I am a sixth year physics graduate student.  I wish I had known a countertop dishwasher existed sooner!  I actually do my dishes now!  This would have been a Godsend when I was preparing for my qualifying exam, and I will love having it as I'm writing up my thesis.  Mainly it gets 4 stars because it exists and there seem to be few competitors - I do have some complaints about the design.

So far I have had no problems using it.  It is a cheap, old-style dishwasher - unlike the newest, coolest full sized dishwashers, it is not good at getting chunks of food off and you need to rinse dishes thoroughly before you run it.  Nothing that is not water-soluble should be left on the dishes when you put the dishes in or else it will end up on the "clean" dishes.  This isn't so much a design flaw as a feature of a cheap, simple dishwasher.

Here are the design flaws:
1.  The hose to connect the dishwasher to the sink is shorter than I would like (4.5 feet) and starts on the right side of the dishwasher in the back.  4.5' would sound like enough, but if you want the dish washer on the right side of the sink, you have 2.5 ' of hose left, roughly, which means it has to be within about 18" of the right side of the sink.  (You need some slack on the hose because it has to hang below the sink without much tension.)  You can't put it on a counter across from the sink and you can't tuck it in an out of the way place which is not within about 18" of the sink.  You couldn't put it under most sinks, for instance.  If you can't put it within 18" to the right of your sink or about 2.5' to the left of the sink, you should seriously consider getting a cart to put it on so you can roll it up to the sink when you're using it.  This is a serious concern if you're in a small, quirky apartment.  (If anyone from Danby is reading this, it would be really nice if one could buy an alternate, longer hose - maybe 8-10' - instead of the default hose to help fit this thing in a weird space.)
2.  You can't tell what part of the cycle the dishwasher is in.  This means you have no clue how much longer it has to go or if it is in a part of the cycle that can be skipped.  It seems to take a long time and if there's a drying cycle I'd like to turn it off sooner.
3.  The on switch and the delay switch are not easily distinguishable and don't follow any conventions for what these switches should look like.  The on switch does not look like an on switch, so I often confuse them.
4.  The name of the cycles on the display doesn't make any logical sense.  They are named P1, P2, P3, and P4.  The only way to tell whether you're on the short cycle or the long cycle or the energy saving cycle is to read the manual to figure out what on Earth P1, P2, P3, and P4 mean.
5.  The water does not drain out of the bottom of the dishwasher very well at the end of the cycle.
6.  At the end of the cycle when the water drains, it is very loud.  I live in a small one bedroom apartment and if I turn it on before bed it wakes me up when it is done, even though I have been known to sleep through smoke detectors and freight trains passing nearby.  It's no problem when I'm awake and it's not loud enough to bother the neighbors since it's not a noise that carries and the noisy part is very short, but it's loud if you're within 40 feet.  (A detachable hose on the bottom of water outlet would help dampen the noise.)

So I would get this dishwasher again and I love it, but I think the engineers have some work to do.  If you're going to get this, you should get out a measuring tape and make sure it fits where you want it and really plan how it fits.


I've only had this kegerator for a week, but I've used it quite a bit in that time, and I love it. Especially at this price point, I think it is a great value and I highly recommend it. With that being said, I've found a few quirks, and hope my below points help you make an informed decision on whether to buy this unit or not.

PROS:
- Temperature: I set the thermostat to max, but I did not do the thermostat alteration other reviewers mentioned. Even without that, my beer has been perfectly cold.
- Size: There is plenty of room in this unit. It fits a 5lb CO2 tank just fine (comes with a 2.5lb, I just upgraded it), and when you're only using 1/6 or 1/4 barrel kegs, there's plenty of room left for frosty mugs, etc.
- Easy set up: Within an hour, I had mine up and running. I found the instructions to be clear, and did not need to do any extra googling to find relevant info.
- Looks: Clean, professional look. Mine was packaged well and didn't have a single dent in it. Construction appears to be sufficient (I didn't pay for a commercial kegorator, and thus didn't expect one - the quality seems in accordance with residential use, and consistent with every other mini-fridge I've owned).
- It dispenses draught beer: It works! I'm getting great quality draught beer at home - at the right temperature and with the right amount of head. This makes me happy.

THE QUIRKS:
- The "lock" on the regulator adjuster: In order to change the CO2 pressure on the regulator, you must turn a knob - sounds easy enough. Problem is, the knob is locked with a teeeny tiny screw, which you're supposed to unscrew with the allen wrench they provided. That allen wrench was the same width as a tiny paper clip, and I couldn't get it to turn the tiny screw. My wife tried with her small hands and added finesse, but still to no avail. Finally, I gave up and just used a wrench to turn the knob without unlocking. Did I just ruin the threading on the knob? Probably, but it worked, and my beer has the right amount of foam - I don't care.
- The Tower: When twisting the tower into position, it was very loose - no bueno. I looked through all the parts and couldn't find a washer for it. Just as I was about to improvise, I saw the plug (the thing you'd put in the hole if you didn't want to install the tower), and it had a rubber gasket on it. I put that on the tower, then it fit nice and snug (note: with the rubber gasket on, you have to put some strength into twisting it into place, but it works).
- CO2 Tank: Mine only came with a 2.5lb tank, which is quite small. So I bought a 5lb tank, which fits perfect in the same place as where the 2.5 one would go. I'll just use the 2.5lb'er as a backup.
- The #%! Silver Piece on Top of the Tower: So, on top of the tower lies a little silver decorative piece to cover up the hole - looks good. Yet whenever you close the door, the pressure change causes the silver piece to fly into the air like it's a cartoon on top of a geiser. It's fallen behind the fridge a few times and been a pain to get back out - beware of this.

That's all for now. This is probably the coolest toy I've ever had, so I'll be sure to come back and make updates if I run into any problems along the way. For now at least, it's a 5 Star.


We live on a sub-tropical island in Japan.  It is hot here, (90+ degrees with 100% humidity), most of the year and we are an outdoor family of five.  My husband and my three boys are outside all day and night except when at school, work, or sleeping and we all consume TONS of water... I go through 15 gallons of purified water a week!

Needless to say, as typical Americans, we like our ice cold but none of the refrigerators here are equipped with any kind of ice machine.  There is not even close to enough space to store ice trays and an ice box in the freezer (at least not for a family of five!) even if you wanted to... which I DON'T... and I got sick of paying for over priced frozen water!

I ordered this Machine and fell in love with the fact that I FINALLY had ice!!  There were a few drawbacks in the beginning.  As other users stated, it did give the ice a plastic taste.  I ran water through it a few times with no success so moved on to the vinegar method.  It did seem to help, although there was still kind of a funny taste to the ice.  The good news is that after the first, or maybe it was the second, week the ice tasted just fine and you couldn't taste anything except water! It may take a bit longer for the average family for their ice to start tasting normal as we use an inordinate amount of ice,(remember the 15 gallons of water?), but it WILL start tasting normal.

We have owned this machine for almost 3 months now and feel that it is definitely worth every penny we spent.  We have never had a problem with it not functioning properly, (and I have a 2 and 3 year old who love to push buttons and wreak havoc on everything), and it makes PLENTY of ice, (We go through a LOT of ice, and although there have been times that there isn't much ice left from what the last person took after a full day of refilling sports bottles, it makes it so quickly that in 15 or 20 minutes or so it drops another tray load in the basket!).

The only down side is also an up side for me.  The ice does tend to be a little softer than  what comes from the freezer, but that is to be expected considering how fast it makes it...  Consequently, the ice does tend to melt a little faster, but I actually like it better because I like to chew on ice and this doesn't break my teeth... plus we mostly drink water so it isn't diluting the liquid in my cup at all so I tend to like the softer ice. My husband who enjoys whiskey and cokes also likes the softer ice because he too is an ice chewer.  When we need firmer, longer lasting ice for a cooler or something, we simply let the ice maker make it and we transfer it into a zip lock bag and put it in the freezer for a while, or the night before. No big deal and we didn't have to pay for over priced frozen water at the store!

In the long run, after doing the math, this machine will pay for itself by the end of next month an then will actually be saving us money!

***UPDATE***
We are going on our 6th month of having this machine and I cannot rave enough about it.  With a family of five we go through tons of ice daily and this little baby has had no problem keeping up.  The ice tastes great and contrary to my previous report that the ice is soft, it actually drops into the tray hard but starts to soften as it slowly melts back into the machine which in turn makes a fresh new batch.  I actually have come to enjoy the ice being softer and tend to wait for it to soften before I use it because I enjoy chewing on it.

I rarely write reviews, let alone an update to one, but I can't begin to tell you how happy I am with this little machine. You won't be sorry with this purchase!


I have a Class "A" 35 foot Motorhome and like most motorhomes under "One Hundred Thousand Dollars" the refrigerators are on the small side and in the freezer you need every inch. This ice maker was just what I was looking for, the prices is right and the size is perfect to store in the motorhome. Every few days I pour some bottled water in and make a zip-lock bag of ice and put it in the freezer. It took all the worries out of running out of ice. If we have guests it's great!!! Once it gets to temperature it seems to take off and fills up fast. It is also great for making crushed ice because the cubes have a hole in the center and are easy to smash. Only problem I have is that it is heavy (for me, I have a bad back) and to pick it up to the sink to clean it good is ruff. All & all: Well made, Nice looking and the only noise is the cubes falling which I find kind of neat myself :)

It was about two months after the above review of the Ice Maker when it broke!! I did read reviews where others had problems with the water pump but I thought it was just an air bubble because mine stopped pumping a few times and all I had to do was tilt it a bit thinking I was releasing the air.

WRONG!! one day that dreaded "out of water light came on and that's all she wrote. I called and received no satisfaction at all!! Figuring it would be too much trouble to send it back I decides to repair it myself. That is what I did for a living, R&D engineer, I have repaired more sophisticated machinery then a simple Ice Maker. I worked for "Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center" in New York City for over 15 years repairing Picker & GE X-Ray machines and Linear Escalators. I was schooled by these companies and was a "Jack of ALL Trades". Enough of tooting my horn.

