Reviews by MsPersnickety

MsPersnickety says "Sorry, they have to be adhered to the inside of the dryer" about Bounce Dryer Bar

MsPersnickety — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 02:20:26 GMT

Much as I love the idea of not having to put a dryer sheet in each load and removing them after each load, I was not happy about having to adhere the Bounce Dryer Bar to the inside of my dryer with an adhesive strip. I guess I did not know about that.

First I have a relatively new dryer. So I wonder how well will and how long will the adhesive last in a hot dryer. Will it come loose? How often will it have to be replaced? Will the bar break loose and thump around in the tumbling dryer? Will the adhesive leave residue on the dryer that will not clean off well? Will the melted adhesive ruin clothes? Will the plastic holder melt? Can you stick it back on if it falls off? Since I had no answers I have not installed the unit and have no plans to. I have seen reviews saying they are expensive, they do not last long and they do fall off the dryer inside. My dryer only has three settings, cool fluff, perma press and high. the two setting with heat get very hot, which...

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MsPersnickety says "CHEAP FASTENERS, POOR DIRECTIONS" about Ameriwood BED, BATH & BEYOND 2 SHELF STORAGE

MsPersnickety — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:49:16 GMT

i actually bought this product, BED, BATH & BEYOND 2 SHELF STORAGE made by Ameriwood at BigLots. It was $20 regular price there. I have put together lots of systems over the years: TV carts, Microwave carts, Bookshelves etc. This was the smallest, but the worst to put together. (model number is #7505300)

Three of the plastic compression dowell fasteners broke in half during installation. Half stayed in the hole and I could not get it out to replace them. The rest bent and would not hold the pieces steady during installation. Picture only instructions were not clear.

I had an extremely hard time reaching cam lock between the shelves to lock it in place. There is not enough room to get your hand in with a screwdriver, and I have small hands. and if you do get your hand inside you cannot see the can lock. The shelf was not in the middle of the unit as pictured. It was close to the top. Had the shelf been in the middle of the unit there would have been much more room...

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MsPersnickety says "Truly point and shoot " about Kodak - EasyShare CX7530 Digital Camera

MsPersnickety — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 22:30:33 GMT

My Kodak - EasyShare CX7530 digital camera is truly the best of all worlds- easy to use with more complex functions if needed. I can take a fast photo quickly and easily using the auto focus I can take a good action shot using the action shot (sport) feature. I can take a good night photo using the night photo option. I can zoom in for a great closeup if needed.

It is very easy to upload the photos to my computer using the easy share software that came with the unit too, though I prefer other software, kodak has sent me a few free upgrades to their software already. I can even take short videos with my camera, when I remember how.

Although this camera is pretty small, it is quite heavy which I was not expecting. I have taken lots of great photos with this camera. (Long live the memory cards!)

The one thing i do not like is how fast it uses batteries. Seems the battery light is always going on. I always have extra batteries handy. This does get quite annoying...

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MsPersnickety says "an oldie ,but not a goody" about LG - LG VX3300 Cell Phone

MsPersnickety — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 21:51:44 GMT

My LG VX3300 cell phone is several years old. Someone from my wireless called me when it was past time to renew my contract and offered my a cheaper new plan with a free new phone based on my usage. Hmm, this was odd - cheaper?? I wrote all the info down, and accepted. I was supposed to go online to select a phone. Two weeks later I see strange charges on my bill. I call. The offer I was given was "no longer available", so they gave me a more expensive plan. When was someone going to tell me, I asked. You have a better plan now they said, which phone should we send you they start at $50. I did not sign up for that plan I said, I want to be put back on my old plan with month to month no contract. We went round and round for a month, I finally got my way.

So now I am keeping my old phone, on principle, and as I cannot afford a new one (well really- it is just very low on my priority list now). I do not make that many calls usually. This phone was very poorly...

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MsPersnickety says "did not add body - Hard to open, easy to tip over bottle, " about Garnier Fructis Fortifying Conditioner

MsPersnickety — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 20:28:21 GMT

I purchased both the shampoo and matching Garnier Fructis Fortifying Conditioner as a set. It said it was for fine or flat hair. It said it was to add body and volume. It says it nourishes the hair, adds strength, and all day "bounce and volume". The only change I saw was my hair felt "gooey" - it was still flat, limper and seemed to need washing sooner.

The bottle had a rounded nub on the cap to push on to open it. I had a hard time opening the bottle when my hands were wet in the shower. My fingers would slip right off the round nub. I alway had to reach outside the shower for a dry towel to help me open it. also, the plastic bottle had a flat cap - the writing direction showed that it was supposed to stand on the flat lid. But it never stood up well on its own. It would constantly fall over - any little movement knocked it over. I was constantly fishing this off the bottom of my tub while in the shower. Very annoying.

