Best Bosch Tassimo Hot Beverage System Red - Bosch TAS4516UC8 Deals

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List Price: $159.99
Sale Price: $139.99
Today's Bonus: 13% Off

Just Love it, I was looking for a Fats & Convenient single serve machine and so far, after a few weeks using it, i still love it. The only con is the availability of the T-Disk compare to the K-Cup which is everywhere.

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The Tassimo is an excellent alternative to the " other one". It works exceptionally well, is quiet and quite sleek looking. The price of the T cups is comparable to k cup. If you are looking for an alternative to a single cup maker, this would be a great choice.

Reviews of Bonavita BV1800 8-Cup Coffee Maker

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List Price: $179.99
Sale Price: $169.95
Today's Bonus: 6% Off

I'm really happy with this coffee maker, having chosen it over the Technivorm Moccamaster Coffee Brewer With Thermo Carafe Technivorm 9587. It brews extremely quickly (about 7 minutes), and I measured the temperature of the water coming from the spout at about the 195F-200F range, so it's in the right range for extracting optimum flavor -the brew from this machine is just at the point of being tip-of-the-tongue scalding. The water is dispensed at a number of different points into the filter, and looking at the grounds afterwards you can tell that the dispersion pattern works well, as the coffee grounds remain clumped at the bottom of the filter, rather than being thinly spread across the entire filter.

Note that this is a minimalistic coffee maker. It is fairly compact, has an unassuming appearance, and there are no glowing dials, no HUDs, no clocks. There's one control: the on/off switch. It has no timer. It doesn't have a brew stopper, so you have to let the coffee maker finish before you can pour yourself a cup (since the coffee maker brews so quickly, this isn't too big of a deal). You cannot navigate your kitchen at night by the light from this coffeemaker, nor can you signal passing UFOs.

Nonetheless, it makes great coffee.

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At the time I'm writing this review there were no reviews of this coffee maker and I almost overlooked it and ordered a different one. I would normally wait longer to post a review but this review may bring others attention to this machine. I have only used mine twice but I know from those two times this machine extracts more from the grinds than my Starbucks Barrista did because I can feel the effects of the caffeine after 3 cups (about 3/4 of the carafe) whereas I didn't feel it at all from the Starbucks unit (also 8 cup capacity) after a whole pot. I don't notice that the coffee is any hotter than it was from the Starbucks unit but it is piping hot. My Starbucks unit was 8 years old and had started to leak water on the counter during the brewing process and shut itself off before the reservoir was empty requiring multiple restarts. I am not trying to compare the Bonavita to the Starbucks because I did not descale the Starbucks unit anywhere near as frequently as I should have which may well have lead to the leaking problems. The Starbucks unit did brew a very good pot of coffee.

This machine is one of only four coffee makers certified by the Specialty Coffee Assoc. of America for home use. The certification is based on the machine's ability to heat the water to 195-205 degrees which is the ideal temperature to extract maximum flavor from the grinds. Bonavita claims on their packaging this is the only coffee maker sold with a 1400 watt heating element. The other three certified machines are a Bunn HG Home Brewer (sold on Amazon) which is slightly less money but when I read the reviews is very unreliable, the Technivorm Moccamaster which is $300 (sold on Amazon) the reviews indicated quality control problems, and the Lance Larkin BE 112 Brew Express $300+ (not sold on Amazon) which requires a water line permanently installed and is designed to be built into cabinetry. Since I was not going to spend $300 the choice was between the Bonavita and the Bunn but I immediately excluded the Bunn because of the numerous recent reviews indicating it stopped working and had to be replaced sometimes more than once. Bunn is known for high quality machines but it is very apparent this is not one of them.

The Bonavita's thermal carafe is manufactured by Melitta and has a glass liner. It can be purchased separately from Bonavita (perhaps Melitta too) and is so satisfactory to use I would recommend it even if you don't purchase the Bonavita coffee maker. One of the things I noted repeatedly in many reviews of thermal carafe coffee makers (all the brands Amazon sells) was users having difficulty using the tops of their carafes and/or dripping when pouring a cup. This carafe has a very easy to use top that screws on and has a trigger for one handed usage. My Starbucks carafe always dripped and the center spring loaded button broke on two tops. I am thrilled that I don't have to wipe the carafe and counter every time I pour a cup anymore.

Because of the caffeine effect from this machine's brew the next pot I'm going to use 3 rather than the 4 coffee measure spoons I have always used to brew 8 cups and see how that tastes. The machine is very easy to use, I simply fill the carafe and pour into the non-detachable reservoir than the filter basket sits on top of the carafe (with the carafe's top removed). After brewing which takes about 8 minutes you simply remove the filter basket and screw the top on. Again, because of the caffeine effect I have yet to finish a whole pot so I can't say how long the carafe keeps the coffee very hot but it is still piping hot 2 hours after brewing. My guess is probably 4 hours, maybe 5 like my Starbucks thermal carafe. It uses #4 cone filters and Bonavita claims using the paper filters is preferable to the metal style filter because the paper filters absorb more coffee oils.

