Liked: size, drawers, lighting, flex zone drawer is great, freezer. All great, BUT...
Dislike: some of the most basic elements are poorly designed or implemented. The in door water & ice totally suck.  Water easily sprays all over & there's no overflow collection tray underneath (just a small divot in the door itself that will hold MAYBE 3 thimbles full of water which means with regular use, you have to constantly wipe the front of the refrigerator because of water dripping down and if you have kids, you know how that will go. Now my favorite, the ice is the single worst feature (and something you never expect to be an issue in a >$3k fridge!) The ice ALWAYS comes out slightly melted, weird shapes (I affectionately dubbed them ice turds), and strangely colored white with a little clear here & there which seems to suggest it has frozen, thawed, & refrozen?  I think this might be because of the way they implemented the ice maker to give you more door space, but frankly I'd much rather sacrifice that and get some decent ice out of a $3,000 refrigerator!  Also, getting into the ice maker itself is a big pain. It's not easy to remove and take down the entire compartment and again it causes a big mess. It's just hard for me to imagine how anyone producing refrigerators for any amount of time or any company that did any sort of usability testing would allow this to go out to Market, especially for the price tag! Lastly, while the refrigerator is very spacious, the spacing between the shelves, at least for American Products, is just a little short in height. This means you end up getting less usable space. I have to fold the top of my milk cartons to slide it on the top shelf for example. I know this may sound like a nit, but living with it day-to-day, trust me, it's kind of a pain. I probably would have returned the refrigerator and asked for a refund but I just got tired of dealing with it. When we originally got the refrigerator, we had to have it replaced (4 weeks) as it was damaged Inside the Box. The box was not damaged, so the damage was done at the factory and then packaged up. Again, very disappointing for Samsung who I thought better of. So, bottom line, if you're reading this and contemplating this refrigerator, I would recommend finding another one. It looks great, and I have had good experiences with other Samsung products, but this is not a good one. Especially for the money.  I think I'm being fair about this product and I wrote this to hopefully save other people some grief.


Great product but they need to include more rods in the kit. I had to buy a second set of rods and that still wasn't enough so Ill end up spending $60+ dollars on this kit which isn't terrible if you factor what you would get charged out in town, but still, its plastic rods with a brush attached....thats overpriced for something so simple.

So enough of me complaining about it being overpriced and get to the review. It works GREAT if you aren't an idiot and use common sense when using it.

1.  Always CLOCKWISE..... again always CLOCKWISE, I cant be anymore clear about this.
2.  Use electrical tape or duct tape as a backup in case you screw up on number 1 above. Its a good safety measure so just do it, it only takes a few seconds per rod to wrap in tape.
3.  Feed one rod at a time, taping each one as you go.
4.  Dont force the rods if you get resistance with the drill attached. If you get resistance, remove the drill from the rod and using your hands wiggle/shift the rods until you get past the resistance and then reconnect the drill and continue. Most likely if you reach resistance is likely one of two things. (1) You have a large bend in your duct or (2) you have a lot of blockage. If its number 2, start pulling the rod out (with or without the drill attached (if the drill remains attached, remember to always spin  CLOCKWISE) as youve probably hit a patch of lint clogged heavily in one area. Pulling the rod out will likely pull a large portion of lint youve broken loose out with the rod and brush  attachment so vacuum it up or blow it out if you have a leaf blower and then start again (I didn't disconnect rods during this step but I did take my time to hand feed the rod and brush back in to ensure I didn't damage the rods).
5.  Once youve reached the end of your vent, start pulling your rods out the same way you went in (CLOCKWISE) so that you catch any debris you might have missed on the initial cleaning.  I pushed the brush through 2-3 times in total from different sides of the vent since I was short a few rods and used the leaf blower 4-6 times in between to ensure I was pushing any lint to the exterior of the house (never blow the leaf blower into the house, only blow to the outside of the house unless you want a HUGE mess in your house.
6.  Lastly, Id recommend using a face mask/respirator mask as this stuff is messy and you don't know whats growing in it. I had some cheap carpentry mask but will use a better version next time I clean it as its not fun to breath in.


I purchased this product from Walmart 7 months ago. I tried to post this review on their website but was denied. I've tried more that once and stayed within guide lines. Don't ever trust Walmart's Customer reviews they are biased.

My Keggerator stopped working 4 1/2 months after I purchased it. It was extremely loud and often heard it running at night. I had many a sleepless night listening to the machine run. The temperature regulation on it is a small dial on the back with no gauge. I had to buy a separate thermometer to figure out the temperature because the temperature of my beer would fluctuate greatly. Perhaps this is why it broke.

After it broke I called Haier 7 times before they would help me. On the 7th time I told them I was not going to call them anymore but instead call the Better Business Bureau. Every Time I called them they told me that they could not find any repair man in my zip code and a support manager would contact me with in 24 to 72 hrs. . Every time I called them I would get someone speaking in broken English and I finally asked them what country they where in which was the Philippines. They told me they are a contracted customer support for Haier. When I asked to talk to someone from the company they said I couldn't do that but I would be contacted with in 24 to 72hrs. Hmmmm. I smell something Fishy. Then I went back to the Haier web site and looked for any address or phone number that was not a 1 800 number. No luck. Look your self. I e-mailed them twice and they replied with please call our customer support number. After the 7th phone call they did call me back. I still have a broken product. Now I'm waiting for approval by email to see whether I will get a new one or not. Instead of been passed around from person to person via phone, I've now been passed around a couple times by email. Each person asking for  a picture of the serial number on the back, my Call number (you get this the first time you call customer support), and a copy of the receipt. I don't know if they are dragging this out on purpose or what so my warranty runs out. They have 5 months left to fix my problem and I still have warm beer in it.

I will not ever buy from Haier ever again.


I bought the HLP23E, which is the same machine for all intents and purposes, this is the "new and improved" version.  I hope so!  After less than two years, the internal exit hose clamp broke and I had to pay $88 to have it replaced, as the washer had to be opened and a different, stronger clamp had to be installed.  The clamp cost $2.  I was slightly irritated.  After 2.5 years of normal use by a single person, the buttons broke.  They are cheap, cheap plastic.  The entire top has to be removed and a new one put in it's place...two hours work ($250)...and then there is no new face plate, so the old one had to be peeled off and half stuck on the new one, so I have to pull the face plate taught with my thumb before pushing the buttons.  The machine is now 3.5 years old, and the buttons are less than one year old and they are hesitating...meaning they are pressed and nothing happens.  If you just push harder, they will break.  Now, I have to start looking for a new washer, and the only portable ones available are cheap plastic buttoned ones.

Now, other than that, I love the machine, but I have paid for an entire second machine and it still won't function free of extreme maintenance for five years.  It's an arbitrary number, but the sign of a better quality machine.

I have seen glowing reviews about Haier portable washers, and I agree, when they are first purchased, but nobody else has returned to tell you if they worked long term.

I am looking to get the smallest normal washer I can find, as they say a Y-hose can convert any washer to a portable.  I just want to be able to wash my clothing and hang it on my dry racks in peace without having to have the washer fixed constantly in the middle of winter.

I wish these were better made as I love it, and I don't want a huge monstrosity permanently next to my kitchen sink in my tiny apartment, but I have little choice, and the cost of a regular machine will be something I can't really afford, but laundromats are not cheap either and you risk your clothing being less than fresh smelling as they are never cleaned.

I am deeply, deeply disappointed and the company could care less.  I have called them multiple times over the years...too bad, there is nobody in management to contact.


I purchased this stove 2 years ago.  Very pleased at first with only gripe being the big pan surface was at the rear of the cooktop.  Not a big deal just takes a little getting use to.  Then, after 6 months or so I had company and we were cooking a huge meal using oven & cooktop.  Then it started beeping......beeped every 10 seconds and would not quit.  I then needed to turn on another burner on cooktop and it was all locked up.  Nothing.  Shut it all down and 15 minutes later it finally quit.  with a little embarrassment I finished meal.  Christmas came and same ordeal.  Called before the one year warranty and got it fixed.  Repair man suggested I get extended warranty for the fix was about $ 500.00.  Did so and thank god!  Worked great for another 6 months and then the dreaded BEEP.....BEEP again.....Good thing I got the extended warranty.  But to have to pay $ 300.00/year to keep on cooking on top of an already expensive stove is hard to accept!  They came out again....twice.....no fix.  they informed me that if they replace the part it will happen again.  I got a hold of Maytag directly to replace a faulty, under extended warranty range.  "Nope sorry sir, our warranty is for one year.  Not all appliances are guaranteed to have no issues"....WHAT!  No I am starting to BOIL.  (No pun intended....well maybe)  So what happens is after my oven is on and heated up for a while it starts beeping and then it locks up and I cannot use anything on the cooktop.  Locks up totally!  Good thing I purchased the extended warranty through Sears and after many emails & phone calls I was just informed that I will get $ 1,500.00 credit at Sear to purchase a new stove.  Not 100% the total MSRP but I am going to jump at it.  Got to!  They obviously know the issue for this range is "Discontinued" on Maytags website.  Sorry to say but this Maytag repair man was not the loneliest repair man out there!  Better get a new marketing point!  So unfortunately I am stuck with getting an induction stove that does not match the rest of my appliances because Maytag does not build another induction range....Bummer!  So that adds to my sad review.  Keep on looking.....


On the web site, the product appears to offer a great value; but in the long run it is not.  (1) the product arrived with the wrong size glass, thus delaying the contractor on my remodel (2) advised Amazon, three weeks later second glass arrives, again wrong glass, contractor charged me for service call and preparing installation again (3) advised Amazon, gave them the cut out size for the glass needed, product arrive within ten days. Contractor could only schedule a weekend install date because he was booked, extra charge for the weekend install. (4) installation book is only good for a fire starter, totally worthless; there are no real installation instructions, common sense, a mechanical mind, and having construction tools/skills are needed for installation. (5) upon the removal of the taped coating on the stainless steel chimney, scratches, and dings were clearly visible (note: this part was placed in a safe place after removing it from the box), the contractor was able to pound out the dings (not completely) but not the scratches; all at an extra cost. (6) after installation, upon the removal of the tape holding one of the lights in, the light came out; the contractor was dismayed at the poor quality of light, and after thirty minutes was able to reinstalled the light without it falling out; extra cost to me. (the only thing holding the light in was the tape, not its internal clips).

