Sunterra 104506 Table Top Fountain Pump 30 GPH Save 31% Off

I have a small bowl and this fountain pump is small enough to fit in and generates the strong bubbling sound effect, I am very satisified with the result. Sometimes the pump with larger water volume creates louder pumping machinary noise than the bubble water sound itself. This little pump is quiet, the water bubbling sound is musical as it should be. The only ''improvement'' I can think of will be the tight curly electrical cable, I used plenty of little rocks and pebbles to stablized the little pump to stay at the center of the bowl.

My pump on my small desk fountain stopped working. I have one of those fountains that is maybe 1/2 to 3/4 foot tall, roundish, has 2 layers stacked up in the middle, supported by plastic, with large rocks around the base and middle and top levels. Pump goes in the bottom middle and shoots to the underside of the top layer if that makes sense (i.e. the water doesn''t shoot up and out of the fountain, it hits the top plastic then flows over the edges in a nice waterfall formation). Anyway this pump worked just fine for that purpose. I had to turn the level down a bit it was a bit too powerful at first there is a "volume" switch for about 3 or 4 different levels of how high it will pump. Also, it made quite a bit of noise at first, so I let it run for an hour or so and the noise cleared right up and now it runs quietly and smoothly. I do agree the cord is quite thick compared to the pump, so I used rocks to wedge it into place. So for my purposes, I have a working fountain again.

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I''ve been running this pump constantly in a table top fountain for over a year and it has worked perfectly. It''s very quiet, the quietest and smoothest pump I''ve ever found. No loud noises, no strong vibration. The cord is heavy duty and well insulated, which is a good thing. Even when the fountain is barely burbling, I can''t hear the pump at all 10 feet away.

I made a makeshift pump housing from a hydroponic/vanda orchid plant pot (basically a hard plastic mesh pot) to stabilize the pump, hold it off the bottom of the fountain, and support the fountain components. The pump not touching the bowl makes a quiet pump even quieter.

I would''ve preferred a pump that moves only 10 or 15 GPH, because my fountain''s bowl is only 13 inches across, and this one is too strong. I managed to deflect some of the water column by how I designed the fountain. The pump''s water flow can be reduced with the slider thingie, but that increases the vibration noise slightly and potentially shortens the life of the pump by forcing it to work harder to push water through a narrower opening.

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I have a litlle fountain at home and i had to replace the old fountain pump. This Sunterra 104506 table top Fountain pump works very good inside under water, it doesn''t have any noise. You only hear the water running. it is on 24 hours/day.

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I purchased this product to replace my broken pump from my Drinkwell Platinum Pet Fountain. Someone else had said that it would work and it was half the price. I figured with the easy return policy on Amazon Prime items I would try it. I just got it today and it was awesome. It is a perfect replacement. The picture of the product shows the tube sticking up but it is not attached when you get it. It is a removable piece. I didn''t attach it and the male part of the fountain fit perfectly in the pump and it is working great. So glad I bought this and not the $20 replacement pump from the vendor. Plus with Prime I got it in 2 days.

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10 Oz Aluminum Spray Bottle

The aluminum portion of the spray bottle is great however, after 2 days of light use the plastic spray part literally broke in my hands. I have since purchased a new spray bottle just for the spray part and still use the aluminum base.

Its a nice bottle but after a couple of weeks the top wouldnt screw onto the bottle correctly. Not sure if it was the top or the aluminum part, but it got so bad that the bottle would fall off top if it was full of water.

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Russell Hobbs RHTT9W 1.7-Liter Electric Kettle Save 33% Off

My daughter gave me one of these last April, I use it every day, don''t find glass tea pot fragile, I''ve bumped it several times, love it, use it daily, if not for tea, then just to boil water for my coffee press. I''m ordering one now for a gift.

I am giving 4 stars only because the glass pot is very fragile and you have to be really careful not to touch it too hard. I was taking the filter out and hit the side slightly making a big hole on the side. Now, I am ordering a new pot from the producer which is half the price of the set. Otherwise, I am really happy with this set.

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I have bought this for our home, and 5 other family members and friends, every body including myself loves it and I keep buying it for more friends who I figure out they are tea lovers and like to have an easy and comfortable tea maker.

There is only one problem that you need to be very careful with the glass pot because if you brake it there is no spare to buy!

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We are Persian/Turk people which means our family drinks tea almost all the time!!!!!!!! We had one of these but it was getting really old and starting to break so I decided to get an other one. It''s great for its price and sadly it seems like it''s the only tea maker on the stores that suites what we need. So I guess my complain is I wish there were more designs and brands available with same functionality. Any other tea maker that I found was so complicated and suited for various teas as if this one is simple and practical for black tea drinkers... :)

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Used an older model of this for years, totally loved the fast boiling kettle and the warmer plate feature. When the kettle stopped working (some electrical issue), I bought this version which was the current model. Then realized I didn''t ever want to wait again for a unit to arrive, so bought an extra one today just so I can store it and have it available if and when this one breaks. It strikes me that this is so useful, but most people aren''t even aware of warming plate options, and it would make a great wedding or house-warming present for somebody who was starting out.

Side note ... I''ve had two Russell Hobbs stainless steel electric kettles over the past 35 years and can''t part with the last one even though the handle has broken slightly, so keep it on hand for emergencies --such as awaiting shipment as referenced above :) Overall, Russell Hobbs is a fantastic company and I''m a huge fan of their tea kettles.

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Mr. Coffee BVMC-PSTX91 Optimal Brew 10-Cup Thermal Coffeemaker Save 11% Off

Ok so i read all the negative and positive reviews trying to figure out what was the deal with this coffee maker. Here is the thing i have found, people who really hate this coffee maker just don''t understand what it is or how to use it right. This is a fine buy, perhaps the only buy if you want a Thermal Coffee maker that really works.

ok so first we need to understand this is a THERMAL coffee maker. Why does that matter?

1) You won''t burn down you house because you forgot to turn it off.

2) you will never have burnt thick muddy coffee.

3) it saves a ton of money on energy.

4) you can take your coffee pot with you to your table, desk, or backyard, and it will stay hot right beside you just as if it was still being heated.

It is key to understand that the whole point of this coffee maker is that it is thermal which means when it is made it is dumped into a coffee pot that is really a big thermos and that is how it stays hot. This means it stays hot really long without heating, burning, and thickening. It also means your first cup of coffee will be blistering hot and each on after a little less. But big deal, i made a pot of coffee this morning when i got up at 7am it is now 12:39pm and i am drinking my last cup and it is still hot (just not blistering hot).

Common Complaints:

Does it leak? Sure it does when you don''t follow directions, or clean it right. Is it poorly designed? Well there are things i would have done different but that is the case about anything. It works and works very well. It brews incredibly fast (a full pot in 5 minutes or under) and it brews blistering hot (the first cup is too hot for me often). Does it pour slowly? Well duh? of course it does, it is in an air tight thermos that is designed not to let cold air is to cool your coffee pot! Hello? What don''t people get about that? Ironically, the same people who complain about temperature are the same people who say it pours to slowly. Sigh. Hey i don''t care how big your mug is we are still talking seconds or pouring time not minutes, you won''t die waiting, and your coffee will not be burnt or cold!

Real issues:

It is true the fist 5 to 6 pots of coffee have a weird taste. There are a couple reasons for that and ways to fix it. One the pot needs to be washed after manufacturing. I advise you to save yourself the stress and go ahead and run 5-7 cycles of plain water though it before you brew coffee to make sure there is no strange first brew taste. And other reason the taste and even coffee strength can be off is it filters your water. And the filter indeed leaves a slight taste, and slows down the brew (thus the strength). If your not use to filtered water you will taste it more. I recommend you presoak your filter, to get the filter taste out (yes that will slightly decrease the strength of the filter but give you a better coffee). Or if you already use filtered water (as i do) or just don''t care if it is filtered, just pull the filter out, you will get a better cup of coffee. While i i have experimented i am still using mine with the presoak. it is more of a personal issue.

Also to prevent leaking wash with water and a mild dish soap and don''t be overly rough with filling tank.

Lastly, i have done the research this is the best and only real choice for a thermal home coffee machine without getting into huge dollars. There are others, but they perform worse. This is a good coffee machine, you just have to understand it is not an old burner system (which for some of us is a good thing). It is cutting edge in this price range, but you need to sync with it and seek to learn what gets you the best coffee from it.

