This is the 2nd Bosch washer I have bought from a local home improvement store. The first one was an entry level back at our old house replacing a noisy cheapo whirlpool in 2006. We bought Bosch because of how quiet they ran. Now in our current home we are replacing another cheapo whirlpool (dead) with another entry level Bosch but the price point is a couple of hundred less than 5 years ago. First, this has a stainless tub with a plastic bottom, whereas the old one was all stainless.

Now we get to how quiet it runs - on my old Bosch you had to put your ear next to the washer to hear it - the new one you don't have to, you can hear it pretty clearly but i would not describe it as loud by any means - you will not have to adjust the volume of a TV set in the kitchen or have to talk over it. I would guess its on par with or a bit better than most dishwashers at this price point. I am guessing Bosch is now using how quiet a washer is to set price points on their washers.

It cleans very well and dries better than the last one. Let me share what I know about a Bosch washer and how it Dries. You do not have the traditional vent on the countertop for steam to escape it goes through the drain - so you need to use a rinse aid like Jet Dry. The washer will heat the hot water supplied and has a hidden heating element under the Plastic/Poly bottom. It is possible to turn the heating element off - you need to consult the manual to adjust this and or the amount of rinse aid dispensed. With the heating element on, sanitized selected and using a rinse aid - all my dishes are dry in fact it dries better than the old model - the dishes are so hot right after a cycle that they are too hot to handle.

FYI - Many dishwashing detergents have been forced to change their formulas (remove phosphates in the past 12 months) some traditional detergent brands are now terrible to the point where people are buying new dishwashers when they only need different detergents - I have found the best results with Finish tablets.
This washer is made in the USA and i do not expect it to last as long as my mother-in-law's still running trouble free 16+ year old German built Bosch. The stainless steel outer door feels a bit flimsy when you wipe it down.

All in all I think I got a fair product for the money and do not think I would have a better product for the same $ I spent on this. The only thing else I would say is that it does not have a solid food dispenser and if you want near silent operation you and your wallet will need to step up the Bosch line.

Pros
bang 4 buck, made in usa, cheaper $

Cons
made cheaper

UPDATE 6/27/13 - I am still getting consistent performance out of my dishwasher.  If I had to do it all over again, I would have spent a bit more for a 100% stainless tub as this does not live up to its name in terms of quiet performance.  All in all though I do feel as though I did get a reasonable bang for the buck.  I did have a Bosch front load washing machine that I wound up replacing after 3 years, so Bosch will only get my money for dishwashers, wiper blades & spark plugs from now on.  I have not experienced any rust whatsoever as the other reviewer mentioned.  Recent sellers on amazon of this product seem to be selling this at a premium it doesn't deserve as I got mine at a big box retailer a year and a half ago when it wasn't on sale for quite a bit cheaper.  Check prices thoroughly.


My old floor display LG finally was laid to rest. 5+ service calls and then it started leaking and wouldn't power up. I researched every web-site and every customer review. Bosch doesn't offer an affordable line with a build-in garbage disposal feature, which sounded like something I wanted as an added feature. Never-the-less... It was a holiday week and I needed my dishwasher replaced, and fast. I did my homework using Consumer reports, due to their testing and non-bias reviews. This model rated 81/100, which was the highest rating for dishwashers. I wasn't crazy about the models with hidden controls and I liked the remaining time display. The stainless steel tub is nice (note: the bottom and top aren't stainless steel... rather a greyish plastic, but who cares? The top rack is on a track which I do feel make for longer lasting and easier in and out access. It's not as quiet as my late LG. The sounds of filling and emptying cycles can be heard, however it's not a really big deal for me and it's only a little noticable. I read one review that says the Pot scrubing cycle doesn't get the water hot... WRONG! Opening my door during the cycle gave me a free-steam facial. Not recommended... LOL. So heat is not a problem. Here's what is...

The loading problems I reviewed were not great, and this is true. The tines are very tight... Bosch is trying way too hard to make dishes fit. If I was only washing plates, this machine would be a dream. Note to Bosch... Most families use a large assortment of dishes, bowls, glasses, pots and pans. Put some space back between those tines! Some are adjustable but most on the bottom rack are fixed. (I have to be creative at times to get the plates and pots to fit at the same time. Deal breaker? Not really... I just want everything clean. And clean is what I'm getting. This unit is a work horse. I've done back to back washings after Thanksgiving. Even put the pots and pans all together for their own cycle, fearing that some food particles might settle on the glass ware, but this wasn't a problem at all. The filter does need to be cleaned once in a while, but I've only done so twice in 2 weeks, and it wasn't that bad at all. Might have even gotten by with just one cleaning.

Bosch recommends Finish tablet which is another #1 rating from Consumer reports. One soap tablet per wash. Not bad at all. There are enough settings to make my daily use easy. The quick wash selection is good for a normal breakfast. The sanitize option is great and helps the dishes dry as well. There is no heating unit, so that's a plus/ minus for some, but my LG didn't either so I knew what to expect.

For the price... This was a Great deal and I'm happy so far. I can take the little minor loading issues over the fact that I've always gotten a clean load when it's finished. Run times are long, 1-2+ hours, but again... nothing new for me. If you want clean and can tolerate a trickling noise between cycles, then look no further. Easy to self install... (took me 30 minutes) Note to Bosch... I like my products boxed... Not shrink wrapped. Just saying...LOL Time will tell how long this one will last, but so far, it's the best I've owed. Oh... Bosch is noted for the least amount of repairs. Good sale point for me. Hope this helped.

Mr. CaZ


We bought this Bosch Ascenta SHE3AR75UC dishwasher after our old 10 year old Bosch dishwasher started to turn itself off mid-cycle. We have fixed our old Bosch once for the pump (under warranty) and once for the control board (past warranty), but we still liked it enough to get another.

Since we already had the hookups from our old washer, I decided to install the unit myself and I am glad I did. Installation was easy, but a $20 hookup kit is recommended so you have all the brass fittings and hoses necessary to get the job done.

This Ascenta SHE3AR75UC is a less expensive machine than our last, and it does show in a few areas. The tub in ours is plastic instead of stainless, and the wire of the rack is a thinner gauge. The door works perfectly fine, but has a slightly stiff action when closing. The control panel on the front is clad with plastic, not stainless steel like the picture seems to show.

This washer is not silent like our last Bosch, but it is still quiet. Noise is the main caveat for not spending $250 on the next model up. Our old washer had a thick plastic casing that encased the lower internals, this one has exposed drain tubes that allow the sound of trickling water to be heard near the front kick panel. The trickling sound can be faintly heard from the next room with the room door open. Not a deal breaker.

Bosch decided to re-design its racks since our model, and I am not happy. I like to fit dishes most effectively for fuller loads. Our older Bosch had larger spacing between all the tines in the racks, allowing the rack to be more versatile for the different shapes of bowls and plates. The new rack has much tighter spacing between the tines of most sections, preventing certain dishes (cereal bowls and glasses in particular) to be fit almost anywhere in the lower rack. Our family has at least 4-6 cereal bowls per wash, and I am still trying to figure out where they should go. The Bosch manual should loading examples, none of which have more than two cereal bowls. I would estimate that the lack of versatility of the racks means that we lose up to 10-15% capacity per load over our old Bosch. Some Ascenta models come with a folding silverware rack that allows you to place it in different configurations for more versatility. I wish our model had that. Perhaps I will discover the secret to the new racks, but so far I am stymied. Not quite a deal breaker, but certainly knocks off a solid star (or star and a half) off of an otherwise perfect score.

The normal cycle takes longer than our old unit.  1:55 instead of 1:25. That one half hour is significant if you have to run two loads during a large dinner party. Otherwise, who cares. Fortunately, the machine offers "delicate" and "express" modes that take 1:20 and 0:30 minutes respectively - which can serve in a pinch.

The washer does a fine job of cleaning. No complaints so far.

The biggest question is: How long will it last? We bought this less expensive model assuming that the control board or pump may eventually go bad (like most appliances we have had), so when we pass the warranty and extended warranty periods, the decision to replace the unit won't be as tragic. Hopefully Bosch has made some improvements since 12 years ago.

I will update this review if anything changes.


I'm sure the remarkably bad experience I had with my former dishwasher, a Whirlpool Gold GU2800XTV, has a direct bearing on my enthusiasm for this Bosch dishwasher. That Whirlpool dishwasher was without a doubt the most troublesome appliance I have ever owned over a span of 60+ years. Fortunately I purchased the extended warranty but even the Whirlpool warranty company eventually wrote the GU2800XTV off as a lemon.

This Bosch, on the other hand, has done everything asked of it in a marvelously competent manner. I'll agree that dish placement is different from other dishwashers I've owned and I'm still going through a learning curve but I've managed to successfully load everything to this point with increasing speed as I learn how to organize the dishes we normally use.

Page 7 of the owner's manual offers four different loading patterns for the top rack and four more for the bottom rack. With that many suggested alternatives and a little creativity one should be able to develop one or more loading patterns that will work for your family.

With my Whirlpool I had a constant problem with wet dishes at the completion of the cycle even when their "Hi-temp" wash setting and "Heated Dry" were both engaged. In order to test the Bosch I used the "Auto Wash" setting but did not engage the "Sanitize" option. I have been delighted to discover the dishes, including plastic cups, come out dry and need no additional drying before replacing in the cabinets. We no longer need the dish towel when unloading the dishwasher which was an absolute necessity with the Whirlpool.

Although we have no way of objectively measuring it, my wife and I both agree the dishes are coming out with a shiny sparkle they most assuredly did not have with the Whirlpool.

I had the dishwasher installed by a professional and the installation went smoothly and very fast. There have been no problems with the dishwasher and it has consistently done an outstanding job. While it is very quiet, the Whirlpool was, perhaps, a little quieter but that is the only good thing I can say about the Whirlpool; it washed poorly and dried poorly very quietly.

I tried to follow all of the setup instructions that came on the extra sheet "Getting started with your new dishwasher." This is a loose sheet but has some important information on it, be careful it doesn't get thrown away during unpacking.

