Thursday, July 31, 2014

Best Capresso frothPRO Deals

Capresso frothPRO
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
List Price: $75.00
Sale Price: $52.11
Today's Bonus: 31% Off
Buy Now

I was worried to buy this because there were no reviews on it yet. I used it today for the first time and I could not be more happy with it. It says not to fill milk past the froth indicator line inside the pitcher, I know why now. It creates the most thick rich froth that you can imagine all the way to the top of the pitcher. After you pour the heated milk out (which by the way is heated to 150 degrees checked with thermometer)you will have to spoon out the froth because it is so thick. I gave it 5 stars because it does exactly what it describes it will do. The only thing negative that I could possibly say is that I do think that steamed milk and froth is sweeter in flavor than just heated milk and froth. I make caramel macchiatos at least twice a day for my wife and myself so we do a lot of frothing. This frother will make this super thick froth in around 2 min or so and then automatically shuts off too cool. I wait till it shuts off and then hit the espresso button on our espresso machine and then pour the heated milk, add the espresso and top with that thick froth decorate with the caramel and kick back. I thought at first this was going to be an expensive learning adventure but now I am very happy to have bought it. It also will make thick heated and frothed hot chocolate.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Who says you can't have it all? You can have your hot chocolate and your cappuccino too with this handy, convenient little machine. I'm no Einstein when it comes to operating appliances but this gadget is easy to operate and produces the most delicious hot and cold drinks you can imagine. The frothing mechanism is unbelievable. Now I can have my cappuccino without having to pay a king's ransom to Starbucks. In addition, it's easy to clean and that's a real plus in my book. Anyone who has ever had to deal with cleaning some of those razor sharp "jig-saw puzzle" pieces you see on a lot of appliances (my blender has been known to attack) will just love the safe, user friendly frothPRO parts.

And speaking of safety, there will be no burned lips and tongue with this little machine. It has three button settings and has the ability to control the temperature of your hot chocolate by just pushing the right hand button if you just want it WARM instead of HOT. Another plus is that you can froth your milk without the heat if ICED lattes are your drink of choice. Overall, this would be an excellent addition to your kitchen or a great gift for newlyweds who love cappuccino, latte or any hot or cold coffee drinks but can't afford those "Coffee house" prices.

Now that I've listed all the pros, let me add a couple of cons.

#1 The machine is a little pricey at the sixty dollars.

($ 35 to $40 would be a much fairer price). The machine

is a simple mechanism and made in China so there can

be no excuse like "union wages" to justify the $60 price

tag.

#2 The power cord could have been a little longer to provide

more options as to where it can be plugged in.

#3 Be careful not to touch the BOTTOM of the milk pitcher

once you have heated your milk and removed it from

the heating base and DO NOT set it down on a laminate

surface (like formica) because that baby is really HOT

and can leave a burn mark.

For performance and ease of operation this product falls into the 4 to 5 star range. The pricing, etc. rate 2 ½ to 3 stars. Overall rating 3 ½ stars.

Best Deals on Capresso frothPRO

I am so happy I bought this machine! I have a DeLonghi espresso maker, and it makes great espresso, but the milk frother on my machine is a joke. In looking for a better milk frothing solution, I tried Aerolatte machines, but I wasn't satisfied with their weak results either. Luckily, I stumbled onto this device.

To be clear, I was seeking out very thick, creamy, meringue-like froth. My espresso machine and the Aerolatte made foam with bubbles far too large to support this type of froth, so I was skeptical when I saw that this machine advertised "meringue-like frother," yet works on pretty much the same principle as an Aerolatte frother. Nevertheless, I decided to try it out, and on its first run, it gave me exactly what I was looking for: mounds of soft, pillowy forthed milk that looked more like whipped cream or meringue. I was also left with just enough steamed milk at the bottom of the pitcher to make my cappuccino.

Making frothed milk with this machine couldn't be easier: add cold milk, put on the lid, and press a button. A few minutes later, the machine automatically shuts down when it's done. As I said, you're left with mounds of perfect frothed milk, and just enough steamed milk to finish your drink. The pitcher has a nonstick surface, so cleanup is pretty simple and doens't take much time.

My only complaint is that it's a bit difficult to remove the frothing disk from the bottom of the pitcher, and the instructions don't provide any guidance or tips. My technique is to reach down underneath the disk and just pry up one side until it pops off. The disk is quite firmly connected to the pitcher and is made of thin plastic, so it doesn't seem like the best design. Like a previous reviewer, I was initially scared that I might break the disk, but it hasn't happened yet, so maybe it's more rugged than it looks. There's a little tab that sticks up from the center of each disk--it looks like it's for gripping the disk, but I didn't have any luck removing it that way. Another complaint is that the disk-mounting assembly sticking up at the bottom center of the pitcher is like a little needle! I got a pretty bad poke when figuring out how to attach and remove the disks, and, again, I didn't see any warning in the instruction book.

Overall, however, these are very minor complaints, and I'm more than satisfied with this unit. It is a bit pricey for such a specialized machine, but if you'd otherwise be buying your coffee at a coffee shop, you'll make up the cost of the machine and then some in no time!

Honest reviews on Capresso frothPRO

This frother was great while it worked... easy to use, great frothy milk, quiet.

After three months, it just stopped working. Their customer service department insisted I return the broken frother before they would send a replacement... understandable if this was an expensive coffee maker but much less customer-friendly for a less expensive appliance which broke so quickly.

I asked to speak to a manager to see if the policy could be waived (I'd return the broken frother in the box they sent, they could even charge me while I held both). Seemingly annoyed at being bothered, the manager practically berated me for asking and, literally, mocked my speech before unapologetically telling me "this is how it is".

My previous coffee maker was Capresso with which I had quality problems (returned twice) and I've also given two other Capresso products as gifts (this Frother and a coffee maker) which both subsequently broke. Clearly, I like their products but, more clearly, they have a big quality control problem.