The machine appears to be well built and all but the bottom and recessed drip tray area are stainless steel. Two potential downsides of this machine are 1) you cannot pour a cup until the brewing cycle has completed (doesn't bother me but may bother others) and 2) there is no timer function which for the cost of the machine I think there should be. It is not a feature I used very often on my Starbucks unit so I'm OK without a timer but others may want one.

The reason I rated the Bonavita 4 stars rather than 5 is because the machine is in such limited distribution the $149 price is in my view not a deal like almost every other coffee maker Amazon sells. There are however two ways to look at the price, I read an online review which favorably compared the Bonavita to the Technivorm unit which costs twice as much. Still, I think at some point this machine will have wider distribution and the price will come down. If you go to Bonavita's website they list the resellers and everybody sells it for $149-$159. I think closer to $100-120 would be a good deal.

It does have a 2 year warranty and at this point given my limited usage of the machine I would say that I am very satisfied with it. It does brew an excellent pot of coffee, is easy to use and clean and I like its appearance. So if you want an excellent pot of coffee poured from a drip free carafe and can overlook the lack of a timer and the ability to pour a cup before the brewing cycle has completed and don't mind the price this is a choice well worthy of consideration.

I was mostly satisfied with my Starbucks Barrista except for the carafe always dripping so thus far I like this machine better because the carafe doesn't drip. Here's a tip for Starbucks machine owners, call their customer service when yours stops working and complain that they have no support because they no longer sell coffee makers. When I did I was initially offered a $10 gift card but ended up with a $25 gift card.

On a side note, I was truly amazed by all the problems other owners reported with virtually every thermal carafe coffee maker Amazon sells. From machines that stopped working to those that spilled water/coffee all over the floor/counter to tops that leaked and/or were difficult to use. I probably spent a good 6-7 hours researching all the thermal carafe models filtered by highest reviews and had selected the Kitchen Aid 12 cup model but before I ordered it I quickly reviewed the models one more time and caught this one on the last of 7 pages of machines with no reviews. I'm glad I did. I hope my review will cause others to consider this machine.

If I encounter any issues with this machine I will update this review.

Best Deals for Bonavita BV1800 8-Cup Coffee Maker

VIDEO REVIEW:

The video captures brewing the first pot of coffee with the Bonavita and (briefly) how to fold a filter. It demonstrates pouring.

WRITTEN REVIEW:

Today I received my Bonavita Thermal Coffee Maker and made my first brew with it.

First impressions: This is one fast and impressive little machine. No wonder it garnered the Specialty Coffee Association of America's coveted Certified Brewer Equipment award: one of only four machines to do so as of this writing. This machine makes very hot coffee indeed: I measured the coffee in the preheated thermal carafe right after brewing at 188° F. With a non-preheated carafe the coffee was 183.2° F right after brewing completed.

Temperatures during brewing were at 195° F at 58 seconds into brewing and reached as high as 205.8° F briefly at the 4:04 minute mark and at 203.3° F at the end of the brewing cycle (see photos). Brewing time was 5 minutes 48 seconds, so just under six minutes.

A photo is attached of what you receive with this brewer, and the list, like the brewer, is very basic.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX:

* Bonavita BV1800 8-Cup Coffee Maker

* Bonavita Thermal Carafe

* Carafe Lid

* Filter Basket

* Bonavita "Brewing Perfect Coffee Everytime" Manual

* Small paper insert on how to clean the showerhead (the lid and showerhead are removable and can be cleaned in the dishwasher)

* "Bonavita Exceptional Brew" Manual

* Pink sheet of instructions for care of the thermal carafe, also known as the "Melitta insulation jug."

* Starter pack (4) of Melitta Super Premium Flavor Enhancing #4 Coffee Filters in Natural Brown

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

* Extra filters. A starter pack will get you going for the first few days.

* If you choose it, a gold tone filter, instead of paper filters. I purchased the Cuisinart GTF Gold Tone Filter, which fits inside the Filter Basket, in case you'd like to fit your Bonavita with a permanent filter. Be advised that gold tone filters do let in sediment (depending on how your coffee is ground), so if you use a gold tone filter, you may get sediment at the bottom of the pot. As a sidenote, so far, the Bonavita brew times have remained within the recommended SCAA guidelines when I tested it.

* ETA about the gold tone filter: Although I am a fan of gold tone filters, I have become a big fan of the Melitta filters since my Bonavita purchase as they have no paper taste. So I am sticking with paper Melitta filters for my Bonavita.

MY FIRST BREW:

The instructions are basic and easy to follow. Using the "Bonavita's Exceptional Brew" manual, I measured 7 grams of coffee for every cup or a total of 56 grams of coffee to make 8 cups. (Bonavita recommends between 7 and 9 grams of coffee per 5 ounces of water. The Bonavita "cup" size is a 5-ounce cup.)

You can also measure your coffee to taste or use the scoop size you usually prefer if that is your preferred method. More detailed instructions are in the manual.

