What is the Best Coffee Grinder?

Is the best coffee grinder the one that lasts forever or the one that you wish would last forever?  The very first coffee been grinder I ever owned was a Christmas gift from my father-in-law 25 years ago. This small, electric Krups Coffee Bean Grinder still works as good as it did since the first day we used it. It is the best coffee grinder based on reliability. This is amazing considering the number of times I overfilled the small storage bin and had to use a thin knife to pry it open. Once coffee is ground in an overfilled grinder, they tend to become very hard to open. This problem lends itself to analyzing the second part of my opening statement. Is my highly durable coffee bean grinder one of those appliances I wish would last forever? I can't say that it is for one reason: It is too small. Don't get me wrong; our Krups Coffee Bean Grinder is plenty big enough to grind enough beans for one, 12-Cup Pot of Coffee. The problem is that over the years, the novelty of grinding beans prior to brewing a pot of coffee has worn a little thin with me. I'm a little bit tired of having to scoop beans into the coffee grinder, plug it into the kitchen wall outlet then make a tremendous amount of noise grinding them for the next 30 seconds while people are trying to watch television in the adjoining den. My favorite coffee is still the "Roasted by Starbucks" brand at Costco which comes only in the whole bean variety. I would prefer it if were pre ground and I could simply use my air-tight canisters to keep it fresh. Once the bag of coffee beans is already open, I don't see how it can be kept any fresher. I'd prefer to grind larger batches of coffee beans at a time. I also get a little bit sick of having to plug the coffee grinder into the wall, then deal with wrapping up the messy cord. As I've mentioned before, I loathe electric cords and cables. Unfortunately, the Braun is a well made indestructible coffee maker which has never given me enough reason to replace it. While I've tolerated all of these years, I started wondering if there was a bigger, larger Industrial or Commercial Coffee Grinder that would grind an entire bag of coffee at one time? Or, perhaps there is a battery or hand crank coffee grinder that could make the job at least more convenient, if not easier. Sounds like it's time for a review on Coffee Bean Grinders. Best Coffee Grinder? Here are a few of the popular brands and models. I've also included some of the other types; hand crank coffee grinder, battery coffee grinder, etc.. If you're looking for cheap coffee grinders, they will be covered at the very end of this review and the results may surprise you. The Best Coffee Grinder is not the most expensive. Read the rest of this entry

Kindred Sinks Review

What is the Best Kitchen Sink: Kindred Sinks?

Kindred Sinks Review

I've gotta be honest, Kindred Sinks are quality through and through. Quality doesn't come cheap, however. A double-sided, stainless steel Kindred Sink will set you back $400 - $500. Fortunately, if you're in the market for one, you can find them much cheaper. Check out the auction sales below on Kindred Sink Products. If you're still undecided, you can scroll down below the auction sales and read about my own personal experience with kindred sinks. Read the rest of this entry

Insinkerator 444 Dies

Insinkerator Evolution Compact

This morning, my InSinkerator 444 Disposal Unit conked out. It made some electrical humming noises, but the motor wouldn't turn. I followed the trouble shooting guide on the InSinkerator website; turning the key and pressing the button at the bottom of the unit, but to no avail. Also, I smelled electrical fumes coming from the InSinkerator 444. It was most certainly bad. I looked up the serial number on the InSinkerator website and learned it was built in 2002 and long past its 4-year warranty period. I would have to buy another sink disposal in a hurry. I did about a 1-hour research cram on Sink Disposal companies and came up with the following conclusions. Read the rest of this entry

Kraus Faucets

Why are you Looking for Kraus Faucets?

