Review of ECO Heater C400S Wall-Mounted Ceramic Convection Heater

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List Price: $129.95
Sale Price: $101.63
Today's Bonus: 22% Off

I put this on the north wall of a cold room and it has made a huge difference is comfort. Highly recommended. Looks great painted the same color as the wall it is on.

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Cuisipro Donvier Electronic Yogurt Maker Review

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List Price: $58.00
Sale Price: $51.42
Today's Bonus: 11% Off

After reading Mirielle Guiliano's memoir about food, entitled "French Women Don't Get Fat" and feeling annoyance over the loss of Total Greek Yogurt on the shelves of my local Whole Food (this is temporary), I decided to buy this yogurt maker and simply make my own.

The procedure is a simple one; heat some milk until bubbles appear on the side of the pan and steam actually rises; take off the stove and pop in the included thermometer. When the milk temperature lowers to a specific window indicated on the thermometer, add some milk to 2 tablespoons of purchased plain yogurt or yogurt starter. Mix and then add to the milk in the pan.

As the yogurt maker has slots for 8 containters with lids, simply pour an equal amount of the milk from the pan, put on the lids, cover the yogurt maker and plug the machine in.

The machine sits on a counter; I advise parking it in a place where the digital controls are not interferred with as just one little push will turn the whole thing off. I set my yogurt to "cook" for 14 hours. The result: Great consistancy and flavor that matches store bought without the preservatives and other additives.

The machine includes includes instructions on how to make flavored yogurt; it seems simple, but I have not tried it.

Bottom line: this machine does the trick with little or no fuss. I also purchased the yogurt cheese maker which will allow me to turn my homemade yogurt into a spread that I can use on bread in the AM. Doesn't get any better!

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I must admit, I was skeptical. Over the years, I've eaten so much yogurt; in the last two years, I've switched to plain yogurt as most others have so much sugar. It's hard to find plain yogurt that tastes great--both the taste and the texture have to be just so. The best-tasting option I've found is a brand sold at Whole Foods; it's expensive, and it seems that the full-fat version is the only kind with the right texture.

When I read the book "French Girls Don't Get Fat", I thought I'd give homemade yogurt a try and save a little money (sort of like buying an espresso machine, rather than buying a $3 latte at Starbucks every day!)

Yesterday I made my first batch with the Donvier Yogurt Maker. First of all, it's SO simple. Three ingredients: Milk, milk powder, and starter (I used 2T of my regular brand). Four simple steps:

1. Stir the milk powder into the milk (I used non-fat milk, and the non-fat milk powder makes the yogurt creamier)

2. Heat the milk until it almost boils

3. Cool the milk till it reaches 110--simple to gauge, using the thermometer included with the machine--then add the starter

4. Pour into the cups, and let the machine do its work!

I mixed the batch up in the morning, and by the evening I could move the cups to the fridge to chill. This morning I was treated to fresh yogurt; the creamiest, freshest tasting yogurt I've ever had, and it was non-fat with NO additives!

I highly recommend this machine. If you like yogurt, you'll love what you can make at home with the Donvier!

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I recently purchased the DONVIER after reading the French diet book. Like another reviewer...I too use whole organic milk. I do not heat the milk on the stove in a pan...too messy. What I do instead is to put all of the milk into a large Pyrex measuring cup, pop it in the microwave for 6 minutes and it is ready to go. I did not buy the starter, instead, I use a couple of teaspoons from the last jar that I am going to use, whisk it all in the Pyrex, double check the temp. and pour it into the cups.

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This yogurt maker gives poor results. I used whole milk and added milk powder, as the booklet suggests. It heated it to nearly boiling, cooled it to the suggested temp with the thermometer supplied, added in the powdered yogurt culture that came with the machine, and cooked it in the little cups for 12 hours. All very easy to do. In the end, I had four cups of decent yogurt from the middle pots, and four cups of liquid from the outer ones. It appears that the machine's main problem is too low a temperature, and even lower temps on the outer parts of the machine.

Also, the recipe calls for 1 quart of milk, and that only half fills the little cups.

I'm going to try making yogurt in my toaster oven, which has a 100F setting, and see how that works. I'm disappointed that this little machine doesn't do the one thing it's supposed to do heat the 8 cups and produce yogurt after 10 hours.

Edited August 2008: I have been successfully making yogurt in my regular oven, by mixing 1 1/2 quart milk and a 1/2 cup Activia yogurt as the original starter culture, then filling small Rubbermaid snack cups and putting on the lids. I use only the oven light and leave the cups overnight (6-8 hours). Excellent yogurt, easy to make, and without any more appliances cluttering up my kitchen. I keep my starter going by using the last cup of my homemade yogurt mixed into milk for the next batch.

