Best Vicks Starry Night Cool Moisture Humidifier, Model V3700, 1 gal Deals

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $44.99
Sale Price: $35.90
Today's Bonus: 20% Off

I previously owned a Vicks cool mist humidifier, Vicks 1.0 Gallon Cool Mist Humidifier. I bought the other one about two years ago and loved it but it had a lot of wear. I put this humidifier on a wish list and it was purchased for me. The thing that is great, it takes the same filters as my other humidifier which I still had left over, Protec WF2 Extended Life Replacement Humidifier Filter.

My older humidifier was very loud. You could not talk on the phone without the person hearing a very loud hum. I actually got used to it because I live next to an interstate and it was great white noise. This model you can barely hear on the two settings. One you can not even hear that it is on, the other you literally have to be standing right next to it to hear it. It is very silent which to some will be a pro not a con.

I have a newborn and she sleeps in a cradle next to my bed and I love to turn on the lights for her. It is a separate switch so you do not have to have it on while running the humidifier. In fact you can run it alone. I will warn you I find it rather bright. Also, most humidifier I have owned sit on a dresser of some sort so the lights are very close to the edge of the ceiling. I have to pull it out a bit so it can show more on the ceiling. I think that is a poor design flaw. I again think it is bright but turn it on for my little one. Sometimes I get up and turn it off since it can be annoying to see the lights if you are a light sleeper.

My biggest complaint right now is the fan. It does not make any noise but in winter you have to make sure it is not facing the baby or your bed. It blows a lot of air and in the winter it is cold! My bed is about 20 feet from the unit and I have to turn it completely to the side to avoid freezing in winter. I might like it come summer but right now it is very annoying.

I cannot speak for the added Vicks vapors since I have not needed them and they are not approved for newborn use. However, when she is sleeping in her crib and I feel congested I guarantee you I will use it. I have always used Vicks vapor rub or even Vicks Advanced Soothing Vapors Waterless Vaporizer on my night stand and they never fail.

Last, you can place ProTec PC-1 Humidifier Tank Cleaning Cartridge (Pack of 2) in the tank. I did so with my previous humidifier. However, it does scratch the heck out of the tank and makes it look very aged. It did seem to make the filters last longer, by about a week. However, I just use cold filtered water from my kitchen sink and I have not had any issues. Also, the lid is easy to remove and place on the base without any leaking.

As my second Vicks humidifier and for having a newborn you can't go wrong with this unit. I am very pleased and hope to get a few years out of it.

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My son loves this humidifier. We use it in the bedroom and it works great. It has 2 features that really set it apart. First, it projects stars on the ceiling which continuously change color. This is the fun part. Second, there is a slot inside where you can add a vicks mentol stick to help with congestion. It fills up the room with the menthol scent. You can turn any of these features off too. The only thing that would make it better would be if the stars could be set on a timer.

Best Deals on Vicks Starry Night Cool Moisture Humidifier, Model V3700, 1 gal

We got this because our air conditioner was de-humidifying the air and we have acoustic guitars. When the humidity hit 30%, off we went to a local store for a cool humidifier. This was the only one they carried, so it's what we got. If you have a very small room, or don't need much humidity, this could be a useful item. Unfortunately that wasn't our situation. Having water sitting in our sink literally raised the room humidity more than this Vicks humidifier, and running the shower for 2 minutes does a better job of raising the humidity in our apartment. As far as I can tell, unlike other humidifiers with ultra sonic motors, this one just blows air across the water. If you hold a piece of paper in front of where the fan blows for a couple minutes, it doesn't get even slightly damp. I gather it puts out a max of just over a gallon a day half of what those cute animal humidifiers from Crane do.

The stars it shone on our ceiling we really liked, btw. They change color and look pretty and relaxing.

If you need only a little bit of moisture, this might do the trick. For us, it'll have to go back.

Honest reviews on Vicks Starry Night Cool Moisture Humidifier, Model V3700, 1 gal

When I bought this product my nose was bleeding every night due to the dryness of AZ, a week after I bought it the bleeding completely stopped. It does its job, does it silently and the night lite is a plus.

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We bought this humidifier for our baby's room. We use it when he starts getting a cold and/or gets congested. Works great! I've heard of problems with humidifiers leaking or leaving a wet film on furniture. This one does neither. The starry night light and vapor pads are a nice addition as well.

Discount Camco 57721 Low Pressure Gas Regulator with 12' Hose

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $50.52
Sale Price: $29.48
Today's Bonus: 42% Off

There's not much to say here. Product is well made. Works as designed and I woudl recommend if you need a hose of this length.

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Work well with the wave 8, can store the bottle under the seat of the table and still have enough hose to move the heater where I need it to warm my 30' trailer.

