Appliance. net

Appliance news, reviews, ratings, forums, reports and buyers guides.
Locate repairs and parts. for home and kitchen appliances.

You are here: Home / 2008 / Archives for April 2008

Archives for April 2008

New Miele Dishwasher

By

Miele will debut the new G 2002 La Perla series dishwasher this fall. Engineered to be the quietest Miele dishwashers yet, they also sport a Turbo feature that speeds up wash programs by 10-15%. Sensor Dry, the most advanced drying system on the market, analyzes room temperature to calculate the optimal water heat, rinse aid distribution and drying time. Dinner guests will wow as the Drying Plus feature automatically opens the door to aid in drying while the Auto Close function softly shuts the door to start the process all over again. A finishing touch… the un-mark-able/ remarkable Miele Clean Touch Steel™ beautifully resists scratches, fingerprints and smudges.
Quieter and Faster
The Turbo feature (available on most wash cycles) produces quick, outstanding results by automatically adjusting the temperature of the water in the wash and rinse cycle – reducing the rinse and drying times by 10-15%. More efficient engineering processes have also shortened program cycles and improved sound ratings for quieter performance.

The Luxury of Auto Close
No one is gentle when it comes to closing a dishwasher. Often, it gets “the boot”, “the hip” or “the slam.” No matter how abusive the closing ritual, a Miele La Perla will smoothly, and luxuriously, finish the job automatically so the dishwasher closes securely and correctly. Ok, it’s also really, really cool to watch the motorized door close by itself.


Unique Advanced Drying Features
Miele’s drying process is the most innovative of any dishwasher made today. The Clean Air drying system circulates room air around the exterior cavity in the machine. This pulls moisture from the dishware to the walls of the dishwasher where it drains away. To assist this process, the new Sensor Dry feature measures room temperature so that it can adjust the heat of the water, rinse aid distribution and drying time to maximize performance. Drying Plus opens the door automatically at the end of the cycle to let out moisture and provide superb results, especially for plastics.

Timeless, Smudge-Proof Beauty
Cut down cleaning time for the dishes and the dishwasher as Miele’s Clean Touch Steel™ finish resists fingerprinting, scratches and smudges. A very thin, transparent protective glass treatment is applied to the stainless panel that stands up to aggressive handling – keeping the dishwasher exterior cleaner, longer.

Beyond Clean to Hygiene
Dishware shouldn’t just look clean – for a healthy home – it should be hygienically clean. From its Clean Air drying system, to its third level cutlery tray that separates items for superior cleaning, to its sanitize programs – Miele’s dishwashers promise a healthier, more hygienic clean.

Heating and Cooling Purchases Down

By

U.S. factory shipments of residential cooling and heating equipment declined in February, compared with the same month a year ago, while the commercial market for these products maintained steady growth, according to the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI).
Central Air Conditioners and Air-Source Heat Pumps

Combined U.S. factory shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps for February totaled 335,897, a 13 percent drop compared with February 2007 total shipments. Heat pump shipments for February totaled 123,122, a 10 percent drop from the same month a year ago.

Warm Air Furnaces

U.S. factory shipments of gas warm air furnaces dropped 22 percent to 153,812, compared with February 2007 totals. Oil warm air furnaces for the same month fell 39 percent to 3,680, compared with February 2007 shipments of this equipment.
Room Heaters

A total of 3,562 vent-free room heaters were shipped in February 2008, a 22 percent drop compared with the same month last year.

Water Heaters

Residential electric water heater shipments for February totaled 361,529, slightly outpacing residential gas water heater shipments, which totaled 350,174, but shipments for both types of water heaters fell about 3 percent compared with shipments for the same month last year.

February gas logs and insert product shipments totaled 10,070, a 24 percent drop compared with the same month last year, while gas stove shipments for the same month jumped 34 percent compared to February 2007. Gas fireplace shipments for February 2008 totaled 2,616, a 19 percent drop compared to the same month last year.

With the Remington ShortCut Clipper, Men can Cut Their Own Hair

By

The last man I know who tried to cut his own hair, had his family laughing at his expense for weeks.  Luckily a quick visit to a stylist saved him from having to face the world with the botched look.  I’m wondering if he’d like to try this new clipper from Remington which claims it is easy to use, cuts evenly every time, and is “virtually impossible to mess up.”

