Showing posts with label heaters for cars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label heaters for cars. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Discount Secura Digital Halogen Infrared Turbo Convection Countertop Oven

Secura Digital Halogen Infrared Turbo Convection Countertop Oven, Deluxe Package w/Extender Ring;Tong;Cook Racks 798DH
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
List Price: $159.99
Sale Price: $149.95
Today's Bonus: 6% Off
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I was looking for a convection oven for quite a while, and did a deep research. I owned a Nuwave Oven for 1 year, got rid of it because I didn't like the plastic dome, it turned yellow and with a lot of scratches. It was impossible to see how food cooked in the oven after a few months. And then I got a Flavorwave Oven for a little bit longer, everybody loved it. My daughter took it when she came for dinner last Christmas : ( which she is still in use : ) But I really like this type of oven, and came across Secura oven the other day. It has all the features Flavorwave has and a very good review.

Now I think I made a good choice, this oven performs even better than my old ones. It's more convenient to use with the hinged arm oven top, and the cord is detachable, my old Nuwave and Flavorwave oven don't have a detachable cord, so when you lift the oven's head, you need to hold and drag the cord with you. This looks like a minor improvement on Secura oven makes our life much easier.

Well the cooking result is also amazing. Cook for the same amount of time, same temp setting as my nuwave and flavorwave oven. In my opinion, the flavorwave oven and the Secura Oven are pretty the same result, quicker and juicier and you feel more favor and natural. But with the similar price, I got an extender ring, and 2 standard racks with my Secura Oven. Nuwave and flavorwave, they don't offer the extender ring for free, (extender ring's value is about $30). I used the extender ring to cook the whole chicken several times, it's very useful, a must have accessory.

This is my first product review on Amazon, and I looked all the reviews here before I bought this oven, and I think sharing some good experience is very good thing to do. I hope more and more people know this good product, and use it. We really eat healthier with it, every time I saw so much oil drip off during the cooking, I always say, "WOW I'm so lucky to have this oven, I really ate much less fat and oil very meal!

Both Secura and Flavorwave oven use Halogen heating, Nuwave uses metal heating tube. Halogen lamp definitely helps you see clearly how food cooked inside the oven. But if you do not care about this, all three ovens give you pretty good results.

Both Secura and Flavorwave oven use glass bowl, Nuwave uses plastic cover. All of them works pretty well and dish washer safe. My first Nuwave plastic cover has a lot of scratches but still very sturdy. All of them are very easy to clean, and both Secura and Flavorwave have build-in self-cleaning cycle.

Nuwave and Flavorwave ovens have a lid holder which is designed to put the oven top on after cooking. BUT, the problem is I keep forgetting to attach the lid holder to the oven, so many times I ended up looking around to find a place to hold the oven lid. :(((( You do not have to worry about this with Secura oven hinged arm oven top.

Nuwave's accessory parts feel like not as solid as Flavorwave and Secura oven. The wires and metal plate feel like a little bit thinner, but the oven head is solid enough. The Nuwave oven is only about half the weight. So if you are weak or handicapped and want to carry the oven with you on the go, Nuwave oven is easier to move around.

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We are a household of 3 and owned the NuWave previously. Many have left good reviews of this machine already, so I will focus how it the two machines compare.

After 9 months, our Nuwave see-thru plastic shell cracked. Even before the cracking, it became opaque like an worn plastic car headlight. The white plastic base was already yellowing as well. The Nuwave was still functional, but it was too big and got uglier by the day. The heating unit on top was very sturdy and of a resistor design similiar to most conventional electric stovetops it probably wouldn't break for a decade.

On the other hand, the Secura Digital (SD) has a glass body shell which I greatly prefer. I don't think it is tempered, which means one shouldn't put it in cold water while hot or it may crack. Otherwise, it's a much cleaner and better design. The heating unit is halogen, like the 500w utilitarian work lights around. Halogen lights seem prone to breaking, but our oven is still is in one piece after 3 months of extensive use. Should the heating lamp break, it can be replaced for $35 and seems like a simple procedure to replace. It's rated for 2000 or 3000 hours, I believe, and the filament seems thicker (and hopefully sturdier) than said worklights.

The Nuwave has 4 big pieces to clean. The clear plastic shell covered in splatter, the gray metal drip pan, the white base (which always has meat juices in it after use, for some reason), and the metal rack. All these pieces are large, they will hog all the room of the bottom rack of a dishwasher.

The SD has 2 medium-large pieces to clean the bottom glass shell and the metal rack. The glass shell can fit in the bottom of a dishwasher with much room to spare for dishes, and the metal rack can fit in the middle rack of a dishwasher. The glass cleans easily and still sparkles like new. There is a 3rd piece, the glass on top, but a quick sponging suffices as it hardly gets dirty enough to warrant disassembling it (if even possible).

In operation, the Nuwave cooks okay at the medium-high to low temperature ranges. It seals the air in and keeps things moist. It has a bigger body and probably can cook bigger things. I have not tried a goose with it, although I believe it might fit in this one, defitely not in the SD. If you wanted to turn meat over or add things, you have to take the heating unit off and clear plastic shell off (the top) and have a large, free space beside the machine for the top.

The SD also seals air in and cooks excellently. It gets hot faster, and has a high to low temperature range. The halogen can get really hot and give Chicken a nice crisper skin than the Nuwave. In the normal configuration, it can cook a large chicken. With the extender ring, we have successfully cooked a duck, which has an elongated body in comparison and needed to be slanted. A goose, otoh, is too big and I had to opt for the normal oven. This higher-end model has a swing arm connected to the top. It's very convenient to just flip it and meddle with the food quickly.

The display on both (digital versions) are okay and easy to use, although I think the temperature and airflow guage text are too small on the SD digital for older eyes. Eventually you'll learn the position of the LED lights to not need the guidance of the text, but it should still be bigger. The cooking time on both are easy to read and adjust. On the SD, you can adjust airflow from Hi-Med-Low which is a feature not available on the Nuwave IIRC.

A complaint I have on both machines is that the chrome on the metal racks have given way to copper underneath. They were very thinly plated, perhaps flash plated. They should have been better quality.

I knocked a star off the SD for the display and metal rack plating issues, but otherwise love it. It's superior to the NuWave as the daily appliance, it takes up significantly less space but it doesn't feel like I'm need to cook smaller portions. It's aesthically more pleasing, plus easier to clean. I'm glad I went with the digital version for the more precise control and swing arm. The extender ring is useful too. Another nice touch of the SD is that it can be truly turned off without be unplugged. It has an old fashioned power switch on the side, and not merely a "soft" off that sets the machine dozing at a few watts an hour. More and more devices are missing that these days and playing energy vampire while not in use and it does add to the electric bill with an entire household of gadgets behaving this way. Just thought I would mention that.

Bigger households may want to explore a bigger machine but I can't see why it couldn't service 4-6. It also toasts bigger bread pieces nicely in minutes:) One thing to be aware of with any machines of this nature is that it cannot cook pizza well pizza needs to be heat from the bottom, otherwise the cheese is burnt and tomato sauce is boiling, and the crust can still be frozen. A conventional oven is better for that.

To sum up:

Space Winner Secura. Less countertop footprint while having just a wee less cooking space.

Heating Element Longevity Nuwave. Uses a resistive heating coil like many stovetops do. Secura is a halogen bulb, notorious for burning out. On the plus, the bulb gets hotter and can crisp chicken skin and fries at the high heat setting.

Clean up Secura. Made of glass, easier cleanup. Less parts. Sized to fit in dishwasher. Many Nuwave parts won't fit. Buttons on secura covered by plastic sheet, so there are no spaces for gunk to accumulate.

Body Secura. Made of glass. Nuwave plastic fades and becomes opaque like a cheap car headlight within a year of use.