On page 9 of the manual it is pointed out the Bosch uses less water than most and therefore needs less detergent. The detergent cup is measured and has lines at 1, 2, or 3 tablespoons. On page 10 we are told that 1 tablespoon will clean most loads and that is what we have done with excellent results.

Since we do not wash our silverware in the dishwasher we have removed the basket. On page 8 of the manual detailed instructions are given on placement otions for the basket and the loading pattern for silverware placement in the basket.

The top rack is adjustable and can be moved up or down to accommodate larger items in the top or bottom rack. The top rack can also be completely removed. Some of the other Bosch models come with a sprinkler head for washing really tall items. This arrangement permits complete removal of the top rack and the insertion of a plastic sprinkler head that enables the user to wash really tall items that would sit on the bottom rack. The sprinkler head does, however, fit on this machine as well and can be ordered as part number 5600-037-096 (PP-TV20).

After three years of failure in trying to get the Whirlpool to do the job it was supposed to do you can imagine my joy in finding a machine that does the job vastly better right out of the box. I recommend this machine highly. For the record, a noted consumer reporting agency also classified this model as a "Best Buy."


We didn't buy our Bosch here at Amazon, but have been so grateful for reviews we've used here that we thought we'd pass along what we've experienced with this product.  We did post reviews at other sites, but aren't sure it's okay to post a link here.  But since there's so much more information to share when it comes to these dishwashers, here's a link to one of our posted reviews: (...).lowes.com/pd_353032-39047-SHE3ARF2UC_4294857924__?productId=3384512&Ns=p_product_avg_rating|1 -- 12/11/2012 by BeingHereNow.

Don't know how to react to reviews where the rating is 4 or 5 stars but the content talks about how bad rack and flatware basket design is way less than user friendly.  The content is helpful, but the high rating isn't.

I've posted information at two other sites, but after going back to the store where we bought our Bosch Ascenta Series 24 In dishwasher, model SHE3AR...(F2UC/08), and comparing the rack sizes to other dishwashers, it quickly became obvious that we had missed the obvious:  the Bosch racks are SIGNIFICANTLY smaller than those found in other 24" dishwashers.  So much so, that we think these dishwashers really should be listed as 'compact' or somewhere between 'compact' and 'full-size'.

Nobody seems to be advertising that the racks are 20" wide, but only 18" deep.  That's 360 square inches of space per rack.  The racks we measured in machines by other companies were around 20" to 21" wide, but several were 21" deep.  20" X 21" racks have 420 square inches of space per rack.  That means there is 120 SQUARE INCHES LESS loading space (60 square inches less per rack) in the Bosch Ascenta Series dishwashers.  We think that's a lot!

Kind of explains why the interior design of the racks is so 'unusual'?  I guess they figured that it was important to force the user to load everything together tightly in order to support the place settings capacity claims.  We're also thinking that Bosch uses the place setting capacity claims, along with the "standard" rack widths so that buyers don't notice how much space the racks are missing.  I do think there was mention of the racks being "slightly smaller" in the Consumer Reports reviews.  But even their testers don't appear to have realized that the size differences really do add up.

Yeah, when you're in the store looking at dishwashers, the Bosch is right up there with the others when it comes to place setting capacity and the rack widths look to take up the same space across the opening.  So,  even if you notice that the racks seem to be smaller, how much smaller doesn't really sink in at the time.  There's probably sales literature, and a bag with the manual, etc. in the racks.  And, of course, the sales reps are making sure you notice the filtering system and that the Bosch dishwasher doesn't need an external heating element.  To be fair, we're not sure that most sales reps will ever have had reason to notice the obvious, since the marketing of these machines is so clever that it appears that hardly anyone ever notices realizes that size is a significant factor when it comes to loading issues, not just the configuration of the racks.

Hope this is helpful to others.


I received my TC9102D HV on a Saturday and had my freezer chilling the
next morning, ready for my next batch of amber ale.  I just wanted to add
a little to the reviewers' remarks.  First, according to my electrical
engineer neighbor, the power lead, not the common side, should be switched
- Always.  All the instructions say is that the relays have no polarity
and will accept any voltage up through 240v.  While you could switch the
common side, it's a BAD idea.  Several reviewers mentioned they received instructions in Russian?  Mine was in English.  In any event, the manual for the controller is on the manufacture's website at:
[...]

If you are unclear on wiring, here's how I did mine.

Wiring is a snap.  I got a double metal electrical box, a on/off switch,
an dual outlet, and a 1/2" connector to connect the metal box to the
controller.  There are pictures of these things in another reviewer's
entry.  I pulled a three prong 14 gauge electric cord from my grab bag of
Goodies from a long dead circular saw.  If you have to buy one, 6' 14 gauge would be fine for up to 15
Amps.  The round prong is ground, the wide
blade is common and the narrow blade is power.

So, my cord comes into the metal box:

Common (white wire): Run a common lead up to the "common" screw of the
controller's "Power Connection."  Run a common lead to the screw on the
wide blade side of the electrical outlet.

Power:  If you want the whole unit switched, run the power through the
switch.  Using the screws on the same side of the switch, run the black
line from the power cord to one screw.  Then the lead coming off the other
screw will be switched "power" for the next circuit (may be marked
"common" on the switch itself...ignore that).  Run the now switched power
lead to the controller.  This lead will make three connections: the 120v
screw of the Power Connection, one side of stage one and one side of stage
two.  I just cut little lengths of wire, exposed 1/4', twisted the strands
together and bent into a "U" shape.  I used the "U"s to jump the power
from one to the next connection.  Each stage should now have an empty screw.  Run leads from each of those screw back down to the electrical box.

The outlet:  On either side of the outlet, you'll see two screws.  Note a
metal tab that bridges the connection of these two screws.  Leave the common
side alone.  On the narrow blade side of the outlet, break off that tab
with a screw driver or needle nose pliers.  Connect the now relayed stage
one line to one screw on the narrow blade side and the relayed stage two
line to the other narrow blade side screw.  Now you have two independently
controlled outlets.  You could take a sharpie and put a black dot on the stage one outlet and two dots on state two.

Ground: connect the ground (green wire from the round prong) to the ground
screw (probably stained green) on the outlet.

Hope this helps...


Im giving the parts 5 stars because it cured my Unbalanced problem with the Whirlpool Cabrio washer that I have.

I don't know about the others but it took me about an hour and a half to remove and install the 4 suspension rods  don't kid yourself, this is really a 2 man job but you can manage with a few tools. You will need a long flat head screwdriver (about 12 in length), a vise-grip and a flashlight. In my case, I couldn't get my arms down into the little space and was not able to pull the tub upwards  if you have a stainless steel tub (that is what I had), it will be heavier than a plastic one. If you have a second person, that person can push the tub to the other extreme and / or lift so that the rod hook comes out easier. I didn't have a second person to help so this is what I recommend.

The easiest rod to lift (if you are facing the washer), is the one on the left back  that has the most space for your arm  so this is the one I changed the first. Keep in mind the first one is the toughest  one, there is a learning curve and two, you do not have any convenient way to pull the rod out (as pointed out by other reviewers, for the second, third and fourth, you can use one of the old rods as a fish hook to pull the new rod through the anchoring hole). This is where the vise-grips come in handy  I used the vise-grip to pull the rod up and with a combination of the screw-driver and vise-grip was able to wrestle the plastic suspension ball away from the first rod hook. My Whirlpool Cabrio washer was the older model that did not have a plastic bushing  instead it had grease that I had to wipe away. Removing the old rod from the bottom busing is also a struggle  this is where the long screw-driver comes in handy  I just pushed at the tabs holding it to the tub with the screw-driver and was able to release the bottom anchor  you may need a flashlight for this to see what you are doing (as I could only insert about half of my forearm into the space between the tub and the metal enclosure  if you have very skinny forearms you might be luckier).

Inserting the new bushings were a bit tricky as well  After cleaning out the grease at the top (you may not have it). I inserted the new bushing by pressing in the tabs with the screwdriver while pushing it in from the top. The bottom bushing works easy when you pull up on the rod as it snaps into place. For the second to the fourth rod, I used one of the older rods as a fish hook to pull the older rod out  much better and easier.

After I completed the rod on the left back, I went in a counter-clockwise direction  the front left, the front right and last of all the back right. The reason for this is that the back right has an additional hook for the water. I recommend you take a photo of how it looks like before detaching it, so that when you are finished replacing the rod, you can compare it with how it looked before.

For a how-to video, just google "whirlpool W10189077 suspension" and you will find several videos showing you how to replace this part.


DO NOT SPILL ANY AMOUNT OF LIQUID ON THE STOVE TOP. You will ruin the entire range!!!! We had a spill of 2-3 cups of oil from a frying pan on to the stove top of our Frigidaire Gallery range. We turned off the burners we were using and also the oven. After a couple minutes we started using paper towel to absorb the hot grease. It took less than 10 minutes and all seemed well. We used the burners after cleaning up and even turned the oven back on. We used the oven for 2-3 weeks and then last night while cooking a lasagna for over an hour at 350 we started smelling a really weird "plastic" smell. Then smoke started comming from under the stove top and was burning our eyes and throat. We turned off the oven and left the door open. The smoke continued for over an hour even though you could touch the inside of the oven with your bare hand and it wasn't hot. After it cooled we took off the cook top and saw a cantalope sized black charred insulation under the back left burner. No other burners showed any sign of oil. Oil had apparently seeped under the burner when it spilled and soaked the insulation. When the oil spilled it barely made it up to the base of the aluminum burner where it meets the cooktop. The oil was spread evenly across the cook top below the grates yet only one burner leaked the oil. It is obvious they didn't tighten the burner when they assembled the top. If they had then none of the oil would of leaked. We have talked to Frigidaire three times now and they sent out a tech to look at it. The guy said that Frigidaire never covers any oil spill damage. I asked, even if it is because they didn't bother tightening the burners down at the factory, basically he said yup! So we called frigidaire back and they said call another tech in if we didn't think the first one did a fair job. We called two more techs and they both said the same thing, if it has anything to do with oil spilling, they will not cover it. Even though we keep calling frigidaire, they obviously would rather have their factory authorized techs waste their time rather than just saying what the techs keep saying. We don't care if we messed up, we will not take responsibility for a design that destroys the range if you spill a little oil!! The repair will bee $450- $525 to just cut out the charred insulation and replace with a piece. Frigidaire sold a range that wasn't put together properly, they couldn't care less and every one of the repairman said STAY AWAY FROM FRIGIDAIRE or any of the Electrolux brands as they have horrible warranty policies and Frigidaire sees alot of problems throughout their gallery line especially! I made the mistake of buying a Frigidaire Gallery refrigerator, range, microwave for our kitchen remodel. I WILL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!!! NEVER!!!!!!!!!! Thank God I bought a Whirlpool diswasher after we returned the Gallery before we installed it. One and two star ratings for the dishwasher was to big of a risk! I will Electrolux will NEVER pawn their crap off on me again. I remodel kitchens and bathrooms for a living and I will ALWAYS warn against using such junky appliance made by such a pathetic company!!!!!


