Appliance Reviews

This is the my second Panasonic Microwave. I bought the first one from Circuit City and it stopped working after about a month. Unfortunately Circuit City wouldn't take it back as it was over 30 days since I bought it. I called Panasonic and they asked me to mail it to them to fix it. Thankfully I had kept the box. I mailed it to them and wrote a letter to the customer service asking for a replacement as it stopped working in about a month. They wrote me back saying they wouldn't replace it and would repair it. Anyway the fixed it and send it back.

I wanted a bigger one and was shopping around. Aparently I hadn't learned my lesson yet. I saw a good deal on Amazon for this Microwave with a rebate from Panasonic. Against my wife's advice I decided to order this. Yesterday, I was cleaning it and found that the enamel coating inside the microwave is peeling away exposing the metal inside. This thing is barely six months old. I have to call them and I am sure mail it to them for repair. It's not going to be fun. Anyway, this is the last Panasonic Product I will ever buy. !!!!

I shopped around online & in person quite a bit and bought the comparable Sharp model from a big box retailer. It sounded like a jumbo jet taking off when the microwave was running. It went back the next day. I read a couple customer reviews bashing Panasonic so I bought something else. Big mistake. I purchased the Pan NN-S753WF from Amazon and had a great experience. I could not be happier with the Microwave or my experience with Amazon. In fact, I hope they accept my apologies for shopping somewhere else originally. There is one model bigger (2.2 cu ft) if you have giant needs you might get that one, but this microwave would be excellent for 99% of people out there.

My husband got this for me last christmas and I've used it an average of twice a week since then(for almost a year). This is my first crock pot, and I've really enjoyed it. The good points about this crock pot, other than the low price, are the same good points you'll find for any slow cooker I belive. I can cook a wide variety of bean dishes, stews, spageti sauces, a whole chicken(it's a snug fit, but it can be done), chili, roasts and more without burning them. Before getting this crock pot, I had never been able to cook decent beans. Now bean soups, ranch style beans, blackeye peas are household favorites.

The size is a good one for a small family. We're a family of four, and I've found that if I make a full pot of something with this we usually have plenty of leftovers for lunches or another meal. It has a plastic lid, which does well in the dishwasher, but there is sometimes gapping since it doesn't fit snugly. I haven't found that to be a big problem though.

Bad Point: You can't remove the crock part, which I do not like. This makes it more of a hassle to clean. I will be getting another crock pot and will deffinitly not get another one without a removable crock.

I own this crockpot and it works very well. I do find it too small to make a pot roast in. You can make a roast, but if you want to add potatos and carrots forget it. I use mine for beans. It makes plenty of beans for 6-8 people. I do not like the fact you cannot remove the crock. It make cleanup a chore, as you have to be careful not to get the electrical parts wet. I own the larger oval unit made by Rival, with the removable crock and make my pot roast and corned beef etc. in it. Clean up is a snap. I also like to prepare my food the night before, put it in the removable crock in fridge, and start the food in the morning.
This crockpot works well but is too small.

We purchased this unit in March, 2003 (with a one year warranty). Suddenly, in December, it stopped working. Since, we have been back and forth to the Sanyo appointed service agent three times, spoke to Sanyo respresentatives on the phone numerous times, and the unit is still with the service shop. It does not seem that the problem is fixable! Sanyo's support has been quite bad. They have not returned phone calls as promised; have not follow-up even though they promised to; and the service shop seems to be clueless!

Update: 3/04. Sanyo has since sent us a new unit.

This is a great microwave. Works great and it's stainless steel...

This is just a normal mid-sized refrigerater, but at a good price. It really doesn't do anything special. It has no special qualities, but if you want a boring old refrigerator I would recomend this recomend this product.

Probably the best small refrigerator on the market. It has a true freezer, It will keep ice cream really frozen in it's separate freezer. The drawback is that you have to flex the door retainer to get a 2 liter bottle in the door, It will fit however. The real advantage to this model is that it is self defrosting in the refregerator section!. If they had allowed better accomodation for 2 liter bottles it would deserve a 5.

