Worst Home Products From Consumer Reports' Tests

Refrigerator: Viking Professional 7 Series VBI7360WRSS
Overall Score: 37
CR’s take: This Viking refrigerator costs more than $15,000, but in our tests, its internal temperature does not always match the thermostat setting, earning it an unimpressive rating for thermostat control. It also earns unfavorable ratings for predicted reliability and owner satisfaction—people who buy Viking refrigerators are more likely to have them break within the first few years than with other brands, and they’re also not likely to recommend Viking fridges to others. For better options, read about the best refrigerators from our tests. And for more information on refrigerators, see our refrigerator buying guide.

Washing machine: Maytag Commercial MVWP576KW
Overall Score: 27
CR’s take: This Maytag Commercial MVWP576KW washes clothes gently and quickly, with just a 30-minute cycle and a claimed capacity of 3.5 cubic feet. It’s also energy-efficient and barely vibrates. The problem: A washer is designed to clean clothes, and this one isn’t up to the task, receiving a poor rating. It’s also a water guzzler and noisy, earning mediocre marks in both areas. These tested deficits are why it’s the lowest-rated top-load agitator in our ratings by far. We can’t recommend this model, but you can find the best washing machines we tested by category here and our washer buying guide here. 

Range: Fisher & Paykel OR30SCG4X1 Pro-Style Range
Overall Score: 33
CR’s take: If you’re spending more than $5,000 on a gas range, you’d probably expect stellar performance and fancy features. You probably wouldn’t expect to get one of the single worst ranges we’ve tested in recent years. The Fisher & Paykel OR30SCG4X1 is a dud of a pro-style range, and while it may be beautiful, it lacks even basic features like a self-cleaning oven or markings for common temperatures on the oven temperature dial. Performance is largely subpar too, with exceptionally poor baking, so-so broiling, a small oven, and burners that can’t maintain a steady simmer. Pro-style ranges often fall behind the very best regular ranges, but we’ve still got you covered if you crave that pro-style look. Find out more about ranges in our kitchen range buying guide.

Countertop microwave: Commercial Chef CHM14110B6C
Overall Score: 39
CR’s take: With a name like Commercial Chef, you’d expect this large countertop microwave to be competent in the kitchen. On the contrary. It heats slowly and unevenly and doesn’t defrost well either. And the controls aren’t intuitive, so you’ll be left leafing through the manual when trying to make adjustments. It is pretty quiet, which is a blessing because it will have to be running a long time to get your food hot. For better options, read about the best microwaves from our tests. For more information on microwaves, see our microwave buying guide.

Toaster oven: GoWise USA GW44800-O Deluxe Toaster oven
Overall Score: 34
CR’s take: This GoWise toaster oven lands at the very bottom of our toaster oven ratings—and for good reason. This countertop cooker is poor at baking and toasting, and receives a subpar score for its ease of use. It only does one thing well—reheat. Outside of that, its performance in our other tests can be described as passable at best. If you’re looking for even toast and better baked goods, read about the best toaster ovens from our tests. And to find out more about toaster ovens, see our toaster and toaster oven buying guide.

Coffee maker: Mr. Coffee HotCup Single Serve/Pod Free BVMC-HC-CIPS
Overall Score: 35
CR’s take: Mr. Coffee coffee brewers are quite reliable based on our member surveys, but that’s the only thing this single-serve brewer has going for it. It receives a less than satisfactory rating for brew performance, the most important test we conduct on coffee makers, and our tests found it rather difficult to clean and use. For top-rated options, read about the best coffee makers from our tests. To learn more about what to look for in coffee makers, see our coffee maker buying guide.

Stand mixer: Sunbeam Mixmaster 2594
Overall Score: 38
CR’s take: Don’t be tempted by the low, low price of this stand mixer, because it won’t help you up your baking game. In fact, you can buy a better hand mixer for about the same price. In our tests, its scores were so-so at best, and it stumbled in our key mixing and whipping tests. It’s also a bit noisy, and the controls are not easy to figure out. At 7 pounds, it’s one of the lightest mixers in our tests, but that’s not a plus because it needs a little heft to stand up to thick batters. For our favorite picks, read about the best stand mixers from our tests. And for more information on mixers, see our mixer buying guide.

Blender: 3 Squares Soup3rb 7-cup Cook & Blend
Overall Score: 26
CR’s take: The name is a mouthful, but that doesn’t mean you’ll like the taste, especially if you like soups. Our tests reveal that this blender is lousy at puréeing raw ingredients into soups. Sure, it can chop ice, but not for long stints due to its subpar durability. If you’re thinking you can get by just making smoothies, it’s so-so at that, too. For the best full-sized blenders from our tests, check out our detailed ratings. To find out more about different types of blenders, see our blender buying guide.

Air purifier: Black+Decker BXPI510B Air Purifier 
Overall Score: 14
CR’s take: An efficient air purifier delivers on one core promise. It removes harmful airborne particles that could potentially make you sick. But the Black+Decker BXPI510B struggles to do that. It’s not very effective at removing dust, smoke, and pollen at any speed, high or low, receiving a dismal rating in both of these tests. It also lacks a filter indicator, so you’ll have to keep track of when it’s time to change/clean the main filter. Another drawback—because it’s not Energy Star qualified, it’s less energy-efficient compared with qualified air purifiers. For better options, read about the best air purifiers from our tests. And for more information on air purifiers, see our air purifier buying guide.

