Best SPT TN-12E TechniTrend 12,000-BTU Portable Air Conditioner Deals

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $698.00
Sale Price: $379.99
Today's Bonus: 46% Off

I've had this A/C for 2 years now and I LOVE IT. We use it during the summers to cool our large master bedroom which is very poorly insulated and has a huge window that faces west. We actually have two units which we use when temperatures are in the upper 90's to low 100's, one in each side of the large 3-paned sliding window. One is sufficient for temps in the upper 80's to lower 90's two are required if the temp is above 95 outside since all that sun shines right into the window and the insulation of the house is poor. It's nice to know we can be comfortable in our bedroom when the rest of the house is still hot. If I didn't have the units running, my bedroom would easily reach 90+ degrees -this way it stays in the low 70's during the hottest hours of the day.

The unit is easy to install into the window (our windows have screens which prevent the foam from falling backwardswithout a window screen it would surely fall out the foam is a bit of a pain but an optional window kit can be purchased which solves the problem of no screens, etc.-this unit works best with sliding windows); I also use duct tape to hold the foam in place; the unit can be rolled from room to room (it would roll more easily on bare floor than carpeting, but it's not that hard); and I love the features: remote control to change the temperature or turn the unit on/off; timer to control when the unit will shut off automatically; and the pleasant sound it makes. It actually lulls me to sleep at night. I use it as a fan, also, on days when it's not as hot I set the timer and have the fan on with the windows open for a few hours it then shuts off automatically after we've fallen asleep we love that!

To empty the unit I put a shallow dish (a plastic tray) under the spout in the back and empty the water into the tray and then pour that water into a large bowl. It's no big deal and only takes a couple of minutes. I empty the unit every evening during the summer. I tip the unit back a bit to get all the water out. (Don't forget to replace the stopper and cap I failed to do that once and had a huge puddle when I ran the unit the next time). After emptying the water out of the unit, I let the fan run for a couple of hours to dry out the unit and prevent any moldy smells (that's the advice Supentown gave me and it has worked). By-the-way, I find Sunpentown a good business with nice and helpful folks. I've ordered an extra part (window kit) and had excellent customer service.

We can't get central A/C in this house, so this is the best alternative. I've moved this unit into other rooms, too, and I love the flexibility it affords.

This product has been worth every penny to me and I would buy it again.

FOLLOW-UP REVEIW 9 July 2011

The two units I reviewed 3 years ago (above) that I purchased in 2006 are still working great. I have purchased 2 additional units this summer and I love them work great, cool great...I also love Sunpentown customer service. One of the units was damaged in shipping and they sent me another one immediately and paid for the return shipment of the damaged one.

UPDATE 13 June 2013

Still using these units. I no longer use two units in the bedroom now (we no longer sleep in that bedroom in the summer) but downstairs where I only have to use one unit and it doesn't have to work as hard...turns on and off to keep the room cool rather than running constantly when the sun is shining on the windows. I find I don't have to empty it for weeks now, and even then there's not that much to empty. I still love it. It is not a quiet unit like central A/C, so if you want to watch and movie or something in the same room where it's on be prepared to have to turn up the volume.

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The other reviewer, Alesia, summed up my experiences to a tee (i.e., abysmal). All I will add is that it does not cool worth a darn. I live in Vancouver, BC not exactly the AZ desert, and it couldn't cool a small with the outside temperature at 85 F if its life depended on it. And it did...trashed it last week.

Best Deals on SPT TN-12E TechniTrend 12,000-BTU Portable Air Conditioner

What a piece of garbage. This is less an air conditioner, and more of a movie prop of what an air conditioner would look like. In fact, I would not dignify it by calling it an air conditioner -just a Thing.

Our contractor bought us these Things. I had a feeling he was angry at us, but now I know. Of the three we have 1 sorta blows air, 1 sorta doesn't and the other doesn't even turn on.

GARBAGE. Do the people at TechniTrend have any shame? In the instruction manual they made sure that every time they wrote "TechniTrend" they wrote it in their stupid ugly font. If only they had taken the time to engineer a working piece of equipment. They should all be ashamed of their work. Everyone: the engineers, the marketing team, the distributors who peddle this trash. Where are you? Who are you? Show yourselves! Defend your work to the public. You cannot? Of course you cannot, your work is a shameful mark on you and your families.