Best Deals on Camco 57721 Low Pressure Gas Regulator with 12' Hose

I needed a hose for my cook stove that was in my RV, so I could move it out side, I added a Camco 59853 Propane Quick Connect Kit Valve & Full Flow Plug, and bought a propane tank so I could use it any where I needed, works grate

Honest reviews on Camco 57721 Low Pressure Gas Regulator with 12' Hose

The additional length in this hose extension provides a lot of additional flexibility and safety. It is great for our primitive cabin; we use it for our gas stove top when we are not using the wood stove.

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This is a great thing to have with our portable wave heater. The length is good. We used this past week and it was good to have.

Cheap Intermatic FF4H 4-Hour Spring Loaded Wall Timer, Brushed Metal

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $28.88
Sale Price: $23.93
Today's Bonus: 17% Off

I replaced a worn-out 1 hour timer with this one which controls the Air conditioning (low voltage circuit) in a small chapel. It works well and doesn't have to be reset if your event goes over 1 hour.

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I bought this timer for my garage, to keep my 2HP, 240V air compressor from coming on in the middle of the night when I forget to shut it off. Since the timer mechanism is sensitive to vibration, I had to mount it on the wall and NOT the compressor itself. I wired this single pole switch in one leg of the 240V circuit to save cost, and it works fine. It would have been better to use the 6-hour FF46H and switch both poles. It's a little tight in a standard small J-box; a deep one would offer more room for wires. It's too soon to tell how long the contacts will last in my application, but since I don't use it every day, it will probably outlive me.

Best Deals on Intermatic FF4H 4-Hour Spring Loaded Wall Timer, Brushed Metal

I used this to turn a small water heater on and off in our pool house. I got this because I don't leave the heater on all the time and I kept forgetting to turn it off.

Honest reviews on Intermatic FF4H 4-Hour Spring Loaded Wall Timer, Brushed Metal

Item received as promissed. I have used these timers for years in the church to control thermostats without any problems.

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Works as advertised. I am using this in a low voltage situation for an off switch for church audio system

proeasy to install in standard junction box. Quiet enough but sounds like old time alarm clock. tick-tock.

Concover plate is plastic when advertised as "brushed metal". doesn't seal to junction box very well

Best Lifesmart Ultra 1500W Quartz Infrared Heater Deals

Customer Ratings:

This is just what I needed. Took the chill out of the room in minutes! It looks attractive and can be used as a little end table.

Just don't do what I did. I put it in the center of the room and then walked around the back of it and tripped over the cord and broke my big toe!!! Pick up your feet!!!

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I can't comment on the quality of this product. But I can tell you that it killed two of my friend's birds. It was apparently coated with a non-stick coating. If you have birds in your home, please do not buy this product!

Cheap Lifesmart Power Plus 6 Element 1800 Square Foot Infrared Quartz

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $299.00
Sale Price: $158.99
Today's Bonus: 47% Off

CONS: Light weighted cabinet (not stable); imitation wood (sticker); inaccurate temperature detection; displayed temperature is the temperature to reach, not the current temperature in the room; fan is very loud; no battery for the remote; advertises as a 6500 BTU when in fact it is a 5100 BTU unit.

PROS: Light weight (but easy to move); has auto turn on and off; has an economy mode setting (500 watts); master on/off switch; fan seems to blow pretty hard.

NEUTRAL: Heat blows toward the floor (maybe 35 degree angle)

..based on my experience attempting to return this item, BEWARE OF FAT BOY TOOLS a seller of this item. They attempted to close my claim for a return and sent me the following message: "Fat Boy Tools has closed your return request. The reason for the closure of your request is: Solved a technical issue" WTF.

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I decided on this particular heater over others because it advertises the heater as 6500 BTUs and a five year warranty. When it arrived and I was looking at the box I noticed that it was only 5100 BTUs and has a 3 year year warranty. I thought they had sent me the wrong one but when I compared the model number it was the correct model number. I contacted the company that sent me the heater and they just said that that was the information the Lifesmart company provided them with. To me, that is false advertising!

Best Deals on Lifesmart Power Plus 6 Element 1800 Square Foot Infrared Quartz

For starters, I think this is the first time I've taken the time to write a review. I was just a little frustrated how poorly this product was ranked after I committed to buy two of them.