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I cannot say enough good things about this item, even though I purchased it somewhat tentatively and my husband thought it would be the next big white elephant. I decided on this product as it seemed to offer a few extras for slightly more cost (thermometer, timer, etc.). I have been making yogurt every week since however and it could not be easier, fresher or better tasting. I have followed the directions included with the maker and have not had any problems (organic skim milk, organic milk powder and yogurt as starter. Heat milk in microwave 8 minutes, "cook" in maker for 10 1/2 hours). The yogurt is firm, I think comparable to American store versions. My four year old eats it on his cereal instead of milk and asks for it for snacks, eating right out of the container. I also purchased the additional set of yogurt cups so I could make a new batch while still eating the rest.

I would like to add I am not an organic go-getter. We've recently been making some changes based on a general concern for how often we are exposed to chemicals, etc. in our and our children's lives. The yogurt maker has given us one more way to feel secure in and expand our choices. Enjoy!

Reviews of SoleusAir 8,000 BTU Window Air Conditioner , # SG-WAC-08ESE-C

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $384.00
Sale Price: $259.99
Today's Bonus: 32% Off

Overall, I am happy with this air conditioner. It does a good job of cooling my entire 1Bdr apartment (which is about 500 sq. feet). You can set the temperature and set it to Energy Saving mode and it will turn itself on and off as needed. Very nice indeed.

A/C is fairly loud, but not as loud as Kenmore 8000 BTU it has replaced. It doesn't wake me up at night when operating on energy save/low fan setting, so it's tolerable.

Controls are a little bit confusing at first and you should really read the manual to figure out exactly how each mode works. The remote is also a bit of a letdown as it seems to work half the time.

Pros:

Star Energy Certified

Maintains Set Temperature

Cools 1Bdr Apartment

Price

Cons:

Fairly Loud

Confusing Controls

Temperature Display in Fahrenheit Only

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I bought this unit for a couple reasons:

For back up air to use with my LP generator in a pwr outage (should pull 740 watts on the generator)

To help cool my bedroom so I can sleep in this heat! I work midnights and my central air is not keeping my bedroom cool enough for me to sleep during the heat of the day. Plus the backgound noise will be a nice sleep machine...

I'm a single female in my mid 50's, and I was able to install this unit by myself in approx. 30 minutes. Granted, I read the instructions ahead of time (downloaded the manual off internet), and had a good plan on how to do it correctly. I'm fairly intelligent & have good common sense and am used to doing things myself, so this might of helped too. My house is only 10yrs old, so no special circumstances to deal with like with a trailer, storm windows, or older home issues. It pretty much just slipped right in like the instructions said. It was a little heavy (50#), but I managed. It naturally tilted downwards (outside) at a proper angle for drainage and I was able to verify this with a level showing 1/3 bubble, as described in the instructions. The only weird thing was I was able to screw the top of the unit & top of the side panels into the bottom of the window, but the way my window frame is, the unit doesn't sit flat on the sill, there is a lip that coveres the bottom of the window, so I cannot screw the bottom of the panels in (holes at wrong angle on bottom of side panels like an "L" shape"). I need to cut a 1x2 piece of board and screw it to the sill, so I can screw the bottom of the side panels down tight. I'll get the that this weekend....as of now, I was able to tuck the side panels into the frame of the window and it is tight enough until I get to it. I cut some memory foam I had left over, and insulated the side panels and it is pretty air tight at this point.

I only use half the house (mstr bed & bath, Kitchen & living room) the rest of the house is guest room, bath & office I rarely use. The central air thermostat is back by the guest bedroom, and set this small unit to 77 in energy-saving mode, and it is keeping my part of the house nice and comfy! The remote control is set to the "I Feel" mode and I set the remote on shelf by my head in the bed, so the unit goes by the temp where the remote is (& my head), not the where the unit is, this is an awesome and clever option that I LOVE! In the energy saving mode, the unit turns on and off as needed. It is quiet enough that it does not wake me while I'm sleeping (this surprised me!), I can easily adjust the temp (if needed) while lying in bed by simply hitting the or + button on the remote contol.

This is one of the smallest 8k units I've seen, so it's easy to move around if needed.