Upon final install, the fixture looks good and the fan and lights work well.  Note: upon a web search of the product, and the name of the seller, there were no hits.  The seller is only known to Amazon (a name search did disclose the name existed, but no address or phone number; so who is the seller?)  Good luck in locating better installation instructions, and finding parts. I thought the name Eureka was the same as the Eureka Company that make vacuum cleaners, not so.

The installation cost me an additional $250.00 dollars because of the wrong glass and broken light, thus the product is not a good value. Do not forget the extra 40 days my kitchen's ceiling was torn apart waiting for the third glass to arrive.

The only reason the product is given two stars is because the seller did promptly response to my email to Amazon (within 24 hrs.) on both occasions and because the product is true to its description.

If you are looking for a good value, easy installation, and no problems with shipping, then this is not the product for you.


I have always purchased my refrigerator brand name (GE water by Culligan) brand replacement water filters when they needed changed. I was always skeptical about purchasing other brands because I wanted good clean water and ice. But that comes with a price. I decide to look on Amazon and see what other brand I could find at a better price, but ultimately had to be high quality. I found this GE MWF SmartWater compatible refrigerator filter  by Sunny Shine. I know the name sounds a little strange but I looked past that point! It's just a name. Ok, when the filter came in, I opened the box and found a tightly cellophane wrapped filter. Without a a doubt, a great first impression. I opened op the paperwork that is included and was very pleased that there is a Performance Data sheet that certifies it meets the NSF/ANSI 42 standard. I haven't seen this certification on other aftermarket brands of filters. Another thing I liked is that there was also a set of stickers with the installation months so it was easy to peel the correct label and place it on the filter rather than writing on it. I removed my old filter and compared it to the new... it looked identical in flange sizes. So, I installed in in my refrigerator. After installing a new filter, I always drain about  gallon of water out of the system to flush any loose carbon particles from the filter. I was impressed by the lack of visible particles during this step! Next was the taste test... The taste was perfect! It was clean and refreshing without any chlorine flavor. Well, needless to say, I am a convert now. I am very impressed with this filter and will be ordering my replacements as needed. I have already placed this item in my Amazon wish list for easy ordering in the future. I would highly recommend this filter that is concerned about quality and cost! If this review helped in your decision, please press the voting button at the end of my review. Thank you.

  I have agreed to and am required to tell you that I received this item for either a reduced purchase price or for free in return for my honest, unbiased opinion.

  If at any time after this review I change my opinion of this item, I will return and edit my review to reflect my new findings. I promise you that I will do my best to describe the items to the best of my ability to give you an informed decision before your purchase.

GE MWF SmartWater Compatible Refrigerator Water Filter (SSF5110 2 Pack)


I purchased my GE Side-by-side French Door Refrigerator back in 2008.  For the past year, the integrated ice maker that is inside the refrigerator has been making strange popping sounds and I've had limited ice and alot of ice buildup between the assembly and tray.  At one point I had to completely defrost the ice maker box because I couldn't remove the ice tray box.  Although it's a GE Refrigerator, the Ice maker part is made by Samsung.  This assembly part actually makes the ice (7 cubes at a time) and dispenses it into the tray.  For me, I believe the issue was that not every cube was getting dispensed and when it went to refill the assembly with water for the next set of cubes, some of the water was spilling or spraying outside the mechanism and around the assembly.  This caused the entire tray and assembly to freeze together and restricting it from being pulled out or making more ice.

The installation is very simple.  Just make sure you confirm this part will fit your model.  The model number is on the inside left wall of the refrigerator.

1.) Unplug or shut-off refrigerator from Fuse Panel.
2.) Pull out Integrated Ice Tray
3.) Remove plastic panel on the left side of the wall of the ice maker using a phillips screwdriver.
4.) There are two wire harnesses behind the panel.  Unplug the wire harness that is connected to the icemaker assembly. This is 2nd connection; furthest from the front.
5.) Remove the wire from the guides all the way back toward where it connects to the assembly.
6.) At the top of the assembly, push the tab down and pull the entire assemble toward you.  The entire assembly should slide right out.  If not, check to make sure the wire is not still stuck in one of the harness guides.
7.) Using the two circular tabs at the top, slide the new assembly into place.
8.) Replace wire back into the guides and attach back to harness.
9.) Reinstall plastic panel with phillips screw.
10.) Turn refrigerator back on.
11.) Before reinstalling the ice tray, there is a small reset button on the top right side of the assembly (at the front) that you need to press and hold for a few seconds.
12.) Slide ice tray back into the slot.

The ice maker has been making great, large ice cubes for us again and we no longer hear any popping or strange noises.

Like many Amazon buyers, I take leaving reviews seriously.  If you find this review helpful please answer the "Was this review helpful to you?" question below with a "YES."


Update after the repair:
We found a different authorized repair company and they did a fine job. Of late, we have taken to doing a lot of bread making and baking and this is working out great! The Grand Marnier Souffle turned out perfect and so did the various artisan breads.

The biggest advantage is the smooth gliding racks. It is such a great feature.

Original Review:

The 3rd digit in the temperature display on my Electrolux Icon Designer E30EW75GSS2 failed with few of the segments not lighting up within 4 months of it being purchased and installed. Stuff can fail and I wasn't concerned about that. But, then I saw the other review which seems to point to the same issue and that got me worried. This could be a sign of design issue. But, that is not the main concern either for me today. Very poor product support trumps poor reliability of the products. I have 2 other Electrolux Icon appliances at home and now I am very worried. Prospective buyers - BEWARE!!!
I reported the issue to Electrolux Icon and it is yet to be fixed, but the entire process is terrible. This are the problems I have encountered so far:
1. Called Electrolux and they promised to ask a local franchise of Mr Appliance to do the warranty support. They promised to provide the reference number to them. Called Mr Appliance and they didn't have the info from Electrolux. I had to give it to them.
2. The technician visited the house, removed two screws and tried to remove the control panel. It wouldn't budge. He just put the screws back and said he has to order a new panel which will typically come in 3-5 days.
3. Called on the 5th day to find out the status and they promised to return my call with status. Never did.
5. Called Electrolux on day-10. They put me on hold to talk to Mr Appliance. They promised that the technician will call me back by next morning. They never did.
6. Called Electrolux on day-12. They ordered the panel to be shipped to me directly overnight. I asked them to send me an email with tracking details and call me and schedule an appointment for installation. They said that they can't do that as they don't have access to the tracking details and the call center handles in-bound calls. After few requests to talk to the supervisor, they agreed to call me.
7. Replacement part arrived next day promptly - first promise kept by them. But no one called to schedule an appointment as yet.


Just got this in yesterday, haven't got to use the cleaning system as of yet, but it looks like it will do a bang up job. product is exactly as advertised.

I live in an home built in the 40's, When they decided to put the washer and dryer in they put them in the center of the house. They put the vent in the wall at floor level put and 90ed it down and then immediately 90ed it to run half the width of the house (about 12 feet).The vent was plugged when I moved in the house, so I just put Pantie hose on the end of the hose. Last year I tried to clean it out with a homemade tool, I thought I had it clean and run the dryer through the summer (and burned up my dryer). When I hooked up my dryer this year It just pressured up. I tried and tried to clean it out with my home made equipment, but had only minimal success. I saw this tool on Amazon and grabbed it. I have used and abused this tool, I used it in ways that the instructions clearly state not to. I did do some damage to the tool (not beyond repair or usefulness). When the damage occurred I was clearly abusing the tool. I had brought out about a plastic grocery bag of trashy lint when the brush quit working. the lint had been wet and compressed to almost a cardboard consistency. I put the obstruction remover on and connected it to the drill (against manufactures instructions) I ran it until it hung up, removed it and run the brush again. I would get about three passes with the brush and start all over again. This tool removed all of the crap in that galvanised steel vent tube.

a few other tricks if you have a stubborn plug like mine. The instructions state that you should run in and out one rod at a time. If you try to pull this out with the drill running and without dismantling the rod you will have a twisted pretzel on your hands. This did not damage the rod though. also putting to much pressure on the rod will disfigure the rod. I did put a twist in one link of rod, however it did not slow down its performance. If you need to run the tool in and out do so without the drill, slide the tool in to the clog and run it turn the drill off and pull out by hand. This worked great for me. I also bent the obstruction remover, not beyond repair and it still took more abuse.

If you have a dryer vent that is plugged with regular old soft lint it would be no match for this tool. If used as recommended it should last for many years.

I would definitely recommend this tool to any one.


We love this dryer!

Our regular dryer started making screeching noises a coupele of weeks ago, and we haven't had the time (or money) to get it fixed yet.  As we head into winter, it's a little too cold to consistently keep drying our clothing on an outdoor rack, either.

So, I looked on Amazon for a good solution and found ... Dr. Dry.  I was a bit skeptical at first, I must confess - a drying rack with a heater?  Seriously?

But now that we are using it every day, I must say that Dr. Dry has won us over.  It works way more quickly than I had expected (as long as I am using it to dry normal weight, wrung out clothing.  Blankets and towels and soaking wet items are going to take longer ...)  Clothing that comes out of it is truly wrinkle free, since it dries in a hanging position.  That's a BIG plus for us - less ironing to do!!