I put a paper filter in the filter basket, folding the crimped edges of the filter (per the instructions on the back of the filter package) -the filter fits perfectly this way. I put the coffee into the filter, then placed the filter basket on top of the thermal carafe. I placed the thermal carafe onto the coffee maker, put in 40 ounces of filtered water, then turned it on. Voila! It began to brew.

The brewing cycle is fast and efficient at just under 6 minutes. I was expecting the filter basket might be clumsy to remove: not the case. Having previously used Chemex, Krups, Braun and even Cuisinart (with all of their dreaded innards), the simplicity of removing just the filter basket and replacing it with the thermal carafe lid was marvelous. One complete turn and the carafe lid was in place.

MY FIRST POUR:

My first impressions of the coffee? Delicious and strong. Hot at 188° F. I went back to the carafe three hours after making the coffee and took off the lid. Still hot. You *will* get hot coffee from this machine: blissfully hot coffee.

HOW TO CLEAN THE CARAFE:

There are a few reviews about exploding carafes. I clean my carafe by only swishing warm water inside of it (see the pink sheet of instructions). I don't put sponges, plastic dish scrubbers, or anything else inside the carafe. It's been fine so far.

A NOTE ABOUT PLASTIC TASTE, OR RATHER, THE LACK THEREOF:

There is no plastic taste with this machine. If I put my sensitive nose into it, I smell no plastic smell. I don't taste plastic in my coffee. Even with the first brew right out of the box. This is likely due to Bonavita's use of BPA free plastic. Hallelujah!

PROS:

* Very hot coffee.

* Speedy brew cycle of 6 minutes: within SCAA guidelines

* 1400-watt heating element (aluminum)

* Auto off after 15 minutes

* Glass-lined carafe that keeps coffee hot for hours

* One-full-twist easy-on carafe lid

* Easy off filter basket makes clean-up easy

Note:

* I'm only mentioning this so people will be aware in case it happens to them. After brewing, when I lifted out the paper filter from the filter basket, there was a small amount of coffee that had not drained from the filter basket. Apparently this has to do with the position of the hole in the filter basket and is for better extraction. I removed the paper filter and simply tipped the filter basket with its coffee directly into the thermal carafe. The amount of coffee is so small it is insignificant. ETA: After doing this a few times, it depends on the amount of coffee or your grind. The water might drain into the carafe on its own.

WHO SHOULD GET IT:

* If you love coffee; and you just want a deliciously brewed, piping hot, delicious cup of coffee

* If you want a machine that produces fantastic coffee but without all the "bells and whistles" such as programmable features, brew and pause, etc.

* If you are looking for a truly great thermal carafe: one that keeps the coffee hot, pours easily, and has an easily removable and replaceable lid

* If you want a machine that is easy to clean

* If you want a machine that easily fits under cabinets: my kitchen cabinets are low at 17 3/4" and the Bonavita fits under them easily at 11 5/8" high.

Overall, I'm extremely satisfied with this machine.

Please see my photos and video for more details.

Honest reviews on Bonavita BV1800 8-Cup Coffee Maker

Making good coffee is actually quite simple:

1. Buy freshly roasted beans.

2. Grind the beans immediately before brewing.

3. Brew with 195 to 205 degree water.

The brewer can only help you with #3, and although there are various manual methods you can use, there are only two drip machines that are rated to consistently deliver the water at the right temperature: the Technivorm Moccamaster Coffee Brewer with Thermo Carafe and the Bonavita. I've been using the Bonavita for a month now, and I'm a very happy camper.

PROS

* The Bonavita heats the water quickly and brews at the temperature they claim. I measured the temp myself and it was right at 200 degrees.

* It makes a full pot (40 ounces) in 5-1/2 to 6 minutes. That's how long it takes to extract all the flavor from the grinds, so you don't want a brewer that works any faster. Of course, the coarseness of your grind affects the time. Too coarse and the water flows through too fast; too fine, and it bogs down and over extracts.

* It brews smaller amounts well, too. Just for myself, I make 3 cups (15 ounces) at a time. It takes two or three minutes and tastes just as good as a full pot.

* The showerhead design distributes the water evenly so all the grinds get to participate.

* The design is simple and attractive with a small footprint.

* I'm delighted with the lack of useless bells and whistles. The Bonavita's only "feature" is that it shuts off automatically. I'm a believer in unplugging small appliances when they aren't in use (let me tell you about my toaster oven experience sometime... ) but the auto shut-off is a nice safety feature in case I forget.

* The thermal carafe has a well-designed lid that screws on and keeps it sealed, so it should keep the coffee hot as long as coffee could be expected to stay hot in any thermos. I don't really keep coffee sitting around, so I have no comparison for that.

CONS

* The only real "con" is the price. I don't see why such a simple appliance has to cost $150, but since the only competition costs twice that much, the Bonavita is the best buy.

* This is really more of an FYI than a con. A lot of steam comes out of the top so you probably don't want to leave it directly under the upper cabinet while brewing. Just pull it forward.