With such quality problems and horrible customer service, I will no longer purchase Capresso products.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Capresso frothPRO

I liked this product so much that when the frother stopped working, I ordered a replacement machine. Only later did I discover that I did not need the $60 replacement, only the $6 replacement cup. The cup has a pivot point that the magnetized frothing disk rides on. This wears down with time. No where in the literature is this mentioned as a solution when frothing fails to happen. I am disappointed that no one suggested this solution, I would have saved over 50 bucks, but I am happy with the machine.

Buy Fom Amazon Now

Discount Portable Butane Stove

Portable Butane Stove
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
Buy Now
This butane stove is sturdy and strong. It's big enough that you don't have to worry about the whole thing tipping over, the way you do with a tiny camping stove.

The butane canister kind of looks like a large bottle of hairspray. It's simple to install the butane canister you just put the canister in there gently and flip a lever to connect it there's no chance that you will get it in there the wrong way. (You don't have to pour any fuel in with a funnel, or anything smelly like that.) When you are ready to store away the stove, you just disconnect the butane canister, pop the plastic cap back on, and put it away.

I found out that butane canisters can be purchased on the web, but the shipping costs are more than the cost of the canisters, so it's easier to buy them locally at restaurant supply stores, or sporting/camping stores. On the other hand, if you are in the middle of a big weather disaster, and every store in town is sold out of butane canisters, then who cares about how much it costs. Thankfully UPS and Fedex deliver will stuff to your door, even in the middle of a winter wind/ice storm. Normally a butane canister costs about $2 or $3, and lasts around 3 hours. It's better to have a few in the garage, because they sell out pretty fast during a big windstorm, even in a metro city area.

This is a great stove for when the power goes out. The next time we get a windstorm, and the power goes out for 3 days, like it did during the big windstorm of Jan 2007 in the metro Seattle area, I'm all set.

By the way, I would recommend getting a butane stove even if you have a generator, because you will need the generator to run some lights and a heater. It's not much fun to have to disconnect the heater and the lights from the generator, , in freezing weather. With a butane stove, you can have your coffee, and your lights and heater too. It makes life much more pleasant during a long power outage.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

The stove comes in a nice case and is lightweight. You have to be careful to line up the groove in the butane canister and turn over the burner plate to expose the pot holders. It starts easily and has a variable flame. We got it primarily for when the power goes out and wanted a clean burning unit that we could use indoors. Butane is a cleaner burning fuel than the white gas used in our old camping equipment and this is a much more stable stove as well.

Best Deals on Portable Butane Stove

I wanted a portable butane stove to use in emergencies. I spent a long time reading reviews of different models, and had a hard time making a rational decision because, to tell the truth, stoves of this kind hardly differ in their feature sets at all. They all use the same 8oz butane canisters, all have piezoelectric igniters and let you adjust the flame from high down to nothing. As far as I know they're all light (including this one -some online data I saw gave its weight as 7 lbs., which is misleading at best as it's really more like 4) and I think most of them come in a plastic case. I finally chose this one because it had many reviews on Amazon, most of them positive, featured a 10,000 BTU burner, and had a carrying case right in the product photo so I knew for sure it came with one.

Although I only expect to use my stove in emergencies, I tested it out when I first got it. I put a pan of water on, and it boiled in a very reasonable time. However, there are some annoyances that I have to point out. First of all, as others have said, you have to make sure the notch on the fuel can is lined up with the pin on the fitting before you press down the lever that pulls the can into the fitting. Unfortunately there's no kind of guide to help you line it up, you just have to eyeball it. In contrast, I found an instructional video for the Sterno ActionStation stove, and it has a little tab that folds down into the slot so you know it's lined up correctly. In hindsight that would be a nice feature to have. Second, when you do push down the lever, the torque of the lever-driven assembly pulling the fuel can into the fitting causes the entire stove to bend a little bit out of shape until things are fully seated. This is a little alarming, so it would be nice if the stove were just a little more rigid. Third, the control knob is a little wobbly so it's hard to tell whether you have the gas set on "max" or "min" without actually looking at the flame. Finally, like most butane stoves of this kind, this model has only four supports for your pot or pan to sit on (as opposed to my kitchen range, which has eight). This makes it seem a bit precarious if you're using a small-diameter saucepan. It would be nice if the supports extended a little farther toward the center of the burner to provide better stability.

All in all, this stove is just fine and I'm going to keep it, but I can't give it five stars.

Honest reviews on Portable Butane Stove

This stove can come in really handy even without a power outage. Used it to cook brunch for a crowd. Also was handy during an outdoor BBQ as an extra burner to sautee onions next to the grill. Would be easier to clean if the base around the burner was a smoothe paint rather than dull. Overall, works well.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Portable Butane Stove

During the recent winter storms, I lost power for most of a weekend. With no way to cook (my stove is electric), I lived on crackers & cheese and cereal in frigid temperatures. I vowed that I was not going to go through another power outage like that, so I came to Amazon to find a solution.

I found and ordered this product and, while I haven't actually cooked on it yet, I have assembled it (with a butane canister that I purchased separately) and turned it on several times. It is very easy to set up, but there are a few things that I feel potential buyers should know:

1) It wasn't immediately obvious to me (and no instructions were included) that the burner top is shipped upside down, not right side up as shown in the product picture. So, upon opening the carrying case, you need to lift out the burner top and flip it over. Note that there are curved sides and a straight side--the burner will only fit into the stove one way, so you'll need to line up the curves on the burner with the curves on the stove for it to fit right.

2) When you insert the butane canister into the stove, look for an opening (a cutout of sorts) on the lip at the top of the butane can. Line up that opening with the stove's receptacle and then push down the lever on the front of the stove to lock it in place. If you put in the butane canister and you don't get a flame when you turn on the stove, it is likely because you did not align the canister properly (this happened to me twice).