The ice maker is built very well, like clockwork inside. It has a good compressor and the design is excellent!! It has one flaw, the water pump! I took the pump out and it is a medical grade pump with a ISO certification on it. (ISO 9001:2000) Problem, after a long day of hunting on my computer and my connections I could not find a replacement pump. It is made in China by "HENG SHAN" model # FS60202M , DC 12 volts 0.23 amps.

What I did was disassemble the pump, it is a tiny thing. Easy to take apart, it is a magnet driven pump. One electro magnet spinning in a sealed housing insulated from the water. It drives a smaller magnet that has the impellor attached that moves the water. Age old design used in many things such as fish tank filter pumps.

I found three problems with the pump: (1) the electro magnet circuit board had a cold solder joint. (2) one of the windings had no continuity, which took me a long time to find the break with a magnifying glass and repair it. (3) both the electro magnet shaft and the impellor shaft were shimmed to tight which I found out after I repaired (1) & (2). That could have been the cause of the winding getting hot and breaking. The time it did run for was intermittent, it did stop on me several times, that was most likely the cold solder joint. Between that and the shafts being shimmed to tight put a strain and high resistance on the windings until one of the winding wires melted... Hence, a dead pump!

After all the repairs (about 12 hours work) it runs great now, has been for weeks. You can hear how much stronger the pump is. If you can not repair it yourself there are plenty of small 12 volt magnet drive pumps that you can replace it with, just replacing it is easy, just take your time taking the back to cover halfs off (lots of screws). GOOD LUCK!!

ps: If you need advice on repair of the pump email me at willphov@gmail.com and I will try to get back to you.


I am extremely disappointed in this refrigerator/beverage center, HC125FVS.  I purchased it at a local "big-name" store.  Firstly, the drinks on the top shelf never got really cold, and the temperatures varied greatly from one shelf to the next.  I have 4 thermometers, and this is what the temperature degree results were at for the 7th (coldest setting) - 6th setting (2nd coldest):
Top: 45-55
3rd: 40-45
2nd: 35-40
small bottom shelf: 30-35

There was an ongoing variance of 5 degrees per shelf.  Also keep in mind that the average refrigerator should be at 35-40 degrees MAX.

I called Haier and the agent told me that 125 cans is the maximum and they do not recommend filling the center to capacity to allow the air to flow freely. (Then why advertise it as a 125-can center???)  I had it only about 2/3 full of cans anyway, and there is no fan in the unit to circulate the air, so how can the air flow freely?  No wonder there is such a temperature variance. (Go figure.) I decided to hold onto it for a little while longer to see if I did get any satisfaction out of it.  (The only thing that made me really happy was that it freed up a lot of precious space in my main refrigerator.) So, I held onto it for a few more weeks.

The straw that broke the camel's back is that it is also advertised on the box to have auto-defrost.  After I had it for about 2 months, it developed a thick layer of frost, and it never auto-defrosted.  The manual made no mention of the auto-defrost and how it is supposed to work.  So, I called Haier America and asked why it had not defrosted yet.  I spoke with two different agents and both told me that they did not see auto-defrost as one of the options on this refrigerator. (Go figure, again.)

Oh, one more thing.  This center was constantly running.  Although it has been a hot summer, my electric bills have never been above $190 in all the years that I have lived in this house.  I was shocked when my electric bill went from $170 one month to $260 the next month after the first use of this center.  My next electric bill should be coming soon, and I am bracing myself.  Although I cannot say 100% sure that this center contributed greatly to the big jump in my bill, but when I turned it off, my electric meter's wheel slowed down quite a bit.

It is going back to the store this weekend.  Thank goodness I can return it after 2 months to my local store...

Well, I hope you find this review helpful.

P.S.  I just ordered a Danby Designer 4.4 Cu ft compact refrigerator that it is Energy Star rated.  I have seen great feedback (4.63 stars out of 5)on the Danby from over 40 reviews, and I have my fingers crossed that it works better. It's also 0.4 cu ft bigger than the Haier...

UPDATE:  After I stopped using this beverage center, my electric bill went back down to normal levels on my October 2008 bill.  I got the Danby, and I am so much happier with the Danby.  Its auto-defrost works and it is energy efficient, which is the opposite of this Haier.

UPDATE 7/9/09: It's the following summer, and I still love the Danby.  My electric bills are still at their usual levels of $170-$190.  Therefore, I am convinced the Haier is the reason for the jump in my bill last year.  As I previously mentioned, the Haier was running constantly.


We've owned this machine a little over a year at this point, and STILL love this dryer.  It works as good now as the day it was purchased.  I'm averaging six loads of drying per week, and this little wonder has had no trouble keeping up, even with big thick bath towels. :)

Our apartment doesn't have the room, nor a 220v plug for a standard clothes dryer, so we were so thrilled to find this compact little unit that could be safely hooked up to an indoor venting system (Dundas Jafine TDIDVKZW ProFlex Indoor Dryer Vent Kit with 4-Inch by 5-Foot ProFlex Duct) and takes up very little room.  It is wall-mountable (kit is included with the dryer - you just need a couple of wood slats or a piece of plywood), but works just as well on a table.  We have ours on a little $14 Ikea side table (IKEA Lack Side Table - Black) [we've uploaded pictures to Amazon.com], and were pleasantly surprised we didn't see a need to strap or bolt it down, as it doesn't move even when in use.  Very sturdy!  You can also place it on the floor if needed, but with the controls on the bottom front, it would be a bit more awkward to operate.

Owning this machine has been a big stress-reliever.  We bought it as it was stressful trying to do laundry using the pay-per-use machines in our apartment complex. We didn't enjoy paying $5 to wash+dry each load and not being sure our clothes are even getting clean, not having clothes dry fully, trying to use the machines when someone constantly seems to be using them for a home laundry business, worrying about someone dumping a bleach into washers, or putting wax crayons, felt markers, and lipsticks in dryers as a prank, dealing with the residue of someone's greasy clothes or fabric dyes in the machines, etc.  The list of stresses using shared laundry facilities goes on and on.  Having this dryer has certainly eliminated them!

I highly recommend this dryer, as it's good value for the price, and fits into our little apartment with ease.  They make good wedding and baby gifts to those like us who have limited space and/or can't hook up full-size appliances because of electrical outlets. We also bought a Haier portable washer Haier HLP21N Pulsator 1-Cubic-Foot Portable Washer to go with this dryer, and love it too!

Wool Lint Filter cleaning:  I tried cleaning the wool pad circular filter with a soft old toothbrush, but found brushing the wool wore it out too quickly, and I've had to replace the pad more often than would have been normally necessary.  What works best for me is to use lint rollers (I use the dollar store ones that have sticky paper as they work great) to clean off lint remnants after pulling off the large pieces.  I average three sticky sheets per two loads of drying, and find this method is simple, cheap and better than replacing filters every two months at $9 per filter (shipped to Canada).  You can also vacuum the filter, but for me it's much more convenient to use lint rollers.  The filters on this machine are quite effective and very very little lint ever gets vented out, which is great for an indoor venting system.


I sell appliances for a living, so I know quite a lot about them.  I bought one of the first little Haier washers 6 years ago, and ever since, I wished there was a matching dryer.  Since my washer has held up so well all this time (never a problem and I use it LOTS), I decided to buy this dryer right away once I discovered it.  I've had it about a month.

Let me tell you about dryers: Get the biggest one you have space for, same as for washers. and you'll be happier.  I move often and I tend to rent small places, so this is the only one to consider; It's either this or drying racks!  All the other portables currantly out there are bigger and more cumbersome than this one.  This one truly is portable in that I can pick it up and carry it easily.  But, it will not hold as many clothes as the bigger ones.  It is, however, perfect for the little Haier washers.

If you want faster drying times, be prepared to have a 220v or gas line installed.  (Your landlord will go for that, sure!)  Otherwise, 120v portable dryers are going to take, on average, 90 minutes per load.  The flip side of this is that you can operate it almost ANYWHERE, and your landlord doesn't even need to know you have it!

120v dryers also do not have to be vented outside.  They do not produce nearly the lint of larger dryers.  You can if you want.

Tinier dryers may produce an extra wrinkle or two over largers ones.  They don't have as much room for tumbling, so, be sure not to overload this one.  That will also affect drying time.  No dryer should be filled more than half full of wet clothes, unless you like ironing out wrinkles.

I ordered this from Amazon, thinking that I was getting the one with the window and the dial.  Instead, I got the one with the electronic controls, which is the nicer one.  I'm not sure the window/dial version is available anymore.  This has all electronic controls with many little lights.  Very hi-tek!  It has a sensor dry feature that is usually accurate.  Sometimes, I'll need to add some manual dry time afterwards, especially if I've mixed lightweight with heavier weight fabrics, as that throws the sensor off a little.  Of course, keeping like-weight clothes together would be better.

There are 3 auto-dry cyles: Normal, Heavy, and Delicate.  Use Heavy for Jeans and Towels.  I'm not sure when I'll ever use Delicate, as 120v dryers only dry on low heat!  That is why they take longer to dry.  I believe that cycle uses an even lower heat.  There is also timed dry available.  Drying status lights (drying, cooling, done, and check lint filter) are helpful.  It has an end-of-cycle signal.  It does not have a drying rack, as some descriptions on the web have stated.

This, like my little washer, is surprisingly well-built!  It has a metal body (I was expecting plastic).  I think it will last a long time, hassle-free, just like my washer has.

My only real complaint is the lint filter.  It seems fragile and it is the most bothersome one I've ever had to clean!  There are two filters nested together, one fine and the other course, and both have to be cleaned.  It is located on the back of the drum and doesn't pull off that easily.  I imagine this is necessary, though, because of the dryer's small size.  I wish Haier would have made a stronger, more convenient filter.  THIS IS THE ONLY REASON I AM GIVING THIS DRYER FOUR INSTEAD OF FIVE STARS.