I actually bought this product from e-bay as they were running a big sale. However, I buy a ton from Amazon and always compare prices to theirs and often look at some of the reviews. As with any other item, there are almost always a lot of likes and dislikes. This product had plenty of one star reviews which kind of scared me. Then, I looked at the intelligence level of the reviewers. The fan was "noiser" as opposed to "noisier". One star because the remote didn't have batteries, really??? It wasn't made out of wood, it was plastic on wood. Not true with mine, it's not oak or anything, but it is at least veneer. It only raised the room "2 degree" my old one raised it "8 degree". Firstly, more than one means "degrees". There were some other reviewers that had experience with more expensive units that said this performed "comparably" for the price. I went with the more educated people and bought two of these units. I've only been using them for two days and I'm actually pretty impressed. I use these for localized heating because I run a pellet stove in a 2,850 square foot house. The heat simply can't make it to all areas. I was using some smaller electric faux stoves that worked fairly well. However, not all of them I had have built in thermostats. These units do and they seem to work pretty well. I had one in my bedroom (big bedroom and master bath) and set it at 65 degrees last night. This morning, my atomic clock was reading 63.9 degrees. Close enough considering I have the blower pointing away from the clock. I'm sure it would have been higher if I pointed the heater towards the clock/thermometer. This was on the low (500W) setting. I have not even used the 1,000W setting yet. This product is advertised to help supplement your existing heat and to be efficient at doing so. I don't pay that much attention to my electric bill, but it's 1,500W which seems to be the max for all of these small stand alone units (for the most part). I have oil heat which I have not used for two years since installing a large pellet stove, thanks to my free Obama money at the end of 2011. But, as mentioned before, the heat can't permeate through my entire house well. I use some ceiling fans to move the air around but that's not enough to get the upstairs warm. Yes, I understand, heat rises, but apparently, not as much as I would like. So, in a nutshell, this seems to work great to heat a room locally. It also has an auto on/auto off timer. I have not used that either, but figure the auto on will work nice to come on a couple of hours before you get home. It's not like an alarm clock. You have to tell it to come on in a certain amount of hours. Other complaints included that the display shows the setpoint, not the actual temperature. OK, some people will want it one way, some the other. It seems to hold the setpoint fairly well, so I'm OK with that. Another heater I have displays the actual temperature of the heater, so it is consistently hotter than what the actual room temperature is. Lastly, some people complain it's too loud. The filter on my fishtank, which is called a Whisper filter, is louder, so the volume does not bother me. Seems fine. I guess that's enough said, I think it's a pretty good product. While it may not completely heat your trailer, it's pretty good for keeping some larger rooms that need a boost nice and cozy. I'd recommend to a friend.

Pros:

Attractive package that you can easily put a picture or plant on top of

Fully assembled upon arrival, including the wheels (which are stable as opposed to one review)

On/Off Timer

Remote (except for the added $1.00 you'll have to pay for two AA batteries)

F/C temperature display

Directional heat as you can point it where you want the heat to go

Cons:

People seem to have had problems with the vendor they purchased it from when they were dissatisfied

Doesn't have the fake logs and flames that the faux heaters have that most people actually enjoy

Won't walk my dog or make me coffee in the morning (just had to come up with a complaint like the other one star reviews)

Sorry if I insulted anyone's intelligence, but some of those reviews really are comical.

Happy New Year

Honest reviews on Lifesmart Power Plus 6 Element 1800 Square Foot Infrared Quartz

I own this lifeSMART Renew 1500-watt which is working far better than this one by less noisy and more heat. This only raise my living room temp 2 degree higher while my old one can get 8 degree higher and cost me $100.

pro:

smaller

button is better

timer

able to switch (low, high, eco)

con:

less heat on highest setting

noisy

expensive

pro and con are comparing Lifesmart power plus 6 vs Lifesmart renew

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I bought this product for 179.00 on Amazon, through FAT BOYS TOOLS. It works about the same as my hair dryer on warm.

It ran quite for about three hours and now makes enough noise to be bothersome.

Honestly, I have a 30.00 radiant heater that works ten times better.

In retuning this item I have to pay a 12% restocking fee, that is 31.60 to me, and a 11.40 pre paid shipping fee. The grand total for 43.00. I have learned my lesson, do not buy from Fat Boys Tools. I tried to work something out with them, I wanted a replacement heater, but they don't sell any other heaters that work better then this one. In fact the young lady in customer service told me that this heater only heats as a secondary heater and brings the room four degrees higher then the primary heat source has heated it. Sounds to me that 1800 square feet "line" is just an eye catching bate, It is advertised to "1800 Square Foot Infrared Quartz Heater...." Sounds to me like it might heat that 1800 square ft. space. My place is no more then 600 sq. feet all one room, No it is not warm!!!

Sadly, Elizabeth Ma.

Mug / Coffee Cup Warmer Reviews

Customer Ratings:

This warmer looks nice on my desk, but it isn't the greatest. It has two settings,but I couldn't see using the "Low" setting. The "High" setting keeps my coffee warm, not hot. It also puts off a smell of hot metal. The smell may wear off eventually, I've only had it about a month. I would buy one of the less expensive warmers if I had it to do over again.

