There are three parts to this review and I will try to keep this short and precise.

Quality of the product itself:
1) It is quite unbelievable how this product is worth $99. When I first opened the box, I thought I received a 5 lb toy. The plastic is thin and flimsy, not to mention that it is not even spinning, just like what the other reviewer had stated in his/her one star review. Having lived in Asia for many years, I can venture a guess how much this product REALLY is worth... sadly, I have to say, this thing is WAY overpriced. The margins are HIGH!!!
2) As shown in the pictures, there were cracks and "fractures" all over the machine, possibly due to damage during delivery. There are also leakages everywhere, which I honestly believe that it could be a safety hazard if the water goes into the motor and electric wires, and apparently was evident after we unscrewed the thing.
3) As an attempt to reconstruct this damaged product since it's already broken anyway, we took it apart and played with it. We ended up using the glue gun to repair the leakages and fix the motor belt so that it is aligned with the spinning wheel - right now we are giving it a test run as I am typing this. Will see if it works without flooding the bathroom.

Packaging:
1) There is no bubble wrap or any kind of protective layers of packaging other than a thin paper box which is what it comes in with. I am positive that this contributes to the several areas of damage to the machine, and that's truly a pity. I have initially posted several pictures demonstrating the cracks and damages, but was later contacted by the seller, asking me to remove them. Taking into the consideration that the majority of the buyers seemed to have a great experience with this machine, I honored her request and took the pictures off. Email me privately if you are interested in seeing those pictures.

Seller:
1) The seller is certainly worth complimenting. A representative, Christine emailed me back almost 5 minutes later when I first asked for a replacement. Prompt feedback, good customer service, and agreed to give me a full refund for the damaged product. At least the seller is willing to work with the customers and provide the help needed.


Not worth it.  I followed the suggestion to turn the filter to keep it from drying out.  Good idea and worked well with original filter.  HOWEVER, the replacement filters, after less than a week, lost the rigidity of the side wall and caused the wicking tower to collapse.  RESULT:  the fan could not circulate the air around and throught the filter and the humidifier's efficacy was cut to about 25% of what the originals could do based upon the frequency which I needed to fill the water reservior.  Three of the original filters, by turning them, rinsing them and occasionally zapping them with a vinegar soak, lasted all of last year's humidifying system and did not collapse. They got calcified over time which I would expect from the high limestone content in my water.  These 'after factory' filters are poor subsititues and frustrating.  I'm going to bite the bullet and get the origninals.  Dang, and I still have one of the fakes left--just enough to get me through till my original shipment!
UPDATE: I really, really love my humidifier but original and knock off paper filters are for the birds.  I am trying to keep them alive and functioning.  Two things:  I have cut the poorly glued seam away from a damp wick and herring bone stitched it back together with a heavy duty thread or dental floss, my real go-to.  A quick round of slip stitch top and bottom will help keep the edges from fraying out.  I will make a wire support using a thin coat hanger to keep the wick from collapsing in on itself.  My idea is based on the plastic tripods that hold up the lids of hot delivery pizza.  I roll my damp wick and place it upright in a tumbler and fill it with vinegar, trying to keep the paper from becoming too encrusted with lime or brown deposits.  Then a swish in the sink in clear water. Is it a hassle? OF COURSE! but I can't see spending oodles to keep this thing going.  And BTW, after this second season, I will remove the fan unit to clean it and put a drop of oil on it.  That's what kills fans--accumulated dust and dander.  Gotta treat all investments like a car---periodic maintenance is a must.


I only use the machine once a week for my baby's laudry. The machine leaked from the bottom, and finally I realized it's because I had too much in it. Then it started leaking from where the machine connected to the pipe. Anyway, those are minor issues. After about 15 usage, it started stoping in the middle of the spin (not the spin cycle, it is the spin in the middle of the wash cycle so it can get the water out before the rinse). It did not just stop, but it would rock the machine like crazy and made very loud noise, as if something from inside is going to explode. Seems like the cylinder inside is lose and hitting the inner wall of the machine. I'm not exaggerating, it's scary. If I open the lid and close it, the machine would start, but stop again in 5 seconds. I tried this open and close technique for 5 times and still it won't continue the cycle. Anyway, I returned it to Haier which was a hassle. First of all, it costed $14.99 for s&h. Their staff was not well trained either. The first rep told me the main office will call me to charge my credit card. Then I called back after couple days since no one called me, and they said I should mail the check to the office. Then after I mailed the check, they said I should mailed 2 checks instead of 1 (I paid them $14.99 for s&H and the a deposit equal to the cost of my machine so they can send me one before I return mine). Anyway, finally I got my new machine after 3 weeks of communications, and the same problem happen with this machine (rock and stop in the middle), just that it happened after my 3rd load! Then I read others reviews and learned that the only way to deal with it is to turn the cycle knob clockwise a bit so the machine would skip that spin process. But this is bad, since that means the clothes is not being washed as clean as it should be.


Most of this is fact but I have included some opinions.

I purchased a General Electric Profile refrigerator on 7/27/08 from Best Buy for $2281.23.  It had been working acceptably until about the middle of April of 2012.  We called GE repair and GE sent out a technician on 5/2/12, but he didn't have the part so he couldn't fix it the first time he came out.  On 5/4/12 he came back out and did a few things including replacing parts WR55X10956, WR55X10490, and something called a REFER MAINBOARD Pkg.  He said at first that he was sure it was the mainboard.  The charges for the parts and labor was $324.91.  Then when it wasn't acting the way he expected, he said he thought it might be the compressor but that we could wait to see if what he'd done fixed it.  He ordered a compressor just in case and scheduled an appointment for 5/14/12 and told me if I got the compressor he'd come get it..  The refrigerator allows the consumer to set the freezer and refrigerator temperatures.  We set them for the temperatures that GE recommends.  The next day the refrigerator was maintaining the freezer and refrigerator temperatures so we canceled the 5/14/12 appointment.  When canceling, we told the GE support person on the phone that he'd ordered a compressor to be delivered to my house.  The support person said he'd canceled that too.  Several days later we received the compressor that had been theoretically canceled.  We never heard from the GE repair man about coming to pick up the compressor.

On 6/30/12 we noticed that the refrigerator was not maintaining the set temperatures so we called GE again.
They gave me an appointment for 7/6/12.  Today he came out again but told me that they had not allowed him enough time to replace the compressor so he'd have to reschedule.  The first available time for installing a compressor is 7/16/12.

I think GE is responsible for manufacturing a lousy product and having awful support of the garbage they manufacture.


Maybe my title should rather be "Does what it says on the cardboard box / eBay ad".  ;)

I've worked from home for almost five years now and share a floor of a large house with a roommate.  For us, this thing is perfect.  It may not be as nice or have as large a capacity as the Haier 21N(?) portable washer that had broken down on us, but it does just what it is sold to do and we certainly have no complaints.  ^_^

As far as the capacity goes, i tend to do two or three medium-ish towels for one load or maybe a load of "one pair of jean" as the ad puts it, right along with a pair or two of thick, wooly socks.  Other than not overloading it, I've found the worst thing one could do is use too much detergent as it'll take many, many rinse cycles to get it all back out of the clothes.  (I just eyeball it myself, hence the mistake i guess.)

One thing of particular note:  When i first un-boxed the washer i had a real time of trying to figure out where to put it -- i was really perplexed, lol -- even going so far as to build a quick little stand for it where we had been using our previous portable clothes washer so it'd be near to a drain but eventually i realized the absolute best place was in one of the two tubs in our kitchen's stainless steel sink(s).  Fortunately the sink seems sturdy and well-built.  This thing rattles around a bit and when i run it on a real quiet afternoon it almost feels like it's shaking the house a little.  So i never really run it past 9 or 10pm, myself.

Oh, and i bought mine off of eBay, not Amazon.  Truth be told, i paid almost exactly the same -- so i should've done it through Amazon 'cause then i'd have been tempted to throw in some items from my Wish List along with the washer.  ;-)


I love this unit.
Easy to use.
Super quiet.
It gets my clothes clean.
I always fill the softener to the max line and my clothes smell awesome.
Sometimes my pants get really wrinkled.
Some users have rated this with only one star simply for that reason. You just have to iron them.
Smartek Steam Iron ST1200G Polder 1232-82 Deluxe Tabletop Ironing Board, Natural
Clothes "seem" damp if I pull them out as soon as they are done but I just set them out for a good 30 seconds and they are in fact dry.
Runs for about three and a half to four hours for a full load on normal settings.

I live in a small guesthouse about the size of a one bedroom apartment. For whatever reason, I had a dishwasher but no washer and dryer. I replaced the dishwasher with this washer dryer.

I ordered this from an external website and that Sunday they were running a 10% everything sale so I paid less. (great start) I figured it would take like a week or two to deliver but it was here on Tuesday at 9am! The delivery guys even helped bring it into the room where it was to live, the kitchen. (very European) After a quick trip to the hardware store and about $30 for two braided hoses and a splitter valve, the installation was simple.

If you're considering buying a washer/dryer combo, this is the one to get. It's the best one available in the U.S.


Awesome - looking for a replacement ice maker, the one that came with the Kenmore Elite fridge started giving out maybe last year, in cycles.  Some days it would work like champ, some days nothing.  Finally decided to look into a new ice maker.  Again, I searched the brand mfr. website and found the replacement part and decided to give Amazon a try.  I know in the past when i have asked, most retailers don't carry parts for Kenmore appliances - so you're kind of stuck buying from the manufacturer.

Welp, i found this one, and it was an exact match to the part number, looks like LG produced the ice makers for my Kenmore Fridge, so I was able to get a decent savings almost $40 compared to brand new from the mfr. site.