Con's, and it's not a huge deal...is the filter is okay. It's kind of a nylon filter in a plastic frame, that you can take out and vacumme or wash. So I'm going to cut a thin foam "prefilter to put in front of it, to help cut down on dust to keep the air a little cleaner, and the inside of the unit a little cleaner too. The unit does have a "check filter" light on it to remind you to check the filter every month...so that's nice. Also, there is a lot of light that comes thru the vent the air blows thru...and also shows thru the side panels...I don't think it's an opening to the outside, just reflective light. As a day sleeper this was problematic. I like it dark & cold to sleep deep. I cut pieces of memory foam to cover side panels, and then ended up covering the window (and memory foam) with aluminum foil to block out that light. I could not do anything about the vent light (don't want to block the cold air vent). So I guess I'll have to get an eye mask.

I will update this review if I run into any issues with the unit, but it's looking and acting good so far. One of the best things I've purchased on line, and of course... shipping and service was awesome (as usual)!

Best Deals on SoleusAir 8,000 BTU Window Air Conditioner , # SG-WAC-08ESE-C

Bought Unit about 6 weeks ago.

It comfortably cools a 12x20 room that does not close off from other rooms

Runs on standard 15 amp circuits.

This is the only company I could find with a unit that actually shuts off the fan when cooling temperature is reached. It's nice not to have the fan running constantly when the unit is on.

With energy saver the fan also slows when within a degree or two of set temperature, and then shuts down when set temperature is reached.

Fan on high circulates more cold air than our old old 12,000 btu unit

Noise is average, not too bad. Quieter than our old units.

Honest reviews on SoleusAir 8,000 BTU Window Air Conditioner , # SG-WAC-08ESE-C

Bought this unit at our local Menard's. Got the unit unpacked and installed in less than an hour. It is a very good air conditioner it blows out ice cold air anytime the compressor is running, and does a great job of air recirculation when the temperature is satisfied and just the fan is running. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat with no hesitation but if you're going to use this in a bedroom, there are a couple of things you light sleepers need to keep in mind....

This unit is LOUD. Even on the lowest fan settings, this unit is going to keep light sleepers awake for a while until they get used to the noise. Soleus got the EER up so high on this unit by using an oversized condenser and shoving lots and lots of air through it. The result is a loud noisy fan moving lots of air around, which creates lots of motor noise.

2 more drawbacks to this unit they used transparent white styrofoam to separate the evaporator ductwork from the outside, which lets lots and lots of outdoor light thru into the room you're using this unit in. If that wasn't enough, the LED's on the control panel are REALLY BRIGHT and in a dark room, it really lights things up. So, expect this to be a source of significant light if you need a completely dark room to sleep in.

The remote is weird, as are the controls on the unit. The other reviews have it right read the manual before you use this unit you'll be much better off.

So, it's noisy and lights up the room, but it is a great air conditioner. Time will tell if it's reliable.

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I like this unit a lot. The remote works great, and it doesnt vibrate. However, after about two years the blower motor is starting to howl, meaning a bad bearing. I have called the technical support line repeatedly and have emailed. All I want is a replacement motor.

First the support number is only open 9 to 6 pm Pacific time. As soon as you enter #4 for their consumer division, you are immediately sent to voicemail. I left a message, and of course no call back. Emails seem to be facing a similar fate.

If you buy this unit, use it lightly because you will not be able to find anyone to assist if it fails. Go with a Frigidaire or something where you can get parts.

Discount Whirlpool Cycling Dryer Thermostat 694674

Customer Ratings:

this is FSP OEM replacement unit for my old dryer, excellent. I can adjust the MAX. temp on this unit to what I want. Reasonably priced compared to the local appliance store.

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My old drier used to run too hot it created a ton of lint, which tells me it was wearing out the clothes prematurely. I checked my thermostat heater and it was working fine. FYI ... the thermostat heater heats up the thermostat, casuses it to trip off the power to the heater and thereby regulates the heat by cycling the heater off. If you set your drier on low heat, then what actually happens is the thermostat heater starts baking the thermostat. I could pop for so many hundreds of dollars for a new drier, but after reading the reviews, who knows what new headaches I will be buying? This adjustible thermostat lets me fine tune the drying heat so I have enough heat to dry, but not so much heat that the clothes get cooked. The lower heat reduces lint, and I suspect reduces electricity usage, as well! Highly recommended.

PTC-2000BR 1,500 Watts Ceramic Oscillating Tower Fan or Heater Review

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List Price: $79.99
Sale Price: $39.99
Today's Bonus: 50% Off

awesome! works great and is quite quiet.does a great job at warming a 12x12 room with little or no effort.

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I bought this for our vacation home. The furnace warms the ground floor fine, but there is only one heating duct on the entire second floor. This warms the bedroom nicely, and it is very quiet, with a remote. Good buy.

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great item!! love it, works wonders this is the ideal item for someone that has disibilty problems and can not get up and down.

