Food-waste disposers, 1970
Jamming on hard wastes can be a major headache, especially on models that lack a reversible turntable. Often the best we can do is force the jam free with a broom handle.

Kiddie cars and tractors, 1970
It can take more than an hour to put most of these toys together, we find. And you shouldn't wait until Christmas Eve; some lack screws or nuts. "Most of the children voiced considerable and indiscriminate enthusiasm" about the cars and tractors, we say. "But adults who buy the toys may voice other sentiments once the kids are out of earshot."

Aerosol-can deactivator, 1971
Position a thoroughly emptied container inside Saf-Can's heavy metal frame, step on the plunger, and a spike drives into the can. When used out of the reach of children and away from fire, Saf-Can is the most realistic approach we've seen for the safe disposal of aerosols.

Cribs, 1971
We slam weights against the end panels, pound on the springs, have a technician raise and lower the sides 4,000 times, and examine the construction. And we conclude that all 20 cribs are acceptable.

Nerf balls, 1971
The Official Nerf Ball is tested for flammability against the standard set by the 1969 Child Protection and Toy Safety Act. The Nerf Ball failed, bursting into flames about two seconds after contact with a lit match.

Camp lanterns, 1972
Far brighter than a candle or a kerosene lamp, and more flicker-free, a good mantle-type camp lantern will glow with all the steady brilliance of a high-wattage electric bulb.

Children's phonographs, 1972
A child's phonograph should have sound reproduction good enough to make speech intelligible and music pleasant, and should be simple and safe to use.

Frozen pizza, 1972
With tweezers and magnifying glass, a technician painstakingly removes meat and other ingredients for weighing.

Candy pellets, 1973
For a nickel, a kid who buys Orbits with Blower gets a packet of tiny, hard candy pellets and a fairly large-bore plastic straw. It's dangerous to other kids when used like a pea shooter--and dangerous to a kid who might easily inhale the pellets.

Cooking oils, 1973
Cooking oil is used to fry fish and then doughnuts to test flavor transference of the oil. The fried doughnuts did not pick up any fish flavor or aroma.

Ecology kits, 1973
This Mr. Wizard kit, as its name implies, consists entirely of culturing molds and bacteria. That should be done only under professional supervision--even if you don't follow the kit's suggestion that you culture matter from dirty garbage cans. We rate it Not Acceptable.

Household extension ladders, 1973
We judge overall rigidity, which combines resistance to bending, twisting, and side sway, by making close side-by-side comparisons of ladders at their fullest extension.

Instant glue, 1973
One drop of this instant glue formed a bond between man and hammer in five seconds. We called it an instant hazard--and rated it Not Acceptable.

Small sailboats, 1975
Capsizing should be no particular hazard for boats of this size. But they should be capable of being righted by their crew while afloat--a capability sometimes referred to as "self-rescuing."

Spot removers, 1977
This surrealist scene is composed of hundreds of swatches drying in our lab after being stained, then treated with spot removers.

Car safety for children, 1977
This dummy, modeled on a 38-inch-tall three-year-old child, is used to test car safety seats for children. Devices inside the dummy registered the forces of a simulated car crash to gauge the risk of head, neck, and chest injuries.

Facial tissues, 1977
To test "blowout" resistance, we fix each sample in an embroidery hoop and hit it with a burst of spray, simulating an explosive sneeze.

Mopeds, 1978
In 1978 there was no widely accepted test criteria for mopeds, so Consumer Reports devised its own, including testing the turning ability of mopeds on a slalom course.

Escape ladders, 1979
Many escape ladders shouldn't be counted on during a fire; simply testing some of these models proved painful and nerve-wracking. We find just two of nine brands acceptable. The others use a simple design that provides little reliable toehold.

Paper towels, 1980
Pouring lead shot onto a dampened paper towel is one way to test its wet strength.

1936-1949

1950-1954

1955-1959

1960-1969