I liked the smell of the conditioner,...

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MsPersnickety says "It gets me where I want to go" about Magellan - Maestro 3100 Personal GPS

MsPersnickety — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 20:00:11 GMT

I was always easily getting lost. If i have two choices I always turn the wrong way. I always have to leave extra early when driving somewhere new. I am one of those people who are really, really bad on directions. When Mapquest became available, I printed out directions. But still we found ourselves turning around in error and after 6 miles because Mapquest had said the street was 3 miles from the highway in error.

With this Magellan Maestro 3100 portable unit, I can pack it and take it on vacation and use it locally when going somewhere new. It has never steered me wrong. It gave me a great detour option the other day when I was stuck in construction traffic on my way to an appointment.

While visiting relatives out of state last fall, on the way to a family dinner, the unit kept saying turn here, but my relatives said "no, you cannot get through that way". When we got there, in talking to the host, we found out sure enough that a new street had been opened which...

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MsPersnickety says "what is better than helping a child?" about CHILDREN . iNCORPORATED

MsPersnickety — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 19:28:18 GMT

Sponsor a child in need in the U.S. or other places in the world. Most satisfying! Children will eat, be taken care of and get an education. or you can make a one time donation.

Visit children-inc.org

I have sponsored 3 different chiildren at Children Inc. over the years. One left the program to go on to public high school - I had her from age 7 to age 14. Another left the program to move in (away from the program) with an older working sibling after a parent died. I had her for over four years. I am now sponsoring a 9 year old.

Thr program sends you pictures of your sponsored child and you also get letters from the child. You can also arrange to visit at the schools if you are in the area.

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MsPersnickety says "Air smelled good, bad instructions, no response from company" about Neotec XJ-2000

MsPersnickety — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 17:46:06 GMT

I bought two Neotec XJ-2000 unlts a few years ago upon recommendation from a coworker. I had been waking up each morning congested. I overheard my coworkers discussing various ionic air purifiers one day, saying they really helped with nasal congestion, and allergies. One had bought a large whole house unit (another brand) for $500 and was saying it made the wall behind the unit black and the replacement filters needed to be changed often and were quite expensive. Another said he bought a Neotec unit and liked it and it had a washable filter and no black wall. Upon his recommendation, I checked out information online and also bought. According to the website, the two units would cover my living and bedroom area sizes. The units shipped promply. I did like the smell of the air, and it did seem to help my congestion. I let them run all the time.

I cleaned the metal pull out filter at least once a month per the instructions that came with the unit. It was not too bad...

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MsPersnickety says "A bit more expensive, but can find it on sale" about John Frieda John Frieda Sheer Blonde Highlight Activating Daily Shampoo

MsPersnickety — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 16:44:20 GMT

I first tried John Frieda Sheer Blonde Highlight Activating Daily Shampoo when visiting a friend as I had forgotten to pack shampoo and she let me use hers. The ads says: "sheer blonde Highlight Activating Daily Shampoo, with Light Enhancers, rids strands of dulling residues, restoring blonde hair's clarity so light can shine through. The result is blonde hair that looks instantly brighter with even tones and sparkling shine." They also say it contains "Brightening Extracts" of Natural Lemon Peel, Chamomile and Sunflower Seed. I like that it uses some natural products.I am a big skeptic to most product claims, but I actually did notice a difference after using this product. My color enhanced hair really was lighter and shinier. It lathers up really good, even on days when my hair is extra oily, It has nice mild fragrance too, and you only need to use a little bit. The tube lasts a long time, since I only have to lather up once (not twice as some shampoos say). and...

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MsPersnickety says "I use it all the time - cooks fast!" about George Foreman George Foreman Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine

MsPersnickety — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 16:01:09 GMT

I do love my George Foreman Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine - it is a bit old, but it sure is fast for cooking a burger, chicken breasts or pork chops, for a quick lunch or dinner for one person. Even a grilled cheese sandwich. Sometimes I cook an extra piece for lunch or dinner to eat cold the next day, while it is still hot too. I feel this is a healthier option for cooking. I leave mine out on the counter all the time.

This unit heats up quite fast, literally ready to use in a few minutes. It came with a shallow tray to catch drippings and a tool to "scrape" the unit. I found a slightly larger tray that fits under the grill lip at a garage sale and use that instead. The scraper really is of no value to me as it seems to miss everything. I use the "steam clean method" they recommend - turn off the grill, place two very wet paper towels on the hot grill immediately after using, and put the lid down. After dinner remove the paper towels and then wipe down...