I have it sitting in the bathroom and it's both pleasantly quiet and does a great job of heating the bathroom a bit as a side bonus.  I had been concerned before I got Dr. Dry that it would drip water all over the place and I'd need to situate it over a drain.  This isn't the case; Dr. Dry has a heavyweight clear plastic bag that goes all the way around the clothing and inflates with hot aiir when you turn it on.  I hang the wet clothing over my bathtub until it has stopped dripping (or just wring it out VERY, VERY well) and put it in.  There is an amazingly large amount of hanging space, and the extra poles you aren't using can be folded down to make the unit a bit more compact.  (It's about the size of a large adult standing in the room when it's fully expanded).

The plastic bag goes all the way around the clothing, including under it to catch drips - and there is an extra baffle over the heater to keep water from dripping into the heater unit.  I love that the heater has a timer, and will automatically shut itself off when it is done running.  And I love that it's relatively quiet and gently vents the heat through the top and warms the room.  :->

Basically, I love everything about Dr. Dry and you can't beat the price!  He's energy efficient as well (especially since the "waste heat" goes into our room and not out a dryer vent into the backyard.)  He can dry a whole washer's full of clothing and it's such a sturdy, well-designed machine that I expect to use it for many years to come.  I'm very impressed and grateful for Dr. Dry


We were ready to buy a new refrigerator. but saved $2,200.00 by installing this COMPRESSOR START RELAY.

Symptoms:
1. Our eight year old Jenn-Air with French doors with freezer on the bottom, was not holding food properly for the last few weeks, and getting worse daily.  Since there is no thermometer in either the 'fridge section or the freezer section, we bought a couple of simple thermometers from Amazon.  These show current temperature and also record the high and low temperature.  These verified that the internal temperatures were not what was set or desired.
2. My wife was noticing frost - not ice - on many of the frozen items,  Ice cream was soft.
3. Used a flashlight to look under the refrigerator in order to view the condenser coils for this model.  Many models, especially those with the freezer on the top will have the condenser coils on the back,, probably exposed.  Over time dust will accumulate on these coils.  This can interfere with the condenser operation and make the compressor work harder. Ours were covered in dust, had to use both vacuum and high pressure air to clean (only two inches of space under this model refrigerator).
4. Once the refrigerator was moved out from the wall, I could hear a clicking about every two or three minutes.  The sound was coming from the compressor which we had exposed by removing the rear cover panel.
5.  That clicking sound is the compressor starting then stopping and restarting every few minutes.  You may have heard this in your car's air conditioning system and is known as "short cycling".  Short cycling can be an indication of low Freon caused by a leak in the system or an iced up condition on the evaporator coils.  However, there are other items that can create the same symptom; bad control panel, bad compressor starting capacitor or the COMPRESSOR START RELAY.  The relay used by Jenn-Air, Maytag, Whirlpool and just about every other manufacturer have a reputation for failure.
6. As much as I hate R&R (remove and replace) repairs, it is difficult to check the relay and replacement is easy and inexpensive.

Repair:
1. Very easy to replace the COMPRESSOR START RELAY.  Plug and play unit,  unplug the refrigerator.  remove wiring harness clip, remove COMPRESSOR START RELAY.  The capacitor is attached to the COMPRESSOR START RELAY and can be removed and installed on the new COMPRESSOR START RELAY, (the capacitor can also cause the symptoms if it is bad, so you might want to replace it as well).
2. Reinstall the COMPRESSOR START RELAY, cover panel and you are done.


I purchased two of these hoses to replace two (still good) rubber hoses on my nine year old "Kenmore" washer.  As I purchased these from "Amazon", they are listed and sold as ONE hose each.  If you wish to replace both the hot and cold water hoses on a washing machine, be sure to order TWO of these hoses.  Because these are stainless steel braided (clad) hoses, they should be far safer from bursting for far longer than plain rubber hoses.  I have seen the water damage from burst rubber hoses on washing machines and it is not a pretty sight.

I priced these same hoses at my local "big box" home stores and these are far cheaper for the same listed specifications so I decided to give these a try.  Despite some other reviews, I had absolutely no trouble at all installing these two hoses.  I found them to be very flexible and they both came with rubber washers installed in both ends of the two hoses.  I am rather "handy" so I installed them myself.  They will fit standard water valves and standard (as they are on my "Kenmore" washer) water input spigots.  I installed and tightened them by hand and then gave each end an extra quarter turn with channel lock (pump) pliers.  I have had NO leaks or drips since install or to now, a month later.

I have only had these hoses installed for one month so it is far to early to know how long they may last.  In my experience with being a "handy man", these hoses seem to be of very high quality for the price.  They seem to be of the very same quality as the ones I saw at the "big box" stores that were priced a lot higher than these.  These two hoses that I received from "Amazon" are made in China but so was every other hose of this type I saw anywhere.  I even asked a plumber friend of mine about "American Made" hoses and he laughed and said "Good luck finding any of these made in America".  By the way, this same plumber friend thought these looked to be a great buy too.

Again, it's too early to know how long they may last but these seem to be very good in my opinion and I especially liked the price.  So, as I continue to hope they will last, I would recommend them.

UPDATE: I'm still very pleased with these hoses.  It is now June 6th, 2017 and I have now had these hoses installed for one year and 9 months.  These hoses could of course fail at any time but I'm convinced these hoses are far safer and will probably last a LOT longer than the two rubber hoses they replaced.


I did quite a bit of research before getting this washer. The wife and I love how well the old 90's Maytag dependable care washer and dryer worked. The washer has been slowly going out for the last 6 mo. I couldn't rig it up anymore and needed a good washer to replace it. It's 20yrs old 5yrs with us, it had a good life.

I work for the rail road, which isn't known for being a clean job. I needed to be able to clean the soot off my work clothes, and do it in the first wash. I don't want to rewash my clothes several times in one of these HE! washers I kept reading about.

I wanted something reliable. It seems like reliability isn't a factor in any review website. I kept reading reviews about the top rated washers with a 1yr warranty braking down between 10-18mo. Well not this washer, 5 year warranty for most stuff like repair and controls. 15 yr for the transmission. So don't spend $500+ for something that will last 2yrs. Buy this and it may make it into your toddlers first apartment.

As for specs I was worried about the 3.3cu.ft drum. With all new washers being 5cu ft or more.  As it turns out it's bigger than my old Maytag. It measures about 21" wide and 14" deep (max load).  Agitator was a must, need to move clothes to wash them. With the stainless steel drum we don't have to worry about chipping the porcelain drum anymore.

Electronic controls seem more precise than the mechinical timer. When you turn on the machine on it remembers the last load's options. We haven't used the Normal/eco selection, I wanted to control the water level and temp.  We usually use heavy duty, it is similar to the old maytag's normal mode. Normal spin works well getting the clothes fairly dry. Perm press isn't as good, rpm of the spin is slower to be gentle on items.  I don't really know what fabrics each setting is meant for. So heavy duty for everything!

Something my wife mentioned,  she will be able to continue washing cloth diapers with this washer with the next kid.

Nice thing about this washer it includes the fill and drain hoses with gaskets. Most don't,  it's a $25+ extra.

The only gripe I have is its taking some getting used to the washer water fill stops when the door is open. The maytag would fill with the door open, but with the door open the maytag wouldn't run. Then again, speed queens in the lundry mat would lock shut. At least this speed queen will allow me to add in that stray sock, after starting it. Clean clothes is worth it.


My dryer drum abruptly stopped spinning while attempting to dry a load 5-7-17. I felt the heat, so I knew none of the parts involving thermostat, switch, ignitor, or coil were the problem. I also heard the motor spinning, so I chanced it on ordering the tensioner with a belt, minimally, before opening the dryer up.

Well, when the kit arrived (5-9-17),  I unplugged the dryer and removed the front cover with door assembly. I immediately saw the belt had snapped and in fact frayed leaving belt dust & burnt rubber sprayed about. So I went a step further and removed the drum to thoroughly clean it out using a vacuum followed by a damp rag. In some spots I used WD40 to clean. I use WD40 when cleaning various items in the automotive & repair industry, especially for stubborn spots. It's non-abrasive & not too harsh chemically.

After comparing the tensioners, I decided to reuse the old one due to the fact it was beefier & the replacement had a few differences. Also because this tensioner uses no bearings, only metal bushings on a metal shaft. Then I compared the drum rollers, but saw no noticeable wear nor was the rubber hard or dried out, so I decided to keep the old ones in place.  I reinstalled the drum, placed the belt and reinstalled the old tensioner. I spun the drum by hand to make sure all was aligned and moving freely, replaced the front cover assembly and gave it a try. So very thrilled, all is working as it should. This is seriously the cheapest component to have to replace & best case scenario all around. I'd definitely recommend these parts, but can only verify the quality of the belt. Again, tensioner, I wouldn't use.... and I posted photos of comparisons along the job I did.

The gas dryer I have is Whirlpool LG7681XSW3

I bought this from the seller "Cheddy" but fulfilled by Amazon.com, which I feel is important to list this info. I've come across sellers with variances in their items, including knockoffs, even if listed as same brand. I'll post an update with a durability review.

***UPDATE*** 8-16-17
it's now been about 3 months since I had to do the repair, and all is still well. I call this a win.  If the previous belt durability was any sign of how long this one will last, I should be fine for at least another 10 years.  I'm just so glad there are companies still making these parts!!


KitchenAid 30" Architect Series II True Convection Stainless Steel 5.0 Cu. Ft. Double Oven:  The ovens are beautiful with large viewing windows.  The electronic control panel is a bit confusing; not too intuitive.  Since we installed it a couple of months ago, we have baked cookies (came out well) but not used it yet for any major cooking.

The most annoying feature is the noise level.  Compared to our old electric oven (which was not a convection oven), this one has a fan running pretty much all the time.  The noise from this fan is quite annoying since it starts as soon as you turn the oven on and it stays on during cooling (after you turned the oven off) - this means for any cooking, you will be listening to the fan for cooking time plus at least 30 minutes....

The second annoying feature is the preheating time - this is a large oven and takes a while to preheat.  Be aware.  Most cooking temperatures take 15-20 minutes to reach.  Sometimes longer.  This requires a lot of planning.  We haven't used any advanced features such as preheat on demand at a preset time.

