I think there was a somewhat similar thread about branding that you like, but I've been thinking about specific products that have made my life better. Usually just stuff for everyday functions. These are some of the things that I've been really happy with.

Most recently, I decided to start packing a lunch again instead of relying on the hospital's cafeteria. The choices have been very poor for a while now, so I would almost always end up at the grill getting a chicken sandwich, veggie burger, or the occasional real burger. I liked the idea of the compartmentalized containers, so I decided to try out the system from easylunchboxes.com. Not so great. The lids would just sort of sit on the containers, not really sealing well. I ended up getting an entirely different lunch tote and container system:

Built Neoprene Tasty Lunch Tote

Kinetic Go Green Premium Nano Silver 7 Piece Food Storage Container Set

I also got these reusable ice cubes, but I haven't used them yet, so I can't say whether they're the bomb or not:

Icy Cools Reusable Ice Cubes

I really like the seal on the new containers, and the lunch tote looks cooler than the other ones I'd been looking at. Also stretchy enough to have a little room for accommodation. I can see the tote maybe not lasting forever if you're rough with it, but for me, I think it will be enough for a long time.

Another recent purchase was a Totes Titanium Auto-Open/Close Umbrella. To be fair, it was replacing a pretty crappy umbrella, but I still like it a lot more. Having it open as well as collapse with the push of a button is pretty cool. Again, I don't know yet how durable it's going to be, but I'm sure it's going to be stronger than what I had.

As far as not so recent purchases, it's hard not to mention the Snow Peak Titanium Spork. I tried every brand I could find at one point, and the Snow Peak was my favorite by a fair margin. At first the slender handle and big end threw me off, but I got used to it really quickly, and now it just feels natural.

I use this packaging tape dispenser at work, and after using cheaper ones that my parents own, I can say there's a huge difference in how well they operate:

3M Scotch Gray Box Sealing Tape Dispenser (H180)

All of my retractable badge reels at work kept breaking, so I found this which was a bit sturdier:

Gear-Retractor

It's been probably a couple of years by now, and it's still going strong. I got one for both my coworker and I. It's lasted for us both, and we both get our badges snagged on things fairly often in our work. You have to modify it slightly to work as a badge reel, but it's really not complicated. I'm sure it's even better for other things, since it has more than enough pull for badges.

I mentioned the Swingline Collectors Edition 747 Rio Red Business Stapler not too long ago, and it's still going strong at work, too, with no jams yet. Cheap on Amazon.com still, cheap at Costco.

Anyway, those are some little things that have made my life better. What do you have?

Oh, yeah, I also recently got a Bagel Guillotine, and it's definitely the better way to slice bagels. Of course, a smarter person might get their bagels pre-sliced.

And that of course reminds me of the Luncheon Meat Slicer, which I still enjoy when I'm going to cook up some Spam. Too bad Spam is so expensive these days.

Great idea for a thread, Charles. I like the appreciative nature of it.

My wife often points out that "you're never sorry about buying the 'good' one"

I also bring my lunch to work most days; I like the healthy options (often not taken, but still), savings and convenience. I've been absolutely flabbergasted by the quality of the allegedly disposable Ziploc storage containers. Better than Glad and several others we've tried. They seem just as durable as Tupperware.

I love my autoseal Contigo Travel mug. By far, the best of the many I've lost used over the years.

Good knives are a joy. We have some Wusthof and some Henckels, but I'm also very impressed with the reasonably-priced Victorinox/Forschner brand. We keep them sharp with the wonderful Chef's Choice sharpener. Steels are to maintain an edge; this thing creates a new edge just in case you're not all that diligent about using the steel all the time. Or ever.

This probably doesn't qualify as a product, but after years of wearing progressives and trifocals, I finally bought a pair of full-frame, prescription reading glasses for computer use. Big improvement in quality of life and work. I know I have mentioned them before, but I still can't believe the utter design greatness of my Rudy Project sunglasses.