EDIT: October 2012

We finally had to replace the bulb as it burnt out. We used the machine a fair amount, cooked a lot of chickens, but I would say we used it 500 hours and not the 2000-3000 hours bulb life the company claims. I found a new bulb through ebay, same manufacturer, for $25. Unfortunately, what I thought would be a 15 minute affair, turned into a 3 hour one. Without instructions, my son had to grapple how to disassemble the machine to replace the bulb. It's not a simple plug & play affair, unfortunately. You have to remove the 3 cover screws and take the cover off. After that, it becomes less straightforward as there are over a dozen screws, as well as the fan. The answer is to remove the 4 deeply inset screws (that are in the circular enclosures) and to keep turning until they come out. I'm sure next time it will take only a half hour. Some of the internal pieces like screws looked sufficiently rusted that I suppose we can replace the bulbs 2 or 3 times max before it becomes a good idea to replace the machine with a new one.

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I have been thrilled with the results using this device.

*The taste of meats and fish are superior. The oven cooks by infrared heat and convection. Convention means that air is circulated around the food, which seals in the juices. Meats & fish are very moist and tender inside--better than I have been able to produce by other methods of home cooking.

*I like the design because the top flips up and will stay in that position. Competing products that I have tried require one to lift the hot cover up and over the food, and put it...somewhere. The top is a little wobbly when in the up position, but it's still the best design I have seen.

*I like the glass bowl design...I can put it in the dishwasher should I need to (though it does take up a lot of space).

Tips:

*I like to line the bottom with aluminum foil to minimize cleanup.

*The oven comes with racks, but I wanted extras. On Amazon, I got some small roasting racks..I couldn't find round ones, but found some 6x9 rectangular ones. For small meals, like 2 chicken breasts, I put the rack over an aluminum pie tin(usually lined with foil so I can reuse it), and then put the chicken breasts on top so air can circulate well around them. If you want to get them higher up in the oven put the bottom rack below the pie tin. Smaller racks = less to wash.

*When cooking potatoes (40-45 min) and sweet potatoes (25-35 min), I usually flip them over half way through cooking. Browning is more even.

*Do not expect instantaneous cooking...as a conservative estimate, I would say that cooking times are from 60 to 75% of other methods.

*Fats & oils from the food tend to discolor the protective grill on the heating element. When the recipe book recommends that a food be cooked on the high rack, I position it a little lower, more in the center of the oven. I do that by putting one of my extra roasting racks on the bottom, then a pie or cake tin (foil lined, open side up), and then the "lower" rack. Food cooks the same and there's less splatter on the grill. I guess you have figured out that I REALLY hate cleaning!

Note:

The glass bowl weighs 7 pounds. It is not for the frail elderly.

Honest reviews on Secura Digital Halogen Infrared Turbo Convection Countertop Oven

The 798DH is one amazing little product. I've loved it the entire time I've owned mine, which was about 8 months. I bought the product in late December of 09 and Yesterday 8/7/10 the bulb burned out and there is no way to replace the heating element. Your only option is to purchase a new one and I can't see spending $150+ on a new one that may or may not last over 6 months to a year. Luckily I paid $100 for mine as it was on sale at the time of purchase. It's just very unfortunate the bulbs can't be replaced because this is a fantastic unit otherwise.

The best thing about this unit was that it did NOT smoke... I can't tell you how important a feature this is for any turbo oven. I live in an apartment with no outside fan for the stove and got so sick of the house fogging and smoking up. This unit solved that problem. The unit cooked everything wonderfully except for maybe really odd things like large canned biscuits, although it cooks the smaller ones just fine.

The sad thing is I'll probably be forced to purchase a cheaper oven without the hinged design, due not for the unreliability of the unit but, the lack of replacement parts.

I'll probably go with a Natural Solutions Turbo Oven for a few reasons.

#1. You can buy replacement parts

#2. They offer 3 different cooking elements that are all interchangeable.

#3. 2 of the cooking elements do not use infrared so they are much less likely to burn out.

#4. Cost is under $100 for a new unit and less than $75 for a replacement cooking element.

Comment about my #4?

Yes, you can probably purchase a new oven like a Deni for less than $75, but the Deni's and Sunpentown ovens make it too hard to find replacement parts and I don't actually trust some of the reviews especially since the Sunpentown reviews look to be fake. It could very well be that the Natural Solution oven is exactly the same as the Sunpentown ovens, but I'd much rather order from a place I can actually get support from.

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I bought one of these about a year ago and it performed exactly as I expected.

I especially enjoyed broiling steaks in it as the heating element got good and hot and did the job in a very short time. The outsides were evenly and lightly charred and the interiors juicy and tender.

Then I switched it on yesterday and the heating element died on me. No problem, I thought. I'll just remove the element, a halogen lamp, and replace it. Not so. The lamp is hard wired and not practically replaceable.

A serious design flaw in my opinion. What were the folks at Secura thinking? That customers will simply shrug their shoulders and buy a new one? I don't think so. At least not me.

Go back to the drawing board, Secura. Make the lamp replaceable. When you do I'll think about getting another one.

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Friday, November 28, 2014

Best Sengoku Heat Mate Portable Convection Kerosene Heater 23,000 BTU Deals

Sengoku Heat Mate Portable Convection Kerosene Heater 23,000 BTU , Beige #HMHC2230
Customer Ratings: 3.5 stars
List Price: $139.99
Sale Price: $132.41
Today's Bonus: 5% Off
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I bought this unit to heat my greenhouse on frosty nights, It does exactly what I needed it to do. It heats a 12X24 ' greenhouse to 70 degrees when the outside temp is below 30. The plants love it.

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This product does exactly what it is supposed to do and does it great! Heats my log cabin in the woods, in winter, to a degree where I'm comfortable. Very VERY light fumes in the air from the heater! Worth every penny I spent! As far as the other reviewer... I'm not sure why he was having so may problems with his unit. Mine works great, planning on buying a second one, recommended to all who need a cheap form of heat for a big space! =)

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this heater works good.. you need to "break it in" first. it's best to do that outdoors..i think it took my heater about 6 hrs. maybe a little more. can't remember..i know it doesn't make sense to have a heater outdoors but if you do that inside you get burning metal, paint curing smell??,some of the shiny metal parts will change color. that is supposed to happen..

it was putting out so much heat it would make my ceiling fan twirl.. you must learn how to adjust flame and what the flame should look like. only buy the best kerosene available..

only smells are at start-up and shut down. once it gets up to operating temperature no smell at all. not even a little..

full tank does last 12 hrs.. not sure what happened to the other reviewer.

i would recommend this to buy.. but only if you would use it wisely..

the only reason i didn't give it all stars was the handle that all kerosene heaters have.. seems that they can be engineered better. the handle works but seems kinda flimsy..

i would buy another one but one is enough.. i had a hard time finding a kerosene heater and hurried up and grabbed this one when i found it at an ace hardware store..

Honest reviews on Sengoku Heat Mate Portable Convection Kerosene Heater 23,000 BTU

Purchased one a couple years ago and was happy with it's performance. This year we needed a new tank assembly as ours started to leak. After many unanswered calls to Sengoku L.A., LTD. Torrance, Ca I finally made a call that was answered by a human.(over a month had gone by since I started the process of trying to order the part) I informed the person of the part I needed, part number etc. and was told that they don't carry the part and I would have to purchase a new unit. Just to give you an idea of what you will be up against if anything goes wrong with your unit!

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I am not happy with this heater. I needed to replace the wick not even after 2 months of part time use. This was a first for me and I have been using k.heaters on and off for years to help heat my home in the winter.

Edited to update.

I ended up giving this away. It would not heat evenly and the wick was constantly giving me issues. I am very disappointed with this product. I do not recommend.

