Discount DeLonghi PACN130HPE Pinguino N Series 13,000 BTU 115-Volt

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $700.00
Sale Price: $611.98
Today's Bonus: 13% Off

I bought 3 of these units at $500 each. 2 of them ceased working within a week. No help from the help line. OK, try to pack them back up again and lug them back to the store, or ship them. The third one does come on, but the tiny water reservoir fills immediately and is difficult and time-consuming to empty.

this is a very badly designed and thought-out product. I wish I'd never laid eyes on it. I've never been so disgusted with anything I've bought ever. Save yourself. Do not even consider this item. It does not work.

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I used to do Air conditioning and Heating for a living so I know very well what I am talking about. For many years now I have a different career. I recently bought a house that was missing its central heat and AC air unit. My mom intending to be sweet and wanting to help out bought me a moving in gift which is this DeLonghi PACN130HPE. She forgets I am a expert in AC as I lived out of state while in that career.

Upon opening the box I immediately became suspicious of its advertised cooling capacities. I instantly knew that in order for it to accomplish its claims, it would have to have two ventilation hoses to an outside window. 1 a fresh air intake hose. And 2 a heat exhaust hose. But it only came with the capacity to handle one hose only which is the heat exhaust hose.

Let me explain Air conditioning principles of operation. There are two primary components of moving heat from the inside of a building to the outside of a building so you are left with a cool interior. One is an evaporator and the other is a condenser.

The evaporator is made cold by the incoming Freon/refrigerant. Warm humid interior air is drawn into the evaporator where it becomes cold and dryer and is then blown out the other/exhaust side of the evaporator as cool air. The heat and moisture/humidity that had been in the incoming air is removed and transferred into the refrigerant as the now cool dry air leaves the exhaust side of the evaporator and is blown back into the room for your enjoyment.

Now the refrigerant has picked up the heat and humidity and must take it somewhere to dump the heat as it becomes cool again so it can continue in its continuous circle loop endlessly. Always picking up heat, moving it, dumping it and coming back to the front of the loop to do it all over again as long as a AC unit is running.

Now comes the condenser. The condenser receives this hot refrigerant as air is blown thru the condenser. Outside air of maybe a 100 degrees enters the condenser and picks up the heat from the refrigerant and is blown back to the outside much hotter than it entered. Around 120 degrees. NOTE: The outside heat and humidity and moisture do go through the condenser but never actually enters the interior of your room in a normal AC unit.

Your interior air is constantly being recycled inside the room thru the evaporator becoming cooler and dryer. Unfortunately ALL homes leak. They let in moisture and heat so you have a constant daily battle of throwing them back outside where it leaked in from. It would be sweet if homes did not leak as you could run your AC for a couple of days and then be good for the rest of the year not needing any more AC. But that is not the case. AC units merely keep up with the rate of leak in so you can stay 15-30 degrees ahead of the game.

You probably want your interior room temperature to stay in the vicinity of 70-80 degrees. So you never want hot humid outside air of 100 degrees entering your home or you might as well just open all your windows.

Here is the problem with DeLonghi PACN130HPE AC units. They do not use outside air to blow through the condenser to pick up the heat from the refrigerant and then take the heat outside to dump it. It uses your interior air to carry the heat outside and dump it. In order for your interior air to be exhausted outside with the heat, air must be entering your home and room from another area to be replacing what is being blown outside. You cannot be continuously removing air from a container unless somewhere else you're letting air back into the container.

So while it is using your inside room air to carry the heat outside, somewhere else in your home hot humid air is re-entering your home to compensate for the air that is constantly being thrown out. Now nearly as fast as your dumping the heat and humidity outside away from you, in another area of the home hot moist air is being sucked back into the house almost as fast as your dumping it out of the house.

While that one room the DeLonghi PACN130HPE AC unit is in is feeling cooler, the other areas of your home are feeling warmer as hot moist air is literally being sucked in at an equal rate that is being thrown out of the one room with the DeLonghi PACN130HPE AC unit.