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This beverage warmer is over priced. It has two settings which are both mediocre. The hottest setting barely keeps the coffee or tea warm. Given the price, it was a major disappointment and not worth the money.

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We all miss the old 25 watt Dazey warmers, but the Bunn BCW decanter warmer is a 46 watt alternative. It is also available on Amazon.

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If you like coffee that smells like burning electrical wire, then this is the warmer from you. Yuck!!

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The beverage warmer works OK, but the non stick surface gives off noxious fumes and gives me a headache. I am not overly sensitive either.

Bionaire BCH9221-UM Ceramic Tower Heater with LCD Control Review

Customer Ratings:

Not sure why. I had it on temperature setting of 78 degrees doing the circular fan mode and started smelling something like burning plastic. I'm watching it and then poof spark and a flame. It burned out pretty quick but still considering how tall this unit stands I wouldn't trust it. I warmed a small area in my RV and did a good job cutting off when the temperature was reached but after seeing this thing just catch flames, I wouldn't recommend it.

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I purchased this heater and after one use (4 hours) in my daughter's room, it blew a flame spark and died. Luckily, the floor was not carpeted or else the flame spark could have started a fire in my 5 year old's room. Make sure you don't place the heater too close to the bedding or the bedding could have caught fire.

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November 11, 2010:

I got this in October the day before Halloween and have been using it in place of gas heat in the house. It is amazing. It heats up my 12x12 bedroom nicely and very quickly and leaves no plasticy or metal odor. It also surprisingly stays very cool. When I am wanting to take it to the living room I hit the OFF button, it gives you a count down while it runs a cooling fan, and then it shuts off without you having to worry about burning yourself. I carry in the room and I want and start over! It has a temperature you can set it to and it will heat the room up to that temp, shut off, and restart again when the desired temperature has dropped. It's awesome and we're looking into purchasing another for the guest bedroom.

Honest reviews on Bionaire BCH9221-UM Ceramic Tower Heater with LCD Control

I've only had the unit for a week or two so my comments are just based on first impressions. I've had many space heaters over the years and ship them off to electronics recycling after a few years when I start getting paranoid about the age contributing to a fire hazard. The only space heater that has ever earned my notice was a Bionaire tower that I bought several years ago. So I decided to purchase what I presumed to be the updated version. In this case, newer does not mean better. Nothing major to report just little things. First thing I thought was strange is that the display no longer reports the room temperature. It seems fairly basic and important to know what the temperature of the room IS, in order to decide what temperature that you'd like to set the unit. Honestly, I'm used to the old display showing the ambient room temperature so I find that having it missing is really irritating. Second, I miss the handle for easy lifting/moving rather than the new partial grab spot in the back. Third, the buttons are hard to depress I'm not sure if it is the buttons themselves or the strange tilted angle of their placement. Because the buttons are so hard to use, I am forced to use the remote control. And lastly, the unit is so much lighter that the tipping potential makes me nervous. However, we are careful to leave the unit on only when an adult is present for supervision. I'll reserve final judgment after more use.

UPDATE: I would rate this at "zero" stars if I could. It lasted approximately 3-4 months with very limited use. Like many of the other reviewers the heating element blew out with a giant spark flying out of the unit and the smell of something burning. The best I can say about it is that it didn't burn down my house.

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Suddenly it smelled like burned plastic and sparks came out. Luckily I was close and I was able to unplug it quickly. It's a fire hazzard!

Lasko 5119 Digital Ceramic Tower Heater with Remote Control Review

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $62.99
Sale Price: $49.99
Today's Bonus: 21% Off

I haven't checked my electric meter yet, but so far this heater covers the area I am in most of the day, so that I do not even have to turn on the furnace. Of course, I live alone, so that might not work for some people, but it puts out well and I like the various settings.

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Perfect heater. Remote is killer and so is the auto timer so it doesn't stay on all night if you leave the room.

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So compact but puts out some big heat. Works really well for my living room when we are spending time in there and do not have to heat the rest of the house. Already seen a reduction in my natural gas heating bill. So glad I bought this awesome heater!

Honest reviews on Lasko 5119 Digital Ceramic Tower Heater with Remote Control

We purchased this heater to warm up our living room to help combat rising heating costs. When we compared our current heating bills to the past two winters, we've already saved the purchase price of the heater. It does a great job of warming a localized space. I prefer the stationary option, but the rotating is great if you want to warm a larger area. The remote is very handy and it's great that you can program a specific temperature. The lip in the back is a bit small if you need to pick it up to move, otherwise we haven't had any issues or complaints. Very happy with this purchase.

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This little heater works quietly, to keep our 12x14 foot living space comfortable, love the fact it takes up very little space.