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it works great for my small rooms and can leave on all night and it goes off when reaches desired temp! if i get too hot, i can turn on fan! thanks, great deal for the price!!! Merry Christmas to all of you. God bless, jackie

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This item is not a fan at all...it is simply a heater. I ordered it because the advertisement stated that it works well for both summer and winter. This is not true! The fan does not blow cool air...I don't know how the heater works because it has been 100 degrees in Chicago! I am very annoyed that this product claimed to do something that it does not do. IT IS NOT A FAN!!!!! And I am NOT A FAN!!!

Review of Lasko Products Cyclonic Ceramic Room Heater

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List Price: $199.00
Sale Price: $93.99
Today's Bonus: 53% Off

I love this space heater, because of the great design and great performance. You can put it against the wall without worries about it getting too hot. It will heat an average size room 12X12 quite quickly. it's quite energy efficient as well.

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It does the job, but when I use it on high setting longer than 30 mins or so, the cable starts to get warm on several spots. The cable looks cheap and nondurable, I wonder if it would melt or cause fire hazard if I leave it on longer. Lasko's several previous models were recalled for a similar reason, that's why I am worried. I am thinking about returning the unit.

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I tried a oil filled heater and returned it becouse of a sickning smell coming from it, then i tried a fan heater and it did not do the job for my large livingroom/diningroom/kitchen (all open)I went and got this heater and wow is all i can say, it took trial and error with other brand heaters but this one is great, i highly recommend this heater, it is safe and really throws out some heat! I live in philly and it gets cold in my old house, but this is keeping my living area toasty!

Lisa

Honest reviews on Lasko Products Cyclonic Ceramic Room Heater

I am very pleased with this product. It is quiet and gives good heat in my basement den area.

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This heater is one of a kind!! I wish that I could have found one like this several years ago. I love it and will end up buying another one. I love it!!

Cheap Telescoping Infrared Patio Heater

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List Price: $329.99
Sale Price: $233.99
Today's Bonus: 29% Off

Connected to a tested outlet the unit does not function except as an awkwardly shaped boat anchor.

Update: Well Traveled customer support responded well. After a series of emails they are sending a replacement head.

Update 2: With the replacement head installed the unit works fine. Heat output is immediate and up to the task of taking the chill off cold nights and mornings here on the edge of the Sonoran Desert. It is very sturdy. For us, this is a better alternative to the fuss and expense of a higher output propane model.

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I use this heater almost every day. It's perfect for heating a small space and in just a few minutes it can raise the temperature of the target area to just about as hot as you want it.

If for instance you wanted to make it very hot in your bedroom, this gadget is perfect for that application. You don't need to heat the entire house, just keep this thing in your bedroom, point it at your bed, and plug it in. It's instantly hot.

The only downside is that it takes a LOT of power. A 20amp GFCI outlet is recommended and that's what I use. You probably can't have any other lamps or gadgets on that same circuit or it will blow the breaker.

Regarding customer service Because I use this almost everyday I blew out the heating element a few days ago. It has a one year warranty and customer service is sending me a new heating element for free! Very happy... I can't wait to get the replacement element so I can use it again.

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Update 2/15/13. Still using this unit almost every day. Still working great. Only had to replace the bulb once.

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Heavy and reasonably good quality materials. Putting it together was straightforward. The area it heats is small, but it's quite effective. Aesthetically, it's a very nice looking heater. A few criticisms, however:

The plastic wheels on the base don't turn.

One of the bolts supplied was stripped

The zipper on the plastic cover broke the first time we used it.

Make sure you plug it in to an outlet with a breakerit uses 1500w

Make sure it's off before you plug it in

Overall, a decent unit and a good value.

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The unit works well, and heats most of our screened porch. The only problem is that it keeps tripping the circuit breakers no matter where we plug it in. No warning about that on any website before. We have to turn off all the outdoor lights, or some combination of that, to run the unit. Small compromise for staying warm while enjoying extended use of our porch as the weather cools.

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This works as well as any infrared heater. Yes you do have to be better close if you are not in an enclosed area, but they all work that way. I like it for what it is. The stainless steel looks pretty cool outside. One warning note, use a heavy object to weigh it down. It will tip over like mine did during heavy winds.

