Housewares Reviews

This unit consists of three working parts:
1. A sprayer which consists of a reservoir to put the cleaning solution and a trigger that you manually push over and over to spray the solution. It works exactly the same as a spray bottle, except unlike a spray bottle it's heavier and more cumbersome to use due to the fact that it's attached to a scrubber/vacuum.
2. The scrubber, which is a round scrub brush that rotates pitifully slowly, and is actually harder and more awkward to use than a regular manual scrub brush because it's attached to a heavy handheld vacuum and it's near impossible to get it into tight spots.
3. The vacuum. It's o.k. as a handheld wet/dry vacuum. Any wet/dry shop vac will have greater suction than this though, so if you already have a wet/dry shop vac, then there's no point to it at all.
My recommendation is to use a spray bottle, a vegetable brush, and a wet/dry shop vac. It will be easier to use, more versatile, you will get better results, and you can use the shop vac for other cleaning as well.

well...I purchased this couple years ago for doggie pee pee "accidents" Used it few times. Had no problem with operation or suction. It sucked up the fresh urine accidents great. no problem with sprayer or brush. The BIG problem was it sprayed the dirty reservoir tank contents out through the side motor vents and onto my bare legs or pants. PHEEEW and DISGUSTING. I called the Dirtdevil people and they told me that if you tilted it too much it causes the contents to spray out. Yes the had this answer on their computer so they were aware of it. I tilted it so I could put more pressure for the suction. So I moved and no longer had carpet thus put machine away. Well I just moved and have all carpet. My MinPin and 15 year old lhasa are having a few accidents so I whipped out the spotscrubber. It is back to spraying urine out through sides. Called Dirtdevil people who asked if I was filling properly...did you screw cap on dirty reservoir...duh.same answer was not to tilt. Guess what???I AM NOT TILTING. 1st rep said to bring to repair center...like I will spend 50 bucks to repair a machine that is not broken but has poor design. So I requested corporate who said EVERYBODY LOVES THEIR MACHINE AND SINCE IT WAS MADE IN 2002 IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY BUT BEING NICE THEY WOULD FIX OR REPLACE IT IF I SENT IT BACK WITH PREPAID POSTAGE. I think I will decline the offer. It has a poor design and they have no intention of changing it.........In summary I agree with other reviewers such as emufan01 and Ebranscomb who were "sprayed"...... Any suggestions for another machine for those pet pee pee accidents?....thanks

This is a wonderful machine. I have 3 cats who believe in sharing fur balls. This cleans the spots right up. I also have a husband who likes to eat in the living room, and I don't have to point out his "spot". We just rented a big machine to do all the carpets a month ago, and in a few weeks you wouldn't know we had done them by the couch. Well this little machine made quick work of the problem area. This is my sister-in-law's machine. I guess I'll have to buy a new one for her now!

After reading all the reviews I really need to throw in my 2 cents. I got my Mr Coffee essentially free with a $50 gift cert for Macys (of all places).....3 years ago. Since then I've built my wife and I my version of a wet cappaccino (sp) nearly every morning. Only complaint is that it can't handle a fine grind for a double shot...unless you prime the shot once with the pump for about 20 seconds. Then wait a few and then let
'er rip. No breakdowns and I've let it run hot for a whole day! Only problem is Karen broke the filter handle so now I am surfing to find one. My unit froths great with the rubber end I stole off my last Mr Coffee boiler unit. The plastic thing is useless. But I read here that many units die within a month. I'm shifting to Gaggia Classico and see how the other half lives! Mr Coffee will be there to bail me out should the Italian Stalion fail.

I think this might be the cheapest machine that can be properly called an espresso machine (has a pump) yet it competes well with machines costing upwards of $200.

Not clear what other reviewers were expecting for this price, but I am extremely impressed. Perhaps a bit noisy and you need to make sure to let it warm up before making a coffee. The steam is a bit weak, so can't froth too much at one time or you have to wait. If you are looking for a perfect machine look elsewhere and be ready to spend >$300.

But if you simply want to make good espresso at home, this machine is great. I make better coffee with this than I can get in most coffee shops in NYC (which is somewhat sad actually). We've had the machine for over a year without any problems.

I live in Washington, formerly in Seattle... so I do know my coffee. My husband and I searched all over the web trying to decide which machine to buy for my birthday. Everything I read online said make sure you get a pump-driven machine. We'd had a steam-driven Mr. Coffee prior to this (for about 8 years), and it had been decent for the era it was produced in, but it got old and our tastes outgrew it. Friends said "Don't waste your money on anything less than a Starbucks Barista" (starting at $300 each.) Having had so many good years with the other machine, we decided to try this "upgrade" anyway.

For the $60 we paid for it, this machine is incredible. I use Starbucks espresso beans, ground pretty fine, and my mochas are every bit as good (or better) than most (all but one) of the local coffee joints, and better than Starbucks, since this machine doesn't burn the coffee like they do. (And honestly, I think my mochas taste better than the ones I've had at those friends' houses, made with the "Barista.") This machine produces a great crema on the espresso, the milk frother is the best I've ever used - quick and easy and oh, so frothy... AND, unlike so many machines, it's possible (and doesn't take long) to steam milk and actually get it HOT!

If I had to mention negatives, I can only think of 2. I wish it came with a milk frothing pitcher, and, as others have mentioned, I wish it were a little taller, to fit a mug in with the drip tray in place. I use 2 shot glasses, though, and it works great for me.