Reviews of Pioneer Ductless Mini Split Air Conditioner, Heat Pump, 12000 BTU

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $750.00
Sale Price: $668.08
Today's Bonus: 11% Off

Just like other reviewers, I'm very happy with this unit and the cost performance (including operating cost) is great! Here are few things to try to help people who are considering buying this great unit.

1. In order to install this unit properly, a vacuum pump, a vacuum gauge and a valve between the pump and the gauge, a hose to connect the vacuum pump and the service port on the low side (larger pipe side) are needed to get rid of air and more important moisture out of high and low side copper pipes and the evaporator inside of the indoor unit before opening the 2 valves at the outdoor unit. There is a way to install it without using a vacuum pump but small amount of refrigerant will be lost into atmosphere. (The refrigerant R410a is supposed to be ozone layer safe.)

2. The low side's service port's fitting size is 5/16, it is not 3/8 nor 1/4. Many AC gauge kit comes only with 1/4 fittings), when buying AC gauge kit, make sure it supports R410a (R410a pressure is much higher than R22, R134a) , a 5/16 female to 1/4 male adapter was needed for me to finish the installation.

3. All cables and copper pipes (3/8 OD and 1/4 OD) that come with the unit are only 13ft(4m) long. If the distance between the indoor unit and the outdoor are longer than 13ft, more cables and copper tubes will be required.

4. Follow the simple instruction in the small installation manual. FYI: This was my first air condition unit installation ever, All the info on the internet definitely helped, but it's not complicated but please make sure to really tighten the high side fitting very tight, the R410a pressure is very high, vacuum leak check was useful to check any leaks around the fittings, i.e. if vacuum doesn't hold after turning off the vacuum pump and close the vacuum pump side valve, there is a leak.

5. When operating at full power(the compressor on and indoor unit fan at high setting), Kill A Watt is showing less than 960W (110VAC input)! The air coming out of the indoor unit duct is very cold, and the fan in the indoor unit is very quiet even at high setting. Outdoor unit large cooling fan is also quiet.

Although I just finished installation, I recommend this unit to anyone, I only hope it'll last long.

I hope this info helps.

p.s. I am planning to power this efficient AC unit by using solar panels, LiFePO4 batteries and DC-AC inverter, no grid power. Zero electricity bill for air conditioning sounds kind of cool :)

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Easy to install and use, very quiet while running. Keeps my bedroom nice and cool without running my central air.

Best Deals on Pioneer Ductless Mini Split Air Conditioner, Heat Pump, 12000 BTU

I installed it myself in 5 hrs. It looks really good even the outdoor unit. Great for the DIY guy.

Honest reviews on Pioneer Ductless Mini Split Air Conditioner, Heat Pump, 12000 BTU

I bought two units (one for my house) and one for my "granny Flat" Had them installed last week just in time for 108º day and was so happy that we finally have AC and looking forward to having heat in the winter too...My installer was also very impressed how nice they were to install...he's going to get some too...

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After a quick 3 hour install the system was vac'ed down, tested and then filled my home with ice cold air. These systems are almost silent. cannot wait to try out the heat this winter.

Bonavita BV1800 8-Cup Coffee Maker Review

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $179.99
Sale Price: $169.95
Today's Bonus: 6% Off

I'm really happy with this coffee maker, having chosen it over the Technivorm Moccamaster Coffee Brewer With Thermo Carafe Technivorm 9587. It brews extremely quickly (about 7 minutes), and I measured the temperature of the water coming from the spout at about the 195F-200F range, so it's in the right range for extracting optimum flavor -the brew from this machine is just at the point of being tip-of-the-tongue scalding. The water is dispensed at a number of different points into the filter, and looking at the grounds afterwards you can tell that the dispersion pattern works well, as the coffee grounds remain clumped at the bottom of the filter, rather than being thinly spread across the entire filter.

Note that this is a minimalistic coffee maker. It is fairly compact, has an unassuming appearance, and there are no glowing dials, no HUDs, no clocks. There's one control: the on/off switch. It has no timer. It doesn't have a brew stopper, so you have to let the coffee maker finish before you can pour yourself a cup (since the coffee maker brews so quickly, this isn't too big of a deal). You cannot navigate your kitchen at night by the light from this coffeemaker, nor can you signal passing UFOs.

Nonetheless, it makes great coffee.

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VIDEO REVIEW:

The video captures brewing the first pot of coffee with the Bonavita and (briefly) how to fold a filter. It demonstrates pouring.

WRITTEN REVIEW:

Today I received my Bonavita Thermal Coffee Maker and made my first brew with it.

First impressions: This is one fast and impressive little machine. No wonder it garnered the Specialty Coffee Association of America's coveted Certified Brewer Equipment award: one of only four machines to do so as of this writing. This machine makes very hot coffee indeed: I measured the coffee in the preheated thermal carafe right after brewing at 188° F. With a non-preheated carafe the coffee was 183.2° F right after brewing completed.

