Home and Kitchen Reviews

Thanks to the previous review for pointing out that this knife is not a "real" Henkels (AKA JA Henkels), and slicing through the crap/hoax reviews on this page...

This knife gave a performance roughly equal to what I paid for it. Bread knives aren't really precision cutting tools, they basically need to be able to get a good grip on a hard surface and not make too many crumbs. On both these counts this knife was not successful. The blade is rather thick and as a result converts a lot of whatever it cuts to crumbs. More importantly, the serrations did not stay sharp and had a tendency to slip. After three people, myself included, got cut as a result of the knife slipping on hard bread or a bagel that was the end.

I've had this knife for years, use it for everything and couldn't be happier. I thought it would dull easily or wear down, after all it's only $10, but I was wrong. Simply fantastic for cutting bread, but also useful for vegetables and other tasks. The only thing it doesn't cut well is meat.

The first one I bought leaked water all over the counter over and over again. I could not use the timer or the entire storage tank would empty onto the counter and then the floor! I took it back after 2 months and exchanged it for another. Within the first week the 2nd one had problems with the hot plate. It began dissolving and the melted metal was sticking to the glass carafe. It doesn't come off. Within a month, my husband noticed that the bumps of metal caused the glass on the bottom of the carafe to pit. He's afraid that the carafe will crack so we've thrown it away. As far as the carafe spilling while pouring; I can say that it defintely does. It depends on how fast you pour the coffee. If your a slow pourer then you won't have any problems. If you or your friends pour too fast then it spills all over itself, your counter tops, their hands... basically everywhere! It's a bad design and defintely not worth the money we paid for it. I recommend you keep your box because we threw ours away. Now we can't return it. We still have to pay off the credit card even though it's in the garbage!

We had a Krups for about 4 years at the office and the coffee was good. We needed to replace it because the Carafe broke and there was no replacement available (they discontinued the model and the carafe - thanks Krups). So, we replaced it with the FM4. I didn't like the coffee from the start - but I figured it would get better. Two weeks later, I dumped it for a Bunn B10-B which got good ratings here. Get the Bunn - it makes a good cup of coffee.

We always use Starbuck's coffee.

I just bought this coffee maker about four days ago and so
far I've been happy; I was NOT happy that the Black and Decker
Cafe Noir unit I bought died after about 9 months. I will never
buy a B & D maker again; stick to drills, guys. This Krups
seems fine. I owned a very inexpensive Krups before that lasted about 10 years, made good coffee, and was simple to clean and operate.
This unit is comparable although a good deal more expensive.
So far, the coffee has been great but I'm still figuring
out the water to coffee ratio for proper strength. I too
am I little mystified by some of the scathing reviews: what
do you people WANT? I want ease of use, durability (time
will tell), and good coffee. What else matters? I do agree
with some of the minor criticisms -- the measurements on
only one side of the carafe is stupid -- how much more would
it be to put markings on BOTH sides. Some of us (some of the
best of us!) are left-handed. So that's a minus. Carafe
seems thin; okay, so don't hammer nails with it for God's
sake! It has yet to drip for me, it looks nice on the counter and the 1-3 cup feature is a plus. One other thing: on my late and unlamented B&D unit, you could not access the used filter without also accessing the water reservoir; so if you wanted to take the used filter out, you had to either wait forever or get scalded by the steam left in the unit -- VERY bad design flaw. With the Krups, you can remove right after brewing without danger. As to the person who said the coffee
was not brewed hot enough: that's why God gave us microwaves --
and thumbs!

I had been looking for a griddle and not only found a great griddle for making pancakes on but also a new electric skillet. I have used both the griddle and the skillet several times and with great success. The temperature gage is accurate and both of the parts are easy to clean. Also the storage rack is wonderful. Hope you enjoy this product.

Our family has purchased 7 of these cookers. It DOES NOT STICK and maintains temperature perfectly. It sits on top of my cooktop which I rarely use anymore. A must-have for every kitchen.

We were somewhat skeptical about buying a dual purpose skillet/griddle but after using found it to be the best! We use the griddle all the time and like the deep skillet that provides for cooking large roasts.

