Mcgowan Firestone 2-Stage Knife Sharpener

knife sharpener that sharpened my paring knife
I had an electric sharpener,that could not sharpen my paring knife. I ordered this sharpener and I can use it and it DOES sharpen the smaller knives.

Firestone Sharpener
Very easy to use. Sharpen knifes very quickly by easily pulling the knife through the wheels. I have owned one for 10 years and recently bought both my children, who are married, there own. Now I don't have to take my sharpener to their house every time we visit to sharpen their kitchen knifes.

absolutely the best sharpener!
sharpening knives is something i've enjoyed for decades. i've had every kind of sharpener i could find, including lansky, diamond steels, stones, and many, many others. i'm the kind of person who *always* uses a sharpening steel on my kitchen knives before every use.

in the past, friends would sometimes ask me to bring my sharpeners to touch up their knives. i've given them a firestone 2-stage - now, their knives are always in great shape (and i don't have to do it!).

here's what i do to test if a knife is sharp: i hold my thumb at a 45 degree angle with the fingertip pointing down. i then rest the edge of the blade against the nail with the flat of the knife vertical. if a knife is reasonably sharp, the weight of the blade by itself will cause the edge to dig slightly in to the nail, and it *won't* slide. however, a duller knife will slip right off. with a firestone 2-stage, i can get a really dull knife sharp in under a minute, no problem.

highly...

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Sanyo EC-505 5-Cup (Uncooked) Rice Cooker and Vegetable Steamer

excellent product and easy to use
This is a good option for families that don't make too much rice at a time or do not want other functions like steaming veggies.

I have been using this for several months and I cant believe how easy it is to use. The rice comes out excellent each time. You do need to adjust the water recommendations to make the rice suit your likeing. I find that I needed more water with every type of rice...especialy long grained basmati which was downright dry at the top when I used the amt. suggested.

I have a problem with small kitchen appliances because i dont have a lot of storage room. Adding another appliance is always a tough decision. I find that I have been using this enough to warrent the purchase (several times a week). I had a larger unit that had more functions but I found I didn't use the *added functions* enough to make up for the space it took.

This is a great and fairly inexpensive option for people who don't need a huge amount of rice at a time, arent looking for...

Where is the on/off switch!!??
This rice cooker surprised me with its quality in material and workmanship. I expected much less. Of course, the measuring cup and ladle are still made of very cheap disposable-like plastic, but everything else is respectable.

HOWEVER, I would NOT have purchased this item if I knew that it doesn't have an ON/OFF switch. The only way to turn it off is to unplug the electrical cord. What a pain! I tend to use a rice cooker often, and I like to have it plugged in all the time.

As for it's performance, it takes a long time to heat up. Expect over 30 minutes for the rice to cook. My old Hitachi was much quicker....and it also came with the ON/OFF switch.

Sputters way too much
This unit looks great when clean, but start using it and it makes a really big mess upon itself and a 2 foot radius around the exhaust hole. My old "National" had a very light aluminum lid without a hole which used to lift up to let the steam out, but the Sanyo EC-505's lid is quite heavy and the little exhaust hole isnt good enough to control the steam. The result - a very messy kitchen.

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Honeywell HZ-3750GP Easy-Glide Digital Tower Ceramic Heater - Ceramic - Electric

Not White but Gray....hence GP instead of WP in the part number
everyone advertising these with GP in the part number and calling them 'white' are not being accurate....have one from a few years ago which not only handles temperature much better with respect to turning itself on and off but is actually white in color and has WP in the part number.....just letting everyone know





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Electric Panel Heater

Cozy Legs Electric Panel Heater
Product works great. Very safe. Well made. Very solid construction. It will not burn you if you touch it. I bought it to keep my daughter's parakeets warm. We have four parakeets. The panel is mounted 1 inch away from the cage.





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Allerair 5000 D HEPA Replacement Micro Particulate Filter

Not what I thought I was ordering
I thought I was ordering the HEPA replacement filter. What I got was the replacement PRE-filter, which is also labeled micro HEPA. With no part number and no picture there is no way of knowing what you are buying. I'll be returning the item.
Just found out they charge a 15% restocking fee as well as shipping to return the item. Quite an expensive mistake!





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Kalorik Toaster Oven/Coffee Maker/Griddle

Meh
The toaster oven part works fine. It's a bit cramped to make the whole unit a reasonable size, which means you can probably only fit about three slices of pizza in it or so. The griddle part works I guess, it's pretty simple, but tough to adjust its temperature because it really only has a timer and an off and on setting. The coffee maker is by far the worst part. It's made of cheap plastic and has a tiny kettle. The cover on mine broke on the third use.

You're probably better off just buying a toaster oven and coffee maker separately. If this unit was made of better materials it might be more worth your time. As it is, cleaning it is a hassle and every part suffers for having to be stuffed into this combo unit.





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Rival CF 150W Deep Fryer

Can't keep it in
It's a nice looking fryer and seems to heat up fine, that is, if you can keep the cord in. The plug isn't a tight fit; rather, it's magnetically attached.

The positive/negative poles of the power are small plates (both on the fryer and the cord) about the size of hearing aid batteries held in place by a two magnets, also about the size of hearing aid batteries. The problem is that the cord is heavier than the magnets can sustain, and constantly falls out. I have to prop my cord in, and even then it doesn't always stay.

Steer clear.

Pros: Compact.
Cons: Cord is always falling out; lacks timer.
Recommended: No
Bottom Line: I've only used it once; returning to the store because the design is so poor. I had to babysit it instead of preparing the rest of my meal.





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Cook'sAid Electric Thermos Pot

Does Not Hold Up
The urn lasted less than nine months: After four months, the internal overheat turn-off broke, and I had to replace it.
There is a crucial plastic part inside the pump in the lid, which is not made for exposure to heat, and disintegrated after eight months.
I cannot find a source for a replacement lid:
Avoid this product!





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