Temperatures during brewing were at 195° F at 58 seconds into brewing and reached as high as 205.8° F briefly at the 4:04 minute mark and at 203.3° F at the end of the brewing cycle (see photos). Brewing time was 5 minutes 48 seconds, so just under six minutes.

A photo is attached of what you receive with this brewer, and the list, like the brewer, is very basic.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX:

* Bonavita BV1800 8-Cup Coffee Maker

* Bonavita Thermal Carafe

* Carafe Lid

* Filter Basket

* Bonavita "Brewing Perfect Coffee Everytime" Manual

* Small paper insert on how to clean the showerhead (the lid and showerhead are removable and can be cleaned in the dishwasher)

* "Bonavita Exceptional Brew" Manual

* Pink sheet of instructions for care of the thermal carafe, also known as the "Melitta insulation jug."

* Starter pack (4) of Melitta Super Premium Flavor Enhancing #4 Coffee Filters in Natural Brown

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

* Extra filters. A starter pack will get you going for the first few days.

* If you choose it, a gold tone filter, instead of paper filters. I purchased the Cuisinart GTF Gold Tone Filter, which fits inside the Filter Basket, in case you'd like to fit your Bonavita with a permanent filter. Be advised that gold tone filters do let in sediment (depending on how your coffee is ground), so if you use a gold tone filter, you may get sediment at the bottom of the pot. As a sidenote, so far, the Bonavita brew times have remained within the recommended SCAA guidelines when I tested it.

* ETA about the gold tone filter: Although I am a fan of gold tone filters, I have become a big fan of the Melitta filters since my Bonavita purchase as they have no paper taste. So I am sticking with paper Melitta filters for my Bonavita.

MY FIRST BREW:

The instructions are basic and easy to follow. Using the "Bonavita's Exceptional Brew" manual, I measured 7 grams of coffee for every cup or a total of 56 grams of coffee to make 8 cups. (Bonavita recommends between 7 and 9 grams of coffee per 5 ounces of water. The Bonavita "cup" size is a 5-ounce cup.)

You can also measure your coffee to taste or use the scoop size you usually prefer if that is your preferred method. More detailed instructions are in the manual.

I put a paper filter in the filter basket, folding the crimped edges of the filter (per the instructions on the back of the filter package) -the filter fits perfectly this way. I put the coffee into the filter, then placed the filter basket on top of the thermal carafe. I placed the thermal carafe onto the coffee maker, put in 40 ounces of filtered water, then turned it on. Voila! It began to brew.

The brewing cycle is fast and efficient at just under 6 minutes. I was expecting the filter basket might be clumsy to remove: not the case. Having previously used Chemex, Krups, Braun and even Cuisinart (with all of their dreaded innards), the simplicity of removing just the filter basket and replacing it with the thermal carafe lid was marvelous. One complete turn and the carafe lid was in place.

MY FIRST POUR:

My first impressions of the coffee? Delicious and strong. Hot at 188° F. I went back to the carafe three hours after making the coffee and took off the lid. Still hot. You *will* get hot coffee from this machine: blissfully hot coffee.

HOW TO CLEAN THE CARAFE:

There are a few reviews about exploding carafes. I clean my carafe by only swishing warm water inside of it (see the pink sheet of instructions). I don't put sponges, plastic dish scrubbers, or anything else inside the carafe. It's been fine so far.

A NOTE ABOUT PLASTIC TASTE, OR RATHER, THE LACK THEREOF:

There is no plastic taste with this machine. If I put my sensitive nose into it, I smell no plastic smell. I don't taste plastic in my coffee. Even with the first brew right out of the box. This is likely due to Bonavita's use of BPA free plastic. Hallelujah!

PROS:

* Very hot coffee.

* Speedy brew cycle of 6 minutes: within SCAA guidelines

* 1400-watt heating element (aluminum)

* Auto off after 15 minutes

* Glass-lined carafe that keeps coffee hot for hours

* One-full-twist easy-on carafe lid

* Easy off filter basket makes clean-up easy

Note:

* I'm only mentioning this so people will be aware in case it happens to them. After brewing, when I lifted out the paper filter from the filter basket, there was a small amount of coffee that had not drained from the filter basket. Apparently this has to do with the position of the hole in the filter basket and is for better extraction. I removed the paper filter and simply tipped the filter basket with its coffee directly into the thermal carafe. The amount of coffee is so small it is insignificant. ETA: After doing this a few times, it depends on the amount of coffee or your grind. The water might drain into the carafe on its own.

WHO SHOULD GET IT:

* If you love coffee; and you just want a deliciously brewed, piping hot, delicious cup of coffee

* If you want a machine that produces fantastic coffee but without all the "bells and whistles" such as programmable features, brew and pause, etc.