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Monday, October 27, 2014

Buy Frigidaire FRA124HT2 12,000/11,700 BTU Through-the-Wall Room Air

Frigidaire FRA124HT2 12,000/11,700 BTU Through-the-Wall Room Air Conditioner with Temperature Sensing Remote
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
List Price: $579.99
Sale Price: $479.99
Today's Bonus: 17% Off
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I realize this is a long review, but this is a relatively pricey unit, so I figured you would want all the hot poop! LOL I purchased this unit to replace an old thru the wall unit that died. Its time had come.

INSTALLATION: I had someone else install it into an existing sleeve in the wall. He had no problems with installation. May be different if you are making a NEW through the wall installation. Also, be aware that this Frigidaire unit requires a 220 electric line. I already had a 220 outlet in the wall from my old unit, but if you don't have such an outlet, you will have to employ an electrician to install one. How to tell if your outlet is 220? The prongs are not turned the same way as a regular outlet. Try to plug a lamp into it. If it won't fit, its probably a 220 outlet. BTW, the electric cord comes out of the LEFT side of the unit when you are facing it. My outlet is on the right side but the 6 foot cord easily reaches it. If you don't want a dangling cord, install your outlet on the left.

CAUTION: Be sure to let this unit (or any AC unit) sit right side up for 24 hours either before or after installation BEFORE turning it on, in case it was turned on its side or upside down in transit. Otherwise you could damage the unit.

REMOTE: The neutral ivory unit itself is attractive; my old one was black and brown, a real eyesore. The easy to use remote is a FULL FUNCTION remote, so you never have to touch the unit once it is plugged in, except to adjust the louvers. You can move the louvers from level to up towards the ceiling (but not down toward the floor) and from right to left and everywhere in between to direct the air flow. The unit has 4 fan speeds: low, medium, high and auto, all accessible via remote. The remote also has a built in thermometer so you can check the actual room temp. Appears to be relatively accurate, but I don't have another thermometer to check it.

COOLING: I've been using mine for about a month now. Its set at 70°, low fan speed, and auto cool, nonstop. Initially it took about 10-12 hours for the house to completely cool down, since even the walls were hot to the touch. Now it runs 24/7 and my 625 square foot first floor is always comfortable. That's saying something because we just had 10 days or so of temps in the high 90s. UGH! Two days ago the actual temp reached 103°. Factor in the humidity and it felt more like 109°. Here in Southeast Pennsylvania, humidity is a four letter word! This unit never missed a beat. The house was comfortable through it all. Keep in mind that I have two 6' x 30" south facing windows and a 6' x6' sliding glass door facing west and the sun beats in all day till sunset.

FAN: On Auto, the fan does cycle on and off frequently. I got used to it. Of course, the fan is noisy, (its a fan!) but not annoyingly so on low speed. Its in the dining room between the kitchen and living room and does not noticeably interfere with the TV in either room. And on Auto mode, the fan only runs when the unit is cooling. Since the fan doesn't run all the time, I do run a cheap pedestal fan in the corner of the living room for additional air flow, which is considerably quieter than the AC fan.

COST: I have not received an electric bill with a full month of use on it, but I don't expect a problem. The key is to run it 24/7 to maintain the temp and humidity so the house never heats up. Maintaining the temp is less work for the unit than cooling it down once it gets hot.

AWORD OF CAUTION. CHECK WITH YOUR POWER COMPANY'S WEBSITE. MANY POWER COMPANIES OFFER REBATES FOR THE PURCHASE OF ENERGY STAR ELECTRIC APPLIANCES LIKE THIS ONE. IF YOUR POWER COMPANY OFFERS SUCH A REBATE, BE SURE TO COPY THE SERIAL NUMBER THATS ON THE SIDE OF THIS UNIT ***BEFORE*** YOU INSTALL IT. AFTER IT IS INSTALLED YOU HAVE LOST THE SERIAL NUMBER BEHIND THE WALL AND WILL LOSE YOUR REBATE. Hmmm . . . Guess how I know that?

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I am just about to order this product so please ignore the arbitrary 3 star rating!

I just wanted to help other people out who are trying to see if this product will fit an existing through the wall sleeve!

The specs listed are, "Product Dimensions: 20.5 x 24 x 14.5 inches ; 73 pounds."

You may be saying, "What Length x Height x Depth right?" or maybe Height x Length x Depth?

NO! You would be wrong! As per the Sears.com website for the same product Amazon has listed this as Depth x Width x Height!

Soooo just to be clear...

Width: 24

Height: 14.5

Depth: 20.5

Information as per Sears

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I bought this A/C to replace a very old behemoth of a Frigidaire through-the-wall A/C from the mid 1970's. This is one of the only 220 volt A/C's I could find, by the way, which is the same voltage as my old A/C. I was worried that this new A/C would be too small for the old sleeve which is 26" wide by 16.5" high. I was wrong. This new A/C seems to have been designed for the old sleeve that I had. The first step is to remove the old A/C which is definitely a two-man job. You should be sure to put a plastic sheet on the floor in front of the A/C before you remove it. Also have a bucket and some sponges handy. This is because the bottom of the old A/C has a drip pan which is probably full of water. After removing the face-plate, you then pull the old A/C out as straight as possible, maybe wiggling it a bit to get it sliding. It is not screwed or bolted in. It just takes a lot of strength and pulling to get it out. The directions to the new A/C recommended replacing the old exterior grille with the new grille provided. I tried this, but the new grille was too small, so I put the old one back on. Other than size, I noticed very little difference between the new grille and the old one anyway. The new A/C includes lots of different types and sizes of foam insulation, padding and cushions for using around it. After measuring the inside of the sleeve and the new A/C, I decided to first line the outermost top and side edges of the sleeve with the 1.5" stick-on foam strips. I left the bottom edge uncovered because that is where the drain holes are. Then I placed the four dense foam "centering blocks" in each corner of the sleeve floor facing inward (these are the blue pieces that are cut in the shape of stairs). In order to prevent the new A/C from snagging and moving the centering blocks while being slid into the sleeve, I then cut two long and narrow pieces of cardboard and placed them on top of the centering blocks. The new A/C is much lighter than the old A/C, but it is still good for two people to lift it and carefully slide it into the sleeve across the top of the cardboard strips. After it is centered in the sleeve, you can then lift each side one at a time and gently remove the cardboard strips. Voila! A perfect fit with the A/C resting about 1" off of the bottom of the sleeve with approx. 1" of space around each side. You then cut strips of foam for each side, the top and bottom, and then push it in around the front of the A/C. The finishing moulding/edge piece included with the A/C provides a very nice look that hides the foam and the lip of the old sleeve. I did, however, cut and fit some trim moulding around it as well, mainly to hide the rough edge left by the moulding around the old A/C. I was very pleased with how this job went. I expected it to take at least twice as long as it did. Don't worry if you end up with a lot of left over foam and other materials that are included. After it was installed, the new A/C ran very well and cooled down the room very quickly. It is much quieter than the old A/C, but it still makes some noise, as I would expect from any A/C.

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I purchased this unit to replace a through-the-wall unit in my condo. The documentation was pretty good; importantly there were specific installation guides depending on the previous unit's brand. Unfortunately, my sleeve is an unusual size. But the unit came with a bunch of foam and fittings so I could make it fit. I especially appreciated the power checking utility that ensures that the right voltage is supplied before the unit can be turned on. Once installed, the unit works great. Quieter than the "library quiet" unit in our bedroom. And the 12,000 btus cool our place quickly and efficiently. A good buy from a reputable company.

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It works. We had a week of hundred degree days. I set the unit to 76 degrees and it kept up to that temp. It slid into the existing sleeve easily and came with more foam and weather stripping than I needed. It is noisier than I was hoping for, but it's the fan / white noise that you can tune out after a while.

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Thursday, September 11, 2014

Buy Jura 68565 Cup Warmer

Jura 68565 Cup Warmer
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
List Price: $199.00
Sale Price: $190.20
Today's Bonus: 4% Off
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Makes the more coffee experience, just a tab bit richer....but really not necessary. This is an item of extravgance, but enjoyable nonetheless.

