In theory, the $60 iTouchless Towel-Matic Infrared Paper Towel Holder sounds good. "It's supposed to make it virtually effortless to tear off the paper towel, but we found it had a lot of quirks," says Sharon Franke, Kitchen Appliances Director, Good Housekeeping. "The first thing you have to do is turn it on and wait a few seconds for the sensor to come on. Once it's on and you wave at it, it's not always easy to catch the sensor, so you can end up with more paper towels than you really want."

But the simpler Oxo Good Grips Simply Tear was a winner. "It's easy to pull off just one paper towel without having the roll walk on the countertop or fall on the floor or into the sink. And it's easy to take off an old roll and then put on a new one," Franke explains.

The true cool tool was the Simplehuman Quick Load Paper Towel Holder. "It's so simple. It's easy to pull off one paper towel without having the unit walk on the countertop or fall on the floor, and it's really easy to load and unload," says Franke. In fact, Good Housekeeping was so impressed, the Simplehuman Towel Holder is now in all of the Good Housekeeping Institute labs.

A final note: Good Housekeeping says if you just can't live without the iTouchless Infrared Paper Towel Holder, just remember to keep it in the "off" position when you're not using it. Otherwise, you'll waste the battery and the product will be even more expensive.

To learn more, check out the September issue of Good Housekeeping or visit www.goodhousekeeping.com.