The Top Instant Oatmeal Brand?

As a kid, like most, I hated eating oatmeal for breakfast. You would always hear how good it is for you but how good it tastes was a different story. Now that I'm older and a little more health conscious (at least I try to be), eating oatmeal isn't so bad. So if it's good for me to eat a bowl of oatmeal in the morning, I figured I might as well eat the top oatmeal in the market. To find which is oatmeal is the best in the market, I didn't have to go far, many online sources have done the research: Men's Health seems to be partial to Quaker Instant Oatmeal both the original kind and the Cinammon Swirl High Fiber kind as noted by Men's Health segment of Eat This, Not That. A taste test conducted by Chow surprisingly has Safeway Regular Flavor at the top of their list, along with other brands such as Mr. McDougall's Organic, Quaker Original, and Nature's Path. If the popular apple cinnamon flavor is what you prefer, Huffington Post's article ranks Whole Food's 365 Organic as the best instant oatmeal. Kashi Heart to Heart also makes this list as well as the usual Quaker and Nature's Path brands.

So at this point it's becoming obvious that Quaker and Nature's Path are at the top of the class in taste and health. Every Day with Rachael Ray sides with Nature's Path in this battle between the two, while Good House Keeping ranks Quaker Original at first place, with Nature's Path at third. Which brings us to the Top Instant Oatmeal's:

1. Quaker
2. Nature's Path 
3. Kashi Heart to Heart
4. Whole Food's 365 Organic

My Personal Top Instant Oatmeal Brand? Quaker
I've tried all these oatmeals as either in their cinnamon flavors, or blueberry flavors but not their original plain flavors. Quaker takes my vote as the top oatmeal mainly because of it's texture. Especially when mixed with milk, Quaker oatmeals seem to be thick (but not too thick like Kashi) and has a good flavor. I preferably enjoy Quaker's Cinnamon Swirl High Fiber in the morning heated with milk but I'm sure Quaker's other flavors are just as good.

What's Your Top Instant Oatmeal Brand?

The Top Ketchup?

Nothing better than adding ketchup to a tasty juicy hot dog or dipping your crispy greasy fries in a pool of thick rich ketchup. Ketchup, a must have condiment in every American home, and an add-on to every traditional American food you can eat (THE BURGER). The Huffington Post reported America's Choice Top Ketchup is the #1 ketchup in their top five list, with Heinz ketchup taking over the next four in the spot. The #5 spot was taken by Green Way organic ketchup. The site Epicurious, a site dedicated to recipes and cooking, had a group of judges taste different kinds of ketchup and ranked Hunt's Tomato Ketchup as the #1 overall best ketchup. then came America's Choice Tomato Ketchup and Heinz Tomato Ketchup. People have an acquired taste for ketchup, so when people are looking for ketchup in the store, they might go for the low-sugar ketchup, or an organic ketchup if they don't want the high-fructose corn syrup in their diet.

The Top Ketchup

1. America's Choice Ketchup
2. Heinz Tomato Ketchup
3. Hunt's Tomato Ketchup

My Personal Top Ketchup: Hunt's Tomato Ketchup

Ketchup to me, all tastes the same, but some have different textures than the other. Some are watery, some are thick, and some are creamier. I've never tried America's Choice Ketchup but seems to be mentioned highly for it. Heinz Ketchup has high fructose corn syrup which I'm not a fan of but it's also not a big deal if you don't eat a lot food with ketchup. Hunt's doesn't have HFCS and I find it less sweeter and sugary than Heinz. I didn't want to include organic ketchup because I felt that they are in a different class than the ones listed above. There are so many different kinds of ketchup that I focused on the general kind that are sold in stores.

What's Your Top Ketchup?

The Top Toothpaste?