So the evaporator is blowing 13,000 BTU's of cool into the room the DeLonghi PACN130HPE AC unit is in, but the outside air being sucked into the house is immediately bringing 5,000 BTU's of heat and moist air back in at the same time. That is a HUGE loss that must be applied against the cool claims to determine the real gain your left with.

DeLonghi PACN130HPE does not tell you about the simultaneous losses but only about the claimed gains which are not even close to being accurate by the time you figure in all the other secret factors they don't want you to know about.

I actually tested this by replacing the DeLonghi PACN130HPE with some widow units I had to see what the real gains were. My 5,000 BTU window AC unit did not cool the room as much as the DeLonghi PACN130HPE 13,000 BTU's claimed did. But it did dry the room better as it was not sucking in wet moist air.

However when I placed my 8,000 BTU window unit in the room, it did deliver the same amount of cooling as DeLonghi PACN130HPE 13,000 BTU unit did, but still I gained the advantage from my window unit that the humidity level dropped much lower so it still felt even much better.

While the DeLonghi PACN130HPE 13,000 BTU unit did cool the room as much as my 8,000 BTU window unit did, it could not remove nearly as much humidity because the DeLonghi PACN130HPE is always sucking in wet moist air continuously. My window units did not do that. Besides my 8,000 BTU unit cooling the room exactly as much as DeLonghi PACN130HPE 13,000 BTU unit, I was much further ahead of the game by the fact the room was dry and not humid/muggy as had the DeLonghi PACN130HPE had made it.

The DeLonghi PACN130HPE did surprisingly little to remove the humidity from the room because it was constantly replacing the humidity through the incoming air. Its gains were constantly being eroded away by the constant losses.

Removing humidity from the room and removing it from the air is not the same things. The outside air may have a 80% humidity level. That is very sticky and muggy. You want the inside air below a 30% humidity level to feel very comfortable with. The DeLonghi PACN130HPE did remove humidity from the air but did not remove it from the room because the moisture being removed the air was being replaced at a equivalent level by in incoming air the DeLonghi PACN130HPE had to suck back into the room as it used room air to carry the heat and humidity it captured back outside. So as fast as it threw humidity outside it was sucking it back into the home at the same rate so there never was a drop in the room humidity level.

Be aware of what they won't tell you.

Another fact I did not like about the DeLonghi PACN130HPE was that it took up significant floor space in my room making it look and feel even more crowded. I would much rather have a window unit that uses 70% less electricity than the DeLonghi PACN130HPE as it does so much better at making the room more comfortable and humid free. My 8,000 BTU window unit for $300did a better job than DeLonghi PACN130HPE for $500as it uses 70% less electricity.

The advantage of the DeLonghi PACN130HPE was that it easily rolled around from room to room and in 60 seconds could be connected to virtually any window for quick temporary very inefficient cooling. I will say inefficient cooling is still much better than no cooling. I almost kept the DeLonghi PACN130HPE because I have another mobile home that needs remodeling and the DeLonghi PACN130HPE would be super quick and easy to set up in whatever room I happened to be working in that particular day, and then move it to another room the next day. My 8,000 BTU window unit takes 5 minutes to set up in any particular room. It weighs 40 pounds and does not roll around so I have to carry it from window to window. So what?

The advantages of the DeLonghi PACN130HPE were not large enough to justify keeping it for short term temporary cooling so I took it back to Lowes and traded it in for a 24,000 BTU window unit that really kicks ass for the same exact money. My 24,000 BTU window unit gives me 300% more cooling than the DeLonghi PACN130HPE does.

The DeLonghi PACN130HPE did have a good digital thermostat that held the room temp even without much fluctuation. It was attractive looking for what it was, a floor space user upper.

The DeLonghi PACN130HPE was not a total flop, but it was a far cry from what they claim and advertise it to be. Matter of fact, it was so far from the truth that I call it a gimmick and fake AC unit. Hope this helps you.

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I would say this has the cooling capacity of a 4,000 btu unit... No where near worth the expense of running a (supposed) 14,000 btu AC.

The room stays warm and even with the temp outside at 80 the room never get lower than 75... It's going back to the store for a window unit.