If you're one of those persons that just has to HAVE something that doesn't resemble what it is supposed to be, Kraus Faucets are for you.
Kraus makes good faucets, but they give you one thing above anything else: Style

Kraus Faucets Under Review

My own, 21 year old home came with an interesting mixture of plumbing appliances. There are some contemporary ones such as the Arwa Faucet in my kitchen and the Toto Toilets in two of my bathrooms. Unfortunately, I also have some dinosaurs like the clumsy, 20th century toilets and ancient (20 year old) brass faucets in my master bath. One lesson I learned from decorative appliances is to make sure you can find parts to repair them. If you buy something unique like an Arwa Faucet or Kraus Faucets, make sure you save any documentation and adhere it somewhere in your home near the appliances where it can be found. If you ever sell your house, the new home owner will be extremely appreciative. When my Arwa Faucet began leaking, I had no idea where to look in order to identify the brand name, let alone the parts to repair it. I took several photos of my faucet, but even my local hardware stores couldn't identify the brand from the picture. Most fortunately and miraculously, I was able to identify my Kitchen Arwa Faucet using a Google Image search. I was able to fix my leaky Arwa Faucet by simply purchasing a replacement cartridge from an Arwa dealer in Tucson. Lesson: Google is better at locating faucet parts than your local hardware or plumbing store.

I thought about my experience with the Arwa Faucet as I shopped for something more trendy for my bathroom sink. I must say the Kraus Faucets are the most unique looking home fixtures I've ever seen. Watch the video below. Read the rest of this entry

Oxygenics Shower Head

Oxygenics Shower Head Review

Do you want a high performance shower or do you want so save water? The Oxygenics Shower Head claims to do both. While the Oxygenics Shower Head certainly has the hype, esteem and marketing of a superior product, does it really live up to its billing? I decided to look at some reviews and videos of this popular shower head to see if it really does offer a better shower while lowering the cost of your water bill at the same time. The evidence presented in these videos and demonstrations is pretty convincing.

Oxygenics Shower Head Described

While we shower, we need to get the dirt and grime off of us, but how much water is really required to get the job done? The whole idea behind the Oxygenics Shower Head is to make more efficient use of oxygen in order to get the job done with less water. As the demonstrations indicate, you can save up to 56% of the water you used to need to complete your shower. The result is that less water is needed to get the job done. Obviously, the more people in your family taking showers, the more water you stand to save if you're using an oxygenics shower head. The whole idea is that we're making use of technology and the free resources around us to get a better, faster and more efficient shower. Read the rest of this entry

Home Warranty

Old Republic Home Warranty

Should I get a Home Warranty?

Are Home Warranty Plans worth the money?  This is much like Extended Car Warranties. There are literally dozens of companies that sell home warranty protection plans to cover the cost of repairs and maintenance of household things that tend to break such as appliances, heaters, air conditioners, washers, dryers, garage door openers, plumbing, pipes, swimming pool equipment and more.  Old Republic Home Warranty is the most often heard name in the business because they have a large network of service.  Product Review Ratings attempts to break the more common ones down. You name it and you can buy a warranty for it, regardless of its age or condition, though the price and cost will vary. There are a number of companies that provide these home warranty plans and though the pricing between them all is pretty much equal, the quality of service is obviously not. When I decided to look into a home warranty protection plan, a co-worker of my recommended his own service plan with Colorado-based Blue Ribbon Home Warranty. It is always nice to have a referral from someone you know, but how would they compare to the nationwide companies like Old Republic Home Warranty or First American Home Warranty? These were the two names that kept coming up in my search results for Home Warranty plans on Google.  Old Republic Home Warranty Protection has been around since 1974 and their name and extensive coverage in the United States is well documented. I quickly learned, that there are numerous other home warranty companies to compare, but a bigger question kept nagging at me:

 

Old Republic Home Warranty

Is Popular Better? If so, take a look at Old Republic Home Warranty

Assuming the Old Republic Home Warranty is one of the better ones on the market, would it be worth the investment and fixed monthly or yearly cost to obtain one of their Home Protection plans? How much peace of mind am I buying and how reliable is the service? A little bit of my own recent history is in order: Read the rest of this entry