Tabla de contenidos para October 2022 en Consumer Reports

CR MEMBERS LIKE you understand the importance of being aware and informed consumers. But today, there’s actually more of a burden on all of us to uncover the hidden threats in the marketplace, from misuse of our personal data to products endangering our lives and the planet. In my upcoming book, “Buyer Aware: Harnessing Our Consumer Power for a Safe, Fair, and Transparent Marketplace,” we offer the trusted advice you’ve come to expect from CR and show how each of us can be a force in creating a marketplace that puts people first. In this issue of Consumer Reports, I share an excerpt about the heartbreaking deaths of babies due to inclined sleepers, which shouldn’t have been on store shelves in the first place. You’ll learn how my incredible CR…

For the latest ratings of these and other product categories, readers with a Digital or All Access membership can go to CR.org. Laptops WE TESTED: 160 models WE TEST FOR: The quality of the display, the ability to run large applications and games smoothly, battery life, and more. ABOUT THE SCORES: Median: 69 Range: 33-91 LIGHTWEIGHT FOR A BIG SCREEN & RELIABLE ✔ LG Gram 16 (Core i7) 16-inch $1,450 91 OVERALL SCORE COMPACT & LONG BATTERY LIFE ✔ Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360, 13-inch $1,400 81 OVERALL SCORE LARGE & POWERFUL ✔ MSI Crosshair 17 A11UDK-643, 17-inch $1,200 77 OVERALL SCORE Pillows WE TESTED: 29 models WE TEST FOR: How the pillow maintains its shape after extended use, how well it supports side and back sleepers, and more. ABOUT THE SCORES:…

✓ BEHR ULTRA CASCADE GREEN $44 88OVERALL SCORE THE PANDEMIC YEARS haven’t been hard just on us: Our homes have seen some serious wear and tear since we’ve spent so much time in them. A fresh coat of paint can be an instant room reviver, but the cost of hiring a professional (which has only increased with inflation) may make you hesitate. “Painters are typically charging $20 to $50 per hour, or an average of about $3.30 per square foot,” says Bailey Carson, a home care expert at Angi, the home services website. So an average 340-square-foot living room might cost $1,000 or more to paint. But if you brandish your own roller, you could do the same job, including buying some new equipment like rollers and a ladder, for as…

DirecTV Stream $70-$150 PER MONTH FOR FEATURED PLANS DirecTV Stream requires no dish and gives you more than 75 live TV channels in the basic plan, plus on-demand titles. The Choice plan, $90 a month, includes regional sports networks and the MLB and NBA sports leagues; the priciest Premier plan, $150 a month, comes with HBO Max, Cinemax, Showtime, and Starz. All plans come with a cloud DVR with unlimited storage for nine months. FuboTV $70-$100 PER MONTH This is a cable-style streaming service for sports fans. The base plan has about 130 channels with local stations in most markets, plus lots of sports networks and many cable channels (though not Turner channels CNN, TBS, TCM, or TNT). Stepping up to the Elite plan, $80, gets you Fubo Extra, with…

YOU MIGHT WONDER why one olive oil costs three times more than another when they’re both labeled “extra virgin” and the bottles contain the same amount. Or why some types of oils are so much more expensive than standbys like canola. One big reason is that mechanical methods (like the expeller pressing used for cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil) are less efficient; they extract less oil from the plant. So producers have to start out with more raw materials, adding to the base cost. And walnut, almond, and avocado crops (and to a lesser degree, coconut) have been hit by drought and other challenges that affect the price of their oils. When to use them? You can sauté your veggies in bargain olive oil just fine, but a cold-pressed artisanal olive…

TIP FROM THE TEST TRACK Check Your Spare Tire Remember to periodically inspect your spare tire to make sure that it’s properly inflated and that the rubber hasn’t deteriorated. Also check the wheel for corrosion. This is especially important if your spare is mounted on the rear or under your vehicle and exposed to the elements. If the spare is hard to access, ask your mechanic to check it at each tire rotation. Regardless of condition, unused spare tires should be replaced at least every 10 years. THE BETTER DEAL HIGHER PRICE ✓ Lexus UX250h $ 37,740* 71 BETTER PRICE ✓ $ 34,193* 68 ✓ Toyota RAV4 Hybrid *Price as tested. THE LOWDOWN The Lexus UX is luxe and efficient, but the RAV4 hybrid is a smarter choice. It gets the same…

WITH INFLATION AND supply shortages, you may want to consider buying a used car for a better selection and lower prices. New models offer the latest in collision avoidance and crash protection features, but 3-, 5-, and even 10-year-old used cars can be safe, too, if you know where to look. To help you find a good used car without having to do your own data dive, we’ve selected standout models from the 2020, 2018, and 2013 model years based on the following criteria: > CR’s ratings for performance, reliability, and owner satisfaction; > Average or better reliability in our member surveys; > Crash protection based on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) moderate-overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraint tests; > Crash test results from the National Highway…

30-45 minutes TOOLS NEEDED ■ Carving kit (see our suggestion at right)■ Large bowl■ Sewing transfer paper■ Pen or marker■ LED candle STEP 1 CUT THE BASE (INSTEAD OF CUTTING THE TOP) “I keep the stems on and carve out a circle at the base of the pumpkin,” says expert pumpkin carver Gene Granata of Masterpiece Pumpkins in California. When you pull out that circular piece, a lot of seeds and pulp will come with it, which cuts down on the time spent removing them. STEP 2 THIN THE RIND WHERE YOU PLAN TO CARVE Once you’ve cleaned out the pulp, thin the rind of the pumpkin (using a scraping motion) where you plan to carve it until the rind is about ¾ inch thick. If you’re using a stencil, tape it…