* If you are looking for a truly great thermal carafe: one that keeps the coffee hot, pours easily, and has an easily removable and replaceable lid

* If you want a machine that is easy to clean

* If you want a machine that easily fits under cabinets: my kitchen cabinets are low at 17 3/4" and the Bonavita fits under them easily at 11 5/8" high.

Overall, I'm extremely satisfied with this machine.

Please see my photos and video for more details.

Best Deals on Bonavita BV1800 8-Cup Coffee Maker

At the time I'm writing this review there were no reviews of this coffee maker and I almost overlooked it and ordered a different one. I would normally wait longer to post a review but this review may bring others attention to this machine. I have only used mine twice but I know from those two times this machine extracts more from the grinds than my Starbucks Barrista did because I can feel the effects of the caffeine after 3 cups (about 3/4 of the carafe) whereas I didn't feel it at all from the Starbucks unit (also 8 cup capacity) after a whole pot. I don't notice that the coffee is any hotter than it was from the Starbucks unit but it is piping hot. My Starbucks unit was 8 years old and had started to leak water on the counter during the brewing process and shut itself off before the reservoir was empty requiring multiple restarts. I am not trying to compare the Bonavita to the Starbucks because I did not descale the Starbucks unit anywhere near as frequently as I should have which may well have lead to the leaking problems. The Starbucks unit did brew a very good pot of coffee.

This machine is one of only four coffee makers certified by the Specialty Coffee Assoc. of America for home use. The certification is based on the machine's ability to heat the water to 195-205 degrees which is the ideal temperature to extract maximum flavor from the grinds. Bonavita claims on their packaging this is the only coffee maker sold with a 1400 watt heating element. The other three certified machines are a Bunn HG Home Brewer (sold on Amazon) which is slightly less money but when I read the reviews is very unreliable, the Technivorm Moccamaster which is $300 (sold on Amazon) the reviews indicated quality control problems, and the Lance Larkin BE 112 Brew Express $300+ (not sold on Amazon) which requires a water line permanently installed and is designed to be built into cabinetry. Since I was not going to spend $300 the choice was between the Bonavita and the Bunn but I immediately excluded the Bunn because of the numerous recent reviews indicating it stopped working and had to be replaced sometimes more than once. Bunn is known for high quality machines but it is very apparent this is not one of them.

The Bonavita's thermal carafe is manufactured by Melitta and has a glass liner. It can be purchased separately from Bonavita (perhaps Melitta too) and is so satisfactory to use I would recommend it even if you don't purchase the Bonavita coffee maker. One of the things I noted repeatedly in many reviews of thermal carafe coffee makers (all the brands Amazon sells) was users having difficulty using the tops of their carafes and/or dripping when pouring a cup. This carafe has a very easy to use top that screws on and has a trigger for one handed usage. My Starbucks carafe always dripped and the center spring loaded button broke on two tops. I am thrilled that I don't have to wipe the carafe and counter every time I pour a cup anymore.

Because of the caffeine effect from this machine's brew the next pot I'm going to use 3 rather than the 4 coffee measure spoons I have always used to brew 8 cups and see how that tastes. The machine is very easy to use, I simply fill the carafe and pour into the non-detachable reservoir than the filter basket sits on top of the carafe (with the carafe's top removed). After brewing which takes about 8 minutes you simply remove the filter basket and screw the top on. Again, because of the caffeine effect I have yet to finish a whole pot so I can't say how long the carafe keeps the coffee very hot but it is still piping hot 2 hours after brewing. My guess is probably 4 hours, maybe 5 like my Starbucks thermal carafe. It uses #4 cone filters and Bonavita claims using the paper filters is preferable to the metal style filter because the paper filters absorb more coffee oils.

The machine appears to be well built and all but the bottom and recessed drip tray area are stainless steel. Two potential downsides of this machine are 1) you cannot pour a cup until the brewing cycle has completed (doesn't bother me but may bother others) and 2) there is no timer function which for the cost of the machine I think there should be. It is not a feature I used very often on my Starbucks unit so I'm OK without a timer but others may want one.

The reason I rated the Bonavita 4 stars rather than 5 is because the machine is in such limited distribution the $149 price is in my view not a deal like almost every other coffee maker Amazon sells. There are however two ways to look at the price, I read an online review which favorably compared the Bonavita to the Technivorm unit which costs twice as much. Still, I think at some point this machine will have wider distribution and the price will come down. If you go to Bonavita's website they list the resellers and everybody sells it for $149-$159. I think closer to $100-120 would be a good deal.