UPDATE

Please don't let my comment about the steam discourage you from trying this great brewer. Obviously, any brewer that heats the water adequately is going to put out some steam. Just to be clear, the steam vents are the dot pattern you can see in the picture, on top above the basket, so the Bonavita design nicely directs the steam in one small area.

Keep in mind that you have to pull this or probably any brewer out from under the cabinet in order to fill the water tank anyway, so it's easy enough to just leave it pulled out while you brew.

ONE YEAR LATER

I've been using the Bonavita daily for more than a year now and it has held up well. I have no complaints.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Bonavita BV1800 8-Cup Coffee Maker

We bought the Bonavita January 3, 2013 and it worked very well. I appreciated the simplicity: it is easy to see how much water you have put in, one button to press makes operation simple. However, in late March (3/27/2013) the water did not heat. I tried again the next day with no luck. I'm guessing this is a bad heating element that should be replaced since it should work for more than 3 months. When I attempted to report the malfunction, I discovered the real problem:

The customer service is the worst I have ever encountered. Should something go wrong, you must email them with a full description of the problem. You must include several numbers off of the maker and carafe, so have those available. They will then email you back within 5 WEEKS! I am writing this review at the limit of the 5 weeks (5/2/2013) since I filed the service request. I have been very carefully scanning my junk mail folder to be sure I don't miss the email but they have not contacted me yet. For those of us who have a daily coffee or more, 5 weeks is really unacceptable. I have been using my back-up french press for the last month and the ridiculous delay has given me time to fall in love with it.

If you decide to buy the Bonavita coffee maker, be aware that if it breaks, you're on your own.

Review of Log Basket in Brass Plated

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $66.99
Sale Price: $57.32
Today's Bonus: 14% Off

I ordered this item because it was lauded as better and heavier duty than others on Amazon that look very similar. It was more than twice the price. It's much lighter than I expected--really thin and lightweight. I would NOT recommend this product. I also ordered several other Minuteman Int. items and have been disappointed with them as well. They're all lightweight and cheap--but cost more than most other brands on Amazon. There is another basket that looks just like it for less than half the price, but I ordered this one because I thought it would be sturdier. It came with a bright gold "Made in China" sticker and it certainly lived up to the stereotype of cheap imitation products. I know that some quality products are imported from China, but this one is one of the reasons for the negative stereotype. Don't waste your money. This one is extremely over-priced.

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I rolled the dice (I don't like to buy items with no other reviews, but it is sturdy and looks great! Pay attention to the measurements. Its small, but if you wanted small (like I did), then you can't go wrong with this thing!

Cheap Bon Home DDR100WH Heat & Dry Dish Rack

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List Price: $99.95
Sale Price: $74.95
Today's Bonus: 25% Off

I love this Heat and Dish Dry Rack. I thought I would take it out and put it away but I leave it up all the time. I do not have a dishwasher or room for one so I thought I would try this. It's wonderful! I wash my dishes and put them into the rack and when it is full I push the button and keep on washing. In ten minutes the dishes are dry and I put them away. Then I load up the rest (if I have more). Or while I am waiting for the dishes to dry I have time to wash up the kitchen counters and put this and that away and then I turn around and put the dry dishes away. Done. All done. You do have to learn how to put the dishes in so they have access to the heated air coming up. But honestly that has not been a problem as I am motivated to make it work. All my plastic containers are dry in 10 minutes and I can just put them away. The lids may have a hidden drop of water on them here and there but that is no problem. There is a very small drip tray that slides under the rack and I slide it out when I remember and pour the excess water into the sink. But it is very small and only about a 1/2 inch tall. You can move around the metal racks that come with it. So if you don't need any of them you can just remove them and use them later when needed. My son said he hates drying the dishes they don't put into the dishwasher as he feels he never gets done with all of it. So I am getting one for him and my daughter in law. It is perfect for drying all the bottles and cups and plates she uses with the kids as well as her plastic containers.

Update June 4, 2011: Last week the light started to blink on and off and the motor would come on and then stop over and over. Last night it was doing that while we were not home. And today it won't work at all. It's dead.

I am so disappointed! This was my favorite thing in the kitchen. And we have only used it for the months of Feb, March, Apr, and May. I sent an email to the company and am waiting to see what the warranty is and if there is anything I can do about this. But $100 for 4 months is not very good. I will update if I hear back from the company.

Update June 9, 2011: They are great! I have a new one sitting in my living room right now. It was just delivered and I only sent the broken one back yesterday. They were so quick to reply to my emails and so helpful and honest. I got personal attention and a new dish rack!

Update December 4, 2011: THE SECOND ONE IS BROKEN. IT LASTED 6 MONTHS. We were not even using it. Same as before. We came home and the light was blinking on and off and I unplugged it and then plugged it in and now it is dead. I don't understand it. I make sure there is plenty of room around it for air flow. I use it about 5-6 times a week. I do not overload it. So I will send the company another email and see what they can do. I will update when I know more.