Ice maker arrived today, and installation was very easy. First turn off your water supply, unplug the fridge, then you remove two screws at the top (they hold the unit in place), and one screw at the bottom (for grounding), and then you have a connector at the back of the unit, simply un-clip it.  Installation is reverse of removal.  I pushed in the connector, screwed in the ground wire (tip: i found that if you plug in the connector and put the top two screws in, you won't have enough wiggle room for the ground screw), once you get the ground screw set, move the unit into position, install the two screws on top and bam - done.  Altogether took like 10 minutes.

I plugged the fridge back in, turned the water back, and the unit was powered on.  I let it be, but then after about 20 minutes I didn't hear anything.  Read some of the other reviews, and did the self-test (hold down the round ice size button for 3 seconds or thereabouts) the test will start.  It rotated the assembly, moved the lever arm, and then filled the tray.  So looks like everything it good to go!

10 minutes, $40 dollars saved, no repairmen, no service calls - can't beat that.


I wanted something that covered the narrow gap between my stovetop and the countertop. This Gap Cap did the trick. Although I would have been happy to purchase the product at some local store in my area, I could not find it available. Wal-Mart sells them, but it was not in stock in Nashville.

The length is just right to go from the edge of my counter to the back panel of my range. Although made of aluminum, it has a magnetic strip that clings to the stove top.

When I installed the strip, I had to lower the stove height by about 1/8 inch, so that the strip was at counter level. Also, I discovered that my countertop is not perfectly level from front to back. Because I wanted the gap cap parallel to the countertop from front to back, I adjusted the stove accordingly and now my rangetop is no longer level. This situation is not the fault of the Gap Cap, however.

The Gap Cap offers the protection against spills that I wanted, and it is easily removed for cleaning, such as when a liquid gets spilled on the counter. The Gap Cap does not offer a waterproof seal when it rests on the countertop. This lack of seal is why I knocked a star off my rating. I thought about putting a strip of thin rubber under that edge, but have not acted on this thought, since the strip is so easily removed and replaced.

I looked for alternative products to achieve the desired result, and the Miles Kimball Gap Cap seems to be the best and almost the only solution.

Two photos show what the Gap Cap looks like on my stove/counter. Note that the edge view makes the Gap Cap appear to not fit well. I have almost no gap between my stove and the counter. If I had even a small space, I think the Gap Cap would actually touch the countertop properly, like in the product photos provided in the Amazon description. From the top view, you don't see the edge lifting up, and it has not been a problem for me. Spills are still controlled as I wanted.

I highly recommend


A great product with one HUGE CAVEAT - in a moment.  The good:  it holds a fair amount of clothing, does steam washing and cleans clothes well, and eliminates the pain in the gluteus having to move wet clothes from the washer to a dryer. It's a major space saver.  It's quiet.  It's solidly built.

The CAVEAT:  If you have a standpipe drain above the level of the unit, it WILL NOT DRY YOUR CLOTHES UNLESS YOU ALSO PURCHASE THE PEDESTAL DESIGNED FOR IT.  It won't.  Not small loads, not with repeated drying.  The pump or whatever drains it is underpowered and will not get rid of the wash water UNLESS IT'S ON THE PEDESTAL.  If you have a floor drain you're golden.  If you're in a condo with a wall standpipe, YOU MUST PURCHASE THE PEDESTAL.  Then it dries well.  Smaller quibbles might be that it takes a long time to go through a wash dry cycle, sometimes 4-5 hours.  Who cares?  Set it overnight, or in the morning before you leave.  You have to get a lint brush to remove lint from the front door gasket.  Annoying but not much.  So this would be a groundbreaking machine and reason why American Manufacturing is getting its posterior kicked. . .except for THE DESIGN FLAW IN THE DRAIN MECHANISM THAT REQUIRES THE PEDESTAL IF YOU HAVE A WALL STANDPIPE.  Make no mistake, this is not a deal breaker but it is a serious design flaw.  I'm really surprised it's being marketed without offering a retrofit.  You shouldn't have to pay several hundred dollars for a pedestal as a hidden cost.  Do I like the machine?  Very much.  Am I kind of angry that I had to BUY THE PEDESTAL.  Yes.  I would rate this as a buy, but know this caveat.


We have 24 foot of solid dryer vent pipe ending in 3 right-angles before going through the floor into the flexible dryer-vent hose coming from the dryer.  I can't get behind the dryer without moving both the washer and dryer and they are HEAVY.  So being lazy I decided to clean the vent from the outside of the house inward.  I didn't use a vacuum cleaner or a blower or suction of any kind.  I did tighten each section of tubing with pliers and taped them.  I threaded all 24 foot of tubing with the brush on the end into the outside vent and then backed it out.  I got a good amount of lint clods out.  Then I turned on the dryer to blow everything out.  I got no air coming out at all.  My fear had come true, I had forced gobs of lint into the right-angles at the end of the run.  I still didn't want to move that washer and dryer so I figured I'd try one other thing, use the clodbuster attachment.  Now I'm really getting lazy so I tightened each tubing section by hand (no pliers) and didn't use tape.  I pushed all 24 foot of tubing into the vent until I hit some resistance and then turned the tubing by hand (too lazy to hook the drill up).  Then I pulled it all out and there wasn't any lint at all that came out. So now I'm resigned to having to move the washer and dryer, but before I do I figured I might as well turn the dryer on and see what happens.  Lots of lint clods blew out and kept coming out for about 20 seconds.  I've attached pictures of it.  I'm really happy with this product and if it worked for me with all the shortcuts I took it will probably work great for you.  As a point of reference we built this house five years ago and this is the first time I ever cleaned the vent.  A load of ten bath towels used to take 45 minutes to dry, lately it's been taking 3 to 4 hours, so I knew I couldn't put cleaning the pipe off any longer.


<input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/D1yz2yKb6oS.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/7108JGdtsxS.png" class="video-slate-img-url">The Emerson Portable Ice Maker nearly met our needs. About a year ago the ice maker on our refrigerator died, and since we still enjoy the rest of its functionality we weren't keen on replacing it. The Emerson Portable Ice Machine seemed to have the ice making capability to fully compliment our otherwise lovable refrigerator. In truth, it works almost perfectly except for two (unforgivable) flaws.... but first here is a run down of the ice maker.

The Positives
- It make ice quickly - less than 10 minutes - and will continue to make ice until you turn it off, it runs out of water, or becomes full.
- Some people have complained about it being loud - but that was never an issue for us
- You can select the size of the ice cubes.... small freeze quicker, but the larger ice cubes are.... well... larger

The Not-So-Positives
- The first unit we purchased was dead on arrival
- The Portable Ice Maker is large.... about the size of a microwave
- The unit does NOT have a separate refrigeration unit, so the ice cubes immediately begin to melt. This would not be too big of a deal if you are going to use the ice immediately, but if you stick them in your freezer all of the ice cubes will freeze into a solid wad.

Final Verdict
 The Emerson Portable ice Maker is perfect for someone who is having a party and needs a constant supply of ice. However, like of us if you are looking for something to make ice so that you can store for future use.... it leaves a bit to be desired. We are also concerned with the products overall quality since the first unit we purchased would not work at all.

2 1/2 Stars


This plastic washboard/bucket combo is very nice and the price is right.

But. . . DO NOT use the photo as an example of how to wash clothes by hand. Ridiculous! As well as unhealthy for one's fingers. The only healthy and comfortable (yes, there is such a method) of washing clothes by hand is to scrub the fabric with the pads of one's fingertips ONLY. Do not scrub with the complete underside of your fingers; not enough padding around the knuckles to prevent blisters. And use only the index, middle and ring finger pads with which to scrub the clothes.

Also, scrub only a few thicknesses of medium-weight fabric at one time. That way, the clothes come cleaner faster and threads last longer. There are many ways to washing clothes by hand that are now lost to recent generations. I'm happy to respond to specific questions if you want to ask any of me. Too many tips, tricks, techniques, whatnot, to list here.

But I will say this. . . I was raised by my great-grandparents, who were born in the 1870s, and they taught me the ways of their parents, who were born in the 1830s. I am also a retired professional historian; however, one doesn't have to be to wash clothes well by hand. Long story short, I've been around at least 150 years and know a thing or two on this subject. *** And when my husband was transferred to Greece while in the US Navy, I had to wash the family clothes under an olive tree with a #10 galvanized steel washtub which I set atop two dinette chairs facing each other, and using cold water from a garden hose I scrubbed cloth diapers for three toddlers. Ain't lying, folks, it's the honest truth. No base housing, we lived among the Greek Nationals and went with them to market on Wednesdays and learned to speak Greek. We lived in Nea Makri, on the eastern coast of Greece. There's a US Naval Station there. Google it.


Seems to replace Samsung filter pretty seamlessly so far.  I had an issue installing it where I managed to flood my snack drawer but that is because I lazily didn't follow instructions (and common sense) by not shutting off the water main before inserting filter.  This has worked before when I've had to replace a filter but isn't advised (certainly not by me).  Even with the water main being on, the filter snapped in without causing any issue but I was concerned it wasn't properly inserted (for reasons I will detail in a second) and kept removing it and reinserting it which somehow triggered the gush of water into my fridge.  It isn't the filter's fault but just worth noting.  This is why I was doubtful about the filter being correctly snapped in: the knob, I guess you would call it, that you twist to align and lock the filter did not end up perfectly aligning in lock position.  It was off-kilter a bit even though the filter was locked in.  This made me concerned that the filter wasn't properly locked even though I could not turn the knob to align no matter how hard I tried.  I think it was just manufactured slightly off.  I did not have this problem with my last Samsung replacement filter though I have experienced this issue with an off-brand model before.  Otherwise, the filter seems to function perfectly well and the water tastes fine.  I would know if it weren't working because the local water here tastes terrible.  The company was courteous in its requests for reviews, which is always important for me as a customer.  I really detest being harassed for feedback and this company did it the right way.  In fact, it has taken me especially long to review this filter because life got in the way and I also wanted to wait a while to see if there were any issues that arose with the product after some time had passed.  It always stuck in my head the this company had been polite in their request for a review and I am happy to finally give one.  I'd recommend their filters and I also recommend you try not to flood your refrigerator.