Buy. Enjoy. Have fun.

Mr. Coffee has really outdone themselves with the new improvements and designs to their latest Optimal Brew 10-Cup Thermal Coffeemaker. When choosing a great machine, I always research and compare with all my friends. When comparing machines, 5 brands stood out with many of the best features you would expect from a coffeemaker, including most importantly, a great cup of coffee. The top 5 best thermal coffeemakers that we found were Mr. Coffee, Bunn, Cuisinart, Capresso and Zojirushi. Zojirushi was eliminated due to terrible company support. For the machines themselves, Capresso seemed to have designs that were not as easy or convenient to use. This leaves the top 3Mr. Coffee, Bunn and Cuisinart. All three are great designs, all 3 make a great cup of coffee and all 3 have great company support. All 3 also have what every Thermal Coffeemaker hasLeak and Weak. The thermal carafe''s develop leaks around the seals and the coffee is more weak than most people would like.

These are two issues that are easily remedied by a couple simple steps. First, to eliminate the leak around the carafe sealhand wash the carafe only with Dawn dishwashing liquid. The seal gets worn from the acidic oils in the coffeeDawn removes the acidic oils keeping the seal perfect with no more leaks. This really does work to stop those carafe seal leaks! The other big complaint is weak coffee, and it is a complaint with ALL the thermal coffeemakers we tried! We only use a medium grind coffee for drip automatic coffeemakersexactly what they tell you to use. The directions tell you to use more coffee if it is too weak. This does help, but there are two other solutions that actually do work better. Using a permanent gold re-useable basket filter instead of a paper filter leaves more sediment go through to your cup, with a stronger flavor. But, the best solution was using a much darker roast coffee which really added strength to the flavor! These solutions actually do work for those that like a strong cup of coffee!

I prefer a thermal coffeemaker over all the others for several reasons. It''s FAST (10 cups in about 8 minutes), it''s an ENERGY SAVER (No hot plate using electricity, as the carafe keeps the coffee hot and drinkable for over 3 hourseven longer when you pre-heat the carafe with hot water), No more burnt, bitter taste (only smooth and delicious)and the coffee never loses it''s flavor in the carafe that can sit anywhere you are (great portability).

Getting down to the last 3 thermal coffemakers that we found to be really great, was easy for me to choose the best one. As far as looks go, this Mr. Coffee won hands down. Beautiful, sleek, black and sturdy stainless steelit really is gorgeous! It has a programmable clock/timer for wake up coffee! (I love this feature!)It has a brew pause function, meaning I can grab a cup while it''s still brewing. It has an audible ready signal. The cord storage is convenient and nice, as is the water filtration which removes 97 percent of the chlorine for a really smooth taste! It has a special cleaning cycle, auto shut off and a sleep mode. My favorite features are the separate water reservoir and the side loading filter basket! These new designs make all the difference in the ease of use! I will never use a coffeemaker without a separate water reservoir ever again, it is so wonderful! The stainless steel insulated thermal carafe has a stay cool handle and drip free spout.

This Mr. Coffee thermal coffeemaker won hands down as THE BEST one for me! The one year warranty and great company support influenced me as well. As for the coffeethey are all pretty close in taste and all being weaker than some people would like, but with the few adjustments I mentioned, Mr. Coffee was definitely my favorite cup, using a little darker roast for a delicious strong cup!

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INITIAL REVIEW:

First: I give this four stars as the fifth will be earned if it holds up for awhile (will follow up this post when it''s time)so many items these days seem to crap out after only a few months (my water heater''s still kicking and it''s 43 years old!).

Second: We were beholden to Krups and replaced our old manual (no timer) unit w/ a Krups FMF5-14. Had it four months and the first time it was subjected to a spill, it fried the electronics (placed at the base of the unit). Replaced with Mr. Coffee BVMC-PSTX91 a month ago and we''ve been impressed.

Third: Pros-Coffee comes out at approx. 185 degrees, brews very fast, carafe is well insulated and simple to use, electronics placed on top, simple programming features, self-cleaning program, cord storage & good looks for stainless folks. Cons (not many)-the carafe needs to be cleaned with a bottle brush due to small opening (no biggie), the water reservoir lid is a little sticky sometimes, the coffee receptacle needs a little extra rogering due to the extra filter lid (which can be removed if you want) and if you don''t use filtered water to start with, you''ll need to replace filters into said lid periodically. Pretty minor stuff.

Fourth: I am confident that this will be a five star general and look forward to following up this post.

PS: who knew that buying a decent coffee maker could be such a chore! This is my first item review, ever felt it was time to pay back all those who''ve I''ve benefitted from all these years. Enjoy!

UPDATE: It''s been two months and to our disappointment, this product has not performed at a five-star level due to two problems: the carafe leaks internally and then when pouring, ''fermented'' coffee comes out via the seam between the black plastic collar and lower stainless portion. We initially thought we were pouring too fast, but close inspection revealed the problem. The carafe was never put in the dishwasher and had normal, daily use for two months. Second, the water reservoir has a small plastic tab on top of it that holds it in the machine. When carefully closing the sometimes-sticky lid (previously mentioned), it came down too fast for this tab and snapped it off. The water reservoir still works, but we propped it against the wall to ensure it didn''t fall off the machine.

When informed of these issues, Mr. Coffee offered to send a brand new unit out at no cost, but they were out of stock. They sent instead a holdover machine that''s ours to keep and instructed us to call them again in 3 weeks to see if the unit''s back in stock. Why they are unable to simply automatically send one when it becomes available is unknown, but they are attempting to make it right, which is welcome. I can only hope the new machine is free of these problems, if and when it arrives. For now, no five-star review from this consumer. What a shame.

UPDATE:

Well, Mr. Coffee eventually sent me a replacement unit (after I waited 5 weeks and had to call them to get it sent). This replacement lasted about four days and then would use 1/2 the water in the reservoir for coffee, dumping the remaining 1/2 all over the counter. I gave up. What a disappointment. I took Mr. Coffee out of the loop and was able to return the unit to a local retailer for store credit. Lastly, I have to agree with others who have said the coffee is watery. It''s like that because of the maker''s advertised brewing speed. Coffee can''t steep properly, even when using 3 filters. We''ve resurrected an old, trusty Krups and the search continues.

UPDATE: After some time, I went ahead with the Cuisinart DCC-1150BK and have been pretty happy with it. Some say that it dribbles when pouring but I''ve found that this occurs only when you attempt to pour faster than what the spout can handle, which is admittedly not super fast coffee then comes out the center spot where it enters from the machine. Doesn''t brew as fast as the Mr. Coffee, but it does taste better more than a fair trade-off. Coffee is easily hot enough for us. Came w/ a gold metal filter so we''re saving on paper filters. No separate water reservoir (another plus). Simple electronics mounted above the action so any spillage is no factor. Only down side to date is the machine''s bottom plate seems to be losing some paint after only two months one would think that manufacturers would have access to moisture/heat resistant paint. All-in-all the DCC-1150BK has been much kinder to us than the Mr. Coffee was.

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I bought this coffee maker as a gift for Christmas--before I read the reviews. Once I read them, Mr. Coffee already wrapped in silver gift paper, I considered taking it back. I didn''t. I kept it, and it was definitely the right decision.

Mr. Coffee was unwrapped on Christmas Eve so that the coffee could be timed and ready for Christmas Morning. I noted to the gift recipient that this gift might suck. I also noted that all the reviews were split fifty-fifty between "best thing ever" and "worthless crap I shouldn''t have bothered with." My gift of Mr. Coffee-brewed morning coffee was an accompaniment to a new newspaper subscription, so I knew, at least, that if I was cleaning an inaugural coffee flood Christmas Morning, the gift recipient was entertained with news for long enough that I could whip out the French Press and present the "old way" coffee with my announcement that Mr. Coffee did indeed suck, just like half of the reviews stated.

