Holmes HAP725-U 99.97% HEPA Air Purifier

Good, basic, no frills, true HEPA filtration
I purchased this item because I had been looking for a reasonably priced true HEPA room air filter with no ionizer. I have heard conflciting information on the safety of ionizers which produce ozone in the home so I did not want that feature, though it is popular right now. I have pet birds which are high dander and wanted to filter the air in the room the birds are in, both for my health and the birds' health.

I have been really happy with this product. The box says it is for a 16' x 16' room. I am using it in a 12' x 16' room and it seems to do the job. It is compact and is designed to sit on its end or on its side, whichever you prefer. It is beige and unobtrusive. The item is ready to go right out of the box - you just have to install the carbon filters (HEPA filters are pre-installed at the factory). Installing the filters is a snap. The air filter is simple to use. There is power button to turn it on and off and it has four operating speeds, 1 through 4. You can also...

Great Air Purifier / fan!
We have had this model for a year now and it works great! It does a fantastic job removing dust from the air. We live in New York City, so there is a lot of dust and grime in the air, and we both have allergies. With this air purifier running, we have no problems breathing and can sleep soundly. Now we have a newborn and feel confident that the air in the bedroom is clean and fresh. It really circulates the air well. I change the filters every 4-5 months (you can purchase them for only $9.99 on Amazon.com for 4 filters!).

This is a great investment if you want ceaner air in your home.

Absolutely Excellent!!!
I just bought 2 of these and it works wonderful. I recently adopted a kitten and bought her home. Not realizing the effect it may or may not have on my younger daughter, she had an allergic reaction. Eyes started puffing up and nose very congested. I immediately went to K-Mart and purchased 2 (one for the living room and one for her room). After she took some allergy medication and turned these on, that was all she wrote. It worked perfectly!!!

I would definitely recommend this to anyone!!

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Jaipan 3 Jar Fine Mixer Grinder, 750-Watt

Beware: The mixier only operates at 300W Power. Average Indian Mixie
Update Oct/2012
I recently bought a Kill-a-Watt power meter and connected this Mixier and it is only using 300W power and not 750 Watts as advertised. I always have wondered why a 750 watts mixer grinder is not very powerful and now I know the reason. Consumer's are misinformed by either the marketer or the manufacturer.

PROS:
1) The cheapest Indian Mixer grinder I found in Amazon (I bought it for $80).
2) It has three jars which is useful for most of Indian family needs.
3) The seller delivered the product on time and as promised.

Cons:
1) This Mixer trips a lot (even with a small amount of load), which is a not good thing. However there is a trip switch in the bottom which we can use to temporarily enable it again.
2) The product as it delivered to our home appeared as if it is manufactured at least 2-3 years ago. It appeared old (but not used) and the washers in the jars smelled like old ones.
3) The Mixer advertises as 750...

CRAPPY! no.. no... CRAPPIEST Grinder ever
I am really surprised this thing got good reviews.
The blades of both of my Jars are stuck after one time use. They don't move no matter what I do... Reason the grinding particles are getting stuck in the thing that spins the blade. Once they dry up there is no where to move.

Lost $100 bucks on this thing.

It trips most of the time saying overload.. I am this close to throwing it out. Only thing stopping me are the $ 100 I spent.

I am able to use only 1 jar that too with lot of pouring hot water , trying to check on the blades if they can move before I start grinding... The blades don't move smoothly after 30 min of this exercise. Now I put it on the mixie turn it on with water only before the blades become free... The worst thing is no matter how much you clean before and after the blades always become hard to move.

My review in one sentence.... CRAPPIEST Mixer grinder ever

Cheap roadside quality
I bought this in desperation to buy a mixer grinder that meets the functions typical Indians need. In India, we wouldn't even give it a second look.

Cheap road side plastic with no standards... the parts look as if they are moulded by hand.

The plug doesn't fit standard american plug points.. I had to buy an adapter.

The steel jars are good, but the fitting of blades and it's plastic parts make it functionally unreliable.

It stopped working after two and half months.

It was used mainly to make chutneys.. grind soaked urad dal and rice for dosas. Something typically done almost 2 times in a week in India... and I wonder, how those we use in India last for years in India.. I am using Prestige since 7 years now... it works without glitch.

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DeLonghi Esclusivo DC414T 14 Cup Programmable - Glass - Stainless/Black

Great coffee, for a while
I bought this coffee maker about 6 months ago, and it's been excellent. It makes great coffee, and lots of it, and has all the features you want on a coffee maker. It's filter-less as well, which I really like. I never had any of the problems with spills that other reviewers had, but you do need to pay attention when pouring as the carafe's spout is a bit large.