This part and 15 minutes of work repaired my 2010 Kenmore Elite Ultra Wash dishwasher (model 665.1312*).  For those of you who are not confident about repairing a dishwasher, read along because I wasn't either but this part was easy to replace.

After two years of stellar cleaning, our dishes suddenly starting being consistently dirty after the wash ended.  Since the problem occurred spontaneously and we had previously had great performance, we knew something was wrong.  Some online research suggested that the problem could be that we didn't have enough water running through the cycle, and sure enough if we opened the dishwasher 10 minutes into the cycle, there was only a little water at the bottom of the washer.  Normally the water should be about 1/4" below the heating element.  Online forums said that problem is usually fixed by replacing the inlet valve.

I'm not terribly mechanical but I figured I could at least take a look at my washer.  I unplugged my washer and turned off the water to it.  I removed the screws on the access plate at the bottom of the washer, and I opened the door and removed the two screws at the top of the washer that attached it to my counter.  Then I pulled out the washer and was able to see the inlet valve on the front left side of my washer.  I unscrewed the hose coupling, unscrewed the hex screw that held the inlet valve to the washer frame, and slide off the washer.  Finally I gently pulled off the electrical plug to the valve and took off the rubber hose.

The part number on the inlet valve was this Whirlpool inlet valve model, so I order this from Amazon and replaced mine.  I hooked everything back up and my water level is now correct and my dishes are clean again.

I ordered second day air and placed my order at 10 am CST, and my package arrived the next day!  My local plumbing supply didn't have it in stock and were more expensive anyway (even including Amazon's 2nd day shipping and sales tax.)  Gotta love Amazon.


I have been using induction for at least 20 years. I had it when I lived in Japan and when I moved back to the states I was able to replace my oven range with an induction oven range. Using a typical electric glass cooktop was torture after being spoiled by induction. We recently moved and the house we bought had a 36 inch Jenn Air. It was original to the house so about 12 years old. Trying to adjust with the control knobs on this was  a major frustration and I had enough when a week ago I prepared a big Sunday meal with 4 burners going at the same time. I got on-line and found a good deal on this and purchased it straight away. It arrived last night and my husband who is a big breakfast person and everyday complained how he missed the induction we had installed it straight away. He is pretty handy but he did have some trouble installing since there is no plug in as it is wired. The wires from the old one did not match up perfectly. The controls are amazing(a huge plus from any induction I have used) and it is so quiet you will not even know it is on unless you turn it up to high. It also has a timer which is great if you are busy like us. The only reason I did not give it 5 star is because the hole for the old 36 inch is a bit bigger and I am having trouble finding a GE Trim Kit for the 36" size. We did find the 30/32 inch kit on-line. It is available in black and white for about $100. It would be nice if they had it available in stainless steel as well.  Also it has a vent hood you have to attach under it and it has made the drawer where I keep all my flatware not useable. This is major since I really don't have anywhere else to put my flatware which I have a lot of. Since this was just installed and we have only used it a day I will update has need be. I am hoping after I post this that GE reaches out to me with some solutions for the issues we are having.


I am going to enjoy writing this review because I have water and ice cubes again. I am unsure if I would buy this brand LG refrigerator again because either the price for repair was outrageous or the parts were a pain. My ice maker broke and I decided instead of paying a few hundred dollars for repair I would "DIY."  As I am not particularly handy around the house this was an enormous job for me. I looked up the repair on Youtube and decided to do it myself. It took me several hours but I installed it and it was producing my beloved ice cubes. The following week we noticed water on the floor by the fridge and the ice making was very slow, investigating this I found the water valve was leaking. This was poor on my part because I had it out previously when repairing the icemaker and debated on changing it then. Since I had it all apart this was the correct thing to do. I didn't.

Now for your information and to get to the point I have an LG model LFX 25960ST. I ORDER THE ORIGINAL PART Water Inlet Valve ONLINE AT AMAZON. Clearly I was confused because the water valve I removed looked completely different than the replacement I ordered. Every thing I read directed me to the upgraded water valve. I am here to say DON'T BE Afraid, THE NEWER REPLACEMENT FITS IN THE AREA AND WORKS CORRECTLY. One thing, there is and extra wire on this valve, just leave it hanging, it do not have a plug on this refrigerator. It really had me going. In the end I hooked it all up and in twelve hours the fridge was and is producing ice cubes. As a previous review said, the part did not match the one it was to replace, contacted the seller and was advised that LG had service notes on removing the wiring harness and connecting directly to the refrigerator. Followed the recommendation and installed the part, works fine. Would have been helpful if service instructions had been included. AND I AGREE.

Points to remember:
go to Youtube and look at the video repairs
Unplug first
turn off water
have plenty of room
bag all screws
take pictures of everything
you will find this very important days later
AND REMEMBER THERE IS A SPECIFIC WAY TO REMOVE THE HOSE FROM THE WATER VALVE. JUST DON'T PULL IT OUT.

I did, darn it, I cause my own problem.


LG washer opened during wash and did thousands of dollars in water damage. LG refused to take responsibility for their product.
As of this time LG has still not compensated us for the water damage to our home caused when their washer door opened and flooded us.
Beware of LG!  Do your research first and save yourself some trouble.
We purchased an LG Front loading washing machine that opened up during a wash cycle and LG is refusing to cover any of the damages to our home.  This is particularly egregious because LG is aware that if their front loading machines over fill with water that the door will pop open.  LG is knowingly selling front loading washers that will open if, for whatever reason, they get too full of water.  We thought the washer was great before it just opened up.

MODEL NAME: WM2650HRA  SERIAL NUMBER: 306PNAJ6G432
PURCHASE DATE: 4/20/2014 Retail price $1,099.00

It worked perfectly until 5/10/2014 when during a sanitation wash cycle the front door opened and poured water out causing over $3000 (supported by estimates from licensed contractors) of damage to our living space by ruining wall to wall carpet and some of the sub floor.

On 5/10/14 LG service representative admitted that too much water would open the door.
On 5/19/14 Mr. Blake also stated that too much water would cause the door to open.
This proves that LG was well aware of this feature of their front loading washing machines.

5-20-2014 LG Call CNM140520553488 Representative Katie refused to provide smart diagnosis report from 5/10 incident and refused to provide her last name but transferred me to a supervisor.

5-20-2014 Adrian ID7008 seemed surprised that two people at LG had admitted the defect regarding the door opening.

On 6/16/2014 our claim was denied by LG

We have filed a formal complaint against LG with the North Carolina Dept of Justice Consumer protection dept. which has been assigned file number 1408167  LG replied with a frivolous reply claming there was nothing wrong with the washing machine.

Complaint case # 31032574 has now been filed with the Better Business Bureau. LG replied with a frivolous reply referring us back to
Mr. Blake.


I purchased my GE refridgerator approximately 8 months ago.  It was, on my part, a bad decision to make a 2K investment without doing research.  It was more of an impulse purchase as my old fridge was slowing fading.  I was impressed with the available storage and had never had an icemaker or water dispenser.  But, I figured it was time to move up.  About 2 months ago, I started experiencing issues with the water dispenser.  It was no longer filling my cup in a timely fashion but it became an hour event.  Or there was no water. I still have the manufacturers warranty (and even bought an additional 2 years on top of that) so I called the 888 number.  I got registered and waited for the repairman/service department to call for an appointment.  After 4 days, I called again.  Another two days later, I called again.  They set me up with a different service company.  Today, after taking vacation time from work, the serviceman arrives only to tell me that no one really has much experience with a newer model until on the market for a year or two.  He went on to say that the problem MAY be because the ice dispenser/maker/storage is actually in the refridgerator section instead of the freezer section.  Therefore, the manufacturer recommends that the temp be at 38.  My water could actually be "frozen" and that is why I get no water or a dribble.  So, the advice I received was to turn my fridge up to 42 and watch it for a few days as IF it is frozen, it may take several days to thaw as he wasn't sure how many coils were in the back.  It has been 5 hours since he was here and still I have a dribble of water.  After "googling" recommended temperatures for refriderators, I found a site that stated not higher than 41...funny how the repairman set it a 42.  Anyone have any suggestions or ideas, short of selling it?


I bought this a few months back and I wanted to wait to write my review of the item so I could give a good review and not just a "Yay it got here" kind of review. I've used it many times over the past few months.

The piece that replaces the tap on your faucet is a little hard to attach, you need a strong wrench and strong hands to do it, but otherwise, once attached it was fine. I've actually left it attached and when not hooked up to the dishwasher the faucet still works just fine.

I've used the dishwasher several times now and I love it. It's been a major lifesaver. Instructions are simple to follow and it's very easy to use. I have it fixed on a counter top and just plug it in and hook it up when I need to use it. It does have both a detergent area and a rinse aid area, so I was able to purchase some Jet Dry for the dishes which makes me happy since I know the dishes will not only come out clean, but sparkling without spots.

I live alone so it takes some time to create enough dishes to use the washer, but I never worry when I use it. I know now the dishes will come out clean and wonderful. The program run takes a bit of time, but it does have a loud 8 beep noise to indicate the run is over so I don't worry about it.

I was a bit nervous purchasing this one when it had no reviews, but it was one of the cheaper countertop dishwashers out there so I wanted to take the chance. I'm very happy that I did.

It was very well packaged without a single ding or scratch upon arrival. It was a very large box, but not terribly heavy, I'm a single woman who doesn't go to the gym and while it was hard to do I was able to get the box into my car and out of my car, up the stairs to my apartment, out of the box, and onto the counter without any issues. Again, this was hard for me to do, but if you have help, or a stronger person around it should be almost no issue at all. It's more bulky than it is heavy. I live in a small apartment with very little counter space, but this takes up the space I used to have the dish drying rack on while fitting underneath my cabinets and next to my sink. It was perfect for my needs.


