Housewares Reviews

I was a little disapointed that the waffle shape wasn't the same as the Mickey waffles you get at DisneyWorld. But my disapointment vanished after the first bite of cinnamon oatmeal waffle (the recipe is in the box).

The waffler is easy to use, easy to clean, and it's easy to store. Plus, you can't beat the price

Don't be fooled by the price, this waffle maker is great. The Mickey shape is a nice size that doesn't take too long to get done and the clean-up is easy. The cartoons on the outside are cute. I am very happy with this purchase.

Door BLEW OPEN on my Panasonic microwave while using it! Called Panasonic and right away they had me talk to their lawyer. All he cared about was getting the microwave in their possession (maybe getting rid of evidence?). When I asked about getting it replaced, they said after they had it and checked it out, they would let me know. How do they expect me to be without a microwave over for 2 weeks? 4 weeks? When I said I couldn't wait that long, since I have to feed my family, the lawyer said that is the legal agreement I consented to by buying the oven. My only solution is to buy a another microwave. I feel like a fool for buying a Panasonic. Never again.

This oven looks good and is good, for a year or so, if you are lucky. We had ours for about a year and yesterday it went KONK. I am a Certified Electronics Technician, but I didn't make the purcahse, my Brother did. I wouldn't have known though, as I don't think it is worth the worry of trying to have an oven repaired and never bother with them. You can buy a new one , and be safer. Attempting a repair on a microwave is dangerous. You need the proper tools, and meters. If the caseing isn't properly sealed when you replace it, you are in danger from the leakage of waves. Only a proper meter can tell if it is leaking. If I were to purchase a microwave myself I would look at several and be sure it is made in the USA, and the parts are too. There are standards set of course, but an import wouldn't necessarily have the best of parts. It may pass the tests, but only long enough to sell. It's to bad you can't trust a lot of the major companies you would think you could ( see review about this oven by another reviewer ). Anything made and sold is a lot like purchasing a car, new or used, you are assured it is "the best" UNTIL you drive it off the lot. Then you are basically on you own. I'm sure you can relate to this. PS: Sanyo and Sharp are fine brands, UNTIL I AM PROVEN WRONG. You can buy an American name brand and get a product made in a foreign company, with foreign parts. The only thing American is the name. Then you can purchase a Sharp, for instance, made in the USA with parts made in the USA. Read the details, and good luck.

This microwave was a great purchase. Seems to have all of the typical buttons and heats up foods quickly. The size was perfect for our limited space location. Only oddity is that light does not go on when you open the microwave. The light does go on during cooking. Overall, well worth the price.

My wife and I recieved one of these as a gift. We are using it in our home theater. It works great and makes excellent popcorn using a salt and butter/oil mix similar to what the theaters use. There are a few minor drawbacks to this machine. One is that it makes a small amount of popcorn at a time. So, if you have a large group you will have to make several batches. That is not a big deal because it is fun for people to watch it work and will keep them entertained while you work. The other problem I have with it is the motor that stirs the popcorn is fairly loud. You wouldn't want to have it running during movies. The machine is easy to clean and looks nice when not in use.

The biggest issue of this popper is that unpopped kernels tend to fly out of the container, like hot air poppers which blow many of the good kernels out. You should monitor it and shake the handle when popping starts to minimize waste. Quality gourmet popcorn like Orville Redenbacher's is a larger kernel and will yield bigger, fluffier popcorn per batch.

Naturally, you will have to wipe out the inside before the first use to get any dust and loose styrofoam out. Then rinse and dry the kettle, plug the kettle in, slip on the mount, and screw in the handle counterclockwise.

Instructions say to run the kettle empty 3-5 mintues just to heat up BEFORE you add 2 teaspsoons of oil and popcorn. The instructions get fuzzy at this point. It says, "... add _ cup of popcorn..." Cup of what? I called and found out just one scoop - equal to 1/4 cup. Don't double it or you risk burning and stuck kernels. It yields 2 quarts which is pretty good. Measuring spoons are provided for oil and popcorn, but no scoop. But the door and opening tray should make popcorn retrieval easy enough.

The sound of the motor spinning is much quieter than hot air poppers which sound like rattling blow dryers. This should let you make more popcorn mid movie with less distraction. This unit is more work for popcorn. However, we live with the trouble because we want theater quality popcorn, right?

As I understand, theater's use coconut oil. I use peanut oil because of the high burn temperature, it will never smoke and hydrogonate. You can make batch, after batch, of delicious popcorn, but sooner or later, you have to turn it off and clean the kettle. Unplug the unit, wait for it to cool, unscrew the handle, unplug the kettle and remove it. Then a nice soak in hot soapy water. Again, done for the love of popcorn.

There is even an overhead light to help you see the popcorn, but this appears to be an ordinary lamp. It is decorative and in no way keeps the popcorn warm. Just like the wheels which are decorative and do not spin.

The unit is fairly large, and takes up under 9 x 12 inches of counter space. Roughly 18.5" tall. Easily, twice the size of a hot air popper. Home theater owners won't mind the space, otherwise, you may need to make room.

It normally comes in the nostalgic classic red, but I have seen green available, and I bought mine in a pleasant black. Certainly, more trouble than normal for popcorn, but the quality is great.

Health conscious people may bally hoo the oil aspect, but that depends on how healthful an oil you use. Healthful fat in your diet, like olive and peanut oils, are better than no fat at all.

In short, if you are a popcorn lover who tires of the over salted bag popcorn, the dry hot air popcorn, or the burned microwave popcorn, this is for you. But, it's a lot more mess. Just remember to clean it regularly to keep it from smoking. Otherwise, start stocking up on Jiffy Pop.