Next time you're at your local drugstore looking for a quality toothpaste that will keep your mouth clean, protected, and keep your breath smelling fresh throughout the day, don't be overwhelmed by all the brand choices out there. GaltTech, an Internet buyers guide, has done the research and found that Colgate Total is regarded as the best toothpaste in the market based on the ADA's approval of the toothpaste as a quality product and consumer research which shoes Colgate as highly approved by consumers. They also mention that Sensodyne is the preferred toothpaste for sensitive teeth and Rembrandt for getting your teeth white. These three brands also happen to be Amazon's three most popular toothpastes. ConsumerSearch has also ranked Colgate Total as the best toothpaste. If you are looking for a more innovative toothpaste, PR Newswire awarded Aquafresh Iso-Active the 2011 Product of the Year for toothpastes based on its innovative canister allowing simultaneous paste and gel to be dispensed along with the isopentane ingredient which responds to help your mouth clean with increases in temperature.

The Top Toothpastes:

1. Colgate Total
2. Sensodyne
3. Aquafresh Iso-Active
4. Rembrandt

My Personal Top Toothpaste: Colgate Total
Can't go wrong with Colgate Total. The reviews speak for themselves, Colgate Total seems to get top reviews across the board.

What's Your Top Toothpaste?

The Top Disinfectant Cleaner

Door knobs, toilets seats, the bedroom light switch, and everything in your house including the kitchen sink are probably filled with germs. Bacterias and viruses are all crawling around you and you don't even know it. Fortunately for you there are a few commercial disinfectants that can help you fight off disease and sleep at night knowing you're not about to be attacked by a cold virus or interrupted during your sleep by a stomach flu.
Not many sites out there provide a product listing of top disinfectant cleaners but WebMD has provided an article summarizing studies analyzing which disinfectant is more effective on various bacterias such as Salmonella, E.Coli, and the polio-virus. Lysol and Clorox disinfectants proved to be more effective than other brands such as Mr. Clean based on their effect on 99.9% of the bacteria and viruses that were tested. On the other hand, a study conducted by Mercer University students tested several disinfectants on colonies of bacteria and proved that Ajax was the most effective, Lysol coming in a close second.

Although both results differed, one brand of disinfectant seems to be pretty effective. So the Top Disinfectants are:

1. Lysol
2. Ajax
3. Clorox  

My Personal Top Disinfectant Cleaner: Lysol
I've been using Lysol for years in protecting my house from any bacteria and viruses that could be lingering around. Prior to reading up on which disinfectant is the top disinfectant, I used Lysol because the brand name has become synonymous with disinfection for years. Especially with their claim that it kills 99.9% of bacteria and viruses, I can't go with any other disinfectant. 

What's Your Top Disinfectant

The Top Peanut Butter?

Not suprisingly most people love peanut butter and for many, they eat peanut butter on a regular basis. Either as part of a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich or as complimentary dip to your celery sticks, people love peanut butter. So who makes the best peanut butter? Intrestingly enough there are alot of people out there to have attempted to also answer this question. KitchenDaily has conducted a panel study of 32 different peanut butters, ranking Skippy Super Chunky and Whole Foods 365 as the highest rated peanut butters. Skippy brand (either chunky or creamy) has usually come up in most reviews as the best tasting peanut butter such as in ConsumerSearch and ranked second by USAToday readers (Jif coming in at first). As for the more health conscious, Men's Health lists Peanut Butter & Co. as their best peanut butter, which is also ranked as second best peanut butter by Serious Eats (Skippy Creamy coming in at first).

Now that you know you're not the only one wondering who makes the Top Peanut Butter, consider these top choices:

1. Skippy Creamy
2. Skippy Crunchy
3. Peanut Butter & Co.
4. Jif
5. Whole Foods 365

My Personal Top Peanut Butter: Whole Foods 365 Creamy
I haven't had the chance to try Peanut Butter & Co. yet but I can say I have tried A LOT of peanut butter brands and types. I've always been partial to creamy peanut butter instead of chunky so with that being said, I know i've already alienated at least half of you readers with my personal choice. Whole Food's 365 Creamy peanut butter is my personal choice because of its light thickness. It's not heavy or thick like other creamy peanut butters and has a very rich peanut butter taste.