It''s been five days of use now, and here''s the deal. I suspected that user error was responsible for most of the "this is crap!" responses. And I think my experience can confirm that. Here are the key things that you are probably concerned with based on other feedback:

1. Will it explode and flood my counter, floor, rug, basement, or face? NO. There are three things that will cause a flood. One is not seating the water container correctly. Just like a humidifier, the water tank has to sit in the reservoir so that it makes a seal. If you put the tank in crooked, it doesn''t seat properly. Then you get flood. If you put it straight in, no problem. Perfectly sealed water reservoir. The second is not emptying the carafe. If you poured new coffee into a full coffee mug, you''d get a flood. Same idea. Pretty simple. The third, which seems to be the most frustrating is the cracked carafe. Remember, this holds coffee at NEARLY BOILING for multiple hours in a vacuum. The inside of this thing is hot. And when you add a shift in temperature, even though it''s metal, it still reacts. Since it''s a manufactured component piece, temperature shock will stress the joints. I would guess that anyone who has rinsed the carafe before letting it completely cool might run into this problem. Not stressing the carafe out has kept mine working tip top.

2. Will my coffee be weak and lukewarm? NO. I have no thoughts on this except it''s just not true. Somehow, perhaps it''s the pressure, it seems to brew stronger with less. And the temperature, while I haven''t taken a thermometer to it, is hot enough that adding cold milk doesn''t make any less of hot beverage. Additionally, I''m not joking when I say that the thermal vacuum-sealed carafe keeps the coffee hotter than hot for over two hours. The machine recipient is the slow kind of coffee drinker. One that typically has a cold half-cup after some leisurely sipping. Not having to brew more coffee to keep it fresh and warm over the course of the day, or reheat in the microwave is really a treat. We went out and shoveled the cars and sidewalk the other day while the coffee sat snug in its carafe. Just like a fresh pot--hot and tasty, HOURS later.

3. Does it take eighty hours to pour a cup? NO. It''s a slow pour. THE CARAFE IS VACUUM SEALED! It would defeat its heat-keeping magic if the top just opened up and poured like a milk carton. The top to the carafe is two inches thick to make sure that it stays sealed. Patience. The slow pour is there for a reason! The ONLY little thing about this: there may still be some left when you get to the bottom. But surprise! Open the top! It''s just as hot and delicious as the rest!

Basically, treat this machine as the sophisticated multi-part machine that it is, and it will do just fine. It''s not the slam-the-carafe-into-the-hot-plate, don''t-worry-about-the-dripping-it-doesn''t-stain, type of machine. The water has its own tank. The filter purifies the water in a separate addition to the filter basket. The brewing mechanism makes a seal above the carafe, and the carafe stays sealed with perfectly hot coffee far longer than any other drinking container I''ve seen.

So, do reconsider the major complaints posted in these reviews. If you need to keep coffee hot a long time, this is certainly the way to go. Oh yeah, and the timer works just fine. Additionally, I''ve always wondered who writes these things when they''re lengthy. I''ve never had a product go so wrong that I wanted to save everyone else from repeating my frustration. But now I''ve written one, and for this one, I know, I was prepared to have bought something crappy because I didn''t do my research. But then realized that a little time with the directions, and a little respect for what I had purchased and everything would be just fine. Unless I come back and amend this in a few days when I''ve thrown it out the window and put my name in the "Yes, it IS crap!" category, I would recommend this machine highly if it has the qualities that you''re looking for. Don''t go hating on the Mr. Coffee BVMC-PSTX91. Just understand it. And then enjoy the coffee you can brew together.

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Okay, I really wanted to like this coffee maker. I just couldn''t get a great cup of coffee out of it. Sure, I could get a decent cup, but that is not what I am looking for. Believe me, I am not new to coffee. I tried all the ratios and I was not impressed enough to keep it. Besides not making a great cup of coffee here are a few other things that bothered me: first it seems neat to be able to life off the the water tank and fill it, but the lid is annoying. It will only open to one side which blocks the water marks passed 6. The coffee filter drawer is also annoying. You have to have room next to it in order to remove it. So next to a cabinet is out. I have it next to my blender and have to move the blender carafe off the motor base in order to access the coffee filter. The other reviewers who mentioned the thermal carafe being slow to pour were not kidding. It is really slow. It does keep it hot. The two reasons (other than the positive reviews here) for buying this were: it brews at the right temperature (195-205) and it was on sale $69 at target. It does make hot coffee, that is for sure. If it put out a great cup, I could look pass all those negatives. Like I said, I really wanted to keep this, but I can''t do it and had to returned it. Life is just too short for good coffee, knowing there is great coffee somewhere else. I ended up with a BUNN NHBX-B, I actually wanted this to begin with. That is in another review.

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Stelton Em Jug With Water Filter

Please note that this filter requires the Brita MAXTRA filter, not just any Brita filter. We bought 12 of the wrong kind and now have ordered the MAXTRA which seems to be mostly European and harder to find.

Pitcher itself is attractive, looking forward to trying it out.

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Replacement Filter Liners for Acme and Omega Centrifugal Juicers

If I juice without using these filters, my Acme juicer needs a labor-intensive cleaning to get the pulp out of the holes in the basket. The filters encircle the juicing compartment and adhere to the basket. After juicing, simply remove and discard the filter. Once, I ran out of filters and couldn''t find them in stores. I didn''t use my juicer for years until I found them at Amazon.

These filters, are not like the original. I got a package of filters with my Acme juicerator, and thought I was ordering the same thing when I ordered these "paper" filter replacements. The original lapped a little when installed, enough to completely cover the inside of the blade basket, and keep the pulp from sticking in the basket. These are 3/4" shorter, and barely meet, so there may still be some pulp that gets on the basket, and is a pain when it comes to cleanup. The other thing is these are NOT paper, like the old ones were. I put a match to one, just to prove it, and it did not burn like paper, but melted like plastic. Poor design, and poor quality.... and not an acceptable replacement for the original REAL paper filters. Disappointed here, but stuck with no other options for filters that I can find.

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These liners dramatically shorten cleanup time after juicing. They act much like a coffee filter, so ground pulp doesn''t get trapped in the metal mesh of the juicer.

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I bought a Waring Acme juicer, now sold as Acme juicer, decades ago. The filters which line the pulp collection chamber have saved me hours and hours of cleanup, and they are not expensive. I recently saw the Acme juicer for sale in a kitchen store and asked about the filters. They had never heard of them. Believe me, they are worth hearing about.

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Gaggia 1003380 Accademia Espresso Machine Save 35% Off

I have been using super-automatic espresso machines since 2001. This is my 6th machine and by far my favorite. Having owned one Capresso C1500, three Jura-Capressos, one Saeco and now the Gaggia Academia, I''ve found this machine to outperform the rest by far. I loved the quality of the Capresso and Jura-Capresso machines, but having to send them in once a year for service at a cost of over $300 was excessive. There is no way to service the inside of these machines. Plus, I could never get the milk hot enough with the built-in frothing system on the S9 One-Touch or the Z5 and these machines lacked an external frothing wand so it was impossible to heat the milk any hotter than it came out of the machine. Next I purchased Saeco Primea Touch Plus and that was a complete mistake. The milk system is internal and constantly clogged and refused to function. This machine was returned shortly after purchase. I began looking for a machine that was as well-constructed as the Jura-Capresso, but had the ease of maintenance like the Saeco. I learned that Philips had recently purchased the Saeco/Gaggia company, so I decided to take a chance on a Gaggia machine after seeing a demo in-store.

What I Like:

The machine is fully adjustable by coffee strength, milk amount, water amount, etc. You can even adjust these settings on the fly via the color screen.

The machine is bomb-proof. Another reviewer noted that there is still a lot of plastic and yes this is true (although much less so than in Jura machines), but the machine is all metal where it counts. In the in-store demo, the demonstrator lifted the machine by its hinges to show how well it is constructed. This machine will undoubtedly hold up to years of use.

The machine has a "sealed" bean container that keeps the beans fresher that other brands of super-automatics that lack this feature.

The automatic frothing container could not be any easier to use. You snap it in a press a button. It automatically cleans itself after use and any leftover milk can be left in the container and refrigerated for next use eliminating waste.

Machine rinses itself before and after every use, so there is no "old" coffee taste when you brew your next cup.

The quality of coffee is amazing! This machine produces coffee very close the the Pasquini semi-automatic at my office. The quality is much better than my Jura machines.

The Mavea water filter removes the chlorine taste from tap water and lessens the amount of maintenance you must perform on the machine.