3) Some reviewers have reported not being able to find butane canisters to fit this stove at their local hardware store. I bought a 4-pack of canisters on Amazon. If you do the same, be very careful to review shipping costs before adding it to your cart. Most if not all of the butane on Amazon isn't sold by Amazon but by other sellers and some of the shipping costs are outrageous--some are more than the cost of the butane! (I'm told that because butane is a flammable substance, the seller may have to pay an extra fee to ship it.)

4) The butane does put off fumes, so you'll need to use the stove in a ventilated area. I imagine most buyers of this product use it for camping, but I'm buying it for a cooking source during a power outage, so I'd use it on my balcony or outside my house.

5) Be careful about storing your butane canisters. My initial thought was to store them in the garage, but in the summer my garage gets quite warm, so I don't think it would be safe to store them there year-round.

I love that the stove comes in its own carrying case, so that I can store it easily and safely when it's not in use (which, in my case, will be most of the time). This way, I don't have to worry about dust and bugs getting in it and having to clean it each time before I can use it.

Buy Fom Amazon Now

Discount Optimus H-4500 14-Inch Oscillating Pedestal Digital Dish Heater

Optimus H-4500 14-Inch Oscillating Pedestal Digital Dish Heater with Remote
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
List Price: $98.28
Sale Price: $75.60
Today's Bonus: 23% Off
Buy Now

My wife and I are very pleased with the heater. The pedestal allows it be off the floor so it works much better for the bedrooms where the floor heaters just toast the bed cover. And the oscillating feature is very handy to spread the heat throughout the room. Its more expensive then the floor models but for bedrooms and other limited floor space areas, its terrific. Silent when not oscillating and practically silent when it is going.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

I've been using Optimus heaters for several years, and they are by far superior to space heaters. I used to use regular space heaters before but always had problems with the fans going out in them, so I decided to try radiant heat and haven't looked back. I have an Optimus H-4500 now and absolutely LOVE it. This heater easily warms up my 250 square foot family room in just a few minutes and it puts out heat almost instantly after you turn it on. I really like the digital display, timer, and the remote that this model offers. The metal grate on the front also doesn't get hot, so it is safe to touch and kid/pet friendly. It also has a safety feature with an automatic shut off in case it is knocked over. I recommend them to everyone!

Best Deals on Optimus H-4500 14-Inch Oscillating Pedestal Digital Dish Heater

Really happy with my new dish heater. Silent when running, except in the beginning when I started using it, I heard some subtle clicking noises, but now they seem to be gone.

It has the thermostat and the timer, so it is smart. Will auto stop heating when the temperature reach at certain point, but will turn off when the timer is gone. This feature is good if you want to go to sleep without any worries.

The remote is awesome too so I can control it from my bed easily in the morning before I get up from the bed.

My room is not very big but it is heated really good.

The only con, is that it doesn't holds the heat for very long, so in case your room gets colder quickly, this product needs to run more often, which will consume more energy.

Honest reviews on Optimus H-4500 14-Inch Oscillating Pedestal Digital Dish Heater

Well first off, the heating aspect of this heater does do its job. I've owned this product for almost a year now, and it does heat the room. The problem is the Oscillator is very weak. Sometimes it gets stuck and just clicks constantly without turning. Very cheaply built obviously but it does warm the room. I like the thermostat feature also. Would recommend if the oscillator worked more often, but to me it just seems cheaply made.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Optimus H-4500 14-Inch Oscillating Pedestal Digital Dish Heater

Just right for keeping a room warm and toasty. Use it in the garage during cold nights to keep it warm and toasty.

Buy Fom Amazon Now

Best Lifesmart Compact Power Plus 800 Square Foot Infrared Heater Deals

Lifesmart Compact Power Plus 800 Square Foot Infrared Heater w/Remote
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
List Price: $149.00
Sale Price: $79.99
Today's Bonus: 46% Off
Buy Now

Last winter, I owned a Lifesmart heater that was nearly $250.00. It was good, but did not have a timer that allowed the heater to turn on before I get out of bed or before I get home from work. Also, the heater I had a year ago was one of those bigger box heaters. On this site, some guy does a video review where he takes one of the bigger box heaters apart (to prove a point about the quartz), but what it shows is how much space is wasted inside the heater! There must be a thought process out there, where a bigger heater MUST deliver more and better heat. Not true, as this heater proves.

This heater is compact and delivers the same, if not more heat than the Lifesmart I owned last year. It is encased in hard plastic, but always remains cool to the touch. It easily and quickly adds the needed heat to my apartment allowing me to save on propane. Sure, as mentioned in another review, it beeps when you change the controls. But you know what else beeps? My microwave, my coffee maker, my washer and dryer...the list goes on and on.

I love that there are THREE power levels, with a super-saving feature that turns on when the thermostat reaches 68ºF. This heater DOES have the great timer that turns the heat on before I get up and before I get home. LOVE IT! Also, it's a perfectly compact size.

After going through SEVERAL Lasko heaters, and the uber-expensive Lifesmart that I bought (and returned) last year, this is by far the best heater I have ever owned for my purposes and would definitely buy another one just like it if I needed it. Also, shipping and delivery was extremely prompt and courteous from this seller (VM Innovations).

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Unit seems to work well for the bedroom we are heating (12 x 14). We are heating the room to 76-78 degrees for my elderly father. No complaints.

Best Deals on Lifesmart Compact Power Plus 800 Square Foot Infrared Heater

Quartz infrared heaters are so awesome. They are safe and they don't burn the air. We own a similar, much larger unit for our upstairs space. It's worked very well for years. This unit is tiny, quiet and very flexible. Low and high settings work perfect for not so cold or very cold temps throughout winter. At this price it's almost a steal!!