We have a Dyson vacuum. It just works.

I like my Coda Elite hybrid. Great for street, path and trail riding....also pretty fast.

One of my favorite products is my Panasonic battery charger with rechargeable batteries. Love that thing.

I think I may pick one up for my dad. Thanks for the tip!

I'll have to remember your recommendations for knives, too, whenever I get a set.

I should probably get some of those. Maybe the same time I finally get a universal remote.

I also like the ever functional bamboo steamer. They don't break down and are also inexpensive. Great for cooking vegetables and the ever important Dim sum...Mmmmmmmm.

Here's one thing that's been getting a lot of use since we bought it:


(Amazon link)

It's an apple peeler with a detachable corer/slicer blade.

I wish they had sold those when my kids were younger Peter. I used to make a lot of apple pancakes and this thing would have saved me a lot of time.

My most favourite non HT product at the moment is a Green Pan stovetop wok.

Its a lot of coin compared to other non-stick pans, but is head and shoulders better than anything teflon based. It will handle much higher temps than teflon and the non-stick performance is as good as the best teflon product.

Which one do you have, specifically, Fred? I was going to start making stir fry for my lunches. This is something I was going to ask for recommendations on.

I prefer a stick pan for my stir fry and pan frying. A tad harder to clean (fine, a lot), but you get such a nice brown...

Way to make me unsure, dude.

My current favorite Non-HT/audio product: Pliny

That's true. The stuck on brown bits -- fond -- contribute so much to the flavor of a stir fry. You just need some liquid -- rice wine, chicken/beef broth, orange/lemon juice -- to deglaze the pan and help loosen those bits about halfway through the cooking.

Such a good beer.

What a cool thread. I love researching different products, so I love all these ideas! Here are some of my favorite products.

• My Citizen Eco-Drive watch. I'll never again buy a watch that needs a battery! If it fails or breaks, I'm definitely buying another one.
• My Rabbit Air air cleaner. I keep it in my bedroom. I've got bad allergies, and while I don't think it's doing anything, I find that my allegies worsen once the filter gets dirty.
• Both my Keurig coffee makers (one at the office and one at home).
• Fossil brand organizer/purses...as if you GUYS would care!
• Various cosmetics items that you guys won't care about either. HAHA!
  
• Last , but not least...my Snuggie blanket. Love it!

Thanks a lot for the vote of confidence. I would have discussed textures and shades with you, but not now.

Next to the other Rabbit?

That's the one that dies.

But then its batteries can be replaced.

Only black leather for me, Bob. It goes best with my dominatrix outfit...which I prefer to wear when I perform magic tricks with the rabbit.

You shouldn't try to kill Jack with posts like that, Mary.

I was trying to figure that out from their site the other day, but I'm not sure. I don't think it matters as long as it has the ceramic coating.

As for browning, because the ceramic coating will handle more heat, you can get very good browning if that's what you want.

Like Mary, I like my (older) Seiko Kinetic Arctura Chronograph , and (new) Seiko Kinetic Velatura timepieces. Collecting Seiko watches is a little hobby of mine.

LOL!

Those are gorgeous AND cool looking watches, Cam!

My Eco Drive is my favorite watch.

Maybe we need a thread on expensive - non HT toys? Like the Stingray boots or some of my Birdwatching equipment?

Thanks, Mary. I LOVE my Velatura. This is what I want next. Watching them hand assemble it is truly amazing.

I don't get the appeal of hand assembly. (With regard to any product.)

I would rather have a cold, unfeeling machine build and test things I buy. Robots don't have bad days, don't stay out too late drinking, and don't get bored from repeating the same task day after day.

Me and cam have already have had our veggie-juice nerd-out on the fitness thread, but I did recently purchase a refurbished Blendtec. I use it every day, and has changed my health for the better. Breakfast smoothies in 1 minute with a press of a button, with less than 5 minutes of prep and cleanup (most of the time, if I don't make a complete mess).

