Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Review of 175,000 BTU Kerosene Forced Air Heater with Thermostat

175,000 BTU Kerosene Forced Air Heater with Thermostat
Customer Ratings: 3.5 stars
List Price: $449.99
Sale Price: $388.30
Today's Bonus: 14% Off
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I purchased this product as an upgrade from the 70,000 BTU unit and has worked great for what i use it for. Thermostat regulates the temperature well. One thing I did want to point out is the fuel tank, which holds 13 gallons. I purchased 5 gallons of K1 Kerosene from a local store which cost me $38.00 and only brought the tank up to just over a third full. Heater burned through the the 5 gallons between 4-5 hours of use so something to think about. I'll probably consider burning diesel as an alternative. Overall a great heater but note the fuel consumption and the large space you will need to use this.

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I purchased this brand new, assembled it, and fired it up in twenty minutes. I've owned torpedo heaters without the thermostat but since this model has one, it can turn on and off to maintain the desired ambient temperature. On about the fifth start up, I heard the ignition kick on but also heard the sound of a dying motor. The fan motor had seized. I tried troubleshooting it through the manual but this kind of problem wasn't listed. So, I took this matter into my own hands. I opened the top shell and tried to spin the fan. It was very resistant but after a few turns it eventually spun free. I fired it back up and it worked for a little bit and then repeated the incident. I dug deeper: removing the air filter and air filter housing. After removing the housing, the fan would spin free again. Turns out the rotor which pumps the air is slightly too wide for the housing. If you seen the rotors, they're made of graphite (just like the graphite used in mechanical pencils but instead of a small stick it's a huge disc with four small wedges emplaced in groves). As the rotor spins the wedges slide in groves displacing the volume but at the same time are wearing down. As the rotor wears down, the graphite shavings can either get pumped into the filter or build up between the rotor and housing. The buildup caused the jamming of the fan motor. My solution was to sand the rotor faces with 800 grit so it would have enough room to allow shavings to make their way out somewhere else.

So far this fix has kept the heater going but I'm wary as to the longevity of this unit. I've already researched online and there are some heater supply stores which sell replacement rotors for around $35. Surely there is a more efficient design to pump air into the tank. All is needed is a constant 5-10 PSI while the heater runs. Essentially, if one were to design a small supercharger, that could compensate the graphite rotor and prolong the heater life without troubling the fuel supply.

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Discount Canvas Log Carrier

Canvas Log Carrier
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
List Price: $39.95
Sale Price: $9.95
Today's Bonus: 75% Off
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The handles\straps seem very durable with tough looking nylon shell.

The inner surface is a shiny sort of plastic ... so I'd advise keeping these away from high heat.

I'd like these a tad better if they weren't quite so long and had a little more width.

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Bigger than I expected and it really is heavy duty...feels much more durable than the last one i purchased at our local hardware store and this one was a third of the cost. I'm very pleased with my purchase.

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This canvas log carrier is great. It's large enough and long enough (over 2') to hold enough wood for a fire that should last through the evening. It's also lightweight -which helps when carrying heavy wood. And finally, the closed design (rather than something with open ends / sides) helps to keep splinters and dirt from getting tracked through the house.

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Saves my husband and myself a few trips outside, and also keeps us from breaking the tile from dropping pieces.. I would definitely buy this again.

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I have used twice since Christmas (even though a gift for my hubby), and both times I found it easy to load, easy to carry, and easy to unload (I unload into my indoor wood holder; just let go of one handle and dump). Seems well made.

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Review of Texsport Deluxe Propane Heater

Texsport Deluxe Propane Heater
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
List Price: $47.49
Sale Price: $44.99
Today's Bonus: 5% Off
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As for the heater itself, this single-burner unit will take the chill off... if you want real warmth on a cold night you might consider the two or three-burner units, but for casual use this is a dandy.

But even better, when I got mine I accidentally broke a piece on it... I emailed Texsport customer support, they were very helpful and sent me a replacement part for free! Very nice of them. Will buy their products again for sure.

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Have had this for about two weeks and no issues, works great. Used it at a tailgate and in my garage. I hooked it up to a full propane tank and have used it for 8 hours on high and I still have plenty of propane left. Cools down fairly quickly.