The adjustable coffee "spout". One of my biggest complaints with the Jura machines is that you aren''t able to fit a proper sized cup under the automatic spout. You''re limited to cups about 4" in height. Because of the nearly infinite adjustments available on this machine, my 16 oz to-go mug fits no problem.

The built-in frothing wand. Most of the milk that comes out of super-automatic machines is not hot enough if the latte or cappuccino is not going to be consumed immediately. This is not a problem with this machine. If the milk is not hot enough simply activate the built in steaming wand and heat it up a few more degrees. This is one of the few fully automatic machines that has this feature.

The ease of maintenance my favorite feature by FAR. The brew-group is removable. Simply remove it from the machine and rinse it out. No expensive trips back to the manufacturer for cleaning.

What I don''t:

The price. This machine is very expensive. If you have couple-of-times-a-day trip to S''bux like I did, then the machine will pay for itself in about a year. However, it still in the same ball park as a lot of nice used cars.

The pickiness with coffee beans. With super-automatics you can not use beans that are oily AT ALL. This limits my bean choice and I am unable to use the beans of some of my favorite artisan coffee roasters.

The frequency of emptying the internal and external drip trays as well as spent coffee pucks. The machine has two trays and an internal coffee grounds drawer and they have to be emptied at least every other day or about after every five coffees. The Jura-Capressos had very large drip trays and dump bins that only had to be emptied about once a week. This can be annoying if you''re in a hurry in the morning and the machine flashes this message before you can brew a coffee.

The small water tank. This tank is very well designed, but it must be refilled after about 6 coffees. My Jura machines would brew about 20.

My complaints are very few and after using this machine for over 6 months, I couldn''t be happier. Even with the high price, I believe I got exactly what I paid for a well-built machine that easily brews quality coffee and coffee drinks with ease of use and little maintenance. I would highly recommend this machine to anyone l who loves coffee, but doesn''t want to grind, tamp, brew espresso, and froth milk manually. Within 30 seconds, you can have a coffee drink that rivals that of all but the best baristas.

I just purchased this machine from Amazon and have been incredibly impressed with the build quality, features, and quality of the coffee produced. You can''t beat this machine in terms of the product design, multitudes of modes of operation, and elimination of cleaning chores often associated with fully automatic home machines.

Unboxing the product is your first clue to the level of detail the manufacturer paid to the product experience. As is custom with Gaggia products, this machine was designed and built at the Milan factory -something that will not escape you from the early moments of opening the box. Once the shipping box is opened, you simply remove the outer box to reveal the inside box, which has two convenient long handles to make it easy for you to lift the machine out of the shipping box. Inside, the sealed inner box contains your unit, with prominent serial number markings on the inner box and the "Made in Milan, Italy" (naturally in Italian) stamped proudly.

You''ll be surprised with the highly durable construction, in particular, the stainless steel finish which seems to be impervious to finger prints in my usage so far -and the high quality hinges that reveal the inner workings of the machine: the brew group, drip tray, and grounds drawer. One unique feature of this machine is that the brew group is fully removable for easy maintenance and cleaning. Given that o-rings over time will break down and are a common service issue on home machines from other manufacturers, the ability to self maintain in your kitchen without needing to pull the machine out or remove it to another location is a plus. Maintenance kits for the o-rings can be found for as little as $9.99.

The manuals are well written and the menu system is intuitive and easy to use. Brew strength can be varied with a simple dial on the front of the machine, and individual settings for each beverage, including coffee quantity, volume, temperature, and milk froth settings, if applicable, can be specified. There''s also a coffee chute for pre-ground coffee should you chose to use some for a particular beverage instead of the beans. This gets to the main strength of this machine: it''s completely configurable. Many people gravitate to manual machines due to the lack of control over the Espresso pull; this machine not only lets you program it, you can change it easily before every cup without needing to descend into tons of on-screen menus.

The milk carafe is a fabulous feature -and it''s zero mess. You simply pop it in, move the arm over the cup, and select the beverage you want. When you''re done making milk beverages, you return the arm to the middle position which activates a steam rinse feature that flushes the milk circuit with steam for cleanliness. Simply remove the carafe to the fridge for safe keeping until your next cleaning!

Another feature of the adjustable brew center is that it can be removed for exceptionally tall cups. Nice for those tall cups in the morning on the way to work!

Since energy consumption is on everybody''s mind these days, the unit features a double boiler (one for the brew group, and one for the milk circuit.) There''s an optional ECO mode which will automatically power down the milk circuit when not in use -simply call-up the machine''s settings to activate the feature. Furthermore, the unit features an adjustable auto-standby feature which will put the unit into standby mode drawing less than a watt of power.

I couldn''t be happier with my unit. The coffee taste, strength, and temperature are perfect. The adjustments are virtually unlimited and you can achieve precisely the results you want consistently. A great appliance for any coffee lover''s kitchen!

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First of all, I must say I was VERY skeptical about paying this high of an amount of money for a machine. Secondly, I spent a week reading reviews and going back and forth between this Academia and the Delonghi Gran Dama ESAM6600. I won''t go into details of the Delonghi, but I will say that a friend of mine has it and I spent nearly 2 weeks drinking coffee with her here and there and I have to say that I am glad I bought the Gaggia, it makes a way better cup of coffee and has a WAY better milk frothing system than the Delonghi. I can''t comment on the maintenance comparissons since I dont own the Delonghi...

The Gaggia Academia

The Pros;

Very simple and straightforward to use. Comes pre-programmed (to MEDIUM everything) so all you do is hit a button. You can easily change each coffee type settings in the nice lcd screen and adjust temperature, density, water amount, etc..

Milk container for frothing is super convenient, easy to use and stays sealed in the fridge to prevent spoiling. It also is far beyond the Gran Adamas, my friend actually doesnt use the Delonghi container because it sucks :)

I have used starbucks and whole foods premium organic beans and I have no problems with either. My favorite so far is Starbucks Italian Dark Roast. The coffee this beauty makes is amazing, the cappuccinos are very good and the brewing process is not too loud.

Machine turns on, rinses, primes and warms up FASTER than the Gran Adama and even my other friends Miele Built in cabinet(+$5000 machine) unit.

Very flexible brewing options, once you understand what it does, it becomes your new best friend for coffee lovers like me!

Maintenance elements are VERY basic. You have to empty the drip tray, grounds bin, prebrew tray and ocassionally shake off the brew-group (plastic mechanism inside)

Machine is very well built, on the heavy side, sexy stainless and looks like the money it''s worth

The Cons;

There isn''t many cons but here a few VERY minor things I personally would like different:

Coffee cup size = I am an IT guy and I have learned to drink coffee in GIGANTIC cups. This machine does have a "LONG COFFEE" button, but it will make an almost full regular cup of coffee (less than the 11oz size) and the regular coffee setting makes about half that. So if you plan on making TONS of LARGE coffee mugs, this machine is probably not going to work for you.

Temperature = I did see some people complain about this. First, the machine is shipped with all the temps set to medium, so you have to set it to high. If you''re like my dad and you like scalding hot coffee, this machine can do it fine for as long as you dont add creamer or make capuccinos. I personally like warm/hot coffee and sometimes i will feel that it is not as hot as I would like it to be after adding a generous amount of cold creamer. The cappuccinos come out just fine but cool quickly so dont expect it to be super hot after a little while.

Maintenance = Eventhough it is very simple to maintain the machine, the fluids containers are somewhat small. I make about 10 coffees per day and I have to empty the thing on a daily basis. It doesn''t bother me personally, but I do consider it a con for those who lack the will to do this frequently because the machine will stop you from making coffee if it gets full so I can see some impatient people get cranky.

Bypass Chute = This is where you would put already ground coffee in example like when you need to brew a cup of decaf for someone and dont want to empty your beans. The bypass is VERY sensitive to the AMOUNT of ground coffee you dump in there. If you get it wrong, it will simply dump out the grounds into the bin and not brew anything and tell you something about pressure problems... Depending on the grind density, i suggest LESS than the scoop provided with the machine

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Overall, this thing is worth every penny. Make sure to not use tap water, set all the drink temps to HIGH/MAX and play around with each coffee button until you dial in the right amount of water, coffee and temperature. For espresso, I truly recommend Starbucks Dark Espresso Roast. For espresso and frequent regular coffee (my choice) I recommend Starbucks Dark Italian Roast. Don''t be afraid, buy this over the Delonghi, I promise it is better. You will enjoy every cup and since only coffee nuts like me will pay nearly $3000 grand for a coffee maker, I bet you will run to the machine every moring when you wake up, just for another great cup of coffee... Also, if you hate manuals like me, I suggest you go on youtube and find videos, it was the best 10 minute crash course I took and it enabled me to handle the machine from the first time. Do keep the manual since it will occassionally display icons you won''t understand and you can reference them in the manual. For me, almost 1 month so far and over 100 brews made (machine has a built in counter) and i am truly happy...