I purchased the PureWash system in May, 2012 and have purposely waited to write my review.

First, this is obviously a company that puts a lot of innovation and attention to detail into the product.  The packaging was outstanding. It includes the unit itself, instructions, a placement guide a small level and a small hammer.  I had also watched a YouTube video on installation (recommended) prior to receiving this so I was ready to go once it arrived.  Installation was simple and straightforward.  I have a standard washer.

Dirt and Grass stain test:  For the initial test, I took a white cotton dishtowel and ground in outside dirt and grass (I mean *really* ground this dirt into the cloth).  The intial wash of several minutes removed all of the dirt and made a significant dent in the grass stain.  Next, I used some detergent on the grass stain and tossed it in the washer again.  More stain came out, but not all.  Grass is a tough test. I also ground in more fresh grass and pre-treated it with regular detergent.  This worked better than without detergent.  I do not wash kids' clothes, so I can't speak to those particular challenges or stains, but would like to hear feedback on that if anyone can add a comment.

My first gas bill came in with a savings of over $30, and continues to save at least that much each month.  Those savings combined with the savings from not buying laundry soap or fabric softener and I this should be paid off in savings within a year or so.  I addded the purchase cost of some natural soap nuts liquid to this estimate.

Everything else:  I loved the results immediately.  It took me some time to break the detergent/fabric softener habit.  I continued to use a small amount of both for a while (until I ran out).  What I discovered was interesting and unexpected.  What I found is that the more I used PureWash on my clothes, the better they came out.  At first, some clothes felt stiff and artificial, so I used fabric softener.  Many loads later the opposite occurs: if I add fabric softener the clothes feel stiff and waxed.  This might be a re-learning process of what "naked" laundry feels like, but I think it also is a process of getting residue junk out of the clothes, and that this process takes numerous washings.  It took my towels the longest to start coming out feeling right. Whites are whiter, colors are brighter (no fading).

Note:  I still use "detergent" every once in a while - I use a small amount of a soap nuts liquid. Soap nuts are a product that come from trees and have natural saponins.  Also, if it is something like my gym towels that are stale from being in a locker, I add a capful or two of bleach.

The other thing I do sometimes is just put the cycle on "pre-wash" and that's it.  It is like an intense rinse if something needs to sit in the PureWash-treated water.  No more extra rinses, sometimes just a wash if I catch the machine at the right time to bypass the buit-in rinse cycle.

One of the best parts?  When I gave a friend a hug a few weeks ago she said, "Wow! What do you wash your clothes with?  They smell great!"


I liked the idea of getting a better seal on my dryer vent, so I decided to try this. I wish I had not.  First, it doesn't come with the vent tube attached like other vents, so you have to go find one (especially if your old one is a bit corroded).  Second, having found one at the hardware store, I inserted it, but it wasn't a very firm fit.  So I pushed it in a bit more firmly, and the elbow split apart at the seam.  Consequently, I then had to get several large matching wire ties to wrap around the elbow tube to make it stay together.  Even then, there were gaps that needed to be caulked.  The vent pipe also needed to be glued in place to stay firmly in the hole

On top of all that, unlike other vents, because of its size and weight, this unit really won't work well without screwing it to the wall as shown. Two problems with that.  First, they dont' provide the screws, and, even if they did, ordinary screws wouldn't work for stucco.  Second, the manufacturing is sufficiently poor that the mounting base on the bottom piece does not come close to lining up with the mounting base on the top piece.  So the top piece is out about 1/2 to 3/4 inch from the wall, and not screwed on as shown on the picture.  Forcing it to the wall would likely have broken it.

So, I have now (i) gone to the hardware store to purchase the vent pipe, (ii) gone to the hardware store again to get the giant wire ties to repair it, (iii) gone back again to get the caulk and glue needed to seal the seam and keep the pipe in place, (iv) finally found some screws that will work on stucco and have a whitish color on the heads that will match the vent, (v) put new holes in my stucco wall to mount it, and caulked all around to seal the edge as well as the seam.  And even with all that, it still looks like it's not completely mounted correctly because the top portion just wouldn't line up.

With all that, does it work better than an ordinary vent?  Yes, I think so.  I like the comfort of having the perfect seal now when the dryer is not blowing, and now that the weather is getting colder, my wife is pretty convinced that the laundry room is not as cold as it was in prior winters.  On the other hand, the lint tends to accumulate all over it, especially on the warmed caulk.  Also, if you're just worried about small animals, there are vents with built in guards on Amazon that would look to be just as effective.  But this vent would certainly do a better job than anything else of keeping bugs out, if you have an issue there.

But it just wasn't worth all the hassle.  Would it be worth it if they included an attached vent pipe, had better manufacturing quality and included an appropriate assortment of screws and maybe sealants?  Yes, I think so.  And it would have been worth an extra few bucks for the added cost.  If you live in a really cold climate, it might be worth it even with the hassle, although I wonder if much of the improvement might simply be the result of taking the time to caulk the edges for improved seal rather than from the vent itself.


October 2016. Wanted to give the machine a few months of service before writing this review, of which the theme is in a word, outstanding. What a little pistol this Frigidaire has been thus far! I come from great kitchens and good, expensive, full-size dishwashers; I'm picky and attentive to machinery. I dread buying plastic-based machines made in China. Was not sure what to expect from this "apartment" dishwasher. Well guess what, it's great! I'm 3 full months in. I had it professionally installed by a plumber who knew what to do; a good place to start. I run it 3-4x a week, I keep the rinse-aid compartment full and I use a small-to-medium amount of dish washing detergent and use the LIGHT wash feature every time as an energy-saving attempt ~ it has never failed to deliver sparkling dishes, serve-ware and flatware which are done in the middle of the night (another energy-saving attempt) using the 2 or 4--hour delay start feature. If you're noise sensitive, this is a normal-to-quiet machine, but again I had a real pro install it with the incentive to do it well, no half-baked install here... I would bet that some of the complaints here stem from people getting excited about this inexpensive price point, but then throwing a home-brewed install at it. Just an observation. It's great looking, my kitchen looks like a little Paris or New York City kitchen. People notice it! Women, go ooohhh this dishwasher is cute! It has a sparkly stainless interior which perhaps is staying so nice as I keep the rinse-aid compartment full. Ask me any questions here if you want - I'm an appliance snob and I've paid close attention to this little guy so I could make a thoughtful review for all of you, my Amazonian brethren. BTW, the delivery was good, I opened it with the plumber present a couple days before install as I had read the reviews in which some arrived damaged and I didn't want my install appointment day botched by opening a botched machine. He and I determined it was all systems go and he returned a couple days later for a 3-hour install which included a little under-sink re-routing of a pipe to make room for it. I paid him $600 and was glad for it. How exciting to have this cute dishwasher to my rescue, and honestly it works like a trooper. Super happy about it!

PS - we all use dishwashers differently, and if you believe commercials and marketing that make it look like dishwashers can clean an un-rinsed lasagna platter, we'll you're just inexperienced. I don't put anything EGGY or CHEESY or heavily FATTED into my machine without 80% rinsing it with warm water first. I don't want stink or fat rinsing into my new DW pipes so I manage that over the trash can or down a warm sudsy kitchen sink first. While we're on the subject of care & performance, I also run my garbage disposal with hot water and a little dish soap before I hit my start button (in most cases, your garbage disposal shares an exit pipe with your DW, so you should just know that whatever unfinished business you have in your garbage disposal drain will present itself as odors or problems over in your machine. Love this little dynamo 18" machine!

February 2018 - still great! Sparkling dishes and a super clean machine interior. Every now and then I take a cotton ball with some alcohol on it and run it around the edges and seams of the interior compartments just because I like it clean & shiny and this lifts the lime deposits. One of the best appliance purchases I've ever made.


The dual fuel decision was fairly obvious for us. We were coming out of an electric slide-in so were already wired for 240V and going straight gas would mean not only having to install the gas line but also add a 120V line. FYI .... although we could have had a contractor install the gas line the price for having the gas company do it for us was right in line with everyone else.  Total install cost with parts was about $200 and they just put it on my gas bill.

We've had the stove for about 3 months now.  In no particular order here are some observations:

 Pros:
1. Wife and I both love cooking with gas.  Just for giggles I did an electric vs. gas timed test for bringing water to a boil. The gas was NO faster than electric, however, the temperature control with gas is much better. Except for camping we are both new to gas and love it.

2. The stove comes with both a grate and a griddle for the center section. We only use the griddle and let me tell you, Dad (that's me) is now making better pancakes than ever. Zero stick, REALLY even heat, and fairly easy cleanup (After the griddle cools just rinse it in the sink)

3. My difficulty when deciding between this unit or the GE Profile was the location of the gas knobs. This was the right choice. I worried that having them on the front (Cafe) rather than on top (Profile) would make it easier to bump into a knob and break one. Not only are they well guarded by the oven handle, the flat section above the knobs (where the knobs are on the profile) is much easier to clean.