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Heating the cups makes a world of difference! It isn't a necessity but as one reviewer stated, it completes the experience. Programmable turn on and off assures the cups are warm before you make your first cup of coffee. The finish matches Jura's other products and looks nice next to the coffee machine. I have three regular mugs in each drawer and this has freed up space in the cabinets. I only wish I had gotten this sooner.

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Really completes the coffee expirience. The auto-on feature is great. Holds six good sized cups or mugs but not tall ones.

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this cup warmer is a perfect companion to any coffee machine. warm cups make a big difference in the taste of coffee. the machine has a timer. you can have the cups warm in the morning when you ready to make your morning joe. it can also be programmed to turn off at the set time.

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I will be honest, you don't NEED this. But if you do decide to spend the money... it's worth it!

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Thursday, August 21, 2014

Reviews of Comfort Glow ES5134 Keystone Electric Stove with Thermostat, White

Comfort Glow ES5134 Keystone Electric Stove with Thermostat, White
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
List Price: $149.00
Sale Price: $131.98
Today's Bonus: 11% Off
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Got this item under used but it said Like new / and it was i could not see where it was even taken out of the box,not a scratch looks great works great got it for a steal at $55.34 with free shipping,best buy this year to date better then the duraflame i bought for $139.00 that didnt look anything like the picture.

There was one thing i had to do to it there was an area that was rubbing probably happened in transit,just took the back off seen where it moved and put it back took me less than 15 mins. and the rubbing sound was gone it was hardly noticeable to begin with.

Has to on and off switches one for heat and one for flame display also has a knob for the thermostat there is no way to adjust the flam display from little flame to a lot of flame but its set perfect the light display is better then others i have seen where the flame looks like it breaks apart from the fire and logs and floats away.

I hope this was helpful i do not usually write review mainly because of my poor spelling but this was a great deal and i know how hard it is to get a straight up answer and to the piont on something its almost like russian roulette you just dont know sometimes.

Gunderson-PC i alomost forgot the plastic or resign logs are in about the most realistic shape as you can get for this price very nice logs pionting up toward the middle and a pile of embers on the bottom with very attractive flames

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Whoever shipped this product was remiss in several areas: It was poorly packed, not enough protection. The outer box was not marked "fragile" ( which it is) or "this side up" ( which it should have been). A part of the log fixture broke off, and was rattling around in the box; several fragments broke off, though it is somewhat still useable. The spinning fixture kept bumping into the plastic in front of the log, and would stop completely. With a little tinkering, my husband was able to make it operable, but he should not have had to do this. Also, one of the doors was broken off, possibly in transit.

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work completely...flame was great but no heat at all did not work sent it back! I bought new/used so I got USED...no booklet no heat!! Amazon took it right back and refunded my money that is the good part of this story...buy new ALWAYS!!

Honest reviews on Comfort Glow ES5134 Keystone Electric Stove with Thermostat, White

I love the white fireplace/ stove/heater, it is perfect for smaller rooms and works wonderful, has a lot of heat when on high, it looks like a real fireplace burning, I love it and it makes my room look very nice, thinking about getting another one, the price is great, the different colors really make a room pop, Love it......

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Really like the heat.Keeps a huge open room with a closed door pretty nice and cozy. Overall looks great, works great and has taken a beating getting moved from room to room and 2 house moves. Well worth the money

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Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Buy 4 ft. Strip Heater for Bending Plastics

4 ft. Strip Heater for Bending Plastics
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
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Its a excellent product but you will have to be carafull to manage it because the ceramic body breaks easely, still will work at perfection the heater strip material. If you use it without a controller your plastics as 1/2"thick will bubble before get to the point of bending if you try to heat them just from 1 side, What I did is flip the pice (1/2") every minute for 7-10 minutes and that will do the bending with out bubble the plastic. Also I think you can work it with thicker materials as 3/4 or maybe an 1" but you will need to be flip them.

Also the guys from FTM, Inc. ship me really fast and very helpfull.

Aaron

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I received the heater quickly and it looks very nice. I have not used it yet but I trust it will work just fine.

Saturday, May 3, 2014

DeLonghi EW7707CB Safeheat 1500W ComforTemp Portable Oil-Filled Reviews

DeLonghi EW7707CB Safeheat 1500W ComforTemp Portable Oil-Filled Radiator - Black
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
List Price: $84.00
Sale Price: $74.99
Today's Bonus: 11% Off
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This is my first oil heater, I have used spot heaters in the past. This oil heater is great because once it warms up (just a few minutes), it puts out a nice amout of radiant heat on high setting. You can feel the heat from the top of the unit when you put your hand over the top.

I feel safe leaving it on at night unlike the spot heaters. I didn't notice the strong odor on like others have posted.

Pros:

-Well built

-Seems safe to leave on at night

-Black color looks nice

-Has Low, Med, High and a maintain comfort setting

Cons:

-Thermostat goes from 1 to 6 instead of actual temperature.

-Wheels don't roll well on carpet

-Handle is only on one side, so have to wait until total cool to carry it upstairs.

-Wasn't the best packaging to ship with

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I purchased the DeLonghi heater instead of another brand because I have for many years associated that name with the oil radiator type of heater. The one I purchased, the EW7707CB works well but has a couple of what I would call "design flaws" that would prevent me from purchasing another one. One of the flaws is that if you press the energy-saver button while the heater is hot, it is natural to use your free hand to hold the back end of the heater as you press the button on the front end. Well, the back end of the heater is hot at some points during use. The other feature that I have found not so helpful, is that when you turn the dial from * to 1 to 2, etc., to set the heat level, it is not easy to see the number. I have to put on glasses and use a flashlight in order to see what number I am turning to. This is not a big deal, but it is enough to keep me from ordering another one. I wanted a second heater, so I just bought another brand at my local hardware store. Other than the above feedback, the heater does seem to work well. It has two settings one for 700 watts and one for 800 watts, or you can combine them and run it at 1500 watts. I have been using the 700 watt setting in an insulated garage with a concrete floor, and I set the dial around 1 or 2 for the heat setting. With nighttime temperatures outside of around 15 or 20 degrees, it keeps the garage at 48 degrees and uses around 2 to 3 KW of energy per 24 hours.

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UPDATE to my original review:

=============================

Even though I did not keep this particular heater, I still use an older DeLonghi oil-filled radiator and have been keeping records about electricity usage. The results should be helpful to anyone considering an oil-filled radiator electric heater.

I've tested electrical consumption both using a Kill-A-Watt meter and by comparing my electricity bills over time. The results show that oil-filled radiator electric heaters can be extremely efficient *IF USED CORRECTLY*, but that if not used correctly can actually be less efficient than other types of electric heaters.

The most efficient way to use them is to turn them on before you start feeling cold and leave them on low, avoiding if possible turning on both power switches. I live in a moderate climate where nighttime winter temperatures rarely go much below the high twenties Fahrenheit, so this is easier for me than for people in colder areas. I have an oil-filled radiator heater in my bedroom and have found that my electric bills are actually higher when I turn if off the DeLonghi while I'm asleep than when I leave it on low all night. This is because when it's off all night, in the morning I turn it up high, with both power switches, to heat up my room. However when it's on all night at a very low heat setting, in the morning I just turn up the thermostat but don't turn on the second power switch. Instead I use a Lasko 100 My Heat to heat my immediate area. It uses only 200 watts, rather than the 800 watts that the second power switch on the DeLonghi would use, and it heats my immediate area very quickly. The difference in my actual electricity bills were dramatic. Last winter I turned off the DeLonghi before going to bed and this winter I left it on low all night. My electricity bills for the same periods are dramatically lower this year with the DeLonghi on low all night.