The innovative curved blade technology and revolutionary ‘brush shaped’ design makes cutting your hair as easy as brushing it. The ShortCut Clipper’s extra wide curved blades cut back and forth to the shape of your head for an even cut in less passes than traditional straight clippers. The adjustable comb guide offers 5 length settings, cutting from 1/8″ to 1/2″ and the balding comb attachment gives the closest cut possible from an electric hair clipper. The ShortCut Clipper delivers the popular short to ultra-short hairstyle easily, evenly and error-free

Additional features of the ShortCut Clipper include self-sharpening blades that never need replacing and a pop-up trimmer to detail around the ears and neckline. The 40-minute run time and cordless capability are also standout features that add to the simplicity of the clipper and make it an ideal travel companion.

The ShortCut Clipper is available at retailers nationwide and on www.remingtonshortcut.com. Two models are available for a recommended price of $29.99 for the standard version or $39.99 for the high-end model in chrome.

Bissell’s Little Green

By

Bissell introduces a handy little deep cleaner for use around the house. It’s portable and can be used in the car as well. It has a long power cord and since it can be hand-held, you can easily clean in hard to reach areas and on stairs. It can be used on pretty much all carpet types and requires minimal maintenance other than emptying and rinsing the dirty water tank. This new green cleaner has parts made from post consumer recycled material and the tanks and hose are PVC free. It retails for $74.99

Miele Unveils CombiSets- For Customized Cooking

By

Miele will introduce an entirely new CombiSet assortment in Fall 2008. Miele CombiSets are unique units that stand alone or combine to fully customize any cooking surface, or even create multiple cooking stations.

All CombiSet™ modules are matched to one another in terms of their design and functional characteristics so consumers can mix and match to form their own personal cooking space. Every imaginable combination of individual elements is available from induction, gas or electric, to an indoor grill or teppanyaki. Integrating gas with electric or even induction offers opportunities that just aren’t available with standard cooktops.

Miele’s new CombiSets feature a new stainless design, with sleek steel knobs and an ergonomically inclined control panel. The new line boasts innovative new products including an induction unit and a Japanese teppanyaki. A slightly larger width dimension of 15” now offers small space chefs room for large pots.

The CombiSet is a solution for designers and homeowners who are seeking something completely unique and customized to their cooking style, space and needs,” concludes Schmidt.

NightMare Maytag Store Bites the Dust – Going out of Business

By

Does customer service really matter? We like to think that it does. Have you ever had a really bad experience with a store, and silently (or not so silently) wished that they would just go out of business? Well sometimes, the customer gets lucky. Our own NightOwl reported a while back on a nightmare experience with a Maytag refrigerator and the store that refused to properly service it.

We weren’t necessarily surprised to see an advertisment in the recent Sunday paper announcing that the Maytag store with the attitude is going out of business and having a liquidation sale.

Electrolux Taps Kelly Ripa to Launch New Premium Kitchen Appliance Line in North America

By

Electrolux, makers of premium appliances for fine homes and restaurants in Europe for over 70 years and Europe’s leading premium appliance brand, is introducing a new line of stylish, high-performance kitchen appliances exclusively for North America. Called Electrolux, the new line of premium kitchen appliances is designed to help today’s multi-tasking moms do what they need — and love — to do — better, faster and easier.

In order to penetrate — and connect with — the on-the-go, do-it-all target (women, ages 35 – 54 who are juggling career, family and volunteer responsibilities, along with a love of entertaining), the European-based company is tapping America’s poster child for successful multi-taskers — Kelly Ripa — to star in a new campaign that will launch its newest premium appliance brand in North America.

The new advertising also heralds the arrival of Electrolux, Europe’s leading premium appliance brand, as a total home brand in North America. Well known in the U.S. for its high-end floorcare products with legendary reliability, Electrolux also makes some of the best known, most revered professional appliances in the world, including the Molteni range used by four star chefs, such as Gray Kunz, and Electrolux ICON(TM), its premium appliance line designed for home chefs seeking the ultimate in design and professional performance.

In a fresh departure from traditional appliance brand advertising, the new Electrolux campaign focuses on Kelly Ripa in her real life and about the relationship she has with her appliances. At the heart of the campaign is the powerful brand idea that Electrolux appliances are designed to help women who are already doing amazing things in their lives to be even more amazing.