Overall, if space and portability are your chief concerns, Haier's small washers and this dryer are very, very good!  I highly recommend them.  However, if you have more space, and stay put for many years, get something bigger.


Exact replacement for Kenmore humidifier, model #758.144170 console humidifier.  I have been using them for 1.5 months.  The house was down to 10% humidity due to lack of filters AND outside temperatures between -10 and 20 degrees.  I have electronic thermometers that record the min/max temperatures AND min/max humidity both inside and outside.  Even the outdoor humidity was 30% or less (VERY dry).  I live in central MA; review was written when cold snap hit us for ~2 weeks (12/22/17 through 1/8/18).
I put in these new filters and put the fan speed on my humidifier on medium and did this for 1 WEEK (3 fan speeds on my console humidifier).  Despite the cold weather and dry conditions, the indoor humidity was brought up from 10% to 45%.  After that, I put the fan speed on low and the humidifier has been operating quietly and cycling (on/off) for the past two weeks.
I use a combo bacteriostat (mold, bacteria growth) and water treatment (hard water) to improve filter operations (BestAir Golden Solution Humidifier -> found at Lowe's or on eBay).
COMMENTS on POSTS: I have a whole house humidifier (1,800 sq. ft.).  The humidity where the humidifier is located measures 48% and at the opposite end of the house (ranch style) measures 45%.  The house is heated with oil-fired forced hot water baseboard heat.  It takes time for the moisture to build up and then "filter" its way throughout the house.  I started out at 10% and using a medium fan speed had to run the humidifier constantly for a week to get the humidity levels up.  You're not just adding moisture into the air, it's EVERYTHING in your home (wood floors, furniture, curtains, etc.).
I do find that I have to fill up one water tank (humidifier has two 2.5 gallon water tanks) on a daily basis.  Some people have posted that this is excessive.  Honestly, these wicks are doing their job because in colder weather, the humidity levels drop both outside AND inside your home more excessively.  This means you need more water to get into the air as opposed to when outside temperatures are in the 40s to 60s (warmer air can hold more moisture than colder air).  I have also found that my humidifier cycles more "off" than "on" suggesting that these paper wicks are getting the humidity into the air despite dry conditions.
The filters have to put into the humidifier CAREFULLY because of a slight design flaw with the holders.  The plastic holders for my wick filters are rounded on the bottom but fit into a straight holder on the top.  Essentially, the filters are gently but noticeably being "bent" from a curved surface to a straight surface.  Like the OEM wicks, I had to put them in gently and made sure they were not wet.  DON'T try to flip these wicks to get extra life out of them.  They will generally last a whole season (get more "strained" into the fourth month of use).  When these wicks are wet, they will fall apart when you try to take them out of the holder and turn them around.  Remember, the wicks are made out of paper and paper loses its cohesive properties when wet (pick up a 3 ounce fishing weight with two pages of dry newsprint and then try the same thing with the newsprint soaking wet.  You'll be lucky if the pages don't fall apart when you handle them!).
Paper wicks may seem "cheap" but the paper weave really soaks up the water better than some of the plastic honeycomb filters I have tried in the past.  In my area, we have free recycling so a used paper wick goes into the paper recycle bin.  Environmental impact kept to a minimum.

Please let me know if you find this review helpful.


In the heirarchy of cooktops, induction is king. Although induction is powered by electricity, it should not be confused with traditional electric cooking.

Induction provides instantaneous results. The speed of heating a pan is amazing (surpasses gas and electric in speed and control), it does not throw heat (other than the hot pan), and the lack of heat generated beneath the surface means the cooktop is much cooler than either electric or gas, because there are no heating elements in the unit. Also, induction costs far less to operate than gas or electric.

This unit has digital controls (with a lit display that only shows when it is on), and I know, for example, that olive oil will burn in the pan above 5, but 4.5 is perfect for sauteing. And it will remain perfect for sauteing throughout the entire cooking process, it will not get hotter or colder.

Furthermore, you can store anything on the cooktop (we keep a bottle of olive oil on there, as well as a non-magnetic spoon rest. They stay cool to the touch regardless of how many units are on.

Now there are downsides.

1. Cost: cost prohibitive for many, by far the most significant factor. There are no freestanding range/oven combos, which means that you need to spend money on individual range and oven to get a functional kitchen. Furthermore, unless you have a 40A cooktop in place, you will need to upgrade your electric. The total cost for us was around thirty two hundred for both the wall oven and the cooktop, with an additional cost of $150 for the electrician, and about $300 in replacing the pans.

2. Cookware: although most high end pans are made to be induction compatible, the majority of widely available cookware is not. Especially non-stick. I found a couple nice "eco" non-stick pans at a homegoods store, but be advised to take a magnet along with you shopping, and only buy pans to which it sticks. That being said, all-clad is typically induction compatible, and there is a wide movement to making pans that way.

3. Probably not a wise investment at this point if looking for a return on a home renovation for sale. While many people discover the benefits of induction for themselves, it hasn't taken off in the US yet, and most people won't know the difference until using it.  I doubt people would recognize the benefits if we went to sell the house. Perhaps a brochure would be in order...

Now for those that hate electric cooking, but don't have gas lines, this is an amazing solution--I think it is far better than the other methods of cooking. Also, if you frequently cook but have a smaller kitchen, this will keep it cooler.

If you have gas lines, I'd have to say that the benefits of induction (compared to gas) do not outweigh the initial cost. This cost could be recouped by energy savings if you cook A LOT, or by weighing in other considerations, such as small children being burned.

The 30" is very useful, and is equivalent to a standard freestanding cooking range. The 36" model would be appropriate if you are accustomed to having a 6 burner cooktop.

I don't have any basis for comparison to other induction units, but I cannot find any faults with this unit.

UPDATE:

After cooking on this for over a year, I have a few additional comments:

1. Some induction compatible pans make noise when heating, not loud, but rather annoying.
2. The glass has scratched slightly in places. Still looks very sleek though.
3. Controls are annoying to clean. Despite the "control lock" button, when you clean the rest the water activates the buttons, making an error message and a beeping noise.
4. There should be a better way to seal off the edges next to the countertop. Has anyone tried silicon?
5. There are now "all in one" cooktop/oven slide in units available.

UPDATE:

Barkeepers friend works extremely well to clean the cooktop


I use this cooktop on a 30amp circuit with Anolon hard anodized copper bottom cookware. I read a lot of reviews about this cooktop and was worried about the performance of the cooktop relative to a gas cooktop, wondered if my circuit had enough juice to power this cooktop and stressed over buying cookware that would not buzz or rattle. Getting a gas cooktop was unfortunately not an option with the home I just purchased and regular electric cooktops have never impressed me. I did not buy this on Amazon and bought it at a local big box that starts with L, ends in S and has a OWE in the middle. Price was the same as Amazon, at the time, and preferred to buy local in case I had to return due to lack of compatibility with my countertop or the electric needs. I was also able to get a 4 year in-home warranty from the same store for 120 bucks  which was a bargain in my opinion. I've been using this cooktop for 3 months now and so far zero issues with my 30amp circuit. Ive even turned all burners on to a high setting and did not trip the breaker. This cooktop is the real deal and I can't believe I'm saying this but I actually prefer it over gas. The heat control, clean up and lack of hot surfaces on pot handles really make it shine. The heat control for me has been the biggest surprise.  Heat setting for each burner goes up in half steps. 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, etc. As me and my wife get more experience cooking on it we share settings with each other to see what numbers work best. Everything we are making is remarkably consistent now. Pancakes are always golden, pasta is prefect etc. no more guesswork! It's as simple as finding the best number for each burner according to what your making. Ex: we make pancakes on the large burner using number 3. I read one review where somebody mentioned that they had trouble cleaning the touch screen control area due to water canceling out the control lock? Read another where someone mentioned it easily scratches? Several where they talked about "relearning how to cook everything" on induction coming from gas or regular electric? No to all in my experience. Cleaning and Scratches: Push and hold the control lock for 5 seconds and nothing on the cooktop will work except the timer button. I use Weiman glass cooktop wipes to get off any food and then little dots of Weiman glass cooktop cleaner with a baby burb cloth. Gets it showroom clean every single time with less than 2 mins of effort. You want to clean it like this for the simple fact that hard particles like salt and a flat bottom pot surface will definitely lead to scratches. I clean it after every use and always check my flat bottom cookware prior to use and I've had no scratch issues. Relearning how to cook? Really? I think the learning curve is similar to getting a new TV or cell phone. Sure awkward the first time or two but by no means a complete relearning. I did end up using silicon around the edges to prevent any possible leakage between the cooktop and countertop. Cooktop kit does include a black adhesive strip in lieu of recommending a silicon bond. If I could do it again I would of probably not used silicon as it does not look as slick and the included strip that sits between the cooktop and counter seemed more than adequate. I did a separate review for the pots and pans but long story short it seems to me that basically all pots and pans will buzz on induction to some degree. The ones i use slightly buzz at high temps but its  minimal and when at normal cooking temps there is no buzz. If your ready to make the upgrade, have money to swap pans and don't mind  a possible electric upgrade I say go for it. I'm very happy with this purchase and have been telling everyone about induction.


For several years I had read about induction cooktops and thought I'd love to have one - if we ever remodeled, knowing that we wouldn't do that!!!!  Well, my husband surprised me with a kitchen remodel - pretty much going with anything I wanted.  I DO love to cook and always have.  I studied and researched induction cooktops, and am thrilled to have one.  Even my husband loves cooking with it - it is a HUGE learning curve.  I have used both gas and electric in the past.

Yes, I did need to get new pans (I'd really never had new pans in our 40 years of marriage, but rather a hodge-podge of things given to us.  It worked.  Well, we went with the Demire Atlantis line (yes, luxury) and at my husband's suggestion got them while the kitchen was being remodeled and I was cooking on a single hot plate.  Let me tell you, those pans are incredible - even on a cheap hot plate!!!  And . .yes, they're great on the induction cooktop.  I realize much of this paragraph is on the pans, but . .in that you must have magnetic pans, I thought I'd just address that issue here, too.)