I was disappointed that the particular DeLonghi I wrote the original review about did not work out for me, but if I were buying a new heater today, it would probably be another DeLonghi oil-filled radiator. When used correctly, they can be really efficient.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

I filed for a return on a Friday and UPS wouldn't be able to pick up the unit until Monday, so over the weekend I decided to test it some more. I didn't want to return it unless it really was defective. After about 16 hours of operation at high heat, the odor was finally mostly (but not entirely) gone, but now there was a new problem: the heater wasn't outputting as much heat as when I first had it. Initially, it became so hot that I could barely touch it with my bare hand, but on my last day of testing, I was able to lay my bare hand on top for prolonged periods without feeling any risk of being burned. In contrast, my much older DeLonghi EW0507 Safeheat still gets too hot to touch.

I have two other DeLonghi oil-filled radiators and I love both of them. After returning this heater, I considered ordering the same model as a replacement and decided first to contact DeLonghi and find out their reaction to my experience. I immediately received an automated reply that promised a personal reply would follow, but after four business days I still have not received the reply. I've now decided to stick with my old DeLonghi's for a while longer. When I buy another heater, it will probably be this model, but I'll do more research first to confirm that my experience isn't common.

There is one problem that seems to be common to DeLonghi oil-filled radiator heaters. It's the low quality electrical plug. It's true of both my DeLonghi's, it appeared to be true of this one, and I've read other owners complain about it, so it seems to be a widespread problem. I no longer use my oldest DeLonghi on high heat because the plug shows signs of melting, and my newer DeLonghi's plug also shows signs of melting, though not as advanced. This is the most disappointing thing about DeLonghi oil-fllled radiators. The heaters themselves will last decades, but if you operate them at high heat, the plugs won't last as long as the heaters. I don't know yet how hard it would be to replace the power cord.

In addition to my problems with this heater, I unhappy with the condition in which it was shipped to me. It was obviously a heater that a previous customer had returned. It was disappointing that either Amazon or DeLonghi (I don't know which) didn't even make an attempt to make it look new the box was taped amateurishly, the power cord was unwrapped, the user manual was dog-eared, and the two power buttons and ComforTemp buttons were all turned on. Additionally, when I first turned it on, I didn't smell the intense odor that I expected, which indicated that it had previously been used, but what odor there was never ended, even after ten hours at high heat. I was not happy that no attempt appears to have been made to check out the unit after the previous customer returned it or to ship it in new condition. However I don't know whether the fault was DeLonghi's or Amazon's.

My other experiences with DeLonghi oil-filled radiators have been excellent, aside from my gripe with their electrical plugs. I love the steady heat they produce. I've owned one of my DeLonghi's for 23 years and it's still working, though because of the electrical plug's signs of deterioration, I no longer use it at high heat.

I checked the claimed and actual wattages of the EW7707CB using my Kill-A-Watt meter. It showed that this 700/800/1500 watt DeLonghi's actual wattages are 700, 750, and 1350. Discrepancies like this are common in electric space heaters, and in fact these readings are nearly identical to the readings I got for my older DeLonghi EW0507 oil-filled radiator, which is also rated at 700/800/1500 watts.

There was one more problem when I submitted my request to return this heater: Amazon gave me instructions to give it to my letter carrier for pickup! I can just imagine the expression on my mailman's face if I asked him to put a very large, 25 pound box in his mailbag! I had to contact Amazon via chat to straighten it out and schedule a UPS pickup. Amazon made that part of it quite easy.

General information about buying electric space heaters:

=============================================

I've owned and used electric space heaters since 1988, mostly DeLonghi oil filled radiators. When I recently began looking for a heater that would warm up a room faster, I was frustrated at the lack of hard, objective, facts about electric space heaters. Even the manufacturer websites often fail to mention or makes it hard to learn the most basic information you need to know, such as wattage ratings and warranty lengths. Not even Consumer Reports has enough information to really inform a consumer. Therefore it's up to us as consumers to share what we know. The rest of this review shares some of what I've learned.

In case you're wondering what heater I decided on to replace my DeLonghi, I didn't. I tried a Vornado PVH and a Bionaire BH1331-U, but I ended up returning both heaters. I finally decided to stick with oil-filled radiators and to replace my 23 year old DeLonghi with one of the new black ones, but it was defective so I returned it and am sticking with my old DeLonghi's for the time being.

Basic electric space heater facts:

1. All electric space heaters are equally efficient. All heaters rated at 1500 watts output the same amount of heat, but may do it very differently. You have to choose the one that heats the way you need it.

2. Power consumption is determined by two things: the power setting you're using and how long the heater is actually on. Turning up the thermostat setting doesn't increase the heat or power consumption; it just lengthens the time that your heater will be running.

3. To reduce power consumption, use the lowest power setting on your heater that produces the heat you need.

4. An electric space heater will save you money only if you turn your central heating down or off and use space heaters to heat only the rooms where you need heat.

5. The only kind of electric space heater that's likely to provide adequate heat in a large or draft space is a radiant heater (not to be confused with a radiator heater, which is very different), but radiant heaters pose a fire hazard.

Don't take manufacturer wattage claims too seriously. When I used my Kill-A-Watt meter on six space heaters, I found variations of up to 200 watts between the claimed and actual wattage for each space heater. In most cases the actual watts were less than the claimed watts, but one of my DeLonghi's 1500 watt heaters turned out actually to be a 1600 watt heater.

Two crucial steps in finding the electric space heater that's right for you:

============================================================

1. Learn which heater is right for your needs. A huge percentage of complaints by reviewers about space heaters are due to reviewers buying the wrong type of heater for their needs. Your first step should be to decide between the basic types: Ceramic heaters with a fan, oil-filled radiator, micathermic, and radiant. First learn the conditions in which each one works best and works best and then select the type that will work best for your needs. There is no one single "best" heater for all situations. Each one has conditions in which it works well and conditions in which it's terrible.

2. Look at the warranties. Warranties on space heaters range from one year to five years. Delonghi and Soleus heaters that I've checked have one year warranties. Other companies, such as Bionaire, Honeywell, Lasko, and Vornado offer three year and five year warranties on many but not all of their models. If a company offers only a one year warranty on some models but a five year warranty on others (such as Bionaire), it raises question about the durability of the heater with the shorter warranty. However a long warranty is only as good as the company offering it. Read reviews to learn what experiences people have when their heaters die while still under warranty.

In most cases, you'll have to download the manual from the manufacturer's website to get the length of the warranty. It's a nuisance, but it's worth taking the time to do.

Don't let anyone tell you that any particular type of heater is "the best". The best type is the one that best suits YOUR needs. The best heater for me might be the worst heater for you. Some heaters heat up a cold room faster, some keep a room at a steady temperature, and some will work better in a large space.

Some questions you need to ask yourself before deciding which type of heater to buyWill it be keeping a room at a steady temperature? (oil-filled radiator or micathermics heaters might be best)

Will it be heating up a cold room? (a heater with a fan or a radiant heater might be best)

Are there children or pets who might be injured by touching a hot surface? (oil-filled radiator and radiant heater might be a problem)

Do you want to heat just a particular spot rather than the whole room? (radiant heaters might be best

Are you concerned about fire risks? (oil-filled radiator or micathermic heaters might be best, though no space heater is completely safe)

Oil-filled radiators:

These are my favorite heaters. These are the heaters that look like old-fashioned steam radiators. The oil retains its warmth after the thermostat cycles off, which is important if you want to keep a room at a steady temperature. The downside is that the oil takes longer to heat initially, which is why these heaters take so long to warm up.

I have two DeLonghi oil-filled radiators; I've been using one of them for 23 years, and the other is about eight years old. I love the heat they provide. It's steady, warm, with no noise and no drying out of the air like with some other types of heaters. They are ideal for maintaining a steady temperature in an enclosed room.