4. Two lights in the oven.  Nice.

5. Biggest Pro ..... my wife loves it. Any guys reading this know how wonderful that is. ;)

Cons:

1. I suppose we got spoiled with our old smooth top when it came to cleaning. Some soap, a cleaning pad, and it was done.  Naturally the burners and all the contours make this cleanup more labor intensive. I'm really okay with it (My honey does the cooking, I do the cleaning) but it's good to know what you're getting into.

2. The inside oven glass is a true pain to clean. The baking soda paste method works the best but it takes both time and energy.

3. Perhaps silly but here is my biggest gripe (Are you listening GE?).  The front control pad is intuitive and easy to use but the buttons have no backlighting. In a fully lit kitchen all is fine but if the lights are down just a little you can't see them (Grey buttons on black background).

4. In the picture you may notice the vents on the back of the unit. Really hot air comes out of these vents. The only part I don't like is there are also vents on the back side (facing the tile backsplash) and it gets the backsplash (for me) uncomfortably hot. Perhaps I have an unfounded concern but I don't want all the heating and cooling cycles to crack the tile.  No damage yet.

Additional observations (Not really pro or con, it just is):

1. On convection the oven is a little slower to heat up, but I didn't consider it a con since I'm guessing all convection ovens are likely like that.

2. The fan noise has been regularly mentioned ..... yes you will know the fan is on, however, the noise for this unit is right in line (or quieter) than most other convections I have heard. No complaints here.


First off, I have to preface this by saying I have purchased the Wonder Washer and was greatly disappointed.  This thing is a 100x better than the Wonder Washer.  I own both and could not believe I wasted my money on the other washer.  My needs were simple - a small washer that could wash normal items like jeans, sheets, pillow cases, bath towels... you name it.  This is the washer that can do it.  If you are living in a small apartment or are on a budget and are tired of schlepping clothes to the laundry every week or the endless hunt for quarters - this is for you.

The washer is the perfect size to sit on a counter top.  I put mine on my kitchen counter next to the sink when I need to do the laundry.  The washer is actually fairly lightweight and comes with an easy carry handle, so moving it is not difficult.  It also has a top fill hole with a hose.  I strongly recommend swapping the hose it comes with with a REAL hose.  Go to your local aquarium supply or hardware store and purchase one.  I think it takes a standard 1/2" hose.  Any high quality flexible rubber hose or PVC hose should do.  You will also want a faucet adapter or something to fit snug into your faucet.  For me, the aquarium hose I had worked perfect and was able to wedge into my faucet spigot tight enough to allow easy filling.  The drain works fine.  You can see it hanging on the right of the stock photo of the unit.  I didn't even realize the unit had a fill hose and drain until it arrived.  I guess I missed it in the description, but it works great.

The washer itself is just the right size.  The motor is amazingly strong.  You can easily throw a beach towel or something like a queen size duvet sheet in there and wash it.  It pulls through like a champ.  Jeans work great too.  To give you an idea, the 5.5lb capacity is about a regular men's pair of jeans or a single queen size duvet sheet or about two queen size flat sheets or two regular bath towels.  It is more about wet water weight than anything.  So if it absorbs a lot of water and gets heavy quickly, it may slow down some.  A large sheet can be done, but you will need to fill the tank to 3/4 capacity with water before you add the sheet.  Then push it under water so that it is covered.  The key on larger items is to make sure there is enough water so that it always spins freely.  So keep that in mind.  Anything smaller like shirts, khakis or anything else will be a breeze.

You will have to do multiple loads or get used to doing loads daily.  But the convenience to me is worth it.  My apartment was smaller and did not come with any hookups.  The nearest laundry is about 3 miles away and closed early.  I was always needing rolls of quarters and the local store was out or didn't have enough to spare.  So things just never seemed to work out right for anything laundry related being convenient.  This was the perfect solution.

Also do yourself a favor and purchase the matching spin dryer.  It is totally worth it.  If you have to choose one, buy the dryer first.  The dryer will not get your clothes 100% dry, but it eliminates a good 80-90% of the water to the point things are slightly damp.  So a quick 10 minute air dry can usually dry your clothes after that (besides jeans that is).


This machine works excellently well. Excellently! It's quick and quiet, and does a very good job of getting clothes very clean. It's not quite as hands-off as a full-sized washing machine, but that's a small price to pay.

The owner's manual was extremely minimal to start with, and got translated from the Chinese by someone whose English was not up to the task. Here is what you need to know:

To fill it, you MUST hook the drain hose up as shown in the image. If you leave it down, the water flows out through it.

It's not wise to fill it as full as possible of either laundry or water. If you fill it too full of water, it will splash some out of the screw-holes joining the top to the body of the washer. This water then runs down and could conceivably enter the motor cabinet. I have found that adding water only as far as the end of the corrugations on the hooked-up drain hose largely prevents this.

If you overfill it with laundry, the clothes may not get very clean, and you may burn out the motor.

The Owner's Manual, translated from the Chinese by someone who hadn't quite got the hang of English yet, tells you to add 1" of water, put in the detergent, and agitate for 1 minute before adding clothes. I've found it more sensible to add about 4" of water, the detergent, and the clothes, then complete the filling: but I use liquid detergent. Powdered soap may well require that extra step.

In the beginning, this will allow you to estimate the size of load the Panda can effectively accommodate. The OM says not more than 5 lbs., about 2.25 kg, but I've found a 2-2.5 lb,/1kg load to be most effective. (Fits nicely into a 5-quart/liter bucket.)

You will need roughly 1/8 the amount of detergent you do with a standard washing machine.

The infill hose presented a bit of a problem for my situation; it was difficult to keep it from kinking. Eventually, I used a couple of bread-tie twists to craft a hook it hangs from when in use.

You will want to place the Panda so that the drain hose, when hooked, is over a sink. During agitation, it often spews small amounts of water. It's also wise to expect it to need mopping up after; it will condense water on its blue shell if nothing else.

And that's it! These are small accommodations to be (almost: sheets and towels) free of the laundromat!

I've used it for two months now, and at this point, I have it figured out well enough to hook it up and walk away.

I use the Panda with Nina Soft Spin Dryer and the Easy Dry- Portable Clothes Dryer. The Nina is very fast and quiet, and extremely effective. The Easy Dry is ... not noisy, but imagine an oversized hair dryer. It also pumps out a fair amount of heat. Nice in winter, not so much in summer.

The three of them together will earn back their cost for me in about 6 months.


I'd first like to thank all the generous reviewers who provided helpful, descriptive reviews and/or videos. I wouldn't have purchased this little washer without being able to consult those reviews and instructional videos. As mentioned by others, be aware that the vigorous washing action can make a copious amount of suds out of very little detergent, so until you've had more experience with the Panda, start off using even less soap than the small amount recommended -- you can always add more if needed. Also, the machine agitates briefly in one direction, then pauses and agitates in the opposite direction, which results in more vibration than if it agitated continuously and smoothly throughout the cycle. I mention this because apartment dwellers might want to be aware that the vibration caused by the start-stop agitation can be disruptive to neighbors. I just make sure I use it during daytime hours only, and all is well. I love that I can use the Panda to soak some items for an effective period of time before starting the wash cycle. With its surprisingly strong agitation, the Panda actually gets clothes much cleaner than using our building's commercial washers.

The only downside to this machine is rinsing and wringing out your cleaned clothing, but I've now managed a workable routine. When using the machine, I place it on a small, sturdy square plastic bench next to the bathtub at tub-edge height, and let it do its work there. Then, after unhooking the hose and letting it down to drain into the bathtub, I use my Showerpik shower head to run clean water into the machine while it's still draining. Once the draining water is fairly clear of suds, I fill the machine once more with clean water and a bit of white vinegar and let it agitate briefly to rinse thoroughly. After draining a final time, I let the clothes sit in the machine for a bit while the drain tube is still down in the bath. About half an hour later, there's not even a trickle coming from the hose, and I find that my clothes have surprisingly little water left to wring out manually. One handy hint: Using about a quarter of a cup of white vinegar in the rinse water helps remove soap residue from clothes, and vinegar's anti-bacterial/anti-fungal properties means that your clothes won't get funky and mildewed if you forget and leave them in the machine for a few hours. Vinegar is also a natural fabric softener, and rinses out thoroughly, so your clothes are soap-free and softer, all without any residual vinegar smell. It also keeps your machine and its tubes soap-residue free, and again, its anti-fungal properties keep the machine smelling clean.

Thanks again, fellow reviewers, for all the helpful info that allowed me to make the decision to invest in this amazingly effective little washer.

P.S. Delivery was prompt, and all parts were packed well and in working order. However, I couldn't use the washer immediately because the chemical smell from the plastic was so overwhelming and toxic-smelling that I had to put it out on my deck to air for a few days before bringing it back inside. Even so, the smell was still unpleasantly overwhelming for months. Makes me concerned about the health of the employees who work in the plants where these machines are manufactured...

5/16/13 Update: The instructions that come with the Panda mention unscrewing the agitator plate at the inside bottom of the washer from time to time, to remove any lint/strings that might slow down agitation. I can get the screw out, but the plate won't come off, so I can't clean it.


I will start off by saying I bought this machine to wash my work shirts, which I have to wear every day to work, and which have to be clean every day. I don't have my own washing machine, and didn't want to have to pay a dollar every time I have to wash 4 shirts. I had been hand washing them, and this proved to be a fine solution, though I still had various problems with this method. I shall list these methods here and we shall see if the Panda (aptly named for its portly body and its definite possibility of extinction) adequately addresses any of my problems that I had with hand washing these shirts, or even improves these problems

PROBLEM 1: TIME
hand washing: it took me about 4-5 minutes to clean each shirt
panda:: now it takes 10 minutes to fill, 10 minutes to wash, 5 minutes to dump, 10 more minutes to fill, 10 more to rise, and 5 more to dump. For those of you who can't do math: THAT'S 50 MINUTES.