The waffle cone mix came with three pounds of mix in the box. Each pound of mix was in a separate package. One package made about 15 waffle cones. The mix was easy to use. I just added a pint of water to one package and I was ready to bake. The cones had a great flavor and came out beautifully.

This sweeper is okay, it has good suction, expecially the hose feature, but that is where my major complaint comes about, the hose is way to short, also I have had the sweeper tip over on me numerous times and that didn't feel very well and I probably could have thrown it out the window! Also when I put all the attachments on the hose they seem to pop off while I am sweeping, but that could be because the hose it just way to small.

I agree wholeheartedly with Tammy's review -- the hose is too short and when you tug on it just a little, the whole vacuum tips over on you. Tammy is right again: the attachments don't stay on very well (need a tighter fit). But the suction of both the vacuum and the hose is powerful. The hose is so easy to use; pull out and re-attach without any fiddling. I also like the fact that it uses a bag that is easy to change without having dust billowing everywhere. Putting on a new bag is also a cinch. For that, I am buying another one for use in my basement alone as it's rather heavy to haul this vacuum up and down stairs.

I purchased this Hoover after my old 10 years+ model died. I simply love the new one. It moves so smoothly over the carpet and and makes less noise than the old vacuum. I specifically want a bagged vacuum (I hate bagless) and couldn't be happier with this model. It is not self-propelled and that is not a problem with me. So far it has exceeded my expectations.

The item is basically useless for me. It was not easy to use, it did not cut stuff as shown. It was awkward to use and the safety handle is useless. I was really disappointed with it...Dont waste your money on it. If my husband hadnt thrown out the box I would be returning it....

As soon as this product arrived I set it up and got to work a batch of pico de gallo. I first tried to slice up some tomatoes and to my utter disappointment all I got was a smashed tomato. I tried running it down to the blade quickly and slowly in different motions with a couple tomatoes and got the same result. The fruit (yes a tomato is a fruit) stuck at the blades and smashed up between the inside wall of the holder and the blades and just turned into a mess. So I thought perhaps I needed something harder and tougher. I tried an onion and had only slightly better results. It took a lot of work, but the first part of the onion did chop; the backside however came out in shreds. Suffice it to say, I cleaned the mandoline off, put it back in the box, and shipped it right back.

This mandoline worked well for few weeks and then the metal needles broke off on the safety handle. Now I can't attach any vegetables to it.

After three month of moderate use the mandoline still works but without the safety handle.

I have to say that I am very disappointed in this purchase. The decanter on the coffeemaker side leaks a LOT when pouring, even when you pour slowly. The frother on the espresso side does not work at all on my unit. I've tried it twice now and get absolutely nothing. The coffeemaker side does brew a good cup of coffee, but I could have gotten that in a $20.00 single unit. I definitely would not advise buying this.

I had a DeLonghi combo machine before this (slightly higher in price, but comparable), and had lots of problems, including that it only lasted for about a year. This one seems to be constructed better. I like the ease with which the steam vessel is closed, the screw cap is very secure, and easy to tighten. The frother spout swings to the side, which helps keep it out of the way when not in use. On the coffee maker side, the lift out basket makes it easy to remove the grounds.
Problems?; only one really, and that is very minor. The decanter: the lid only lifts up a bit unless you take it completely off. It gets in the way when filling and rinsing, also the shape of the spout makes coffee spill out the side slightly, if you pour it too fast.
Overall, I'm really happy with this machine...it's easy to use, and so far, seems like it's going to last.

i ordered my coffeemaker after reading the reviews below.. since they were mixed, i went for it anyway- i had a good experince, the coffee was good and i did not spill when i poured - overall id have to agree that i am pleased with my decision to purchase this coffeemaker

What is not to like? I love to crank my heat up and get things going, splash the wine, sear the meat, try it with teflon and you end up with chemical soup.
This is good old fashioned safe cooking, from the stove top to the oven, no melted handles, easy clean up, will last longer than a life time. I feel more comfortable using the little handles to take the pan out of the oven, have not tried the swinging handle version.
This is a great product at a great price, I could not find it cheaper anywhere else but Amazon.