Consumer Reports has taken a lot of guesswork out of holiday gift-giving by offering a host of top-rated goods to consider.

And of the "100 Top-Rated Products" CR tested this year, we took a look at both recommended items, those that CR believes deserves a gift-giver's consideration, and CR Best Buys, CR's recommended items that score high in both quality and relative affordability.

We further whittled the list down to the "Top 10 Top-Rated Gifts That Really Hit Home."

Here's what we found.

Home entertainment

Samsung 40-inch LCD HDTV, Model LN40A550, $1,300, "Best Buy"
CR calls this watcher a "top-notch 1080p set with excellent picture quality across the board." It was also selected for an ease-of-use menu system; images with excellent detail, great color, and "some of the deeper black levels we've seen on LCDs." Viewing at angles was considered only "average."

Vizio 47-inch LCD HDTV, Model VO47LF, $1,300, "Recommended"
An extra seven inches for the same price as the "Best Buy" above, the Vizio is "designed for those with big-screen dreams and an earthbound budget," but the model is no slouch when it comes to picture quality, 1080p resolution, a wide viewing angle, and four High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) inputs.

Nintendo's Wii gaming console, $250; Wii Fit software, balance board, $90, "Recommended"
Instead of passively watching those big screen TVs, you'll become an onscreen avatar performing yoga positions and practicing strength training, aerobics, and balance. You can knock off or keep off those seasonal binge-eating pounds and track your progress toward better health and fitness.

Kitchen and cooking

Amana bottom-freezer refrigerator, Model AFD2535DE[W], $1,550, "Best Buy"
This 36-inch, 25-cubic-foot, French-door fridge, has excellent temperature control, convenient pullout freezer drawers, and more usable space for leftovers and other goodies than most fridges in its class.

Black & Decker Smart Brew coffee maker, Model DCM2500, $35 "Best Buy"
The best drip coffeemaker among the 8-to-12-cup models CR tested, the B&D comes with programmable settings, easy pouring to offset the morning shakes before that first cup.

GE Profile countertop microwave, Model JES2251SJ[SS], $220, "Best Buy"
Earning the highest overall score of any large countertop microwave CR tested, the GE model includes intuitive touchpad controls and advanced cooking sensors that earned it excellent scores for auto defrost and ease of use. Sleek, stainless steel also looks better than the typical black box nukers.

Weber Q 200 portable grill, Model 396002, $190, "Recommended"
Called "the toast of any tailgate," this gas fired Weber heats evenly, but is equally capable at low-temperature slow cooking.

Home improvements, cleaning appliances

Electrolux Oxygen canister vacuum, Model EL6988, $400, "Recommended"
This puppy was available with rebates that slashed the price to below $200! And it cleans both hardwood floors and carpets. Considered a canister, it has an upright-like cleaning accessory that gives it the upright feel. This writer invested in one at the deep discount and says, "It really does suck! And that's a good thing."

Teragren Synergy bamboo flooring, Model TPF-SYN-Wheat, $7.50 per sq. ft., "Recommended"
A green gift designed to floor any recipient, bamboo grows quickly and is harvested, rather than cut down completely, so it's renewable. This variety of bamboo flooring, unlike others "actually beat oak and other hardwoods for toughness, and it also resisted color change, a problem in some bamboo flooring," says CR.

Benjamin Moore interior paint, Model Aura low luster, $55 gallon, "Recommended"
Don't knock it until you tried it as a gift that keeps on giving in the form of added value for that home equity minded person on your list. This is "finally" a paint with a low level of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that performs as well as regular paint. The paint delivers excellent coverage, resisted staining and stood up to scrubbing. Available in 3,300 colors, this paint won't limit your options for being green.

Published: December 22, 2008

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Broderick Perkins parlayed a career in old-school journalism into a contemporary digital news service that really hits home. The award-winning consumer journalist, originally from Wilmington, DE, is founder, publisher and executive editor of the bootstrap DeadlineNews Group, a Silicon Valley-based editorial content and consulting service specializing in residential real estate, consumer news and related editorial consulting services. The DeadlineNews Group includes the website, DeadlineNews.com, offering real estate editorial content and consulting services, and its back shop, the Deadline Newsroom, an open house on news that really hits home. Perkins obtained his formal journalism education from University of Delaware and a journalism boot camp, the Institute of Journalism Education at the University of California-Berkeley. He went on to 20 years of service as a daily newspaper journalist at the Wilmington, DE News Journal and San Jose, CA Mercury News. Perkins covered housing on the San Jose Mercury News reporting team which earned a General News Reporting Pulitzer Prize in 1989 for coverage of the Loma Prieta earthquake. He has also produced real estate, consumer and small business content for the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, RealtyTimes.com, Nolo.com, Better Homes and Gardens, the National Association of Realtors, Homestore/Move and Intuit/Quicken among more than three dozen publications. In addition to managing the DeadlineNews Group, Perkins most recently served as chief editorial consultant for Nolo's Essential Guide To Buying Your First Home, Nolo, and writes real estate television scripts for RealtyTimes.com.