Best DeLonghi PACN120E Pinguino N Series 12,000 BTU Air-to-Air Portable Deals

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List Price: $700.00
Sale Price: $489.00
Today's Bonus: 30% Off

Bought locally (though I normally love Amazon). I have a 20x20 garage, 400 sq feet. This portable A/C is cooling the garage nicely. Initially, just testing it, I vented it through a hole I made in the concrete block wall. It didn't seem to be cooling very well. Some of the heat from the vent hose was not making it out the new hole, but escaping into my garage. I didin't want to put much effort into the hole until I felt like this A/C would be worth my time. I fretted, and considered it. Then I decided to go ahead and make a proper whole, sealed, with the dryer-vent-flap on the outside of the garage now no hot air is escaping from the vent into the garage all the hot air is going outside professional looking job I think. Whalla. I like this A/C. You have to wrap insulation around the vent hose since it gets hot and will just radiate that heat into your room. We have an insullated ceiling and an insulated garage door. Hot southern USA. We use our garage sometimes for crafting and similar activities... this A/C will do nicely. Yes, I've only had it for 24 hours, but... happy

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I purchased this unit through Amazon several months ago, and am glad I did. No more suffering through the intense summer heat in a one bedroom, non air conditioned apartment.

The unit itself is relatively easy to set up. As my unit was shipped via Fed-ex, I had to initially let it sit upright, non-operating, for a day in order for the refrigerant fluid to settle and prevent damage. Other than that, you simply plug in the unit, connect the collapsible vent hose from the unit to the window (via window adapter), and turn it on. It takes less than 5 minutes to cool my living room to my preferred comfort temperature (about 75 degrees inside while high 80's/90's outside).

In over 2 months of use, I opened the drain plug only once, and there were only a few small drips of liquid that came out. The evaporate cooling technology worked great for me, and those who have had issues with leaks in the Pinguino models must have had defective units.

Regardless of what unit you buy, don't settle for anything less than 12,000 BTU's for a portable AC. 14,000 BTU's would be better for larger rooms and houses.

I do have a few issues with this unit. One, as Pflorky mentions, is that the vent only blows air upwards at an angle. It would have been nice to be able to change the direction of air flow. The second is that the unit can be a bit noisy, necessitating raising the volume of the television by several points. I don't think it's so loud that it will make you deaf, but it can be noticeable. This is a minor quibble, as I would rather be cool and comfortable than suffering and miserable from the heat.

Last, depending on the style and size of your window you choose to vent from, you may need to 'jury rig' something to properly vent the unit. I have a sliding style window in the living room (side to side), and the opening is nearly 5 feet from top to bottom. The window adapter that came with the unit was too short to completely fill in the gap, so I used some boarding and tape to seal off any openings.

Overall I am very happy that I purchased this unit.

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My experience with this unit it that it is a bit noisy but cools and dehumidifies VERY well. It was a good purchase and helps supplement my inadequate central AC during the crazy Chicago heat waves. HOWEVER.... I have had to get creative and sit it in a pan intended to go under a water heater or shwer... as it leaks much of the water/ vapor that is formed when it works hard. Typically the 4x4 foot pan ends up with about 3/8 of an inch of water in it. If I could get help knowing what size fitting is required to attach a hose I'd just put it in the window... but this was an emergency measure as my hardwood floor was under attack...

Overall I'd give this an Aas it cools better than my more expensive SHARP... but the SHARP has features this one doesn't have and is not "having accidents".

Honest reviews on DeLonghi PACN120E Pinguino N Series 12,000 BTU Air-to-Air Portable

The unit works well.

It's easy to install.

It would be better, however, if the airflow could be adjusted up and down. Otherwise the air flows in one direction, and change can only be effected by moving the machine.

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We purchased this air conditioner for my Mom. She lives in a small apartment and it is the perfect size and very easy to install. The exhaust portion of the air conditioner worked out wonderfully for the type of window she has and the efficiency of the unit is great. During the summer it keeps the room at a wonderful temperature.

Buy Lasko 5511 Oscillating Ceramic Tower Heater

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List Price: $49.99
Sale Price: $44.95
Today's Bonus: 10% Off

Its nice because it does the job of a larger heater without the footprint, it can sit in a corner, by a desk, or even in the middle of a room and not dominate the space. The remote is a nice touch, the heater itself is very high quality, I have had this for almost a year now and works just fine.

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Very good product does what is advertised to do, covers a great area Bedrooms, hallways, and living room area.

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Great heater! It's portable and lightweight! I love it. I use to use it a lot but my new puppy chewed the electrical cord on it so now I need to get it fixed. It's a great heater for the money!

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I had a Lasko heater for about 5 years and it recently died. This one is similar to the old one. Works great!!!

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I have always used Lasko products in regards to heaters and fans, but Lasko as a whole, has incredibly decreased in product quality and performance. I understand that the title indicates that this certain model is a heater, but with all three other Lasko products (2001 and older) I own, they also work as fans capable of emitting cold air. Also, they have safety features with a sensor underneath so that if the unit falls over, it automatically turns off, along with another sensor in front that also turns it off if something is too close to the heater. And all three also come with more sleep time frames. This particular model is missing all three features and it was more expensive then the others. So I give it three stars for efficiently working as advertised, but not coming equipped with the features that gave rise to Lasko.