Cheap, filling, healthy "meals". Like a broccoli/tomato/grape/spinach/flaxseed green smoothie. Or soup. It heats and cooks soup by the friction of the blades. Magnets, how do they work?!

The programmers do though .

Yet . . . !

Du-dun dun DA DUN.

"Come with me if you want to live ... in a land of fruit smoothies!"

You would be surprised. I see our maintenance people doing 're-teaches' on the robots in our plant all the time.

Hmmm.

Seems those robots should have been built by robots.

Browning shotguns.

Bren R.

One of the dichotomies in my life - Mossberg 3 1/2" Ultimag in early Mossy Oak Camo pattern.

What temp should I set my oven to and how long should I leave the shotgun in there?

I'd make a crack, but (one of) my upland gun(s) is a 500 in 20ga... but it wears a dead tree as furniture. Refinished a beautiful (for a field gun) blonde stock on 'er.

350F for 10-15 minutes, checking regularly.

Bren R.

I don't put much into the finish as long as it will knock a turkey down....

Come up here... around the farm we hunt 'em with hockey sticks.

No, seriously. They stand there and hold still for it.

Bren R.

It worked until the turkeys started wearing hockey helmets, anyway.

I can't live without my fleece lined jeans. I wear them so much my wife wants to throw them away.

Honda S2000 accelerating white hot and screaming at 9000 rpm;
Seiko 5 automatic mechanical watches with really luminous dials; Microfibre Geoffrey Beane shirts; Microfiber sheets; Bostonian shoes with rubber soles; Titleist tour blades; Weber kettle charcoal BBQ grills ...

I'm liking this Zyliss spatula for my stir-frying.

This is my favorite ice cream scoop out of the three I own, but it's currently unavailable.

Tom, if I didn't already mention (too lazy to look back through the thread), I did end up with some Victorinox kitchen cutlery. They're working out well. I'll round out my set a bit as needed.

I feel like I had more things to mention, but my brain is a void for now.

So you're going out of your way to tell us that something is good, you have it, and we can't?

Meanie.

Charles, I didn't know you had a Spatula City in Richland. Lucky.

I really like the design of these measuring spoons. I can't speak to their durability yet, but I do like the magnetic stacking for storage, the two ends depending on what you're extracting ingredients from, and the flat bottoms so you can have them sitting full on the counter until you need whatever you've measured.

Also, if you need a great zester, this Microplane is tons better than the KitchenAid one I had before. I haven't used it to grate yet, but I can vouch for the zesting. It may have been TOO good at it, putting more zest into the dish than necessary.

Do I sound too domestic? I swear I'm not cooking as much as it sounds like, even though I should be.

Played with these battling RC helicopters all weekend. Lots o' fun. What a blast shooting your family out of the sky (or the airspace in the living room)!!!

I recently picked up a handheld magnetic sweeper from here http://www.bluestreakequipment.com/ and I love it! I can't believe all the rusted roofing and barn nails, screws, staples and other crap I am finding.

This company doesn't cut any corners with its products. Great packaging (wooden crate), build quality (strong but also light feeling at the same time) and most importantly they don't skimp with the magnets (this is where all the weight is). Very strong! I am finding that it is picking up a lot stuff that is slightly buried beneath the gravel that I can't see.

That looks like what the roofers went over my yard with last year when I had my roof re-shingled.

Ooooh, that looks like fun!

Once you get bored with those, you could try one of these.

They've fancied these up a bit. I remember when it was a kit, without the motor, that you had to assemble. I forgot what type of motor you used. 1970's vintage VW maybe. It didn't have a body either.

Yeah, that one is all gussied up. You can still buy kits or just plans for hardcore diy. I really want to fly one of these.

Edit: just updated my bucket list.