The third bad feature is that you can't start cooking correctly until the oven reaches your target temperature.  If you are in a hurry and put stuff in too soon, the oven will be at a very high and will cook the the product incorrectly (soft in the middle with hard crust) (maybe this oven must go through a high temperature peak as it preheats to get there faster).

For a pretty high-end oven, these features mean I can't recommend it to my friends.

==============
UPDATE After >6 months of use -- the preheating time is too long, terrible.  The fan stays on for too long after cooking - very annoying.  The main problem is you CANNOT CHANGE THE TEMPERATURE WITHOUT TURNING OFF THE OVEN!!  How bizarre is that?  I have been arguing with KitchenAid "Customer Un-support" people and they told me that the "feature" is to "change temperature, you must turn off the oven".  The technician that visited me told me that every house he goes to reports the same issues (too long to heat up, fan stays on for too long, can't change temperature without turning off the oven) -- all with these nice ovens with the blue interior.  Very pretty but non-functional.  Stay away from this appliance.  KitchenAid claims the oven is doing all this ("bad stuff") "by design".  They won't offer a fix or another model.  I guess they have decided to cover their eyes and ears about this model...  DO NOT BUY THIS FAULTY PRODUCT...... I am going to small claims - the only route left...


4 count them, 4--button levels of air suction! Stainless Steel is not cheap but high grade & heavy thickness. My hood arrived in pristine condition & best packing I have EVER seen, so was well-pleased.

My 30" version of this unit has 3 removable Stainless Baffle sections which was FREE upgrade from aluminum screening, and the buttons are on the vertical front ledge of unit with a DIGITAL readout screen of the level of chosen suction and even has time-delay on shut-off = BONUS!

-Has a 3-prong plug to plug in and check if working the moment it arrived.
-The exit of the 6" round flu from motor has a butterfly damper that opens when fan engaged so will be great to prevent back flow from exterior.
-The two piece chimney surrounds are also heavy duty Stainless Steel and uppermost section has two sides consisting of a series of venting to dispel heat at top sides.
-The entire hood and two sections are protected by a clear or blue skin of plastic that is easily removed after installation.
-There is an included small approximately 2"X3" clear plastic topless box that has slots that slide into brackets under motor housing that is supposed to catch any accumulating grease from motor area low point that is accessed via the removable baffle. This then can be emptied and wiped clean with ease.
-Installation is easily done & straightforward...find the centerpoint of stovetop/range and have center of hood match this point and mark two hanger holes at level into studs with provided heavy gauge screws (rip open wall & install stud if not there--molly screws are NOT going to work here--after all won't be seen anyway as hood covers it).

Con:
-Two halogen lights are in rear of unit and are only 20 Watt each so total 40Watt so woefully dim for cooking surface...I have upper cabinets on both sides so I am installing under cabinet lights on both sides to compensate.

I have not permanently installed totally on wall yet as am doing some extension of wiring in wall behind hood in wall but will update when totally complete with photos. I am using the two baffles on interior two exits of blower motor but I am doing a hollow faux wood beam to cover the metal 6" flu system across the room to vent through out through bump-out dinette roof.

This hood totally blows away the competition at Lowe's or HomeDepot stores...and the price is at least $100-400 BELOW comps with these features anywhere online.

Recommend this product.


I have just finished my first bottle of this product and am about to begin my second tube, and have noticed very good results already. The price is reasonable, and depending on how much you use it, you can get at least a month out of the bottle. I would recommend trying it as a single purchase first, then moving to subscribe and save ordering to save money if you are going to keep using it on a regular basis. This adds up to a pretty decent amount of savings versus buying it in the store.

My purchase of this product was prompted by a desire to help reduce or remove fading tan lines from a sunburn. I also had a few areas that were rough and lightly discolored that I wanted to smooth out. However, I have very sensitive skin that makes it difficult to find suitable products for. I began using it just once every other day for a week to test for irritation. When none occurred, I moved to once daily for a week, then twice daily every day after that. I do not use other exfoliating products on the areas I use the mini-peel on, and I use a very light moisturizer only at night. As a result, I have not experienced a lot of dryness or peeling.

The first few days of use I did not notice a change but at the end of the week I noticed that my arms and hands were smoother. After the next week, the tan areas had begun to fade, and the mild keratosis pilaris on my arms had also begun to lessen. Over the course of a month, I noticed that my arms and hands looked and felt much smoother and youthful. I have seen far fewer breakouts from the KP than with any other product I have tried, which was a big surprise. The product does not feel as warm as claimed, but it still does its job as advertised. The fragrance is very mild, and does not linger on the skin for very long after it has been washed off, which is important for anyone sensitive to the smell of perfumes in their products.

A few things to note: this product does have AHA in it, and it is very important to either cover the treated areas with clothing, or wear a heavier sunblock than normal for at least a week after use. If you use this product every day, always keep the affected areas well covered. If you do not, you are at a higher risk of sunburn, which is important to keep in mind if you have very pale or sensitive skin.


We have owned this cooktop since March of 2002 ... certainly plenty of time to give a valuable review.  My husband and I both like it very much.  It doesn't have a metal trim around the top edge like many of the ceramic cooktops.  All those do is trap grease and filth.  This simply has a beveled edge, so nothing to trap food.  The knobs easily come off when you want to really clean.  The shiny black looks so elegant.

It is not at all hard to clean.  Here's the trick.  If you have something spill over that is obviously going to stain and make a horrible mess, turn off that burner and move your pot/pan to a different burner.  That helps keep it from continously burning in.  Then, once cooled, use "Ceramabryte" to clean it.  That product is terrific.  I buy it either at Lowes or Home Depot. You do not rinse with water after you use it.  Just wipe it off real well and you are good to go.

First, I take a damp washcloth and wipe off any large messy foods that got onto the stove from normal cooking messes.  I dry it quickly with a soft paper towel (not the cheap scratchy kind).  Then I put a little Ceramabryte and spread it around with a paper towel.  Then I either let it haze up a little or just start wiping it off, depending on what I'm cleaning up.  You can see your paper towel turn very brown from what it is taking off your stove.  Even stuff that burned on to the burner comes off!  The only time I did not have success in cleaning it was when I was simmering bulk medicinal tea and forgot about it (shame on me!).  Several hours later, the smell caught my attention and I scurried downstairs.  What a mess on that burner!  I worked for a long time putting Ceramabryte and and taking it off.  Most of it came off except for one partial circle about 1/2" wide.  It was only on the burner -- not on the black part.  So, a lesson to me not to forget something (stupid to do anyway) and I just keep a pretty blue teapot on that burner when I'm not using it, just for looks.

We like this stove so much that we are going to buy another soon to put in the next house we are moving to as soon as our current home sells.  I'm so delighted that this model is still available.

Do not use steel wool pads or metal scrapers to get this clean.  You'll scratch it and won't be happy.


My wife and I bought this for our new home even though after quite a bit of hesitation, as this technology is not very popular, and we did not know anybody that had used it before. We new that most of our pots and pans would not work with it, but that was not much of a concern as we wanted to upgrade our cooking ware anyway.

Sure enough, the first try of our new cook top was a big surprise. But the good way. The performance simply blew us away. We have never experienced anything that comes even close in terms of reaction speed, ease of use, and sheer power.

Pros:
* Extremely powerful. Boiling water, making fish/meat stock, making pasta become easy and enjoyable.
* Reaction is instant. No need to wait for temperature to go up or down. The second you touch the control panel, the temperature reacts.
* Low heat setting can make long simmering more precise.
* More energy efficient then gas or electric.
* Very little heat loss through the air. As a result, the ambiance temperature never gets too hot even when I have all five eyes on, making fish stock.
* Timer is a useful plus.

Cons:
* Many types of cookware, including aluminum and most stainless steel does not work (use a magnet if you want to check whether yours does, only if it's magnetic it works).
* There is a humming noise, not very loud, but noticeable.
* It is not the best for Chinese stir fry because only the bottom of the pot/wok is in contact with the heat source, and the side of the wok may not be as hot as the bottom. Nevertheless, I use it often for stir fry, and it is fine enough for me.
* Cannot grill.

Overall conclusion: Once you tried this everything will feel like Stone Age.

Added: After 2 years, we're still very happy w/ it. Note: 2 left eyes share one circuit, and 2 right ones share one. This means that the ones share the same circuit cannot be on H(igh) setting at the same time. One of them will automatically be downgraded to a lower setting (such as 7, or 8). We noticed something rather strange in such situation. The eye w/ lower setting seems to continue to burn at H level, on and off. It seems that the two eyes are constantly changing from H to lower power then back to H in an alternating pattern. It can be a problem if 1) you need to use H setting, 2)use both eyes at the same time, and 3)want to control the power precisely for cooking. Or you will have to choose another brand that gives each eye its own power circuit.


I've had this for almost 2 years. I, like many others, had burner shutdown issues - but in my case, the root cause was actually a thermal safety feature. I would always/only get burner shutdown when using my cast iron skillet on the center burner to cook steaks/roasts/etc.

The problem with this is that the skillet gets *very* hot and doesn't cool down really at all when the meat is being cooked. Indeed, this is exactly WHY you use a big cast iron skillet - it retains the heat.

After 4 different visits by GE service (and replacing basically the entire guts of the cooktop), the latest technician realized what was happening. The skillet was radiating a ton of heat back into the cooktop, and the cooktop was seeing this and determining that the skillet was "empty". In other words, there is a "feature" of these and all GE induction cooktops called "empty pan detection". I was triggering this every time I used the skillet.

I'm definitely disappointed this happens - and even more disappointed that the cooktop couldn't give me a hint as to what was happening. No fault codes. No warning. Not even a beep. That's pretty silly.