Glad we chose this one.

This processor has done a great job in the two months that we've had it. Our first test was a block of sharp cheddar - which it completely shreaded in about 3-4 seconds. A softer cheese (such as Italian) takes a little longer, but still incredibly quick at about 6-8 seconds.

It does a great job with everything we have put in to it, but occasionally it still leaves just a little bit of unblended food at the top. No where near the amount from other processors we've tried, but a little none the less.

I would recommend this - it's been a great tool for our kitchen!

I have Cuisinart DLC-2011 Prep 11 Plus Food Processor for about a year and i wouldn't even think that i could use it so much. I've got additional discs and i can do anything. It's fast, it's reliable, it's really helpfull. I would probably ish to have a bigger size, but this one is ok and i didn't want to spend more. I've spent the difference in price on discs and discs holder.

P.s. The disc for french fries doesn't work for frech fries, but it cuts real nucely for home fries and soop.

I haven't used it many times, but so far I find it very good. I have had a Cuisinart food processor before and find this one a little easier to use. It is very sleek looking!

I was so excited about getting this product - i always wanted a "little helper" in the kitchen. instead i found this cumbersome appliance neither a broom nor a vaccum. poor decision on my part. i will be donating it soon to the sidewalk. very disappointed.

There are two types of housework that I hate to do--vacuuming/sweeping and taking out the trash. This totally helps out with one of them. My best friend suggested this to me after I complained about having to sweep up the hair in the bathroom and the dust and dirt on the kitchen floors. I can use this to get rid of the mess in one fell swoop. The battery lasts a good long time and to top it all off, it's down right pretty. The only problem I might have with this is it is a little loud, but not enough to be a real problem. Or to give it less than 5 stars. I highly recommend this broom vac!

Well, I don't know about dirt, rocks or some of these other items people are trying to pick up with this $50 broom, but we have a virtual carpet of pet hair at home thanks to our dog, and after using this broom we can finally see our floors again. We'd tried mops and those swiffer products to no avail, but this baby picks everything up in a heartbeat with little effort, and cleanup is a snap (the reviewer that said it was cumbersome - what are you doing? press the button, bottom comes off, empty and snap back on. done.)

Now, will it work as well as a serious vacuum? Of course not. "Everything" does not mean every single thing. It's a $50 broom-vac combo, come on - not a $500 Dyson model. It sounds like some people expect all vacuums to work alike.

For basic dust, papers, and certainly lots and lots of pet hair, this puppy more than gets my vote.

I love baking gizmos, and of course pizelles! I was happy to find that I can make smaller pizelles (3") and since I am on a diet, eating a few of these small sweeties can help me with my portion control.
The reviews above are right. Keep in mind some things before you use this unit.
1) when making the pizzelles, make sure you read the recipe book and other recipes books for ideas. make sure the batter is not thick or not too runny.
2) read the booklet that it came with on how to use it. It only takes a few trials to get it right off the bat.
3) to clean this unit, wait for all to cool. then use a warm damp cloth to wipe out all the oils/butter. use a SOFT toothbrush with warm water, and then damp cloth if you find it neccessary
4) although you can't make cones with it, you can make small canolis with this baby.
5) use a soft silicone spatula;
6) if you want to form a shape, immediately take it out and form it.
Hope these helps.

This product makes four perfect pizzelles at a time! There was no stickiing even from the first pizzelle made. It heats quickly and with reasonable timing does not burn either! I would recommend this brand to anyone wanting to make a smaller size pizzelle.

I bought this pizzelle baker because it makes 4 pizzelles at a time. I like the size of the cookie also. It takes about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes to bake! Very fast and so much better than my old machine.

Don't even think of buying this device unless you enjoy spending 15 minutes cleaning up after each use. The pitcher base detaches itself from the pitcher after about 5 seconds of blending making an ugly mess everywhere. After cleaning up that mess and screwing the base on tighter, it detaches itself after another 5 seconds...get the picture!

Anything thicker than water won't pour through the spout, so that feature is completely worthless. You absolutely cannot walk away while turned on or it will vibrate itself off the counter and onto the floor. That is assuming that it doesn't self destruct and have parts and smoothie flying everwhere first.

The only reason anyone would give this even a 1 star rating is that ZERO wasn't an option to choose from. You can have mine for FREE!!

Due to my own fault, I broke the plastic jug of my brand new smoothie bowl. This happened in September - it's now April, 7 months later and each time I've called Villaware to get a replacement jug I'm told by yet another sympathetic individual that they don't have it in stock and - worse - don't know when it will become available. I got a total of 6 uses out of what is now redundant machinery. It was quite noisy, but hey, it's a smoothie maker. They're *meant* to make a lot of noise. If I recall back 7 months, it did make nice smoothies, and looks kind of cool too with the brushed aluminium. It's just a shame that there's no way to get simple replacement parts. I'd recommend pretty much any reputable brand over this one. In my experience, most encourage you to continue to use their machinery by shipping replacement parts as quickly as possible.

This is the worst blender I've ever used. Bought it to make smoothies, but it has a hard time grinding frozen things. It never completely chops up frozen fruit, so I always end up sucking down huge hunks of semi-mushy fruit when I try to blend with this thing. Not pleasant. It's also loud and it moves a lot. Sometimes it vibrates so hard the carafe detaches slightly from the base, and when you lift the carafe to pour your drink into a glass you find a fruity puddle in the base's well. I strongly discourage anyone from ever purchasing this horrible thing.