For the kitchen:

-Black & Decker bread machine
-Cuisinart mini-chopper/processor
-Cutco knives (made in USA)-easily beat out similarly-priced Germans

For the house:

-Toto low-flush toilets

Although it's technically HT, the built-in DVD player for the car is the single greatest invention in the history of humanity. Those of you with children will know exactly what I mean

I just upgraded my Sonicare E-series to this one. I love it! I liked the old one, but I got fed up with the screw-on replacement brushes. These replacement brushes push on, so the vibration doesn't change over time nor does a lot of gunk collect around them. They aren't lying when they say it cleans better than the E-series either. My teeth actually DO feel much cleaner than they did before.

I recently got one of these off of craigslist, right now its at the lawn shop getting a tune up.. Should have it next week.

this is one of my favorite kitchen tools, use it every time i cook meat, my chicken has come out out perfect every time since i started using it, before i would occasionally slightly undercook the chicken and have to put it back on the grill for a few minutes, and as you know, once you cut the meat you loose much of the juice...

I bought two of these. I eat a lot more apples now. I bought one for work, liked it so well that I bought a second one for home.

I bought one of the ones Peter liked, but I have yet to use it. I keep getting distracted.

Thanks for the testimonial, Mary. I keep thinking of moving to an electric, but I haven't been able to commit so far. Maybe I'll go with that one.

Do it, Charles. I have the model that Mary is upgrading from, and my wife uses the model that Mary is upgrading to. Sonicare products are awesome - you will experience an epic leap forward in dental hygiene.

For the whole dental care upgrade, top it off with a Water Pic, which I find so much easier and more thorough than flossing.

OK, it's spelled Waterpik. Highest recommendation.

I've been using a waterpik for years, but I have a hard time doing it as often as I need to. I get too rushed in the morning. It's good for washing out all of that bacteria that causes halitosis.

What are you guys doing for hemorrhoids and toenail fungus and STDs?

Battery acid works quite well. Generously apply battery acid, then pour a little Coke over the affected spot, than wait for area to rot off. Also, you can speed up the process by digging at it with a dull pocket knife.

Works for me.

that's what i call "preventive maintenance".
i also pick my nose, but won't tell what i use (trade secret).

I must of giggled like a teenager for an hour after writting that. I don't know what comes over me from time to time. Sheesh.

Thanks, JP. Sounds like a good idea. My mouth will thank you. Not in the hitchhiking way.

Yeah, you wouldn't want to end up like your dragon.

Ha ha, ouch. So it's J.P. the Unicorn?

I didn't want to start a new thread....

Has anyone tried some of these "high tech fabric" shirts? I was wondering about treating myself to a couple of golf polos that are supposed to block UV, wick moisture, keep you amazingly cool and improve your short game.

OK, I made the last one up, but I still wonder about spending $50~$60 on the type of shirt that I'd normally spend $15 on.... (Yeah, I've never been known as a fashion plate)

Sunglasses?

I have always liked Ray-Ban. Stylish with a classic look that never will out of style. Here is a few of their models . These are excellent for reducing glare. Night and day difference when driving with and without them.

On the left is the Ray-Ban Cockpit RB3362. "Gunmetal" frame, green polarized lens. On the right is the Ray-Ban Tech series. Carbon frame, grey/green polarized lens.

Mark,

I have a few couple of specialty fabric shirts that I bought for Kayaking mostly but also biking. They definitely do what they say about wicking away moisture and that can be a big part of keeping you comfortable and cool or alternatively, warm.

This is especially true for off-season water sports where if cotton gets wet, you are less likely to get hypothermia by stripping off the stupid shirt than by leaving a wet cotton shirt on.

Now of course, a golf game is not normally a water sport but I heard your's often is. (Damn, where is my snicker dog picture?)

In short they do what they promise on the heat/cool side but I don't know if the UV bit is neccessary. I've certainly never gotten a sunburn underneath a shirt before but with today's evil rays, maybe it's best to block even filtered portions.

