Product Review: Conair Extreme Steam Handheld Garment Steamer

Product
Conair Extreme Steam Handheld Garment Steamer

In Short - Finally... Something that Works Wonder!!
I already went through 2 different brand and models of clothes steamer, and both went out of commission after several months of use. I rarely steam my clothes anyone and the steamer is really only for those one-in-a-while nice dine out events. So I've probably used each of them for less than 5-6 times over the several months. Despite emptying it after each use and following the recommended use and care procedures, both steamers stop heating up, possibly due to the hard water that I have in my area. The descaling method simply isn't working and there's no way to repair it or replace the heating element or the motor or whichever has broken. I end up throwing the whole thing out into trash... (Ok, the motor part went to Best Buy's recycling program, and the rest went to trash.) They both are expensive "commercial" models that are well over $50. See my other reviews on those. I finally decide to go with this handheld model and it simply doesn't have as many parts to break down or to descale. I actually don't see any descaling instructions in the manual. For less than half the price, it works much better than all those heavy duty versions and I'm loving it! Plus, it has an option to just add $5 for 2-yr replacement plan that covers even normal wear and tear! At least I know this one is going to last 2 years, or I'm getting a new one for free!

Cost
$27.99 at Target.com with free ship +  $4.99 2-Yr replacement plan.

Pros

1. Less than half the price compared to the heavier duty versions.
2. Less bulky, no cumbersome hose to knock things off. Easier to maneuver around the clothes with only a power cord, and not the bulky hose.
3. Easier to fill and empty the tank, which means less likely build-up and easier clean-up of potential scales. MAJOR PLUS, if not the most critical plus for me.
4. Steam up much faster, less than 60 seconds.
5. Steam is less hot - some reviews said it's ionized mist so it's "not hot", but in reality, it is still hot in the sense that you don't really want to put your hands over it. But it is much less hot than many other models, which actually get you seriously burnt if you hand get close to the steam. I myself got burnt several times with those other models.
6. The steam mist seems to be even more effective on clothes than the hot steam of other models.
7. With Target's 2 year worry free replacement plan which covers even normal wear and tear problem, I can rest assured that this $33 is going to last at least 2 years, vs the $50-$60 for several months.

Cons

1. Small reservoir only lasts 15 minutes (vs. 45-60 minutes). You just have to refill a little more often if you do more than 1-2 pieces.
2. Heavier to use because you have to hold the whole steamer including the water tank and the heavy motor head to "shoot" the steam, whereas the larger models usually have the model sit on the floor and you're only holding the sprayer head connected to the base with a hose.

Product Review: Medelco 10-Cup Eurostyle Universal Replacement Glass Carafe

Product
Medelco 10-Cup Eurostyle Universal Replacement Glass Carafe

In Short - Works Great! with just a little mental work
When I broke the glass carafe of my Braun coffee maker which had been working faithfully for us for almost 10 years, I had the struggle between buying a Braun replacement carafe for $24 shipped or buy a brand new basic coffee maker like Proctor Silex for $15 shipped. The Braun coffee maker now costs about $80. Hubby's theory is a replacement because "why create another piece of garbage". My mom's theory is alsoa replacement because it's a better coffee maker and it's totally working fine. What's not fine is that I hit the glass in the sink and broke it. My dilemma is, it's almost 10 years old and the replacement cost almost twice as much as a plain but brand new maker! My struggle ended when I found this universal carafe. Reviews on many website are contradictory and some says it doesn't exactly fit, etc. I decided to give it a try for it's only $8 shipped. I'm glad I did.

Cost
$7.99 at Amazon.com with Prime


Pros

1. One third of the price compared to an original Braun carafe.
2. Actually looks nicer and sleeker!
3. Works fine and sits on the hot plate just as it should on my Braun 4085. The manufacturer lists all the compatible models for various makes and models of coffee maker. I wouldn't go for what people says fit or not fit in the review sections because many weren't specific as to the model number.

Cons

1. Does not have the "flavor seal" from the original carafe, but I actually don't notice any difference. Apparently, I'm not very much of a coffee drinker... and I actually find the original flavor seal piece quite cumbersome when cleaning as it keeps falling off.
2. Not "original"... but then why do I care?
3. You may not be able to actually make 10 cups of coffee as the "cup" quantity markings may be inaccurate - here comes the catch.

now... here's that little bit of mental work
The carafe is supposed to be 10-cup, as it's markings on the side shows. But somehow whenever I pour in 6 cups of water into the coffee maker using the markings on the coffee maker water tank as a guide, I always end up with about 8-cups of coffee according to the carafe markings. When I pour 8-cups by the water tank guide, I get 10-cups by the carafe markings. I'm glad I had never tried to make 10-cups to begin with, as I'm sure that's going to overflow. I'm not sure which one is closer to the actual "cup" measurement as that's not very important to me. But this sure didn't happen with Braun's original carafe. I have a feeling that it's this Medelco carafe being a little smaller than what its markings show because the carafe is ever so slightly smaller in diameter than the original carafe. When it sits on the hot plate, there is a bigger gap between the carafe and the rim of the hot plate - not that it's important to me either. As long as you don't exactly need 10 cups, you just have to keep that in mind when you pour water in so it doesn't overflow.

For $8 vs $24, I think I can deal with this little bit of mental work. Wish they fix it in their next batch!