Ideally, the composite decking you choose will look good, and remain solid and safe, for many years. Consumer Reports’ performance tests evaluate these factors. We use specialized instruments to test each decking sample for resistance to flexing. That ensures that boards won’t bow or bend if you’re entertaining a crowd or if you park a…
The luxury appliance brand Gaggenau sits atop our kitchen appliance rankings with our highest Overall Score, though it has only three product categories in our brand reliability ranking calculation: dishwashers, cooktops, and wall ovens. Gaggenau debuted in our appliance rankings in 2024. LG takes second place, followed by Signature Kitchen Suite in third. Thermador and Wolf/Sub-Zero…
Main theme: In this podcast episode, we give our driving impressions of the redesigned 2025 GMC Terrain, which follows the new Chevrolet Equinox that went on sale in 2024. This compact SUV gets several significant upgrades, including a significant suite of advanced safety and driver assistance systems as standard equipment, including highway-speed automatic emergency braking,…
New research released this week shows that over the past few years the US Department of Homeland Security has collected DNA data of nearly 2,000 US citizens. The activity raises questions about legality and oversight given that DHS has been putting the information into an FBI crime database. Some of the genetic data is from…
ROG Strix is Asus’s performance-focused subbrand. This is where the company’s thicker, more conventional gaming laptops are found. Pricing can range widely, as it includes affordable options like the ROG Strix G16 with the RTX 5050, which starts at just $1,300. TUF Gaming is the company’s entry-level gaming laptop subbrand. These TUF gaming laptops used…
John Borthwick, CEO of the venture capital firm Betaworks, tells WIRED that he is skeptical about the feasibility and potential effectiveness of many Mamdani campaign proposals—like free buses, or a city-owned grocery store pilot program—and felt his answers tended to be “very general and nonspecific.” But Borthwick adds that he found Mamdani “very compelling and…
The portable models in our generator ratings run on gasoline, burning through 12 to 20 gallons per day, depending on the unit’s output and the load being powered. That means you’ll have to store a significant quantity of gasoline, start the generator manually, and refill it (when it’s off, to minimize fire danger) after running…
The Trump administration’s radical changes to United States fiscal policy, foreign relations, and global strategy—combined with mass firings across the federal government—have created uncertainty around US cybersecurity priorities that was on display this week at two of the country’s most prominent digital security conferences in Las Vegas. “We are not retreating, we’re advancing in a…
When, one year ago today, a buggy update to software sold by the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike took down millions of computers around the world and sent them into a death spiral of repeated reboots, the global cost of all those crashed machines was equivalent to one of the worst cyberattacks in history. Some of the…
CR’s tests focus on ease of use, the quality of construction (including design, noise, feel, and durability), ergonomics (how well the machine accommodates different users), exercise range, and user safety. For exercise range, we assess whether a machine is suitable for a variety of fitness levels. Our tests factor in the range of treadmill speeds,…