Honest reviews on SPT TN-12E TechniTrend 12,000-BTU Portable Air Conditioner

Look, I'm not going to go ahead and say that this is the BEST portable A/C unit on the planet... But I will say it's pretty good for the price. It does a pretty good job of cooling a medium sized room and greatly aids personal comfort. A couple things you should know about this unit are that it is fairly loud (though the white noise helps me sleep) and it does need maintenance. Make sure you clean the air filter and drain the water AT LEAST once a year. If these actions aren't performed, the unit will stop and will not turn on until maintenance is performed. Otherwise, it helps with keeping your room cool :D. I live in a household that has a massive central A/C unit and 3 portable units. You can say I'm a bit of an expert in portable home cooling :p.

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We got this unit used from friends who bought it when their main A/C quit in the heat of summer (near Livermore, CA). We got it for use at our modest cabin in the Sierra Nevada near Arnold, CA last year, and it has performed flawlessly. Installation went easily and well, but presented a problem. While we were gone, rodents chewed through the nylon screen and through the foam baffle and entered the house. I had to cut (and paint) a plywood panel with 1/4" mesh screening to prevent this from happening again (as well as replacing the screen with a metal one). The unit cools the interior of the cabin down to 69 degrees from 85, but would get no cooler than that at that ambient temperature (however 69 is more than adequate for us -we were actually just testing the unit to see what it could do). It has been trouble free and works quite well, with the only operational drawback being that it is noisier than we'd like (but we'll put up with some noise to keep cool). Having not compared it to other models, I can't say that it is worth the price of a new one over some other brand/model, but this one works for us just fine.

Reviews of SPT WA-9020E 9,000-BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Remote Control

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List Price: $540.00
Sale Price: $349.00
Today's Bonus: 35% Off

I have central air, but my bedroom upstairs is usually 5-10 degrees warmer than the other bedrooms (vaulted ceiling). This product works perfectly even though the room is much larger than 250sq ft. This portable AC only costs 50 cents a day to run, considerably less than running the central air. It's quieter than I expected and the air is very cold. The only thing I don't like is the instruction manual just not enough info. The exhaust hose must be mounted properly to the outside through a window. All portable AC units create a vacuum in the room and if the exhaust hose is not practically air tight, more warm air from outside will come in than cold air blowing out. I have had it for a week now and it has yet to need the water reservoir emptied.

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This item is not worth it. It takes hours to cool down my 100 sq ft room. I have a 5,000 btu window unit that kicks butt compared to this one. Also, not convenient at all. You need to place a drip pan underneath to catch the water and it only allows a 1" space at the base. I had to build a 4" platform to lift the unit high enough to sit a basin at the bottom to catch all the drip without having to empty it every 1 1/2 hours.

Best Deals on SPT WA-9020E 9,000-BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Remote Control

this air conditioner has one filter which is easily removed for cleaning purposes, but the intake filter is completely hidden and cleaning it entails disassembling the unit, removing the case, just to access the filters. What a nightmare.

Honest reviews on SPT WA-9020E 9,000-BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Remote Control

This 9000BTU AC is supposed to cool a 250 square foot room, so I thought it'd be more than enough for my 190 square foot bedroom. When I turned it on, I was sure it would make things cool pretty quickly, because it was very loud. . . my wife and I called it the "jet engine" during the brief time before we sent it back. Instead it was only able to cool the room by about 3-4 degrees, even when I let it run all night. I tried it for three nights before returning it, and one morning when I woke up, it was actually cooler outside the house than it was in the bedroom where the AC had been running full blast for about 12 hours. Pathetic!

I replaced this unit with a 6000 BTU window unit by Frigidaire. Even though the Frigidaire is only 2/3 the BTU rating, it makes less than half as much noise and was able to cool my fairly small bedroom from 100+ and humid (we're in the middle of a major heat wave in the Northeast right now) to about 72 degrees in about 90 minutes. Needless to say, the 6000BTU replacement will cost a lot less to run as well. . .

Also, I know some people don't care about this kind of thing, but this Sunpentown AC is just incredibly ugly. From the photo I wasn't really sure if it would look cool and futuristic in person or clunky and overbuilt. Guess what. . . it's the latter! It just looks junky and designed by a twelve-year-old who was trying to draw a Camaro instead of a piece of furniture that's supposed to look fairly decent in your house. Most appallingly, and although it doesn't look so bad in the small photo online, that beige insert for the louvers looks like it came from some twenty-year-old piece of office equipment (remember when everything was the same hideous beige?) and it's totally out of place with the silver/gray plastic used everywhere else.