That said, after just over 6 months, the unit died. The coffee was great, but the overall experience wasn't.

Great but...
The DeLonghi DC414T is a nice looking and nice brewing coffee maker with a lot of features, but...

You cannot pour a cup of coffee without spilling half the pot. I promise that I tried and tried and tried and tired of trying. The carafe on this maker is a reason to NOT BUY! If you decide to buy, make twice the amount of coffee you would like to drink because the other half will be soaked in the towel.

Leaky Coffee Pot!
I bought this for my office staff and we are replacing it for a few reasons.

1. It leaks badly! The am in total agreement with the other reviewers. The coffee pot spout and lid are so wide and lacks a proper seal thus creating a constant leaky pour. It's a mess around the coffee maker and the over-spill makes for a messy mug as well.

2. The coffee pot (carafe) broke after only 3 months of use. It simply cracked into pieces when we removed it from the burner one day - not sure why!

The replacement pot is almost as much as the entire coffee maker so I've decided to buy another coffee maker - not this model for sure.

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The Sharper Image 8147SI Stainless-Steel Super Grill with Interchangeable Nonstick Plates

Super Grill - Super Bang For Your Buck! *UPDATED REVIEW*
***UPDATED REVIEW TO 2 STARS***
Changing the rating from 5 to 2 stars and going back to one of George's grills. After using this grill 20-30 times (2 - 3 times a week for about 10 weeks), the mechanism securing the top plate no longer functions as it should. The grill is still usable, but the plates don't align as they once did and the top half wobbles. The problem allows lots more grease to splatter which leaves an oily outline around the grill on the counter after each use.

***ORIGINAL 5 STAR REVIEW BELOW***
The quick overview is that I highly recommend Sharper Image's "Super Grill" as your best bet for this price range. Compared to similarly priced better known competitors, you'll be happy with the Super Grill's highly desirable differentiating features.

First, but not the most important, the Sharper Image grill is really pleasing aesthetically. It just looks better than any of the others we've owned over the years and we won't park it away after...

Cooks great but instructions are terrible!
The unit cooks great....I found it to cook evenly on both sides. Love the interchangable plates. But the instruction booklet is more about covering the Sharper Image for legal liabilities than it is actual instructions for the user. I did not even know it had an articulating hinge until I discovered it on my own by looking at the pictures on the box and on the web. The booklet said nothing about it. That's why it only gets 4 stars. However, I would recommend purchase of this product. Another qwirk is that the unit only comes with one flat interchangable plate. So if you want to cook eggs or pancakes on both sides with the unit flat in the wide open position, you can only cook those items on one flat side the other side will be a raised grill plate. Don't know who came up with that brilliant idea....not a cook!

Grill OK, Manual Chinese?
My wife was wanting a waffle iron, but I wanted something more. As a kid, we had one that was a waffle iron/griddle. It could be used as a waffle iron (of course) or could be opened all the way, the plates flipped and the other side was a smooth grill plate. We always used it for pancakes. I was looking for something similar. After looking at several others, I found this at a local chain store.

Upon first inspection, I had a problem with was the instruction booklet. Though the English is decent, it doesn't tell you much. The only thing it is good for is the legal stuff and to show you how to change the cooking plates. As far as giving instruction about how to cook with it, you can discern just about as much by looking at the controls. Because the instructions don't give any clue as to where to put the controls for different kinds of meats, sandwiches or whatever it is that you're wanting to cook, it's all guess work. I've only had it for a couple weeks, so I...

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Shark XL Floor Kit for the Steam Pocket Mop, SXL3501

The REGULAR size RECTANGLE attachment is probably BIG ENOUGH ...
I purchased the Euro-Pro Shark XL3501 Floor Kit from NewEgg to use with the Steam Pocket Mop. I thought with the EXTRA LARGE mop head that I would be able to clean MORE space FASTER, but after using it a few times I'm not convinced. To me, the XL mop HEAD seemed just a little too big for the mop. (It is about 1.5x bigger than the standard/regular size rectangle mop that comes with the mop.) The mop was more difficult to push and manuever with the XL head (which is why I probably didn't clean any faster). In addition, the actual cleaning surface of the mop bottom seemed to be primarily in the very center of the XL mop head (as evidenced by the dirt pattern on the bottom of the pad). This is a "nice to have" accessory, but not a necessary one. I personally prefer the standard/regular size rectangle mop head since it moves easier across the floor (which is why I subtracted 1 star from the XL mop head's rating). A better investment would probably be additional pads for the regular...

xl floor kit
I bought the shark pocket steam mop in January 2010. I also bought the xl kit which I use most of the time. After 6 months of regular use 1 time a week , the connection from the unit to the mop head frayed and the mop head had to be replaced. This should not happen in such a short period of time. The mop itself is a great product and really does the job of cleaning the floors. Hopefully, this new mop head will last longer.

