by the library at lunch its the first thing I check to see if there is a new edition out.

If its a product I'm unfamiliar with, I usually take their advice and let it influence my decision. But then when they review an item I'm extremely familiar with, I always disagree with their conclusions/recommendations. You'd think that would tell me not to necessarily trust their recommendations on items I'm not familiar with, but I'm not that logical apparently and I go with them anyways. heh

 

[gnumantsc]

Consumers Report is absolutely trash. I had a subscription and it was boring and useless as heck. Search the net for reviews its much better.