What you consider *superior* products (II)

[whatnot]

Thank you W2R. Glad to hear you are on the mend and posting again!

 

[JoeWras]

It is a bit arcane, but if you are building anything such as a deck, you need anchoring systems such as post bases or deck hangers.

In this area, Simpson Strong-Tie comes to mind for superior products.

I've spoke a lot here about how I do quite a bit of disaster relief and building work as a volunteer in retirement. I've used all types of systems, and Simpson never lets me down.

One final shout out: they are still a real company with people you can talk to, not a conglomerate. I contacted them about one of our non-profit repair projects, and they donated a bunch of material to our effort. Their kindness and responsiveness to my request blew me away.

 

[pacergal]

Bobs Red Mill Steel cut Oats.
Makes a great oatmeal for a cold winter morning, add a touch of real maple syrup and berries, Yum!

 

[ERD50]

Bobs Red Mill Steel cut Oats.
Makes a great oatmeal for a cold winter morning, add a touch of real maple syrup and berries, Yum!

Thanks for the reminder (while it's still winter!).

I made steel cut oatmeal recently, will set it up again for tomorrow morning. Here's my take on some of the web recipes to reduce cook time in the AM:

1) In the evening before, I pour boiling water over the oats (2:1 ~ 3:1 water/oats) in a microwave safe bowl. Cover, let it cool a while, then put in fridge overnight. Some people leave it out on the counter, which I think is fine since it would be pasteurized by the boiling water and then covered and will be heated again, but it freaks DW out, so I keep it in the fridge.

2) In the AM, just microwave it to heat it. Since it has absorbed so much of the liquid, it doesn't boil over like regular oats and water.

3) Add milk (I keep the ratio < 3:1 to allow for some milk) and whatever toppings you like. Maple Syrup is one of my favorites as well.

-ERD50

 

[brett]

Value for money products. Those that I consider to be superior products available and sold at a competitive price.

That list of products has varied over time because of lifestyle changes and product changes.

 

[Markola]

I’m really impressed with the free Brave search engine. It is built for incognito searching and IT FILTERS OUT ADS. Not only does it let you read articles pleasantly without all the distracting click bait garbage, pages load much faster without all of the drag that ads and videos add.

If this thing catches on, it cannot be good for the broken, advertising-based, surveillance web.

You just download it from the App Store.

 

[skyking1]

I like Grove for cranes and John Deere for excavators. Cat still makes the better dozer.

 

[Out of Steam]

Kubota tractors... I've had two in the past 15 years and NEVER had to take one to the shop... Cut the fields, haul rock and sand, maintain my private road, dig out stumps, maintain fence wires and post, and countless other jobs around the property.... I change the oil once a year and swap batteries every three or four years and they just keep on going...

I worked for a guy who liked Kubota tractors so much that he bought the smallest one despite living on a suburban lot.

 

[2HOTinPHX]

Recently bought an indoor exercise bike. Wanted something with a more upright riding position than those spin bikes. When to Dicks sporting goods and tried out a couple of those spin type bikes but did not like the way they keep spinny when you don't want to. Seemed dangerous to me. definitely something you have to get use to for sure. I wanted something that worked like a real bike were you can stop peddling anytime. Also was interested in a bike that had options to do online classes or outdoor rides. Seemed like those could add a new level of motivation. Those bikes can get pretty pricey and then you have monthly access charges....uggh. Then I ran across some reviews on YouTube for one by Renpho. Good reviews, more upright riding position with good adjustability, stops like a normal bike. Best two things were price only 500.00 and free online classes and online rides. You download their free app to operate the bike and access the online riding courses with you can cast to your TV. So far I am really impressed. I am still learning and building up some stamina but bike has been great. The outdoor rides are pretty cool as the bike adjust pressure for the grade changes in the course and the video keeps pace with your peddling speed.

https://renpho.com/pages/ai-smart-b...9ipx2iEu2aieD1SID5sbrtshz1DcFTggaAswQEALw_wcB