Oil filled heaters have a huge drawback, however: they are terrible at heating up a cold room quickly. It can take an oil-filled heater hours longer to heat up a cold room than other types of heaters.

The US Department of Energy recommends oil-filled heaters as the most efficient, because the fins generate warmth even when the heater's thermostat cycles off. However this efficiency is only when the heater is continually on, keeping a room at a constant temperature. If you turn the heater on and off frequently, you'll lose most of the efficiency that's inherent in these heaters.

If you have children or pets, look into one of the shielded radiator heaters. I prefer the unshielded ones because they radiate more heat laterally, but the surface can get very hot and be a hazard if touched. DeLonghi claims that their shielded radiator heaters circulate heated air more quickly. Both of mine are unshielded, so I have no way of confirming that. My concern about the shielded radiators is that they would direct more hot air up rather than to the side, where I need it.

If your electric rates are different for different times of the day, you can use this to your advantage in setting your radiator heater toswitch on and warm the room from cold when rates are low, then let it provide steady heat when rates are higher.

A word of warning about oil-filled radiators: if one is poorly made or damaged, it can leak oil and permanently damage rugs and floors or even start a fire. Only buy from a reputable manufacturer and don't accept one that has any visible damage.

Ceramic fan heaters:

These are great at heating a room quickly, however many people including myself don't like the heat they blow. I don't mind it in my Vornado Personal Heater (375/700watt), which is located under my desk, but I thoroughly dislike it in the old Honeywell ceramic oscillating heater that came with my house. I much prefer the warmth that comes from an oil-filled radiator. Ceramic heaters can be most effective at quickly warming up a cold room.

Radiant heaters

Radiant heaters (don't confuse them with radiator heaters!) work by heating whatever they are pointed at rather than heating the air in the room. If you have a large, drafty space, a radiant heater might be your best choice, because it doesn't heat the air, only the objects and people it's directed at.

Micathermic heaters

Micathermic heaters work similarly to oil-filled radiators, except that instead of heavy metal fins filled with hot oil, micathermic heaters have thin sheets of mica that heat up. I've only had experience with one micathermic, a Bionaire BH1331-U, and found that it's exterior surface remained very cool except for a few very warm spots on top. There would be less risk of young children being burned by touching a micathermic heater than an oil-filled radiator. Micathermic heaters are slower heating than ceramic fan heaters, but are faster then oil-filled radiators..

Baseboard heaters

I have a Lakewood oil-filled baseboard heater I bought five years ago that has many of the advantages of a micathermic heater. It heats faster than an oil-filled radiator but has no hot surfaces and low fire risk. My Lakewood does an excellent job of heating my 12x15 bedroom.

However I have not researched baseboard heaters and only have experience with this Lakewood, so I don't know whether others are as good as this one. I was impressed that when I measured the actual wattages of my various space heaters, the Lakewood's actual wattages came closest to its claimed wattages of all the other heaters I tested. Lakewood unfortunately went out of business in 2009 and had a major problem with oil leaking from its heaters a few years earlier. Despite this, it's in many ways my best heater and has the lowest cost of operation.

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Heater is being used as a supplementary heater in a finished/insulated basement about 1000 sq/ft. Have only had the heater for a week and a half and the "comfort temp" is at least 70*. I have a thermometer on order to place in the basement to see how warm it is, but it keeps the entire finished area in my basement warm. Winter has not come yet, so we will see once it gets cold out, like highs in the single digits and sub zero temps. I'm in WI, so its only gotten down to 30* or so at night and close to 50* during the days. Have not had to turn on furnace yet, temps have gone down outside and with heater in the basement the upstairs has not dropped below 68* yet (1800 sq/ft).

Heater is silent, stink from being new took about 3 days of consistent running to wear off. Even if I have to run this unit on high it will be worth it. with the kwh charges for electricity by me if I run it on high, 1500w, and using the peak kwh rate it will cost me $63 to run it 24 hrs a day for 5 months. Plus, all the heat will just go upstairs, none wasted.

I opted for the radiant style heater for constant output without a fan to dry or force the air and the silent operation. I don't think there is anyway this would heat 1000 sq ft by itself in WI temps, but we will see. I also have furnace piped into basement as well, but haven't used it yet. Keep in mind the finished area in the basement is fully insulated and the house was built in 2006 and it cost me less money to heat this house as compared to my old 1000 sq/ft house that was re-insulated and built in the 1940's.

UPdate: My math was off, cost me almost $60 to run this heater 24hrs a day for 30 days on the comfort temp setting. I have since moved out of this house so the heater is now unused.

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I received this in a great amount of time. I had actually expected it to come later than when it did. I've had it for a few weeks/months (not sure exactly) but it works great. In the instructions it tells you to leave it in a well ventilated area for the first 2 hours so the smell can go away. It had something to do with traveling, I'm not really sure. But I didn't really smell anything. I put it in my room after that, as I'm usually the coldest person in the house and it works great. It heats up my room quickly and when I reach a temperature I like, I move the nob so it clicks so it can keep that temperature. I've never really tried the ComforTemp button, but after reading the instructions about it, I wasn't sure I was going to like it. I like it really warm as, I have pretty crappy circulation and I'm always cold. There's no real temperature setting on this thing, because it's based on what you feel is comfortable for you. So make it go on the max to first get the room to the ideal temperature and then adjust it so it keeps that temp. This was TOTALLY worth every penny. It also looks really cute and chic so it'll fit any modern room like a glove! And it's great because you never have to re-fill the oil! Score!!!

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Friday, May 2, 2014

Shabu Shabu Hot Pot, Electric Mongolian Hot Pot W/DIVIDER Reviews

Shabu Shabu Hot Pot, Electric Mongolian Hot Pot W/DIVIDER
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
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The hot pot was listed under a name of "Maruki" in January when I ordered it. I thought it was a different product from what I saw in some super markets. So I placed an order. It's was a big surprise to me when I received the item that has a brand name of "Ikeda". I called the seller and they said that they did not have time to edit the description. If I had known this is an Ideda product I would have bought it from 99 Ranch Market. They are now on sale for $34.99 (the original price was $39.99). However, the hot pot is excellent and the shipping was fast.

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This Shabu Shabu Hot Pot makes for great family dinners and conversations with friends. Everyone loves sharing the hot pot, discovering floating delicacies. The only thing I regret with the purchase is not to have invested in the 2 compartment for the broth. With a single compartment we can only have one broth rather than the two we usually get at our local Asian restaurant. The two compartment version allow for a mild and a spicy broth instead of the average dull mix.

Once the food is prepared, there isn't much to do with the hot pot. Just plug it in, adjust the thermostat and wait a few minutes. Usually we set it up on high until it boils, then reduce quite a bit just to keep it warm. With a full load of broth, it takes about 12 minutes to boil before you can start enjoying your delicious meal. Cleaning is very easy as the top comes off.

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We do hotpot quite regularly, at least once a month. This is a very good pot for hotpot. Easy to setup, easy to clean. Definitely recommend it.

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My husband and I added this to our Amazon registry and were thrilled to receive it for our wedding! We had fond memories of several dates out for shabu shabu at Japanese restaurants in Boston and even at home in Minneapolis. We had to throw a dinner party the weekend after it came in the mail to give it a whirl, and it was a big hit as expected! We loaded up on produce and raw meats from the Asian grocery, added broth to the water, and it was boiling within minutes. We had this whole thing set up on our outdoor table on a beautiful autumn night and we laughed, drank sake and cooked our soups long into the night. What a treat to be able to make this now at home and continue making memories with dear friends!

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Some new restaurant opened up near where we live and we made the "mistake" of taking our two little kids to eat there one day. The whole self-serve of plates of food to put into the pot made them go nuts and we ended up spending over 60 bucks to eat there. And then we went back again because it tasted so good. And then we had to take the inlaws and that made it even more expensive. In the end, it felt like we were going broke, but it was still such a yummy experience!