I have been blessed with this Kitchenaid double oven. While I did not purchase thru my Amazon account, I did purchase it over a year ago in a nearby city.  We live in the country so my husband picked it up and we had someone install it for us. The lock on the burners for kid control is used all the time, great! The top oven is used more than the bottom, but both work wonderfully. I preset both ovens for different temperatures and times to cook while I am at church so we come home to a hot meal- both work GREAT! Love those features! All my burners work, even though the middle burner is low flame, I turn it on while getting supplies out and can use my griddle for pancakes, grilled sandwiches, bacon... and since we have a large family, I use another burner with a cast iron skillet or griddle to expedite the cooking process - great idea! Once heated the griddle cooks just as fast as the pan next to it! My cast iron pans are too large to use together on this stove top, so I purchased a set of Cuisinart Multi clad pro cookware from Amazon and they all fit just fine and cook well on it, so I guess before the new cookware last fall, I wished I had gotten a 36" stove top, now though, it works well. I still use my cast iron daily, but only a couple at a time on the stove top.  While there is an electric start on the gas burners, I really appreciate the way you can turn the knob back - almost off- to get even a lower flame to simmer (my daughters gas stove shuts off automatically if you try to turn back past the "clicking').  I make ghee and it requires a low heat which the oval middle burner provides with my largest Cuisinart pot. The timers are both excellent, I cannot say enough about the fun I have still experimenting with my stove, even though I have had it and used it continuously for over a year!

DEC- 2012 UPDATE:
Still loving my KitchenAid double gas oven.  Find myself using the warmer quite a bit with larger meals during the holidays. Have had no rusting, or other user problems I have read about from other reviews. Everyone who comes over loves the controls and the versatility of the cooking it provides. Still looks great and works even better.


We've had it for 2 weeks.

Door is soooo hard to open that the handle is loose now. I can see that in weeks it will break apart. We called the store back and they are to come check it. I tried vaseline as recommended by a tech (not from store) on the rubber seal, and did nothing to ease the opening.

Also it is verrry noisy. I can hear it from another room.  It also start on/off very often. I'd be surprised if the compressor lasts 5 years at the rate is is going on/off and it is not even set as super cold. And it meets all Frigidaire's recommendations for installation.

Would I recommend? No
Would I have bought it knowing this? No

But we're stuck with it.

Edited to update:
Finally found a way to make the door easier to open after trying multiple things. A regular straw that cut the size (height) needed and just put it inside top door (on seal), taped with a tiny piece scotchtape. The hole in the straw prevents the air to be sucked in causing the door to be almost unable to opened. The straw is squeezed when closed but the "vaccum" effect no longer exists and door opens normally.

Also called a technician who told us how to open the door knob plastic cover to tighten the screws. Now all is working perfectly.

Another thing that is annoying is the fruit/veggie basket. Only one huge compartment. No way to separate fruits and veggies. And it has large spaces between rods so everything tends to fall out the fridge. Not practical. All baskets (fruit and top ones) are all grids. So we used plastic cardboard (found in any home improvement store) cut to the size of the drawer to act as a bottom. Otherwise it was impossible to have anything stable. I think engineers must not cook/use fridge a lot to design such poor drawers!

But it still remains a noisy fridge. I would not buy it again but it does the job it is supposed to do: keep food at decent temperature.


I have the dishwasher running right now and just wanted to take a moment to write a little ode to my trusty Danby dishwasher, who has changed my life in so many ways through the years.  You see, when I first moved into my apartment and discovered that there was no dishwasher I almost decided not to sign the lease.  My helpful landlady suggested I search for a countertop option (which I never even knew existed), I did my research, and this is what I bought.  Thank goodness because I love my place and I despise doing dishes by hand.  If it hadn't been for this trusty, mighty little dishwasher I never would've scored this amazing rent-controlled little jewel.

Now, I bought this 5 years ago, so it was about half the price -- and I still think it's crazy cheap given how phenomenal it is.  At the time, reviewers cautioned that it would likely only last about 2 years, maximum.  Considering the price and my aversion to washing dishes by hand, there was no way I could resist.  I almost feel like I'm jinxing myself.. but it still works as well as it did on day 1 and I've never had to repair anything.  I cook every night and run my little dishwasher almost everyday.

Easily the best thing I've ever bought.  Ever.

UPDATE
So of course, 1 year later my beloved dishwasher began to leak.  My first instinct was to freak out, naturally.  After I gathered myself together I poked around on the unit and realized that the decorative window was coming loose.  After doing some research I went to my local hardware store and purchased silicon glue for about $3.  And then I glued every single component of that window, placed a heavy planter on the open door, and let it dry for a day and a half.  And I am delighted to report... HOORAY!  It's up and running at 100%.  Phew.

(Someone gently suggested that I might actually want to, you know, wash my dishes by hand.  To which I replied, puhleaze.)

But, even if my very favorite purchase of all time had in fact died on me (which it DID NOT, 6 years later) I wouldn't have hesitated to buy a new one.


I bought this washer in January 2017. In febuary I began to have problems with the spin cycle. It would not spin then it gave me the error code Ld which is not in the manual. I called the Haier customer service and was told how to reset the washer that the safety switch had been tripped because the washer was off balance. So I reset the washer and the problems increased. Almost every load tripped the safety switch regardless of how much laundry I had in the load. I would only be able to reset the washer after I emptied it completely. Then it began to fill too full and flooded my kitchen. I called Haier again and they made a work order and for repair. It sat at the repair shop for more than 3 weeks because the part that was ordered was defective and another one had to be ordered and installed. I finally got my washer back on 6/7/17 and was able to wash one load without incident. After that It began to act the way it did before they picked it up for repair but with more problems. It also would not fill up all the way and when it got full displayed error code LF and began to drain. If I lifted the lid and put it back down it filled back up and then over filled and would not complete the wash stopping at the spin cycle with error code Ld. I complained to Haier again and ended up getting a refund and the washer is disposed of like the piece of junk it is.
Additionally, Haier customer service told me I could have it repaired as many times as I needed on the warranty, but i told them if it is always broken and in the shop, what is the point in having it? I will not put up with constant repairs for an entire year only to have to pay out of pocket when the warranty runs out. I hurt and can't haul laundry to the laundromat all the time. I need a washer that works. I also am a single mom. This is unacceptable. I will be buying a different washer and will never use haier again.


UPDATE: I bought a pair of these about a week ago and installed one of them. Water now shoots with as much pressure as when we first got the fridge and it tastes just as good. The peace of mind of having plenty of safe drinking water without the severe waste of water bottles as my family had in the past is indescribable. Remember to change these every six months or when the indicator light turns on. Not much else to say except to remember to reset the water filter indicator. To do this, after removing the old water filter and installing the new one, reset the indicator light by pressing and holding the "Alarm / Hold for 3 sec For Filter Reset" button for 3 seconds. For models with interior controls press and hold the Fridge and Power Cool buttons simultaneously for 3 seconds.

Old review:
Like many of you I have been looking at all the cheap aftermarket filters on Amazon for my Samsung fridge. All of them are NSF42 certified, but none have been NSF53 certified. This is the ONLY non OEM filter I've been able to find that is both NSF-42 and NSF-53 certified (the latter of which is the most important aspect of any filter). Furthermore, these cost half of what the Samsung OEM go for. NSF42 is unimportant with regards to filtration so don't be deceived by filters which only have this one certified.

All this said, please do not buy these here. You can get these at the Home Depot for 50 bucks for the value pack (2-pac). At 90 dollars you might as well just buy the OEM Samsung filters.

For those who are unaware, here is an excerpt on the nsf.org website about NSF53 certification.

"NSF/ANSI 53: Drinking Water Treatment Units - Health Effects

NSF/ANSI 53 establishes the minimum requirements for the certification of POU/POE filtration systems designed to reduce specific health-related contaminants, such as Cryptosporidium, Giardia, lead, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) and MTBE (methyl tertiary-butyl ether), that may be present in public or private drinking water.

The scope of NSF/ANSI 53 includes material safety, structural integrity and health-related contaminant reduction performance claims. The most common technology addressed by this standard is carbon filtration."


My son bought me this Washer and Dryer for Mother's Day and I love them.  They do everything they claim in their advertisement.

The steam function on the dryer is awesome for freshening up clothes as well as non-washable items like drapes.  The "Whitest Whites" cycle really does get the white wash clean with or without the use of any bleach.  Also, this Washer uses very little detergent and only "He" Type detergent which is available at most grocery stores.  It is amazing how clean the laundry gets with such a small amount of detergent.  The dryer has a wrinkle shield function that keeps the laundry from getting wrinkled in case you forget or can't get to it as soon as it's dry.  The washer has a sanitizing function that deep cleans and sanitizes the wash and there's a "Drain/Spin" function in case you want to spin the laundry drier (but it does an excellent job even on heavy loads).  They handled a king-size comforter load and a load of my son's dirty, heavy work pants and hooded-sweatshirts with no trouble at all.

They can be stacked for space saving or they can sit side-by-side.  If you do want to stack them, you'll need to buy a stacking kit but they are readily available and inexpensive and a door reversal kit for the dryer (the washer door is not reversible) is also available for purchase which is suggested when they are being stacked.  There is also a Work Surface that can be purchased separately that makes the tops' a convenient place to fold and sort laundry.  And there is a pedestal available too, which raises the height of the appliance.

This Washer and Dryer costs more than my previous washers and dryers but in the long run the amount that is being saved in electric, water, and detergent costs far outweighs the initial cost.  I just can't say enough about how wonderful they work and the new brown "Tuscan Chestnut" color is a beautiful metallic brown color.


