Consumer Reports was amazing in the late 70s through the 80s. I don't think my parents bought anything > $100 without consulting the thick CR annual report guid

Consumer Reports was amazing in the late 70s through the 80s. I don't think my parents bought anything > $100 without consulting the thick CR annual report guide, which tested pretty close to everything: cars, TVs, appliances, tools, bikes, checking accounts, telephones, computers... you name it. And the reviews were amazing: they'd build testing rigs to simulate years of usage. They'd tear down appliances and show you where a fridge would probably fail first. They'd list what was important and what was marketing BS for everything. Today, though, it's but a shadow. When I've checked on their recommendations, and then checked crowdsourced reviews, the crowd frequently bests CR's opinion. Wirecutter and it's ilk should hire a mechanical or electrical engineer to do teardowns into every review.