I had a portable AC by Maytag that lasted about 7 years and worked very well, but this Sunpentown I bought to replace it is a terrible failure in all respects: ugly, the loudest air conditioner I've heard since I was a kid in the 1980s, and it doesn't cool worth a damn.

The only nice thing about the entire experience is that I bought it from Amazon, so it was incredibly easy to return! Thanks, Amazon, for being so freaking awesome. . .

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In April 2011, I purchased a Sunpentown (SPT) air conditioner for $450. I ended up not using it last summer and stored it, unopened in its box, until a month ago. Right out of the box, it didn't work. After trading emails with a customer service representative James who after 3 rounds of email told me that it doesn't matter that the product was defective out of the box. I asked to speak with a manager and received a call from Mike, who told me that the product is out of warranty so there is nothing they can do, that it's not worth repairing a window unit and that I should either "junk it or sell it for scraps." I asked him if Sunpentown really has no problem manufacturing and selling such shoddy products and he said "It's been a year lady. Nothing I can do." Sunpentown makes bad products that don't work. Sunpentown is unwilling to stand by its products. My recommendation is for you to save your money and purchase another product, one made by a company who has integrity.

Reviews of Master Appliance EC-100 500-Degree Fahrenheit or 1000-Degree

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List Price: $46.00
Sale Price: $39.62
Today's Bonus: 14% Off

I bought this to do some shrink wrapping, really works well, quick and easy, heats up in seconds, I would recommend it.

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Some reviews and specs say this gun is quiet or more quiet than others. This is not the case, it is just as loud as other heat guns.

Discount La Pavoni Stradavari Espresso Machines

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List Price: $1,499.00
Sale Price: $1,376.14
Today's Bonus: 8% Off

Update: At the three year mark, the heating elements on my machine failed. Repair costs TBD. If it's a write off, I estimate my service life equipment cost to have been right around a buck a shot. I had hoped for better longevity from a simple, expensively over-built machine. My initial rating was five stars, which I now reduce to three. Original review follows, with updates noted:

I have owned the 16-cup La Pavoni Stradivari model for about six months. I purchased it through Seattle Coffee Gear, a nearby dealer and repair shop I have come to trust. My wife and I use the machine at home for 4-6 Americanos or lattes per day.

My machine arrived in good order and was easy to set up. Per directions, I ran a tank of water with baking soda through initially, and set up the steamer with the venturi frothing attachment. There's a lot about this machine I like: its small footprint and steamship-era aesthetics, sturdiness and perpetual maintainability, silent operation, and the ability to pull an absolutely perfect shot. The venturi frother is a black plastic gizmo with a silicon tube to put into the milk to be frothed. Turning on the steam draws the milk into the frother and deposits the result directly into a cup. The result is hot and tasty, but with bubbles not quite fine or consistent enough for "coffee art", which doesn't really matter to me. Update: when the feeder tube from the Venturi frother became uncleanable I switched to the traditional wand and figured out how to use it. I like the finer foam it produces much better.

Here are some tips on use of the machine:

Raising the pump handle up opens the pump assembly to the water tank. Steam pressure then drives water into the pump. Depressing the lever pushes the water through the puck and into the cup.

If the pump and the filter are not hot before you compress the grounds into the filter assembly, the metal of the filter cup may expand when you operate the pump, allowing some water to go around the puck. Ways to mitigate this problem are: let the machine warm with filter assembly attached for 15-20 minutes; run 2-3 shots through an empty filter; or put hot water in a cup and soak the pump head until it warms up (doing the same for the filter assembly). In any event, this problem goes away after the first shot.

Experiment with your grind until you find one that allows expression of the shot with moderate pressure on the pump handle for between five and ten seconds. I use a Capresso conical burr grinder set on the coarsest of the "extra fine" settings. If you're foolish enough to blow a grand on an expresso maker, spend a little extra to buy a heavy stainless tamper of the appropriate size as well. It will make forming the puck much easier.

Per the instructions, when you raise the pump handle to let water into the pump, pause a few seconds or until coffee first drips from the filter assembly, then pull the shot. The pause moistens the puck and results in vast amounts of rich, deep caramel-colored crema. You can't replicate this step with an electric pump machine, and I believe it makes an important difference in the result. Update: Actually, Breville's new unit is supposed to do this for you.