So why still 4 stars? Because other than this silly empty pan detection "feature", the cooktop is SO much better than any other cooktop that I will never go back to anything else. Boiling water in 2 minutes flat, "sauce" mode, sous vide, etc. Amazing.

Also, I will say that GE service has been amazing. Only on this most recent visit was I charged anything - $99.

UPDATE: I've determined that the thermal shutoff / empty pan detection kicks in around 750 degrees. Obviously a much higher temp than most pans will get, but a big cast iron skillet can do it. I seem to be able to avoid thermal cut off by placing a silicone sheet between the skillet and the cooktop, but silicone can't handle more than about 600 degrees. Next idea is a thin ceramic disk, which should act as a good insulator and won't impede the magnetic field.

UPDATE 2: Ceramic works! I purchased the thinnest ceramic tile I could find at Home Depot (16 cents!) and place the tile under the skillet. I was able to heat the skillet to over 850 degrees and kept it there for almost 20 minutes! The top of the tile got to about 750 degrees, but the bottom never got above 500 degrees - which is well below the thermal shut off. So I would say - problem solved! It's silly I need to do this, but the cooktop is so good otherwise it's worth a little experimentation.


Update: 5.9.2018
I am cutting my rating to 3.5 stars for the following reasons...
1. If you don't regularly use ice, the ice maker jams up.
2. Door bins break easily, despite being very careful
3. It is very hard to pull drawers out
4. It is impossible to disassemble the crisper drawers, to clean between the 2 plastic layers. Don't know what the designer was thinking

Update: 5.31.2014
Ice cubes:  I saw a lot of negative reviews complaining about crushed ice cubes.  I don't know if I've been lucky, or if they fixed it when it was refurbished ... but I get perfect ice cubes (or ice crescents :)
Seltzer: My second batch of seltzer seemed a little better.  But still not as good as seltzer from sodastream gadgets.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Review: 5.30.2014
I bought a refurbished unit (delivered on May 29th) from another vendor, to replace my 28yr old Amana (that came with the house).  My review will not address issues that came because of the unit being refurbished, such as scratches, cracked vegetable drawer, etc.

What I don't like:
1. The sodastream soda is weaker than expected, as has been mentioned in other reviews.  Still, I look at it as a bonus.
2. The doors don't open wider than in the picture, making it a little hard to access the ice tray.
3. My unit (perhaps because of the condition) SOMETIMES has a lingering drip after getting the soda, that lasts about 5-10 drops.
4.  Fingerprints show up if your hands are not clean.

What I like:
1. Freezer & fridge temperatures are displayed on the panel.
2. Keeps temperatures very steadily.  At least according to the panel.  I bought 3 thermometers that I will monitor to see how accurate the monitor is.
3. Excellent, bright lighting.  I can see every corner clearly.
4. I love the pullout 'FlexZone' drawer. It is handy to snacks and finger foods handy for the whole family.
5. Compared to my previous refrigerator, this is so energy efficient.  Rated by consumer reports as $70 per year.  My old one was almost that much a month.
6. It looks great too.

I have heard about problems with ice maker.  I will update my review after I generate ice for a few days.


After Hurricane Sandy, we were out of power for at least 10 days (we still are as I write this).  Last year, after Irene, we were down for 5 days.  Usually, once we go out in a storm, it's at least a two-day ordeal.  We are fortunate to have a 12kw generator that we bit the bullet and installed about 6 years ago.  After allowing for heat, lighting, refrigerator -- the essentials -- we can use one or two discretionary 1500-watt appliances at a time with it (clothes washer, dishwasher, toaster, "5th burner", etc.), so with some organizing we can approximate normal living.  The one thing we couldn't do was dry clothes, as the typical electric dryer has a 5500-watt heating element and uses more than one-half of the max capacity of our generator just to run.  On short outages, not doing laundry wasn't an issue.  On the longer ones, we were stringing clothes lines up around the house and hanging stuff to dry -- effective, but not optimal.  And it didn't seem worth the significant extra capital (and operating) expense of a bigger generator just so we could dry clothes.  On about the fourth day of no power, with predictions of two weeks or more that we would be out, I got online on my cell phone to see if there was in fact a 120-volt clothes dryer.  I was pleasantly-surprised to find that this item even existed, and happier yet that I could order it from Amazon with Prime overnight delivery.  WOW!  I didn't expect much, and this certainly isn't going to replace our regular dryer, but it makes a huge difference in quality of life when you are hunkered down after a storm.  Almost made me forget about the gas lines!  For a small-to-medium load in the washer, this can dry that in less than an hour.  I just stood it on top of the old dryer, slipped on the exhaust-aimer-thingy pointing upwards, and fired it up.  The laundry room does get a little moist, but nothing bad, and it's easy to clean the lint filters.  Again, it's not so robust a product that I would use it for a regular big Laundry Day every week, but it does a very fine job on the small-to-medium loads that we're doing after the storm.  For this price, it's a no-brainer.


I really like this better than my Brita and Pur pitchers.

One of the initial reasons is purely cosmetic... I love the look/shape of the pitcher and I love the aqua blue color of the filter bulb. My house is beach themed, so this color really appeals to me.

Next reason is the time saving aspect, that it really does filter down through and allow you to completely fill the pitcher faster. With the Brita and Pur pitchers, you fill the top basin and then have to let it sit and wait til it drains down through into the pitcher and then add more water to the basin and let it drain down through til the pitcher is full. With this Whirlpool, it fills faster and you just hold it under the running water until it's full. I do pull it away from the faucet for literally a second or two here and there to let it catch up and drain but even with doing that I can still fill this pitcher in half the time than it takes to fill my other ones. How long it takes to fill and how often you will need to pull the pitcher away from the faucet to allow it to drain down a little will depend on how fast you have the faucet turned on, of course.

Next reason I really like it is the convenience and versatility aspect - you can use the filter to fill any pitcher, container or bottle, since the bulb that holds the filter has a funnel on the bottom. You could even refill bottled water bottles, baby bottles, sodastream bottles, and single glasses of water. You can carry the filter and bulb/holder around with you in a lunch bag etc., and filter water where ever you are.

You do have to soak the filter for 10 minutes before the first use, just like some of the other brands of pitchers.  You will want to wash the pitcher and all pieces to the filter holder when you first open the package, of course, too.

The filter/ holder consists of a lid, cap, filter and funnel. They basically just stack easily together in place. There's a locking "collar" piece for the top rim of the pitcher as well and that piece has the pour spout on it.

The collar has the months listed on it, so when you replace the filter you line it up with the current month and then replace the filter 2 months later.

You don't have to keep the filter in the pitcher after the pitcher is filled. It doesn't sit down inside the pitcher in the water like with other brands and there's no instruction telling you that the filter should not dry out like with other brands.

This pitcher us about an inch shorter than my Pur pitcher, so it goes in and out of the refrigerator easier for us with the way we have our shelves spaced. I like the general shape and size better overall. The old fashion glass pitcher shape is really nice. I will be using this instead of my Pur and Brita pitchers.


As a former job seeker 2 times over, I was told again and again to build my network and rely on that network of friends and close contacts to help me in my job search. It makes a lot of sense and it's what you're told again and again.

Many job seekers in organizations I joined were on LinkedIn, but they didn't want to link to anyone that they did not know well enough that they would not give them a stellar recommendation. The thinking is, don't link in with anyone who might not have a stellar reputation or they might drag down your reputation. I can see that point, but if I met you at a networking event and you seem reasonably nice and helpful, why not link in with you? Why be so suspicious? If I make it clear to others in my network who might inquire about someone I'm linked with, why not be completely candid and say "I met them in a networking event and they seemed nice, but I haven't worked with them before so I can't vouch for their work habits or reliability". How often do you really get asked about someone in your LinkedIn network anyway?

This book served to encourage my more open-minded view of growing my network. I wouldn't link with someone I knew nothing about, but if you've met them and have a positive impression why not offer to help them?

It is important to know what this book defines as a "stranger" as you begin to read. Most of us think of strangers as someone we know nothing about. The author broadens this to include people we think we know well but really don't. Or someone we know very casually. I wouldn't categorize these types of people as "strangers" but I think it makes a better book title to say "The Necessity of Strangers" than "The Necessity of Acquaintances and Strangers". The latter title would be more accurate, but I guess it doesn't have the concise sizzle for selling books.

The book is an interesting concept. Opening yourself to insights and possibilities offered by people who have been raised in a different environment/culture is a good idea. Even just listening to viewpoints from others could help you consider avenues you did not consider earlier and help lead to greater success in your personal and business life.

All in all, I consider this a good book. It encourages thinking beyond your immediate circles which is good encouragement for those of us who are New Englanders and tend to stick to our circles rather than venturing out and listening to new ideas.


I was a little skeptical when I decided to purchase this, but read through the positive reviews and thought I'd give it a shot. The kegerator made the trip fine and was pretty easy to put together. I'm just going to say some things/give advice from what I've learned. Most of the pieces are already installed but as others said, make sure you get the rubber gasket/washer on the tower BEFORE you drop the beer line into the kegerator. I like my beer ice cold so I knew I'd be adjusting the thermostat manually (as others said). This was very easy, and only required two phillips head screwdrivers (Normal, and very small). I did a turn and a half and it's perfect for me.

If you haven't read: Unplug kegerator! Pull off the knob on the thermostat, remove the 4 screws (2 on thermostat, 2 on side of kegerator)remove the thermostat from it's case to where you can see the tiny screw on top. 1 turn (or 1 1/2 for REALLY cold)clockwise, put it back together, and you're good to go. I don't know if I'd go much further than that though unless you're watching the temperature closely.

I had a small leak in my beer tap to beer line on the butterfly nut. I got tired of messing with it my first pony and put a towel to collect any leakage. Well, that small leak added up to a couple of beers by the end of the week. So I went to Lowes and purchased some Blue Monster 1/2 inch thread tape (plumbing section)and did 4 wraps around the male threads on the keg tap. Problem solved. It might be a good idea to just go ahead and do that with all threads (co2 & beer) while your putting it together to avoid any potential leaks in the future and save you some trouble.