When we were looking to buy the cooktop, my husband really encouraged me to buy the 5 burner cooktop.  I insisted "no" - I'd never needed 5 burners in all my years of cooking, even for larage crowds; what I always ran out of was oven space! (and yes, we did get two full-size wallovens.  So . . we got the 4 burner - and now I wish I'd gotten the 5 burner, only because on the induction cooktop you must more accurately match your pan size than on other types of cooking surfaces that I've used.  I've always worked hard to match size of pan to the burner as closely as possible.

As stated in the first paragraph, for me/us, other than for boiling water (which is incredible!), the cooking learning curve was HUGE.  I'd never bothced an omelette, but . . did my first time on the induction cooktop; it was edible but not a "looker" at all!!. But . . keep at it - you'll get it!!!!  I did!  For me, I needed to use numbers higher than expected.

I LOVE that I can put things on the cooktop - such as the food dishes w/all the ingredients for a recipe - and not worry about hot burners, pot holder catching fire, etc. (only heat on the cooktop is from a pan that has been on the stove and transferred heat to the cooktop.  Recently I had a big dinner, and immediately after I used the cooktop, I put a woven cloth rug over the top and used the cooktop for buffet serving.  It worked great and looked fine, too!

I do wish the unit had knobs vs. touch-pad for the controls.  It's SOOOO much easier to turn a knob to exactly where you want than to keep touching and pressing a button to get where you want to go with it.

Also, both my husband and I wish the "burners" were not sooo hard to see (hence the 4 star rating, not 5).  We have to turn the hood light on and undercabinet lighting on, also, so that we can see where the burner is (as you must place your pan on the burner - not partially off, etc.  Certainly it could have been made so that each burner was more easily seen/identified.  I am guessing they are done as they are so that the unit has a sleeker, less "stove-top" look.  I'd rather not have to get at just the right angle to find my burner - it's a stove, so . . I don't mind it looking like one!

Overall - it's great and am excited we ventured out and tried something so new!!!!


We purchased this in March of 2009. It came with the following:Turntable, Convection grid, Crisper pan & handle, baking tray and steamer vessel.

There are so many features in here that I don't think I've used everything.
First, the Convection Microwave Oven:
De-Frost - I'm not a big menu planner so defrosting before I cook has to work quickly and efficiently for me. Apart from the usual cooking power options (High 100%, 90%, 80% etc) I can choose from Meats, Poultry, Fish, Bread, Juice & Manual. The microwave calculates the defrosting time based on the weight that I input. The manual has guidelines and pound to kilogram conversions.

Re-Heat - The options include Dinner Plate, Sauce, Soup, Pizza, Casserole, Beverage and Manual. The microwave bases the reheating on how many cups of sauce/soup/casserole/beverage is inputed and the number of slices of pizza. For example, I want to heat a cup of coffee. (Ghastly to some, I know, but I've done it) The microwave will ask you how many cups and whether you want it warm or hot. Simple & easy.

Manual Cooking - Just input the cooking power and the cooking time and you're all set!

Popcorn - Works like in other microwave ovens. Pop it based on the bag size.

Steam Cooking - The vessel comes in 3 parts: the cover, the food holder and the water container and they all fit together. I've steamed fresh vegetables, frozen vegetables and a lot of dim sum. They've all been delicious. The options are Potatoes, Fresh Vegetables, Frozen Vegetables, Fish fillets, Shrimp & Manual. Again, the microwave calculates the cooking times on how many cups and how many ounces. The steaming vessel is dishwasher safe.

Soften/Melt - The options are Butter, Margarine, Ice Cream, Cream cheese and the softening/melting time is based on how many sticks and ounces you have. We love to bake and we have a fondness for ice cream cakes so this has been so useful.

Crisper Pan Frying - This is the one feature that I've only tried a couple of times. I still like to use the old frying pan, I'll admit. I followed the guide in the manual and made an omelet.

Timer - I use this mostly when I'm making pasta on the stove top. I can have this running while the oven is cooking something else.

The Microwave converts to a Convection oven/Easy Convect. I just put the grid on the turntable. I've done smaller amounts of cookies, some chicken, baked potatoes and french fries this way.

The bottom part of this oven is the Electric Convection Oven. In "traditional" oven mode I can choose from Bake, Broil & Bread Proof. In convection mode, there's Bake, Broil & Roast. Just to give me something else to think about there's also an EasyConvect option. There's also the Options key that does the fahreinheit & celsius conversion, turns the sound on/off/high/low, dehydrates,oven temperature calibration, Sabbath mode and turn the turntable on/off.

To clean, I turn on the Self Clean Mode, choose the number of hours I want and wipe down when it's cool. The manual advises against using commercial oven cleaners.

Again, so many features. The bottom line is I've been very happy with this oven. It replaced an ancient GE that came with our house. A lot of thought went into this purchase since we also had to hire someone to chip away at a brick wall that also housed a fireplace that we wanted to keep. I chose this oven because of the brand, the stainless steel, its size & features and because I wanted the microwave oven off my counter. Notice that I mention the manual quite a bit. It has a lot of information!

Highly recommended.


I really cannot say enough good things about this particular freezer.  We actually have two of these in our home and will soon be adding another. (More about that later).  Right off the top though I want to tell you that when you consider the shipping charges on this model and the asking price here, you can probably do much better if you buy locally.  If you have a truck or larger SUV you can easily carry this thing home and avoid delivery charges.  Anyway...

We went the route of manual defrost as we have had automatic defrosting units in the past and to be quite frank, they, the automatic defrosting units will cause a significant rise in your electric bill.  With these small units we have found that complete defrosting is quite avoidable if you simply take a nice and sturdy plastic scraper (like the one you use on your car windshield in the winder) and keep the frost build-up down every few weeks are so then the chore of completely emptying your unit is kept to a minimum.  We have found that once ever 18 months or so is quite adequate.

These units are extremely quiet and there is no problem with the motor/compressor constantly coming on.  We have both of our freezers on our back porch next to an old refrigerator we keep as a back-up and overflow unit.  The reason we choose to purchase and install two smaller units, rather than one large chest unit, is that we found with the large chest unit we simply had too much food wastage over the years.  Food seems to get lost in these things and I for one absolutely hate digging thought bags and packages and freezer containers to find one small item...all the while risking frost bite.

We always have a large garden and neither my wife nor I do any canning.  This is a choice we made several years ago. All of our produce from the garden in properly prepared and then frozen.  We also buy in bulk and have found we save a tremendous amount of money in doing so. The presence of a large or smaller home freezer makes it possible to capitalize on discounts on perishable foods.  This we do often. The only drawback of this is  the cost of a deep freezer. You can get one like this for under $300 and the annual energy cost varies, but is usually somewhere around $50 a year. To break even, you're going to need to be saving about $60-70 a year on your food costs. For our family, we can sometimes save that much in a month due to our deep freezer. Between the flash-frozen vegetables bought at a discount, the frozen casseroles prepared ahead of time, the breakfast burritos made at an incredibly cheap rate per burrito, the produce from our garden socked away for later, and countless other little things, the deep freezer saves us money almost every single day.

Now another reason we have two of these freezers (and will soon be getting yet another) is that we keep vegetables, of which we use a lot,  in one and we keep meat in another.  We buy our meat in bulk, either at the local store or quite often we will purchase a half-beet.  And of course there are the fish we catch (I am only able to catch really stupid fish, so we do not have that many fish in our freezer at a given time as overall, as a tribe, fish are quite a bit brighter than I am).

We have been using these units for well over a year now and have had no problems what so ever.  They do have a light on them that tells you they are running which we constantly check.  We did have a power outage last year that lasted for over 24 hours (this was a real bummer), but dry ice took care of that problem and we saved all of our food.

All in all these are good freezers and if you manage your shopping correctly, they will save you quite a lot of money.  They are light enough that my wife and I can move them from location to location (when empty) with no difficulty what so ever.  We do not use the locking mechanism on our freezers as there is no way a raccoon can get the lid open and they are the only critter that would be interested in their contents other than our grandsons.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks


Long story, but, hoping to give details that might apply to other homeowners and solve several issues.  Skip the next paragraph for review of LintEater only.

Over the years, I had grown very frustrated with the design of the dryer vent in our home - from the dryer, the vent goes down an internal wall, underneath the foundation, back up an outside wall, then, out.  (a total of four 90-degree turns) The regular washer and electric dryer that we had before would create lots of condensation in the vent line, and would require vacuuming out with a shop vac about every 6 months. I would routinely extract about 3 gallons of water each time.  In April 2013, I switched to an HE washer and a gas dryer.  Also, switched from a flex vent hose (from dryer to wall) to a semi-rigid hose that added yet another turn to the venting, but, was still within the recommended limits of the new gas dryer.  The HE washer solved the moisture problem, but, the gas dryer was taking even longer to dry than the electric dryer.  A check of the dryer indicated that the gas would only burn for 7 seconds before shutting off.  I was told by an expert that I had a ventilation problem.  A check of local vendors indicated prices ranging from $120 to $159 for dryer vent cleaning.  I searched and found the Gardus LintEater online and decided that the price point was right for me to try this myself.  Glad that I did.

The Gardus LintEater worked exactly as expected and did the job.  It took about 2 hours to completely clean the vent.  It was a little tricky to get it to push through the 90-degree turns, but, once it did, it moved forward.  It ended up being a 2-person job - one to hold and power the drill, and one to grab the turning rods with bare hands (no burns!) and push the rods through.  I had the shop vac hooked up on the indoor side of the vent and pushed the cleaning brush through from the outdoor side.  At about the 8 foot mark (4 feet from the indoor side), I encountered a tightly packed mass of lint and the brush had trouble breaking it up.  So, I switched to cleaning from the indoor side.  The vac hose adapter has a small hole at the top that allows you to vac and clean from the same side simultaneously.  That did the trick - when I encountered the mass from the indoor side, the brush was able to break it up along with the help of the vac suction.  In a matter of seconds, the LintEater had cleaned out about a 1-cubic foot mass of lint.  The 12-feet of rods that come with the kit was perfect for cleaning the entire length.  After reconnecting the gas dryer, it was absolutely amazing at the difference in the airflow.  The dryer works super fast now and I cannot be more pleased.  This is one of the best investments a homeowner can make!