I purchased the freezer SideKick March 2013.  It looks very nice and has plenty of room for a family of four, plus a little extra when you have impromptu gatherings and you need to make appetizers and munchies.  Much like the other consumer, my freezer unit froze up (or should I say heated up) twice and we had to place repair calls to get it back to proper cooling.  This occurred twice in a matter of 4 year, which is more than I have had to call on for my other non-Whirlpool appliances (only placed 2 calls for my 15-year old refrigerator).  My family and I recently took a 5-day vacation, and while we were gone we had two house sitters.  On the day we returned we were notified by the house sitter that the house was beginning to have a faint smell. By the time we arrived that evening, the freezer unit was confirmed malfunctioning and was actually circulating warm air (like an Easybake oven).  We lost everything. It smelled so bad that I actually vomited twice attempting to clean it out.  We have tried everything to remove the stench, but no luck.  I spent over $1,800 for a piece junk.  I contacted Whirlpool tonight and they have not heard or reported of any complaints.  The service rep, Lauren T said, "This model is not noted with any known issues in our system and it is not under any recalls," but then proceeded to inform me that she noted a complaint from me.  I was instructed to contact an 800 number to schedule a service and that I may qualify for the "Repair + 1".  Truthfully, I do not want this thing because I can't get the smell out of it, and I don't want to invest any more than I already have knowing that it is only a matter of time before it breaks down again.  Buyer beware! Consider another freezer before buying this one.


I would like to share my experience with the new 2014 combo steam/convection oven DGC6800 from Miele. It is a very expensive appliance ($6,000), so I would expect exceptional performance and outstanding customer service. But I understand that not all units can be perfect, and things can sometimes break. I received it in October. It had been working great until November. I made a delicious pork roast, a lot of pizza, German Christmas cake and fantastic bread. Since it stopped working, my experience with Miele has been a huge disappointment: something inside the unit broke in November (either the temperature sensors or the main board) and I kept getting error codes on the display. The service technician that came at the beginning of December was not able to determine the exact cause of these error messages, so he ordered parts from Germany, which arrived on December 29. On December 30, two technicians were supposed to come out and repair the oven, but in the morning I received a call that one technician is sick and cannot come. Now, the repair is tentatively rescheduled for January 6. I already had to cancel a Christmas dinner, because I was not able to use my oven to cook a meal. Now, I have to cancel a scheduled New Year's party for tomorrow, because I still don't have an oven that I can cook a meal in.

I am very disappointed in the Miele service, considering that I paid $6,000 (!) for this appliance. I would expect better and faster service for this money. Is there only one Miele technician in the entire city of Calgary? What about the second guy that was supposed to come out as well? Apple, for example, gives customers loaner units if the repair of an expensive item takes longer than a few days. Nespresso provides people with loaner coffee makers when a machine needs to be repaired. I understand that it is not easy to get a loaner steam oven, but just a plain apology for the inconvenience and an additional 8 months of free warranty is just not enough for the price that I paid.

Unfortunately, I am now forced to leave negative reviews on the internet.


I was wondering how long the upper rack adjusters would last on my Whirlpool-made, Kenmore dishwasher after comparing them to my mom's older Kenmore DW, which was also made by Whirlpool.  I got my answer last month:  3 years for me.  A littler research online revealed that the breakage of this part is a huge problem.  The Achilles heel of the original part's design is the dainty wheel axles that are part of the plastic mold of the adjuster's bracket.  Over time in the harsh DW environment, these pieces, which have to bear the weight of the dishes in the upper rack, become brittle and eventually break.  It's not a matter of "If it will break" but rather "When".  Shame on Whirlpool for putting such garbage on consumers.

Luckily, I happened upon a video that showed this "upgraded" adjuster kit, which really is very similar if not the same as the adjuster used prior to the one that came in the machine.  There were a few helpful videos that show how to remove the old adjusters and put on the new ones.  It's a rather easy, low-cost fix and anyone can do it without incurring the costs of a repairman.  There is absolutely no reason to buy the original adjusters, which are virtually the same price as this one.  They really need to stop selling the old one so that unwary consumers don't waste money on them.

The dishwasher is back to working as normal.  Actually, it's better than when new, as the upper rack used to squeal like an oiled pig at a county fair from when it was practically new.  The wheels of the new adjuster roll much more smoothly in the tracks without all the racket.  The parts of this adjuster are notably heavier than the original ones, as the brackets are constructed of heavy gauge metal.  My mom's machine is 11 years old and never had any issues, so I believe this new adjuster will last the life of the machine without further complaint.  If I were to have anything negative to say, it's that this adjuster intrudes slightly more into the rack.  So, I have to place smaller glasses next to it than before.  Obviously, this is a minor nit but something I immediately noticed.


I have been in the upscale appliance retail and wholesale business over 20 years. I was there when Fisher & Paykel first came to the US with their top load washer; such a well designed machine that is is still available (albeit with some cosmetic upgrades) at an affordable price. I owned one of their washers for eight years and only ever had one problem with it which was self imposed - I put 2 bath mats in the washer and the machine freaked out and shut down in the spin cycle. I called F&P and we were able to fix the machine by phone.

When the dishdrawer hit our shores some 12-14 years ago, it was a mess. There was almost a 50% failure rate on the machines. You would think that this would have sunk the concept and the brand in the US, but I believe the consumer did respond positively and Fisher & Paykel soldiered on, improving the product, reducing failures and gaining market share. As each new version hit the market, the product steadily improved and so did our sales. I believe the last generation (version 7) was glitch free.

Recently, I did a major remodel of my house and decided to install a double dishdrawer. I must say that is does a great job washing the dishes (I don't rinse), it's quiet ( I have a large open floor plan w/vaulted ceilings and tile floor and I can't hear it running).

So, like many companies whose product is viable, F&P finally got it right. The blogosphere is ubiquitous and everlasting, so this gets a bad rap. But kudos to F&P for sticking with it and getting it right. I believe many of the negatives out there are installation related and F&P takes the blame. So be it. But, this is a marvel of a product whose time has come; I am very happy and confidently promote this dishwasher to my customers.

The newest version is the best yet; they increased the overall height of the top drawer so it fits a 13" tall item and improved the racks. It just keeps getting better and better.......

I felt it was necessary to comment from a different angle; I both sell and own this product. I hear all of our customer's and my wife's feedback; I say this product has hit it's stride.


Bosch use to be good, now cheaply made. Do not expect your dishes to be dry since they do not have a dryer, this is why they get energy ratings. There is always water on the dishes, even if you use delay and let it sit overnight. So much water that it will track on your floors as you are putting the dishes away. Don't be fooled by their DBA claims, it is not accurate. If you measure the sound during the pulsating noises it is no longer quiet. Loud enough that if you are standing in the kitchen you and your guests will hear it. There are times during the cycle that you wonder if it is on, it can be that quite- that is the decibel they state. Too bad they don't state the actual sound when it is really working.
The doors are no longer the heavy stainless they use to be. They now paint parts of the plastic fascia. They no longer have a latch so it is a direct pull, another way to cut down on production costs. The new silverware baskets have ledges in them for the purpose of making sure each piece gets clean. However you will not be able to put in as many place settings of silverware in the basket as stated due to the various levels. The fold over plastic that comes with the basket is so thin, it will easily cut with scissors. The 800 has a cutlery 3rd rack. You will not be able to fit the described piece place settings and any large cookware in the same load.

The one thing that is correct about their claims is they do clean with food left on. It is also next to impossible to clog a Bosch. THAT'S IT!

Unless you buy a 800 series all the above is true. The 800 series is the only one that is still made in Germany. The 800 also has a cutlery 3rd rack.

Bottom line- this is an extremely overrated dishwasher! I am a caterer- I get to work on all brands of dishwashers in high end homes. unless it is the expensive 800 series, I will no longer recommend a Bosch to my customers.

When a product is only warranted by the manufacture for one year- that should tell you something about the quality!


The Ice maker arrived very well packed (at least I thought it did anyways).  I wasn't too keen on whatever they put on the steel (some blue plastic cover thing that you have to pull off though it was a minor issue), but it was fairly easy to take it off though there were certain areas that I could not pull it off the Ice maker so not really a big deal just annoying.  I ran the machine for a couple of times and threw out the ice just so that it gets broken in and if any tastes or smells linger they would go away though I noticed neither.  The Ice maker is very quiet all you hear is the ice dropping; the fan occasionally, and the pump as it draws water into the machine from the water well (or whatever you want to call it).  I've only had the ice maker for less than a month or so and so far have not noticed any problems, so only time will tell how it holds up (and any updates that I add later on down the road).  It looks like a well put together product even for one coming out of China which nowadays seems like just about everything else although I did wipe down the inside of the product as there was some kind of stain (dirt or something else I don't know that got past the quality control point) in it that wiped up fairly easy enough.  The ice doesn't have any weird taste that I can detect and everything seems to be in working order so far.  I would recommend this product to others.

Update December 27th 2012

The ice maker now automatically switches to the smallest type of ice tube/cube (whatever you want to call it) size.  The clean function doesn't even work.  When it worked; it worked great, now that it has started to act up it's a pain in the proverbial rear end.  When I purchase another ice maker machine I won't be buying it from this company.  I've only had this one for under a year and a half though I was hoping to have it in good working order for at least 5 years.  If you are thinking of purchasing this product look elsewhere.


To be completely honest... I hate our washer. Yes, it is pretty to look at, but it does a terrible job washing clothes and sheets. First, I have to wash ALL my clothes on the bulky cycle just to actually get them wet... and trust me, I do not over fill my washer. I have washed every different size load possible; large, medium and small, and they still would come out with PHYSICAL dirt on them. Using the bulky cycle for everything is the only way I can get everything clean, and I hate it because that cycle is harder on your clothes. On top of the clothes, washing sheets in this thing is absolutely horrible. One sheet always gets caught and gets stretched across the entire top of the load, so it looks like the top of a drum when you look down on it. The same thing happens when I wash rugs or anything, and it makes me wonder how clean things actually get when it is just floating on top of the load...