Have another peanut butter in mind? Comment below.

What's Your Top Peanut Butter?

The Top Facial Cleanser?

Getting that fresh clean feeling for your face can be misleading depending on the type of skin you have and what products your using. The wrong facial cleanser can actually do more harm than good, causing acne break outs, skin irritations, or even worsen your dry or oily skin. TotalBeaty.com readers rated what they believe to be the best facial cleansers, listing 18 products as the best for your face. Among the list, Philosophy Purity Made Simple One-Step facial cleanser, Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser, with Boscia Cleansing Cream topping the their list. With the exception of Boscia Cleansing Cream, these facial cleansers have also been approved as "Worlds Best Beauty Products" by Elle. A good source on all information regarding facial cleansers, RN Guide to Skin Care, has personally chose Philosophy Purity as the recommended facial cleanser.

With this being said, next time your in the market for a quality facial cleanser, check these out first:

1. Philosophy Purity Made Simple 
2. Boscia Cleansing Cream
3. Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser

My Personal Top Facial Cleanser: Philosophy Purity Made Simple
In doing this research, it seems that Philosophy has made the best product when it comes to a clean and moisturized face. I have never actually tried Philosophy Purity Made Simple but based on my research, this would be my top choice. I have actually tried Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser and it felt like a mild wash that doesn't really leave my face clean but the good thing about it was that it also didn't leave it dry.

What's Your Top Facial Cleanser?

The Top Breath Mint?

You see a fine-lookin' female (or male for the female readers) waiting to be talked to. Clothes looks clean, hair looks styled, but your breath is treacherous. What can cure this horrendous smell? You reach in your pocket in hope to cure the plague that escapes your mouth but which breath mint will save you? Altoids (Liquorice flavor) is ranked #1 in Amazon's Top Rated in Breath Mints based off the most positive reviews. Altoids shows up in four more spots in Amazon's top 10 list with different flavors. Another breath mint, Mint Asure, was ranked #2 on Amazon's list. According to a new blog dedicated in reviewing breath mints, it ranks Mint Asure as the most effective and long lasting mint compared to others such as Ice Breakers, Tic Tac, and Altoids. With today's breath mints, it's not about how effective some are but also the taste it provides. Some may browse from a medical/dental perspective by neutralizing the root of the smell (Mint Asure, Xlear Spry) and others want the flavor and emit a particular smell (Altoids, Tic Tac, Ice Breakers).

The Top Breath Mints

1. Ice Breakers
2. Altoids
3. Tic Tac
4. Mint Asure
5. Eclipse

My Personal Top Breath Mint: Altoids

The only mint I haven't tried is Mint Asure (I'm actually going to buy this mint after I post this.), but the one I found most powerful in a short amount of time is Altoids (Peppermint). The smell was definitely noticeable to people when I'd place them into my mouth but some didn't really appreciate the stinging taste of it when I offered one to them. I'm more concerned about my breath on the approach (first impressions count!), not only with strangers but with friends, family, or co-workers. I also care about the package of the mints which is why I usually buy the Altoids Smalls. Any flavored breath mint that give off any fruity flavor smell is more of a candy than a mint to me. Medical experts even suggest to stay away from any of the sugary mints because bacteria FEEDS off of sugar and keeps the bacteria in your mouth along with the bad smell.

What's Your Top Breath Mint?

The Top Web Browser?

Most people have a particular choice of web browser they like to use to surf the Internet. As you're reading this post, our site is probably being viewed through Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, or Opera. Last month, the site StatCounter, a tool installed on millions of websites to analyze data such as web browsers used to view websites, StatCounter reported that Chrome 15.0 became the most popular web browser version taking 23.6% of the market, barely defeating Internet Explorer 8. Overall browser versions, Internet Explorer is the most widely used since it comes pre-installed on all PCs (which make up most of home computers in the market) that run Windows. Mozilla Firefox typically became the alternative to Internet Explorer a few years ago but has now been bumped behind leading mobile browser used for mobile phones.