Good quality product
I have used the Shark steam pocket mop since December 2009. I like that it does not leave streaks or push the dirt around. It is easy and fast to use. The xl head is a better size then the small one that it comes with to allow more cleaning. I have found that rinsing the pocket off in the sink prior to washing helps remove the dirt and build up.

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Vornado TH1 Whole Room Tower Heater

Jury still out
I am disapointed that there are not more reviews on this product! We have a second home in the mountains with a bar/gameroom downstairs which has central heat, but still maintains a chilly 50degrees in the winter(outside temps in the teens). We wanted a small space heater to push the temp to around 60degrees. The room has a fireplace, but we don't want to burn a cord of wood every winter just to use the space for a few drinks or a movie. We bought a small Honeywell heater which didn't put out enough heat. We exchanged it for a bigger Pure Comfort box but it died the first night and the local hardware store didn't have a replacement... so.. we got back to the flatlands and purchased a Vornado. I plugged it in and I tried to warm our large(12ft ceiling-250sqft) living room just to see how it would perform, but after 40minutes it didn't seem to do much. I then moved it to our family room which is about 200sqft w/8ft ceilings, but is not an enclosed room(open to kitchen and hallway). I...

Not Strong Enough
We purchased this heater after our other, much older one, burned out. This heater is relatively small and runs pretty quietly, which is nice. But that isn't enough to compensate for the absurdly poor amount of heat that it puts out. We didn't expect much from a small room heater, but out of all of the room heaters that we have ever used this is by far the weakest one. It is also disappointing that this heater has very few settings and doesn't oscillate. If you want a little heater to warm your toes during spring while you're also running a stronger heater then by all means, get this one. If you're looking for an actual heater that has the ability to heat an entire room by more than 4 degrees than this is certainly not for you.

Made in China
The Owner's Guide uses page 2 exclusively to inform reader that Vornado products are "Designed, engineered and supported in Andover, Kansas.

My first Vornado purchase many years ago was the Vortex Heat Whole Room Portable Electric Space Heater. It was smooth, quiet, and best of all it offered a continuous running fan while the heat cycled off and on. This made for an uniterrupted pleasing sound to sleep or work by. It pleased me to think that these must be better machines because they were Made in America.
However, since then I have purchased 2 more such type units. Both, regretablly, not like the 1st. Both had a sporadic rattle of some sort that could be easily heard. I called customer service to voice my unhappiness, but there was not a sympathetic customer service rep on the other end. I still have these 2 units.
In November, 2012, I ordered the TH1 Tower Heater from Vornado for $99.99, with much anticipation that it surely would meet the preference for...

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Dexter-Russell (3-WAY) - Ceramic Knife Sharpener - Sani-Safe Series

Sous Chef
First off I want to throw in here that I went to school for a Culinary Arts degree. In school we practiced knife skills up the wazoo and in order to be successful at amazing knife skills you need knives that are as sharp as a razor. This sharpener is the EXACT ones we used in Culinary school to hone all the blades we wielded in the kitchen. Anyway, I left school and worked as a chef in different kitchens and never came across this type of sharpener again. And I missed it dearly.

Years later I decided to leave the restaurant industry behind and move on to more private chef types of jobs. And it was then that I wanted, no, needed to find this sharpener again. And here it was all along. The step-by-step sharpening option is excellent for bringing old knives back from the dead. But if you stay on top of your sharpening as I do, you will really only need to use the lightest colored ceramic bar to sharpen. That particular bar feels as smooth as ceramic can get. You...

Perfect for one-hand sharpening
This is perfect for persons who have only one useable hand. its weight keeps it in place while you're sharpening. This is very well made.

Needs Skill to Use Properly
For years, I've been successfully sharpening my knives with a two-stage Crock Stick; the rod angles are set in the holder, all one needs to do is draw the knife down the rods, keeping the blade fairly perpendicular to the holder. With the Crock Stick rods wearing down, I thought I'd try this sharpener as a replacement after reading the user ratings. Alas, it doesn't work well for me; constantly holding the knife blade at the proper angle to these rods seems all but impossible for me. I was able to use the course, blue stone to bring back a costly but really abused paring knife blade, but I could only sharpen it to "perfection" by finishing with the Crock Stick; thus, I will look for new rods for the Crock, now.

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