Best Checked-Luggage Brands

When you buy a midsized or large suitcase—the kind of luggage you check before boarding—you want it to get you through dozens or even hundreds of excursions, by air, land, and sea. When we surveyed more than 20,000 of our members about their experiences with luggage brands, nearly half said they’d kept their most-used bag…

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What Even Is Instagram Now?

In her classic novel Frankenstein, author Mary Shelley imagines a monster that’s reanimated with its piecemeal body sewn together, tendon by tendon. “The dissecting room and the slaughter-house furnished many of my materials,” Shelley writes. That’s exactly what scrolling through Instagram feels like right now—an ungodly morass of features stitched together. It’s an AI search…

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Best Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors of 2025

That’s why we put dozens of models to the test. In our lab, we expose detectors to low CO levels (100 parts per million) and high CO levels (400 ppm) to see how quickly and accurately they detect the colorless, odorless gas. For models that display or announce specific CO levels, we check the accuracy…

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Why Renters Need Renters Insurance

No matter how you decide to purchase your policy, be sure to keep the following advice in mind:  Insure for replacement cost, not actual cash value. Actual cash value is how much a possession is worth after depreciation is factored in; replacement cost is what it would cost to buy that possession today. You’ll save…

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6 Best Showerheads of 2026, Lab-Tested and Reviewed

Our newly expanded testing primarily reflects shower coverage, shower force, water consumption, and ease of use.  For shower coverage, we assess how uniform the spray pattern is for each showerhead. To evaluate shower force, we use a force gauge underneath the shower and compare that measurement with an ideal, most comfortable value. A shower can…

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Data Centers Are Driving a US Gas Boom

Data centers have caused the demand for gas-fired power in the US to explode over the past two years, according to new research released Wednesday. More than a third of this new demand, the research found, is explicitly linked to gas projects that will power data centers—the equivalent of energy that would power tens of…

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Is It Safe to Use a Space Heater in the Bathroom?

For additional protection, look for a space heater equipped with an appliance leakage current interrupter (ALCI) plug, says Samantha Ostrander, who oversees CR’s space heater tests. These bulky plugs—similar to those seen on hair dryers—safeguard against differences in current and can also protect against a dangerous electrical shock. Like GFCI outlets, ALCI plugs typically feature…

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