Note: I did have to make the adapter in order to attach the rods to my corded drill - just a matter of cutting the head off a bolt.  I have a 3/8" chuck and the rods require a 1/2" or larger chuck.  If you have to do this, you will know what I mean - just read the instruction manual.  It was not a problem to do, but, I did happen to have the right size bolt already.  Last note: the rods are fairly durable - several times in the process (going around the 90-degree turns and when hitting the lint mass), the drill would turn the rods faster than what they could physically turn, so, the rods would twist up into what looks like a long pretzel.  I fully expected them to break at that point, but, they did not.  I was very happy to see how the rods could take quite a bit of twisting without breaking.  Now that I will be doing routine cleaning, I don't expect to have this problem.

Bottom line - if you even think your dryer vent needs cleaning, buy this system and use it; you will be happy you did.  This advice is coming from someone who hardly ever writes a review.  Happy cleaning.


I bought this at Target last spring and while it wasn't the most perfect product, I was pretty excited about having it.  When people complain about the taste, that's either them not rinsing out the machine initially (which I did) or just using water that isn't the best quality.  I washed mine well a few times with hot soapy water and used water from my Brita water pitcher that I keep in the fridge.  It suggests wasting the first few batches which I did.  The ice tasted fine.

The ice is a very soft ice which is great for just eating alone.  My kids loved it.  They would just want a cup of ice. Pretty funny.  But because the ice is very soft, it melts very quickly, especially in room temp drinks.  But if you use a lot of it, you can get by with not being too bothered by that. It will make a batch about every 12 minutes which was nice.

As a side note, the ice melts while sitting in the unit, it is not cooled in any way. It's just like a cooler sitting in your kitchen.  The warmer your house is, the faster it melts.

The machine is noisy while making ice (it's wasn't as bad as others state though, but then again I'm used to a noisy house with 3 kids. lol.), which I did not mind, but the machine also makes other noises that are not normal...but only after months of having it.  There was enough water, but it sounded like the pump was on it's way out.  I would unplug it for a few days then plug it back in and usually it was better.  Not always though. My husband would tease, it's on it's way out!  I knew it was close.  Not even a year old.

A few months ago, it just stopped freezing the ice cubes.  The machine goes through the motions of making ice, but doesn't actually freeze anything.  What a bummer. So, a year old and now just a worthless piece of junk for $109.00 (luckily it was on sale at Target).  I originally justified the $ by thinking I would use it at parties and for the ice chests on outings, but no you can't.  It just melts too fast and there isn't enough for a party.  I still ended up buying bags of ice for those occasions. Maybe if you bag up this ice then store it in the freezer???

It was an alright machine while it lasted.  It did light up often that there was too much ice when there really wasn't or the right side where the metal sensor was had a few pieces barely touching it and then the left side of the basket was pretty empty.  As others reviewers states though, just knock the ice down so it's evened out and then hold onto the metal sensor for about 20 seconds then it re-triggers it to start making ice again.

The machine is a descent size too. It was difficult to maneuver it around to clean it out. I won't miss dealing with that. I would clean it out every week.  Something else I just remembered.  After about 6 months of running it....all the stickly labels (the warning labels) got moldy (black) on the underside of the lid (cover). I thought how stupid to put something paper in an area with direct moisture contact.  Gross.  I scraped it all off with a razor blade and cleaned it really good.  It would be better to take those off first or they should be covered with contact paper or something. What a dumb idea on Emerson's part.

So, if you are willing to spend the $ for ice for one year, then go for it, but if you expect a machine of that cost to last longer, then look for another one.  I wish the "good" reviews stated how long they had owned it.  Over the year, my machine was probably turned on and making ice about 80% of the time.  I have noticed other machines that look identical to this with different names. I can't help but wonder if they are selling the same crappy machine with new names now. Just do your research.


We bought this range two years ago, when we sold our house of twenty years and moved. I am a fairly serious cook, and just over 60. We bought this with the idea that this was it: a top of the line tool, versatile and durable, a lasting enhancement to our kitchen. And, unless we win the lottery, the last chance to get a high-end range. I haven't experienced the maintenance issues some of the other reviewers have, and in my experience, their customer support was very accomodating. The range looks fabulous. It looks in the kitchen rather like I imagine a brand new Mercedes would look in the driveway.

I absolutely love the oven. I like the touch screen controls. It has features I won't ever use, and bells and whistles I certainly don't need (ramp up lighting??), but it works to perfection. It is super-insulated, preheats quickly, and holds a steady temperature very well. The temperature probe works fine. The lights (there are two) are positioned on the sides of the oven, so they actually illuminate the food rather than silhouette it in backlight. The ball bearing, full-extension racks are great. And the cobalt blue finish is lovely to look at. The warming oven works, but it's pretty small and I don't use it often enough to judge how well it works.

The cooktop, on the other hand, is downright awful. It was designed by a minimally competent engineer who clearly has never even boiled water. The grid that supports the cookware has two major flaws: the prongs are too far apart to support a small saucepan, and the three sections aren't coplanar--they all are different heights, and they don't line up properly. When it was delivered, the sections were a quarter inch out of alignment in height. I couldn't slide a pan from the lower section to the higher one without lifting it. I called customer service, they were quite apologetic, and they overnighted me a new set. This set didn't align either, but between the two sets I was able to put together three sections that align to each other fairly closely. However, they have a built-in bump on the outer edge of the grid that prevents a 12" pan from sitting level. Moreover, because of the alignment issues on the top, it is impossible to level both the oven and the cooktop. Three of the burners ignite quickly, but the super-low to super-high burner doesn't want to ignite. I have to go past the ignition point, then back, at least once to get it to catch. On all of the burners, the flame doesn't adjust evenly as you turn the knob. There are wide sections of the knob that don't produce any visible change in the flame. The 'super burner' goes from high heat to below a simmer in a very small portion of the dial. It's very difficult to get it adjusted to a low cooking heat, and the large diameter of this burner makes it not suitable for simmering with a small pan. And, you must look at the flame to know you've actually adjusted the heat when you turn the knob on any of the burners. It is also impossible to adjust the flame low enough to hold a simmer on two of the burners. All in all, the $600 Frigidaire at our last house had a much better cooktop. The only reason I'm giving this review two stars is that I like the oven so much. The cooktop gets zero stars.

This experience has been especially disappointing because I agonized over the choice of a range. I looked at virtually every range on the market that cost less than $3,500, and felt like I had made a great choice. Unfortunately, you can't test drive ranges. For the price, I expected to get first-class performance in every respect. I could have been much happier for $1,000 less. Don't make the same mistake.


The below is a running commentary on this unit, from original 2008 purchase to 2010.

This is a great looking unit with a lot of nice features.  We may just have gotten a bad one, so take this for what it is worth, but we have been pretty frustrated.  The unit keeps showing Code 1 and refuses to work.  I called Electrolux Customer Service, who I must say were honest and stated that their engineers had misdesigned the computer board and they were having a lot of problems.  Said they had redesigned the board and would get one right to us.  About four days later a repairman changed the board out.  Only problem, it is still showing Code 1--a leak in the tub.  So we have a brand new $1300 dishwasher that a contract repairman must completely take apart to fix a seal in the unit.  Not what I would expect for a high-end product.  Wish we had gone with the Bosch.

Want to amend my review a little, and raise this to four stars.  The above unit was defective.  Lets face it, no company is perfect and everyone produces a lemon every once and a while.  I must say that Electrolux customer service was great to deal with.  After I told them that the panel replacement had not fixed the issue, they immediately stated they would replace the entire unit.  We have the new unit in and it is a very nice dishwasher.  Its quiet, does a good job, and has a lot of room inside.  My only complaint would be that if your dishwasher is to the left of your sink, sometimes you will accidentally hit the touch panel on top of the door.  Not a big issue though. We are happy with the unit, so I take back my words about preferring the Bosch.

Well, I will go down to 1 star.  Now, almost two years later, and all of the above, guess what we got with the new unit--Code 1--a leak in the tub, only this time it was also leaking water on the floor.  I called customer service, but they told me that it was past its warranty, so I would have to fix it on my dime.  After I complained about the trouble we have had with the unit, they agreed to send a parts kit and a repairman, but stated this would be the last time they would cover anything.  If they hadn't agreed parts and labor would have been $350 on a unit less than two years old.  Got the parts kit quickly, and the repairman changed out the parts--including one of the pumps which his tests determined was also failing--it had become really loud.  It is now working, although I have no idea how long it will be before the next problem. At the next problem, I'm not calling Electrolux, I'm just throwing this dishwasher out and buying a Bosch.  I would never buy this dishwasher again, nor frankly would I buy any additional Electrolux appliances.  My family members have $500 dishwashers which have lasted far longer and frankly clean the dishes better than this appliance.  This is not an Electrolux of European quality, its a Frigidaire with Electrolux stamped on the outside.  Electrolux is doing itself some serious damage in the US market with appliances like this.  We also have their gas range, which I have also rated poorly, because of some easily avoidable poor design features.  Avoid this dishwasher!!

December 2010  :)  The happy face is because sometimes in life you just have to laugh!!!  So after the last fix it has lasted 8 months.  Tonight Error Code 1.  I'm staying true to my last comment, its going in the garbage and I will buy a Bosch tomorrow.  This is clearly a case of a manufacturer foisting a defective product on the public.  I'm going to review the California Lemon Law and possibly discuss with an attorney.  This is a $1300 appliance!!!  Quite simply, unbelievable!!!


This piece of junk was purchased at Home Depot in 2009 for around $575.