Honest reviews on Lifesmart Compact Power Plus 800 Square Foot Infrared Heater

In checking the reviews on a number of heaters I decided on this particular heater, and I think I made a good choice. There are several reasons I chose this heater. First it is compact. I need it for a small room, and I didn't want one of those large box heaters you see so much of. This is less than half the size of those larger units. Second, it uses quartz tubes. The nice thing about quartz tubes is that there is no odor. I have come across several heaters using ceramic elements (all by Lasko), and I would not recommend them as they all give off some kind of odor. I not sure if it is healthy to breath in this odor; sometimes the odor can be irritating to my throat and lungs. Thirdly, it heats my small office just fine. The room I use it in is about 12 x 10 feet.

I love all the features this unit comes with. It is thermostatically controlled, it has a remote control (which controls temperature, on/off, heat level, timer, and Celsius/Fahrenheit), a temperature readout, low heat (1000 watts), high heat (1500 watts), eco heat (sets temp at 68 degrees and uses 500 watts), and buttons that duplicate the remote. The unit retains the temperature and mode (high/low/eco setting) when turning the unit off. This is nice because I can just turn the unit on with the remote and it heats with the previous settings that I had input. The unit has a cool down period after you turn it off which extracts any remaining heat, or maybe it's a safety feature to cool the unit down. Some people had complained about this, but I don't see it as a problem. The outside of the unit always remains cool to the touch.

Some people have complained about the unit not heating their area. For the size room I have (12 x 10) it works just fine. I think the best use for heaters like this is to take the chill out of the room and not as a source of primary heat. Often I have it on for a short period of time, and then I shut it off because it is warm enough in the room. With all heater advertisements, you need to take the maximum heated room size specification with a grain of salt. There are many factors that determine if a given heater will provide sufficient heat for an area. For example, are there any openings into other rooms, is a stairway present in the room where the heat can rise, how many windows are in the area, are there any outside walls, how well insulated are the walls, how cold is it outside, etc. For a small unit like this, it should adequately heat an area of about 300 square feet; again, it depends.

Everything said, I like this heater enough that I bought another one for my bedroom.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Lifesmart Compact Power Plus 800 Square Foot Infrared Heater

Great heaters! I'm so glad that I spent a little more and tried the infrared heaters instead of the regular space heaters. They heat better and for half the energy.

Buy Fom Amazon Now

Real Flame Hampton Fire Bowl Reviews

Real Flame Hampton Fire Bowl, Black
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
List Price: $269.99
Sale Price: $233.68
Today's Bonus: 13% Off
Buy Now

We purchased this to use in our screen porch as we didn't know if a propane based firepit would be safe. The Gel based fire bowl works great and as promised. The delivery only took a couple of days and the setup took about 5 min. We tested our new firebowl tonight and it was very simple to operate. We poured the gel into the two compartments and lit each side using a bic scripto lighter and the gel lit up instantly and created a very nice flame and crackle. We used one 29 oz bottle total split between the two sides and got approx 2 hours of burn. The firebowl looks great and works very well. The flames are not huge or create much for heat, but definitely create a nice "ambiance" fire for sitting around with friends or family. We would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a relaxing, no hassle fire in an area that doesn't allow for a wood or propane based fire.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

I love this fire bowl. It is great because it comes with a cover and a snuffer to extinguish the flame. It looks like a quality product and looks great outside on my patio. I am planning to order another one.

Best Deals on Real Flame Hampton Fire Bowl

First off, those rocks sit on a tray on the top. The majority of the bowl is empty. So I ask, why is this $200? Maybe all materials cost $80 tops.

Biggest issue though is the fuel. It's a gel and it's sold in a can. Pouring it in ends up with gobs of the gel on the rocks and not the little wells it needs to go into. Then one can lasts maybe 20 mins. So save money and use %70 alcohol instead.

Honest reviews on Real Flame Hampton Fire Bowl

We've been wanting a fire pit for some time now but were hesitant due to the possibility of sparks from a wood fire. This fire bowl is a great substitute. It sets up very easily (just three screws) and looks really nice. The fire it produces crackles just like a wood fire and produces a little heat (although that was not our reason for purchasing it). It makes for a nice gathering spot. It is also very nice that it comes with a cover which fits perfectly. Only negatives: there were no instructions in the box; screws were too short and had to be replaced with our own; even though it's Amazon Prime eligible, it took a week to arrive (the fine print says it may take 1-2 extra days, but it was more like 5). The "grey" color is really more of a tan, but it looks like stone and that wasn't a deal breaker.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Real Flame Hampton Fire Bowl

I received the fire bowl yesterday. This morning I put it together which took all of 10 minutes. I am a 64 year old woman, it was pretty heavy but I manuvered it will some effort! Easy and seems to be made well!

Buy Fom Amazon Now

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Reviews of Comfort Zone® Mini personal heater CZ25

Comfort Zone® Mini personal heater CZ25
Customer Ratings: 3 stars
List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $16.68
Today's Bonus: 17% Off
Buy Now

This small heater is a dynamo. It is not the quietest but it will heat a small room faster and more consistently than any other small heater and as well as many that are much larger. If you want the most heat in the smallest package this is your best bet.

The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is that the first one I purchased only lasted 4 years. But at this price it still is a bargain.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

This is truly a tiny heater, and would work well for my intended location -but it does NOT have a thermostat so that it can cycle itself on and off. My other small heaters do have this feature, and it's my error in purchasing not to realize the lack of it.

All that said, it's a nice compact unit. BTW -the fan is a squirrel-cage type, not a blade type, and as such it is notably noisier than the axial-flow type fan units. This would be no issue for me, but the lack of thermostat is a deal-breaker. I'll find some other place for it I guess.

Best Deals on Comfort Zone® Mini personal heater CZ25

I got this heater to put on my office desk in an attempt to counteract the cold coming down from the vents on the ceiling. It has the perfect size and shape to sit on the desk, but it is TOO LOUD. If I kept it under the desk it probably wouldn't have been such a problem, but on my desk it is clearly loud. I'll return it and look for a quieter one.