I began looking for a hot pot with a divider just like the one they used at the restaurant, which is ideal because then my husband and I could have our own broth on one side and the kids could have their miso soup broth on the other side. I couldn't find one that was just a pot because I was going to buy it with a tabletop induction burner, but I ended up going with this one since it came with a heating element and pot all in one.

The first time we used it I simply used miso soup and chicken broth like someone else in another review posted. It was so simple and delicious and just as good as the restaurant! I ended up spending 40 bucks on the food because I had no real idea of how much I should buy. This ended up being way too much and I've since then learned precisely how much food I need to buy to serve the four of us and now have it down to about 20 bucks per dinner, which is only slightly higher than a typical dinner anyway. Plus, I always have a delicious leftover soup to eat the next day, which saves me the cost of an $8 lunch.

We use a variety of dipping sauces including somen salad dressing, ponzu sauce, a pineapple chili sauce, and soy sauce. I'm sure there are lots of other options you can make at home as well.

The biggest downside by far is the short cord. Unless you have a table next to a wall outlet, you'll find it hard to plug in on a traditional dining table. It's long enough to keep it at the edge of our dining table, but it's still dangerous and I have to make sure everyone stays away from it so they don't trip on it and spill everything.

Still, the cord isn't enough for me to take off a full star. I still love this thing and have used it four times so far, with the kids loving it just as much as the restaurant's food. And who can complain about saving 50% on a meal when you cook it yourself at the restaurant anyway!

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Saturday, March 8, 2014

Best Rutherford Wine Cabinet in Vintage Cherry DC387C233-3641 Deals

Rutherford Wine Cabinet in Vintage Cherry DC387C233-3641
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
List Price: $1,639.99
Sale Price: $1,311.99
Today's Bonus: 20% Off
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Our old wine refrigerator finally quit on us and we needed a replacement. That one was a small black refrigerator that we kept in the garage. This time we wanted something that would look nice in the house and fit our decor. From the photos and the limited reviews that we could find the Rutherford Wine Bar seemed like a good bet. But, of course, you never know until you can see it in person and our concern was that it would look cheap once we got it. Not to worry, we were very pleased to see that this is a very nice piece of furniture and fits well in our house. This really is very nice and my wife loves the marble top.

It has two separate side by side refrigeration units built into one cabinet with a lighted wine glass storage area above. These are thermoelectric refrigeration units so they will never get really cold. I have them set at their coldest setting (the units do not show a specific temperature setting just a dial that lets you set the units between the minimum to maximum settings)and measuring with a refrigerator thermometer, the temperature is maintained in the mid-50's F at this setting. I understand that thermoelectric units can only bring temperatures down about 20 degree F so this seems about right. This is plenty good for short to medium term storage.

We bought this from Wayfair through Amazon and the delivery was on time. The driver only brought it into the garage so we had to unpack and bring it into the house ourselves. This is very heavy and my son and I struggled to get it to its spot over hardwood floors without damaging the unit or the floors. It definitely takes two and preferably three people to move this. I must say I was impressed with how well this unit was packed. Lots of thick foam padding, cardboard and MDF. No scratches, dents or dings at all.

I would definitely recommend this if its size and style meet your needs.

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This cooler is supposed to cool to 45 degrees. The unit I have, new and out of the box, "cools" to 67. Tresanti admits the advertisement that this unit cools to 45 is "wrong", and the resellers that are providing that lie to consumers get that false information directly from Tresanti and their parent company Twin Star.

They admit the cooler I have does not work at all. They admit they no longer sell the refrigeration units used in this cooler. They "offered" to send me the units they currently sell, which cool red and white in the same unit, but I have to install the new refrigerators myself, and they claim there is no warranty on this unit because they choose which of the vendors selling their units they will or will not cover with the advertised manufacturer's warranty. How ridiculous is that?

When you disagree with their business practices, their representative insults you personally. This company should not be in business.

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The left door is broken and we still have not recieved the replacement that was scheduled to be here on Dec.12.

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I ordered this and it arrived several days earlier than promised. I was impressed with the quality, it runs very quietly and looks impressive. My only complaint is that there is no light inside the areas where the wine is stored. There is a light on the area which holds wine glasses etc., which is nice, but a light inside the cooling areas would help read the labels.

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The top section is tall enough to have my tallest glasses hanging upside down and holds 3 in each section. The color is a beautiful cherry. The marble top is more of a marble veneer in that it is small thin sections, not one heavy piece. Very typical of this price point. Our bar and bedroom set has the same type of top. The only warning I would give is that pinot bottles are too big for it, so champagne would most likely not fit either. Has three plug ins (one for each of the two refrigerators and 1 for the light in the top section where the glasses hang. There is also a nice small light in the fridges, so at night there is a really nice soft glow coming from within.

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Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Review of Ductless Mini Split 9000 Air Conditioner Cooling + Heat Pump 13.5

Ductless Mini Split 9000 Air Conditioner Cooling + Heat Pump 13.5 SEER
Customer Ratings: 3 stars
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1.

Product is not a complete system. This is for the outdoor condenser, indoor air exchanger, condensate drip line, mounting hardware, remote, and NO copper line set for refrigerant. This is very disappointing because manual shows parts INCLUDING line set.

Everything else is included but the line set. Without it, there is no refrigerant circulated to the outside unit and therefore, no cool air. If you purchased a Computer with a hard drive, keyboard, mouse, and monitor and it was missing the memory, you would probably feel the disappointment that I feel.

2.

The system was promptly shipped in two well packed boxes and arrived with amazon prime speed safely to my front door.

3.

The seller promptly contacted my email and explained why he didn't include the line set, but at one time did. He sells the complete package on ebay, so my request was for him to send me the line set.

No good. After a quick exchange over the phone, he is unwilling to complete my order, unless I want to purchase a set for $150!

He did offer a refund upon return. At $40 shipping to me and another $40 return, it is cheaper for me to order the missing line set than return. I found 25' connection set for $65 with free shipping on ebay, so I will order and install the system.

More TBA.

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This mini split system showed up in three different packages, and one of them included the tubing/wiring/connections, etc. That was an unexpected surprise, and makes the price we paid an even greater value.

We haven't hooked it up yet, as we are remodeling the room it will go in, but it looks exactly as we expected. I will review again once we hook it up.

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Sunday, February 23, 2014

Comfort Flame BK3 Fireplace Wood Burning Triple Fan Blower Review

Comfort Flame BK3 Fireplace Wood Burning Triple Fan Blower for Fireplaces with Manual Control
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
List Price: $128.00
Sale Price: $100.74
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My BK3 Triple Blower Fan is installed now and working great but not without a few challenges.

The main gripe I have is that the listing says something like "fits all FMI models". Unfortunately this is not true. I have a 36" FMI fireplace from the early 90's. In the end I got it to "fit" but none of the mounts, screw holes, or anything else was as described in the diagrams. I had to come up with a completely custom rig to install the blower fan.

Other details you may want to know... (1) It's a little noisier than I had hoped for but we got used to it. On the other hand we are very happy with the amount of heat our fireplace now kicks off. (2) When I purchased this unit the image on amazon showed the wrong model. The image that is there as I write this review is corrected (a metal frame with 3 separate black plastic propellers). (3) I found it interesting to know that the fan unit draws about 70-90 watts.

