Consumer Reports allows anyone to read some portions of their website. However, to get their ratings on various appliances, you need to be an on-line subscriber. I find the small price well worthwhile, even though I also pay for the monthly magazines because I want to understand the products I purchase, esp'ly something that will be in my home many years. The full articles tell you about things like cost, convenience, features, customer service and repair issues. If you do not wish to subscribe, stop at your local library and someone at the reference counter can help you locate the issues which reviewed the appliances you wish to learn more about. They can also help you find that news article you wished that you had clipped. If you have not noticed, the index for each year's product reviews is in the back of each Consumer Reports magazine. I hope this helps you. Julie of Minn.

I just got a copy of the August issue that the Oasisowner posted about and it's quite a good article. First of all, it's a 21 page article about how to "Create the Perfect Kitchen For You" - with sections focused on making a plan, defining your style, and choosing your appliances. There is a lot of detailed information and an example kitchen remodel that ended up costing $29,482. A lot of the information in the article was similar to what I've read here on GW. However, with everything that the article covers, it can't really go in depth on any one subject. So, the section on countertops is very brief. There is about a 3 sentence summary of the most used types of countertops, and a ratings table. I'm not sure what rgreen48 was quoting earlier, but here's what the article actually says about soapstone: "Soapstone $50-$100 per sq. ft installed It's not as common as granite—and it's stunning at first. It resists heat damage, and small scratches can be sanded finely, then coated with mineral oil. But it nicks, cuts and scratches easily, and some tough stains won't wash away." That is a pretty brief description and doesn't entirely jive with what I have found out about soapstone, but for a broad audience and giving a brief summary, it's pretty decent. Of course I think people should do more research than reading three sentences before picking a a countertop that they are going to live with for years. I also agree with Oasisowner that the table has some "unusual" ratings. In fine print below the table, they described how they tested the counters: They applied 20 common foods and household products, let them sit overnight before cleaning. Sliced and chopped directly on the counters with chef's knives and serrated knives. Put a pot heated to 400° Ran a weighted sanding block back and forth 25 times. Dropped blunt and pointed objects from 3.5 feet I personally would never cut directly on a countertop, but I can see how some of the other tests would be good at assessing durability.

I am largely impressed by CR. I'll add in other factors as well - some of the things they may consider important aren't so for me, but overall I do respect the research they do.

Ratings are locked behind the paywall = ( I will add though, that I understand a rating over 30 SPF is not really any better. Environmental Working Group ( EWG.org ) has lots of free articles for consumers about choosing effective sunscreens that are also safer for our health: http://www.ewg.org/search/site/sunscreen You can order a free .pdf guide as well as browse their lists here: http://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/