Best

Best- Great stuff - tested and approved in our top-secret labs.

BATTERY CHARGERS

First Class
C. Crane QuickCharger
Need to goose the juice in your rechargeable batteries? C. Crane's QuickCharger refuels NiCad cells and the newer nickel-metal hydride ones, which last twice as long. The QuickCharger is the only model we tested that completely recharged the most capacious battery, MAHAcell's 8,000-milliampere-hour NiMH, size D. The four-slot charger accepts AAAs, AAs, Cs, and Ds, which it runs down for conditioning purposes before revving up. A pair of 1,600-mAh NiMH AAs will be ready in two hours; an LCD shows charging progress and current voltage.

QuickCharger: $49.95. C. Crane: (800) 522 8863, www.ccrane.com.

Business Class
Rayovac Renewal Power Station PS3
Power Station PS3 tops off NiCads as thoroughly as the QuickCharger does, works with NiMH, and takes shorter-lived rechargeable alkalines. (Don't confuse these special alkalines with regular ones, or with the high-drain alkalines used in digicams.) The PS3 renews two 1,600-mAh NiMH AAs in eight hours, and its red LED turns off when they're ready. It also charges four Cs or Ds, or eight AAAs or AAs.

Renewal Power Station PS3: $22. Rayovac: (800) 237 7000, www.rayovac.com.

Coach
RadioShack Model 23-335
If you're sticking to AAAs and AAs, RadioShack's model 23-335 - also known as the 5-Hour/8-Hour AA/AAA Ni-Cd/Ni-MH Battery Charger - is all you need. Like the QuickCharger, it conditions batteries to extend life. LEDs indicate discharging and charging, and turn off when the process is done. True to its somewhat unwieldy name, the four-cell station filled our two sample NiMHs in eight hours. And unlike the others, it will take a single 9-volt.

Model 23-335: $12.99. RadioShack: (800) 843 7422, www.radioshack.com.

DIRECT-VIEW HDTVS

First Class
Panasonic CT-34WX50
Forget five-figure projectors and plasmas - direct-view CRTs give you fabulous picture quality for much less money. Panasonic's top-shelf HDTV puts unbeatable clarity onto a 34-inch, 16:9 aspect-ratio screen. Two sets of component inputs accommodate both a progressive-scan DVD player and an HDTV set-top box as sources, and split-screen mode lets you watch two channels at once. Like the others here, the Panasonic also features a flat tube and a 3D-YC comb filter for reducing NTSC artifacts, and it converts a complete range of signal types (including 480i and 720p) into its native 1080i resolution.

CT-34WX50: $3,999.95. Panasonic: (800) 211 7262, www.panasonic.com.

Business Class
Philips 34PW9815
This 34-inch, 16:9 wide-screen set has a 3:2 pulldown circuit that eliminates jagged-edge artifacts created when the line doubler converts interlaced inputs into progressive-scan mode; for a good test, watch the bridge railings in the opening sequence of Star Trek: Insurrection. Its amplifier puts out Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. The TV has only one set of component inputs; you'll have to invest in a pricey switcher if you need more.

34PW9815: $3,499.99. Philips Electronics: (800) 531 0039, www.philipsusa.com.

Coach
Toshiba 32HFX71
Toshiba's 32-inch direct-view HDTV has a 4:3 aspect ratio, but its anamorphic squeeze feature makes the most of wide-screen DVDs: It cleverly impersonates a 16:9 monitor, letterboxing the picture so it retains more vertical resolution. Like the Panasonic, it has two sets of component inputs. And, as with both other picks, its two-tuner picture-in-picture viewing feature lets you inset the ball game while you keep an eye on something else.

32HFX71: $1,999.95. Toshiba: (800) 631 3811, +1 (949) 583 3000, www.toshiba.com.

PUMP-ACTION ESPRESSO MAKERS

First Class
Jura Impressa X90
True espresso comes from steam forced through grounds; modern machines replace the old-fashioned lever with an electric pump. The fanciest are super-automatics like Jura's Impressa X90, which serves hot shots on Larry Ellison's Izanami-Cronin yacht. The javabot grinds the beans, brews and dispenses the coffee, steams and adds the milk, and disposes of the grounds. All you need to do is hook up a water line and pour in whole beans: It's easier than using Pasquini's revered Livia 90. One touch of a button summons forth a perfect cup - when the somewhat touchy milk-frothing system isn't acting up.

Jura Impressa X90: $3,495. Available from Automatic Espresso Machines: (800) 326 4927, www.hotncold.com.

Business Class
Solis Crema SL90
The Crema doesn't grind beans or auto-steam milk, but the microprocessor-regulated semiautomatic lets you pull shots at six preset strengths, from concentrated ristretto to long-drinking lungissimo. Or, for that personal touch, you can start and stop the high-pressure pump manually. The steam chamber heats fast, letting you froth milk by hand soon after your coffee is ready, and auto-infusion moistens the grounds before brewing.

Solis Crema SL90: $459. Available from Baratza: (877) 701 2020, www.baratza.com.

Coach
Gaggia Coffee
Generations of caffeine addicts have fed their habit using Gaggia paraphernalia. The company's nonautomatic Coffee model has the same kind of Italian engineering that keeps old Fiats on the road. You can hear the pump from across the room, but it will express shot after shot of perfect coffee for a decade or more. With two heaters (one for coffee, one for steam) and a bare minimum of controls, this solid performer outclasses its peers.

Gaggia Coffee: $299. Available from Culinary Techniques: (800) 500 6309, www.culinarytechniques.com.