PROBLEM 2: DRYING
hand washing: you had to wring this all out and then lay it outside to dry, which was a nuisance
panda:you had to do everything done with hand washing for these to dry, ALONG WITH THE 50 MIN WASHING TIME.

PROBLEM 3: CONFUSION
hand washing: nonexistent: put clothes in sink, wash clothes, rinse clothes, dry clothes. I can wrap my tiny brain around that
Panda: WHAT THE WHAT?! you want me to put water through this tube that sometimes ends up all over the floor, and don't mention that the only thing holding the "out" water hose (if you will) is a dinky little plastic clip. So yeah, this hose obviously fell off and there was soapy bleachy water everywhere. Something that rarely happens with hand washing (unless I'm very very drunk).

PROBLEM 4: CAT
hand washing: no problems, my cat watches pleasantly while I wash my shirts in the sink in under 10 minutes maybe pausing to pet her or giggle with her
Panda. ALL HE** BREAKS LOOSE! since this is a fairly large machine that makes noises, she was very interested in this machine, and therefore in nothing else. So, as it was doing its own (arduous and lengthy) thing, and my cat was watching, I decided to walk past her, accidentally brushing against her. At that moment, she hissed, jumped up, clamped onto my legs, and when i tried to get her off with my hand, she bit me.

So, as we can see. I will NEVER use this machine again. I won't return it because I can't even begin to imagine how hard that would likely be. But either way, Good God people, just buy a real washing machine, or stick to the sink. Maybe if you have egregious amounts of time, hate using your sink to wash clothes, or, I don't know, have some kind of allergy to soap on hands, you should get this machine, but even then don't expect to keep your soap free hands that way the whole time, they're bound to get dirty (with soap). Also, maybe if you're someone who enjoys making the mundane task of doing laundry egregiously more demanding and difficult, then this is your machine.

It is cute though.


Wow...

The Panda washer I received does not agitate at all. I followed all the instructions. The agitator does not move at the bottom at all. When turned on, the machine just makes the timer/clicking noise, but the agitator does not move at all and therefore the machine I have is useless.

This is an extreme inconvenience to me at the moment as I had the product delivered to my previous address and didn't even unpack it. I just moved and had been assuming the Panda would work properly here at my new apartment once setup, apparently I assumed wrong and you cannot even trust the best Amazon reviews, as I am reading this problem is not exactly isolated?

I am hoping to get things resolved quickly by receiving a new WORKING unit at my new address as soon as possible. Unbelievable...I'm wondering If I should even be asking them for another one if there are a lot of defective Panda washing machines out there. What is going on Sonya Inc?

- Jim

Update 6/13: Well, you guys really are not paying attention the e-mail conversations we have been having, yet you keep stressing that you want me to remove this negative review. That seems to be the only thing you guys are concerned with in terms of customer service. The package was picked up here at MY NEW location (as I stressed tons of times in the "customer service" conversations that I have moved and gave you all the information), and you verified the new address information as the defective unit was picked up here! So you guys know I live here, but I just recieved an e-mail AGAIN asking me to remove this negative review and you provided a fedex shipping number.

What do you know, I tracked the new package with the supposedly working Panda washing machine, and OF COURSE it is going to my OLD address. Unbelievable. The shipment just started shipping today, Weds, after the DEFECTIVE ITEM was picked up on Friday. I was told the working machine would go out ASAP, but I was OK with waiting a few days just to ensure that they delivered the package out here to my new address.

My patience is running thin with this company, as I clearly will not be receiving a working unit in a satisfactory timeframe. What is going on with your company that after all those e-mails and conversations you still ship to the wrong address? You just care about me removing this review, but I still don't have a working Panda washing machine. Interesting how this is all unfolding.

Seriously though, where is my working Panda washer and why is it supposedly being shipped to the wrong address?

UPDATE 6/19: What do you know, the Panda washer package arrived at THE WRONG ADDRESS. I don't know how many conversations I have had with this company the past 2 weeks, they picked up the defective unit at the correct address, but shipped the supposedly working unit to the wrong address. I have never been more unsatisfied with an online purchase, and I buy a lot of things online. It has everything to do with forcing me to take time out of my day to repeatedly verify information with this company, only to STILL have them not follow through on their end (I just had a bad feeling as you could probably tell based on my feedback here, you know when you just don't "trust" a company to follow through and get that uneasy feeling after speaking with multiple people?). It is clear to me it is a popular product and they ship enough of these things that the "good" reviews will always outweigh the bad, especially here at Amazon...but judging by their service and the "unclear" communication I would not be surprised to see some changes in this product's popularity over the coming year, they need to look out for their customer's needs AND NOT JUST REASSURE THEM WITHOUT ACTUALLY DOING ANYTHING.

SO I STILL DON'T HAVE A PANDA WASHING MACHINE


UPDATED AS OF 06/22/2013

Below the line of asterisks is the original text of my review.

Well, I *loved* this thing.  It got used once every couple weeks and sometimes not in the space of a month.  It stopped agitating about 3 months ago.  It's not quite a year since I wrote the original review.  So that means it lasted about 9 months.  Warranty is 6 months.

I know I originally said if it lasted 1 day past it's warranty it was good, and it lasted 3 months past that.  I expected to use it a lot more than I did for rags and stuff, though.  Ultimately those ended up with towels in a regular coin op.  So considering how rarely it got used, it probably would have failed much sooner had I used it as expected.

I will not purchase this product again and dropped my rating from 5 to 2 stars.

Below is the original review I wrote on 06/05/2012.

*************************

I've only had it for a short period time.  I'll return to update this review after I've decided it's lasted long enough to keep the 5 stars it totally deserves as long as it lasts more than 1 day longer than it's warranty! :)

It's small and efficient.  It's JUST a washer.  This means it doesn't RINSE the soap out, or SPIN out excess moisture.  I knew that before I bought it.  So that's not a complaint from me, just a note for potential buyers.  I chose this over others that said they did those things due to those others also had lots of random complaints about wrong parts, overfill sensors, not working, yadda yadda yadda.

So if I'm not going to reuse the water in it, I'll drain it and refill it with cold water and make my OWN rinse cycle.  If I'm going to reuse the water in it I just rinse the clothes in the sink.  It's small loads so it doesn't feel overwhelming to rinse a few things out by hand.  Wringing the clothes out is probably the worst part.  I'll be buying the spinning machine that the primary video review of this suggests, because it will be perfect.

The line drying of things like towels is a slow process and they dry hard.  I think this will be resolved with the spinner because things will dry much much faster.  Line drying of thin items like shirts is fabulous even with hand wrung drying before hanging.  I can't wait for the spinner.  I suspect my life will be perfect.

When I say small loads I mean I can wash all my camisoles in one load.  But only one towel with a couple socks.  I have huge towels though, not your standard tiny ones.  I think mine are called like bath sheets?  I've never grown up and I like a towel to cover me head to toe like it did when I was 8! lol  I can wash one heavy sweater with a few socks too.

The ONLY thing I think they should improve is the tube that is supposed to go over your spout should come with an adapter, so I'm using buckets cause it's too small for my sink.  And I personally feel like a cap on the end of the tube that drains the water to prevent accidental spillage from the spinning causing the water level to jump from the disturbance would be brilliant (I'll improvise that on my own, but it would be nice to have it included).

This thing is PERFECT for a single person, or a low laundry output home.  Moms with a few kids would probably prefer to steer towards something that can wash more at once.


I got this range a few weeks ago. So far I love it. I made "Thanksgiving" dinner on it last week. Yes I know it's September but what better way then to get all of it going at once. My kitchen is rather open so I don't notice any additional kitchen overheating and I can see why people complain about the convection fan. I found its louder when you convection roast and even then it's really no louder than the convection fan I had in an electric range. It sounds about like the vent hood is on. No big deal at all.

Also, I love love love the griddle. I can now cook long food (ie the fish filet I made tonight) without having to cut it or stuff it in the pan at an odd angle.

I went from a glass flat top electric to this beast. I will have to say that I find myself cooking everything on LOW. My electric didn't output the kind of heat this thing does. I had to get used to cooking on the left because the power burner is sooo hot I don't know how to use it yet.  The gas cooking is soo much different. I also have natural gas which gives me full BTUs. And oh boy getting that set up was a headache all in itself. We had to get the electric switched from 220 to 110 and a gas line ran. Wow buddy that was expensive and a mess. There is NO room in the back of the range for this stuff. The electrical outlet is actually in the basement on the ceiling now. The cord feeds through a hole. The gas valve is as close to the wall as they could get it without it being IN the wall. All in all - we have about 1/2 inch gap in the back where the stove bits the valve but I can't see it at all. My parter is really tall and claims he can see it but he sees a lot that us short people don't. It looks great. Note that the specs say 2 inches. I think they lie. There is maybe an inch definitely not 2. So if you already have a gas line you might want to check the specs on the stove to see if yours are in a place that will work.

No cleaning issues either. I too clean after each use. The stainless steel is very soft be very careful with the grates. It's going to get scratched. It happens. As long as you aren't pitching them around any scratches should be under the grates where you can't see them anyway.

All in all - I love this stove. It's amazing. It heats great. I have not had issues with uneven cooking or hot spots. It sits flush with the counter and looks great. We were a bit worried for a minute that it wouldn't fit, it did. Barely.

I am excited every time I go to cook something. I am already giving my poor man a heart attack planning my new pots and pans and picking out my new fancy range hood.

*******UPDATE***********
I found a con!  The controls to the oven are on the front.  It turns out I tend to get stuff all over my hands and touch the pad for the timer or oven controls.  My big goofy Shepard mix has caught the scent of goodies and goes sniffin around and turns things on and off with his nose!  Gonna have to start locking the keypad or be more careful where I put my dirty hands!  Silly dog! :)


We've had this range for over 6 months now and absolutely love it.  It replaced a 10 year old Thermador dual fuel convection range that was always somewhat of a disappointment.  In contrast, this range has so far met our every expectation.

