The Year’s Best and Worst Products

Consumer Reports’ ShopSmart magazine has compiled a list of the best and worst products of 2013. They are revealed in the January issue.

“Each year, we buy, test and review thousands so we can tell you which ones are worth your money and those to skip,” Lisa Lee Freeman, editor-in-chief of ShopSmart, said in a press release. “We’ve identified our winners and losers – at all price points – to help you make better choices.”

Items in six categories — cleaning and home improvement, food and wine, cooking and food prep, electronics, everyday products, and cars – are featured.

Want a sneak peak at which items made the cut?

Among the winners are:

• The iRobot Roomba 760 in the cleaning and home improvement category, which retails for about $450.
• The Woodhouse chocolate assortment, about $90.
• The FitBit One, about $100, which counts steps taken and calories consumed and burned.
• Bounty DuraTowel, which retails for about $5 and sounds like Bounty on steroids.
• The Telsa Model S, an electric vehicle that costs about $69,900 and is known for its sleek appeal.

Those that didn’t fare so well include:

• Sandra by Sandra Lee 53156 blender, $47. “This queen of semi-homemade cooking set a new low in blender tests. The gadget itself could barely crush ice,” ShopSmart said.
• The Mitsubishi Mirage, which comes with a price tag of $12,995 and is a real noise-maker with loose steering, ShopSmart said.
• Grout Bully, about $10. “It’s basically Wite-Out for gross grout, but the shower slime will eventually come back.”
• Rollie Eggmaster, identified by the Consumerist as another product on ShopSmart’s list of losers. It costs about $30.

Have you purchased any of these items? If so, what did you think of them? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook page.