I received the T-fal Superclean Safety Fryer for a Christmas gift last year; and I am not impressed with the way you have to open the fryer to retrieve the basket when the food is cooked. When the lid is opened, steam just barrels out all around and you have to reach down inside to reattach the handle to the fryer basket.

My Superclean works great, and NO you don't have to reach inside it to attach the handle. The handle is curved and you squeeze the part that hangs outside of the fryer to attach it. As for the steam, just wait a couple of seconds, it goes away. Just seemed like common sense stuff to me, but there you have it.

As a slow cooker, this works, but the non-stick removable pan has little bumps along the place the lid fits. This means there can't be a anything close to a seal when the unit on turned on. So you get lots of steam escaping, and the recipe you're trying to cook dries out.

I have always found cleaning these pots a pain in the neck because you can't use steel wool or any abrasive cleaner and yet food can stick to it just like any pot that is non-stick. I just about ruined my previous crockpot, which I had for only about a month. How? Well, the instruction booklet had a recipe for rice pudding which specified,in bold letters and numbers, to cook FOR 8-10 HOURS ON HIGH. Yes, I should have realized it was a missprint, but it took 3 days of soaking and scrubbing to get it reasonably clean, and its been a pain to clean since then. Enter the West Bend 85105...

This pot has a 5-quart capacity (which for me is perfect), and is oval in order to accommodate larger cuts of meat. It also has a light which tells you it is on, and has 3 temperature settings - high, low, and "keep warm". The 6 or 7 meals I've prepared in it so far have all come out perfectly, and best of all, IT WAS EXTREMELY EASY TO CLEAN...DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO SOAK IT!!!.

So, the bottom line is unless you need a smaller/larger pot, or enjoy soaking and scrubbing, or would like one with more features (duet, programmable, cool touch, whatever), I would highly recommend this pot to anyone! BTW, IMO these features, except for perhaps cool touch, are nothing but gimmicks.

i am thinking about buying this blender in cabolt blue to go along with other kitchenaid stuff if the same color but these reviews sometime seam to talk about an older model of blender and not this newer one. Yes things do get redisgned over time and replacement parts dryup so don't blame them for not having any. It would be nice when reviewing the product to give the moden number and date purchest so we would know if your reviewing the older or newer models.

KitchenAid KSB5 5-Speed Blender, Cobalt Blue
I received my new blender today and need to show why a lot of these reviews do not imply to this new model blender.
1) Color: Yes the blender looks blue-purplish but this is Cobalt Blue, do not confuse it with navy blue. Yes the lid has a more purplish color than the base but you are comparing a plastic translucent cobalt blue lid that lest light threw it to a metal cobalt blue painted base that does not. The amount of light does effect the lid more than the base but it's not a big deal the colors are very close. Also the color does match my other Cobalt blue KitchenAid appliances I own, Stand Mixer, Chef's Chopper & Coffee Grinder.
2) Plastic Collar: There is none to wear out like on the older blender others have talked about, at lest none I can see or find.
3) The Lid: This lid is not a screw down like on the older blender but a push down lid like on other blenders so this is another sign that the reviews that talk about a screw down lid are referring to the older model. There is a removable cup that is in the middle of the cap like all blenders, twist to lock on and take off. The push down lid holds tight and you might need to remove the center cup to slide a finger underneath it to lift it off.
4) Glass Container: Of course it's heavier than a plastic one but you don't need to be a weight lifter to hold it. I like it better than a plastic one, feels safer and stronger and I know I will not feel scared of anything breaking threw like with plastic ones. There is a deep collar on the container that site deep on the blender base so no fear of the glass container flying off cause you need to pick it straight up. Very good safeties feature if you have kids I think, no way of knocking it off the base.
5) Blades: there is no plastic star wheel like on the older blender that so many have said broke on them. It's the crown type that a metal strip sites in like all other blenders have. The base may be wide and flat but the blades are set lower than the glass base so this should bring the food into them with easy and the blades are big.
6) The Controls: Very different that any other blender I ever had before. First there is an ON & Off button unlike others when you just go to the speed you want to turn the blender on. You must push the ON button that shows a flashing light, which means the blender is ready for use then you pick your speed or function which are labeled. Second the pulse button is it's own button, when you press this it enables a pulse function for all other speeds that when you push there button the blender will run until your finger is removed.