The Power Boil / Simmer burners are great.  We really appreciate the high BTUs as we have a lot of large cast iron pans.  It boils water as fast as our electric tea kettle.  The tri-ring burner provides a wide range of precise temperature control down to a very low simmer.  Our only issue has been that it's so low we sometimes forget to turn it off.

The convection oven is great and we've found the probe to be more useful that we expected.  The oven pre-heats very fast.  Turkey comes out perfectly done and moist.  Chicken, Lamb and Pork roasts have been perfect as well.  It's been just as good for baking providing a very even heat.

The second oven is also great.  Besides the advantage of being able to cook at two different temperatures, it a good size for baking large pizzas.  It's tall enough for an angel food cake.

The grill for the center burner has been a pleasant surprise.  We thought it might be too small to be practical but it's proven surprisingly useful for grilled cheese, frying a couple of eggs, etc.

We've found the stainless steel top easy to clean and have not had any heat discoloration.  It can be easily scratched, however, and we got a few marks on it moving the grates.  These scratches can accumulate over time if you aren't careful.

We have not found the fan to be too loud as some of the other reviews have complained. While the noise isn't a problem, I will say that it heats up the back of the stove so you need to be careful what you leave there when you are baking.

We do have a few quibbles that we would like for GE to improve.  The timer function is very primitive for a digital timer.  You have to key in the time in hrs:min.  If you key in 90 minutes it gives an error message.  My microwave knows how to handle that.  It only shows the seconds during the last minute.  I like that it beeps one minute before the timer is done. For a stove with two ovens, it would be nice if there was a dual timer function.

The other addition I would like to see GE to make is to put an indicator light by each burner for when it is on.  They have one for the top oven, which is necessary to tell when it is preheated.  It would be nice if that feature was on every burner. Of course, you should be able to tell by the position of the knob and the flame but there are times when the flame is so low it is easily overlooked and the burner under the griddle isn't visible.  We've caught ourselves leaving burners on accidentally.

The knobs can get very hot if you are doing a lot of baking, almost too hot to touch. This is usually not a problem and only occurs with continuous use.

The self cleaning function works well in both ovens.  We were concerned that a gas self cleaning would not be as effective as all electric but that has not been the case.

These are really minor nits and really nothing when compared to all the plusses of this range.  We are definitely very pleased and would encourage anyone to buy it.


Did you see the other USB fridge clones that Amazon has listed? I can't remember why I chose this one, but since I did, I will tell you what I think about it. This review may or may not apply to the others. But for this version, it should be accurate.

First, like it has been said, it's not exactly a fridge. It's a hot plate with a bonus cooling fan that you can set a can-sized container on, with the surrounding box keeping some of the warmth/cool inside. I say some because the box is only about a 3/32-inch thick in most places, with no insulation of any kind. Containers with flat bottoms are recommended to reach and keep a desirable temperature. There is a magnetic seal on the door, but a latch would've been better. It does not support the weight of a unopened can, much less one that would be half full, so be careful of any unwanted drink port-a-potty tipping.

Yes, it actually warms up things, too. This listing is like the versions without the rocker switch on the cord. Dig a little and you will find this exact model design listed as a cooler/warmer. This was likely a slip-up, but I wish to imagine it as a designer's revenge for the last minute inclusion of an executive's need for it to "reverse cool, or make it so cold that it's hot, like frostbite" and the exclusion of a proper latch.

Here's the rocker switch layout (unexplained in the instructions):
| = Hot = red LED inside - It might not be broken. It might just be flipped to the wrong side.
O = Off = off LED inside
|| = Cool = green LED inside - This is likely the side of the switch that you want.

About the design: it's simple. Supposedly fragile (don't wish to stress test), but has some limited feel of integrity to it. Fan and plate rests in the bottom of the unit, inside the door, measuring just under 2 inches. Makes a slight whirring noise when cooling, but nothing while heating. The rest of the unit is roughly 5 and a half inches of soda space. Outside, there's some dated fridge design, complete with spite latch. Be careful: it might make your other devices, and even your choice of soda, seem needlessly extravagant.

Weight: small amount of heft at the bottom when empty. With a can inside, it feels like it has a can inside. Hey, who put this can inside my USB fridge?

System specs needed: A PC/Mac + 100 megabytes of storage space + 32 megabytes of RAM for this plug and play device... but all you really need is a USB port that utilizes some power source. For the sake of fun, I hooked it up for a solar-powered battery backup meant for charging portable devices, and it still worked.

---

If you have the extra money to spend on USB fridges, you could get this if you want one. Contrary to the negative portions of the above block of text I made, it's actually a decent device. I wanted something to cool down a drink, out of sheer impulsiveness. And I feel satisfied. You would be, too.

---

A silly thought: Honestly, I thought they couldn't afford to put a latch in. I was amazed when I found out that it had a magnet. This might sound dumb, but it's like they outdid themselves. It's somehow an awesome feature. I was expecting no seal whatsoever, and then magically, it's sealing. How? A magnet. WOW. Are you still taking me seriously after this? Gosh, I hope so. I don't know if I can.


If you are looking for electric range, this is a great option to consider.

In this review, I will emphasize on installation more then the design and functionality..

DESIGN:
-It looks gorgeous.
-Control panel is perfectly laid out in from of you with easy to understand touch controls, no need to read the manual.
-It does have a locking function which you have to press for 3 second in order to deactivate the touch functionality.'It slides in perfectly, leaving no space in the rear, unlike what I was told by some sales persons.
-Small oven area has a easy to slide in-out drawer type of tray to place dishes easily.

-If you normally use the oven section to store your pans and trays, this range will help you to keep them in place..If you are not baking large items, you will probably be end up using the top small oven, You can keep the trays in the bottom large portion until you need to use it.

FUNCTIONALITY:
-Cook-top has 5 cooking areas, the 5th one in the middle is to keep the food warm.
-In each cooking areas' heat can be adjusted in 2 different modes; you can increase the heat level for each, and also, you can choose to use center part or the entire area of each sections.-
-The front display shows you the temperature of the ovens as they heat up, counting up. My old range did not, so it is a plus for me..

INSTALLATION/PLACEMENT of SLIDE-IN GE RANGE:

-This is perhaps a concern to some of you as it was for me..

-Unlike what SEARS sales person indicated, you do not need a special installation for this range..and the range slides all the way back the wall (minus 1 inch to accommodate the electrical outlet in the back).

-Tips: However, you must be careful to adjust the height on 4 legs to ensure that the galls top does not lay on the kitchen counter..The glass-top of this range over floats in bot sides about half an inch. It is great to cover openings on the side, making it look part of the counter..However, in most kitchens, the floor is not leveled well, and one side of the counter opening is in different height than the other 3 sides. So, it is very difficult to place the galls top close to the surface of the counter..Like me, you may have to opt to have overflows staying quarter inch above the counter. This does not effect functionality, but prevents it to look as good as it should. If you are getting this range for a kitchen renovation, communicate with your contractor, and have him install it along with the counter, which then should look awesome. If you like to be sure if this fits flawlessly to your kitchen before you order it. Pull out the current range and measure the four corners of the counter opening to see if they exactly match. Important thing is that back 2 corners on both sides are equal to opposite ones (back left and right) and in equal or higher height to from 2 sides. if the back is lower then front, it will be impossible to adjust the legs and slide it in without cracking the top..
I know I emphasized on installation a lot, but it was a big unknown for me, and I hope my experience will help you..

I have had this for a month now, with no issues. i will update the review if there are any issues, if not that means that I am happy with the range and it works well. Thanks for reading my review.

Verdict: BUY IT !


(Just an FYI: Almost 2 years later and it is still working fine.)
Our fridge stopped cooling on the top portion of the freezer side and the fridge side stopped completely.  The bottom of the freezer side was still cold though.  I did a little research on our fridge model and, given the symptoms and the models history, I was pretty sure that the evaporator motor was the problem.  I ordered it while at work without taking the old fan out of fridge (a little risky if I was wrong.)

The new fan motor arrived "next day" which was excellent.  For the past couple days we were keeping our refrigerated items in a cooler which is a pain.  When you pull the milk out and everything collapses into its spot you spend several minutes just trying to put the milk back in so we did NOT want to wait to get the fridge fixed.

I had to remove about 16 screws out of the sides and back of the freezer (including removing the ice-maker which only had two screws holding it on.)  That revealed the fan which was indeed not working.  Here is where I had the most difficulty.  There are three wires on the unit.  One was the ground wire which was easy to pull off, but the disconnects for the other two wires were encased in a U shaped plastic piece.  Pulling the plastic piece ended up ripping the disconnects off the old fan motor leaving them still stuck in the plastic U.

It took me several minutes to get the old parts out.  I had to push the wires through the plastic U so the connectors were completely exposed, then discovered I had to use something with a sharp point and press through a tiny hole in the middle of the connector while pulling them apart before they would release.  That little hole actually locks the pieces together with a little flap of metal. They should have put holes in the plastic U to make the job MUCH easier and to prevent damage to the motor connectors.

The new motor came with new male ends and some heat shrink tubing but I did not need either.  The old connectors were still good.  I had to pull the wires back into the plastic U and reconnect them.  One caution, I had to bend the little locking flap back in on one connector before it would lock onto the new fan.  Do yourself a favor and get it locked on BEFORE pulling the wires back into the U (assuming your fridge is the same as my Frigidaire).  If you don't do that, you risk having a loose wire that may arc and go bad or you may be pulling the connector back off (like me) to fix the little flap, risking damage to your new motor.

The final problem I had was that there was a lot of "snow" on the top of the coils.  I used a heat gun to melt the stuff from the top but I could not see the bottom of the coils because I saw no need to take that extra panel off.  Big mistake.  All it did was cause the snow to melt from the top, run down a ways and form a BLOCK of ICE further down.  I started the freezer up without checking and the next day I was removing that "extra panel" because no air could get through the ice.  It took me a few hours to melt all the ice off this time plus an extra day having to use the cooler.

