Housewares Reviews

worked great. But, you get what you pay for. It quit working after a few months. I guess Mr. Coffee still goes with the time honored tradition of planned obsolescense. Now I remember why I won't buy their products. Buyer BEWARE!

Not the most consistent grind but good enough for the price. Stopped working after 4 months which I think is an issue with the start button.
Had registered it online, emailed customer service regarding my problem along with the date code and 24hrs later had an email stating that I would have a new one in 2-3 weeks.

I am sitting here looking at a Solis Maestro Plus in pieces on my living room floor. It had a bad burr ring in it and I paid 20.00 for the replacement. Trying to put it in due to a bad design, the switch broke... so, no coffee grinder. Now, I liked the Solis, when it worked, but to have the factory fix it would cost almost as much as a new one. So, a new designed burr grinder that I am looking at is 199.00. So, what do I do with my bags of beans in the mean time? I stopped at my trusty Bi-Mart and voila... Mr. coffee burr grinder. Well, price was right.. and for a few months thought I would try. I checked the reviews, did the quick fix to adjust for expresso, and am now enjoying a cup of coffee that is quite good. It is not as great as my more expensive grinder, but laying out that much money every year or two for a new quality grinder that leaves dust all over etc., etc., .... so folks, when you look at the cost.. and that all grinders are not perfect... this is not too bad. My first solis quit after one year. The second one broke in one grind place after 6 months... so, complain as you will, quality does not always mean longevity. Or, should I say price. Really, I plan on using this one until I can afford a better one. And, keeping it as backup as quite frankly, the pricier/quality ones break as well. This grinder is quite stable and well designed for its small price. So don't look a gift horse in the mouth... enjoy! And..... there is no comparison in a cup of coffee ground by a blade grinder (keep for grinding nuts), with one ground by a burr grinder. The burr is the best way to go. If you care for anything besides pre-ground or instant.

I own the predecessor to this model, the H964. It's the 2nd Panansonic microwave of this size that we've bought--in just 3 years. The first lasted 1 1/2 years and had to be repaired once. The second died three weeks after the warranty period. After literally 8 calls to Panasonic customer service (asking for the serial number, calling back with it, etc etc.) they agreed to at least cover the cost of a repair estimate (they eventually paid for the entire repair cost).

The problem was that the fuse had died. The authorized repair facilitiy told me that the only microwaves they ever get for repair are Panasonics; he said the problem is that to reduce their weight, they use smaller parts, like the tubes, which can't handle the load for long. He also said that their fuses don't last.

The repair person recommended either Sharp or Sanyo as much longer lasting. I checked the weight of a similar-sized Sharp and saw that it weighed about 6 pounds more than the Panasonic--presumably because some parts are heftier.

When this newly-repaired Panasonic dies again, it will be long out of warranty and then we'll try our luck with a Sharp. Replacing a microwave every 18-20 months is not my idea of money well spent.

This is a very nice unit. I needed a 2.2 cu.ft. microwave to fit in the space left by my old one. My only reservation is that the plastic covering of the control panel has already shown some bubbling. My old Kenmore microwave lasted over 15 years without a hint of bubbling. This unit is much more powerful however, and the reduced heating time is welcome.

Panasonic has great products! This microwave is large and easy to use. It's the 2nd panasonic microwave that I have owned, the first lasted for over 20 years! Great price as well!

Received the item in good condition and within a week. Very satisfied with the waffle iron. Also satisfied with the company I purchased it from.

I did not register for this waffle iron but received it as a wedding gift and I am so glad I did! I come from a waffle loving family and the Villaware 3000 is so much better than anything we've ever used. We have friends and family over for brunch and they love our waffles - they come out a perfect crisp medium brown every time and any extra waffle residue is easy to clean. I love that the beeper knows the perfect amount of time to cook so we can work on other breakfast cooking while the waffles are going. My parents liked it so much they just ordered one for their brunches. For waffle lovers I would definately recommend!

I read all the reviews and finally decided on the VillaWare V3000 Classic Waffler. I made waffles for the first time on my new VillaWare this morning. Everyone was so right! I expected for first time use, that my first couple of waffles would come out either sticking to the grill, not quite done, or overdone. Well, I was so surprise when the whistle blew and I opened up the waffler maker to find a perfectly done waffle. I have a big family so I had to make 12 waffles. Every single waffle came out perfect!! I love the fact that it notifies me when each waffle is done. My family loved the waffles. It was quick and so easy and clean up was a breeze. I am sooo glad I purchased the VillaWare V3000. I never thought I could find the perfect waffle maker, but this is definitely it!!

My parents have had ginsu knives for years now. They use them all the time and to this day they still cut like they are brand new. This price is a steal. You are getting the best knives for the best price. I am now moving out and I am going to make sure I have ginsu in my kitchen. I will not use anything else. I can't believe the rice they are selling these for. You have to get these knives! You won't regret it.

Just got my Ginsu knife set and I'm still looking for things to slice. After years of going through the latest, overpriced, fashionable knife, it's nice to get back to a knife that does exactly what it was designed to do at an EXTREMELY reasonable price. I could have purchased the set with stainless steel handles but there's something warm and comforting about the feel of bakelite. I think anyone over 40 would agree.

Couldn't even go in my yard without putting repellant on - otherwise would be swarmed. I thoroughly investigated a mosquito removal device. The other brand propane devices seem to have a high malfunction rate and I really didn't want to have to use propane - especially since those devices use a tank a month. Bought the Mega-Catch on eBay because you can get it a lot cheaper there. Simple setup up and operation and no propane required. Nice timer for easy programming. Can catch in a mesh or a provided cup that you add water and some dish detergent. I use the cup and a teaspoon of sugar. The plastic door where the net or cup go is a bit tight and hard to close all the way so I just close it as much as I can and leave it since there is a skirt with a velcro strip that covers the door area anyway. There is a slot for octanol strips and other brands will fit there too. After the first night, caught hundreds of mosquitos. Since then, I have caught thousands. I can now be in my yard with no mosquitos bothering me.

PROS:
It really does work!
It does not require propane (at least not the model we bought).
It has a timer so that you can set it to turn on and off several times a day when the mosquitos are most active.

CONS:
They only have Octenol attractant and not Lurex 3 (which is effective at catching Asian Tiger mosquitos, which are a real pest here.) However, I use the Lurex 3 attractant made by Mosquito Magnet, and lay it next to the collection cup, inside the Mega Catch. Since we did not get bit at all after setting up the Mega Catch, I assume it is working.

After moving into our new home almost nine months ago, my wife and I wanted to be able to enjoy our backyard without getting eatin alive by the mosquitos here (suburb of Houston). I did a little investigating of mosquito machines...read good and bad about many of them. One day I was in Home Depot, and noticed their Mosquito Magnets were discounted and decided to give it a try. I bought a propane tank to use with it. After 3 or 4 days of catching only 1 mosquito, I gave up and returned it. I read later that some of the Mosquito Magnets work extremely well, and others not at all.

I kept investigating and decided to try the Mega Catch mosquito trap (Premier) after checking out their website. Plus, I could buy it online from Costco and return it to my local Costco if it did not work.

Well, after setting it up and having it run less than a day, I opened it up and pulled out the collection cup. I was pleased to see numerous mosquitos in the water (100, maybe 200...I did not count them). For the rest of the mosquito season last year, we were able to go out in our backyard (the size of our backyard is approx. 2000 sq feet) without getting bitten.