Final note: They are waaaayyyyy over priced verses their production costs (friend in the business.) I never buy them unless they are at least 50% off and even then they are making money.

Thanks, Murph!

Yeah, I see them on pretty good sales here and there, but wasn't sure if there was anything to them to even want to favor them over a regular shirt!

To the extent one can have fun splitting wood, I'm having fun with a new Fiskars X27 Splitting Axe . It's going through gnarlies that I was having trouble splitting with a 6 pound maul.

This comes a bit late, but Dorf on Golf will help you with the last one.

For Christmas I got the Sonicare toothbrush Mary linked to above. It's fantastic! My teeth feel a lot cleaner now. Not that I was bad at brushing my teeth before. . . .the Sonicare simplifies the process.

I still need to get one. I keep getting distracted.

I've use one of these Oral B electric brushes. I've had the same unit now for 11 years and it still works like it was new. I just replace the brush head about once every 3 months.

This one was recommended by my periodontist.

for tens of years, i've wanted to buy an espresso machine that would make coffee as good as they brew in the best places, but the machines all cost upwards of $700.; too much for me.

a few days ago, my sister offered me an espresso;
i watched the machine while it was doing its job: only brew coming down, and twisting like a pig's tail. WOW!

Result: the coffee was as good as the best there is, and the machine sells for around $300. cdn.

i will buy one next month.

that was a big surprise for me

Spend about the same on a grinder. You can get a decent shot with an average espresso maker but not if you are using a crappy grinder.

thanks for the tip.

i got a wheel grinder, a Bialetti Tipo 1; it's about 25 years old and going like a new baby. Not made anymore.

That sounds awesome. What was the brand of espresso machine?

it's a Nespresso Citiz.

http://www.amazon.ca/s/?ie=UTF8&keyw...sl_7j7ivbjvpy_e

Ah, thanks. The capsules should definitely make it easier to pull consistent shots as well as take the grinding and tamping variables out of the process. They used to have demo stations set up in a few stores here, I'll have to give it a try.

with this machine, there are no more rituals to go through, like what we had to do for the old analog albums. it's very simple to use and it makes great coffee.

when you've tried it, tell us what you think.

You need a Jolt?

The most cool techno freak, coffee geek grinder ever!

I want one.

Speaking of coffee, I really, really like this stuff from costco.

http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10314169&lang=en-CA

BlueJays1,
It is also my preferred one but I can't afford it daily; once in awhile I will succomb. But I still rely on a William product "Expresso" for my daily dose of coffee. By the way William facilities are located where I live in Sherbrooke. I went to their factory once; did it ever smelled good. However, the prices are not lower than they are at Costco; they might even be higher. What a pitty !

I was prescribed glasses last summer, and as a result I have been relegated to using the Windows 7 onscreen keyboard to type everything because the headset I previously wore for dictation would knock my spectacles ajar. I don't know if any of you have used it, but it's highly inefficient (having limited dexterity only adds to this). A lot of my posts here and elsewhere would take me over an hour to compose.

So, I searched high and low for a good table microphone and came across this. It's definitely not cheap at almost $400 Canadian (after you include shipping and duties), but so far it has performed beyond my expectations. I currently have it's sitting on a table beside my bed so the microphone is about six inches from my face, but by changing a setting on the microphone, you can accurately dictate from several feet away; it's truly impressive and I can see how it has received high praise online from reviewers and Nuance-the creators of Dragon Naturally Speaking-as well.

I highly recommend this to anyone that's looking for an alternative to cumbersome and uncomfortable headsets.

I haven't tried any of their other blends other than the Jamaican Blue Mountain blend which is just fantastic. The bag is just about done which is sad. I'm not surprised this product comes from Quebec. It is home to some of my favorite beers as well.

