[kelly]

Bless Consumer Reports. How can you do a comprehensive kitchen report without any cabinet recommendations?? All we get on cabinets is a 3/4 page box with general guidelines- notable for what it leaves out. For example, they tell reader to avoid certain types of particleboard- but leave out what types of particleboard are fine, leaving the unitiated with the feeling that avoiding it altogether is the safest course.

Little to no consideration of the importance of design in getting a space that's worth any spending any money at all on. My apologies to those who have chosen them, but one of the few things they seem to be real proponents of are over-range microwaves. These appliances are really losing favor due to the negative impact on the functioning of the extractor fan generally installed with them (they do note that), and while they do "save space" they're not functional if there is more than one cook in the space. Eliminates the ability of older children to cook small things for themselves.

They don't see any difference in cabinet-door hinges, but clearly see the value of drawer hardware.

All in all, I feel CR has a clear de-bunking attitude that I can appreciate, but feel that they struggle to appreciate equally the utility of good design.

[Tigratrus]

I think one of the major pitfalls of CR reviews is that they tend to focus on a certain set of criteria (and often a pretty short-sighted one) when making their comparisons. I certainly appreciate that they have to pick *something* to use as a yardstick when comparing various products, but I often have issue with what they pick.

I've read camera and computer peripheral comparisons that, while they were factually correct, were wildly misleading. There are a LOT more things to consider in choosing a digital camera than megapixels and price, and memory and hard drive space are incredibly superficial ways of rating a computer, but that sort of criteria seems to be what they settle on a lot of the time.

I look at CR, but I always do a lot more specific research in particular areas before making a choice on major(ish) purchases.

James

[laurie]

The first thing dh does before a purchase is run to the library and research the CR issues. To tell you the truth, our last car was done this way and I had nothing but problems with it. I know this isn't about kitchens, but he just went to the library to look at issues of CR for the purchase of 2 TV's for my mom's new house - a 42" and either a 32" or 36". As fast as technology on tv's change, how else can I judge a particular type/brand? From plasmas to LCD to blah, blah, blah (don't even know tv lingo!!!)...........I'm not sure which way to turn. Any advice?

	DH definition DH usually means Dear Husband (or, pick your own adjective starting with D).

[dafogle]

Laurie - my advice is to search on the internet. I typically do this for anything major I purchase ... I typically look for some type of discussion group ... I know they have one for audio video components - and thought I'd bookmarked one I found really useful when I was researching a TV purchase a year or two ago - but I can't find it in my bookmarks.... the site had lots of up to date reviews and comments/discussions about various brands and models of TVs and lots of stuff on home theatre ... very very knowledgeable people ... lots of them wanting the latest and greatest stuff.

I find the internet to be the best source of up to date info on just about anything you want to research. It just takes some work to find good info for the subject ...

Doreen

[laurie]

Thanks Doreen. If anyone knows a good forum dedicated to electronics, let me know.

[dafogle]

Hello again Laurie - I did a google search and found this one .... this is the one I used for researching my TV purchase - it is devoted to audio video
AVS Forum

hope this helps you!
Doreen

[laurie]

Thanks again, Doreen!! If I had only taken the time to google, I could have found it! Hmmmm, I think I'll direct hubby to this site and let him do the research.

[JimGo]

Laruie,
Another option is to go to a specialty store and talk to the salespeople. You can learn a lot, and they love to share.

[kelly]

This is a conundrum for me. The bricks and mortar service and knowledge which we take back to the internet and buy their recs at the lowest price. I'm not criticizing anyone here, just wondering how other people handle that.

[JimGo]

What I've been finding more and more lately is that, once you factor in shipping and the like, the costs are really comparable. For example, when we purchased our appliances, we found places that were cheaper than Home Depot online, but even with the tax we had to pay, the cost wound up being about the same. As a result, I shop for major purchases in three steps:
1) talk to someone at a dealer and check pricing;
2) search online to see how the price compares, taking into account the immediate gratification that comes along with getting it locally, and from someone who will (or at least is more likely to) stand behind their product;
3) then go with the one who makes the most sense.