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I have had this machine almost 3 months now, and it has gotten twice daily use (some days 3-4) since then. I think it''s likely the best super-auto out there. My complaints are the same as other reviewers:

* The milk doesn''t get quite hot enough using the automatic steaming/frothing carafe. I find if I use hot water (from the machine) and warm my cup for at least a couple minutes before making my drink, it does help the drink stay warmer longer. I purchased this from another website, and their sales guy recommended heating the milk slightly (to take the chill off) before making the drink, but I just don''t have the patience to do that.

* I have to empty the internal drip tray at least once a day, sometimes more. The machine''s auto-rinse features when it starts up and goes to sleep fills this container easily. It would have been nice to have a larger drip tray for this purpose.

One feature I wish I had is the ability to make a drink on the fly, using the cappuccino setting, without changing my programming. There are days I want my caps a little drier, but if I go through the on-the-fly programming option, it changes my drink to default to the new settings. I would like to be able to brew my coffee and froth the milk using the auto settings without it affecting any programming. I haven''t seen that this is possible in the manual, though I suppose it''s possible I''m missing that option.

Things I love:

* I can froth my own milk! I don''t often want to, but sometimes I do get a wild hair and want to practice making the perfect froth. Most super-autos don''t have a separate frothing wand, I love that this has that option.

* It''s so very adjustable, from the amount of coffee ground to the length of the pull to the amount of milk and temperature of both the shot and the milk.

* The milk carafe makes a great foam better than I can do myself! Most auto-frothing devices I''ve tried in the past give me a lot of bubbles and not much of the good micro-foam. This does a pretty great job.

* The carafe is pretty easy to clean. I don''t take mine all the way apart, but when I need to clean it well (every 2 days, I''d say), I just put some water and dish soap in there, shake it around, scrub gently and then run clear water through the ''straw'' and upper portion. It cleans out well without fussing with it much.

* Unlike another reviewer, I do find the machine pretty sturdy in both appearance and feel. It doesn''t feel plastic-y to me at all, and it''s very easy to keep looking clean and shiny.

All in all, I''m really pleased with my purchase. When you spend this kind of money for a piece of equipment you hope for the best, but I was still skeptical it would be all I wanted. But it is! I love it and I have no regrets. Here''s hoping it lasts for years to come.

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The machine is built like a tank and made excellent espresso, coffee, cappuccinos, lattes, etc. Even though we paid a lot of money for this we were satisfied due to the quality of the product, until....the machine stopped working 29 days after it was purchased, looks like the thermostat went bad and the machine would just freeze trying to heat up and then give an error code telling you to restart it.

Luckily Amazon (as usual) is working with me to ensure I am a satisfied customer, however it is still pretty disappointing to have to deal with a broken machine that costs this much money, specially this quick. Maybe I just got unlucky, when we called Gaggia support they were surprised to hear of the issue we were having.

I give it 3 stars due to having a great experience with the unit while it worked...

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West Bend 58030 12-30 Automatic Party Perk Save 38% Off

I have owned 3 West Bend coffee pot just like this since 1991each one lasting at least 8 years with heavy use. I purchased my first to make my own coffee to serve at impromptu receptions that I hosted on sight in my sales job. I use a gallon of bottled water, nice paper filters and Maxwell House French Roast coffee. Hundreds of gallons of coffee later I have no complaints! I keep a second pot for teaI have never made coffee in itit is my superior hot water pot. As the other reviewer statesthese pots are hot and the coffee is never cold.

I have thrown parties, family gatherings, and had it in my office serving coffee every day and everyone agreesperked coffee tastes best. I do not care for Starbucks the strong acid is not my thing. I prefer a strong cup of perked coffee. The percolator allows the coffee to actually cook which reduces the acid.Anything leftover from morning gets put into a pitcher and into the fridge for iced coffee in the afternoonit is so yummy! For smaller quantity the Westbend home percolators are greatnot your grandma''s machine they have nice easy to read and follow settings and again the superior flavor over drip.This unit is easy to cleando not let the size intimidate you.

This coffee maker 58030 is far better than was anticipated before having bought it. It has performed well.

As with so many reviews of different items,you truly only know the best reviews of items after a longer period of time.

Reviews later could be quite different than today for anyone.

My only concerns to consider as time passes is the performance of the Faucet lever which could potentially break.Not really confident that the lever will withstand countless usage.May be valid perception,just not quite sure.

Just in case,the lever assembly segment is called, Part # P69-104D

If one day,the lever fails,order the lever earlier as a backup or order the part instead of trashing the entire maker.

Other part numbers to be considered are as followed.

P947-20D is handle kit for two sides with screws

P122-45 is the black colored tray for placing your coffee onto it

L5590 is the operator manual incase you ever would want another.

P172-49D is the stem assembly that stands up inside coffeemaker. The stem kindof looks like a lower quality type of metal and looks gross after a short period of time.

P193-74 is the detachable plug with folks may lose if they were possibly moving to a new home.

P306-2 is that gigantic black cover that turns as a lid.

This feedback is to assist anyone from trashing this beast afterwards.

Coffee tastes well using the West Bend 58030 maker,last cup or two may include grinds residue.

To date, am pleased with this coffeemaker.

For you,price match for least competitive pricing. Do not assume Amazon or anyone will not upon occasion jack up the price.

For Amazon,do not price yourself away from the getting the sale.This coffeemaker is sold at countless outlets.

I located part numbers at

Not aware if pricing for parts are competitive.

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I posted the review below some time ago, saying that the product could not be used for heating water. However, I have found that the current models CAN be used for heating water, and my new one is just as good as the one that I had many years ago. Note -the person at customer service told me that the "well" at the bottom needs to be scrubbed frequently in order to keep the water hot.

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I had a similar model that that gave 10 years of excellent service, heating water for tea and keeping it hot for long periods. Unfortunately the spout started to leak so I had to replace it. I used this new product twice, for heating water, and then it died. The customer service reps told me it was designed to be used only for coffee, and they claimed that using it for water actually voided the warranty. My instruction manual did not give any indication at all that the product should not be used for water. It seems to me that, since so many people use these for purposes other than making coffee, and since other brands can be used for these purposes, the description on Amazon.com should disclose that the West Bend has limited uses.

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From reading other reviews I wasn''t sure wether it would be suitable for Shabbat or not (i.e keeping it running 24 hours over the sabbath). But after having used it for most of the year, almost every week, it works great. I recommend it as a Shabbat urn (i.e for up to 24 hours use straight).

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Mine works just fine I have no complaints, and I recommend it. I do have two things to note, however.

First, the capacity (12-30 cups) is based on the assumption that a cup is 5 ounces in size. That''s really small an official "cup" is 8 ounces, and most people use a 10 ounce coffee mug. So, you should probably think of it as more of an "8-15 cup capacity" machine.

Second, the owner''s manual recommends how much ground coffee to use in the pot these recommendations gave me VERY strong coffee. It may take some experimenting to come up with the right recipe.

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Sprite ARC Replacement Royale All In One Shower Filter Save 26% Off

• Reduces Chlorine, Rust Water, Dirt, Sediment
• Cartridge Life Rating: Up to 9 Months depending on water quality in your area
• Ideal for Preserving Color-Treated Hair
• Ph Balanced
• Reduces Scale Build-Up On Tiles And Glass

If you want to stop scraching your hand, arms and your body. Make it look and feel softer, specially your face, hair and your feet, then use this filter to clean the water.

You buy the best drinking bottle water available to drink, why not consider the same principal for your hair, face and entire body.