Wait a short while after pulling a shot before removing the filter assembly, to allow pressure to dissipate. If you're impatient, you can blow grounds all over the counter. The harder the pull, the longer the required wait.

Be sure to rinse the frother right after using it to keep milk solids from clogging it. If it clogs, run a cup of 50%-diluted white vinegar through it, followed by a cup of water.

These steps are easy to master and the result is truly worthwhile.

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This machine was a great disappointment. I got this to replace a 70's Pavoni Europiccola that simply wore out. From the beginning the first cup of espresso is cold, unless you go though a ritual to get it hotter. The manufacturer said this was just the way it is now designed.

Then I noticed that after using it, there was a puddle of water underneath. La Pavoni sent me to Thomas Cara in San Francisco, and said he was their representative. HE curtly said he was NOT their representative. But he described a defect in the Stradivari design the heating element is made of stainless steel and the bottom fixture is brass so they cool at different rates and frequently leak like mine was doing. So there is no good fix for this $800 espresso maker.

Thankfully, Amazon has been very responsive in taking the unit back, and I expect a full refund. That part was easy.

La Pavoni ESW-8 Stradavari 8-Cup Espresso Machine, Chrome with Wood Handles

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This machine is exactly what I expected, pulls beautiful shots, but not without some patient troubleshooting. You MUST use an adjustable burr grinder and learn the art of grinding, tamping and pulling the shot. There are some good videos on youtube on this machine.

However, the plastic tray that catches any spilled espresso was either broken out of the box, or broke during its first cleaning. It is made of gossamer plastic, and cracked right away.

Also of concern, the base of the unit (Stradivarius) appears to be plastic covered with a chrome looking finish. It sure looks like metal in the pictures, and for a machine that costs as much as this one does, I would expect the base to be metal. Unfortunately, when you pull a shot, the plastic base flexes, and after only a few weeks, I have noticed some cracks on the base unit just to the right of the boiler. I think older machines have metal bases, and I would definitely try to get an older metal base machine if I could do it over.

And some oddities, the filter basket tightens to the left. The on light is red, while the heating light is green (seems they should be the other way around). My machine hovers around .75 bar, which seems low, but it still pulls beautiful crema.

Other than the plastic parts, this machine is great.

Honest reviews on La Pavoni Stradavari Espresso Machines

This machine is outstanding! That is, if you know how to manually pull shots. Apparently, some people want a fully automated espresso machine so do not get this if that is what your looking for. Once you get the hang of how it works, you will never want coffee from any store like charbucks or tully's...I lived in Italy for almost 2 years and this machine will produce better espresso than what I had over there, which was better than anything from a coffee shop in the US. If you get this machine get a conical burr grinder, and if you are serious about coffee, roast your own beans too. I have a Zassenhaus knee grinder, a Nesco professional coffee roaster, and I buy my green coffee beans from . Buying this machine with regular roasted beans from the store is not going to produce the best espresso and you should look at a cheaper machine if you are planning on doing so. Overall the machine looks beautiful on your counter and you will impress your friends with your at-home barista skills!

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On the first delivery, the machine arrived with damaged wooden handles that the protective finish was coming off. I sent it back to Amazon for a replacement.

Machine #2 arrives. The boiler knob have the same issue with the finish but this time also some of the polished chrome parts are showing the copper bellow. On the base the polished chrome is missing in a very small are aa and yet I would have rated it 4 stars if you have asked me yesterday. Today the safety valve just blown opened while the machine was warming up.

I forgot to mention, this is a 18 days old machine.

Despite making some of the very best shots you ever had, Do not buy!!!

Review of Haier 3.9 Cu Ft Fridge W Full Sz Freezer Black

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To prolong the life on your fridge, you should read what must be done. This fridge has to be unplugged for 24 hours if it is EVER horizontal, probably with the liquids inside for the cooling system. Since the delivery men could have had it horizontal (assume that they did) or if they had it diagonal going up the stairs or whatnot, you should have it unplugged for 24 hours. After that, you have to have it on '4' setting for 24 hours.

Beware that the back can get pretty hot as its meant to take heat out of the fridge.

After that, the fridge seems to be working GREAT. Had it for about a month or so now and it is cold enough to make ice and freeze my ice pack on the '5' setting as well as keep my drinks cold. NOT a disappointment like the so called mini-fridges which are really mini coolers.

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It's on sale this week at Target for $109, so I thought I'd write a review in case anyone wants to get one cheap without having to pay shipping.

