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Media Room
Release date 04/06/2010
YONKERS, NY – Spring time signals a fresh start for homeowners to tackle home repairs and rejuvenation projects they may have put off over the winter. Consumer Reports’ latest issue is loaded with advice on how to spruce up the home and yard this spring and work vital home safety checks into the regular spring cleaning routine.
“Let’s face it: Many spring-cleaning and repair projects can be financially daunting. It’s also easy to get sucked in to so-so products with a come-on price,” said Bob Markovich, home and yard editor at Consumer Reports. “In our testing, we look at more than just price, since value also includes which products perform well and help you get the job done faster and more effectively with less hassle.”
The full report, which packs in more than 500 home and yard products, including mowers, tractors, and string trimmers, appears in the May issue of Consumer Reports and online at www.ConsumerReports.org.
Recommended Home & Yard Spruce-up Products
Recommended Home Safety Products
Spring Lawn Gadgets: The Top Mowers, Tractors and String Trimmers To Create a Well-Groomed Lawn
Consumer Reports’ test of 91 lawn mower and tractor models is the biggest to date and it unveils top values in every category. For example, consumers could shell out $700 for the top-scoring gas-powered, self-propelled Honda HRX2172HXA mower and get a carpet-smooth cut, or pay roughly half that price for the $420 Toro Recycler 20332 which cuts nearly as well.
Rather ride than walk? For lawn tractors, the John Deere LA115, $1,750 and LA105—the $1,500 gear-driven version—are among several CR Best Buys for lawns of half an acre or more. Both save hundreds over the priciest models.
Once the grass has been mowed, cutting what the mower or tractor can't reach is the finishing touch to a well-groomed lawn. Consumer Reports’ ratings of more than 30 string trimmers found that the best are easy on the arms and budget.
Gasoline trimmers are still the best overall and pollute about 70 percent less than a decade ago. The top-scoring Stihl FS 45, $150, is a Recommended model, while the Echo SRM-225, $220, is among those that meet emissions standards for 300 hours of use. A budget-friendly pick: The CR Best Buy Homelite UT21006, $70, the lightest gas model tested.
Corded models cost less, start effortlessly, and produce no exhaust emissions. The Black & Decker GH1000, $70, offers lots of performance for its price and weight. Cordless models are fine for light trimming within their roughly 15-minute run time. The Homelite UT41110, $30, has two cutting strings like more expensive models for faster cutting.Black & Decker ST4500, $25, weighs less than 4 pounds and has a straight shaft for added reach beneath shrubs.
Consumer Reports is a nonprofit membership organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. For 80 years, CR has provided evidence-based product testing and ratings, rigorous research, hard-hitting investigative journalism, public education, and steadfast policy action on behalf of consumers’ interests. Unconstrained by advertising or other commercial influences, CR has exposed landmark public health and safety issues and strives to be a catalyst for pro-consumer changes in the marketplace. From championing responsible auto safety standards, to winning food and water protections, to enhancing healthcare quality, to fighting back against predatory lenders in the financial markets, Consumer Reports has always been on the front lines, raising the voices of consumers.
© 2010 Consumer Reports. The material above is intended for legitimate news entities only; it may not be used for advertising or promotional purposes. Consumer Reports® is an expert, independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to work side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. We accept no advertising and pay for all the products we test. We are not beholden to any commercial interest. Our income is derived from the sale of Consumer Reports® magazine, ConsumerReports.org® and our other publications and information products, services, fees, and noncommercial contributions and grants. Our Ratings and reports are intended solely for the use of our readers. Neither the Ratings nor the reports may be used in advertising or for any other commercial purpose without our prior written permission. Consumer Reports will take all steps open to it to prevent unauthorized commercial use of its content and trademarks.
Consumer Reports is a nonprofit membership organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. For 80 years, CR has provided evidence-based product testing and ratings, rigorous research, hard-hitting investigative journalism, public education, and steadfast policy action on behalf of consumers’ interests. Unconstrained by advertising or other commercial influences, CR has exposed landmark public health and safety issues and strives to be a catalyst for pro-consumer changes in the marketplace. From championing responsible auto safety standards, to winning food and water protections, to enhancing healthcare quality, to fighting back against predatory lenders in the financial markets, Consumer Reports has always been on the front lines, raising the voices of consumers.
© 2010 Consumer Reports. The material above is intended for legitimate news entities only; it may not be used for advertising or promotional purposes. Consumer Reports® is an expert, independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to work side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. We accept no advertising and pay for all the products we test. We are not beholden to any commercial interest. Our income is derived from the sale of Consumer Reports® magazine, ConsumerReports.org® and our other publications and information products, services, fees, and noncommercial contributions and grants. Our Ratings and reports are intended solely for the use of our readers. Neither the Ratings nor the reports may be used in advertising or for any other commercial purpose without our prior written permission. Consumer Reports will take all steps open to it to prevent unauthorized commercial use of its content and trademarks.