Cheap Black & Decker Infrawave Oven

Customer Ratings:

I had a toaster oven that died so I began the typical online research trying to find the best bang for the buck.

I realize that online reviews are always subjective since you cannot ascertain the true ratio of "good to bad" experiences among the entire spectrum of customers, but only among those who are moved to write about it.

However, I noticed in reading reviews that experienced owners looking to replace older infrared-assisted ovens were disappointed to find that fewer and fewer companies offer them any longer to the consumer electronics market. Whereas on the commercial market, such as the restaurant industry, the technology has been used in larger Infrared ovens for many years.

The benefits claimed by the owners in using this technology for toaster ovens prompted me to find one if I could. I felt skeptical when I learned that "Black and Decker" was the original designer/manufacturer of the only surviving product line I found, not being a real B&D fan, myself.

Some of this product line is sold bearing the B&D badge but the same models may instead wear the "Applica" name. "Applica Consumer Products" bought the enire InfraWave line, back in 1998.

Anyway after contacting Applica by email and again by phone, I was convinced of the integrity of the unit and Applica's support. So I bought the FC300 unit for my wife and also the smaller FC150 for my mother, as Christmas gifts. I remain impressed with this oven to say the least.

The FC300 is larger than the FC150. After I saw the differences in size between the two units, I was glad I ordered the larger one for my wife. The smaller one is good for one person or "typical" toaster-oven duties, but if you use it for as many things as we do, the extra size is very nice.

The unit comes with a video CD that lets you watch various dishes being prepared, covering all aspects of use in step-by-step fashion. It has a paper manual as well, but the video is fast, helpful, and thorough.

The unit cooks faster than simple convection alone and offers automatic cooking time conversion. For example, you can input the conventional oven cooking instructions "verbatim" from the side panel of a frozen dinner, (time and temperature). If you select "convert", the InfraWave processor can automatically "shorten it" to cook via infrared as appropriate. Manual adjustment or intervention during a cooking cycle is also maintained as an option and easily done on the fly should you require some variation in order to meet your taste.

Surprises include the oven's abilities to cook foods to perfection that you might normally prefer to cook using another device. Chicken can be tender and juicy inside while browning the skin golden and crispy. Steaks can be broiled with excellent flavor and texture, (yes, I know the BBQ grill reigns supreme but try it on a rainy day and you will be pleasantly surprised).

Pre-heating is a thing of the past. You never do that anymore because this baby jumps right to work on frozen foods without delay. Frozen pizza is a no-brainer and the control panel has its own dedicated "pizza" button as well as individual buttons for other popular foods typically cooked in an oven.

You will be impressed with how this unit can just about replace your conventional oven for any foods that will fit inside it. The energy savings for using this unit as opposed to the full-sized oven are real, but even more valuable to us is the way the food is cooked faster and tastes better even with leftovers, (which won't taste like leftovers).

I believe that you can purchase one of these with confidence. So far it has been a great addition to our cooking apppliance arsenol. We've found it to be MUCH more than just a toaster oven!

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I've owned 2 infrawaves: first the small one and the I got the large one with rotisserie. I absolutely love it! I cook everything in it! In fact since I remodeled my kitchen 5yrs ago the regular oven has only been used 4 or 5 times. We toast, reheat, make frozen pizza (the best you can make at home) and broil chicken, fish and meat. I've broiled frozen steaks many times and the results are simply remarkable. For cooking I mainly use "Convert": this feature let's you enter the traditional oven time and temperature as well as the type of food you are cooking, then you press Convert and voila! It gives you your new (and shorter) cooking time. Frozen pizza is cooked from top and bottom at the same time. Toast is ready incredibly fast. Everything you cook will be perfect. Get it while you can, you will never regret it.

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We bought this oven a couple of years ago and absolutely loved it. It actually toasts much faster than others on the market these days. We used it EVERYDAY. If not for toasting for warming leftovers. We have even had company ask where we got it so they could get one.......

So now 2 years later it is dead. At first the top coils stopped working then it sparked and died.

At this price point 2 years is not a long time! We won't get another one but we did love it!

Honest reviews on Black & Decker Infrawave Oven

Excellent product. This is our 2nd purchse of one of these ovens. The first one was smaller. It has lasted 7 years and still going strong, but my husband wanted a larger model (he does all of the cooking). I wouldn't hesitate to recommend one of these ovens. We use it every single day.