Thanks for your vote!

I've had my kettle popper for about 6 months now and Love it. It makes great popcorn and sits right on our end table. The kettle is easy to remove for cleaning. For the price of this popper, you can't go wrong.

Enjoyed it much better than a single blade cutter.....great product for the serious cigar smoker.

This shower head provided great pressure, but after 3 weeks the once-uniform spray changed to a painful, sharp blast. Not recommended at all.

I have had mine over a month now, and I am very impressed with the product. It was easy to install following the simple illustrated instructions. It took about 5 minutes max and I was taking my time. The spray is consitstent and feels very nice on the skin. It is perfectly compatible and in use with my shower filter. The prouct is nice looking, sturdy, and of good quality and in my opinion will not break unless subjected to abusive treatment. Definately one of the best investments I made so far this year. Very glad that I bought it.

Ordered the Flowbee Haircutting system from "As seen on TV..." on February 19, 2006. Made an inquiry on April 9, 2006 as to when they would ship. Received an email saying that the order was cancelled. No explanation was offered.

To the not-so-observant person below, this is a PRODUCT review, not a retailer review.

After about 14 years and being dropped a few times, it finally died. I think one of the kids knocked if off the counter, otherwise it may still be working fine. Now I have to buy another.

It's virtually impossible to really screw up a haircut with it. Just be patient and go over your head about 3 times to make sure you didn't miss any spots. You'll still need clippers to trim the sideburns and back of the neck. Also - very important. Wash your hair just before cutting and make sure it's 100% dry. Clean and dry is very important.

I have 3 boys and myself and over the years I couldn't begin to figure out how much money I've saved over the years, not to mention the convenience. I can cut all of our hair in about an hour anytime I want. Need a touchup? No problem, only takes a minute.

It does require a strong vacuum to work well. When I used the houshold vac, I ALWAYS changed the bag before cutting hair.

The FLOWBEE vac works well, but is loud and has some of the stupidest design features I've ever seen. The power cord comes out the bottom which prevents the unit from standing on it's feet. How in the world can you design a product, then be dense enough to put the power cord in a place that makes if fall over?!?

Even though I hate the FLOWBEE vacuum, I still recommend it. It works well and is so compact that it's very convenient.

I would have given it 5 stars except that it's loud, the vacuum design defies logic, and the spacers are a bit on the fragile side.

Word to the wise - Order a set of replacement spacers with the unit. It gives you more length flexibility and you will eventually break one or two, even if it takes a few years to do so.

To sum up - let them laugh. It really is a great product that is overall durable and works well. I was looking at the Robocut as a possible replacement because I understand it's quieter, but after reading it's reviews, I'm sticking with the FLOWBEE.

...and finally something inside gave up the ghost this morning, so we've immediately ordered another one. Sure, our friends ridicule us (although they admire our haircuts), but think of the money we've saved over all these years! The best part is getting a haircut in about ten minutes, whenever you want one. And though it's maybe not the best haircut I've ever had, I never want to wear a pillowcase for a month afterward, which happened frequently after my favorite hairdresser retired fifteen years ago. My husband, who hates both waiting for anything and being fussed over and messed with, loves being able to cut his own hair, and for him it takes about five minutes. You do want a powerful vacuum cleaner, and clean the filter first for best results. Highly recommended!

I dont have much to add regarding this product as everything seems to have been covered by other reviewers so I'll give you the pro's and con's of my experience:

PRO's
1. No more trips to the laundromat or my parent's home. I no longer need to purchase cards or fall prey to the availability of machines or have to hope that the machines are clean and working properly. This sure beats lugging my laundry around.
2. My washer arrived in good condition--esp. in comparison to the experience of others.
3. Affordable price.

CONS:
1. The instruction manual is complicated because it is not very accurate nor is it clear cut.
2. If you happen to be someone who is not detail oriented, then you will almost always have to deal with a leak or two or three. The positioning of the hoses can make the difference between a normal laundry day and an annoying time.
3. Returning the product is such a hassle that you'll end up wanting to chalk up the loss.
4. If you plan on using the machine for more than two people, you may want to reconsider purchasing this item as the depth of the machine is not extensive, AT ALL.
5. No dryer options, but hey you can't get everything.
6. If you have a house, opt for a standard washer and dryer. If you plan to use this in an apartment, never leave the machine unattended for long and make sure to leave towels lying around in case a spill occurs before you notice.

I owned the 4.9lb haier washer for three years until it was broken down, then I decided to get this one. In my opinion, this one is far
more superior than the 4.9lb washer. The 4.9lb washer kept stopping due to unbalanced cloth, but I never have this problem for this washer.

Absolutly everything I expected. The Haier HLP21E, 6 3/5 lb. capacity, holds about 1/2 load of a regular sized drum. Washes wonderful and spins out to just damp. I've been using Arm & Hammer liquid with the softener in it and have had no over-sudsing issues. ( I use about 1/2-3/4 capful). It came in about 5 days, much earlier than the esimated shipping date. It hooked up easy and has no leaks, and doesn't play Jingle Bells, (LOL) like previous models! It's perfect for 1-2 people in a small apartment, probably not the most paractical for a big family, but I love it. I think I was getting depression from having to drag my laundry out and up and down my stairs to the 2nd floor, especially during WNY winter, and now I'm SAVED!!!
No, I don't have a dryer, but I have use of a clothes line and bought a dryer rack that fits in my bath tub. So, Love, Love, Love!! And I make everyone that comes over, check-it-out, and they love it too! :D Oh, and I'm going to put it on a wheeled plant stand too, (like I read that someone else did) as soon as I find one with locking wheels.
Thanks for reading,
L.E.
Western NY