Honest reviews on Comfort Zone® Mini personal heater CZ25

Purchased the Comfort Zone CZ25 on January 5, 2013. Used it for about 30 minutes a day, 4 days a week. Died yesterday. RIP. Won't buy another product made by Comfort Zone.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Comfort Zone® Mini personal heater CZ25

When I opened this Comfort Zone CZ25 mini personal heater I unwound the cord and it immediately cracked where it goes into the housing, dangerously exposing the copper 120V wires. There is absolutely no strain relief on the cord design and the wire's inferior insulation material was so embrittled by the cold (~35F?) that it cracked instantly. Not a good thing for a heater.

Too bad. It would have otherwise been a good design if only it had been executed responsibly. I wish could rate this a "minus 2" stars because I think the manufacturer should bring them all back for repair or destruction.

Buy Fom Amazon Now

Cast Iron Kettle Humidifier Reviews

Cast Iron Kettle Humidifier
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
List Price: $35.00
Sale Price: $15.70
Today's Bonus: 55% Off
Buy Now

I just purchased a Cast iron humidifier and love it-$5.95 at the local thrift store.Cast iron needs to be seasoned,just like a cast iron skillet.Clean your cast iron item,dry it out,then rub bacon grease on it,inside and out(that's the best way)or olive oil or shortening and bake it in the oven for an hour or so-that should stop the rust,let it cool down in the oven.One reviewer said she was going to paint her's-that's probally not a good idea if you are going to use it-to many chemicals in the air.Oiling it will make it nice and black.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

This cast iron kettle is very sturdy and it looks great on our wood stove. Keeping it full of water while burning a fire to keep the house warm is a great way to keep moisture in the air. Before using this kettle, it became hard to breathe since my nose and throat would dry out. Now there are no worries!

I would recommend this kettle for anyone who uses a wood stove or burns a fire for household heat.

Best Deals on Cast Iron Kettle Humidifier

We like this kettle very much. It could not be used as a teapot it gets rusty on the inside and it is very heavy and somewhat difficult to lift; but it sits on top of the wood stove and helps to humidify our house in the dry winter. Excellent value for the money!

Honest reviews on Cast Iron Kettle Humidifier

The kettle does function, but the paint is flaking off. I use this on my wood burning stove, and it does steam up and humidify, but the paint isn't great. I am planning on re-painting it. so, it works for what I bought it for, but its not pretty.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Cast Iron Kettle Humidifier

If you have a wood-burning stove in your home or cabin, this is an essential item. It restores much needed humidity where wood-stoves can tend to dry out a room or environment. It's also made of heirloom quality cast-iron and is sure to last many generations.

Buy Fom Amazon Now

Best GE WR55X10942 Refrigerator Main Control Board Deals

GE WR55X10942 Refrigerator Main Control Board
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
List Price: $195.87
Sale Price: $92.95
Today's Bonus: 53% Off
Buy Now

If you are reading this, odds are your GE Profile fridge is quite warm on a Sunday night. You are desperately trying to figure out what's wrong. This board may solve your problems. It is a recalled part so you may be able to get it from GE for free. After what we went through, I hope amazon leaves this review up as a service to their customers. In return, the customers can spend their money on other amazon items.

The problem was as follows. We have a GE Profile fridge, Model PSC23NGSA (from 2005) with the vertical side by side doors. (I think these are called "French doors".) Neither the fridge or the freezer was staying cool. The fridge was making a clicking

sound. Opening the doors, the display on the front was flashing "HRS".

We did some basic troubleshooting. Put the food into coolers to try and save it as well as clear the vents. We unplugged and plugged the fridge back in. We made sure it was not in demo mode. The thermostat had been replaced in the past so that rules that out.

Doing some web searches showed that this has happened to others as well. The original board was recalled by GE on November 7, 2006. There was a letter that was sent out to technicians about this but not to customers. We called GE at 18003861215, option 3. We stated what the refrigerator was doing. We brought up the recall and stated we wanted this part.

Initially, GE was going to ship the part out in 3-5 days. My wife ordered them to overnight it. With President's Day, we got it the following day due to the post office.

Installing it was fairly straightforward for me. Below are the steps I used. Your experience may be different.

Tools required: socket wrench, SAE socket set, needle nose pliers, light

Steps:

Unplug fridge from wall outlet

Move it to where you can get at cover plate

Remove cover plate using the socket wrench

Make a diagram or take pictures of which connectors went to what locations on the board

Unplug connectors. You may have to use the pliers.

Remove old board. It rests on these plastic standoffs

Put in new board

Plug in connectors into new board.

Move fridge back in to place

Plug into wall outlet

I found a parts diagram online. If you've ever swapped a motherboard in a computer, you can definitely do this. The instructions will walk you through it. If you have the model with the freezer on the bottom, one would cut some wires before installing. The instructions go over that as well. After you are done installing the board, it will take about 2 to 3 hours to get back cool. This even in an empty fridge.

I've had it installed for just over a week now. The fridge is back in service. My wife says the freezer seems to be colder. Overall, frustrating, but resolved now. Hopefully this will help someone else out there.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

I got a free main board replacement PN: WR55X10942 on Aug 22, 2012. The customer service person was aware of the main board issues and asked for my model and serial number refrigerator to see if it was covered. My fridge is a stainless steel 25 cubic foot side by side, model GSH25JSRF SS with a ship date of Mar 2006. I was informed that the main board was covered, but because it was outside of the 5 year replacement period I was told that the board would be provided free and that I would be responsible for the $100 service call to replace it. I am a mechanical/electrical engineer and feel very comfortable replacing the board myself (as should anyone reading this) I told the GE representative that I have read several posts on the internet where people have opted out of the service call and installed the board themselves. I asked to opt out of the $100 service call and fee, requested them to ship the board to my house, and told him that I would install it myself.