The first major problem is it barfs up an "HE" code meaning the heating cycle is not working.  The underlying problem is LG put the relay for the heating coil on the main circuit board.  The relay can't take the 500-1000 watts or whatever the load is and simply melts.  They actually had a recall at one point because it burned down a few houses.  They blamed it on "poor soldering".  Not really, it's poor design that will never work in a million years.  You simply can't run that much power through a small relay and expect it not to fail.  The thing never really dried the dishes anyway so it's hard to tell when it's not working.  The "fix" is to replace the main circuit board which is around $125, if I do it myself.  Having someone fix it would exceed the cost of getting a new dishwasher.

The second problem is the soap dispenser just quit working.  The lid will not stay shut.  We just pour in the soap, slam the lid, swear, and let it run.

The third problem is it is now making a horrific noise, grinding, whining, like metallic angry chipmunks.  I stuff a old towel at the base to reduce the noise.  There is not delay start so this thing can make it's noise at night.  However, since it can't be trusted because sometimes it barfs up an HE code right away and you have to restart it, so instead of taking 2 hours and 4 minutes to do the dishes, you are up to 2 hours and 40 minutes.

The fourth problem is the metal clips provided to hold the dishwasher in place are way too thin, looks like 14 gauge steel at best.  There is simply too much space between where the clips attach and where you screw them into the counter top.  Raising the dishwasher by adjusting the legs you can only go so far up.  At any rate after a year or so of loading and unloading dishes the clips popped out while both dish racks were pulled out causing the dishwasher to fall out of the cabinet spilling all the dishes and rack on to the floor.  There's no lip or anything where you can just drive a big screw into the counter top to secure it, just those dang clips unless I want to re-engineer something.  Just looking at it, who thought that design made any sense?  It doesn't, it was probably the cheapest solution they could find.

Fifth problem the clips holding the rack wheels are brittle and crack.  Luckily I robbed clips from the other side that are used for the worthless "adjustable" shelf feature.

Oh yeah, the first night we got it, it peed all over the kitchen floor.  Turns out a seal was not install properly at the factory, so rather than calling service, I simply fixed it myself.

This thing is really nothing more than an assembly of the cheapest Chinese parts they could find.  Even the silverware holder has worn through. Manufactures can make stuff that's "not quite right", but most learn from their mistakes like common warranty issues, complaints, and service people feedback.  Good manufacturers take this feedback and improve the product.  LG obviously has not done this since they are selling the exact POS that we bought in 2009.  Consumer Reports feedback rants on this dishwasher and for good reason.  Now I'm stuck, not worth it to fix it, even if I do the work myself, and a new dishwasher is not in the budget.  Is it just me or it unreasonable to expect an appliance to last 10 - 15 years?  I suppose that's what you get when the parts are made in China and assembled in Korea, probably a contract manufacturer at that who just slaps the LG label on it.  I can't prove that but how can it come to be something is so poor that a company like LG is not aware of the problems?

I have fantasies of taking a pick ax to this POS.


So glad to have a space to record a review, in that I really wish I had been privy to them before investing in this misnomer range: professional it is not.  I really wanted a non-stainless, non-black, non-white range and was, therefore, limited in my options, esp. in the smaller size.

In the last few years, I've cooked and baked on everything from a high-end Gaggenau to a Bosch to an old advocado green GE range from the 70s.  Never have I pulled out a simple bar cookie and found a 2-3" round burn (I'm talking charred!) spot on the bottom of the item, not coincidentally directly above the opening in the range floor (above the gas) on the right side.  Unbelievable hot spot and completly frustrating experience for an avid, and reasonably skilled, baker.  Received no customer service after various attempts.  My pan was blamed. Finally, I baked the bar cookies again, grabbed my two toddlers, strapped the infant into his carrier and trotted into the showroom of the kitchen supply company from which the range was purchased---slapping the jelly roll pan on the counter.  Took many pictures of the ruined baked good with my salesperson for forwarding to Bertazzoni.  This finally got some action on the part of the supply company.

A service technician was sent out who tinkered with the thermostat, and encouraged me to use convection, noting that most people buying the oven don't bake.  The problem was not fixed and it was clear that it would not (or could not) be.  Everyone kept saying "Gee, we've never heard of this problem before" and yet no one would admit that I had a lemon.  Why?  Because (I'm assuming) all Bertazzoni ranges perform in this way.  I was (and am) stuck.  Eventually a pizza stone was purchased for me to help distribute the heat. Instead, I had a "metal guy" make a removable disk that slips on top of this "burn hole" to help spare my food such intense, focused heat.  There is still plenty of air flow.  Nevertheless, I find myself baking and cooking in convection mode as much as possible.  Never having been a big convection gal, I am thankful I was forced to experiment with this.  It has baked certain things (like pies) beautifully.  However, you cannot successfully bake many things on convection (yeast breads and batter items) because of the need for the heat to come from the bottom-up (and not circulate).

As other reviewers have noted: low temperatures are almost impossible to find and hold.  Forget about meringues. Even a 300 degree cheesecake requires babying.  You simply cannot turn your oven on, enter the bake time, and walk away.

Another major problem I have had is in starting a recipe at one temperature and, after a period of time, reducing the temperature for the duration of the baking/roasting time.  I remember being none too happy to start my roast at a hot temperature, and then reduce it 50 degrees for the duration only to check on it near to dinnertime and find it "ice cold."  The oven simply turned off when I turned the temperature dial down. It could not discern that I had moved the dial and stopped before reaching off.  Again, I've baked on many non-digital ranges and never had such a simple (and common) action misunderstood by the range. So, for instance pate a choux type recipe would not work.  When I called Bertazzoni about this problem I was told again, "Gee, we've never heard of this problem before.  I'll talk to my manager and get back to you."  I was never called or otherwise contacted.

Up side: I sprang for the vintage styling in cream and it is beautiful.  The cooktop is great (except that you can't really get a low simmer setting, even with the supplied simmer plate).

Other range vendors: produce enameled/colored ranges. Not everyone wants stainless steel.


We purchased this dishwasher to replace an aging Frigidaire that had just stopped getting our dishes clean. We decided that we wanted to spend a little extra and get a dishwasher that offered more options, and would match our stainless LG refrigerator purchased earlier this year.

First of all, to get the obvious out of the way, this dishwasher is beautiful. Unlike most stainless dishwashers, the handle is more flat than round, which gives the unit a more modern and sleek feel. Also, the control are fully integrated and the layout and presentation of the buttons is intuitive and user-friendly. I have no prior experience with integrated washers, but the only con is that you can't easily see how much time is remaining on the wash cycle because it is hidden under the lip of the counter. The only way to check is to open the door and take a peek.

As for the interior, the tub is all stainless steel which looks fantastic and promises to hopefully stand up to staining and wear and tear better than a traditional plastic or vinyl interior. On the top and bottom racks, there are two sets of tines that are adjustable so if you are loading oddly-shaped dishes, you are more than likely going to be able to fit them in. Additionally, on the bottom rack, there is a row of tines that is completely removable in case you have large casserole dishes or baking pans that you want to load vertically. The silverware basket is removable and has slots to ensure that utensils stay standing vertically and not laying against each other during a wash cycle. On the top rack there is also a modular "shelf" attached to the edge that can be used to hold over-sized utensils. The shelf folds out of the way if you don't need to use it.

Now for the important part: wash performance. Included with the unit are samples of Cascade All-in-One Action Packs and a sample bottle of Cascade Rinse-Aid. To tell you now: TAKE THIS AS A SIGN!!! I can't re-iterate how important it is to use rinse aid and decent detergent. This washer performed flawlessly using these products on the first two washes (there are only two detergent packs included). On our third load, we fell back to our old Palmolive Eco+ detergent (low phosphate) and the results were staggering. While the dishwasher was definitely cleaning better than our old one, the baked on gunk was not entirely removed from the dishes and there was a noticeable haze to the dishes that wasn't there with the detergent packets. Through some research, we found that the low phosphate detergents are notoriously low performers. This doesn't mean that you have to throw away money on the Action Packs though. We are now using plain 'ole powdered Cascade and rinse-aid and our dishes are coming out spotless and shiny.

I've read elsewhere that if you don't use rinse-aid with this dishwasher, your dishes will not be dry at the end of the cycle. I haven't encountered this issue, but I also haven't stopped using the rinse-aid. This dishwasher does not have a heating element in the bottom of the tub, but instead uses a hybrid drying system that uses a fan to remove the moisture from the interior air. This system has worked great for us, and the only time I see leftover water is on the top rack in the concave bottoms of certain glasses. It's not much, and I usually just keep a dish towel nearby if I encounter any and give it a quick wipe on the top.

As for the additional cycles and settings, the steam function does work very well. As mentioned earlier when using the Palmolive Eco+, the only area of the casserole dish that really got cleaned off was the area that was right next to the steam vent. The wash cycle on this washer is a little long (Usually 2 - 2 1/2 hours) but I'm not usually in any kind of hurry to get my dishes clean, so this isn't really an issue.

Finally, if you're looking for a quiet dishwasher, this is what you're looking for. You can hardly tell when it's running, and the sound it does make almost sounds like a very quiet babbling brook.

Hope this helps anybody that is interested in this fantastic dishwasher.


I bought this range hood because I loved the pyramid look for our stainless steel kitchen remodel. Very bold. The hood had good reviews on Consumer Reports, so I felt comfortable with its quality even though I had never heard of Zephyr before finding it while looking online for range hoods. At a little over $400, it was much more expensive than most range hoods, but I'm not sorry we spent the money. Amazon had the best price of any place I found.

I installed the hood myself and I'm not a professional but just a home DIYer, and it was not too difficult to install, but you really need two pairs of hands to get it in, and read the instructions carefully. The instructions are pretty good, but I changed the installations technique to be able to adjust the height of the hood. Without an extra pair of hands, it's nearly impossible to install. The hood looks fantastic in our kitchen. The hardest part of the installation was getting the the protective plastic wrap off all parts of the hood. It is on all parts of the metal with an adhesive backing and it took a razor blade to get it started but once started, it pulled off fairly easily. You must use great care not to scratch the hood with the razor blade but that was the only way I could figure to get it off.