(Update) Keep in mind this is a 14,000 Btu unit.... I just replaced it with a 12,000 BTU window AC and the room temp difference is huge. I wish this unit had worked.. It seems like a great idea... But it needs a redesign.

Honest reviews on DeLonghi PACN130HPE Pinguino N Series 13,000 BTU 115-Volt

I love this product. The only problem I had was when I got it, the wheels were damaged so it was no longer portable. But a quick run to Home Depot and I was back in business. I LOVED the fact that I didn't have to empty any water. I would definitely recommend this product.

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Bought it from Costco , amazed how strongly it cooled down like a real conventional wall Ac. have only tried it for one day , but so far the best compare to the previous ones , LG , Sharp quiet Library quiet ...

Grill Alert Talking Remote Meat Thermometer Reviews

Customer Ratings:

I used the thermometer about 7 or 8 times and it stopped working. I have seen several reviews complaining that the probe fails so I'm hoping that's the problem.

Update 2/27/08: I ordered a new probe from Brookstone for $25 (incl. shipping) and it is a much sturdier design than the original. I assume they were getting a lot of complaints and returns so they redesigned it. So far the new probe is working fine. Interesting to note, I gave a negative review of this product on their web site and they never published it, although they sent me a thank you note for my review.

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I received this for Father's Day last year. I was skeptical but it actually works. I can put some tri-tip in the smoker and hang in the pool or chat with guests while keeping an eye on the large LCD display. The range is very good, I can sit in the pool with the display next to me on the deck (at least 20-30 feet away) or go back inside the house. It beeps and talks to you a few minutes before your food is at the desired temperature. I use it primarily for beef, and the settings (rare, medium, etc.) are pretty accurate. This is especially good for large cuts of beef since it is often difficult to gauge whether the meat is pink inside or not. I would highly recommend this. Easy to set-up, then all you do is select the type of meat and the desired cooking level. Pork and seafood default to only one setting choice (well-done) but you can just use the temperature readout to cook to the desired temp.

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I have owned several of these and given a few away as gifts. I LOVE how well they work when they are brand new so when mine failed I bought new ones assuming I just got a lemon. THEY ARE ALL LEMONS. My observation of several units is that the average service life is from 3 to 6 uses. Sometimes a new probe fixes the problem ($20 ea) sometimes nothing (including hitting the reset button) helps. Look at other product reviews on different web sites; they all complain about how quickly the unit fails. You may also notice that several different brands all look alike with the same screen indicating that they are all the same unit sold under different brand names.

With all the bad reviews of these things the firms selling these things should consider the ethics of selling something this expensive that only works a few times. Unfortunately the other brands of remote thermometers, from what I have seen, all seem to fail after only a few uses. This is a real drag because when they work, they work great, and I guess that's why I am so annoyed.

Honest reviews on Grill Alert Talking Remote Meat Thermometer

Have I owned one of this make and model? No. But I have owned 4 or 5 of the Webber units that are essentially the same design. I have also owned 8 or 10 of the probes that stick into the meat.

The thermometers are great when they work. They are so good that, even knowing the design flaw, I keep buying them and replacement probes.

The receivers and transmitters all work well and seem to have an expected long lifetime. The probe is the Achilles heel in every make and model of wireless thermometer. Within the metal, flexible shielded cable that runs from the probe to the transmitter are small wires. Small weak wires. Small fragile wires. Small worthless wires due to their failure rate.

If the user closes the lid of the BBQ or smoker on the metal shielded cable between the probe and the transmitter, the internal wires WILL fail. It may take 2 or 3 times, but they will fail. If the metal shielded cable is kinked or bent too sharply, the internal wires will fail.

A couple of years ago I was on the Webber customer service line (again) requesting a new probe because the wires failed. I asked the customer service representative if she owned one of these wireless systems and, to my surprise, she said "Are you kidding? I would NEVER own one of these". I asked her why and she said "I have a full time job, 7 days a week taking calls just like this one people complaining 8 hours a day, 7 days a week because the probe failed".

Now, if I were her boss, I would have fired her on the spot. From a consumer's point of view I found this conversation somewhat alarming.

This summer I will probably buy another and attempt to keep the smoker's lid from crushing the tiny worthless wires but eventually I will fail and so will the probe.