I am usually not one to complain, because I take responsibility for my purchases, it was my choice, but I just wanted to cry when I noticed what a bad job the washer does. It was the first washer and dryer set I have ever purchased for our first home, and it sucks, and now I am stuck with it - wasting water and energy with every load.

I should have stuck with the a front load washer. They are way more gentle on your clothes, and you have so much more room than you do with a top load washer.

I hate to say it, but I will not be buying another Maytag product in my life. I was completely disappointed and upset that I let someone at the store talk me into this washer. I have tried every different water, cycle, and speed combination and I just can't get this thing to get my clothes really clean.
I am replacing my washer as soon as I have money to do so, and it will not be with another Maytag product.

-- Love, Very Sad Consumer with Dirty Clothes


We have 24 foot of solid dryer vent pipe ending in 3 right-angles before going through the floor into the flexible dryer-vent hose coming from the dryer.  I can't get behind the dryer without moving both the washer and dryer and they are HEAVY.  So being lazy I decided to clean the vent from the outside of the house inward.  I didn't use a vacuum cleaner or a blower or suction of any kind.  I did tighten each section of tubing with pliers and taped them.  I threaded all 24 foot of tubing with the brush on the end into the outside vent and then backed it out.  I got a good amount of lint clods out.  Then I turned on the dryer to blow everything out.  I got no air coming out at all.  My fear had come true, I had forced gobs of lint into the right-angles at the end of the run.  I still didn't want to move that washer and dryer so I figured I'd try one other thing, use the clodbuster attachment.  Now I'm really getting lazy so I tightened each tubing section by hand (no pliers) and didn't use tape.  I pushed all 24 foot of tubing into the vent until I hit some resistance and then turned the tubing by hand (too lazy to hook the drill up).  Then I pulled it all out and there wasn't any lint at all that came out. So now I'm resigned to having to move the washer and dryer, but before I do I figured I might as well turn the dryer on and see what happens.  Lots of lint clods blew out and kept coming out for about 20 seconds.  I've attached pictures of it.  I'm really happy with this product and if it worked for me with all the shortcuts I took it will probably work great for you.  As a point of reference we built this house five years ago and this is the first time I ever cleaned the vent.  A load of ten bath towels used to take 45 minutes to dry, lately it's been taking 3 to 4 hours, so I knew I couldn't put cleaning the pipe off any longer.


I purchased this from Sears with good discount. I was happy with the cost. It was scheduled for delivery after 20 days. I was nervous investing that much on a refrigerator. But when Sears folks delivered and installed it well, and I was not disappointed.

PROS:

1-Looks, it makes your kitchen a lot more sellable. Ready for HGTV?
2-Inside is roomy
3-Well lit
4-Ice and water outlet is flat and looks very modern. It is touch sensitive, not push sensitive. Just touch onto the buttons, they come off.
5-Water coming out of the dispenser is filtered and has very pleasant taste. Filter is inside the frig easy to access. It is very small, won't take space.
6-Flexible interior adjustment: you can move few thing around, and fit a Heineken keg easily.
7-temperature separated sections: Upper part has 3 temperature separated sections.a-Regular larger section b)vegetables section which keep veggies moist and cooler c) deli section, which keeps meat coolest.
8-Freezer is roomy with one large bottom section, and one drawer to put boxy stuff in orderly manner.
9-External light is pleasantly lit and ambient: yet to find a way to keep it lit nonstop, but blue water-ice outlet light is very nice in dark.
10-The Ice maker does not take the entire inside section of the right door where ice dispense is located outside. It is so well designed that you can still use the inside shelf located in front of the dispenser part of the fridge. most of the other brands use the dedicate that section for ice machine.
11-Best buy for a luxury frig under $2,500.

CONS:

If any..
1- Due to nature of french-doors, the doors do not self close, Therefore, you have to give a light push to ensure that the doors close, which outlines the alarm issue many users are complaining about. But, if you close the doors properly, alarm will not sound, period. So, close the doors.:)
2-A bit pricier than average regular frig, but this is not an average frig. This is a Bosch and this model cost twice as much in Europe.
3- Stainless steel stains, but this is the nature of the stainless steel. If this is a concern for you, avoid stainless steel fridges.

VERDICT:

BUY IT !!!!


Just a couple weeks before I purchased this Eco-egg washing machine, I brought a hand-cranked Wonderwash from the Laundry Althernative. It came with missing hand-cranked handle and cap and drain host (Really!?). I was disappointed and upset that because of their careless mistakes, I had to spend time dealing with the return while I should be doing laundry at home. I thought I would give the Laundry Alternative a chance to earn my trust back and place an order for this Eco-egg machine and a Nina Soft spinner. I was so excited to get the washing machine and the spinner in about a week. However, after spending all the time to get the washing machine setup done - finding the right adapter to fit the faucet and the host, adjusting the knob, so the water wouldn't leak. I was SO DISAPPOINTED to find out the machine would not work!!! It was not moving at all after the power was on, On/Off button was on, the cycle selected, and the Start button pressed. I tried the "Full Cycle" several times and it did not work; tried the "Wash Only" several times and it did not work either. Yes, it could Rinse/Drain the water without a problem. BUT WHAT IS THE POINT to have an automatic washing machine IF IT CANNOT WASH the clothing I needed it to!!! Oh, and I also found out the model does not have "Disinfection Only" from the user manual and the box although the label on the machine itself said it has such function. I am really disappointed at the Laundry Alternative. And now I have to deal with the return process once again but with a different washing machine. I would give the company and the product a ZERO star if I could. I have not gotten a chance to test the spinner out. I will update this review if the Laundry Alternative make it hard for the customer to return the item or if the spinner is also a lemon.


I just got this installed today and have run a few cycles through so far. My installation required me to do some sheet metal trimming on the vent that goes through the wall (Not this Whirlpool part) in order to minimize the distance between the wall and dryer. I also had to cut several slots in the existing vent tube (Part through the wall) in order to expand around the the Whirlpool part. Instructions state to make a slit. I had to make a few in order to get it to fit which was not a big issue. The hardest part for installation for me was getting my dryer to slide on the floor while keeping both ends of the tube in while I was test fitting. I recommend test fitting everything and then marking where the upper and lower halves meet with a permanent marker and then remove the tube and tape the seam with foil tape.
The Good:
- Reduced the distance that the dryer sat out away from the wall by about two inches which makes a big difference in my small utility room.
- Having the ability to spin the round tubes separately from the box part of the periscope was VERY helpful during fitting and installation.
- I have also noted that since I don't have a long length of corrugated tubing between the dryer and external vent the ambient temperature of the room remains much cooler.
The Not So Good:
- I did have to do some sheet metal trimming and a bit of handling even when pulling the upper and lower pieces apart to swap them around. The edges are SHARP and I recommend either leather work or mechanics type of gloves while handling it.
- Both the upper and lower periscope parts are constructed with two pieces of sheet metal sandwiched together with crimps on the outside edge. When I received the box from Amazon on of the halves had separated and I had to fit it back together and re-crimp it.
- While it is not mandatory I highly recommend using foil tape to seal where the upper and lower halves fit together. It would be nice if a small strip of foil tape were included in the package with the ducting. I would think that material cost for Whirlpool would be very minimal in quantity.
So far I am happy with the purchase as I have regained a few usable inches back in my utility room and maybe keep the area cooler during the summer. I am glad I purchased this product.


What a hunk of miserable crap.

And Since WHEN is 50lbs portable?

Does the ad mention it makes only 1 cup of ice at a time? No.

Does the description mention that you would have to be sitting their removing refreezing and refilling the machine 24/7 to get 33 lbs of ice (heaven forbid it worked that long).

I get things break but Kalorik and their resellers (this is not coming from Amazon direct) are shameful.

The UNIT DID NOT WORK FROM THE BEGINING.  KALORIK SAID THEY HAVE NOT MADE THIS UNIT SINCE 2007 AND HAVE NO TECHNICAL SUPPORT.

WHATS WORSE IS RETURNING A BADLY PACKED 50LB UNIT.

My story:

The market is flooded with these units all from LARGE third party sellers, which makes the return policy horrid.

They were made in 2007, and the factory has one and only one expert there who 'was on vacation'.

Problems with the unit:

1) it came in scratched and chipped while packaging was perfect.  means it was damaged prepacking and a refurb unit.

2) Unit made one batch of ice, which promptly melted.

3) Factory responce: It makes the ICE it just doesnt keep it cold, so of course you have to use your freezer.  (ask for the email).

  This made no sense, so I unplugged it over nighht and it made great ice cubes this time that staid frozen.  So I took the ice out, added more water, and made more cubes.

  When the second batch of ice came out, the lid closed and the unit stopped dead.  Everything melted, no more cubes, dead. no annoying noise.

Now here is the problem, and maybe amazon is better with returns.

Third party wouldnt pay for return shipping.  This 50lb beaast that was baddly packed, needed 80$ of shipping material.

Called Kalorik several times during this experience and they have school children answering the phone.  They laughed and giggled and said 'we haven't made that unit for a long time no one here knows about it'.

Will NEVER buy from Kalorik again, and NEVER buy a large object on line.

Referbed unit. Shame on them.


I bought this as 2nd compact dryer to supplement the 8 lb. capacity dryer I already have, so that it wouldn't take me literally all day (9 a.m. to midnight) to wash and dry what equals approx. 2 regular sized loads of clothes (if I were to use a full size washer/dryer).  Towels especially would take over two hours to dry just 2 or 3 of them!  I have only used it for one laundry day so far, but I am very pleased and impressed.  It was able to dry a full sized (big & tall man's) terry cloth bath robe in about 40 minutes, and other loads of regular clothes (between 4 to 7 pieces depending on size) in between 30 and 40 minutes per load.  A big improvement over my other dryer.