Perfect size for one person--maybe even 2. I would have liked a bigger freezer compartment, but it's bigger than it looks. At a medium setting the frozen foods stay frozen, and the refrigerated foods are plenty cold. The thermostat actually works.

This is a real fridge with a compressor, not some cheap piece of junk.

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My first review! I have bought many items from Amazon and have only had to return one and had no problems. Ordered, not received but ordered from Amazon, this refrigerator April 6, 2010. Called July 7, 2010 to say the refrigerator is broken and they said "Sorry you are one day over your 90 warranty." I said I did not have it 90 days, they said the warranty started when I ordered it from Amazon.

I am very disappointed in this company and Amazon for selling and promoting their products.

Guy Kidder

Honest reviews on Haier 3.9 Cu Ft Fridge W Full Sz Freezer Black

Shipped and received very quickly. There was freight damage to the carton (the bottom had been completely opened and retaped) so when taking it out of the carton noted that the bottom hinge was bent which prevented the door from closing. Had to take the hinge off and bend it back so the door could close. Disappointed with the quality of the shipping materials, but the end product is fine and as expected. I would still purchase from this seller again.

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Decent size. Cost's about $4 extra on electricity every month, which is not too bad. You can fit a good amount of stuff in there. Sometimes it gets too cold, there is a temperature adjustment but even when you put it really low like at #3 some of my fruits and drinks were freezing up. The metal piece on the bottom was scratching up my hardwood floors when I was moving it around. The fridge tilts a little bit and is uneven on the bottom so I had to use a piece of paper to tilt it back up. And the fridge makes more noise then I thought it would. Those are the aspects I didn't like but over all it's a pretty good product, the first mini fridge I have gotten.

Review of Vornado TVH600 Whole Room Vortex Heater, Automatic Climate Control

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List Price: $249.99
Sale Price: $153.18
Today's Bonus: 39% Off

Purchased January 5th, died January 28th. The touch panel illuminates and shows the correct temps, but neither the heat nor the fan turns on. No funny burning smell either. We use it in our 2 yr old's bedroom at night, so about 12 hrs each night for 3 weeks to keep the temp at 73. It hasn't been very cold here, around 60-65 in his small 9'x9' room without the heat on at night. Also, the unit is made in China.

I called Vornado and they're doing the repair for free, shipping included. Hopefully the repaired or replacement heater will be more reliable.

update: After 2 months or so of using the replacement unit, everything is working properly. I would rate customer service 5 stars since they are very friendly, helpful, and in the US.

update 2: the replacement one is broken now less than 1 year later. Heat fires up fine, but no fan. Off to get another replacement from Vornado. Again, customer service is VERY GOOD, 5 stars again. If only their flagship heater could last more than one "winter" here in California, which isn't that cold at all.

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This heater is extremely accurate in maintaing the set temp. I have tested it several times against a digital thermometer with memory. With each test, the heater has maintained the set temp. to within .5 degrees, plus or minus of the set temp. These tests have been conducted on 8 hr. time frames.

The remote is very easy to use & is an impt. upgrade, because it allows you to place the sensing device @ any location in the room away from the heater. This gives a much more accurate temp. throughout the room.

The air circulation ability of the vornado heaters is pretty amazing. it really circulates the air throughout the room as advertised. It works slow but effectively.

The heater has been used for probably 48 hrs. of run time. Hopefully, it is durable enough to maintain its current performance over many yrs.

I have two of the vornado VH2 heaters which both failed during the 1st winter of moderate use. I purchased the EH1 heater only after learning that Vornado will pay shipping to return the two VH2 heaters to the factory for free warranty repair & will ship back to me @ no cost. The EH1 also has the free return policy but has a 2 yr. instead of the 1 yr. warranty found on the VH2. Warranty info. that came with the VH2 & EH1 all state that the customer has to pay to ship the product back to the factory and then include $20 for them to ship it back to you. this is basically a worthless warranty and in my call to Vornado, they said that they now pay shipping both ways on all of their heaters.

Best Deals on Vornado TVH600 Whole Room Vortex Heater, Automatic Climate Control

This heater promises a lot, and is certainly on the pricey side for an electric heater. The remote is non-intuitive, and seems to require several button presses to get the heater to respond. The remote's display shows you the current temperature, but not the temperature that you've set the thermostat to -you have to look on the heater itself to see that. It's also easy to change the heat setting (low, high, fan-only) without realizing it, unless you're looking at the heater's display while you're using the remote. All that said, the heater is quiet, and does a good job of heating the room. The auto-off after a set number of hours is a nice feature.