In short, this is a great product with a major and easily correctable design flaw. Be prepared that the wires within the shielded cable can and will fail.

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Came right away! Works great. It even warned me when a roast caught fire on the grill. (made a different tone and I went to check) It also gives about a 5 degree warning before the target temp. is reached. The speaking voice is pleasant and loud enought to heard well. Has a belt clip to wear the reciever on your person. I've used it indoors and out, without fail.

Highly recomended!! Thinking of buy'n a second one for the vacation home.

Honeywell Radiant Heating 120/240V Programmable Thermostat Reviews

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $165.00
Sale Price: $118.00
Today's Bonus: 28% Off

We got this as a dedicated thermostat for our electric radiant flooring in our master bath remodel. It works well enough but I just can't say that it's the easiest to use. Bear in mind that this is the result of an acquisition by Honeywell so perhaps in the future they will redo the controls to be more user-friendly. I'm a network engineer so I figured it out well enough but I'm not thrilled with it's operation.

We'll likely do another small in-floor electric system when we remodel our other bathroom and I'll research alternatives at that time.

Granted I'm not unhappy but considering that this is a programmable thermostat ... I expected more ease of use. At least I can be happy at how much flexibility this model offers. By comparison, the Lux Tx500 (I own 3 of these programmable thermostats) are a SNAP to use and intuitive.

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These work as they should and look neat in our bathrooms. My husband has figured them out easy enough and tinkers with it here and there. I however, think they are a tad bit complicated. Not that I've taken much time to figure them, I hate that kind of thing. Just wish things were made a little more simple. But they come on in the morning and the evenings when we mostly use the bathrooms upstairs as he has programmed them and if I go in to get ready at an off time for when they are programmed I just click the up button to heat them up and it just takes a few minutes, not long at all. I am LOVING our heated floors!

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As I am installing a radiant floor in my second bathroom I wanted to have the same thermostat and was very pleased to find it online. It arrived promptly.

Honest reviews on Honeywell Radiant Heating 120/240V Programmable Thermostat

Not installed yet but sure part will work well did recieved part as expected

Will be used on the bathroom

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As I expected. Good thermostat with preprogrammed features which is easier to use. Very easy to install. The backlit is very convenient. The design is hype and the quality overall looks good.

Elk TRG2440 24VAC, 40 VA AC Transformer with PTC Fuse Reviews

Customer Ratings:

I am using these power transformers to run heaters and fans in exterior video camera housings. They have not failed after 15 installations and have proven to be reliable as well as resistant to power fluctuations and failures.

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This product is big! However, I like the fact that it has fuse in it.

I'm using this Transformer for my wireless thermostat, and it's working

perfectly.

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Used this to provide power to a thermostat. We didn't have the C-wire in our home so I bought this to provide power, and following the mfr's directions was able to use this to power the thermostat.

Honest reviews on Elk TRG2440 24VAC, 40 VA AC Transformer with PTC Fuse

What can you say, it is a transformer. Old 30VA unit burned out and this one replaces it. Runs cooler, has LED to show if it has input power and has a ground lug. Using it to power my intercom system.

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It's a transformer. Plug it in, get 24VAC. Screw terminals work on a wide variety of wires and connectors. Excellent product for the price.

World Marketing CG Concord Electric Fire Stone Reviews

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $377.99
Sale Price: $294.99
Today's Bonus: 22% Off

Shipped extremely fast! Looks amazing, however is much smaller than I had anticipated. I had been hoping for the price for it to be bigger. Very warm! Heats room quickly! Downside is that if you can't fit it flush against the wall you will see the created fire "crackling" from behind it against your wall. Also I would recommend placing it on a hard floor or creating a hearth for it to stand on. Fireplace tilted forward on our plush carpet, had to adjust this by propping the front end with a few pieces of cardboard which is hardly noticeable, but not great for if you have little ones, as they can still easily pull it over onto themselves. Overall very pretty.