The following web browsers are the most popular used in the world:

1. Internet Explorer
2. Google Chrome
3. Mozilla Firefox
4. Opera
5. Safari

My Personal Top Web Browser: Google Chrome
I've used all of the browsers listed above and found that Google Chrome takes the prize in this war. Its sleek and simple interface really proves itself to be simple to use and sticks to its purpose -- surf the Internet. I found that I was having trouble with other browsers such as Internet Explorer and Firefox with constant crashes and always having to force close the browsers. Chrome is fast (fastest boot up speed when opened) and light on the computer's memory usage. I will admit that Internet Explorer has made a significant upgrade in their recent versions (IE7 brings back horrible memories for everyone), but doesn't really compare to the simplicity of Chrome.

What's Your Top Web Browser?

The Top Indoor Basketball Ball?

Whether you're playing a full-court 5-on-5 game or just shooting around working on your form, having the right basketball in your hands is important to get what you want out of the sport. According to Livestrong, basketball manufacturers, Spalding, Wilson, and Nike have been trusted as quality basketball manufactuers. Basketball wiki site, Hoopedia, also mentions that Molten is a reputable brand considering its use in the FIBA World Championship games and several international leagues. Being that Spalding is the official manufacturer of the NBA's ball, two of its models can be found on BestBasketballBall.com's list of Top 5 Indoor Basketballs--the Spalding NBA Official Game Ball and the Spalding TF-1000 ZK. Also on the list are the Wilson Evolution and Nike Elite Championship 8-Panel Basketball which can also be found on BestCovery's list of top basketballs along with the Molten  GL-7 Official Game Ball.

So it seems that with these four brands, the following models are the top favorites for basketball players worldwide:

1. Spalding NBA Official Game Ball
2. Wilson Evolution
3. Spalding TF-1000 ZK
4. Molten GL-7
5. Nike Elite Championship

My Personal Top Indoor Basketball Ball: Wilson Evolution
I have to admit that I have not had the chance to play with the Molten GL-7 yet but I have played full court games in all the other models on this list and have to go with the Wilson Evolution based on it's amazing grip and overall feel. It doesn't feel grainy like other full leather balls but provides the same grip that I'm looking for in an indoor ball. When properly inflated, it provides a smooth controlled bounce off the hardwood.

What's Your Top Indoor Basketball Ball?

The Top Streaming Media Service?

Thousands of movies and TV shows have become available on the Internet over the last five years. In hope to battle piracy, companies such as Netflix, Amazon, Blockbuster, and Hulu were formed to provide movie lovers with easy access to the latest movie and TV show releases. Lifehacker issued a poll in their blog posts of their top five web video services. Among their top five, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu were among their list. Netflix dominated  54.19% of the poll taking in 4,194 votes of the 8,494 votes placed. Hulu came in third at 12.5% with 1,119 votes of the poll. Amazon trailed behind at last place with only 2.1% of the votes which 188 votes were placed in. CNET matches Blockbuster up against Netflix in an article of which is the top streaming service and concluded that Netflix was the better service.

Based on this research, the Top Streaming Media Service are:

1. Netflix
2. Blockbuster
3. Hulu
4. Amazon

My Personal Top Choice is: Netflix

Overall, Netflix has a variety of movies and TV shows on their streaming media database. They've been around for a few years and have conquered online streaming and infested websites with their advertisements. They've won the hearts of online gamers by providing their services for XBox 360, Sony PS3, and Nintendo Wii. Along with these apps for the video game consoles, Netflix has made apps for the iPhone and Android smartphones. 

What's Your Top Streaming Media Service?

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The Top Cell Phone Service Provider?

Having the top cell phone service provider can mean different things to different consumers. Phone plans, data plans, reception, phone options, and price are all factors people take into consideration when determining which cell phone carrier to choose. TopTenReviews.com has done a great job listing the top 10 best cell phone providers, listing Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile as the top 4 providers respectively. Specifically, Verizon and AT&T offer the most type of phone plans (individual, data, pre-paid, etc) and offer the most phone features according to CNET. If you are looking for affordability, Flowing Data presents the difference in pricing as evidence that Sprint and T-Mobile offer lower priced options compared to Verizon and AT&T.