It took some time adjusting the co2 to the 'perfect' pressure. I've decided on 8 but I have had to turn it up to 10 when I had people over and beers were going quicker. Keep in mind it'll take a while to "settle" in, make small changes and give it some time to adjust. I would advise you to start at 8 and work your way up if you have to.

It will not fit rubberized(miller) and oversized(coors) kegs. I ordered a miller lite pony(not thinking, because I already knew) but since it was there I figured I could shimmy it in somehow. You can't.

Overall, I am super satisfied and would recommend this product to any of my friends(with proper adjusting). I'm through with my first pony and I think I've officially got all the kinks worked out. Time to graduate to a 1/2 barrel! Cheers, beers, and Mountaineers!


I've had my GE fridge for about seven years now. I've watched the price of these filters creep up through the years, and gave into temptation the last time to try out a generic (AquaFresh) model.

Here's a summary of my experience with these two products:

Aquafresh WF287:

The filter didn't feel quite right when installing .. I had to turn it a bit harder than I remembered. Once I began running the water, I immediately noticed black particles (carbon filter bits I suppose) in the water. I think I flushed out about 10 gallons before there were no more noticeable particles in a clean glass. But upon closer examination under good lighting, I could still see a few black specks floating around. I called the company I bought it from (FiltersFast.com) and they sent me a new one.

Well ... same thing happened with the second filter. I think I ended up flushing about 20 gallons through this time before I was satisfied it was clean enough to drink. I've had no problems since, but when it came time to replace, no thanks.

I don't think this model triggers the replacement light on my frig, but when I hit nine months of use, I decided I no longer wanted to wait to find out.

We've been in drought conditions more often than not this past decade in the Southeast, and I hate wasting water. I did put the water on my lawn so it wasn't completely wasted, but still I don't care enough about my lawn to feed it filtered water. :)

I don't have a problem with FiltersFast.com, but I don't want another Aquafresh filter.

GE MWF:

Installed quickly. Water sputters a bit right after installation, but runs clean with no black specks. The directions say to run about 1.5 gallons through to eliminate the sputtering. I think a gallon is enough.

Overall, if you compare the price of filtered water right from your frig to bottled water, the GE MWF is still an incredible bargain.

I take my own water to work and save probably hundreds of dollars a year. And I am not filling up the landfills with plastic empties.

I find the filters last longer than six months, probably about nine months on average before the light kicks on and tells me to buy another.

Bottled water is all about marketing. Clean, filtered water is nothing but pure H20, same as the expensive bottled waters. I have better things to do with my money.


I got this for camping but it is a bit heavy/not for a guy but for me it is a little heavy to tote around.  When my boyfriend and I go camping for longer than a week I do plan to take it with us.  I am not sure if I use it as directed but this is how I do it:  I have a 5 gallon bucket that I use to fill the wash tub side with water to cover the clothing I put in.  Usually 3 or 4 small easy to dry items like pajamas, rompers etc. The washer side will hold much more but I use it for quick loads that I want clean without using big washer.  The spin side is probably half the size of the washer so if you do a large load you will have to spin a few articles at a time.  I do not wash towels and socks in it/but guess you could fit 2 bath towels in it but only 1 in the spin part.  Anyway, I add a very small amount of detergent..like a couple tablespoons of the dilute dollar store brand..then run it on soft/or normal cycle for about 5 minutes.  I then turn the knob to drain and empty my 5 gallon bucket.  I then add fresh water and put it through another 3 minutes to wash out the soap/then drain it again.  Be sure to leave the drain hose in a bucket or you will be sorry (o:.  If it is only like 2 rompers or 1 pair of pajamas, I put them in the spin cycle for 5 minutes or so being careful to leave hose in bucket.  If washing more than a couple items I split it up and spin a few pieces at a time.  The clothes come out fairly dry/well dry enough to drape over my chair or hang in the closet to finish drying.  As stated, I do not use a whole lot of detergent so rinsing is no biggie..and have skipped a rinse before.  The clothes I use this for/delicates etc/are not really that dirty in the first place but this does a wonderful job on them.  It saves me money on wear and tear of my clothes and they stay looking brand new much longer than using my traditional washer.  Also saves on water and my water bill is high enough due to increases on the sewer and stuff in the last year or so.  I am sure it also saves on power as well.  If I were without a washer for a month or so i am sure this would suffice/but I do not see this as a replacement for a good washer and dryer especially where towels, socks and such are concerned.  Anyway///try it..it is great!


I use this in a guest unit but if my current full-sized dishwasher unit ever breaks I think I will replace it with this.  It works really well but I have never tried it on anything difficult to clean.

I spent about eight hours at various plumbing and home-improvement stores - trying every single possible connection and asking for help from knowledgeable plumbers - but ultimately it involved picking up every single piece of pipe and tubing in the store and trying to match them together.

Here are the labels on the packets:
One Brass Pipe Tee T  Connector 1/2" FIP
Three Brass Pipe Hex Nipples 1/2" MIP
One Dishwasher Elbow 3/8" OD x 3/4" GH
NPT= national pipe thread = MIP= male iron pipe = FIP=female iron pipe. All use the same threads, at least here in the USA.
GH = garden hose
OD = outside diameter, seems to be what is used on faucet supply lines.

Attach the nipples to the T connector as shown in the picture (I used plumbers thread-seal tape.)

Then you need the connecting faucet supply lines.  The two lines going into the T connect to your hot and cold water lines.  Just buy lines where one end is is 1/2 in MIP/FIP/NPT and the other end attaches to a system that will branch water from your wall outlet (sorry I didn't keep those packets - let me know if you need more details on this and I can check to see what I used.)  The line going into the dishwasher has one end 1/2 in MIP/FIP/NPT and the other end attaches to the dishwasher elbow 3/8in OD.  The other end of the dishwasher elbow attaches to the dishwasher.  (Too much detail probably!)
Then I cut a hole in the drain pipe above the trap and the dishwasher drains directly into the drain.
(sorry that the picture shows the metric version of the sizes - 1 cm is 3/8 in and 1.27 cm is 1/2 in.)

What I have learned since doing this:
Now I also see there is something called a "Y Washing Machine Mixer Hose" which may be useful, since the attachment going into the dishwasher is the same size as washing machine connections.  (I think.)
Also, since the dishwasher has an internal water heater, you could just connect this to the cold water if you just wanted to deal with one supply line.


<input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81Jl7KeecVS.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91aNACLDVAS.png" class="video-slate-img-url"> My son's 1 bedroom bachelor pad includes a small kitchen with no dishwasher.  He is on the go, so frequently has unsightly dishes piled in his sink.  We bought this for his apartment and it has been a Godsend, so far.

I love that it requires no tools to set it up.  Everything is finger-tightened (or you will damage the threads).  After removing the filter from his faucet, the connector fit perfectly inside his female faucet.  We didn't have to run to the hardware store for additional connectors/parts.  It went on without a fuss and snaps on and off easily with the quick connect.

At first, we noticed some leaking at the rear intake, but I just tightened the hose a bit more.  I had done it too loosely previously.  While you don't want to use a wrench, you do have to firmly finger tighten.

He hadn't washed dishes in longer than a mother wants to think about, so we had a good sink load that a single person could generate in a few days.  With the exception of the pots and pans, everything fit.  It actually fits more than I thought it would.  The taller plates had to go towards the center of the dishwasher - and we had to make sure the smaller plates weren't hanging down too far or they were snagged by the spinner.

He left while the dishwasher was still running and had no problems with overflow - and it really did a good job cleaning all his dishes.  My youngest son just recently moved into the same apartment complex and we are thinking about getting him one as well.

I've attached a brief video of the dishwasher while washing.  I didn't find it unacceptably loud.  It does occasionally make a louder spurt when it drains extra water into the sink, but it's not very often and is brief.  I've also attached a photo of the front console - and the fully loaded dishwasher.  It handled that load like a champ!


I took delivery of mine (from a local dealer) on December 31st of 2014.  The FIRST one was delivered the previous Friday, that one's washer did not work at all.  Yes, it was brand new.  The second one works, but don't buy one until you read this entire review.

The washer is a failed attempt at saving water.  I have no clue how any engineer or marketing team could be this stupid, but I have a feeling the WET3300 is not the only dud out there - since it uses the same pressure switch as many other models, and it is the pressure switch (and how it is configured in the WET3300) that makes this washer so awful in performance.

The washer, when set to "LARGE LOAD" will only fill with 6.5 inches of water.  If you load this thing like a normal top loader, it it not going to perform well.  Running small loads, it works fine - but read on.

The rinse cycle is horribly designed.  On the "LARGE LOAD" setting, the tub fills with only 3.5 inches of water.  This means the rinse is not complete (I have read reviews where people said they had to rinse twice with one of these, I see what they mean.)  But there seems to be a way around this - liquid fabric softener, with so little water, will stain your clothing.  So, for those who use liquid softener, Whirlpool put a switch on the control panel.  By leaving the Fabric Softener switch on, the system fills to 6.5 inches on rinse!

If you only load the machine tub 1/2 full, run the machine on "Large Load" setting, and run with the Fabric Softener switch on at all times,  you will likely be happy with this machine.  Doing this, the machine is effective in doing one thing:  Saving space.  IT does not save water because you can't load the machine very much - but it DOES save space.  If you have a family, htis is not the machine for you!  A single person (like me) or maybe a couple can get by with it - but you will never wash blankets or large items in this machine.

If you really want to save water, but a front loader - they do the job of saving water AND cleaning clothing very well.  The top loader, let's face it, is on it's way out.  As I said before, the pressure switch in this machine is the same as many others  -so either it is employed differently in other machines (likely) or else all new top loaders are junk.  I simply don't know.