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Best Procom Radiant Vent-free Natural Gas Heater - 30,000 Btu, Model# Deals

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $269.99
Sale Price: $222.05
Today's Bonus: 18% Off

I bought my heater after our power was out for days from an ice storm. No power = no furnace. I've had it for 8 years and would not be without one since it requires no electricity to operate. It turns a potential emergency situation into a minor inconvenience. We've just moved, and I'll be buying a propane model, now.

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We bought this 30,000 btu dual gas vent free heater 4 days ago and it was said it would stink a little at first but after 3 days of eye burning stink and headaches -we turned it off and will take it back.

This is our 3rd vent free heater and the other two didn't stink like this.

We've left questions on usaprocom.com and no answer so far.

Cheap 36 inch Wall Mount Modern Space Heater Electric Fireplace Heater

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $499.00
Sale Price: $175.00
Today's Bonus: 65% Off

Fast and easy to assemble and mount. Has a sleek & sexy look to it and heats up your room in no time. Definitely one of the best on the market! I have a similar one that is a free standing floor type which works well but not nearly as sturdy built. It does have the convenience of it being out of the way on the wall it takes up floor space so this gives same benefit but having it on the wall is even better and out of the way.

Pros compared to the other ones on the market are:

Pros-

-It works great to heat any area but provides 3 different levels allows you to adjust it to what level heat you need instead of a lot of the other models just have the one level on or off switch only.

Built using real glass, metal, and rocks unlike the cheaper models that use plastic fake glass doesn't look sleek and sexy on the wall like this one does when mounted.

-This has an emergency safety shut off switch which surprisingly most don't have.

-The small easy remote control allows you to conveniently turn it on from anywhere unlike most that manually turn on and off which is a feature most don't have and you will want since its mounted up on a wall.

Cons-

-It's built well but it is heavy so it does need to be mounted to a stud or wall that you can support it like you would a flat screen TV monitor because same weight if not more than a flat screen it's size.

-Again it is heavy so shipping is more costly. (But worth it!)

I even enjoy having the lighted fire screen effect on even when I am not using the heat option with it. It's realistic and stylish look that gives the very realistic illusion of a real looking fire making it work as an interactive art piece as well!

I AM BEYOND HAPPY WITH THIS PURCHASE AND HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. Amazing price and you really get way more than what you pay for at this price!!!!!

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My huband bought me this for my birthday and I must say that it adds quite a relaxing feature to our room. It also gives off heat so it was great through the winter. The product is easy to install and I really enjoy having it.

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I bought this to add some depth to my Family Room. I chose this model because the rocks looked real, not knowing that they actually give you real rocks. Also installation was a breeze as long as you have a stud finder or you know where your stud is located. At least put two screws in a stud and you will be all set.

Pro's

Authentic look

Heats my Family Room/Kitchen and that is a huge space

Installation is straight forward

Cons

None

Honest reviews on 36 inch Wall Mount Modern Space Heater Electric Fireplace Heater

Easily fits in the wall. Do not use heat settings. Just install on back wall with cross support. Again do not use heat setting.

Allied Stainless Steel Heated Pet Bowl with Hutch Mount, 1-Quart Reviews

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List Price: $34.99
Sale Price: $33.51
Today's Bonus: 4% Off

I bought eight of these bowls for my pet rabbits which i keep outside in protected, but not heated, hutches. They work well and keep the water thawed effectively. I have 2 compliants about them, however. The first is that they are difficult to clean without completely removing them from the holder. This problem would be solved if a small drain with plug was added to each of them (which i may do myself since i have metalworking tools). I also think that if some sort of silicon sleeve were placed around the cord as it exits the bowl, it may be easier to pull out of the holder and tip over to clean. The second problem i have found is that a couple of them are not level and therefore the water tips out and has to be refilled more often. The product does keep the water thawed, but for 33.00 a piece, it should be a little easier to clean on a day to day basis.

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Item works great. Makes pet care easier. Large capacity. Excellent for chewing small pets as power cord is armored.

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Recieved this water dish quickly and it was well packed and quickly shipped. I used it in my Egglu the first day I got it. I have three chickens in there, and it nicely exceeds their needs. Has been zero here and it has not frozen. I fill it every morning. It requires a quick rinse most days which I do with a water bottle having a squirt lid (a drinking type). The cord is well protected from their pecking at it by a steel cable covering. The mount fit well in our rather large holed cage wiring. I think it would fit small holes well also. I am pleased with this purchase and would make it again.