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After months of use my wife started telling me that this rack was not working correctly, exactly as described in other reviews submitted on Amazon. Then one day it would no longer start at all. What I found is that the small momentary switch that starts the drying cycle sticks in after a few months of usage. The design is so that the switch itself is used as the return spring of the plastic ON/OFF button in the front and after time has passed either the switch spring loses its spring tension or the sliding actuator gets material under it which hinders its ability to slide forward then back, therefore not allowing the switch to pop open again when pushed. (This is the reason for the delayed starting customers have been experiencing. That happens when the switch finally pops back out.) For ours I replaced the old switch with one I purchased, but if I had to do over again I'd simply do the following first and save myself the soldering hassle:

(1) Unplug the power cord. (2) Remove the top snap-in dish rack drain plate. (3) Remove the four small screws over the front switch compartment and take the cover off. (3) Pull the small switch printed circuit board up by removing the one clamp screw on the power wire going into this small compartment. (4) Push in and pull out the front plastic button that actuates the switch. (4) Put a small amount of grease or WD40 on the two small slides at the bottom of this actuator. (5) Reverse the process and reinstall everything. The whole job should take about 30 minutes.

Since I've replaced the switch instead of oiling the slides I don't have any idea how long this lubing "fix" will work, but if you do it once it won't take long to do again and again and keep on air drying for a long time. Good luck. Bon Home DDR100WH Heat & Dry Dish Rack

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It was my husband's job to dry the dishes so he is extremely pleased with this great invention! I love it because our new high-efficiency dishwasher does not dry plastic. This drying rack is perfect for doing that job. I also use it for drying my fine china and glasses.

Honest reviews on Bon Home DDR100WH Heat & Dry Dish Rack

What's wrong with this dish drainer? Let me list the ways:

1. Blower failure after 2 1/2 to 3 weeks of use the blower would suddenly, on its own, start up and fail to stop. Or it wouldn't start when the button was pushed. Totally erratic. At times, completely unresponsive.

2. Blower failure aside, even if that worked perfectly, there are other issues with the design. Due to having to direct the air up through the dishes, the bottom area is a closed "box" with a small, shallow drawer that the water from the wet dishes drains into. The capacity of this drawer is about 2 teaspoons. When that is exceeded, you will have a drainer that "piddles" all over your counter top. Expect to empty this drawer numerous times throughout the course of a meal's worth of dishes. Apparently designing something that would actually DRAIN the water into the sink was too much of a challenge for Bon Home's design team.

3. The warm air works beautifully to dry the dishes when the blower is actually working; it also works beautifully to heat up the kitchen...which could be an advantage if it's in the single digits outside and supplements to heat are appreciated. Not so much in South Texas, where the more likely scenario is triple digits outside, and an air conditioner running darn near full time to combat the heat. This unit will be a major set-back to utility bills in warmer climes. If it had been designed with some sort of cover/closure method to contain both heat and dishes, it might be a viable design. One review mentioned both heated and non-heated air...there was no such control on my drainer, nor any mention of such in the owner's manual.

4. Customer service: this is the big question mark...I've called Bon Home and a young man took my name and number, telling me someone would get back to me. I've asked for the unit to be replaced and for them to send me a shipping label for the defective unit...I've yet to get a commitment for that from Bon Home.

So there you have it...too much money for a shoddy product. Buyer beware.

1-4-2012 update:

Bon Home customer service stinks. They finally got back to me, told me they have discontinued the item and turfed me back to woot.com since that was where I purchased the item. Told me I would have to get credit for THEIR defective product from woot. Great business model...make crappy products, then refuse to stand behind them when they fail. That attitude would make me wary of purchasing ANY product by Bon Home. Once again, let me say it: Buyer beware.

2-22-12 update:

Woot.com did replace the unit in January, 2012 without hassle. Kudos to woot's customer service. However, desperate for a drainer while all this went on, I broke down and ordered a Simple Human bamboo drainer (works very well, by the way), so when the replacement Bon Home arrived, it stayed in the box, as I scratched my head wondering whether I trusted a second unit enough to try it (having recently read a Consumer Reports article on fires started by malfunctioning household electrical appliances, I was understandably dubious about any appliance with a propensity to start up spontaneously). On 2/17/2012, Bon Home followed up on my original customer service contact (December, 2011); they are now offering to refund my money. I replied this morning and will take them up on their offer.

Additional comment 6-18-12:

In response to one of the comments, below, no, the refund was not in addition to receiving a replacement unit the unit that Woot sent was returned to Bon Home, after receipt of which, Bon Home mailed a refund.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Bon Home DDR100WH Heat & Dry Dish Rack

I got this heat and dry dish rack and completely fell in love with it! It's very convenient and it dries the dishes that I can't put in the dishwasher very quickly. I also liked the fact that I didn't have to assemble it once I received it. The drier is quiet and overall very easy to use. I would definitely recommend this product to my friends and family!