Great compact cooktop that has a modern and stylish look. This is a 2 burner cooktop in black. The surface has a glass surface but it comes with specific cleaning instruction and a cleaning product so that you don't damage/scratch the surface. Esthetically this thing is very attractive. the top is flat and shiny. The knobs are not obtrusive and it just looks like it belongs alongside all your other modern appliances. Each knob has a white line that directs to which burner you are turning on and this also adds to the modern look/design. There are three lights in between the knobs. 2 of the lights indicate when each burner is "on" the third light indicates when the surface is still hot. This is a great feature that warns you that although the burners are "off" the surface of the cooktop is still hot and you should still be careful. Great feature. The way that this cooktop works is that it has the same electric rings but just underneath the modern glass top. It heats up quickly and I can  boil water in just a few minutes. See pictures.

I was hesitant when ordering this product because I was concerned that there wouldn't be enough room between the burners to place 2 pots/pans/etc. but as you can see in the pictures there is ample room for two pieces of cookware. In the picture I have a medium sized pan and a small pot so 2 pieces of cookwear should fit well. Keep in mind that this is a 2 burner cooktop and as you can see in the pictures that we could have easily fit a 4 burner but we didn't have the use for it and wanted a more clean compact look. This cooktop fit the bill.

We had this cooktop professionally installed so I cannot comment on the installation but I CAN tell you that you can install it left to right or top to bottom depending on your countertop space. We installed it left to right (as seen in pictures). Also the cooktop will take up a few inches from under your countertop so you may not be able to put a drawer underneath it. This is something that all cooktops share in common.

When we re-did our kitchen I bought most of the items from amazon so I'm going to try to write reviews with pictures on these items. you can look for those to see if the items are something that can work for you. All in all this unit has been working exceptionally well and provides the look, function, and necessity that we were looking for.


Great product but they need to include more rods in the kit. I had to buy a second set of rods and that still wasn't enough so Ill end up spending $60+ dollars on this kit which isn't terrible if you factor what you would get charged out in town, but still, its plastic rods with a brush attached....thats overpriced for something so simple.

So enough of me complaining about it being overpriced and get to the review. It works GREAT if you aren't an idiot and use common sense when using it.

1.  Always CLOCKWISE..... again always CLOCKWISE, I cant be anymore clear about this.
2.  Use electrical tape or duct tape as a backup in case you screw up on number 1 above. Its a good safety measure so just do it, it only takes a few seconds per rod to wrap in tape.
3.  Feed one rod at a time, taping each one as you go.
4.  Dont force the rods if you get resistance with the drill attached. If you get resistance, remove the drill from the rod and using your hands wiggle/shift the rods until you get past the resistance and then reconnect the drill and continue. Most likely if you reach resistance is likely one of two things. (1) You have a large bend in your duct or (2) you have a lot of blockage. If its number 2, start pulling the rod out (with or without the drill attached (if the drill remains attached, remember to always spin  CLOCKWISE) as youve probably hit a patch of lint clogged heavily in one area. Pulling the rod out will likely pull a large portion of lint youve broken loose out with the rod and brush  attachment so vacuum it up or blow it out if you have a leaf blower and then start again (I didn't disconnect rods during this step but I did take my time to hand feed the rod and brush back in to ensure I didn't damage the rods).
5.  Once youve reached the end of your vent, start pulling your rods out the same way you went in (CLOCKWISE) so that you catch any debris you might have missed on the initial cleaning.  I pushed the brush through 2-3 times in total from different sides of the vent since I was short a few rods and used the leaf blower 4-6 times in between to ensure I was pushing any lint to the exterior of the house (never blow the leaf blower into the house, only blow to the outside of the house unless you want a HUGE mess in your house.
6.  Lastly, Id recommend using a face mask/respirator mask as this stuff is messy and you don't know whats growing in it. I had some cheap carpentry mask but will use a better version next time I clean it as its not fun to breath in.


I recently switched from propane to natural gas, and after doing the regulator, and orifices was disappointed in the output on my over 10-year-old Profile cook-top. So, it was off to find a new one. I took about a month to decide.

The box arrived undamaged; however, there were a few small scratches on the surface, factory issue, not shipping. They are hardly noticeable with the grates in place. The unit fit almost fit perfectly into the hole from my old Profile cook-top. Set-up and install was less than 30 minutes. I was somewhat surprised that GE suggests using Cerama Bryte on this unit, but there was none included, I guess I just remember the old days when something suggested was supplied, at least in a sample. The straps to hold it in place are really a joke. They really need 2 screws on each strap into the cabinet to stop any motion, but they are just too short. That's an easy fix.

I saw some questions here about elevation, so just to give some of you an idea. On the center burner 6 cups of uncovered ice cold water, in a 4.5 quart saucepan came to a boil in 8 minutes. My elevation is 3885'.

I like how the grates are slightly higher than others I had looked at. I feel the heat is better distributed on the pan. The low heat levels for simmer are SO much better than my old GE profile. Actually I like all the low level settings much better with this new unit. Change that to LOVE the settingsright now simmering stock on a nice low roll of a simmer on the left front burner, and potato-leek soup on the right front. Oh, it took 18 minutes on the center burner to bring 16 qts of water to a boil, not bad at all. A little surprised how hot the unit gets while in use, even by the controls, that should have been expected, but still a bit of a shock. That's like one of those restaurant thingsdon't touch the plate, it's hot. Then you still touch itwhat can I say, I'm a guy!

Using 3 different straight edges I verified I do have a slight bow (maybe 2/16 of an inch) off the counter in the front of the unit. Even though the unit has a foam strip running around the underside of the perimeter, I'm waiting for a reply from GE about using some silicon to seal it.

I have not used the griddle yet, I'm more excited about using my wok on the center burner. Even as it was suggested using a flat bottom wok, my round bottom sits quite well on the grates.

I am very happy with this purchase. It functions much better than anticipated. This is a definite recommend.

Last thing, it was impossible to beat Amazon's price on this baby. No-one came close.

Greg


We recently bought the Architect Series Top Control Dishwasher after our Bosch machine finally gave up the ghost.  We did a lot of shopping before settling on this machine, and really were torn on whether to go with Kitchen Aid or another Bosch.  We absolutely loved the Bosch, but had also had good luck before we bought it with an earlier Kitchen Aid dishwasher.  Given our prior good experience with Kitchen Aid, a real good price on the new one, and the fact that Kitchen Aid has heated drying whereas the Bosch does not, we went with the Kitchen Aid.

We soon found out that, whereas we could put heavily soiled dishes in the Bosch and they would come out clean as a whistle, we have to thoroughly rinse the dishes before washing in the Kitchen Aid or else they come out with food particles dried and stuck like glue to them.  The other thing about the new machine we don't like very much is the stainless steel front panel.  We have a top of the line Frigidaire gas range in stainless that has never in nearly 5 years of use shown fingerprints due to special surface treatment.  Since Frigidaire owns Kitchen Aid, we assumed their top of the line dishwashers would also be resistant to fingerprints.  Not so!  Anything that touches the front - either a finger, and hand, your knee, a towel - whatever - leaves a mark or a smudge that can only be removed with stainless steel cleaner and a microfiber cloth.

Additionally, the silverware basket in the Bosch could be left in its normal side of basket location, or could be moved to the front of the bottom basket, or could even be put in the top basket, which made creative loading much easier.  With the Kitchen Aid, the HUGE silverware basket can only be in the one original place at the side of the bottom basket, and pretty much takes up that whole side of the basket.

Our Bosch had a soft food disposal built in and worked like a champ with only having to clean the screen at long intervals (almost never).
The Kitchen Aid filter screen gets completely clogged up within a week (even with pre-rinsing the dishes) and has to be removed and scrubbed clean weekly with a brush and running water.  If we omit this chore, we start getting a food particle film on everything.  (Kinda makes one wonder about the rinsing efficiency of the machine.)

As far as malfunctions go, we have had none to-date (knock on wood.)  But then we only have about 4 months of usage on it.

Bottom line is, we have more or less made our peace with it, and it does seem to be marginally better in some ways than your basic cheap builder's special dishwasher.  But rest assured, when it comes time for another replacement, we will return to and likely stay with Bosch.


The Ivation Portable Ice Maker with Easy-Touch Buttons is a sleek, well-made item that is perfect for so many occasions. I like the way it presents, with its somewhat slender design and its easy-open top, plus it includes a basket for ready-made ice and scoop for the ice as well. It has an easy-to-use, touch sensitive button strip across the top, which is very easy to operate. One light indicates when the icemaker is full and another lets you know the water level is low, plus it has two different options for cube sizing preferences of small or large and a touch on/off power switch.

The specs on the device indicate that it can make 26.5 lbs of ice per 24 hours, but keep in mind that the capacity for the ice itself is 1.5 lbs. It begins to work quickly, too, with the ice maker only taking around 10 minutes or so after you fill the reservoir to start making ice, and it stops the ice making process once it is full. Once you empty the ice tray, you can begin making ice again. It pushes out around 9 cubes every 10 minutes and is a great portable ice maker for travel or if you are having guests over. The portable ice maker creates clean tasting ice cubes as well, and is  great for those who worry about adulterants in the water. We used bottled water in ours and there wasn't any aftertaste like there is with our freezer's ice maker.

I also enjoy the fact that it has a drain on the bottom to flush out any excess water. I use it to discard any remnants from my ice maker and to clean the ice maker out, which should be done periodically. For cleaning, you fill the water reservoir up with water and let it drain until it run clear, which is easy and mess free.

Something else I liked about this model was the fact that it was not all-that-heavy, making it easy to carry wherever I wanted. We ended up using this and another Ivation ice maker for our summer BBQs and for our daughter's birthday party and they worked great. I like the fact that the ice lasts for a little while also so I am not quite as worried about it melting right after being made. It saves on us never having to buy bags of ice again which in the long run will be a huge savings.

Please note this product was provided for sampling purposes and that this is solely my opinion. The ice maker has been fun for summer and will be fun for use when Halloween gets here and for other holidays/occasions. It is also made by Ivation, and they have been a company I feel good standing by.