The controls are simple and easy to use.  However, the only issue I have is that the filter housing (which is on the inside back of the drum) is very hard to pull out - although it goes back on easy enough, and I'm hoping that perhaps it is only because the Panda is brand new, and with repeated removal for cleaning out lint, it will "ease up" over time.  I always clean the filters on both dryers after every load in order to keep them running at maximum efficiency.  I was able to stack my old dryer on top of this one which I have sitting on a metal water heater stand and there were no movement or vibration issues.  Using both dryers I was able to finish my laundry in 8 hours as opposed to 15 hours!

All in all, I am very pleased with this little workhorse so far and I would recommend.  I can't comment on it's longevity yet - but I feel confident that with proper care it will last for a long time.  If I should run into any issues I will edit this review - but I'm not anticipating any problems!


Whirlpool 22003834 Water Valve Thermistor: Using this on our 10 year old Maytag Neptune front loading wash machine. Our water pressure in our home is about 94 Psi. The power went off the other day and I heard water dripping into the washer. If power is removed and the solenoid operated input water valve is questionable then it may leak. The high water pressure didn't help. This has happened before but this time it was bad. In order to get the accumulated water out of the machine I ran a spin cycle and walked away. 30 minutes later I returned, the floor in the laundry room and kitchen were covered with water (thank goodness for a shop-vac and a spin mop). The input water valve must have failed completely and the machine filled with water, when the door unlocked itself it opened from the large amount of water and it poured out.  I replaced the water valve Whirlpool 22003834 Water Valve Thermistor (thank goodness for Amazon Prime 2 day shipping). To be safe I installed two of these Valterra A01-1120VP 40-50 PSI Lead Free Water Regulators (Amazon Prime again). I had to remove the orange plastic hand tightening ring (interfered with the valve handle) and reverse the strainer/seal (as another reviewer mentioned). I measured the pressure from the regulator and it was 40 Psi hot & cold I have run about 10 loads of laundry using warm/cold setting and so far everything works very well. There is a nylon or similar material part in the brass Valterra reducer but I don't think it will melt or deform with hot water. The stainless steel unit Valterra A01-1114VP High Flow Stainless Steel Water Regulator (from Amazon) does not seem to have any similar nylon/plastic parts in it so I have one of these on hand just in case. The machine is actually working much better with the lower water pressure. I included some pictures.


Be wary you must know if your washing machine is "low flow" or "high flow".  If you don't match the correct pureWash model to your machine, you're gonna have a bad time.  So please do go beyond knowing if your machine is HE or not.  Some HE machines fill faster than others and therefore will need a "high flow" model.

I have two pureWash units.  One for my home and one for a home I rent out.  The tenants of my rental property are thrilled at how their laundry becomes clean in only cold water with no use of detergent, thus saving them money.  I'm thrilled because the rent they pay me isn't being spent on excessive hot water sucking up my profits.

You must pre-treat certain stains.  Food coloring and ink stains need to be pre-treated.  I have not found a food stain which needs pre-treating.  I have not found any stains from hunting (blood, mud, etc.) which need pre-treating.  The pureWash system is a boon for hunters who want to remove scents from hunting garb.

I also attached a "Y" splitter with valves so I can have "pureWash water on demand".  I use this to clean surfaces and....though I am not advising one do this....I swish it in my mouth as a rinse.  It tastes and reacts a lot like diluted hydrogen peroxide and studies have shown it to have many benefits.  NEVER SWALLOW IT.

I am hoping the pureWash system may someday be integrated into a "cold water only" machine.  With a pureWash system, all the extra 'bells & whistles' are no longer necessary.  No more need for "Steam Washing" or "Sanitizing Cycles".  I just want a very basic machine with about five wash options (Delicate, Normal, Bulky, Heavy Duty and Rinse/Spin), three spin speeds and large capacity.  No more heaters, no more "Intelligent Laundry Aid Dispersal Units" and all that garbage we didn't have back in the 70s.  I say a simple solution like pureWash demands the elegance of a simple, yet highly effective, machine.


To understand this review you must know a simple thing about injection molded plastic parts.  Virgin plastic pellets are always the best source material, they are heated up to melting then a plunger squirts a needed volume into a mold through a channel while forcing the air out a hole at the back.

Knock off the piece of plastic that was the input channel and the whole for air to escape and you have your part.

Those wasted pieces go via a vacuum tube off to the regrind system and are chipped up into, well, chips that resemble the virgin pelets used to make the part.  Only these chips are not virgin, they have been melted once. Good mfgrs make the best parts from all virgin material, but that is not cost effective.  NON-OEM (aftermarket) mfrgs take the regrind chips and mix in some percentage of regrind with virgin pelets to make a lower grade of plastic.  In the end it all works, but customers of those products may notice an off-taste to the water through the plastic filter?  Why?  Every time the plastic is melted oils come out to the surface, and eventually they make it into the water - after 20 gallons of washwater the aftermarket will taste the same as the OEM filter does with virgin plastic and just 1/2  - 1 gallon of washwater.

Some people can not even detect the taste, so for them aftermarket filters can lead to 40% savings.  Others can taste the difference (even the appearance is visually different from the regrind in plastics)

Buying a 2 pack saves some money - not 40% by any means, but since my dad and I use the same filter, and at about the same rate, we buy the factory OEM filters by the 2 pack for savings and good taste.

There are many more factors in doing injection molding I've left out - oils, release agents, FDA approved material being chosen overseas, etc - but it all plays into the part price and overall quality in the end.  It's a personal choice one must make.  I hope this helps - google "injection molding" regrind for more information about strength and other factors.


We inherited some fancy-looking but awful LG front-loading machines when we purchased our house. The washing machine in particular would vibrate violently, walk itself across the laundry room floor and crash itself into the dryer on one side and the slop sink on the other side (all of which have battle scars). We put the washing machine on the lowest possible setting for the spin cycle, but it still sounded like it was about to tear the house down.

Enter the Silent Feet. Easy to install, and our problem washing machine is probably 75% better -- not perfect. It is bearable now. We still have to leave it on the lowest possible setting for spin cycle, but with the Silent Feet, it has stopped traveling around the laundry room and damaging everything that it comes into contact with. Every once in while, we noticed that the machine had migrated ever so slightly (half an inch maybe), and it was very easy to push it back into place -- it would then stay put for another month or two.

The only reason I'm giving this four stars is that the Silent Feet appeared to wear out after slightly over one year of use. We did have to slide the machine in and out quite a few times to vacuum out the dryer vent, clean/repair, etc., so the Silent Feet got a fair amount of use/abuse beyond the normal vibration of the washing machine. Recently, we were unable to properly slide the washing machine back into place. The Silent Feet in the back kept slipping off. I realized that the rubber had started to degrade, and the pad was starting to split/peel horizontally. While it's annoying that the Silent Feet didn't last longer, we did really put them to the test this year, and they performed beautifully. I did not hesitate to order another set of Silent Feet as a replacement, and we'll see how long this next set lasts. They work well enough, that I would begrudgingly buy replacements from time to time, as they're still much cheaper than replacing our washing machine (although I can't wait until the day we get rid of that monstrosity).


My current FP washer is very similar to this one. It is the Ecosmart with agitator. I have had it 8 years with family of 5. The thing has run practically non stop. My wife beats the tar out of it day in a day out--she is a clean-clothes junkie.

We got a paper clip stuck in the divert valve once. I was able to remove it without even needing a tool! Just my fingers. It took only a few minutes.
I was able to diagnose the problem using the self diagnostic feature on the front panel.

Our unit recently had the water pump fail after 8 years of heavy use. It took literally 10 seconds to remove the old pump and 10 seconds to insert the new one! Again I used the diagnostics on the front panel to determine that the pump had failed--super easy. The parts are extremely easy to replace in this machine. I can not stress how important this is because it literally allows you to keep it in service far longer than other manufactures units.

The FP washer is quite advanced, it does not have a typical transmission to fail. Far fewer parts to break. Instead it deploys a single direct drive armature assembly, similar to a giant stepper motor. This allows it to be programmatically driven with software and also allows far more torque and wash cycle motions. It senses the resistance of clothing against the agitator to determine how much to fill the tub.

It does an exceptional job at cleaning clothes--actually quite amazing. You have to see it to believe it.
The spin speed is one of the most prominent features. It spins the load so ***fast***, they come out mostly dry. This results in far less time in the dryer where clothes get beat up the most. The result is far less water usage and far better drying times--less energy and less wear and tear on clothes.

Highly recommend this. I would get another FP washer in a heartbeat if our current unit ever broke and became too expensive to repair. But since it is so easy to repair it may be some time yet before that occurs!


I rated this 5 stars, even though the first freezer I was sent had to be returned.  I wish I had read this in the reviews, but here is what happened.  The Freezer was shipped with no markings saying "This End Up" or "Fridge Enclosed - do not Tip".  It arrived via UPS, we plugged it in, and instantly it began to make this horribly loud grinding noise.  We were horrified, as this was going in my niece's dorm room and would wake up half the floor if it continued to make that noise.  20 min later, a contractor friend of mine told me that it must have been tipped over during shipping, and it needed to sit for 24 hrs so the Freon or whatever fluid he said had seeped into the compressor because it had been tipped over or sideways, could drain out.  We tried that - unplugging it for 36hrs, but the moment we plugged it back in...  the noise was back.  We left it plugged in for 12 hours, but the noise didn't stop.

As frustrating as this was, I had read previous reviews where people said this was a very quiet freezer that made only a trickling noise, so I was determined to give it another chance.  We returned the freezer and had a new one shipped out.  Again, no markings on the box, but we made sure at least from the UPS driver to her dorm, that the box didn't get tipped. (He noted that the box should have been labeled as I suggested above, otherwise UPS guys probably would not know to keep it upright). We also let the freezer sit (before plugging it in) for 24 hrs.  Finally - we plugged it in and... whala!  There was the soft trickling noise we were hoping for, and no loud Compressor!  She has used it for 2 weeks and loves it.

