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(Nov 19, 2009)
John P. Falcone
Senior Editor
It's long been known that the remedy for a common case of remote clutter is the universal remote. However, when it comes to turning five remotes--or even more--into a single ubercontroller for all that equipment stacked beneath your TV or in your towering audio rack, you have a lot of choices. Yes, they're supposed to do the same thing, yet they all seem to go about it slightly differently and offer a variety of interfaces and designs. These remotes represent the best of the bunch, so you can find the perfect remote that lets you banish all those clickers to a drawer--forever.
Logitech Harmony 900
The Logitech Harmony 900 is, hands down, the best universal remote control we've ever tested.
Price: $274.00 - $415.64 (check prices)
Review date: Aug 11, 2009
Outstanding
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Logitech Harmony One
While it's missing an RF option, Logitech's Harmony One is one of the best--if not the best--universal remote we've ever tested.
Price: $159.99 - $264.86 (check prices)
Review date: Feb 21, 2008
Excellent
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Logitech Harmony 1100
The Logitech Harmony 1100 is an excellent touch-screen universal remote that corrects most of the shortcomings and frustrations of its predecessor, but its high price will relegate it to high-end home theaters only.
Price: $342.95 - $449.99 (check prices)
Review date: Feb 19, 2009
Excellent
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Logitech Harmony 700
The Logitech Harmony 700 delivers the bulk of the Harmony One's excellent feature set and ergonomics at a lower price point.
Price: $117.65 - $164.07 (check prices)
Review date: Nov 18, 2009
Excellent
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URC Digital R50
The URC Digital R50's successful combination of good ergonomics, solid design, and easy programmability makes it a good alternative to Logitech Harmony universal remotes.
Price: $71.88 - $149.99 (check prices)
Review date: Oct 19, 2008
Very good
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Monster Cable Home Theater and Lighting Controller 300
While the RF-capable Logitech Harmony 890 does much of what the Monster Home Theater and Lighting Controller 300 does for significantly less money, the Monster is the superior remote.
Price: $279.99 - $499.99 (check prices)
Review date: Sep 29, 2006
Very good
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Logitech Harmony 520
At less than $100, the sleekly designed Logitech Harmony 520 is a relative bargain among PC-programmable remotes--if you don't count the two other nearly identical Harmony models.
Price: $64.99 - $99.95 (check prices)
Review date: Mar 20, 2006
Very good
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