Thanks to Amazon, this will always be available at low priced at your fingertip.Royale All-In-One Cartridge ARC Replacement Filter for the Sprite Royale series shower filters

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Cleaned my shower to squeaky clean as I wanted to test any mineral build up. 30 days later, my hair looks great, skin isn''t dry and I don''t have to clean the shower as much. Buy the shower filter!

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This filter fit in the Sprite showerhead I bought from Lowe''s. I really love taking a shower without inhaling chlorine!

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Keurig Signature Brewer Machine

so far so good on this, only drawback wish the biggest cup was 12 oz, but I have learned to work around that, so if you want a bigger serving you may want to go ahead and purchase the Vue system that allows you to make a larger cup and choose your coffee strengths.

No waste, with our regular coffee maker we were always throwing out unused coffee.

You also get a variety of samples, wish they had put some hot chocolate samples in it, and more teas. We do not care for the bold coffee, so far our choice is the Nantucket and the Hazelnut.

Others have made comments about the noise, it does make a noise when pumping and heating the water, it is not as bad as some make it out to be.

I also recommend you invest in a couple of the Ekocups they are wonderful & easy to use.

I did a lot of research and this machine is the best value.. It is great that you get 36 k cups and

the filter and the my k cup (although ekobrew works better) All in All a great bargain and the free

shipping is very nice

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we are going on 1 yr with this machine and its starting to fall apart. It makes maybe 2 cups before it stops completely and maybe those 2 cups are half full. I spent alot on this for it to last only 1 yr doesn''t sound right but it just plain keeps not working. Happy the first 6 mos but now very unhappy.

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The Keurig was a Christmas gift for my Mom. She LOVES it. Would definitely recommend to others.

Instead of her usual 2-3 cups of coffee in the morning, she loves trying new coffee, now drinks 4-5 cups.

Now she even enjoys a cup of decaf in the evening.

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I love my new Keurig !!! I''m having a lot of fun trying all the different favors of coffee and tea. Plus don''t have the hassle of cleaning coffee grounds nor wasting coffee because I made too much.

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Brita Space Saver Pitcher

I bought this to save money on bottled water and to reduce waste. Makes fresh, clean water. Only 2 complains about it are...

1) Flap on spout is flimsy--VERY! It seems like it''s hanging on by a thread. I lost it already once and Brita was great...I called and they sent me out a whole new lid at no charge (which I didn''t necessarily need but that''s how they do it.)

2) Over flow goes into handle and will leak everywhere. I guess having an over flow run off is good but it can be annoying to wait for it to: A) drain and B) have it leak all over (it just drains out of bottom of the handle). I just try to be careful not to over fill to avoid this annoyance.

Besides that, great product. Filters can be expensive but if you''re willing to look, you can find a good price now and then. CVS also sells universal filters that fit this and other brand pitchers. I bought them in a pinch and they seem to work just as well. Bonus bottle is great, I use it almost everyday.

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Liquid Plumr Heavy-Duty Clog Remover Save 23% Off

• America''s number one drain opener.
• Unique patented thick formula goes through standing water straight to the clog.
• More active ingredients than other drain openers.
• Safe on disposals, septic and plastic pipes.

I''m no plumber. In fact, I''m not the least bit handy. And, I have no expertise in this area.

However, I''ll just tell you what I do. It works for me. Wait till the sink is drained, or bail it out if you have to. Then poor in the liquid plumber and let it just sit. Meanwhile, boil a pot of water. Like a big soup pot. Then, after the liquid plumber has been doing it''s thing, absorbing it''s way into your clog, for a good fifteen or twenty minutes, you poor in the boiling water. It does something, activates the chemicals or something, but the combination seems to work well. But wait till the kids are asleep or at a neighbors house, burns from scalding water and chemical burns are no joke. Sorry, I wouldn''t have slept well though if I didn''t throw that in.

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This was the first time I''ve ever had to use a liquid plumber and I was really impressed with how quickly it worked. I had a slow draining bathroom sink and per the instructions, you pour a certain amount into the drain and let it cook in there for about 15 minutes then flush with HOT water. I just happend to have a new coffee pot that I also purchased so I used the water in that which was being used to clean it on its first go around so after the 15 minutes were up I poured down the hot water and amazingly I could hear the clog move then the drain was clear. I definatly recommend this product!

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I had to buy a 2-pack at Costc*, and it initially worked pretty good on my showers/sink drains (didn''t dissolve hair).

I stored the rest in my cool basement for a year+When I went to use it again it was a solid gel, and the white chemical... had separated. No amount of vigorous shaking would mix it up again!

BTW15min wait is NOT long enough to dissolve all the gunk..., in many Badly clogged drains (overnight is best!)!

I also run HOT water for a couple of minutes "Before" adding drain cleaner (after too).

The boiling water after using sounds like a good idea, to help dissolve/wash away the gunk...

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Kishu Charcoal Pitcher Stick

I live in Washington DC and our street water comes from the Potomac River. Yup what they flush in Cumberland or Harper''s Ferry Maryland is what we get served to drink in the Nation''s Capitol.

During dry Summers the faucet water gets visibly cloudy and even smells, really disgusting.

Your choices are to buy bottled water or use a good filter.

Being urban I do not have a car so I have to carry everything from the grocery. Bottles are a nuisance and expensive. And aren''t those plastic bottles some kind of oil petrified in a state hat doesn''t bio degrade well anyway? So I use filters. I have Britta and PUR.

With Britta I have to guess when they are used up plus half of the Britta pitcher is the "drip tank." So for the given volume you get half as much water.

The faucet mounted PUR is handy and has a light to indicate when it is used up. How does it know? Anyway both are not inexpensive and both result in tossing more plastic.

I learned about the Kischu from a news story I stumbled on on a Denver television station. I bought a couple and tried one out.

I use a covered pitcher really a non-PABA water bottle.

I pour my glass of water then add new and put back in the refer.

I drink over a gallon of water a day and after 3 months I have boiled it once.

( It began to look grayish until boiled )

Seems to work fine, no bad taste and the water is clear and no plastic to carry out!

I recommend.

I put my Kishu stick in my stainless steal water bottle that I take with me every where. No need to buy water in plastic bottles ever again. Thank you for such a perfect solution!

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This is an elegant and simple to use system for purifying

tap water. It''s also esthetically pleasing when used in anKishu Charcoal

attractive glass bottle, such as that shown in the photograph.

It was for me the intelligent move after using the bulky and

expensive plastic Brita system for all these years.

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I started using Kishu about 6 months ago. WAY COOLER THAN A BRITA! My friends love it, no BPAs, and its got character. I just drop the charcoal in any pitcher I want and I''m good to go for a few months. I know the Japanese use products like this frequently (I saw a whole store devoted to different charcoals when I was in Tokyo). I''m surprised more people don''t use it in the States. It''s just so much more unique, inexpensive and flexible than any of the mainstream products currently on the market. And it does the same thing just as well, if not BETTER.

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We enjoy drinking from this elegant pitcher that provides clean, filtered water. So much easier than the multipure that needs to have the filter changed. Thanks for the easy use of Kishu Charcoal.

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Jura-Capresso 13936 Impressa S9 Fully Automatic Coffee and Espresso Center

A couple of previous reviews complained about blockages that quickly developed in their machines. I had the same problem after less than a month of use, where the brewed coffee would drip out very slowly, threatening to cease altogether. I told my wife she should return the machine, but she called Jura''s customer service number, which is printed on the cover of the instruction booklet. The representative gave her a fix which is not mentioned in the troubleshooting section of the manual. It''s difficult to describe, but it involves removing the grounds tray, poking a finger up through the chute and finding damp grounds that are stuck by a screen there. They can be wiped away with a paper towel and that should clear up the problem.

Otherwise, I recommend reading fhimas88888888''s review for realistic advice, especially about the lifespan of a machine. This is my second super-automatic espresso machine, as a Saeco awaits repairs before becoming an office machine for my wife. They make very good coffee and espresso with relative ease and convenience. They''re also great conversation pieces, although by now I find it tedious to demonstrate the machine for awed guests. If you love espresso, lattes, etc., the price of a super-automatic machine is worth it, although you can find one for less than half the cost of this Jura. I give the machine four stars because I wouldn''t want to live without it, but I''m withholding a fifth star because I suspect competing machines are virtually as good.