Holmes HRH314 MaxFlow Radiant Heater Reviews

Customer Ratings:

I ordered this heater from Amazon to have a little additional warmth in our home office during the chilly winter months. The heat output was far less than expected, and did not seem able to significantly warm the not terribly large (12x10) space. I was also a little disturbed when the unit was accidentally tipped one night and did NOT turn itself off. Fortunately I was in the room when this happened and no harm was done. The real problem though is the heater simply stopped producing heat after 3 weeks of very light use in one room. The fan would blow, but the coils would not heat, turning the device into a fan, rather than a heater. I'm definitely steering clear of Holmes heaters now while searching for my replacement heater. Not at all recommended.

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I bought this heater in Oct and used it very little until it quit working in Dec. I tried contacting the company by Planetfeedback.com and through their website to resolve this issue, but apparently they don't see the need to respond to consumer complaints.

I can understand a product being defective, but when a company won't stand behind their products I won't continue to do business with them.

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Since my electric bills have climbed through the roof, and since I live alone, I've recently turned to space heaters to save on utility bills. I've also found that radient heaters are better

than fan forced types. Initially I bought a CHEAP radient heater, and it heated the room okay. Except it sounded like a Mac Truck! It was so loud I could barely hear the TV!! I had heard Holmes brands were excellent, so I gave the Holmes radient heater a try and it's simply the best ever!

It heats exceptionally well, shuts off automatically when the room reaches the desired temperature, and, best of all, is amazingly quiet! I would highly recommend this heater above all others...

Honest reviews on Holmes HRH314 MaxFlow Radiant Heater

This heater sets new lows for quality. The fan blades actually hit the sides of the heater. It does have a thermostat, but when it turns on, it creates the most horrific sound I have ever had a piece of equipment make it sounds like a car wreck in process. To add insult to injury, at 1500w it does not even heat the room as well as 400W heaters.

I could not even find this model on the Holmes website. I can't blame them for not wanting to disclose they actually made it.

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I can say without reservation that this heater is an absolute piece of trash and a waste of money. My Holmes HRH314 stopped working after two weeks; Holmes obviously has no pride in their products, as this heater is very cheaply made. I severely regret buying this product, as will you.

Southern Enterprises Tennyson Plantation Oak Gel Fireplace Review

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List Price: $812.99
Sale Price: $695.00
Today's Bonus: 15% Off

This is my second Southern Enterprises Fireplace, after moving into a much larger home I wanted another. Does take a bit of time to assemble however easy to follow instructions. Looks great and I many guests do not realize it is a free standing piece of furniture. I love the convenience of gel fuel so this is a perfect piece for me and my home.

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Cheap Soleus Air PE2-08R-62 Evaporative Portable Air Conditioner

Customer Ratings:

I cannot get a window unit due to my window size, and this unit came with a window kit that fit my windows. It worked absolutely perfect for 2 months. Then, on a particularly hot day, the bucket filled up with water and the unit shut off. I drained all the water, which is an absolute pain in the rear to do due to the drain being less than half an inch off the floor. The unit leaks water like a faucet ever since, all over the floor. There is really no effective way to use it anymore. I ordered a different brand that doesn't have water leakage issues. I should have listened to all the reviews I read. I practically paid several hundred dollars for a few months use. What a waste. The unit cools great, but what good is that with water all over your carpet? Stay away from this product.

UPDATE: The unit only leaks when moved. If the water reservoir fills up, and must be drained, the unit must be moved to do so because the drain plug is literally right on the floor and there is no pan or container you can get under it. The reservoir will fill eventually, the unit will have to be drained, will have to be moved, will leak. Once all the water leaks out that is going to leak the unit works great until its time to drain again. Like I said, it took 2 months before I had to drain, but this process was a major PIA. I would avoid this unit, but I still gave in another star because it does not leak except during the drainage process.

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The best air conditioners are large central units that connect to a whole building HVAC. Since you're reading this review, it's likely that a central unit isn't a possibility for you like it wasn't for me. If you can put in a window unit, that is your next best bet but if that is not practical, you've got to go portable. You could get a nice fan or an air cooler but that's like taking the bus instead of driving. It's really not the same.

I have two portable air conditioners and both are made by Soleus. This is one of them and the other one is a 14,000 BTU unit. This one cools a 166 sq ft room that only needs to be cooled ten to fifteen degrees and it's more than powerful enough for that. It can bring the temperature down in fifteen minutes or so.

Portable air conditioners, until fans, need to have an unsightly and awkward tube connected to the window. These tubes are inevitable flimsy and don't fit well. They seem unacceptable unless the only alternate solution is to suffer in the heat and then suddenly they don't seem bad.

Soleus is perhaps the best portable air conditioner manufacturer. I haven't ever had a non-Soleus unit but I've heard horror stories about others. I've heard bad things about these too but I haven't had anything bad happen.

This is probably the smallest and cheapest good unit on the market so if 8000 BTU is enough for you, this is an excellent bet.