Honest reviews on Allied Stainless Steel Heated Pet Bowl with Hutch Mount, 1-Quart

I bought this because the weather this year is so cold we were always having to empty the dogs water bowl even during the day. This never freezes, my only complaints would be the opening could be a little wider and also the weld spots (on the bottom of the bowl)seem like they might rust with time, there is a discoloration on the bottom of the bowl so will have to keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't rust the water.

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These bowls are great they've saved a lot of fuss and worry about keeping my bunnies watered. The size is nice, as they can be cleaned and refreshed easily without a lot of waste. It would be nice if there was an easier way to clean them without threading the cord thru the cage, but if that's the only problem, I"m not complaining!

Review of 2GIG CT-30 Radio Thermostat Z-Wave

Customer Ratings:

This is a special version of ZWave designed for vivint and would not work properly on my Honneywell Lynx system's ZWave.

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This item works very well with my Mi Casa Verde Lite module. Simple to installed. Took me less that 10 minutes.

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Since I received this Thermostat, I never had an issue with it. I love the fact that it can be used on battery only as I do not currently have power going to my Thermostat.

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Works great with my ADT Pulse. It is programmable through Pulse to set the temp when I arm or disarm the alarm to my desired temp. Never have to worry if I changed the temp when I leave the house.

Discount Masterbuilt 20070910 30-Inch Electric Smokehouse Smoker, Black

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $299.95
Sale Price: $177.00
Today's Bonus: 41% Off

The Masterbuilt smoker is a wonderful product for the price. Whether you're new to smoking, or an experienced smoker who wants a less hands on, labor intensive smoke, this is simply the best you can get for the $$.

Pros:

1. Digital thermometer: If you've smoked much, you know keeping the smoker at the right temperature is often what takes the most attention. As an electric smoker with a built in thermometer, you can set your preferred temperature and then just focus on keeping the woodtray filled, the contents mopped, and you're good to go. (You will still want to use a digital thermometer on the meats themselves to check their internal temperatures, but that's a different matter.)

2. Well insulated: Unlike a traditional side smoker, bullet or most other form factors, the masterbuilt is nicely chunky and really doesn't care overly what the outside temperature is at (within reason)

3. Capacity: Four racks (though with chickens, big roasts, shoulders and ribs you may only end up using two at a time. Still, I've loaded it up 30+lbs of meat at a time which for a product that often drops under $200 when on sale, is not bad at all.

4. Economy: It runs on electricity and with small amounts of wood relatively speaking. Rather than going through large amounts of wood and charcoal, you have a much more affordable smoke, which if you want to smoke regularly (or smoke small batches) is great.

5. Customer Support: You'll find repeated reviews of this online, but Masterbuilt's customer support is second to none. Its hard to find companies that stand behind their products the way Masterbuilt does. If something is defective, they will fix it with little to no questions asked.

So why don't I give it a 5 stars?

1. Size: Masterbuilt has a 40" version, but it is very hard to find. Really, if they made the 40" the standard, that extra little bit of space would allow you to use all four racks more often even with larger cuts.

2. Temperature Range: The Masterbuilt only goes up to 275. This is excellent for red meats which will often cook between 220 and 250 and fish, but not as good for poultry, where you want it up to 350 to get the fat in the skin to render (and avoid chewy skin).

3. Power: The Masterbuilt's electric heater sometimes doesn't seem to have quite enough oomph if you really load it with meat. I've had a hard time keeping the temp up when its full. There are people online who add their own heating elements to help boost it.

4. Needs direct plug: Masterbuilt requires you plug directly into an outlet. So, given the relatively short electrical cable that means you need to install an outdoors outlet if you believe them. I did use it fine with an industrial extension cord, but talking to their customer support, they felt it might be a reason for problem #3 above.