As I said, it really takes two people to mount the hood. I tried to do it by my self and gave up and called a friend for a second pair of hands. The hood mounts under your cabinet with simple screws, but I used four inch bolts which I ran through the bottom of my cabinets with the nuts in the cabinet and the bolt heads in the hood. You must hold the hood up to the bottom of your cabinets and mark the holds which takes some care to get it right and the back mounting holes are very difficult to reach but not impossible. Using bolts allowed me to adjust the height of the hood in relation to the bottom of my cabinets by simply tightening up the bolts until the hood was where I wanted it. You cannot adjust the height of the hood with the screws provided with the hood and even reaching them to tighten them up after installing would be very difficult. The only problem with using the bolts was that the nuts are in the bottom of my cabinet which limits the use of the cabinets, but they can't be seen, and the cabinets above my range hood were very small anyway, so this wasn't a big concern for me. The other advantage of this technique was allowing for some room to get your hand in between the hood and the bottom of your cabinets to get the bolt heads aligned with the holes in the top of the hood while also aligning the vent stack onto the exhaust fan. This was a little frustrating but having someone there to hold the hood up while all bolts and exhaust were lined up, was the key to getting it all in at the same time. Once I had the hood at the height I wanted, I inserted shems between the top of the hood and the bottom of the cabinet and tightened up the nuts so that the hood was rock solid above my counter top.

When I turned on the fan, my heart sank as the fan was making a loud noise as the fan blades were hitting the fan case. I called Zephyr and they were great. They said it probably got out of alignment in shipping, and they explained how to adjust the fan and stayed on the phone with me while I did it and it wasn't difficult. I was able to adjust the fan in a few minutes and it worked perfectly. The lights on the fan are bright and beautiful over my cook top and the fan is very powerful and even though I have it mounted pretty high over my cook top it pulls and smoke up well.

Overall, I'm very happy with this product and with the customer service at Zephyr. Mounting the hood took a little inqenuity but I think most people with just a little experience can do it.


I've had the slightly different, larger tub model Whirlpool Cabrio Wtw6300ww0 for about 2 years now.  It's pretty much identical to the 6200 except for a slightly bigger volume load.  I didn't see a listing on Amazon for the 6300 so I'm posting them here.

Long story short - all the negative reviews here are pretty much spot on.  It's a given these days that large home appliances are not what they used to be - more cheap plastic parts, built for a few years life cycle to insure repeat business.  My first late 70's vintage washer lasted about 15 years with one repair.  My next 3 lasted barely half a decade apiece.  But this one easily wins the award for biggest POS.

So about the Whirlpool Cabrio Wtw6300ww0.....  Bought mine from Howards in 2009.  About 3 months after purchase, the main board died, fortunately it was still under warranty and didn't cost me anything but I had to use a laundry mat for almost a week waiting for the part to arrive.  I was told by the repairman the entire Cabrio series  from the last 5+ years has this common problem within the first year.  Since, then, I haven't had any mechanical issues but that's almost beside the point considering how flawed the basic design and construction of this series of washer is.

The biggest, most instantly obvious issue is it doesn't clean clothes very well is at all and despite the large tub, you really can't fill it with clothes to anywhere near the typical capacity for a typical washer's tub this size.  The way I've found through trial and error to get the best results from this washer is to use an empty extra Gallon+ size washing detergent container, add the required amount of liquid soap  and water mixed in the container and pour in the tub (not the dispenser) directly on the clothes about 5 minutes after cycle starts.  ALWAYS use "HE" branded soap to avoid clogging and excessive suds error timeout.  Add maybe another gallon or so of water to make sure the clothes are completely and evenly saturated.  I wouldn't recommend filling the tub more then 1/3rd full of clothes - so much for "big loads of laundry."  During a cycle, you may need to check on the load, especially if it's heavy towels or blankets that may shift to one side causing "UL" error timeouts.  You basically have to babysit this thing from start to finish.  Yeah, it's about as close to washing by hand as you can get in the 21st Century, isn't it....

Another major issue is using bleach on whites.  Same steps as adding soap as mentioned above but add the bleach in with the soap/water via the container a few minutes into the cycle *after* the tub has initially hosed down the clothes with water.  Even with that precaution, a small amount of Bleach water residue will linger in the tub after a load so you should always run the short "Rinse/Drain & Spin" cycle with either an empty tub or with a few pieces of junk clothing you don't care about after you run a bleach (whites) load.  Even with that, I've had a number of colored loads still get bleach stained.

As others have complained, the washer is *very* noisy during the final spin cycles and with sheets, large items such as towels and blankets, they will form into a twisted ball due to the very high speed the drum spins during the final cycle as well as the fact there's no center "agitator post."  Clothes that have ties or worse of all, bras often get twisted and mangled due to catching under the domed agitator.  Also, loose change can actually get under the drum inside the motor assembly, so make sure pockets are empty.

It's really the worst, most labor intensive home appliance I have ever owned and I look forward to replacing it with a non-Whirlpool washer as soon as possible.


This is an initial review after 24 hours of operation.  After too many trips over the last couple of years to the grocery story to buy ice for our family, I purchased the ES IB120SS ice maker after extensive research. I also bought the 3-year extended warranty policy.  The unit was delivered several days ago, and I set it up yesterday in our basement, connecting the water line to our existing reverse osmosis water filter system.

Within 40 minutes, the first batch of ice was produced. It continued producing ice steadily.  (After 3 hours, I threw out all the ice, and thoroughly washed out the ice bin, as instructed in the installation steps.)

However, this morning, I discovered that the ice maker itself had stopped producing ice sometime during the night.  (The condenser seemed to be working fine, and the interior of the freezer unit was cold.)  The metal arm that detects a full bin was partially up, and the white "arms" that rotate and push out the ice cubes had stopped in an odd position.  After some inspection, I discovered that a bit of ice had formed at one spot on the white plastic top rim of the ice mold, effectively jamming the white arm at that location.  I carefully broke the ice away, and the white arms immediately started rotating, and a moment later the ice mold filled with water.

I'm not sure how water could have dripped or splashed onto that location. My guess, however, is that as the white arms rotate, they carry with them a drop or two of water. In that particular location, the drop accumulates on the rim, and quickly freezes. More drops of water accumulate and freeze, until the bit of ice there is large enough to finally stop the white arms from rotating.

I"ll continue to report on what happens.

Update 2017-09-02:
The ice maker module continued to accumulate ice on its top plastic rim at one end, jamming the white arms that release the ice.  This occurred about every 4-5 hours.  I called EdgeStar customer support, and they were very helpful.  The support rep first said that they would send out a new ice module and find a locale technician to install it (all covered under warranty).  A few minutes later she called back and said that the module was not in stock and that they would send me a complete replacement unit (yes, the whole appliance).  It arrived a few days ago, which I immediately installed.  So far there have been no problems with ice build-up on the ice maker module.  I also noticed that the compressor seems to run a bit quieter than the original appliance.  (Or maybe I'm just used to the sound now.  We have it in our basement, and it cannot be heard in the next room or upstairs.)  Only downside is that I need to pack up the original unit and ship it back.  But fortunately I kept the original box and packaging, and EdgeStar is paying for the return shipping.

I'm upgrading my rating from 3 to 4 stars, because of the good customer service and prompt shipping of the new unit, and because this unit seems to be working.

Update 2018-02-03:
Since I received the replacement unit from EdgeStar, this unit has continued to operate flawlessly, cranking out a bin of ice (about 6 lbs) every 12 hours

That being said, defrosting the unit every 4-6 weeks is critical.  (It is not a self-defrosting unit; but I knew that when I bought it.)  Otherwise, ice will build up on the interior from frost and water splashes, and jam the mechanism.

Defrosting the unit, however, is easy.  I simply turn the unit off, open the door, remove the ice bin, and place a large cloth towel in the interior, making sure that the towel is pushed against all sides and corners. (This prevents the ice water from running out of the interior compartment and onto the floor.)  Leave the door open for about six hours, and it's defrosted. Toss the wet towel in the laundry basket, put the ice bin back in, and turn the unit back on.  Twelve hours later, the bin is again full of ice.


Stains are fading! I've been using it for approximately 1 month now and I've noticed the stains in my dish cloths and cloth napkins are fading away! My clothes seemed to be looking better but I thought it was my imagination, until I noticed & watched those specific stains. I guess it's the smaller loads or something? Whatever! It works better than the standard washer I was using... And it's Eco-friendly! Win-win!
  If you were wondering about ease of use... Be sure to measure the water, per the instructions, and away you go. I do switch arms to keep the workout balanced... Generally, 2-3 loads each day I do laundry; alternating arms by day, not load. Once you get it going it's 100% aerobic...but EASY! The water gets flowing & it is almost self-propelled; if you feel like you are struggling you have too much water or clothing... Or you didn't get it going fast enough, crank faster. Once you get the speed right, the water seems to do most of the work. Just remember not to smash the clothes in too tight and you should be fine. [When you drain the water, if the clothes fill more than half of the washer... you got too many clothes in there!]
  As for drying, I use the Nina Spin Dryer - also from The Laundry Alternative. They are a perfect match. By the time I finish another load in the Wonder Washer, letting it drain for a while between "cycles", the prior load is almost done hang drying. I let the rinse drain until the first load dries, then I spin dry and hang. It makes the process almost relaxing. A friend stopped by while I was washing & was amazed that things hang dry as fast as his big electric dryer can dry things. He was also amazed at how much fit inside the washer...looks can deceive.