The board could not be any easier to install just 2 screws to remove the cover on my model and 5 or so connectors to remove and plug in on the new board. Here is a how to install it on a different model fridge

My fridge had the following symptoms:

The Water dispenser stopped working and would not dispense water about 4 months ago (this is related to the main board from what I have read)

A week ago the fridge would start clicking with a frequency of about 1 click per second for hours on end until the compressor kicked in and the unit ran. This cycle repeats every few hours. During this clicking I noticed the interior refrigerator lights dim, a weird buzzing sound coming from the box in the top left side of the fridge (defroster unit?) and the fan for the condenser would jerk and turn about 10 degrees, and the compressor and condenser cooling fan would not run. The clicking seemed to be coming from relay largest relay on the board. The relay is manufactured by Omron and has a part number G8P-1C4P. It has a 12VDC coil and a NO ( normally open) contact rating of 20A and 250V.

During my google searches attempting to find the root cause of this mode of failure, so I could attempt to fix the board on my own, I found this letter advising technicians of the main board recall. It was sent from the National Service Manager, Richard Zutterman, dated Nov 7 2006In my google searches, calling home depot, and calling GE I had about six 1-800 phone numbers to call. I decided to try and call the National Service Manager Rickard in the above mentioned letter and got his voicemail. On his voicemail he asks people calling about the main board issue to call 1-800-749-6629. He must hate that people posted that letter on the internet. I called that number. Several people on the internet have commented that GE customer service was very good. I was shocked because dealing with them over my front load washing machine back in 2007 was a nightmare. I work with a lot of very bitchy ladies that had to take customer service training as a department in response to complaints from other departments in the company that had to work with them. I am happy to report that my interactions with the GE customer service today were "A+" quality. It could not have been any better and I am being very critical about that.

I think our customer service consultant would agree, the GE customer service person I talked to was outstanding.....simply perfect. I am not just saying that because I got a free board.....but it does help I got exactly what I wanted.

If you have a dishwasher manufactured between Dec 2006 and 2010 then do not call GE about it to see if it is under recall. It is locking up their phone lines right now (I was on hold for 20-30 mins) go to

Best Deals on GE WR55X10942 Refrigerator Main Control Board

My 2 year old bottom freezer refrigerator started to have the classic symptoms, not always cooling, one second clicking sound when not cooling. Some times the refrigerator cooled but not the freezer part. Sometimes neither part cooled while the fridge started to click. (Clicking is from relay noise).

I ordered this universal board for my fridge from Amazon.com. I took advantage of the FREE shipping. It arrived quickly in a timely fashion. It was a sealed GE factory board and not a brand X board. First class! The board came with clear instructions to be used for your particular refrigerator.

In my case, I removed the small rear panel on the back side of the fridge to expose the board. You then unplug the fridge, pull out the connector plugs from the board, remove the ground wire under a screw, remove the board off of 4 plastic standoff spacers, install the new board onto the spacers and then plug in all the wire connectors onto the new board. My new board had many more parts on it then the old board. You cannot plug the wrong connector into a wrong socket. Each connector has a different number of pins on it so any one plug will fit into only one socket.

In some cases a wire needs to be cut on one of the plugs per the instructions, but for my model this was not neccessary. Also, for BOTTOM FREEZER refridgerators, you need to take the lower panel off exposing the compressor and check if you have a start capacitor on your fridge. (The diagram shows you where the start capacitor would be located if you have one). If you have one, you need to cut a ground wire off a plug. In my case no wire needed to be cut as I had no start capacitor on my fridge. In short all I had to do was to swap out boards on the fridge and then put the panels back in place with screws.

For tools I needed a Phillips screw driver, but to remove the old board a pair of needle nose plyers helped removing the old board off the stand off legs as they needed to be squeezed before the board could be lifted off the standoffs one at a time. There are 4 plastic standoff legs holding the board in place. I didn't need to cut any wires but if you did need to cut one or two a small wire cutter would be handy. Otherwise a pocket knife would do the job.

If you follow the clear instructions you won't make a mistake. In my case I could replace the board again now that I did it once in less then 5 minutes. Doing it the first time, so you don't mistake, should take you no more the 15 to 20 minutes being very careful.

One last thing, THE BOARD FIXED THE REFRIGERATOR! (Please understand after reoplacing the board and turning the fridge on again, once plugging it back into the wall, will require hours of operation before the fridge and freezer are cold enough to turn the compressor off. In my case, with an empty fridge, I got tired of waiting to see if it would turn off after three hours of operation watching it. When I checked the next day, it was cold and not running. Everything was working just fine. It took a long time before it shut off even when the fridge was empty. (So be patient).

You can do the repair yourself and save a lot of money! The part from Amazon cost about half the list price of the board, no tax, and I also saved the cost of the repairman's labor. In my case I had actually called a repairman, two weeks later he had the board but never showed up on his appointment. I fired him and did the job myself quicker and for less money.

Lee

Houston,Texas

Honest reviews on GE WR55X10942 Refrigerator Main Control Board

Had a problem with my GE fridge, not cooling and acting erratic. After some online research pinpointed the problem to this board..... Ordered from Amazon. Received part faster than expected and as described in the listing it was a Brand New Original GE part still Sealed in the box. Instructions were easily understood and installation was a snap.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for GE WR55X10942 Refrigerator Main Control Board

Purchased a GE side-by-side refrigerator in 2007. Thing started moaning, howling and we've put up with it for 2 years. Finally pursued a fix by researching online. Turns out the main control board by the OEM (original equipment manufacturer), a subcontractor for GE, used boards that made the fan in the freezer section run at either the incorrect frequency or what I interpret as a variable frequency. Took a chance and purchased the card based on some posts on separate websites about the issue. Card was a success, easily installed with a pair of needle nose pliers and a 1/4" socket wrench. Board came double-boxed with bubble wrap as well. Official GE instructions were included. Quiet has been restored.

By the way, GE was no help in this matter. Despite seeing posts online about GE possibly providing new boards, three separate calls to GE were unfruitful. GE asked the standard questions: when did the warranty expire, did I have an extended warranty. The troubleshooting line was not prepared to perform analysis beyond the most basic of issues. The entire GE interaction was disappointing to say the least.