But here was the real problem for me -the heater failed after one week of use. We stepped out of the room for a few minutes, at a time when the heater was not heating, but was still turned on, and came back to a slight electrical odor in the air. The heater was now off, and pressing the "on" button did nothing. I verified that it was the unit and not a circuit breaker in my house. Fortunately, I can return this item to where I bought it within 30 days for any reason. While I have the option of getting a replacement, I don't think it's worth the risk. The manufacturer has a 2-year warranty, but warranty service requires mailing the unit cross-country at my expense, PLUS a $20 shipping and handling fee to get the unit returned to me. I don't want to get another and have it fail 31 days after I get it, so this one is going back. Too bad, because I really like the concept! But poor implementation and apparently poor reliability (sample of one) kills it for me. Not recommended.

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Received my order and plugged it in and it heated the room I had it in within a couple minutes. Works as good as advertised if not better with even heat distribution. Now use it to heat our entire downstairs (living room, kitchen, and dining room) during the day, and the furnace very rarely kicks on. When it does it's for less than half the time it would without the Vornado. The real test will be when we receive our first electric bill with this little powerhouse.

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We have had our TVH600 replaced 3 times. The first one lasted about 10 months before the automatic turn-off began to just shut the unit off all the time and eventually it stopped working all together. The second unit, we had for about a week and never worked properly! It tripped off constantly and smelled like it was burning, plus the cord would get really really HOT. The third unit worked for 1 day before the thermostat was reading 68 degrees and it was set to 72 degrees and blowing cold air. The company has been absolutely wonderful about replacing the units, but this particular model is garbage, plain and simple. Vornado is going to send me another model, this time, so hopefully this one works.

Best Evolve T-100R Residential Thermostat Deals

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List Price: $149.90
Sale Price: $137.15
Today's Bonus: 9% Off

The product itself is great, but to get it to work with your Zwave automation system I found difficult. Connecting as easy, but so many plug-ins required.

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Toastmaster Personal Coffee Mug and Warmer (TMMGW) Reviews

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List Price: $19.95
Sale Price: $16.95
Today's Bonus: 15% Off

This formerly discontinued item is now available from 3 vendors. Vermontcountrystore.com offers a similar warmer (by a different manufacturer) that has a ceramic rather than plastic base.

The enclosed instructions claim that the "Hot Spot" does not heat items, but maintains their temperature. This is only partially true: Very hot cups of liquid cool down to hot (probably because there is no lid), and very full cups will cool down even more. That said, the Salton hot plate "mostly" maintains beverage temperature. I enjoy my now hotter coffee, and I've noticed I don't have to drink as much coffee as I did without the hot plate because I'm not refilling a cup at room temperature.

NO THERMOSTAT

That's right, there is no thermostat, so safety is really up to you. If you lay something on top of this, if it accidentally turns over-whatever-it will stay at the same temperature and start to burn. Even without this important lack-of-safety feature, the hot plate's complete ignorance of its own temperature can result in a scalded taste when heating coffee with milk-especially when the cup is near empty. Perhaps this item is hard to find because of this thermostat issue; however, I have yet to locate a similar product that senses heat.

The Salton does an adequate to good job at keeping beverages hot. It comes with a plain white cup which could have easily been left out. There is a white power cord and a simple on/off switch-a small red light indicates that the power is on. Please note that this product ships from independent sellers; therefore, Amazon.com does not offfer free shipping (with an order of $25 or more). For a similar price, you can order a mug warmer with a ceramic base from Vermontcountrystore.com. Given the adequate but not excellent performance of the Salton Hot Spot, this product might be worth checking out, although it does not have a thermostat either.

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I bought this item based on the reviews and after looking at all other similar items and their reviews. This has been a great for my work. I spend most of my day in front of a computer/at at desk (like most of us today) and many times I get completely into what I am doing and forget to drink my tea, which ends up getting cold before I finish it. Well, no more. My tea stays hot until I finish it.

It does have one minor deficiency; it does not have an automatic on/off switch, so you need to be careful placing it in an area where you are not going accidentally cover it with any pieces of paper in case you forget to turn it off. On the other hand, the benefit of that feature is that you can turn it on before you go to get your coffee/tea/hot chocolate/soup so by the time you get back to your desk, the plate is already warm.