ADDENDUM:
  Now that I have used the washer for a year, let me just say that my clothes like the gentle treatment! Stains don't last, fabrics have smoothed out, and the things I have purchased since buying it still look like new... it's like a front-load washer only MORE gentle!
  I see that they have updated the lid, which I think is a great idea. The first time my daughter used mine she didn't get it closed all the way cuz my old style lid requires many turns to tighten/seal it... she spilled water everywhere. But just once!
  I have oiled it once but it is squeaking here & there so I will probably have to oil it again soon... making oiling necessary about twice a year. I haven't had to replace any parts but they are all available from The Laundry Alternative. It was super easy to put together [when it arrived] and replacing parts that break instead of buying an entire washer is another bonus.
  I have to admit, I do 3 cycles most of the time.  I do the detergent cycle, a white vinegar cycle, and end with a softener cycle. I crank each cycle for the 2 minutes they recommend for washing. I count 120 cranks; as the cranks take about 1 second each. That's 6 minutes of cranking per load. [Super dirty stuff gets extra rinse water thrown in WHILE DRAINING & comes out clean.] I also alternate forward & backward cranking, not just left & right arms, & my arms look GREAT! Just thought I would throw that in.
  I should add that I am enjoying the exercise factor. It has gotten so easy to crank that I love doing laundry! I also find that the rest of my body benefits from the isometric exercise; holding the rest of my body still while cranking has toned me from head to toe...And my clothes look great on my toned self; more bonuses!!!
  One year later, still cranking & loving it!!! ^_^


14 Jun, 2014 - My wife and I camp at the two week long Pennsic War each year.  It's an SCA event with ~10k people in a single campsite, with limited access to laundry facilities.  Bought this in order to maintain our practice of using cloth diapers for our 1 year old son at war this year.  Tried it out once in the bathtub already and we were quite impressed with it's performance and ease of use.  Will post an updated review after the event with "real world" insight.

WARNING to the squeamish - diapers can be a dirty business.
12 Aug, 2014 - UPDATE!  After Pennsic this year I can give excellent reports on this washer! We made it through the entire length of our stay still using cloth diapers for our son.  We brought plenty of cotton diaper liners, had to wash in the WonderWash twice for diapers alone. (We washed some of our period garb as well, but we brought enough to last our trip, so this review will focus on our diapers) We also used wool diaper covers that my wife made out of sweaters from Goodwill. Brought along two 5 gallon buckets for water and for use as a "diaper pail" to soak the dirties in. Poopy diapers were scraped clean before soaking in the diaper pail, pee diapers were simply soaked.

A typical load was: ~20 cotton liners into the Wonderwash, a quarter capful of Ecover brand laundry detergent, and about 3 gallons of water. Cranked for about 2 minutes.  I didn't count turns or time (we were chatting while working.)  Attached the drain, loosened the lid and let it drain while I refilled my bucket. Come back, remove drain, fill with about 3 more gallons of water. Close lid and crank for another 2 minutes. Drain after rinsing.

We did 3 rinses for each load of diapers.  This was perhaps overkill, but considering they're diapers and next to super sensitive skin which seems to break out in a rash in the blink of an eye, we wanted to get them super clean.  Wringed to remove as much water as possible and then hung on a line behind our tent to dry.

Overall, the diapers came out VERY clean and well washed.  There were a few stains remaining from the diaper rash cream we use, but even the home washer doesn't get that out.  Line drying our diapers was another story however, the weather simply did not cooperate, and just as we were nearing complete dryness of the diapers, the skies opened up and poured rain down upon us.  Oh well!
We had enough liners to make it through until we could dry sufficiently; though we did get close to running out one day.

This washer comes with my highest recommendation for Pennsic.  I would compare it's wash cycle to a "gentle" cycle in a normal washer, so there is no fear about washing garb with delicate lace, trim, tassels or things like that.  It does take a bit of technique to get used to how fast to turn the crank.  You want to turn it fast enough to get some "sloshing" action going.  If you turn it too slowly all you're doing is flipping the clothes (possibly a super gentle wash.)  If you turn too quickly, the clothes all stay at one end and never slosh down (centrifugal force.)

I think I will peel off the stickers and paint the Wonderwash in browns and black with a faux wood finish, so that it will look less modern and anachronistic in our camp at Pennsic. I already painted our plastic buckets to look like wood.

Added bonus #1: Our son loved splashing & playing in the clean water bucket while I cranked!
Added bonus #2: The empty washer can store all of the critical laundry items, making for easy packing and organization.  We packed a bottle of detergent, clothespins and roll of clothesline all inside with room to spare.


This thing does get clothes clean. There is a problem in the mechanism of the washer.

CON: I have had some fun trying to figure out how to fill this thing up. if I fill it up on my bathroom counter, my sink is too low, so I have to use a jug and transfer the water to the drum. that takes forever. If I fill it up in my bathtub, I have to bend over and it is hard on my back. Not to mention, the spout on my bath tub does not hang directly over the hole of the drum. I have to pick it up to fill up the drum. When I try to pick it up, the suction cups get stuck to the bottom of the tub, and are very annoying to peel off one by one.

CON: Another issue I've noticed is when I place the pipe on the bottom of the drum to drain the water, water starts to come out at the connection site. Even if I put the pipe on really fast, water still comes out. It's like trying to put something in your mouth while it is filled with water....It's hard to prevent water from coming out of your mouth. I have to place a towel underneath the machine to soak up all of the spilled water.

PRO/CON: Also, spinning the machine can become really annoying. I suppose when you consider the work that is put into hand washing, this is much easier, compared to most forms of handwashing. This is not much of a complaint. It's only to say, you are still going to have to use elbow grease to work the machine.

PRO: This machine can hold a lot of clothes. I washed 4 big heavy duty dry off towels, and about 8 face towels in one load.

PRO: This machine does a really good job in making your clothes smell good compared to a washing machine. If your laundry detergent is scented, your clothes will have that scent. If you use fabric softener on the rinse cycle at the end, even better.

PRO: It will get your whites super white. Better than a washing machine. Washed my daughters' uniform shirts and socks, and khaki pants(which I always use bleach to wash, but they don't get bleach stains) and they were sooooooooooo clean. WOOOW!!!

HOW I USE IT:  I do a cold rinse first. I fill the machine until I see water above the clothes, I then tighten the top and start spin in one direction until I get tired. I try to do 3 minutes or more. Also sometimes I change directions(I think out of boredom). And sometimes I go fast in one direction, then in the other. I will stop doing this, because in my mind, it will damage the handle in the long run. That may not happen, but I'm affraid it will. (That's just how I think). Next, I empty the machine using the pipe if it's on the counter, or I tip it over if in the bath tub. I fill it up with the hottest water my faucet provides and laundry detergent and do the same thing. I fill my water separate so I can mix the detergent (and bleach if needed), then add the clothes if in the bathtub, or add the water last if on the counter. Then, I empty the machine and do a cold rinse, just like the first rinse cycle. I then empty the water, and transfer the clothes to my Laundry Alternative spin dryer (which I notice is not sold on this website). Then I hang them to dry.

This all takes about 15-30 min on for one load (excluding the drying).

Hope I got everything. Please ask any questions you'd like. I took away one star because I wish it were easier to use. Just opening and closing, filling, emptying the machine....ugh, just so annoying. But it does get the job done, with less water and time than your washing machine. So I will give it the 4 stars that it deserves.


<input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/B1pi2-xEgKS.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61%2BdNYRtbuS.png" class="video-slate-img-url">I recently traveled to Uganda (East African country) in October 2013. I had purchased this machine years ago for my own use and loved it. So I took it to a friend of mine who is a missionary in Africa for her to use. We both work as volunteers for a health care organization called Kissito.org. Kissito works with villagers in Africa to bring health and maternity care to villagers. So we demonstrated the washer to them after learning that the girls in African families must do all the family laundry each day before going to school. If they don't finish the laundry, they must miss school. Hoping to show the families something that could help them do their laundry well, and do it quickly, we took the machine into the villages. This video clip is one of a local villager who transports patients to the local health clinic demonstrating the machine to a group, including teasing a boy who is trying to turn the handle. This is the machine in action!

What I love about this machine is it is pretty sturdy, since it withstood a year of my daily use, plus it survived 500 African villagers cranking on it all in ONE day!

If you thought red Georgia clay was hard to get out of clothes, you haven't been to Uganda, east Africa.  These villages have no electricity, no paved roads, lots of kids (average family has 7 children) and lots of dirty clothes. Families there LIVE in dirt huts, farm, play, work and have the dirtiest clothes imaginable, yet the WonderWash got load after load of clay and dirt soiled clothing CLEAN! The villagers were amazed, as was I.

I mean after all, my gym stains and smelly, lightly dirty clothes I expected to get clean, but the grime and dirt that rinsed out of the WonderWash when put to a REAL test was stunning. It was SO effective our organization is trying to find a way to get MORE machines to Africa. Why? Because the girls in each family are tasked with washing the family's clothes every morning before leaving for school. If they don't finish the laundry, they must MISS school to do so. WonderWash could CHANGE the world simply by providing the ability to wash clothes fast enough that these girls can do the laundry and get to school on time.

WHY WONDER WASH ROCKS
It's lightweight, yet sturdy. I mean, after all it stood up to the rigors of a hike and trip in the back of an SUV on really rocky, difficult roads to get to an African village! It traveled TO Africa in a plastic tub packed with medical supplies, and survived the airline's handling without a crack or scratch!

It is easy to assemble.

It's durable. More than 500 villagers each had a chance to crank on the handle over the period of ONE DAY as we moved into three separate villages and demonstrated the machine with clothes the villagers brought to us. Kids, men and women of all ages and strengths gave it their best and it kept on working!

It cleans! At one village we received a pair of pants a toddler had soiled himself in, a bloody towel from a health clinic, a pair of men's pants used by a man herding cattle and soiled with manure, and several very delicate, beautiful and colorful women's dresses, plus a large scarf. We washed them ALL in one load and they ALL came out CLEAN! Plus, they smelled GREAT!

I can't say enough GOOD about this machine. I used it in the USA for a year until I got a car and could go to the laundromat where there was also a dryer. The only thing NOT to like about this washing machine is you do have to wring the clothes out and hang them up to dry...not a big deal. It works and for the price there's nothing better! I love it!