Based on this research, the Top Cell Phone Service Provider are:

1. Verizon Wireless
2. AT&T
3. Sprint
4. T-Mobile

My Personal Top Choice is: Verizon Wireless.
Although Verizon Wireless is the more expensive of the top service providers, you definitely get what you pay for. They offer great phone coverage and a strong 4G LTE data plan. Smart phone options available are not as great as the other carriers but overall Verizon gets my vote.

What's Your Top Cell Phone Service Provider?

The Top Over-The-Counter Cold Medicine?

Finding the top OTC med to help relieve your cold symptoms can get confusing with all the different types and brands found in your local drugstore. Men's Health has provided a 10 best list of cold medications listing Mucinex and Delsym as best cough suppressents which are both also recommended by WebMD. For sinus congested relief, Afrin has been found to be most effective according to Livestrong.com If you are looking for an overall cold medication, Nyquil is generally accepted as the top cold relief medication. Please consult with your physician or pharmacist before taking any of these products.

Based on my research, I concluded that the following are the top over-the-counter medicine to help relieve cold symptoms

1. Nyquil
2. Tylenol Cold & Flu
3. Mucinex 

My personal Top Choice is: Nyquil based on its overall effectiveness for in both cough suppressant and nasal decongestant.  

What's Your Top Over-The-Counter Cold Medicine?

The Top Green Tea?

Finding the top green tea brand is difficult based on what you consider "top" green tea. Either be it based on health benefits or taste, I compiled a list of what is generally accepted throughout the Internet as both healthy (high levels of catechins) and tasty. The Amazing Green Tea presents various study results suggesting that Lipton Green Tea and Stash Green Tea, and Celestial Seasonings Green Tea have higher levels of catechins along with a good taste. On the other hand, many sites such as Green Tea Expert suggest that quality green tea can be found in authentic organic teas such as Generation Tea, Matcha Source, and American Tea Room.

Based on my research the Top Green Tea Brands based on health benefits, taste, price, and availability are:

1. American Tea Room
2. Celestial Seasonings
3. Stash

My personal Top Choice for Green Tea: Celestial Seasonings. Although others such as Generation Tea, Matcha Source, and American Tea Room beat Celestial on quality, I find that Celestial tastes pretty good and can be found in any grocery, unlike the others which can only be bought online or at specialty stores. Celestial has also been reviewed as having high catechin content.

What's Your Top Green Tea?

The Top Blogging Service?

When it comes to blogging sevices and platforms, Google Blogger and WordPress have come across as the two most popular and top reviewed blogging sites as reviewed in BlogTap, Squidoo and Forbes. These two sites have reached the top of most lists due to their easy-use platforms and free service. Other blogging services that have been mention in most top blogging sites are Tumblr and SquareSpace as reviewed in LifeHacker.

Based on my research, the Top Blogging Services are:

1. Google Blogger
2. WordPress
3. Tumblr 

My Personal Top Choice:  Google Blogger
Based on its user friendly platform, free service, and the option to monetize (make money with ads), Google Blogger edges WordPress in a close battle for my top choice.

What is Your Top Blogging Service?

What's the Top?

What's the top?

The top blog for providing readers the top products based on my own Internet research of what is reviewed as the top of its class. 

How it works?

Reviews for what is the top product are found throughout the internet and they all offer a different answer to what is the top product you are looking for. It will be my job to research all of these reviews and attempt to decide on which is the top choice based on which product is ranked at the top of most reviews.

Why I decided to start this blog?

Before I go out and buy something, I often find myself going on the Internet and search for what is unanimously considered "the top" product. Unfortunately, there is no one answer to what is the "top" choice. So in hope to help others that might be looking for the best reviewed pair of basketball shoes, the best reviewed headphones, or even the best reviewed fast food chains, I will do my best to find the top choice and post it here.