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Friday, February 7, 2014

Review of 3 Liter Digital Water Heater

3 Liter Digital Water Heater
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
List Price: $124.99
Sale Price: $103.00
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Many Asian households have this appliance but non-Asians seem to not know about it. This is a convenient way to always have boiling hot water at hand for making tea or instant ramen and instant soups. While the typical "American" electric tea kettle requires you to plug in and boil water each time it is turned on (thereby necessitating a wait of at least 3-5 minutes), this water heater boils water and keeps it boiling hot for days until you dispense all of it and have to refill/reboil it. I have found it very useful to have a personal water heater at my office desk (where it is the envy of all my colleagues yet somehow they are resistant to buying one themselves due to cultural suspicion), and also one at home. One caveat is that since it is constantly plugged in, it may use up a lot of electricity. Also you have to be careful of children accidentally dispensing it and scalding themselves (this model has a "lock" button). Lastly, you should never immerse the appliance in water and it is certainly not dishwashable. The Tiger model is not cheap but it is a high quality, well-made appliance that will last for years.

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I got this one to replace a Tiger water heater I got over 16 years ago. That one has to be pumped manually. This one is much better since it pumps the water out automatically.

I like the 6-hr timer (only single setting, single push to activate) that shuts the heater down for six hours then restarts it. This save energy since my house is 50 degree at night and I don't drink in these 6-hr time period. It also heats up the water before I get up. The 3-liter capacity is more than sufficient for my consumption rate of 1.2 L each time. My previous unit was 5-liter, which is too much to heat up.

The lid takes about 2 seconds to get use to. If you use the left hand to open it, you'd need to use your thumb to push down on the front-end which pivots the back end of the retangular latch upward, then use your pointing finger and/or the middle finger to lift the lid up. The lid is removeable for cleaning which is nice.

The insulation is quite good. I set the temperature at 208 deg F and my ambient temperature is 50 deg F constant so the water reheated about 3 hours each time for about 20 seconds. This is not bad at all. Even my bottled hot water heater reheat much often than this, about 20 minutes each time based on the same constant 50 deg F ambient temp.

I bought this unit after reading others' review and they were pretty accurate. I enjoy my coffee at 208 deg F instead of either not hot enough (bottled hot water heater) or too hot using microwave oven.

This unit has a lazy susan which make it very easy to rotate. The negative this is that the power cord is held onto the unit by two rather weak magnets so if you rotate the unit too quick or to much ( greater than 60 degrees), the power cord can detach from the unit easily. Be careful when washing the unit. Read and follow the instruction and the warning label on the unit.

The bottom line: a strong recommendation to buy.

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I bought my Tiger water heater in Korea in the mid 90s while working there. I keep it plugged in all day and love this. I was worried I'd not be able to replace this if mine ever quit on me so I just looked it up and so glad I will be able to get another one if mine ever dies. I have this instead of a coffee pot and really love it. Ever so often, I put a cup or so of vinegar into the hot water (fill to the line), unplug it and let it set overnight to clean all the minerals from my water. The next morning, I just wipe with dish rag inside and then I rinse well and fill up again. This keeps any build-up from inside the kettle. I'm just thrilled I was able to find this online to order when I need one. I might even order one soon as a "back-up" just in case. Yes, it's funny when my friends visit, they have never seen anything like this and act like it's an "Asian" thing. Now I can tell them they can get one, too.

Honest reviews on 3 Liter Digital Water Heater

I have always found the Tiger brand very reliable and this hot water dispenser is no different. I purchased one for my son 5 years ago It is still in good working order although his had a mechanical pump. This one is all eletronics so when it is not plugged in you cannot dispense any water.

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This hot water dispenser is just great. The price is so reasonable for the good quality. It has a good capacity and very simple to use. My parents have the same exact product and they are happy with it as well.

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Friday, January 10, 2014

Soleus 4 in 1 Portable Air Conditioner Reviews

Soleus 4 in 1 Portable Air Conditioner
Customer Ratings: 3 stars
List Price: $792.00
Sale Price: $404.00
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I purchased two of these units. After running for two days, one unit leaked all over my hardwood floors. No water would come from the drain. On the third day, the other unit leaked and soaked the entire bedroom rug. I was quite upset, I was ready to throw both of them in the truck and bring them to the landfill. The next day, my temper cooled down some, so rather than shipping both of these back to soleus, I took one of them apart to see what the problem was. There is a small water pump in the front of the unit that pumps water up and over the condensor coils to help cool it and send the moisture out the exhaust. There is a small hose that leads from the water pump to the condensor coil. This hose was just laying in there, it was never hooked up. I re-connected it and I ran the unit for a week. Everything worked fine.No more leaks! I then proceded to take the second one apart to find the same exact problem. Both units have been in service now for about a month and I haven't had any other issues. I must say though that I was less than impressed with the quality of workmanship.

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Before buying a portable air conditioner, it helps to understand what you can expect and not expect from it. There is no way it will provide the cooling of central air, ductless air or even a really good window unit. I have owned all of these and speak from experience. However, when you move into a condo with all kinds of restrictions about what can be visible from the exterior or constraints on the architectural structure, then the portable is the best answer.

I have owned 4 of these and three different brands. My condo has three separate major spaces, 2 smaller for bedroom suite and office/den. The main living space is larger than the max recommended for any 120 volt unit, and that is where I now have the Soleus LX140.

The two smaller spaces are cooled with GE 10,000 BTU units that I have had for 5 years. HE quit making these units the year after I bought them They are quiet and have held up and keep the spaces in the upper 70s when the ambient temperature is in the mid 90s.

I used to have and Edgestar in the main space. I live in the Seattle area so only need the cooling about 2 months a year, and then not every day. The Edgestar was the worst unit I have ever owned. It was the noisiest unit and it quit in the middle of the second season. I called the manufacturer in Texas and they said it only had a 90 day warranty. They also said they had no service reps in the Pacific NW and couldn't help. After lengthy searching, I found one person who said they fixed them. After spending over $300, it still didn't work. The service tech said he would take it to the shop and return it in "New Condition." That was a year ago and I have never seen him or the unit again.

So I bought the Soleus. I found a dealer in Portland where I knew I could get to if needed. The manufacturer is in California, I can get there pretty easily too. Also, the Soleus has a 1 year warranty. I ordered the unit and it was delivered in 7 days. I set it up immediately but found that you had to use the remote to turn on the fan oscillator. It had to be the receiver or the transmitter, but I didn't know how to tell. I called the dealer, and within a few hours I got a call back from the manufacturer. They said they would send a new remote. If it still didn't work, they would send a label and an RMA. I got the remote in three days and everything worked.

The Soleus runs about 10 db quieter than the Edgstar. My main living space has 594 square feet and with partial cathedral ceilings about 5565 cubic feet. I am on the top floor, facing southwest with ceiling to floor glass across the entire space. Without any AC, the space has reached 110 degrees when it was 95 outside in the late afternoon. Also, there are no opening windows or sliding doors, so I am venting the unit up the fire place flu.

This week we had three days in the 90's. When it reached 98 degrees outside, the Soleus kept the space at 81. When the temperature reached 85 today, the Soleus kept the space in the mid 70s.

CONS: The only con I have at this point is that the fan oscillation is vertical instead of side to side.

The next test will be longevity as to how long it will hold up. However, at this time, the Soleus LX140 has proven to be the best unit of its type that I have used and I am very impressed with the technical service assistance of the manufacturer.

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If you are looking for a portable air conditioner/heat pump avoid this product and manufacturer. While the unit is satisfactory when running, once any problems develop that require service outside the warranty period, you may as well junk it. My unit lasted just 14 months and developed a leak that ruined my floor. Considering that I only used the air conditioning function during the summer, it only lasted one cooling season.

There is no local service network to fix even the most minor problem. I suppose that you could ship the unit back as was suggested by Soleusair for repair, but have you ever struggled with boxing and shipping a large unit that weighs 50 or 60 pounds, to say nothing about the premium shipping and repair cost. It is cheaply made and unreliable

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I just got the unit. It was easy to install and seems to work fine, both heating and cooling. I would like to know the actual BTU delivered to the room it seems a bit light for the rating. Its a bit noisy but that's understandable where all the functioning parts are in the room with you. There could be a more attention to vibration though.

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