Two things that could have saves us a TON of trouble:  if The Box had been labeled properly (DO NOT TIP, etc.).  and if the instruction manual had said not to turn it on for 24 hrs after if has possibly been tipped.  Luckily for me, my contractor friend knew what was happening, but all in all it shouldn't have had to be that difficult.


When your 10 year old Frigidaire freezer goes berserk, this was the fix.  It started when I noticed the front panel said 10 degrees.  But I know I had set it to 0 degrees.  It's been that way for a long time.  So I set it back to 0 degrees.  The next day, it was at 10 degrees again.  Then a few weeks later the light started acting funny.  It would take a while to fully turn on.  The more I opened and closed the freezer door, the weirder it acted until finally the display went crazy.  It would show partial number segments, or a "1", etc.  Then the freezer shut off.  So I unplugged it and plugged it back in and it started running.  But it wasn't long before it acted all crazy again.  Finally even unplugging it didn't help.  I thought maybe there was a short somewhere.  But everything looked good underneath and at the back.  I disconnected connectors and plugged back together.  All sorts of things.  Then I saw the diagram on the back.  It shows the light switch and the light bulb are inputs to a control module.  An Internet search and reading comments on Amazon convinced me the module had gone bad.  We put the food in another freezer we had access to and ordered this module (it an updated part number).  Two days later I had the module and replaced it and the freezer works perfectly as if brand new again.  It was also a good chance to clean the inside of the freezer really well and it defrosted really well as there was quite a bit of water that ran out from underneath and from the door too.  Very happy!  In the pictures, you can see what the face of the module looks like, the one with the yellow label is the original, the white label is the one I received, and the last picture is the empty socket where the module fits.  There are 6 places where the module snaps in (3 on top and 3 on bottom).  I pretty much broke the tabs on the old module as I didn't know the exact placement of the tabs.  The replacement will snap in all the way with some patience.  The biggest electrolytic cap on the old module was bulging on the top.


First of all, this item is for a GE side by side refrigerator with a water and ice dispenser in the door.  It may very well fit other brands as well. I must say first of all, the part is the exact same GE factory part that came in a sealed GE factory box identical to the old one down to the length of the tubing which was the perfect length and required no cutting. Not some knock-off from china.  The box was inside of a nicely packed larger shipping box. This part shows available on many other internet appliance parts sites, but most do not indicate whether it actually is GE oem parts or some cheap knockoff with possibly the wrong size tubes. One of the reasons I wrote this is because the description here on Amazon says very little and really only mentions the part number.

 This is the water tank that is located on the inside of the refrigerator on the back wall behind the produce draw. The small tank allows the water a chance to cool down before it is dispensed through the door. The tank is fastened to the back wall with two philips head screws. Two polyethelene tubes come fixed on the tank.  The shorter is the tank entry tube which litterally slide fits snug (without the need of any tools) into the soleniod valve at the back of the refrigerator.  The longer exit tube goes underneath the refrig to the front slide fitting below the door with the water and ice dispenser.  The reason I replaced this part is that the polyethelene tubing had developed tiny cracks that allow very subtle water leak and allowed air into the tubing.  The cracks developed in two seperate areas where the tubing had bends in it. First I began to notice that the water dispenser had a slight water dispensing delay.  At first I though it maybe a failing water valve soleniod. Low and behold the culprit was the fine cracks in the bends of the tubing at the back near the solenoid valve.

It took me about 40 minutes to remove the old tank and tubing and install and run the new tubes in the exact same manner. After it was installed, I thoroughly tested the dispenser to make sure there were no leaks at the tube fittings. Remember to always unplug the electrical cord when inspecting the water features of the refrigerator.  Good luck.


Absolutely horrible dishwasher.  We replaced it with a new LG unit after 1 1/2 years of usage.  After spending $1400 for the KitchenAid dishwasher, I was surprised as to how low quality it (and probably all other KitchenAid dishwashers) was built.  The first part that went bad, around a year into using the dishwasher was the upper rack posts that support the rolling wheels started breaking 1 by 1.  I looked at it and the post itself was made from cheap plastic, whereas all other dishwashers I looked at when got the replacement dishwasher had a metal post there, hence no breakage.  Once it breaks, Sears and all other suppliers I found on the net charge at lease $30 for the part.  Having 4 roller posts on the upper rack, be prepared to spend $120 to replace the parts (this is if you are a handyman and actually know how to replace the part).  I'm pretty handy but I could not figure out how to remove the broken post contraction from the rack, so I just used my own screws and washers to build a new support contraption for the upper rack.  It did not roll, but at lease we can wash dishes once again.  Then right after this happened, the computer circuit board went bad and the wash cycles did not drain at all.  We ended up having to do 2 cycles per load, the first load washes with soap, then manually called the drain cycle, and run a second wash cycle with no soap to rinse the dishes.  Maybe this is a lemon unit per for circuit board, but the construction of the rack posts and the price they charge for replacement gives me every indication there is no quality built into in these dishwashers at all.  They probably count on these parts breaking so people will have to pay an arm and a leg for replacements for profitability.  Before you buy these and any other KitchenAid units, make sure to take a close look at how they are built and compare to other dishwashers.


I've had Bosch appliances for years, and used to have a very strong belief in their product line.  If you purchased Bosch goods 10 or so years back, then you probably own a true, German made item.  From my understanding, Bosch has since created a manufacturing plant here in the States, where there just isn't the same commitment to excellence in standards. It also seems that the tolerance of mediocrity is greater here in the US, as consumers seem to have been conditioned to accept/expect less and less over time.

This unit does boast tremendous capacity/storage, and is exceptionally well lit. It really does seem to keep foods, such as fruits and vegetables, more viable over time. The freezer is also commodious, though not quite so as the refrigerator itself.

I've owned this model for 3 years now, as of this writing.
Some problems are/were:
-After delivery, it became evident that the gasket around the freezer door was not properly attached and had to be serviced, albeit easily, though there was a great deal of condensation for a while along the freezer door, before the repair.
-The ice maker seems to make ice only when it is good and ready, and sometimes days will elapse before ice is available.
-The option of crushed ice vs regular cubes - it seems impossible to distinguish between the two, though no big deal.
-The water dispenser is super-slow and takes a while to fill even small glasses.
-A few months ago, there was a loud, vibrating sound that came on and off again, as if one of the fans were off kilter. I was going to call for service, but the sound stopped. I can't detect any difference in operation since the sound stopped, but fear that the fan, or its motor, just eventually blew out.
-The quality of the stainless steel is not the utmost, though decent enough, but just not for the money.

I would proceed with some caution when considering making this purchase, and keep your fingers crossed (which is really no way to go forward).
It may just be that there are some good and bad units of its type out there. I had looked at so many refrigerators prior to the purchase of this one and found that (possibly) for the money, it was about the best. It has the name, but unfortunately, that somehow means less nowadays...


As for function, I would hate to see what my humidifier would look like without having a demineralization pad in it. They are always disgusting and cruddy when I throw them out (about every 2 weeks) and that's using filtered water. My scale buildup in the heating element/resevoir is manageable and comes right off after a 20 minute vinegar soak. So I think they're doing their job.

Yes, they are "too big" for the Vicks humidifier. I am, however, quite sure that everyone on this site owns a pair of scissors. Just cut them down, it's really not a big deal. They are literally twice as much as you get of the official Vicks/Kaz brand product for the same price. So if you value your money, buy these and trim them. If you have more money than time (as in 30 seconds to cut a rough cirle) buy the brand name and you will obviously not have to deal with trimming. For what it's worth, my Vicks humidifier came with the original pad just stuffed into the heating element/resevoir all willy nilly, which didn't hurt it at all as far as I can tell, and when I change them, even using the "right" ones from Vicks, usually by the time I take it out it's all scrunched up and not a perfect little circle of pad. It's really not going to matter if you can't get it cut into a perfect circle that is exactly the right size.

PS: These can't  "melt" like some reviews have mentioned. What happens is that if you have very hard water and you DON'T change your mineral pad or clean out the unit enough, the minerals in the pad bond to the minerals building up on your heating element, and create a big mess. If this happens, you can usually do vinegar soaks for a few days (soaking for 8 hours or overnight and then changing it, for about 3 or 4 soaks worth) and get all of the buildup and the remains of the pad out. Clean the unit once a week like the instructions state and inspect your pads and you'll bypass this headache - you'll know when it's time to replace from the looks of it.


I received the cooler in perfect condition and have been using it for a week. It is freestanding in a room that is typically 73-77 degrees. There is 6 inches or more of space behind and on both sides of the unit.

I keep one side at 55 degrees and the other at 60 degrees. Since it is thermoelectric, the cooler will not go more than 25 degrees below ambient, and I have observed that it will only go down to 53 degrees. The top of each side stays about 5-7 degrees warmer than the bottom.

When first turned on, the fans will spin faster until the set temperature is reached. The fans will be exhausting maximum heat while it cools down, so leaving extra space around the unit helps it cool faster. After that, the fans slow down and the unit becomes very quiet. If the door is opened for more than a few seconds, the fans will speed up again for a little while until it cools off. If you put in many bottles at room temperature, it can take a few hours or more to reach the set temperature and the quiet fan speed. Also note that if you set the temperature lower than the unit can achieve, the fans will continuously run at high speed.

I find it useful to put thermometers in the bottom half of each side. If you find that it can't maintain at least 20 degrees below ambient, there may not be enough space around the unit. If it is cooling properly, but the fans are still running fast, try raising the temperature one degree at a time until they slow down.

I gave it four stars because it could be a little better at keeping the temperature uniform from top to bottom and it could benefit from another few degrees of cooling.

All in all, I am very happy with the wine cooler. I can keep both sides close to 55 degrees for storage or raise one to 60-65 degrees for red wine serving temperatures when desired.