It does have a 2 year warranty and at this point given my limited usage of the machine I would say that I am very satisfied with it. It does brew an excellent pot of coffee, is easy to use and clean and I like its appearance. So if you want an excellent pot of coffee poured from a drip free carafe and can overlook the lack of a timer and the ability to pour a cup before the brewing cycle has completed and don't mind the price this is a choice well worthy of consideration.

I was mostly satisfied with my Starbucks Barrista except for the carafe always dripping so thus far I like this machine better because the carafe doesn't drip. Here's a tip for Starbucks machine owners, call their customer service when yours stops working and complain that they have no support because they no longer sell coffee makers. When I did I was initially offered a $10 gift card but ended up with a $25 gift card.

On a side note, I was truly amazed by all the problems other owners reported with virtually every thermal carafe coffee maker Amazon sells. From machines that stopped working to those that spilled water/coffee all over the floor/counter to tops that leaked and/or were difficult to use. I probably spent a good 6-7 hours researching all the thermal carafe models filtered by highest reviews and had selected the Kitchen Aid 12 cup model but before I ordered it I quickly reviewed the models one more time and caught this one on the last of 7 pages of machines with no reviews. I'm glad I did. I hope my review will cause others to consider this machine.

If I encounter any issues with this machine I will update this review.

Honest reviews on Bonavita BV1800 8-Cup Coffee Maker

Making good coffee is actually quite simple:

1. Buy freshly roasted beans.

2. Grind the beans immediately before brewing.

3. Brew with 195 to 205 degree water.

The brewer can only help you with #3, and although there are various manual methods you can use, there are only two drip machines that are rated to consistently deliver the water at the right temperature: the Technivorm Moccamaster Coffee Brewer with Thermo Carafe and the Bonavita. I've been using the Bonavita for a month now, and I'm a very happy camper.

PROS

* The Bonavita heats the water quickly and brews at the temperature they claim. I measured the temp myself and it was right at 200 degrees.

* It makes a full pot (40 ounces) in 5-1/2 to 6 minutes. That's how long it takes to extract all the flavor from the grinds, so you don't want a brewer that works any faster. Of course, the coarseness of your grind affects the time. Too coarse and the water flows through too fast; too fine, and it bogs down and over extracts.

* It brews smaller amounts well, too. Just for myself, I make 3 cups (15 ounces) at a time. It takes two or three minutes and tastes just as good as a full pot.

* The showerhead design distributes the water evenly so all the grinds get to participate.

* The design is simple and attractive with a small footprint.

* I'm delighted with the lack of useless bells and whistles. The Bonavita's only "feature" is that it shuts off automatically. I'm a believer in unplugging small appliances when they aren't in use (let me tell you about my toaster oven experience sometime... ) but the auto shut-off is a nice safety feature in case I forget.

* The thermal carafe has a well-designed lid that screws on and keeps it sealed, so it should keep the coffee hot as long as coffee could be expected to stay hot in any thermos. I don't really keep coffee sitting around, so I have no comparison for that.

CONS

* The only real "con" is the price. I don't see why such a simple appliance has to cost $150, but since the only competition costs twice that much, the Bonavita is the best buy.

* This is really more of an FYI than a con. A lot of steam comes out of the top so you probably don't want to leave it directly under the upper cabinet while brewing. Just pull it forward.

UPDATE

Please don't let my comment about the steam discourage you from trying this great brewer. Obviously, any brewer that heats the water adequately is going to put out some steam. Just to be clear, the steam vents are the dot pattern you can see in the picture, on top above the basket, so the Bonavita design nicely directs the steam in one small area.

Keep in mind that you have to pull this or probably any brewer out from under the cabinet in order to fill the water tank anyway, so it's easy enough to just leave it pulled out while you brew.

ONE YEAR LATER

I've been using the Bonavita daily for more than a year now and it has held up well. I have no complaints.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Bonavita BV1800 8-Cup Coffee Maker

We bought the Bonavita January 3, 2013 and it worked very well. I appreciated the simplicity: it is easy to see how much water you have put in, one button to press makes operation simple. However, in late March (3/27/2013) the water did not heat. I tried again the next day with no luck. I'm guessing this is a bad heating element that should be replaced since it should work for more than 3 months. When I attempted to report the malfunction, I discovered the real problem:

The customer service is the worst I have ever encountered. Should something go wrong, you must email them with a full description of the problem. You must include several numbers off of the maker and carafe, so have those available. They will then email you back within 5 WEEKS! I am writing this review at the limit of the 5 weeks (5/2/2013) since I filed the service request. I have been very carefully scanning my junk mail folder to be sure I don't miss the email but they have not contacted me yet. For those of us who have a daily coffee or more, 5 weeks is really unacceptable. I have been using my back-up french press for the last month and the ridiculous delay has given me time to fall in love with it.

If you decide to buy the Bonavita coffee maker, be aware that if it breaks, you're on your own.

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