Amazon Freevee Previously called IMDb TV, Freevee offers a mix of live channels, on-demand classic TV shows and movies, and some original content. Watch “Lost” and “Mad Men,” or classics such as “All in the Family” and “Bewitched.” Newer movies, such as “Emma,” live alongside original shows like “Judy Justice,” starring Judge Judy Sheindlin, and “Bosch: Legacy.” Peacock Paid versions of Peacock have more content, but the free tier still gives you plenty: about twothirds of Peacock’s 20,000-title content library, plus live channels. Popular shows include “Law & Order: Organized Crime” and several seasons of “The Office.” Other NBC broadcasts are available a week after they air. Pluto TV Pluto TV, owned by Paramount, has about 250 curated channels, drawing content from Paramount properties (BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon,…

IN THE KNOW Kitchen Money Savers Making just a few of these simple updates in your kitchen could save you $100 or more this year. SWAP STORE-BOUGHT SELTZER FOR ON-DEMAND FIZZY WATER SodaStream Terra $99 If you buy this SodaStream (among the most convenient models that we’ve tested) and make 1 liter a day rather than buying seltzer at 86 cents per liter, you’ll save $138 in the first year (and save 365 plastic bottles).* CULTIVATE A COUNTERTOP GARDEN AeroGarden Harvest 360 $130 Growing your own greens means not throwing away wilted store-bought ones that you couldn’t eat fast enough. And with a hydroponic planter like this one—which uses LED lights to mimic the sun—you’ll have fresh lettuce year-round. Potential savings? $62 in the first year, if you spend just…

JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE SUVs Jeep is recalling about 99,000 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2021 and 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L SUVs due to a faulty batch of taillights installed on SUVs built between Dec. 3, 2020, and Nov. 23, 2021. The taillights may have been damaged before installation and, as a result, might not illuminate. What to do: Jeep will notify owners of the affected vehicles by mail, but you can also call Fiat Chrysler Automobiles at 800-853-1403. Not all vehicles had faulty taillights installed, so dealerships will inspect recalled vehicles and, if necessary, replace the taillights, free of charge. RIO HAMMOCK CHAIRS ShelterLogic is recalling about 786,000 Rio-branded swinging hammock chairs because the improper insertion of the pins provided for assembly can cause the chair’s legs to collapse,…

IF YOUR INTERNET seems slow, first figure out how much broadband you really need. Netflix and other streaming companies say your internet service needs download speeds of at least 5 megabits per second to stream high-definition shows and movies; you’ll need 15 to 25 Mbps to stream 4K videos. Homes with multiple active streamers could need internet service that provides at least 50-Mbps download speeds for everyone to watch on separate devices at the same time. You can measure your home’s download speeds at speedtest.net. If your broadband speed is satisfactory, there are other reasons you may be experiencing slow service. One culprit might be an older modem or router. If you have spotty WiFi reception in your home, try moving the router to a more central location. Also move…

5 VERSATILE CHOICES Coconut 38 to 75 cents per oz. for 14 oz. Despite what you may have heard about coconut oil’s health benefits, it has more total saturated fat than beef fat or butter. But it also has a unique, slightly tropical taste, a high smoke point (you can use it to sauté and fry), and can be a substitute for butter in dairy-free baking. Coconut oil can be pricey; soybean oil, which also has a high smoke point but less saturated fat, is a smart swap, though you’ll lose some flavor. Canola 30 to 40 cents per oz. for 32 oz. Canola, a type of seed oil, is high in monounsaturated fats. One review of studies found that it can lower total and “bad” LDL cholesterol and insulin…

■ During the first wave of COVID-19 in the U.S., healthcare providers reassured countless sick people that unless they needed to be hospitalized, they would be better in a few weeks. But many people, even some with relatively mild cases, were not better in a few weeks. Or even in a few months. The ongoing condition came to be known by a variety of names, including post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2, or, more familiarly, long COVID. Today, experts estimate that between 10 and 30 percent of people who have had COVID-19 experience symptoms that occur at least a month after their initial infection. There could now be more than 27 million people in the U.S. affected by long COVID, according to the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. The effects…

ROAD-TEST SCORE 82 HIGHS Fuel economy, composed ride, roomy interior, easy to get in and out of LOWS Braking, unintuitive gear selector POWERTRAIN 227-hp, 1.6-liter turbo 4-cylinder hybrid engine; 6-speed automatic transmission; AWD FUEL 36 mpg on regular PRICE $27,290-$42,990 base price + $1,295 destination charge Total MSRP as tested $32,095 SMALL SUVs ✓ Kia Sportage Hybrid Big Improvements From Electric Assist 75 OVERALL SCORE THE HYBRID VERSION of the Sportage mirrors a trend we’ve been seeing: Adding electric assist to a conventional model makes it quicker and quieter, transforming the driving experience. That the hybrid gets 36 mpg overall—an 11-mpg gain over the regular version—solidifies it as the slam-dunk Sportage choice. This powertrain, built around a turbocharged four-cylinder, yields a responsive 227 hp. The Sportage hybrid leaves the line with…