Do not buy this refrigerator.
We chose Bosch because of it's reputation as a high end appliance.  It looks sleek and modern.
But...it is terrible.  We had to have the ice maker repaired FOUR times in as many WEEKS.  They finally had to reroute a water line into the back of the refrigerator. This is FOUR times I had to rearrange mine and my family's schedule to be present for the repairman.
Some of the trim fell off a shelf inside immediately after we got it, not a big deal, but for the price we paid (at Dick Van Dyke) I expected it to at least stay in one piece for awhile. Also, some of the plastic shelves began cracking.  Just last week, my 7 year old opened the fridge and an entire door shelf broke and it's contents fell out right on her.  Luckily none of the condiment jars cut her when they flew onto my floor.  It scared her and me to death.  We paid $78 for a new shelf, which now I guess we can only put the lightweight condiments on as long as they are in plastic bottles!
The freezer is very small.  The ice maker which makes about two cups of ice at a time takes up a lot of space and frozen pizzas and larger items are very hard to fit in there.  I actually had to store food in my car outside while I was preparing for our Christmas guests.
Just today, I noticed the change filter light is on.  Which means we'll need to buy one of those now. We've had this thing for four months and it has been one problem or expense after another. We walk on eggshells around it (literally) waiting for the next problem.
Also, at one point, the computer was all messed up and we had to push the light button to get water and the water button to get ice.  We had to roll it out from the wall and unplug it for awhile and I guess it reset itself.
I basically begged Dick Van Dyke to take it back after the first two repairs (the first 2 days after I got it and the second the next week) and they absolutely would not unless I paid a 5 percent (i think) restocking fee. I think you shouldn't have to pay a restocking fee on something that was not working to begin with.
So, if you want to have an expensive, pretty fridge in your kitchen that is undependable, dangerous, and makes only a cocktails worth of ice at a time (because you will need a cocktail or two if you buy this) this is the fridge for you.
It is the worst money we ever spent and I really really regret it!  I also would not recommend Dick Van Dyke.


Nov 2009: bought the red Nostalgia ice maker similar to this one, despite some negative reviews on Amazon. Result: beautiful ice, reliably, for 2 months! Then it stopped working. Maybe I should have bought a warranty, but who can schlepp 50 pounds to the UPS, let alone resurrect a box to fit.
Jan 2010: nostalgic for the Nostalgia (and still unwilling to haul more bags of ice from the store), I bought this lovely red machine. All who come to visit say, first, "What is it?" and then, with either envy or incomprehension that anyone could want a constant supply of ice, "It's very attractive!"
Aug 2010: Attractive is as attractive does. Who needs an attractive red box that does absolutely nothing taking up kitchen counter space? That's right: the second machine just stopped working too, all by itself. Granted its 7-month record beat the other by almost half a year. Small comfort.
Aug 5: I'm gonna buy a third ice machine of some similar kind. They're easy to set up, use very little energy, offer ice all the time as long as you keep the water reservoir filled, and comfort you in the night with the small sound of ice cubes dropping into the plastic basket. There will be ice tomorrow, you say to yourself and turn over and drop off to sleep.
Aug 7 (2 days later): before replacing this red box, I read as many Amazon buyers' reviews of ice machines as I could find that had been consistently in use for 12 months or more. It paid off. Since these ice machines seem given to easily breaking down, I found half a dozen folks here who'd been brave enough to fix theirs and to say how. Rather than lay out another couple hundred bucks, I took their advice: from one owner's experience, I emptied the water chamber and filled it again with tap water (not distilled or spring as I'd been using), and from another's, I did the silly thing of pounding on the machine's sides with the flat of my hand. (Another had cleaned out a small filter he'd taken from inside the machine's guts, but I didn't want to disassemble mine.) Lo, the tap water and hand-pounding worked. As I walked out of the room, within 2 minutes I heard ice being made again. Ran back and sure enough: beautiful ice! The machine's been working fine again ever since (another half week later now). As I say, pay attention to what experienced owners say!


UPDATE:  I've left the original review below, but am increasing the star count to 5.  Home Depot replaced my washer with a new one, and it turns out that most of the issues were caused by the original delivery team's poor installation.  I'm very happy with this washer -- it works well and seems to clean clothes well, and the cycles are shorter than my old LG washer that died after 7 months.  It does seem to have a harder time spinning - it starts and stops at least once when it starts spinning, and I would not call it vibration free, but when those clothes come out, they are really dry.

What I like:
+ I like the "my cycle" memory button that lets me save the settings for my most frequently used cycle
+ Does a good job cleaning the clothes and uses half the energy of the LG it replaced... also very low water consumption
+  Buttons are easy to understand without all the "shift" buttons my LG had (two functions in one button) which I found confusing
+  Lots of "fast cycle" options.... definitely the fastest front loader I have ever owned, and clothes still clean
+ I like the steam and self-clean functions
+ easy to prop door open to minimize mold

What concerns me:
- I bought an extended warranty, which I never do, but in this case it seems like the Samsungs and LG's are prone to repair.
- Seems to "struggle" balancing the load to get to a full spin, whereas the other front loaders would just spin the first time without the start and stop this one does.  According to the manual this is normal but I've owned 6 front loaders over the years and none of them do this.
- I wish I could turn the sound off, doesn't seem to be a setting

Feel free to ask questions in the comments section and I will try to answer them within 48 hours if I can.  Be sure you are there for installation and be sure they run a full spin cycle so to make sure machine is perfectly set up.  If it "walks" across the floor, machine comes with rubber pads to place under feet, so make sure they install those.  Hope this helps.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Mine was just delivered yesterday.  Delivery bolts remoted, unit leveled, yet spin cycle is very loud and it goes out of balance and has to re-start the spin cycle.

I am returning it to the store.  This placed a LG that lasted 7 months and then started smoking (don't they know smoking is bad for their health?) so now I'm at a loss as to what brand to buy.  Perhaps I'll go back to Kenmore / Whirlpool but I hear they have problems too.

Whatever you do, be sure you get an extended warranty, these machines are far from perfect.


This is a wonderful compactor.  I rarely write a review unless I feel strongly one way or another, both good and bad about a product.  Based on some not so good reviews On this compactor I feel compelled to write a review.  We have had a trash compactor in our kitchen since 1990.  After 24 years of heavy use it finally bit the dust.  While most people don't think a trash compactor is a "must have" appliance, once you have one you can't live without it.  We did a lot of research both online and in stores and based on the size of the motor, the ram force and the size of the trash container, we decided on the Broan 15SS. To see reviews that say this doesn't compact trash is hard to comprehend.  The compaction of this unit is amazing!  One bag lasts us (a family of four) two weeks.  When you think the container is getting full, this compactor is just getting started.  This compactor has a crush and hold button on the inside front.  When the "hold" feature is used, the compactor ram goes down and does it's crushing and the ram stays down to even further compress the trash.  This feature is what makes this compactor so good.  With the last bag we took out we decided to do an experiment.  We decided to weigh the bag of trash.  After two weeks, the bag weighed 16 lbs!!

Many reviewers complain about opening the door and pulling out the drawer.  This is not a problem in my opinion.  The drawer glides out effortlessly.  Also the size of the drawer is much larger than other brands and able to hold more trash.  Other brands have a foot pedal which is not a bad idea, however, it wasn't enough to sway our decision.  Other brands seemed flimsy, not enough ram force, smaller motor and small trash compartment.  The only other brand that came close was Electrolux which is identical to the Broan.  I have been told Broan makes compactors for Electrolux which,is probably the reason they are identical in power and ram force.  They both have the same crush and hold button also.  The Broan is less expensive with the same features which is why we bought the Broan.

Needless to say, I can't say enough about this compactor.  If you continue to compact the trash even when you think it's full, use the hold button and let this compactor do it's job you will be pleased.  I highly recommend this product.


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AT A GLANCE
(+) Easy to setup and get up and running
(+) Data for indoor and outdoor temp and humidity
(+) Compact, space saving, yet readable
(+) Display readable using ambient light
(+) Accuracy is acceptable for what I'm using it for
(-) No atomic clock update in my area, which it had antenna
(-) Batteries only, no USB or AC option
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I am a big fan of Weather Underground because it provides you with detailed weather data from weather stations in your own neighborhood. But I needed something more because I have skin that is very sensitive to low humidity. This Weather Station from HITO definitely fulfills that need.
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WHAT I LIKE
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(+) Easy to setup, Just insert AA batteries in both the main module and the outdoor sensors and it'll being giving readouts. If you're lucky enough to have a powerful signal for the Atomic clock in Boulder Colorado, the clock will automatically sync up to that for your time zone. But I couldn't get a signal as much I went outdoors and walked around trying to catch. No big deal. I was still able to easily set up manually, almost to within a second accuracy. It was that easy for me.
(+) With indoor module and outdoor sensor hanging from a nail in our backyard, I'm getting temp (Fahrenheit) and humidity readings both outdoors and indoors. The outdoor humidity readings generally local Weather Underground's readings, although mine are usually slightly higher. But what I like best is that indoor humidity readings tell me when I need to turn on the humidifier so that I avoid getting skin cracks. Many times, the indoor humidity will very close to the outdoor readings. Then I turn on the humidifier and I can see the indoor humidity readout going up nicely.
(+) The display is sharp and readable as long as you have a light source to light it up. The weather station's internal lighting, which is that nice orange glow on the product page, only stays on for a few seconds.
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...BUT I WISH
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(-) Would have been great if it had an antenna to give ma better chance of catching the Atomic Clock time signal.
(-) Would have like USB or AC power option, along with continuously lit display.

Overall...I like it a lot.

Let me know if you questions via the comments area below. PositiveLogic | Amazon Customer since 2000 | Got this at no cost or discount in exchange for an honest review. I have reviewed this item with the same impartiality as with items I purchase.