So, what do you have? A great form factor for a smoker, with good capacity, that maintains a set temperature, with multiple racks for different products, and that gives a consistently result. On the other hand, they have a slightly larger product that is only distributed much more limitedly, and they have odd limitations on the product based on max temp and wattage to the heating element. Given the price difference between the Masterbuilt and its nearest competitors, perhaps these limitations are forgivable. I still regularly recommend it to friends, and have many, including some who run a couple of well respected restaurants loving the products that come out.

Things I'd love to see from Masterbuilt as aftermarket products or even just upgrades:

1. External smoke box that attaches to the wood feed hole, so that you can do cold smokes for sausages, cheeses and salmon and other products.

2. A higher wattage heating element that can be swapped out for the standard one.

3. A higher max temperature so I don't need to take the chickens and game hens out 30 minutes before done and toss them in the oven to crisp the skins.

Regardless, to come full circle. If you want to dabble in smoking and are intimidated (which is easy), this is a perfect smoker to make things easy. And if you are experienced in smoking and just want to have either a more affordable smoke so you can do it more often, or a less labor intensive one, once in a while, this is the perfect supplement to your existing set up.

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A friend of mine has a Masterbuilt smoker that looks very similar to this one and it works very well. His experience, along with everything I've read is very positive for all Masterbuilt smokers, with the notable exception of heating element replacement. Given that, my decision on which model to purchase will be based on whether the heating element can be replaced without replacing a large segment of the smoker.

From my research it seems the heating element is the one part that's most likely to fail, so you'd expect them to be replaceable. After reading in these Amazon reviews that the heating element of this model may not be replaceable, I swapped e-mail with a Masterbuilt rep and here's what I found.

The rep claimed the heating element can be replaced on all of their smokers, although some require a new body assembly and replacement parts are no longer made or stocked for some of their older models. All of the electric smokers sold on their website allow for replacement of just the heating element. The heating element of this model (#20070106) requires a new body. (sixty bucks plus s&h)

The rep made it clear that model #20070910 is their newest 'standard' 30" electric smoker, and it does allow for easy replacement of just the heating element. It's hard to find on their website, so just search the web for the model #.

The rep also told me there's no way to know when a particular smoker, and thus replacement parts, will be phased out. She said some of their models have been sold for over five years, implying that's a long time.

The following models were mentioned in our correspondence.

30" Electric Smokers

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> Model #20070106; sold here on Amazon.

For heating element replacement, you must replace the entire body and the customer can do this. The cost for the new body is $60.00 plus shipping and handling.

> Model #20070110; smoker with window and meat probe

The heating element alone can be replaced by the customer.

> Model #20070910; standard 30" edition

The heating element alone can be replaced by the customer.

40" Electric Smokers

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> Model #20070710; smoker with window and meat probe

The heating element alone can be replaced by the customer.

The rep I corresponded with was very helpful, and I still plan on purchasing a Masterbuilt smoker just not this one.

Best Deals on Masterbuilt 20070910 30-Inch Electric Smokehouse Smoker, Black

Hello Folks,

This used to be a five star review for Masterbuilt with me raving about the awesome customer service I received from them.

I hate to do this but times have changed and so has the service. I have read numerous accounts here and on a smoking forum I frequent of smoker owners with bad units being ignored. This is an awesome unit when it works but the weak link is the heating element and when it goes bad there is no replacement offered. This fault has been problematic since the first models and as far as I can tell not addressed. I'm guessing there are too many bad units in the field to repair now and the company is providing no solution or repair.

Before you buy check the warranty to see what the company will do for you should the element go bad. Maybe Masterbuilt will get back to taking care of the customer, I certainly hope so but seems now they have joined the majority of producers who only have eyes for the bank once the money is in their hands. Pity.

Honest reviews on Masterbuilt 20070910 30-Inch Electric Smokehouse Smoker, Black

After reading several complaints about the heating elements failing in these units and the inability to replace these elements, I was very leery about buying one.

But I finally jumped in and made the purchase and could not be happier. First off, the Model number listed in the amazon listing, #20070106, is not the unit you receive. You actually receive Model 20070110. The newer model you can swap out the heating element if it fails. A huge plus.

I have had this unit for 4 weeks now and have made briskets, pork shoulder, and ribs. The unit is super simple to operate. Turn it on, set the time and temp, and add a small amount of wood chips every hour or two.