Happily it is now running great!  I hope this helps someone else do the job better/easier.  It is an easy job to do if you watch for those pitfalls and it will save you a ton of money over paying a professional.


Overall this fridge looks great and has performed well (I've had it about a month).  I do have some complaints though.  If you are constrained to 30 inches, I think it's a great contender, but if not, look for something else.

On the plus side, you get benefits of a French Door fridge in a 30 inch space, including
- eye-level refrigerator compartment
- better energy efficiency due to the door configuration
- through the door water dispenser
- more attractive styling (in my opinion)

In addition, it has good, modern fridge features like LED lighting, a shelf with a sliding part that can be moved away to accommodate taller items from the shelf below, an air filter that controls odors (no more baking soda!), moisture control (basically a heater which evaporates condensation on the door seal), humidity-controlled drawers, and some other things.  Nothing unique or outstanding, but I'm glad it has them.

However, there are a number of things I'm not thrilled about:
- Fridge space. I still can't get as much stuff in this unit as in my old top-freezer model, despite that they are both approximately the same advertised cubic feet.  I'm sure this is partially because I have not yet figured out the optimal way to utilize the space, but there is also a significant gap between the front of the main shelves, and the door compartments (when closed).  In my opinion, the shelves should be an inch or two longer so you could this space.
-  Freezer space.  Same deal here - there is nearly a 4 inch gap between the top of the sliding upper freezer shelf, and the the top of the freezer, creating a full cubic foot of difficult-to-use space.  If you have a single tall item, you can put it there, but you can't pile multiple things all the way up, because the shelf's back does not come up that high so things will fall off, requiring you to squat down and retrieve them before you can close the freezer.  Also, the ice-maker bucket is stupidly large given the size of this fridge.  It's literally twice as big as it needs to be - about 20% of the total freezer space.  I'd much prefer to have half as much ice and 10% more space for food.
- Water temperature.  The water tubing that leads from the cool water in the reservoir to the dispenser is outside the fridge on the back, So the water in the tubing warms up to room temp as it sits there.  Thus the first cup of water is warm to cool-ish depending on the size of your cup, and then the second cup is then colder.  Whirlpool suggests discarding the first cup of water.  Not only is this very wasteful, but it also take a long time since water already comes out relatively slowly from fridge dispensers (due to the 1/4" piping).  Better to use some of that excessive ice in the freezer to cool down the first cup!
- no butter compartment
- the lighting strip has a bulge in the front, which blocks access to stuff in the center of the top shelf, making them hard to reach.

That said, these faults are all things I can live with and I do not regret the purchase.  More than anything I wish I had more than 30 inches of width in my kitchen so I had more fridge choices!


I was replacing an element from a hot plate -- saving $5 by ordering the part and not a new hot plate.
I'd seen this listed as the "universal" element -- which this seller didn't, and good for him/her, because it's not QUITE universal.

It heats just fine. The problem was the bending of the leads, which the images on this product do not show. They are all from the top, straight down, so you can see the coils. But when you look at it from the side, you can see that it has dimension -- the coils that form the cooking surface are about an inch above the leads.

So far, no problem. But in my original, both leads bent upward at the same place, next to each other, and on this one, they don't.  As shown in the image supplied, the left element goes forward and inch or two, bends 90 degrees, goes straight up another 1" (invisible in the picture, 'cause it's coming right at you) then bends 90 degrees to the left and begins the clockwise coil.

With THIS element, unlike my original, the right lead goes about 3" before it has the 90-degree bends. This means that the two leads bend down from the surface level about 2" apart. This would be fine except that my drip pan's holes for the leads did not accommodate that bend.  At all. And the material is pretty well unbendable (a good thing, probably), so you can't bend IT to fit.

So I bought a pair of tinsnips and cut my drip pan and made it fit. It's a bit ugly, but it works now. $21 later... oh well.

Here are some images of other elements so you can (sort of) see the geometry:Whirlpool Stove 8-inch Surface Burner Element 9761345 / 8053268 Range Stove Top Surface 8" Burner Element 316442300
 None Ers30m1 Ge (r) Range Surface Elements (6")

Judging from the other replacement range elements available, my old one is the weird version, not this one, so I still rate it high. But I do advise purchasers to check all three dimensions before selecting their item. And I remove 1 star because the little metal piece holding the two leads together is not adjustable, whereas it was held together by a screw on my old one, and I like that better for getting it in and out of the drip pan hole (was holes).


About a week ago I noticed that when my furnace was off...my Aprilaire humidifier just kept running. Well, to be more specific, the water flow into the Aprilaire was remaining on.  At first I feared the control system in the furnace was failing to send the "close valve" signal. But a bit of investigation uncovered the culprit:  the solenoid valve was "leaking"!  When the furnace was running, it dutifully sent an "open valve" signal, and the solenoid fired as usual, sending water to the Aprilaire. But when the furnace shut off (and/or the humidity set point had been reached), the signal to "close valve" was properly sent, but the solenoid did not fully close.  The water supply decreased, but there was significant leakage passed the seat of the valve, causing the water to run down the drain 24x7.

Option 1 was to call my furnace company and have them come replace it.  My guestimate was $100-150 to make that happen.  While they are normally worth every penny, in this case I struggled to justify spending that much for so simple a fix.  So I started snooping on the web and found this replacement part here on Amazon.

I could not be HAPPIER! It took me all of about 10 minutes (and I am NOT a skilled plumber!) to swap out my old solenoid for this one, wire it up, and give it a try.  It works PERFECTLY!  Now, to be clear, you will need some tools.  An adjustable wrench and screw driver are musts obviously, but what some people may overlook is you may need a copper tubing cutter.  When I removed the old one, the old copper fitting would not fit properly in the new solenoid, so I had to cut it off and installed the new fitting that came with this valve.  Other than that, installation was a breeze!

Let me clarify a few items that I saw mentioned in other reviews:
First, this solenoid DOES ALREADY have a strainer on the inlet!  Do not waste your money buying a new one, as recommended in other reviews and as shown in the "bundle" in the ordering area on Amazon.  The filter is built in, and in fact if you bought another, you would be unable to make it fit.

Second, this solenoid DID FIT in the exact mounting holes that the old one used.  Maybe I was just lucky, but I saw others say theirs did not fit.  Admittedly the tubing routing had to be shifted a bit (this solenoid is not the exact same size as the old one), but the mounting holes lined up perfectly.

Finally, YES you must use a yellow orifice (or whatever color is right for your Aprilaire) to restrict flow on the outlet... BUT before you buy one, take out your old solenoid and see if you ALREADY have one that is in good shape!  I wasted a few bucks on a new yellow orifice when in fact the old one was perfectly fine and went right back into service with the new solenoid.

It remains to be seen how long this solenoid will last, but I am VERY happy with this one so far.  With about 10 minutes of work I saved myself probably $100 in repair fees and now my water is not running down the drain 24x7!


Drying clothes is something we take for granted and we expect our clothes dryer to get our clothing dry the first time, without the need for running another drying cycle. We expect clothing to emerge from the dryer in the same condition it went in and if our dryer can keep wrinkling to a minimum, then we have an added bonus and a dryer that is certainly worth keeping. This is exactly what you get with this Amana Electric Dryer, my newest home appliance.

My dryer installation took a little longer than expected because I could not figure out exactly which local carrier was going to deliver the dryer, due to a missed phone call and phone number problem. A call to the helpful personnel at JB Hunt was all it took to locate the whereabouts of the dryer and schedule a delivery day. The delivery people arrived as promised, installed the new dryer in a flash, and hauled the old one away. I was now ready to test my new dryer and I wasted no time loading up the washer in preparation.

Looking at this Amana dryer for the first time, my initial impression was that it didn't have many features.  As you can see from the image on this product page, there are only two knobs: One on the left for the drying cycles and one on the right to start the operation. With only two knobs, the dryer has a very basic appearance, but once you check further, you realize that the single knob on the left includes a total of eleven different drying cycles, including auto dry cycles, wrinkle control, and a timed option. There is no end of cycle signal option and it lacks some of the other more sophisticated features found on the more expensive dryers, but it still has what you need to get the laundry dry.

Testing a few loads, I found that the Amana Electric Dryer Model NED4600YQ excels at drying! It dries things very quickly and I was surprised when I went back to check a load of laundry that had been set for 50 minutes, only to find the clothing already dry in just 30 minutes. I realize that my previous dryer was approaching five years of age, but this still surprised me that a large load would be dry and ready to go so quickly. Subsequent tests produced the same results- loads of laundry, regardless of the type of items, dried very fast.

Another issue I have wih dryers is with shirts. I have to remember to remove them from the dryer quickly to avoid wrinkling and since almost every short I own is cotton, this is a major problem. Thankfully, this dryer has a wrinkle control setting that tumbles the clothing without heat, helping to prevent wrinkles. It doesn't work perfectly, but it works well enough that I don't need to race to the dryer at the end of a cyle to remove clothing and I don't have to reach for an iron.

This Amana dryer has a side- swinging door that opens from the left and swings to the right, so it won't work for certain confined spaces. I know that some people prefer the dryer doors that open from the middle and pull down, but the sideways option is fine with me. I just place a basket underneath and scoop out all of the clothing at once. Wrinkles are not much of a concern thanks to the wrinkle control and clothing is dry and ready to wear in a very short time.

Dryers are something most of us take for granted, but some are better than others and the Amana Electric Dryer model NED4600YQ is one of the better models of dryer for getting clothing dry in reasonable time. The auto dry function doesn't always work perfectly and the wrinkle control function won't stop every wrinkle, but this is still a very good appliance even if it does lack some of the bells and whistles common with the more high- end clothes dryers.


Bought this in January of 2014.  about 6 months into owning it the auto sensor got clogged with grease and the unit ceased to function...  the lights came on the fan was on its lowest setting and none of the buttons on the control panel worked.