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. . . if you're mindful of one limitation: it condenses lots of moisture into a limited capacity container, and will need to be emptied or drained. It's built low to the ground, so I put it up on a little platform and attached the short included plastic hose to the drain port and put a container under it to catch the "drip" (which when it is very hot and humid is really a "stream"!). Recognizing that limitation (discussed in previous reviews), I've avoided any problems and have been quite pleased with the product. It cools well and in my limited basement space where it is used, it does fine.

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This works well for the particular conditions in which we're using it. We're happy with it. We live in northern California, where hot weather is usually also dry, and evenings are cooler. We put this in a bedroom that gets very hot during the day and doesn't cool down quickly enough at night. Instead of trying to fit the "window kit" into our old-fashioned window, we just leave the window slightly open with the end of the vent hose sticking out while the unit is running. We run it at bedtime and it cools the room down nicely. I gave it only four stars instead of five because of a couple of design flaws: (1) Though I don't expect that we'll have to deal with emptying the condensation tank much, if at all, it's true that the opening is awfully close to the floor, and I can see that in a more humid environment, where it would need emptying more often, it would be pretty awkward. I don't see why the designers couldn't have put the hole a little higher up so that you could actually get a pan or bowl under it. (2) The instructions said to keep the vent hose as straight as possible, but they put the vent hole at the bottom of the unit too. Most people don't have their windows at floor level, and putting this thing on a table or something would also be awkward, since it's so big and heavy (90 pounds, I think). That said, it works just fine for us sitting on the floor with a 90-degree bend in the hose, so I guess that's not such a big deal.

UPDATE: We've had it for almost a year now and are still satisfied with it. It gets the room nice and cool very quickly, and we have never yet had to empty the condensation tank. So that's not a big problem in a dry climate.

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We live in a midcentury apartment building mid 20th century, that is. The building's central air unit has reliably failed during each heat wave we've lived through since moving in. This year, I'd had enough. We ordered the Soleus based on a couple of days of Internet research, and we bought from Amazon for ease of returns if that became necessary. The unit arrived short one panel for the screen-door vent adaptor. We emailed the manufacturerer and they promptly sent not one but two additional panels.

Then we had a few weeks when the building's main A/C was working. But sure enough, another heat wave and the central unit failed. This morning it was 78 degrees in the coolest room of our apartment. We rolled out the Soleus, assembled the vent panel and duct, and turned it on. Fifteen minutes later the room was 75 degrees.

This A/C unit is a bit noisy, but not really worse than the central A/C's fan unit in our apartment. We have the Soleus hooked up in the living room and venting out that patio door. A fan will push the cool air back to us in the bedroom.

78 degrees probably doesn't sound too bad, but when you are 46 and hormonally imbalanced, it's too hot for comfortable sleep. I consider the Soleus a good investment and would add that I was very happy with the fast and courteous handling of our missing-parts request to the manufacturer.

Cheap Haier CPN10XCJ 10000-BTU Portable Air Conditioner

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List Price: $479.00
Sale Price: $399.99
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Guess I'll go in order of what was important to me when buying my first portable A/C unit.

Cooling: My residence has two large picture windows facing east and I'm on the top floor of the building. It gets blazing hot about 30 days a year here in San Francisco, so my place gets like an oven. So good cooling was critical. (If you are curious, without A/C on the hot days it would get a stifling 80 to 85 degrees in my rooms! Alas, that's the price I pay for having an otherwise full water view of the San Francisco bay, Bay Bridge and east bay foothills. The 15' x 10' windows provide a great view, but they act like magnifying glasses (even with blinds that block the heat, and a fully insulated ceiling). The only benefit of the heat in my place, as the old saying goes, "it is a dry heat." I am thankful for that because I HATE humidity.

I have always used window A/C units, about 5000 to 8000 BTU each, one in the living room, one in the bedroom. (My latest units were small 7000 BTU Panasonics. They work great and I simply figured it was time to replace them, being that they are about 2004 units.) Wanting to update I decided to get a portable unit, first for the bedroom, to see how it would perform.

This Haier unit gets the bedroom ice cold and if I leave the BR door open it cools the next room somewhat. How cool is that? Very. (Note: the BR is about 200 SF.)

Dependability: My Haier unit has been left on 24 hours, without incident. And I have had it for 18 months. I last used it about 8 months ago. When it got hot here a couple days ago I plugged it in, it fired right up and again ran 18 hours without incident. I was the coolest cat in town, literally and figuratively.

Set It and Forget It: I like the controls. I set it to the desired temp, the thermostat works perfect, cycling the cooling on and off according to the temp setting.

Features: While mainly concerned about cooling performance, I did want a unit with a remote, temp settings, thermostat (rather than a high, med, low switch), digital display, and fan speeds. This Haier comes with all these features.

Noise: While I did not want a unit that was super noisy, noise emission was not a critical factor. But I was pleasantly surprised that this Haier unit can operate quiet. Yeah, when the fan is set to full blast it is noisy, but hey, it is an A/C unit. If it is making lots of noise, that's because you are running it full blast. As an indication of noise level, if I have it running full blast and I'm in the next room, I don't notice it. I have to walk into the BR to see if it is on.