If you have a GE fridge and it moans or howls, consider a main circuit board replacement. Any price under $125 is an easy beat of the prices GE will offer from their own sources.

Buy Fom Amazon Now

Brentwood 1.5L SS Cordless Tea Kettle Brushed Review

This 1.5 liter 1000-watt electric tea kettle with brushed stainless steel finish features an illuminated power indicator, automatic shut-off for dual protection when boiling or dry and an overheat shut-off.
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
List Price: $45.00
Sale Price: $22.08
Today's Bonus: 51% Off
Buy Now

I bought this electric kettle after my stove top kettle needed replacement. It is great -it boils water very quickly and turns itself off automatically which is a great safety feature. I did a lot of research before I purchased this model, I highly recommend this one -it gets good reviews and there is no plastic inside the kettle -many of the others have plastic viewers that are immersed in the hot water, I did not want my hot water in contact with plastic. I haven't found any negative aspects to this kettle and have been using it daily for over three months.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

I have always used a stove top kettle, so I was leery to try out an electric kettle. When I received the product it was easy to get going. The first time I filled the entire kettle with cold water and boiled it through. It boiled very quickly and the automatic shut off worked great!

One of the reasons I tried an electric kettle is because I could never find a stove top kettle that poured smooth and didn't run all over the counter. This product pours smoother than anything I have found and doesn't agitate the tea bag.

Over all this is a great product and I would recommend this to anyone.

Best Deals on Brentwood 1.5L SS Cordless Tea Kettle Brushed

As one who constantly burned up traditional kettles, I liked the idea of electric kettles that shut themselves off. My first one was plastic-with the heating element in the water. While I closer to the concept, it was not really what I wanted. I saw this kettle design and I love it. It is stainless steel, and the heating element is in the pad below and not in the water itself. It heats quickly, and shuts itself off. The stainless keeps the temperatures warm for qute some time after shutting off. So, even if I do not catch it right away, the water is usually still hot by the time I want to use it. It looks attractive sitting on the counter, and is easy to keep clean.

Would definitely buy another!!

Honest reviews on Brentwood 1.5L SS Cordless Tea Kettle Brushed

After I received the Brentwood Kettle I noticed the underside of the box had a WARNING: Made with HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS. The warning was not only on the bottom of the box but it was also concealed by a barcode sticker! This warning should have been advertised more clearly. I then became concerned that the plastic lid that is exposed to the hot water interior of the kettle was made with toxic plastic. I called Brentwood up and asked if the plastic used was BPA-free? The customer service told me that NO it was NOT BPA FREE! So please people do your research and always call the manufacturers when you have any doubts. Corporations often don't care about the safety of their products for the consumer and will often cut corners at the public's expense. Of course in a perfect world these corporations would be more highly regulated and suffer more severe punishment than just paying fines. It is actually quite evil that they can make decisions to poison the consumer just to make a buck.

BPA PLASTIC is known to release TOXINS when exposed to high temperatures and these corporations know this. Don't buy toxic products from corporations that bite the hand that feeds them.

Help make this a better world by demanding these corporations comply by honoring and respecting the people who buy their products by making them safe and toxin free. If these corporations want to be treated by law as individual citizens then they should suffer the same punishment that an individual would if caught intentionally poisoning someone.

We need a world driven by benevolence not cold corporations.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Brentwood 1.5L SS Cordless Tea Kettle Brushed

I returned this kettle and bought Hampton Beach's instead. Two key features no one had mentioned that were dealbreakers:

1. It took 12 minutes to boil the full pot from tepid tap water. My stove top tea kettle takes the same amount of time.

2. You can't see the water level from the outside.

Buy Fom Amazon Now

Buy 30" Digital Crmc Pdstl Heater

30' Digital Crmc Pdstl Heater
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
List Price: $71.99
Sale Price: $50.71
Today's Bonus: 30% Off
Buy Now

I researched for a long time before purchasing this Lasko heater last winter. I bought one and ran a test for a month to see if A)the heater would heat up a rather large living room, and B)whether my electric bill would go down. So, with my heat pump thermostat set on 65, we used this unit in our living area all last winter. Our electric bill was drastically lower! In fact, I liked the heater so much that I bought my daughter one, just to help her save money too.

Best points on the heater are the remote control, the oscillation, and the pedestal which better evenly distributes the heat. We bought 2 more smaller Lasko heaters from Amazon to basically heat up every room where we need heat this winter...and I guarantee that our electric bill will still be lower than merely using the heat pump alone. I had no idea that the heat pump ate up so much power.

Great heater!

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Did not heat as well as we thought it would. The heater kept cutting off before it reached the temperature we set for.

Best Deals on 30" Digital Crmc Pdstl Heater

works great for a room and not having to crank up the central air, the auto mode works great although recommend using ceiling fan to circulate air or you get hot spots

Honest reviews on 30" Digital Crmc Pdstl Heater

I did a lot of research and shopping around for a space heater and was not disappointed with this. It's provided excellent heat for a large room.

The digital remote is great so you can see the temp without having to walk across the room. The timer feature can be used in automatic mode as well so I set the temperature and have it shut off after a couple hours.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for 30" Digital Crmc Pdstl Heater

Nice heater. Easy to assemble. The remote is nice too. It has a digital temperature display. Timer, height and decent power, given the price.

Buy Fom Amazon Now

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Best Tuscan Walnut Comfort Furnace Infrared Heater UV Deals

Tuscan Walnut Comfort Furnace Infrared Heater UV
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
List Price: $579.99
Sale Price: $269.99
Today's Bonus: 53% Off
Buy Now

I got mine from tracter supply during a sales push with a rep. from comfort there.I have been a HVAC repair person for years. Their Rep. answered all my questions and I bought one Thinking I had 30 days and would return it if I did not like it. Before I pluged it in I read my meter. I ran it about 12hrs a day for a month read my meter again and was very happy to see after doing the math it cost me $36.00 more on my electric bill for heat for the month. Happy because if I ran my propane it cost me on a average of $9.00 per day. this little furnace cost $1.20 day. I use 600 gal. of propane a heating season times $2.89 a gal. this year = $1734.00 for the season. And the room is in is 72 not 68. This month is colder and I still have not turned my propane furnaceIt has been heating the whole house.I live in michigan. I will up date after my next meter reading . My house is a 1167 sq.ft. ranch.