I ordered my blender a few weeks ago, and I haven't stopped using it since it arrived. The first thing I did after pulling it out of the box was to test it with a few cups of ice. I read other reviews which indicated the ice chopping ability was a weakness, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had a pitcher full of snow when I was done. We've used it for making smoothies, batters, dips, and for chopping walnuts so far... and so far, SO GOOD!! I know that not everyone can be pleased with a product, but I am completely pleased. The KitchenAid KSB5 has not disappointed me yet! I would highly recommend this to anyone in the market for a blender that not only looks nice, but works well.

I have had this blender for a little over 3 weeks and I love it. I have been using it almost daily - making shakes, smoothies, pesto and grinding cheese. It grinds ice and fruit beautifully. The clean up is easy and the parts are sturdy. The base is also easy to wipe off since there are no crevices for food or liquid to get caught. I love the cord wrap underneath the blender so that you don't have extra cord all over the countertop.
I have noticed that if you use ice cream or ice, you need to hold the blender jar for the first couple of minutes that you begin blending. Otherwise, the force makes the jar "jump" and make noise. After the initial blending, you can easily walk away and do other things while it finishes.
It's a great product and I am happy with my purchase.

This was a very disapointing purchase. First it is an attractive machine. The bagel toaster part works great. However, that is about it. You have to watch your hands, because the top chrome is not covered around the edges like other toasters and it gets very hot.Unfortunately, the elements to toast do not, unless you are just using the bagel function. It takes awhile to toast.The joke in my family is that I purchased the energy saver toaster. The elements started to go after 4months. The only person who has been happy with the toaster has been the family beagle. The angled slots look neat, but only serve to propel smaller slices of bread out & over the counter into the waiting mouth of the dog...

Are you tired of waiting for the last two pieces of toast when cooking for two in the morning? Perhaps you have a big family and a two-slice toaster and are thinking of buying a larger toaster.

This innovative toaster can accommodate four slices, has super-wide 1 1/4-inch slots and a high-lift function so you won't burn your fingers removing the toast. There is also a cancel button so you can interrupt toasting and a crumb tray slides out so you can easily clean out old dry and burnt crumbs.

As if that wasn't enough, they include a carry handle and the cord stores in the base. The stainless steel body with a chrome finish looks good on the counter and is very stylish. So, what else does this have that other toasters don't? Yes, a defrost and reheat button. Well, get out those frozen waffles! This baby won't burn them!

This toaster toasts just great. There are nice little touches like a pop up button and a keep warm button and my favorite feature is that it won't let you drop the bread if it isn't plugged in...saving me lots of wasted waiting time for toast that awaits electricity! The one feature I don't like very much is that the top isn't flat. I have a small kitchen and miss the extra flat surface I used on occassion with my previous 4 slice toaster. But, that's about it. This toaster toasts great, every slice toasts evenly and both sides work equally well.

