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There is Consumer Reports in the US: http://cr.org http://cr.org They are a nonprofit that has been independent for decades and have strict policies against ac

There is Consumer Reports in the US: http://cr.org http://cr.org They are a nonprofit that has been independent for decades and have strict policies against accepting gifts, sponsorships, ads, etc, and take other steps to remain free from influence. For example, when they review new cars they send an undercover individual to buy it at normal price from a random dealer so the company and the dealer don't know the buyer is CR (and maybe sweeten the deal or throw in upgrades or take steps to improve its reliability or whatever). They also review a lot of household and kitchen appliances, mattresses, etc. The New York Times now has their "Wirecutter" reviews of tech and household stuff, but they do rely on affiliate links for income so take that as you will. There is not a single independent consumer organization that can test every product out there, so if you're looking at road bikes you may end up with a different set of trusted reviewers than if you're looking at computer hard drives or roof shingles.

PaulDavisThe1st 5y ago
CR also tends to limit itself to middle-of-the-range items. If you're actually interested in the best, their surveys don't always cover it, since they prefer to review things that most people can/would purchase. This has changed a bit in the last few years, but it's still the case that if you want to find solid unbiased reviews of, for example, high end ranges or washing machines, CR is not always the most helpful.
- hoppyhoppy2 5y ago
  Good info. As a non-rich person I do appreciate their emphasis on highlighting the products that provide the best value for the money.
- cratermoon 5y ago
  My dad was a big CR subscriber. After a while I realized that they focus on what might be termed "best value", although that's still not quite right. Their picks always emphasized mundane things like TCO, reliability, durability. For cars they were very explicit about this, each year issuing data on vehicles with categories like reliable, held their value, and low-maintenance, etc. The prefect example of a CR-friendly car, in my mind, is the Toyota Camry. Completely unremarkable. Everything else I remember them reviewing – watches, TVs, stereos, calculators, cameras – always ended up recommending some middle-of-the road "it works but it's not fancy and doesn't have many bells-and-whistles" product. I have a vague memory of them putting a Minolta camera at the top of the list of best 35mm SLRs in the 70s.

PaulDavisThe1st 5y ago

CR also tends to limit itself to middle-of-the-range items. If you're actually interested in the best, their surveys don't always cover it, since they prefer to review things that most people can/would purchase. This has changed a bit in the last few years, but it's still the case that if you want to find solid unbiased reviews of, for example, high end ranges or washing machines, CR is not always the most helpful.

hoppyhoppy2 5y ago
Good info. As a non-rich person I do appreciate their emphasis on highlighting the products that provide the best value for the money.
cratermoon 5y ago
My dad was a big CR subscriber. After a while I realized that they focus on what might be termed "best value", although that's still not quite right. Their picks always emphasized mundane things like TCO, reliability, durability. For cars they were very explicit about this, each year issuing data on vehicles with categories like reliable, held their value, and low-maintenance, etc. The prefect example of a CR-friendly car, in my mind, is the Toyota Camry. Completely unremarkable. Everything else I remember them reviewing – watches, TVs, stereos, calculators, cameras – always ended up recommending some middle-of-the road "it works but it's not fancy and doesn't have many bells-and-whistles" product. I have a vague memory of them putting a Minolta camera at the top of the list of best 35mm SLRs in the 70s.