NEW YORK, NY -- For nearly 70 years, the experts at Consumer Reports have tested and rated products. The results have helped millions of consumers make informed choices.

Nearly every product you can think of is targeted for testing and the testers are absolutely passionate about producing unbiased results.

The labs at Consumer Reports can be a dangerous place for products, but all this destructiveness is for a good cause. One child-safety test the lab is working on is with a hardware gate.

"We're trying to simulate a child running into the gate," said Rich Handel, Consumer Reports tester.

The testers hit the gate 20 times with a 22-pound ball, which is the approximate weight of a 2-year-old child.

"The gate moved but it didn't dislodge," Handel said.

But when the same test was applied to a pressure-mounted gate, it crashed. It's the kind of information a parent might want before choosing a safety gate.

"The consumer can look at it and make their own choice, we don't dictate what they should buy but we give them the information they need to make a rational choice," said R. David Pittle, Consumers Union senior vice president.

Before you spend a lot of money, you probably want to know if a sofa will hold up or crack under pressure. Or, you many want to know if your home will stand up to the climate. In one test, Consumer Reports checked out the strength of vinyl siding.

"The vinyl siding as it sits on your house is no problem when the weather's warm, but on a nice, cold Wisconsin day it might shatter on you," Handel said.

"We try to take the risk out of consumers' lives by testing and evaluating those things which we call a sweaty palm decision," said Pittle.

And it seems people appreciate the help. More than 5 million households subscribe to Consumer Reports and New 3 is one of many TV markets that broadcast the information. That's how the group remains independent. They don't take advertising, gifts, grants or free samples.

"Everything we do is paid by the sale of the information to the consumer, so there is no reason for us to put our finger on the scale and favor one company over the other," said Pittle. "We have no stake in the outcome of our tests."

But throughout it's history, Consumers Union has faced attacks from companies unhappy with the test results. During the McCarthy era, the group was even listed as a subversive organization by the House Un-American Activities Committee. Despite it all, Consumer Reports continue to survive and thrive.

"We've been doing this for 68 years and the way that we keep going is because consumers want this information and they buy it," Pittle said.

"We have a unique opportunity to do something which is extraordinary," said Bob Karpel, Consumer Reports tester. "It's good, it's important."

And testers take that responsibility very seriously. They spend their days slamming, slicing and tasting to find the safest, most effective product for the best price.

"That's very often the case, that you can get something that's a lot better, a lot cheaper," said Bernie Deitrick, Consumer Reports tester.

"The bottom line is to create a marketplace that is safe and fair for consumers. That's our bottom line," Pittle said.