 

[Jerry1]

Recently bought an indoor exercise bike. Wanted something with a more upright riding position than those spin bikes. When to Dicks sporting goods and tried out a couple of those spin type bikes but did not like the way they keep spinny when you don't want to. Seemed dangerous to me. definitely something you have to get use to for sure. I wanted something that worked like a real bike were you can stop peddling and time. Also was interested in a bike that had options to do online classes or outdoor rides. Those bikes can get pretty pricey and then you have monthly access charges....uggh. Then I ran across some reviews on YouTube for one by Renpho. Good reviews, more upright riding position with good adjustability, stops like a normal bike. Best two things were price only 500.00 and free online classes and online rides. You download their free app to operate the bike and access the online riding courses with you can cast to your TV. So far I am really impressed. I am still learning and building up some stamina but bike has been great.

https://renpho.com/pages/ai-smart-b...9ipx2iEu2aieD1SID5sbrtshz1DcFTggaAswQEALw_wcB

I don’t understand the way the spin bikes work. It does seem very dangerous that the don’t allow you to coast like a real bike. Seems like a injury waiting to happen.

 

[2HOTinPHX]

I don’t understand the way the spin bikes work. It does seem very dangerous that the don’t allow you to coast like a real bike. Seems like a injury waiting to happen.

Yeah I didn't know about that issue with the spin bikes when I first tried it. Thought it was gonna tear my legs off....

 

[spncity]

A different way to humidify

Have tried three things from this company: EcoInventions.com

The latest is the humidifier. It is awesome! It does not result in hard water mineral powder all over nearby surfaces. It is quiet and has an indicator that shows the humidity level in the room.

Mist-free humidifier: https://www.ecoinventions.com/airdoghumidifier

 

[ERD50]

Have tried three things from this company: EcoInventions.com

The latest is the humidifier. It is awesome! It does not result in hard water mineral powder all over nearby surfaces. It is quiet and has an indicator that shows the humidity level in the room.

Mist-free humidifier: https://www.ecoinventions.com/airdoghumidifier

Sounds like a bunch of marketing hoo-hah.

The *OLD* way (and current way for most applications) of humidifying was with an evaporative membrane. The ultrasonic units were the 'new' way. Yes, they could leave a powder, because the water was dispersed with the minerals. Evaporative units provided pure water, the minerals stayed in the tank (and needed to be cleaned out). The whole-house humidifiers generally run a stream of water through the membrane and down the drain, taking most of the minerals away.

I'd love to hear what their "Nanoscale cold evaporation technology" is I'm pretty sure that means "the water evaporates. Evaporated water is really small.".

And "Intelligent Design"? Us normal folk call that a "humidistat".

That said, they may have packaged this up nicely, but it's a humidifier.

-ERD50

 

[JoeWras]

But it is nanoscale evaporation!

... Back to my melty artesian cheese sandwich.

 

[spncity]

LOL! Thanks for the descriptions. I like knowing how things work! Agree that the lingo sounds like "market speak."

The new one has a filter that is cleaned periodically.

Because we're on a well that has filters, I may start using a Brita pitcher to refill it to increase the time between filter cleanings.

The new one is quiet and also does not leave moisture on the nearby surface (like the old one does). Glad someone invented the technology

Last year was the first time I tried humidifying when we're burning wood in the fireplace insert. There is an iron & ceramic water holder sitting on the insert that probably helps a little.

Let me tell you about the ozone attachment for the washing machine.

The EcoWasher is the first item we got from this company after friends told us about theirs. It's had more impact than the humidifier - in that it is used year-round. Use only cold water with it. Doesn't really work with hot water. It sanitizes and deodorizes. (You might have to pre-treat oil spots). So, you save on heating water and save on detergent.

While it would take a long time to "break even" - it seems to do a better job on the laundry than detergent.

One tip about this company - they seem to run sales on things. So check back periodically to avoid paying full price.