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MsPersnickety says "5% cash back on specific purchases when you sign up each quarter" about Discover - Discover More Card

MsPersnickety — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 14:35:15 GMT

I got the Discover More Card to get rebates on gas when it was so high last year. The Discover More card gives you 5% cash back on up to $400 in purchases at specific business types each quarter. The categories change each quarter and YOU MUST SIGN UP for this program EACH QUARTER to take advantage of it. Otherwise they pay 1% cash back on all other purchases. You can cash out after $20 is accumulated

Using your Discover More Card you earn 5% Cashback Bonus on up to $400 on purchases from April through June, 2009 at Home Improvement Stores, Department Stores and Clothing Stores. July through September, 2009, 5% cash back is available on purchases of Gas, Hotels, Theme Parks. zoos and bookstores. October through December 2009 it is on Grocery Stores, Restaurants, and Movies (includes movie rentals). First quarter 2009 was on: Airlines, Hotels, Car Rentals, Cruises.

They have added a few more categories this year, but basically it is the same as last year. You...

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MsPersnickety says "more features than I know how to use" about Hewlett Packard 2 ghz Intel core 3 duo laptop DV6929NR

MsPersnickety — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:30:02 GMT

I got this HP DV6929NR laptop just before Christmas, after the monitor on my 3 year old $1000 Gateway laptop died and was not repairable. I looked around and priced units, and then I literally jumped to be first in line when BigLots advertised this unit for $599. I knew they only get in 1-5 of these special clearance deals at my local store. Computer withdrawal is not pretty.

The unit was easy to set up following the enclosed instructions, though it took quite a while going through all of it's various manuevers of the set up process. I have had the dreaded blue screen three times now, usually when the system downloads HP content, but it has always come back up fine. The battery lasts for about 3.5 hours wich is a bit better than my old Gateway, however, they could have put in a better battery low warning system. There is only a small pop-up in the lower right hand side of the screen when down to 5% power, no warning sound, and which I rarely see when working. It does save...

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MsPersnickety says "lots of extras - will see how long it lasts" about Panasonic Inverter NN-SN667

MsPersnickety — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 23:17:07 GMT

I bought this Panasonic Invertor Microwave Oven, model # NN-SN667W from amazon.com. It was on sale for $117.00, marked down from $149.00 because I had a gift certificate from amazon, and my old microwave had stopped working. This model is white, which may have been why it was marked down. I have only had it for a month. It replaced an Emerson 1100W $69 microwave which died after 1 year of use.

This Panasonic Microwave is 1.2 cu. ft. and 1300W. It has several extras i liked: a clock, with a timer that can be used without the oven. It has a keep warm feature, inverter turbo defrost and sensor reheat cooking selection buttons. I like the keep warm as it allows me to finish other foods before serving. The turbo defrost allows you to defrost frozen meats by entering the weight. Good if you have a package with the weight on it. I am now trying to add weight info to all the meat I freeze along with the date.

I have used the sensor reheat feature several times on...

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MsPersnickety says "Easy fast clean up for simple smoothies and diet drink mixes" about Grand Gourmet Grand Gourmet Pro Hand Blender MG301

MsPersnickety — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 02:37:18 GMT

The Grand Gourmet Pro Hand Blender is a two speed pulse hand blender. It comes with a stainless steel blade for pureeing/chopping and a whisk attachment. I have used it almost everyday since getting it for xmas (a hand blender was on my wishlist) . In the winter I like to make home made soup and throw in leftover vegetables - so I use the blade to puree things like leftover spinach, cauliflower, and brocolli into my soup stock or spagetti or lasagna sauce or to make a fast smoothie for breakfast. I have used it to whip up real whipped cream for a pie topping and to make souffles.

This is not a heavy duty blender, so do not try to chop nuts with it, but for $25.95 on sale at meijer.com it suits my limited cooking purposes. (I had watched Ratchel Ray using hers too much, perhaps but the best Kitchenaid brand was not in our budget last year). You can see it here http://www.meijer.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=127843&

The whisk easily and quickly rinses clean after use...

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MsPersnickety says "Hour by hour weather and a 10 day advance weather forecast!" about Weather.com

MsPersnickety — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 01:32:55 GMT

I absolutely love Weather.com! I check it first in the morning when I check my emails. I love their 10 day forecast and the hour by hour sections the most. I love going every day to see what has changed from yesterday. I love that I can put in the zip code of the city that I will be visiting on vacation and get a pretty good idea of what the weather will be while I am there. I love that I can personalize the page to show specific information that I want to know for such as driving conditions, outdoor activities, ski condictions, etc.

The radar maps are excellent. One day, while visiting a client for work, the tornado sirens went off, We were ushered into their computer lab which was their tornado safety area. We brought up weather.com and watched on radar as the storm moved over the area.

I also like looking ahead at the historical average weather high and low temperatures to compare todays temperatures to the monthly averages. You can always find interesting inforrnation...

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