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The heater is excellent. I have not been able to put it on full power because it is too hot. Nice to know it has power to sparte. Extremely easy to set up and light. Would recommend to any camper or outdoor person.

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I bought this heater just as insurance for infield camping at this years [2010] Daytona 500. As temps dropped into the 30's this heater kept our well ventilated 12x12 popup snug as could be with no noticeable fumes.Thanks for the quick shipping we would have been miserable without this.

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This product gets so hot it melts itself and turns into a flame thrower very scary luckily nobody got hurt save your money and by the mr heater version

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Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Holly & Martin Andorra Electric Fireplace Reviews

Holly & Martin Andorra Electric Fireplace
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
List Price: $999.99
Sale Price: $699.99
Today's Bonus: 30% Off
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I spent quite a while reviewing different fireplaces from different vendors. When I saw this one I fell in love with it. The "shipment" status stated about a week to 3 weeks for delivery so, I was very impressed when it arrived in less then a week. The instructions for putting it together were very specific and all the "holes and notches" fit perfectly. For the price the product is more then worth buying. Thank you, Kim

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I love it! It took 2 hours to put together and it was worth it! it is in my shabby chic bedroom and looks terrific!

Cheap Chef's Choice 677 Cordless Electric 1-3/4-Quart Teakettle

Chef's Choice 677 Cordless Electric 1-3/4-Quart Teakettle
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
List Price: $65.00
Sale Price: $49.95
Today's Bonus: 23% Off
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My wife loves a good cup of tea and in the past, we just left the kettle on very low heat on the stove. The other night I came home to the smell of gas. The breeze had blown out the flame and my wife, who had a really bad cold, was upstairs and could not smell the gas.

Time to get something a bit safer while we still had a house! After some research, we ordered this electric kettle (to the joy of my wife's British friends who think we are barbarians for not having one.)

I was astounded at how fast this thing heats water, maybe 5 minutes for a mostly full pot from tap-cold to full rolling boil.

The automatic shut-off works perfectly (and has a small light so you need not guess if it is off or on) and we no longer need to worry about errant gas fumes and whistling kettles.

The kettle is well-made, attractive and seems to be sturdy and definitely works a treat. Get one and you won't be disappointed. Needs a three-prong outlet, so make sure you can use it first. Sides do get hot but the handle stays properly cool and the safety lid works very nicely with no drops or leaks that I have seen.

Update, March 2012: About two years after the original purchase, the kettle died. We replaced it with the same model and that one has been going strong to this day. There's almost never a day it does not get used and other than cleaning it with vinegar once in a while to get the minerals out, it just keeps on chugging.

My wife even does hard boiled eggs in it using Alton Brown's method.

Good stuff, well made and at a fair price.

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In replacing our stovetop kettle with an electric one, I was looking for one to match the stainless steel & black appliances in our kitchen, and this one is great. This heats water much faster than the stovetop or microwave, and is pretty quiet in the process; the sides get a little hot during the heating, but the bottom stays cool enough to move straight to the table (sans trivet!) I don't know if the "scale screen" included will help any, but otherwise I think this a great purchase!

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I'm from Australia (and have also lived in the UK) and consider an electric teakettle a basic staple in the kitchen.

Two major gripes:

1. If you look inside there are actually silicone(?) fasteners used that touch the water consequently any water you boil in this one smells and tastes like metal and plastic/rubber, even after you've brewed it into tea. Completely unacceptable. Baking soda doesn't help much.

2. The stainless steel finish is HOT to the touch. Scalding/burning hot. I can't believe this thing is actually a consumer approved product. There is NO insulation whatsoever, yet this is a counter top product. You might as well just use a pot on the stove. Imagine if your stainless steel toaster burned hot on the outside.

Three minor gripes:

1. The lid is not solid and seems like it would break in a fairly short lifespan of use.

2. You pretty much have to fill it by lifting up the lid. You can't use the spout for this, like you can with a lot of models.

3. This thing is heavy. Heavier than a pot you might use to boil the same amount of water. This adds to the risk of burns.