I removed the sensor as indicated by customer support AND online sources, which was very difficult while installed. once i removed the connections and the sensor, the hood functioned as it should.

about a week ago (November 1 2015)as i headed into the kitchen, I noticed that the fan was on its lowest setting, the lights were on and the buttons again were unresponsive. I tried the remote, to see if that would work, but it did not.  I have unplugged this device to keep it from being on all the time and am going to contact the manufacturer..  this is dissapointing, because the unit is handsome, and had a fairly high CFM rating.

Considering all the negative responses by purchasers, you would think that amazon would contact the seller and open a can of whoop ass on them.  Unfortunately, to date , this is not the case... Ill update this review with any news from Golden Vantage... I also may try the Voltage Regulator fix as suggested by Ychin San in this review (http://www.amazon.com/review/R1GM668ESBR1K/ref=cm_cr_rev_detmd_pl?ie=UTF8&asin=B008UEJS7Y&cdForum=Fx6BPE32LAQMZ1&cdMsgID=Mx6KFP4AC5T1O0&cdMsgNo=5&cdPage=1&cdSort=oldest&cdThread=Tx3025MY3QOL513&store=appliances#Mx6KFP4AC5T1O0)

So i reached out to GV and they replied back asked me a few qustions and then sent me an entire electrical system for the hood.  Control panel, circuit board, wiring harness.  however, what they didn't send was any kind of instructions...  crap i had forgotten how much of a pain in the ass this thing is.  some takeaways are as follows.

=>>  the build quality on this product doesnt extend beyond the fans and the stainless body.  the electronics are quite flawed.

=>> there are 4 different length screws holding the light panel on.  why they couldn't standardize this and come up with another method of securing the panel, and the controls with the longer screws is beyond me.

=>>  unless you want to take the entire unit off the wall and disassemble the fans, you won't get the light panel "out" just able to move it around.

=>> the new control panel came without the gas monitoring control which is fine, i disabled the sensor, but the controls are wierdly segmented..  you can turn the light and the timer on any time you want, but to turn on the fans, you have to actually use a power button and then turn on the fans.  strange.

Its really too bad.. the CFM of this unit if awesome and it looks good.  unfortunately it just doesnt seem to be able to overcome some design flaws.  I would like to suggest to others to buy this item, but i just cant.  If i had to do it over, i would buy one of the more expensive ones that I overlooked to buy this one.


I received this compact clothes dryer yesterday & am hoping the 5-star review is not premature. It arrived well-packaged & undamaged (no dents, the belts are working & the dryer heats properly). It was easy to unpackage & set up. I have placed it temporarily in my back bedroom to test it out (on a hardwood floor), and plan to move it to a well-ventilated utility room & either wall-mount the unit, or place it on a shelf. There are 2 controls on the front panel - a dial to select dryer time, and a push button with 2 settings - depress the button 1/2 way for a cooler temp, and fully in for the warmest setting. The push button confused me for my first test - it took me a few minutes to realize that the button had to be fully depressed to really warm up the dryer. Closing the door starts the dryer. I have dried about 8 loads of clothes since yesterday - the maximum number of pieces I dried is 20 (2 jeans, jean shorts, 3 hand towels, socks & a variety of t-shirts). I decided to check the lint filter about every 30 minutes & clean it out, to maximize efficiency. To check the filter, open the dryer & gently but firmly pull out the plastic filter basket (it's a disc that separates into 3 parts). I can see it is important to be very gentle when doing this to avoid damaging the filter, so just be careful when you snap it apart. The Panda runs reasonably quiet, dries gently & doesn't seem to overcook the clothes (like some commercial driers). I will work on improving the ventilation to the outside, as i have it venting just below a window that I opened about 4 inches, but the room feels a bit humid. I know a ventilation kit will help this. The only unknown at this point is the electrical bill. I will have to look at that next month & will post if the bill skyrockets. Of course, I can always save the drying for the nighttime hours. I am very happy that I no longer have to lug wet cloths from my upstairs Danby washer downstairs to the communal dryer outback! Overall, this seems to be a win for city dwellers!
4/6/2018 Heres an update from me about a year or so after I purchase this Panda Dryer. I still absolutely love this dryer. I use the dryer approximately 10 to 15 times per week. (We are a family of 6) That is to say, this dryer has been used A LOT by me. I have learned a few tricks, such as adding a small dry clean towel to the loads to quicken the drying process for the wet clothes, and occasionally I will line dry heavy items like towels or jeans for a couple of hours before tossing them into the drye to finish the drying. But other than that, I am using this dryer as it is intended, with a very heavy use. And it has never failed me! It will turn itself off temporarily  when it begins to get too hot. I believe this is a built-in safety feature. If I am home when this happens, I will open the dryer door, and let the clothes cool down for about 10 to 15 minutes. This releases the humidity in the dryer, too. Then Ill close the dryer door & starts right back up and continues to dry the clothes. I have vented this to a window with a simple dryer kit. Very easy to do. I also purchased a small wire stand to place the dryer on. Again, I want to state that I feel as though this was an excellent investment, and the day this dryer dies, I will immediately buy another one, because it has given me such great value. I highly highly recommend this for apartment dwellers, and anyone who wants a space saving appliance.


<input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/B1w4ZISE3qS.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81qkFViNdmS.png" class="video-slate-img-url"> We ended up getting this unit solely because of the cutout size of the existing cabinetry and this was the best(and most expensive) option we seemed to have.  We had a Whirlpool prior to this and the microwave failed years ago, while the oven was still functioning--never get a combination unit for that reason.  Installed on 12/27/2012 and ever since then, there are three types of malfunctions in the microwave:
1.  There is still :01 secs in the timer left when the microwave reads "Cooking Complete" and beeps.  This seems to be the most innocuous, as otherwise the food gets hot.  May be a rounding error in the software, but happens very frequently.  I will upload a video.
2.  In this one, the microwave is on, turntable rotates, counter counts down, but the sound is a low hum of the turntable rotating, but the fan is not on.  This is with the regular microwave function, not the convection part.  So far, this has happened about 6-7 times.  We haven't tested the food, whether it gets hot during those times.  I haven't been able to replicate it, as when the technician came, but fortunately, I had videotaped it as it happened again the day before he came.  It happens at random times and random settings.
3.  This third type has happened about thrice so far, where when time is entered for a full power cook function and upon pressing start, nothing happens.  No sound, no countdown, no turntable rotating, but the microwave displays "Cooking..." as when it does when everything works correctly.  So far no luck with customer service.  Will report if anything changes.

Updated on 3/5/2013.  I have uploaded videos of the above malfunctions at: [...]

Updated on 07/25/2013.  I notice that there are more people having issues with this unit.  Please post your complaint on: [...].  That was the only way I got a prompt response and they eventually replaced the unit, as I had meticulously kept a video log of every event of malfunction.  That didn't solve the problems, but they happen less frequently in the new unit.  Best advice for people considering this unit is to stay away!

Updated on 11/14/13.  Our saga continues even with the replacement unit.  I wanted to wait and see, even ignoring the timer not counting down to zero before displaying "Cooking Complete" and the fan not turning on or off as it does sometimes.  On 11/11, when the microwave did not even turn on, even when the display said "Cooking", it was the last straw.  I have complained on their facebook page and will wait to see what action they are going to take.  If replacing the unit did not solve the problem, I don't know what will.  Obviously, there is a problem with this model.  Please stay away.  Do not buy this product.  If there was a zero star rating, I would give it.


As I post this review this item had only 3 stars out of 5.  I'm writing this review to tell you that this really is a good product but there are a few concerns you need to be aware of.

First, the functionality of this product is superb.  You download the app for your iPhone or Android device, connect the "gateway" to an available Ethernet port on your router, add the "sensor" from your device and in no time you've got wireless monitoring of temperatures.

For my application on more than one occasion someone in the family has left the freezer or refrigerator door open only to come home to warm milk or melted ice cream.  This product solves these problems by sending me a text message (and email) when my preset highpoint temperature is set.

Now the bad news.  Out of the box you get only 3 months of free "enhanced" monitoring capabilities, namely the SMS and email notifications.  Afterward it's $12 per sensor per year.  This may detract you from purchasing this product, for me it's a small amount of money for peace of mind (and lack of food spoilage).

There are a few concerns:

1) Buyer beware when purchasing a "new" model from eBay.  I did this thinking I was saving a few dollars but what I ended up with was a gateway that was already registered to another person and a sensor that had already started its 3-month free service.  La Crosse was able to help me re-register the gateway but they would not restart the sensor free period.  For the extra few dollars I'd recommend just buying one from here so you get the full manufacture's warrantee and the full 3-month complimentary period.

2) The distance from the sensors to the gateway is limited to 200 feet.  When on the phone with tech support about the gateway, the support person informed me the 200' distance was "open air" and suggested the range decreased rapidly with anything between the sensors and the gateway.  I put my first sensor in the basement fridge which provided many obstacles but I'm happy to report that the gateway still saw my sensor with a very high link percentage (94%).  So this is just a gentle warning that you should be aware of the distance issue.  For me, it's a non-issue and for most typical homes this won't be a problem for you either but you should be aware.

3) Finally, just keep in mind, after the 3-month complimentary period, if you still want SMS and/or email alerts from your sensor(s) it will cost you $12/yr billed annually per sensor.  That's only $1 per month and to me that's reasonable, you may feel differently.

To wrap up, this is a REALLY GOOD product.  There are a few sensors options available, some of which include 2 temperature monitors (the device itself and a remote wired dry (or wet) sensor).  They also offer a leak detector which presumably detects water in your basement or other location.  I really didn't go too far into the app functionality but in a glance you can see the status of each sensor along with very nice graphs of both daily or weekly temperatures.

A few other reviewers suggested technical issues with the network.  I'm a technology person so these things come easy to me.  In the unlikely event that you have a network connectivity issue, you may be a bit challenged but I would bet the La Crosse tech support could solve most issues.

I'd highly recommend this product.