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I bought one of these 2 or 3 years ago when I needed something a little bit bigger than my toaster oven. I absolutely love it. I use it every day and rarely turn on the regular oven. I use it for nachos, hot wings, toast, pretty much everything. I was dubious about baking a cake but it did a great job. It's big enough for an 8 x 8 baking dish to fit comfortably. A 10" pizza fits. A 12" pizza does not.

Tip the Reheat > Pizza Slice setting is perfect for warming up a cookie or brownie. :)

Cheap Induction Heating Pressure Rice Cooker/Warmer Size: 10 Cup

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Just completed my first pot of brown rice at 7,300 ft. It is so much better than my usual pressure-cooked brown rice, it is amazing. And I didn't have to stand around adjusting the flame on my stove to keep the pressure up, but not too far up. I simply put in the brown rice to the levels recommended. I closed it and set it on the brown rice setting. Perfect the first time.

Yes, it is really expensive, but brown rice doesn't really get done at my altitude unless you use a pressure cooker. The controls on a pressure cooker are not very fine. This machine immediately brings the rice to the best temperature for cooking whatever kind of rice one chooses and raises the pressure, if necessary, to get the water to that temperature.

I looked at the non-pressurized Zojirushi rice cookers and realized that they would not work for me, so my sweet husband sprang for the NP-HTC18 and gave it to me for a gift. I am very lucky. Great husband, great rice-cooker. He figures he will be paid off in more frequent brown rice from now on and he is right.

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I am quite aware as a non-Asian that my review of a rice cooker which is basically no more than a fancy, perhaps overpriced water boiler, might not be taken too seriously. However, I have been cooking Asian/Chinese cuisine for almost 35 years and for some reason have had an identity, if not a passion for the art of properly cooking rice. During this time I have owned 6 electric rice cookers. I began with a National basic rice cooker. You placed the rinsed rice into the aluminum cooking pot, clicked the switch to on and off it went. When the rice had boiled all the liquid away the temp spiked and my rice cooker shut off. The following rice cooker was again a National brand, but this was a much more sophisticated model that touted "Fuzzy Logic". I realize that it is a bit of a stretch to believe a microprocessor could be needed to merely "boil and cook" rice? However, given the assortment of rice dishes and not just cooking plain rice a convenience like this seemed to be a natural progression in the countries where rice was an everyday staple.

My next rung up the automatic rice cooker ladder was a more sophisticated Zojirushi rice cooker with more settings and again "fuzzy logic". Not long after this I was in a Korean grocery store and found a Panasonic brand "pressure" rice cooker that touted that it could not only cook outstanding rice of any variety, but an assortment of mixed grains, stews, and one meal dishes. I bought this and immediately feel in love with all of its features. Not only did it perform flawlessly cooking rice, it could also cook almost anything else, rice, grains, or otherwise and this is with what ever you chose to add.

I eventually ordered another pressure Panasonic rice cooker since they had stopped making them, from Ebay in order to have a back-up and/or parts. Some time after I received this second Panasonic pressure rice cooker I happened to have found a link to Zojirushi. I have always been very keen on this Japanese brand. To make a point, I was a very snobbish bread baker; sneering at anyone that would consider making bread in a bread machine. After receiving my Zojirushi BBCCX-20 bread machine I had to eat my words.

Anyway, I decided to try the NP-HTC18 Induction Heating 10-cup Pressure Rice Cooker. I have been cooking on induction cooking hobs for years and decided to give this a try, in spite of the cost. All I can tell you is that if you love rice and all the other rice/grain dishes that I do, you should invest in this awesome kitchen device. I have not had it long, but have cooked several batches of various white rices, barley, mixed grains and rice, and mixed rices. All of these have been either plain or with oils, mushrooms, spices, herbs, etc. I am not sure what is on the horizon here, but for me this is the ultimate anything cooker. I hope that more and more people buy this and experiment with all of it's amazing possibilities.

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First off I know this rice cooker is super expensive. Why the heck does a rice cooker cost this much? But this isn't even the most expensive, there's a rice cooker that's $2000 in Japan, that's the Bently or Rolls Royce of rice cookers. This one is the Lexus of rice cookers.

The main selling point for this one is that it has induction cooking and pressure cooking. I'm assuming that if you are looking at this machine, you are probably Asian and eat rice everyday. Does this machine make the rice so much better that it's worth the price, not really. Not for it to be worth this much but if you like your rice to be perfectly moist, this does a great job. I'm comparing this rice cooker to my old Tiger which is just a standard rice cooker. This one is all computer controlled and you just can't mess up the rice.