Im back to update you after a full winter and into the middle of feb. this winter. I will still say get one . I changed propane supplyers this summer and started with a full tank 500 gal. 90% full. as of 15 feb. I am at 45%. any year befor I would have filled some time in jan. and well into my second tank of propane. At night I turn my gas furnace down to 64 and my litter heater off in the morning I turn them both on set my stat at 68 the gas furnace will run and heat up the whole house and the comfort furnace takes over after a hour or so the main furnace will not run again unless its around 0 deg. My electric bill has gone up about $30 to $35 a month. Thats way cheaper than propane. I have had No issues or problems with this unit .

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

This heater is quiet and performs as advertised. Remote function is a bit of a challenge for the non-electronically minded, but overall, I would highly recommend it.

Best Deals on Tuscan Walnut Comfort Furnace Infrared Heater UV

We have this heater installed in a 14 x 16 sun/family room with cathedral ceiling that connects openly to the adjacent kitchen. It's a very nice room setup with one caveat, the sun/family room has an atrium door with side lights that opens onto our side deck....and the DOGS, oh my gosh, in and out All Day. The manufacturers instructions specifically state that you should Not place the heater by an exterior door but I find it works Very well behind the couch, between the couch and the exterior door. We don't have a cold chill running across the floor anymore and when the sun starts to go down and the room begins to cool off, the heater cranks up like it was made for the room. Why we waited 14 years to put a heater in this area is beyond me.

The advertised 'timer' and HVAC sync are useless in our application. Actually, the 'timer' function is not a 24 hour timer and Does Not allow you to set the the heater to turn on and off on a scheduled basis. I believe it's only function is to stay on for a single period of time and turn itself off when that period of time has elapsed. Worse, the controls are electronic which defeats the idea of plugging the heater into a wall timer. So, you must turn it on when you need and remember to turn it off when you don't, like when your leaving the room for extended periods.

The HVAC sync might be useful if the heater were placed in the same area as the thermostat but where we have it placed, the air temp flucuates more widely because of all the window area. But that's why we bought it..to control a local area, not heat the house.

I whole heartedly endorse the UV lamp feature. We use them in my hospital because they work. The fan is noticable only if you are attentive to such things. Otherwise it's something you can easily tune out. And the case is really finished very nicely. It's not furniture so don't expect perfect woodworking but the Tuscan Walnut has a real wood look to it and the color is rich, not fake in appearance.

Finally, this unit will pull some current when in operation. If you have it plugged into a circuit with an old 15 amp breaker, it'll trip..especially if you have any other high current draw appliance plugged into the same circuit and in operation. We have it plugged into a circuit with a couple of floor lamps and the TV. The lamps dim when the heater starts up, but the breaker does not trip.

In our specific application, I rate this unit a 5 without reservations for basic functionality and a 4.5 overall for the addition of advertised 'features' that don't really work well imho, but for which I am most assuredly paying extra. Note: We have only had it two weeks so I can not attest to the units longevity. I will post an update after the winter is over.

The Seller: must have shipped it rush, it came in two days! Thanks golfstorehomecom!

Honest reviews on Tuscan Walnut Comfort Furnace Infrared Heater UV

We bought this unit from Tractor Supply during a Black Friday sale ($299). Figured I would give it a try. The first couple of days/evenings it worked great. However, upon further use and closer inspection, this unit is only average. The heater does good job maintaing a level of heat in our living room/dining room. The two are connected through a large open doorway and the two rooms combined are about 500 square feet and there are open doorways to other rooms off them.

I have tried using just the heater to heat our rooms, and the unit is only able to raise the house temp up to 62 degrees despite being set to 70-75. However, if I turn the furnace on and let it warm the house to say 64 and then turn the heater on when the furnace is finished; the heater is usually able to keep the house at 66. Bottom line, it is a different type of heat. If you think it will heat like a small pellet stove, it won't. Will it heat your house? doubtful. Will it heat a single room. Sure.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Tuscan Walnut Comfort Furnace Infrared Heater UV

Works well, no problems and I've had it on solidly for about a month now. Not sure what impact it will have on my electric bill but I'm sure it'll balance out with the lower oil heating bill since the furnace has rarely had to come on. Tip: Use it with a nearby humidifier for best results.

Buy Fom Amazon Now

Holmes Small Ceramic Heater - White Review

Holmes Small Ceramic Heater - White
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
Buy Now
Nice little heater.

Seems pretty well made, espicially for the price.

I would recommend this for a small room or bathroom.

It puts out some heat!

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Discount Comfort Zone® Low Profile Baseboard Digital Silent Operation

Comfort Zone® Low Profile Baseboard Digital Silent Operation CZ650
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
Buy Now
We have 3 of these and really like the fact you can program the thermostat right to the exact temperature you desire. It works very well on low setting and pumps out the heat on high. Buy with confidence.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Got this for supplemental heat in my (all too often) cool office.

I chose this particular unit because it has the option of running at either 1500W (like most) or 750W. Being able to run this at a lower power means I won't be utilizing most of the line's power capability & have less of a risk of blowing the circuit breaker.

It is quiet, save a few minor 'clicks' when it cycles on/off to maintain the set temp (digital setting to an exact number, much better than a nondescript dial going from 'low' to 'high' or some equally nonsense range of 1-10).

Timer function is nice, so it can be set to go off automatically, so no need to remember to turn it off. Accuracy on the timer is a bit sketchy, though. I set it for 9 hr after I get in, & it will go anywhere from the exact time to 15-20 min sooner. Not a major issue for me.

Buy Fom Amazon Now