Keep in mind, however, an added benefit of the noise is that it acts as a white noise machine. You get used to the sound and it pleasantly drowns out City noise, which here in San Francisco there's a lot of. So when you set it on at night, it is like taking an Ambien. It lulls you to sleep. (It is kind of the same effect as falling asleep when on a jet, or on a train. The noise emissions of those travel modes can put you to sleep, so much so that my noise making machine has "train mode" where it sounds like you are in a train sleeping car., with the hum of the engines and clacking of the wheels on the rails.)

Value: I bought my unit on sale for about $270. What a great deal. I wish I had bought two of these units. Oh well, but I will buy another Haier unit because the Company has proven itself.

Portability: The unit is on wheels and actually quite easy to move around. While the footprint is somewhat large, hey, it is an air conditioner not a stereo. I was not expecting this to be the size of a microwave. In any event, it does roll around with little effort, although once you have this placed where you want (and where the tubing can vent hot air outside through a window) you are not going to be moving it much.

Bonus Tip: I am going to experiment with another one of these and run the exhaust hose up the stove hood. That's because I have a computer area next to the kitchen and there's no window nearby, so when trying to figure out a solution I looked at the kitchen hood. I can remove the fan and run the A/C exhaust tube into the circular fan opening that runs to the roof of the building. Yeah it won't look pretty, but I'd rather feel cool than look it.

Instructions: This was easy to unpack and all I made sure to do was remove all the tape and foam around the unit. So I did have to read the instructions to make sure I did not miss anything. Otherwise, you plug it in and turn it on. It is that simple. Matter of fact I turned it on without the exhaust tube connected to a window. The exhaust air was broiling hot. Kind of silly, one end was blowing ice cold air, the other end blowing air hot enough to cook with. But I wanted to try it out because that's what guys do.

Bragging Rights: I enjoyed calling my friends who were suffering in the heat, saying "Wow is it cold today or what. Hold on, I have to put on a coat. Oh wait, that's my A/C unit, never mind." (I then heard the phone click. How rude for them to hang up on me. Was it something I said?)

Bonus Tip: If your place is going to get hot later in the day, turn on your A/C BEFORE it gets hot. These A/C units work a lot better if they don't have to cool down an 80 degree room. I'm a lot more comfortable if I don't wait to turn on the Haier until AFTER it feels like an Easy Bake oven in my place.

Bonus Tip: To give this A/C unit a little extra circulation (to where it blows air into the next room, not a lot, but some) I place a little portable fan on the table next to this unit. I then run the fan on high. This adds about 1/3 more power to blow and circulate the cool air around.

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We have crank-out windows, and never looked at air conditioners much, we never really needed one. After reading many reviews we decided to try this air conditioner for those few nights the heat and humidity made it hard to sleep. It is exactly as represented...cools well and was easy to install. Even if we don't use it alot, the price made it affordable.

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We needed to replace our Whirlpool portable unit and this was a much better buy. A few dollars more, but no more draining the water. It's quiet enough and cools very well. I'm very pleased with it

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I bought this portable air conditioner for my apartment after temperatures in my area reached 100+ degrees because my fan just wasnt cutting it and wow what a wonderful little unit. It is a medium sized air conditioner, kind of heavy but has wheels to move around, comes with the exhaust and a kit to hook it up to a window which can adjust to most window sizes for both horizontally and verticall. It's pretty quiet compared to most air conditioners and even though my room is a decent size with high ceilings it'll make the whole room cool within minutes. It has an adjustable thermostat and also has heating and dehumidifying capabilities and works as a fan also if you dont need the cooling. Great GREAT product, if you're in the market for a portable air conditioner, this is THE ONE.

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I purchased this 10,000 btu unit after reading over 50 reviews on Amazon and Walmart. I could not go bigger as this unit is 115 volt and plugs into a normal electric outlet while the 12,000 btu unit requires a 20 amp dedicated fuse and outlet. Haier states the unit is for a small room, i.e. 300 sq. ft. area max.

I believe the manufacturer is reading reviews, too. My 2012 version has an unlighted circuit-breaker plug and the bright blue front panel turns itself off after a few seconds. (The light from the LED's bothered people who installed the unit in the bedroom.

One sets the thermostat to the desired temperature and picks the fan speed. There is also a timer function. As other reviewers have mentioned, there are three fan speeds and the unit continues to run whether the compressor is working or not. Since it is dehumidifying when the compressor isn't on, I don't mind the continual fan.

The remote has large buttons and the same functions as the unit.

I would like to mention that the exhaust pipe heats up fairly significantly when it is cooling. So, cold air is coming out the front but the exhaust vent pipe is reducing efficiency. I may insulate the vent piping on principle.

Also, there is a knob on the back that says "closed/open" that does not appear in the instruction manual. I have not tried to go to the manufacturer's site to read up-to-date specifications.