The smoker is well insulated. On a 40 degree day, it heated up to 275 degrees in about 40 minutes. I added my meat, lowered the temp to 225 degrees, and it easily maintained a temperature range of 215 to 225 for the entire 12 hour cooking period. On a 60 degree day, it preheated to 275 in about 20 minutes and again easily maintained temp even though it was very windy out. It also recovers quickly when you open the door to check on your food. The built in electronic thermometer is a nice touch. Shows you what the current smoker temp is. You can also run a remote temp probe through the vent in the top of the unit to monitor your meats internal temperature as it cooks.

The smoker puts out a moderate amount of smoke with a very small amount of wood chips. And it uses wood chips, no expensive wood disks. I choose to clean out the chip tray every 3 hours or so just to keep them from piling up in it. The smoker does a great job of hanging onto smoke too. You son't get a smoke ring, mainly because there is not enough carbon monoxide generated from the chips to pink up the outer layer of meat. Only wood and charcoal smokers will get you that. But the smoke ring offers no more flavor, just a smoke ring.

So far all the food I have made in this smoker has come out fantastic. Nice smoky flavor with very little work. You basically set it and add wood chips every now and then. The water pan keeps things nice and moist and the heating element keeps a nice even heat. Clean up is not too bad if you prep a bit first. Place foil in the water pan and in the drip pan. This will allow you to just take the foil off and give it a quick wash with soap and water. The racks do require a bit of scrubbing, nut that is to be expected. Just don't foil your racks. The interior is just wiped out with clean water, no soap.

So if you live in a colder climate, and are looking for an electric smoker, I would not hesitate to purchase this unit.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Masterbuilt 20070910 30-Inch Electric Smokehouse Smoker, Black

I bought this smoker in April. Out of the 4-5 times I have used, I have gotten no smoke. My chips do not burn. I called Masterbuilt customer service twice. The first time, they told me to soak my chips only 15 minutes prior to cooking. Today after a roast cooking for 5 hours at 220 degerees with no smoke, they told me to not soak them at all. Seems to be a bigger problem with the element. My chips get dark but do not smolder. Masterbuild will do NOTHING about it. I am perplexed by the positive reviews and would assume I got a lemon! Out the smoker and about $50.00 worth of meat. Thanks Masterbuilt!

Cheap Wireless Fireplace Thermostat / Remote

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First thermostat/remote purchase. Using it on a Martin fireplace with great results. Difficulty of installation of 5 if 1-10, just b/c I had to do some minor mods to install the off/on/remote component on the wall and 2 feet of supplied wire didn't suffice. Very easy to operate, and didn't mind that the thermostat is programmed to activate when it is 2 degrees below your set temp and shuts off the flame 2 degrees above the set temp. So if you set it at 71 deg, it will turn on at 68 deg and off at 73 deg. Haven't had the need to use the remote from the lazyboy yet, works just fine setting it while mounted to the wall and walking away. With evening temps at 38-45 deg the fireplace comes on about 3 times for mayb 20 min intervals and then shuts off. It is usually turned on at 6pm and shut off at 10pm. Had the thermostat for 3 months now and very satisfied.

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This remote works great, love the room temperature reading and the ability to set a temp for automatic on/off. Easy to install.

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This unit does the job I needed for my QuadraFire classic bay pellet stove. Unit is approx. 12-15' away with occasional reset required. Ok price..better than others.

Honest reviews on Wireless Fireplace Thermostat / Remote

Great affordable product. Good overall functionality, easy installation, control the heater from practically anywhere in the house. Met expectations and fast shipping. Highly recommend.

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I used this thermostat for one winter on a QuadraFire pellet stove. Install was simple. The unit kept the temperatures in the right zone. Operation was fine for me (Mr Rocket Science), but was not as simple for the other half. I will retrain the other half next season. I did encounter the pellet stove not turning on. I contacted the support via email and had a response in one hour. The batteries had gotten to low and temperature communication had stopped. This forced the stove to turn off and it got cold. I flipped the override on the receiver and we were toasty again.