Door lock: Yale Edge Series YR82EB
Overall Score: 9
CR’s take: This Yale deadbolt is the weakest door lock in our ratings, receiving substandard scores for being highly susceptible to kick-ins, lock picking, and being drilled through with a cordless drill. Simply put, out of the box this deadbolt will not protect your home. For stronger picks, read about the best door locks from our tests. And for more information on door locks, see our door lock buying guide.

Video doorbell: SpotCam Video Doorbell 2
Overall Score: 26
CR’s take: This SpotCam video doorbell has terrible video quality, sluggish response time for alerts, and disappointingly weak data privacy and data security. Simply put, it won’t do a good job of keeping watch over your front door, and it won’t protect your data well either! For video doorbells with better privacy settings and quicker response times, read about the best video doorbell cameras from our tests. And for more information on video doorbells, see our home security camera buying guide.

Robotic vacuum: Eureka Groove NER300
Overall Score: 32
CR’s take: The best thing about the Eureka Groove NER300 robovac is that it’s pretty quiet. So quiet, in fact, that you’ll hardly even know it’s working, especially because its scores for cleaning carpet are subpar and for bare floors they’re abysmal. And don’t depend on it to tidy up along the edges. It’s too bad because the price is right for anyone who wants to try out a robotic vacuum. Instead, check out the best robotic vacuums from our tests. And for more information on vacuums, see our vacuum buying guide.

Flooring: Heritage Mill Red Oak Natural Click PF9356 (Home Depot)
Overall Score: 27
CR’s take: The Heritage Mill Red Oak Natural Click flooring at Home Depot earns only mediocre ratings for resisting foot traffic and scratches, meaning it’s more likely to show wear, especially if you have pets or a lot of people in your household. It also doesn’t resist dents, earning a poor rating for the visible marks left when we dropped objects on it to simulate a pot or utensils falling onto the floor. And it gets a poor score for resisting sunlight; after we subjected samples of the flooring to intense ultraviolet light for about two weeks, they looked much lighter. Not great for anyone who likes to let the sun shine in. For stronger, more durable flooring selections, read about the best flooring from our tests. And for more information on flooring, see our flooring buying guide.

Console humidifier: Aircare Companion CM330DWHT 
Overall Score: 26
CR’s take: Our moms said if we can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. So here it is: The Aircare Companion CM330DWHT console humidifier is energy-efficient and relatively easy to use. But when mom isn’t listening, we’ll tell you the rest: This unit is very noisy. Worse, its anemic output over 24 hours—2.2 gallons per day—just isn’t enough to humidify the 1,000 square feet or more it’s designed to handle. In contrast, the CR recommended and highly rated Vornado EVAP40 emits a commendable 4.1 gallons per day, for a price of about $50 more. For more options and information, check out our humidifier buying guide. 

Small-room humidifier: HoMedics TotalComfort UHE-WB01 
Overall Score: 28
CR’s take: The concept for this product is a great example of re-use philosophy: Employ a standard-sized water bottle as the tank for a portable, small-room humidifier. But with the HoMedics TotalComfort UHE-WB01, the idea falters. This low-priced unit, designed to add moisture to rooms of 26 to 299 square feet, emits less than 1 quart in a 24-hour period. That performance earns it the worst possible output score in our ratings. For about the same price, the similarly designed Comfort Zone CZHD20 Tabletop Humidifier puts out more than twice as much moisture and is judged exceptional overall. For more information on the best models and sizing a humidifier to your space, see our humidifier buying guide. 

Water filter pitcher: Clear2O GRP200
Overall Score: 38
CR’s take: The Clear2O GRP200 is the lowest-rated pitcher in CR’s ratings. Your patience will be tried by its extremely slow flow rate. This pitcher also has the smallest capacity in our tests (6 cups per pitcher), which means you’ll be racing from faucet to fridge more often than a parched teenager after soccer practice. We’re pouring cold water on this water filter pitcher. But you might prefer highly rated pitchers from the likes of Brita or Pur Ultimate, which performed well in our tests. You can learn more about how to filter your water by checking out our water filter buying guide.

Battery push mower: Sun Joe MJ401C-XR Battery Mower
Overall Score: 39
CR’s take: This 14-inch battery-powered push mower from Sun Joe earns one of the worst Overall Scores in CR’s mowing test. There are only two mowers with cutting decks this narrow in our ratings—the other is the slightly better Worx WG779—but because of their miniature size, neither can match the cutting performance of bigger machines. The Sun Joe sits at the bottom of the bunch; though it takes 3 hours to charge, its battery conks out after about 25 minutes. There’s also no mulching mode. Plus, if you want the mower to discharge clippings from the side, you have to fork out more to buy an accessory chute. For better battery-powered offerings, check out the best battery mowers of the year. And for more information on mowers, see our lawn mower and tractor buying guide.

Deck stain: Sherwin-Williams SuperDeck Clear Sealer Wood Stain
Overall Score: 4
CR’s take: A deck stain (or sealer) has one job . . . to protect your wood deck and keep it looking new. And the very best stains do just that. But SuperDeck Clear Sealer performs that one job so poorly that we deemed its protection unacceptable after only a single year of simulated wear. It not only bombed when it came to preserving the looks of our wood samples but also offered almost no notable benefits when it came to preventing mold or mildew formation, color change, or cracking. It’s true that most clear sealers don’t perform nearly as well as the best semi-transparent or solid color stains in our test, but SuperDeck is at the very bottom of the pack. If the thought of staining and sanding a wood deck doesn’t appeal to you, consider trading up to composite decking, which doesn’t require that kind of maintenance. Learn more about wood stains in our wood stain buying guide.