The main reason to get this rice cooker over a cheaper brand is that you want to eat brown rice. Now to be perfectly clear the brown rice is a lot softer but it is not the consistency of white rice. I was reading some reviews and people say they got the brown rice to have the same consistency as white rice. It's softer by far but the brown rice still has the brown cover on it so it is still harder than white rice but a lot softer. This pressure cooker version even makes it softer than just the induction model. I have both. I bought the induction only model and gave it to my mom and now I have this one.

I have no idea if the GABA feature really works but might as well use it, can't hurt.

This machine is made in Japan, not China. Some of the cheaper Zojirushi rice cookers are made in China now.

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I have had a Zojirushi rice cooker for 22 years and it would still be going strong if I had not dropped it. It did not make me sad because it gave me the opportunity to buy the new one without guilt! I cook potatoes, artaichokes, soups and a lot more and oh yes rice too. I could not be happier and I know I will still be using it for years to come. As a professional chef I put my rice cooker right up there with my immersion blender and a good scale as a must have in the kitchen.

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Zojirushi NP-HTC18 Induction Heating 10-Cup Pressure Rice Cooker and WarmerPurchased this rice cooker a few months ago and use it several times a week for breakfast, dinner, and dessert dishes. It does so much more than just make perfect rice. I also purchased the Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook and it provides excellent recipes in addition to an education about different rice cookers and rices. I highly recommend it in order to make the most of this extravagant purchase.

Update Over 2 years later...my rice cooker is still going strong. The inner pot still looks like new after using it at least three times a week. I have had no issues and still highly recommend the Zojirushi NP-HTC18. I love the Quick Cooking option for days I work late. I use sushi rice (rinsed well) and 23 minutes later awesome rice!

Sta-Rite Max-E-Therm Thermal Regulator 38000-0007s Reviews

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I downloaded the trouble shooting guide from Sta-Rite and went through the diagnostics for my problem. A bad sensor was indicated. Called Sta-Rite to confirm. The tech said it was actually the thermal regulator that had gone bad.

I placed the order on July 3rd. It shipped the same day and showed a delivery date of July 11 to July 26th. Imagine my surprise when the mail lady delivered it on July 7th.

It took about ten minutes to swap out the regulator and I now have a hot spa again.

Thank you Discount Pool Mart for the excellent service!

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Best DAYTON 3UG73 Electric Utility Heater,5/4.1/3.3/2.5 kW Deals

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I purchased this 220 volt heater 5 years ago (Jan. 2008). It works great. I have used it a lot without any problems. I use it (wall mounted) to heat a 750 sq. ft. insulated shop area with a 12' ceiling. In my cold soaked shop at 41°F, it will raise the room temp.10°-12° in the first hour. It is relatively quiet, not annoying. A temperature controlled switch turns the fan motor off below approx.50°F. So, at ambient temperatures below 50°, the fan will cycle on and off until the room temp reaches about 48-50°F. When the heat reaches the desired temp, the fan and heater shut off. When the heater is turned off, the fan runs for a minute or two until it cools down. All in all, it is a great heater for this type of application.

Less desirable characteristics: 1. The temperature control knob is a series of dots in between "low "& "hi". You don't any idea of what temperature you're actually dialing in until you've had quite a bit of experience operating it. 2. The installation instructions are vague. I had to search around on the internet to find instructions on how to wire it.

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Honeywell HZ-2030 Safety Sensor Heater Reviews

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List Price: $59.99
Sale Price: $59.95
Today's Bonus: $0.04 Off

I purchased this space heater about 2 years ago for my office. This is by far the best space heater I have ever used. I've had absolutely no problems with this space heater. It works as well as it did when I first purchased it! I highly recommend this product.

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I bought this heater about 1.5 months ago. It worked great for the first three weeks, and I was quite happy with it, but after that time it started making an annoying rattling sound when it started up. The sound would gradually go away over about 1 minute. Now, the rattling sound stays on the entire time the heater is on. Coincidentally, my roommate bought the same exact heater and hers does the exact same thing. Oh, and mine started sparking (!) lately too. That was the last straw; it went right back to the store for a refund today. Don't buy this heater unless you like being annoyed by cheap crappy products.

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WE used this model for years and years, then it finally died after a series of power outages and brown outs. So we went on a search to find this exact same model because we like how this one works out of all the others. This is one of the safest, and most effective space heaters I have used. It gets approved by our Higher Education Safety committee every time. Great product, keep up the good work!

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I have tried several space heaters this winter, and this one is by far, the best one.

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Heats the room very well and has all the safety features. Small size is convenient as well. I would recommend.