FORTers' consumer reports

[justCoz]

Originally Posted by livin4reality

I bought some of the Listerine "less intense" vanilla/mint flavor. Well it isn't "less intense" It is just as "intense" as the normal forumla to me.

I've switched to using the Crest Pro-Health Rinse. It doesn't have alcolhol in it and seems a lot less intense to me than other mouthwashes. I tried it free with Walgreen's rebate program awhile ago (probably a couple of years now) and that's all we use now. My husband prefers it as well. I liked the blue flavor better than the green. Obviously I have no idea what the flavors actually are, just the color

[Google]

 

[Cheddar]

I have a windows question for all of you. The home Mr. Cheddar & I recently purchased has CHEAP windows. It's only a 15 year old house and the windows are in terrible shape. We knew this when we bought, and planned to have them replaced.

Can someone who has had windows replaced write about the merits of

1) wood interior, vinyl exterior
2) wood interior, aluminum exterior
3) vinyl interior, vinyl exterior

And then about the following brands

1) Marvin
2) Pella
3) Plygem
4) Willmar / Jeld-Wen

I'm looking for both energy efficiency and style. The interior of the house has a lot of oak ... windows are currently oak interior.

Thanks in advance.

[katgib13]

Rosekid: Yeah, the $1200 thing got me! We don't have venting upstairs, so we use a window air conditioner and it keeps things pretty cool up there. The downstairs is fine and our house is insulated really well, so we don't have to use the AC until it starts getting really hot. I'm just thinking something for the upstairs would be nice. It's a converted attic with lots of charm, but it gets hotter than hades!

[Duxxy]

Cheddar we had our windows custom made by Polar Bear windows (but I think all windows are custom made really) we have vinyl interior and exterior and we love them! They have saved us so much money in heating and cooling it's insane. I liked the vinyl, double paned with low-e argon gas. I live in Northern Ontario so it was a must. We are very happy with our windows. They clean up easily, they will never warp, rust, rot ect.
1 vote for vinyl.

[RealityDiva]

I'm thinking about purchasing a mini-fridge for my produce products. I'm vegetarian and do my own grocery shopping, but our family fridge is almost always full...

Do they really consume a large amount of power? Which is the best brand to buy for the best price?

[Rattus]

Originally Posted by RealityDiva

I'm thinking about purchasing a mini-fridge for my produce products. I'm vegetarian and do my own grocery shopping, but our family fridge is almost always full...

Do they really consume a large amount of power? Which is the best brand to buy for the best price?

I don't know specifically which brands are best, but I would go with a name brand rather than a store brand. Also, I don't know if you have the Energy Star ratings in the U.S. or if it's just a Canadian thing, but if you do, go for something with that rating. If not, check the power usage of the various fridges. You will likely have to pay more initially, but will end up saving quite a bit of money in the long-run.

I have a product question: Does anyone own a Dyson Animal vacuum cleaner? I bought a Dirt Devil recently and am really disappointed with it. Subsequent research into vacuums indicates that the Animal would probably be the right one for me since they are apparently the best at picking up pet hair. But they are $600 and I'm loathe to spend that much on something else that will disappoint me, so I'm looking for opinions based on the experiences of the good people of FORT.

Thanks!

[Veruka]

I don't have a Dyson, I have an Oreck. But I know a couple of people who have Dysons, and I've drawn the conclusion from my experience and theirs that with vacuums, it is totally worth it to pay more for quality. There IS a difference in the more expensive vacuums like Oreck and Dyson, and the cheaper ones like Hoover and Dirt Devil. They pick things up better, which is obviously a plus. But the also last a heck of a lot longer. So in the long run, you're spending less money, because the more expensive brands last the life of 2 or 3 (or more) of the cheaper brands.

[MissThing]

Originally Posted by Rattus

I have a product question: Does anyone own a Dyson Animal vacuum cleaner? I bought a Dirt Devil recently and am really disappointed with it. Subsequent research into vacuums indicates that the Animal would probably be the right one for me since they are apparently the best at picking up pet hair. But they are $600 and I'm loathe to spend that much on something else that will disappoint me, so I'm looking for opinions based on the experiences of the good people of FORT.

Thanks!

I have an Oreck (hate it) and a Dyson Animal (love it). I understand about the $600, but to me it was worth every penny. The one thing I dislike a bit about the Dyson (and this is the only flaw, as far as I'm concerned) it that it is a bit heavy for me to take upstairs. That's really me, not the machine. The stairs themselves are easy to do from the bottom, though, as the hose/extension rod combination are a generous 17 feet.

I'd buy one again in a NY minute.

[Rattus]

Thanks, Veruka and MissThing. I don't object (much) to spending the $600, but I don't want to do it and discover that the machine is actually no good, so I wanted to hear some real people experience as opposed to blurbs on a website. Yes, yes, I know that they are supposed to be real comments from real people, but I'm starting to lose my faith in marketing. But from all I've read on a number of review sites, the Animal is the cat's pajamas if you have...cats .

[MissThing]

I just have one cat, but that's enough. She hates me brushing her, and she doesn't preen well herself (she's not so overweight that she couldn't, if she wanted to, she just doesn't do a good job of it). So, I have more cat fur issues than, for instance, my sister has, and my sister has three cats.

I honestly don't think you'll be the slightest bit disappointed if you go the Animal way. I have had mine for almost three years now, and don't regret the decision at all.