On the plus side:

1. It looks fine.

2. This does boil your water quickly... so if you like the sound of bubbling water and that's all, then I guess you could buy this.

Unhappy buyer this one's going back. I wouldn't want this if someone gave it to me, let alone pay for it.

Honest reviews on Chef's Choice 677 Cordless Electric 1-3/4-Quart Teakettle

I gladly agree with most of the reviewers on these pages--this is a nice kettle that boils water very quickly. I like how the switch works, and the little light that tells you it's on, and I figure that for 40 bucks I got my money's worth already. But I have a few gripes.

As some other reviewers noted, the metal outside of this kettle gets much too hot. Don't do what I did and count on its insulating qualities when the kettle is too close to a plastic bag left on the counter. And don't touch the thing!

Also, the little button that opens up the lid, it don't work so good, so to speak, and if I want to open the kettle I have to pull the lid open with my fingers. That's not good design, dear Chef's Choice people.

I probably bought the wrong kettle. What I really want, and what I'll look for next time, is a kettle that has a separate heating element, so that the actual kettle is just that, a kettle, with a wide top--so I can heat broth in it for risotto (and then be able to wash it) and boil eggs (this opening is too small). I should have looked around more, or perhaps spent more money. Don't get me wrong, I've been pretty pleased with this kettle: if you want a nice-looking appliance to heat water fast, this is it. If you want more, well, keep on looking.

Update (after three years of almost daily use): the other day, the kettle seemed not to turn itself off properly anymore, as if the switch wouldn't click all the way up anymore. I took off the bottom and jiggled the mechanism a little bit, and now it's working properly again. Still, I'm keeping my eye on it and don't fully trust the auto-off feature anymore.

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I would not recommend this teakettle because the plastic lid seemed to off-gas a noxious smell and taste when boiling water. The off-gassing only started to dissipate after many boilings. I followed the instructions and boiled and emptied the kettle once before using, but my family and I noticed a distinctly unpleasant taste in our tea which coincided with the chemical smell emanating from the kettle as it boiled the water. It was also quite noisy.

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ProCom Dual Fuel Vent-Free Fireplace with Corner Conversion Kit Review

ProCom Dual Fuel Vent-Free Fireplace with Corner Conversion Kit - 32,000 BTU, Medium Oak Veneer, Model# FBD400RTCC-M-MO
Customer Ratings: 3 stars
List Price: $899.99
Sale Price: $849.99
Today's Bonus: 6% Off
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Had two of these in three months. Uneven heat, although warm there was a four degree variation in temp. with wireless thermostat. Gas valve failed on both new units within a month of installation, the second two days before Christmas. Also there is no flame adjustment, when on it is on full tilt. The only reason it got one star is because there was none lower. Very unhappy with this product.

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You will love this fireplace. It is made very good. The color is great also. Keeps our whole house warm.

Classic Flame Strasburg Vintage Cherry Fireplace with Casters Review

Classic Flame Strasburg Vintage Cherry Fireplace with Casters
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
List Price: $599.76
Sale Price: $372.99
Today's Bonus: 38% Off
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This is our second Classic Flame purchase. We wanted a smaller, portable unit for the bedroom to add warmth on cold nights. We have been very pleased with this unit! Comes with a remote control or, you can use the control panel buttons, both activate the automatic on-screen function indicators (indicators fade out when not in use). The flame is very realistic, there are 5 brightness levels so you can choose the desired flame intensity. The heater has 11 thermostat levels to cycle through (62, 64, 66-82 degrees), or turn the heater off and enjoy the ambiance. Also has a timer ... what a great idea! You can choose from one of ten timer settings: 30 minutes, or 1-9 hours. We turn the fireplace on 70 degrees and set the timer before we head up to bed ... the room heats up very quickly and is warm toasty when we arrive. Because the timer is set, the unit turns itself off after we're asleep. The cabinet is very pretty, too. The top has the look of inlaid wood trim which adds a very nice touch! If you're looking for a smaller, attractive fireplace/heater consider this unit. You'll get a beautiful cabinet, realistic fire (google Classic Flame, they've won awards), remote, temperature levels, and timer!

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