YOUR POT IS VERY DANGEROUS THE CARAFE BLEW UP OUT OF THE CLEAR BLUE SKY AND SCARED THE BJESUS OUT OF ME FHANK YOU

Got this coffee maker as a Christmas gift last year. Esthetically pleasing, and the carafe's outer casing stays cool to the touch while the coffee will stay hot for hours. The coffee maker stays "on" only while brewing, but the insulated carafe acts like a thermos to keep coffee hot. The machine itself is "off", which is nice for anyone who has accidently left their coffee machine on and found burnt coffee stuck to the bottom of the pot. Mine came with a permanent filter, and everything is dishwasher safe, which is nice. However, the lid is, I think, extremely difficult to screw on, and I have difficulty knowing when it is open for brewing and pouring and closed to keep coffee warm. Even when open, it pours slowly, so i end up taking the whole lid off to pour. Anyway, it could just be me, but the whole lid thing is aggravating. Also, mine occasionally won't fill the pot, the water just sits in the filter then overflows to the countertops. Must have something to do with lid "open/brew, closed/keep warm" thingy. Again, it could just be me. Over all, a nice machine for the money.

I do not understand some of the complaints from others. I bought this model (glass lined carafe with chrome plastic outside) and have been very pleased with the performance.

Tip: don't fill the carafe with water to pour into the machine. Instead pre-heat the carafe with hot water and use another container to fill the machine.

Coffee stays drinking temperature for about 3 hours. Includes gold-tone filter so you do not have to buy separately. Makes eight 5oz cups (about 4 real mugs). I like the thermal carafe much better than traditional models.

I can't believe all of the negative reviews this product got, so I had to defend it some. It is a much better product than others I've used in this price range. IT IS GREAT ON HARDWOOD OR BARE FLOORS FOR SUCKING UP DOG AND/OR CAT HAIR AND DUST, BUT IT SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR HEAVY USE ON DIRTY CARPETS. I have a short-haired indoor dog that sheds a lot, and it sucks the dog hair up much better than heavier vacuums I've used. It is very light in weight, so it's pretty easy to maneuver or use hand held. The only thing I don't like about it is that it takes a few minutes to effectively clean the dust filter. You must clean this filter every time you use it because it gets nasty from all the small particles it will pick up. As long as you use it with a clean filter it will work good for LIGHT use. If you try to use it in place of a heavy vacuum, it will overheat and shut itself off. It's a lot better than the Dirt Devil models I've used in the past. I think most of the people who trashed this product were expecting a heavy duty vacuum cleaner for $60?

I recently purchased a home with 85% of the house having hardwood floors. Coming from an all carpet apartment I already had a excellent vacuum, but on wood it just made the floor vibrate so hard it didn't do a good job. After months of sweeping and then using 2-3 swifter cloths per room I just got frustratd. My husband saw this "gadget" and had to have it. Well with 3 cats and lots of fur to spare I must say that this little gizmo works well. It does pick up hair, dirt, and even the small leaves that fall from my plants. It does need emptying after each room and the cord is a little on the short side but if you have at least two plugs in a room you should be fine. I also LOVE that it can be turned into a hand vac. I have severe allergies and dusting does no good. So after I vacuum a room I use it to get rid of all the dust in the room and since it has a HEPA filter I highly recommend it to other people with allergies. It is just so much better than trying to lug a huge vacuum around the house.

Wow - this is a great product, with some minor flaws that can be overlooked. This product is perfect for any type of hard surface, ie. hardwoods, vinyl, tile etc. This works some much better and faster than a broom and dust pan. We call it our "electric broom". The product has a lot of power - you can actually use it on a thin carpet and still get good suction, but it doesn't have any bristles like a tradtional vacuum, so it can't get deep into carpets. I think when you weigh the pros against the cons, you will decide to buy it. Here they are:

PROS:
- Very powerful suction, gets dust, hair and anything in its way
- Small, can be easily stored away
- Versatile, can be used like a vacuum or a handheld "dustbuster"
- Easily converts from the two different uses

CONS:
- The filter is a huge mess and is pretty hard to clean, although thats almost every bagless vacuum
- The air that blows out of the side is pretty powerful, so it tends to blow the dirt around before you vacuum it
- The product can get pretty hot (I hope that doesn't mean a bad motor - only time will tell)

As I said, I believe that the pros outweight the cons of this machine and it is very worthwhile to own. I think that you will be as pleased with the Shark as I am.