Note; this item is not for heating up a cold drink (as, oddly, some people seem to think), but rather, it is to maintain the temperature of a hot drink. Finally, it does come with its own cup, but you can also use your own.

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After researching the reviews of mug warmers on Amazon I bought the Salton "Hot Spot". Upon turning it on for the first time, there was a slight burning aroma. I then placed my huge tea mug on top, accidentally spilling a bit. The spilled tea sizzled and crackled on the mug warmer until it had boiled away! Needless to say, the Hot Spot did its job and kept my large mug of tea at a very warm (but not too hot) temperature. Highly recommended!

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I like my coffee piping hot, this warming plate doesn't keep it piping hot, but does ok.

I did a test on it using a digital thermometer that was graduated in whole degrees (not tenths)

I made a cup of coffee in a Keurig automatic coffee maker into the ceramic mug that came with the unit. I did not heat the mug first....it was at room temperature when the coffee began pouring into it.

I preheated the warmer for 15 minutes prior to making my cup of coffee.

Room temperature was 72 deg F.

All temperature readings were taken with the temperature probe tip located at the mid-point of the remaining coffee in the mug.

1. As soon as the coffee was made the temperature was 155 deg F.

2. The mug was then immediately placed on the PREHEATED warmer without having taken a sip of coffee.

3. 15 minutes after setting the mug on the preheated warmer, the temperature was 130 deg F. (I had still NOT taken a drink of coffee nor had the cup been removed from the warmer)

4. 20 minutes after setting the mug on the preheated warmer, the temperature was 125 deg F. (I had still NOT taken a drink of coffee nor had the cup been removed from the warmer)

5. I then periodically took a sip of coffee over the next 60 minutes. The mid level coffee temperature continued to fall until it stabilized at 110 deg F.

6. With 20% of the cup left with coffee, the temperature remained steady at 110 deg F. for 3 hours.

As a reference: I did the same test, however, the warmer was NOT used:

1. Removed from Keurig coffee maker the temperature of the coffee was: 155 deg F. (Room temperature was: 72 deg F.)

2. 15 mins later the coffee temperature was 122 deg F.

3. 20 mins later the coffee temperature was 102 deg F.

I like the cup warmer and recommend it, but, for me, I wish it could keep my coffee around 150 deg F.

I hope this helps in your decision.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Toastmaster Personal Coffee Mug and Warmer (TMMGW)

I have purchased SEVERAL other brands of mug warmers, trying to find one that actually lives up to what the manufacturer claims. This one actually does! It keeps my coffee warm for literally hours (since I'm one to get busy at work and forget my morning coffee sitting on the desk, it will still be hot at lunch time). I would never purchase any other brand, and would tell others the same who ask me. This product is the only one to try. Trust me...I've tried the others.

Cheap TZ45 Z-Wave Thermostat

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Pretty easy to install in do it yourself mode. Works great with ADT Pulse and Z-Wave. Now I can control from my iPhone, iPad and Web. Good programmability via Web.

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This is a premium zwave thermostat from a high quality company. RCS has been creating thermostats and controllers both under the RCS name and for major OEM's for many years. The Zwave radios are strong and act as repeaters for all zwave devices creating a strong mesh network throughout your home.

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Was gonna return because I thought it was not compatable to my wiring. I just wired it wrong. Got it right and now its perfect. Works very well with my ADT Pulse.....

Honest reviews on TZ45 Z-Wave Thermostat

I had no trouble programming this or integrating it with my automation system. The A/C goes on when we get home and off automatically when we leave, and the time-based features also worked (so it starts cooling off before we get home automatically).

As others have noticed, it does require a HV common, which my thermostat wiring did not have, so I had to pull new wire to the thermostat. If you don't know what you're doing, better to hire someone to do that part.

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Install required me to go up in the attic and connect a ground wire to attic units. Luckily there were extra wires available to bring the ground to the thermostat. I had to call my A/C to determine if the initial settings were correct. Once connected the sync to my ADTPulse alarm system was a snap. I can monitor temp of the house from my smart phone, see when the units are on, off, heating and cooling by looking at the interface and history. Turn the units on and off from my smartphone and use the alarm make away and home set points. The programming is a little challenging and I'll need to read the direction again. The main difference from a standard unit is that when I've set it to hold at a temperature, temp will change when a program time tells it to. Other units I've had will hold the set temp until I turn the program back on. Again, this maybe just a learning curve I have to climb. The copy function makes it easy to apply a program for one or several days of the week.