This machine boasts A LOT of features! It has a dual boiler system that allows you to go back and forth from brewing to steaming without a wait time (although you can''t do them at the same time). It has a bypass doser which allows you to add preground coffee. It has a rinse cycle that comes on when you turn the machine on. You can also program the machine to certain amounts of water to go through the coffee when you press a certain button. You can also have it turn on at a certain time and turn off at a certain time. There is a stylish blue backlight that looks wonderful on the machine. The machine also has a wonderful milk steamer that with the automatic frother and with the steamer itself allows wonderful steaming with ease.

Now my complaints. The steamer cannot get the milk anywhere as hot as my Expobar Office Control (semi automatic) or my old Rancilio Silvia (semi automatic). Also the froth quality is very bad with the automatic air injectors. This machine can only get the milk up to around 160, and after that the foam quality decreases.

The machine is HUGE! Before you even think about buying the machine (and if you do buy this machine, buy it online without tax) go to a place like William Sonoma and see the machine. Also it is helpful to try the coffee that is produced by the machine. The machine looks much different up close then in the Capresso glorified pictures.

The espresso quality is uncomparable to espresso from a semi automatic. I have an Expobar Office Control that was bout 800 dollars. This machine is very similar to the ones that you see at your cafe, with the programmed buttons but with a portafilter where one must grind and tamp the coffee themselves. This machine I get much superior crema, aroma, and espresso quality. When I went to try the coffee at Williams Sonoma from the S9, it was uncomparable.

Finally, the price. This machine is way overpriced for what you are getting. Although it does have some nice features, all of them can be seen on the S7, which is exactly the same machine, just is black and doesn''t come with the automatic frother, which can be purchased for about 80 bucks.

In conclusion.... This is a great machine and can produce a good cup, not a great cup, but a good cup. Spending the big bucks doesn''t guarentee better coffee. Any super automatics in the 500 and up price range will produce the same quality coffee, just some will have more features. If you are looking for a good machine, the Gaggia Syncrony Compact can basically do everything that this does minus a few things (and is MUCH smaller) and goes for about 1500 less. Remember, all super automatics can only last about 5-7 years depending on their usage and care, so remember that before buying. This machine will not last anywhere near a lifetime. Don''t get me wrong, this is a great machine, but there are many others out there that can give you the same convenience, reliability, and a price tag much smaller, that will still give you the same quality cup of espresso.

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I purchased this machine''s predecessor, the Jura S90, about 4 years ago. Since no one''s owned an S9 for that long, it''s hard to say for certain what the maintenance costs for the S9 will be, but I thought those considering buying it might appreciate knowing that it will likely require a certain amount of annual or biennial maintenance.

The S90 has one part that needs replacing after approximately every 2000 shots, which in my house means about once every 18 months. There are also seals and similar parts that again will need service periodically. This machine appears to be mechanically very similar to the S90, so it will likely have similar maintenance characteristics.

Over the last 4 years, I''ve had the machine serviced twice by Jura, and once by a local repairman. The cost of repairs was around two hundred dollars including parts each time... My front panel switches are also starting to misbehave, though, so the next repair may be more expensive.

This machine costs enough (and is good enough) to be worth repairing, but if you''re expecting a machine to last the ages without any repairs, you''ll likely be disappointed.

I can''t really fault the machine for needing periodic maintenance, though. You could get a commercial machine with heavy-duty parts for 2-3 times the price, and that would need periodic maintenance, too (though the parts would last longer). Just be aware that by buying a high end machine, you''ve moved out of the "disposable" machine range and into the "pay to fix it" range. "Never needs fixing" doesn''t exist.

As to the quality of the coffee, I''ve tried this one, and the quality is the best I''ve tasted from a super-automatic.

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We''re among three people we know who own these now, plus our local cooking supply store; their praise for this machine is universal. The quality of coffee it makes far exceeds any other method or machine I''ve ever used. Why?

Inspecting the grounds that I have to empty about twice a week gave me an extraordinary insight; the grounds have virtually no smell at all! The machine apparently extracts every bit of flavor and aroma from the bean and leaves grounds that might as well be vaguely damp, black sawdust. If it''s in the beans, in other words, it ends up in your cup, and you get the complete experience promised by your favorite bean and roast.

Every cup (and we make mostly "standard" cups of coffee) is graced with a crema that makes the first two or three sips a true guilty pleasure. Every cup is perfectly fresh, and since you make each cup one at a time there''s never leftover coffee thickening at the bottom of the drip coffeemaker. Every coffee bean that passes through the S9 shows its individual character in ways that drip and percolators could never let you experience. The steam wand uses a venturi effect to draw up cold milk and mix it with raw steam to make good, hot foam and steamed milk it''s a strong feature that works very well.

Sure, if you don''t use the included water filters the machine will nag you after every 200 cups to run an automatic cleaning cycle. But the machine cleans itself, for crying out loud, taking all of about 15 minutes every month or two. And every 2000 cups, as I recall, it asks for a deeper cleaning to remove any lime or calcium buildup down deep inside also essentially automatic.

The downsides are few but must be noted in fairness. It''s very loud and the sounds are somewhat harsh; surprising at first. It''s big. It costs a lot of money. Worst of all, once you start drinking this stuff it''s impossible to completely enjoy coffee at a restaurant or local coffee bar. The restaurant probably makes drip, and the coffee bar using a big espresso machine rarely uses the high quality of beans that you''d use at home. Buyer beware: you''ll get spoiled.

And I''m ready to buy a second one for my office.

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At first, we were very pleased with the machine. It makes very flavorful coffee and is easy to use. After less than one year, it developed a blockage so we had to return it for repair. This first repair was under the warranty period so we weren''t terribly disappointed. Now, one year later, it has developed the exact same blockage and the minimum cost to repair it is $150. When trying to reason with the Capresso service rep. saying that it has developed the same blockage, the reply was, "sorry mam, it will be $150."

We originally bought the machine when it was $2400 and expect better performance than this. It appears that the cost is the upfront investment plus $150 per year to keep it working. We will not be buying any Capresso products in the future!

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LightAir IonFlow Air Purifier Save 40% Off

I bought this unit and let it run for a number of days and began to wonder why nothing significant occured. I then started a process of asking "Who has reviewed this product that I can read about?" and "what information does this very same company put out that is verifiable, complete and independant?" And then....I got my answers!

1. Every technical reference on their own web page has a broken link. Every Chart, every supposed techinical paper that speaks directly to THEIR product is absent. Want endless papers about all things OTHER THAN their product''s verifiable performance? Then go to the IONAIR website.

2. The only reference I was able to find on no OZONE generation was a single page doc from VLL. THEY DID A 3 HOUR TEST!...thats right 3 hours.

3. Consummer Report finally did a review on THIS VERY UNIT and they CAME IN LAST as the worst performing unit. Consummer Report went as far to say, and I quote, "The IONFLO did even a worse job of cleaning the air" followed by, get ready folks, "the IONFLO air cleaner was about as effective at removing dust and smoke AS HAVING NO AIR CLEANER AT ALL!"

See it for yourself here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3BJVIJh2qA

Heartbreaking to be taken in by a Danish Design Scam, mine went straight back and I begin the process all over again.

This isn''t an air cleaner, its a scam for folks that want to believe something their own eyes are telling them is false.

The LightAir IonFlow 50S Air Purifier is that rarest of finds; a product that is everything it claims to be and more. I have tried many air purifiers over the years with various results. I noticed over time that they fell into one of the following categories:

1. Essentially worthlessunable to do its job. Usually because of a poor design or by being underpowered.

2. DisposableQuite a few air purifiers would be fine for a while and then lose effectiveness or stop working completely (usually within the 1st year of ownership). Typically the craftsmanship would be poor and the materials used would be cheap. Customer service would be a joke as well, so trying to fix one of these was a nightmare.

3. OverpricedVery common category. The advertising would promise the moon, but the reality was that you were paying an extremely high price for mediocrity. Typically includes an ongoing cost for filters as well.

4. Esthetically DeficientI mean seriously loud, ugly, huge, heavy, dirty, a hassle to clean, or all of the above.

I wish I had the patience to actually categorize each of the air purifiers I have tried so that you would stay away from them, but the best I can do is to say that the ONLY air purifier that I have ever owned that has done its job exactly as advertised while remaining totally silent, is easy to clean, has nothing to periodically replace and is actually stylish enough that many find it attractive is this one right here: the LightAir IonFlow 50S. Now that I have found it and put it to the test, there is no other air purifier that I would own. Period. It''s in a category all by itself....Pound for Pound the Best Air Purifier on the market today.