The new Electrolux line includes more than 130 high-performance, stylishly designed products including freestanding and built-in dual-fuel, gas and electric ranges, wall ovens, gas and electric cook tops, induction hybrid cook tops, built-in and over-the-range microwaves, counter depth and standard depth refrigerators and freezers, refrigerator drawers, wine cooler and wine tower, beverage center, dishwashers, icemaker and complete line of ventilation systems. Long on style and innovation, Electrolux appliances are the result of a consumer-centric approach to looks and functionality.

I sing the body electric – Linemen fly to keep your microwave humming

By

I realize that every job probably gets routine after a while, but some jobs probably get the juices flowing more than others. Here’s one that that keeps the juice flowing to all of us.

So I did a bit of research, and hey its the real deal. YOU probably encounter faraday cages/faraday shields in your every day life too. They work on the principal that if you can get an electric current to flow over the surface of a sphere, the field at each point inside the sphere created by the current on the surface tends to cancel out creating an electrically quiescent area in the middle. Some interesting applications: Mobile phones, radios and wireless networks may have no reception inside elevators or buildings built using a virtual cage of rebar or plaster with metal lath.

Ever notice the light metal grid in the door of your microwave oven? Its part of a Faraday Cage enclosure that traps the microwaves inside with your food rather than out in the room cooking you.

According to WikiPedia, some United States national security buildings are contained in Faraday cages, intended to act as a TEMPEST shield, and possibly also as a mitigation against electromagnetic pulse.

Faraday Cage Underwear for the electrically adventurous
You can even buy underwear with a built in Faraday Cage, but I wouldn’t advise testing them by trying a highwire act on your local high voltage lines. (and if you do, you better get life insurance first.

How Much is That Old Fridge Costing You?

By

My mother always bought meat on sale to store in the garage freezer for future use. The same with bread and ice cream. She was and is a frugal shopper. But today, with energy costs so high, it makes sense to calculate how much energy is being used to keep the food in storage.

If you are trying to save energy and lower your electric bill, and have a second refrigerator running, you might want to check out the government’s energy star site where you can use the “Refrigerator Retirement Savings Calculator” to see just how much that old fridge in your garage is costing you.

Analog TVs Being Tossed Out Next Year

By

According to a survey conducted by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), about 15 million televisions will be replaced by 2010 because over-the-air reception will no longer be available beginning next year.  The study also says that about 95% of those TVs will be sold, recycled or donated.  Forty-eight percent of households plan to keep their televisions and use a digital converter.

Consumers are far more likely to recycle, reuse, give away or sell analog TVs than throw them away,” says CEA’s Senior Director of Market Research Tim Herbert. “While some have speculated that millions of TVs would enter the waste stream, this new study suggests that is not the case.”

Recycling is an increasingly common way to dispose of unused TVs. In fact, according to the survey, consumers report recycling nearly 30 percent more TVs in 2007 than in 2005. That trend also extends to other CE categories. While only three percent more devices were removed from homes in 2007, twenty-seven percent more devices were recycled. At the same time, the number of CE products that end up in the trash is decreasing-down 7 percent from two years earlier.

“We see a very positive trend developing when it comes to consumer electronics (CE) afterlife,” notes Herbert. “A full 87 percent of consumers say it’s important to recycle their CE devices. Not only is traditional recycling an increasingly popular option for consumers, but the vast majority of consumers report that they give away or sell unused devices, which is also a form of recycling.”

Among those consumers that did report throwing away a TV in the last year, 42 percent reported that they weren’t aware of recycling programs for electronics.

“It’s terrific to see more consumers being more thoughtful and proactive about the responsible disposal of their electronics devices,” added Herbert. “However, there is still much to be done in terms of educating consumers about the options for electronics recycling.”

CEA’s consumer website, www.myGreenElectronics.org educates consumers about the responsible use, reuse and recycling of electronics and also includes a zip-code searchable database of electronics recyclers.

Consumer electronics recycling will be a point of discussion at CEA’s upcoming Washington Forum, to be held April 2-3, 2008 at the JW Marriott in Washington, D.C. In the Thursday 2-3 p.m. session Analog Sets and Recycling, a panel of experts will discuss consumer behavior and what the CE industry is doing to educate consumers about the importance of recycling TVs. For registration information, please visit www.ce.org/Events/default.asp.