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I''ve been on the hunt for a good air cleaner for my home office, since I work there for hours every day. And living a block from an international airport, air quality is important for me. Seeing that the general reviews were in favor of this air cleaner, I decided to give it a try, as expensive as it was. The shipping was impeccably fast, and received it in two business days.

Now upon opening it, the product itself didn''t feel like a high quality product. Many of the parts are simple plastic, and putting it together was a simple case of slipping plastic tubing into place. Nothing "snaps" together, it all just stands on top of each other. For something as much as $380, I expected a design more sturdy and elegant. I didn''t put together the protective guard, but every single piece of it was crudely cut plastic. The power switch doesn''t smoothly toggle; it feels like something you''d find at a dollar store.

But now those are just cosmetics, so let me move on to performance. I gave it a 48 hour test run, to see if my dusty 121 square foot room would improve. It didn''t seem to collect much of the dust in the room. The positive metal attractor still looks fairly clean, meaning it''s not grabbing everything. I haven''t seen any direct improvements. There''s no fresh "ionized" smell of any kind, though I can see the purifier is doing it''s work. When I walk into the room, I expect to instantly find a noticeable difference on my first breath. After 48 hours, I still have yet to find that freshness.

VERDICT:

OK, so if this thing were $50 or lower, I can see it being worth it''s money. It DOES work, as it''s ionizing and attracting dust, which is why it gets that extra star. However it isn''t doing it effectively enough to see any difference, certainly not for how small a room it''s working in, and CERTAINLY not enough to support it''s incredibly expensive market price.

If you have any kind of asthma or allergies, this purifier is not going to be very effective; keep looking for something else.

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The only difficulty is this product is finding where to place it. Placement is required to be at least 1 meter from a wall and all electronics. But with that being said, when you find a place for it, its quiet, does not require expensive hard to find filters, and is very aesthetically pleasing. My only wish is that the lights would come in a different color than blue. Once you get over the initial sticker shock, you will be very pleased with the purifier. I have a pug, live Oceanside and am not the best housekeeper in the world, but I luv this product. I can not believe what I clean off of it weekly.

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As I received my air purifier, I thought if nothing else, it was an interesting modern-looking decorative piece of, well, I''m not exactly sure WHAT, but it certainly does look modern. Unfortunately thats about all it does. I put it together, using the not-so-decent included assembly guide (it looked to me as though if I could read French or Spanish I would''ve been a lot better off--but since I don''t, I''ll never know for sure) and it took awhile to assemble this one particular piece that, when all is said and done, really does absolutely NOTHING. Don''t know why it was included at all. If I had looked more carefully at the picture on the front of the box it came in, I would''ve saved a lot of time by not assembling it in the first place. Honestly, I have ZERO clue what it is or why it was included.

I turned the unit on and let it do its thing for a good 4-5 days now and I cannot tell in the slightest whether it cleans the air or just sucks electricity. Seriously, is there even a way to prove that it does anything of what it claims to do? Other than generate a slight static electric shock if you get too close (which IS its own form of entertainment when my little boys get nearby) as well as provide a minor night light for navigating our dining room in the dark, this device seemingly does nothing at all that I have been able to verify. If it really DOES clean the air, I have not been able to tell one bit. For those who require for various reasons purified air, I would seriously look elsewhere or at the very least, take it someplace that can actually measure--if possible--whether or not it cleans anything other than your pocketbook.

I am grateful that I had the chance to receive this through the Vine Program, because had I actually paid for it, I would have taken it back almost immediately. Food for thought.

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Daniel Green Women''s Portia Scuff

I just received these today, earlier than I expected and they are everything I hoped for and more! They are just as pictured and the sizing is great. They are well made, adorable and oh-so-COMFORTABLE! I was especially pleased that the footbed is very soft and has support b/c I have a pain disorder and my feet especially ache. These really make my feet feel delicious : )

I had a pair of similar slippers from an excellent store in Maine; maybe you''ve ''beane'' there? They drove me crazy because if there was any detritus on the floor (like a crumb of errant dog food), they would somehow flip it into the slipper and it was like The Princess and the Pea...it was really irritating. I tolerated them until the slippers finally started to wear out. I have to give the company credit for making a durable product, but I was glad to have a legitimate excuse to get new slippers. When these first arrived (I got them in navy) my first thought was that they''re really cute and a little whimsical. I liked the braided edging. When I first put them on, I thought they were too tight, and checked the size. Then I remembered how loose the old ones were and decided to give them a break-in period. Glad I did. They''re very comfortable now. They have better support than the old ones did, and that little rise on the back is enough to keep ''stuff'' out of the slipper. The Princess is happy now. The End.

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I bought these scuffs for my daughter for Christmas and she absolutely loves them. They are true to size and very comfortable. She is very happy with the design as she can also wear them to make a quick trip to the store. I would highly recommend this product.

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Despite reading the reviews about these slippers running small, I went on and ordered them in a size 6 (the size I normally order slippers in) because I have quite a narrow and small foot. I can even fit into some 5 and 5 1/2 size shoes. So, I figured they''d be just right. These slippers do run VERY small. I am sure they will stretch out a bit but I wish I had taken the advice of the other reviewers and ordered one size up. Beyond the fact that they are a bit snug, they are super cute and very comfy on the inside. I love that the soles are cushy yet would be resilient for a quick run out to the mailbox. Definitely worth the price but order a size up for complete comfort.

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These slippers in person look the same as in the picture. They are very cute and almost run true to size but are actually a bit small. I''d read the other reviews that said they run small but others say they stretch out after wearing so I went with my regular size 7 (sometimes size 6.5) but they fit exactly if not a bit small. I''d like to slide my foot into the slipper but I always have to adjust the back each time I put them on and I think with a bigger size I wouldn''t have to. I can''t wear socks with these either. So if you plan to wear socks and are iffy of what size to order I''d recommend the bigger size.

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Matrikx Brand Compatible Carbon Pre and Post RO Filter to replace GE FX12P

• Made in USA
• 1983

Seem to be good quality, and cheaper than GE. I do wish it was clearer which cartridge went where (I''ve long since lost the owners manual.

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when I recieved the filters I found that one filter was as pictured and made in the usa, the other filter was different and made in china, weather the second filter is inferior or not, regaurdless the seller does not specify that they are selling two different types , one is made in china only Made in USA , were also taped together with packing tape, I could have bought imported filters for alot cheaper, I feel I was misslead, on a positive note the water tastes good How long the imported filter will last Remains to be seen

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Arrived on schedule. Was easy to install worked as advertised. These are much less expensive than the ones available at Home Depot.

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Bona® Hardwood Floor Cleaner Gallon Pre-Mixed

When we first installed our wood flooring we tryed many different products that was not doing the professional job we wanted. Once we tried Bona Hardwood Cleaner we loved it and and will not use anyother cleaner on our floors.

Love Bona, best cleaning solution for my laminates.Does excellent job and save and reliable. I have been using it for 3 years now and tried someother brands but just keep coming back again and again.

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Love this product. It works great on the hardwood floor. Works great with the Rubbermaid microfiber mop I use it with. Like it..

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Great cleaner, only one I will use on my newly replaced hardwood floors. It was the only cleaner that my hardwood floor expert said he would ever use. It works great!!

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I tried another hardwood floor cleaner & wasn''t happy with it, so I called the manufacturer of my new hardwood floor & they recommended Bona. I purchased a gallon of the cleaner that came with a free 22 oz spray. I had been cleaning on my hands & knees with rags & did get a decent result, but it was too much work! So I recently purchased the Bona mop with a dusting pad & cleaning pad at my local hardware store. Finding the mop with pads without a bottle of cleaner worked great for me because I already had the gallon.

I used the mop today & love the results! In my opinion this is a great product. I called Bona to make sure I was supposed to ''wet'' the cleaning pad because I thought I should never use water on my floor. I reached someone right away, which is unusual when calling an 800 help line! and it was very helpful she assured me that I could lightly dampen the pad & rinse it out as needed, this wasn''t too much water for my floor. The end result was a natural shine & my floor really does look clean!

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