Wow! Cool design for a hand grinder. Definitely fixes the inconsistent grind that plagues most of the ones I've seen. but $245 is too steep in my opinion. Especially since it takes 31 revolutions to grind less that 20g of coffee! The hopper doesn't hold much more than 3 espressos worth of beans either. For a little more, a person can get a Baratza or Rancilio grinder that will grind all formats consistently from espresso to press. A little less nostalgic though. I love my Rancilio Rocky!

Considering most hand grinders take 200+ turns to grind enough for a single shot, 31 seems pretty good... for a hand grinder.

Funny, I started looking at $100 hand grinders because I want to get back to grinding my own for my morning cuppa without all the sludge, only to find none of them work worth a darn for press pot grinds. They produce too many of the fines that I hate.

Somewhere along the way I got sucked into the rabbit hole that is espresso and have a used Saeco Aroma sitting on my counter waiting for the appropriately ground bean for a fine espresso or latte.

This thing seems to grind at the same level as a Mazzer Mini or Major, as it should with that big honkin' burr.

Wowza! I found a small local company that roasts their own and thought $18 a pound was a lot.

I agree with you about the rabbit hole that is espresso! It's a full time hobby on it's own. I need to share resources between coffee geekery and home theatre quite a bit.

I have a very similar machine to yours, mine is the Saeco Via Venezia. I secretly wish it would die so I can justify an upgrade, but is still pulls some pretty good shots. Does the Aroma have that pressurized portafilter? Mine did, I got rid of that right away for a standard portafilter which made a world of difference.

Those Mazzers are awesome grinders, but from my research they seemed to be a little more "espresso-centric" whereas the Rocky seemed to be more of an all around performer. I know for press pots I can grind coffee even coarser than it needs to be and get minimal sludge in the cup. I can also choke up my espresso machine at the fine settings. If you are looking for a great grinder, I highly recommend the Rocky. It has the same burrs and motor as the commercial Rancilio grinder and is built like a tank.

I love that hand-crank thing. That's beautiful.

I think - to REALLY "solve the problem", you would have to use a roller mill (or a series of them) instead of a burr grinder. Of course, you'd need the ability to adjust the distance between the rollers very precisely, which may not be practical depending upon design and scale.

http://schmidling.com/maltmill.htm

Does anyone go so far as to roast their own beans?

There is a coffee shop in Halifax I used to love to frequent but every Wednesday, they roasted their own beans and I couldn't go anywhere near the place.

The resulting aroma outside is simply awful. Nothing like the addictive smell of the resulting product inside. I won't say what I think it smells like but if you have a hospital nearby that is authorized to incinerate their own 'waste material' (of which I leave the details to your imagination) then you know the smell.

i did try to roast my own beans once, after reading a few good books on the subject; the results were ok.
i did not do it again, not liking the time it took.

no bad smells; be sure it's coffee beans and nothing else. ;-)

If my math is correct, and I'd like to think that it is. $17.89/lb

Follow up to my previous posts re coffee:

i did get a Nespresso machine at the beginning of January and
have been enjoying excellent coffee since then.

i also found a way to make "percolator" coffee for friends who don't like espresso, those who say "oh, it's so strong!":
i use 1 Nespresso coffee capsule and run it twice at the "longo" setting, thus making about 220ml of coffee.
the result is by far the best "percolator" coffee anyone has ever tried, with crema that lasts until you see the bottom of the cup.

I've decided to get back into boating and have some more fun out on the water this season after going a few years without a boat...used to have a nice Starcraft 196 Superfisherman with a 175 Merc Optimax on it. Anyhoo, decided once again on a rivetted boat (vs welded) and looked at some Starcrafts and G3's before we ended up coming across a nice Princecraft Sport 172 the other day up in cottage country...we got a great deal on it, fully loaded, has fold down bench seat on back/casting platform, trolling motor, stand up top, etc, 115 OPtimax, can't wait to get it out!!

Nice Adrian!

I like to see my fellow Axiomites enjoying themselves on the water ... between the work on the house and the 15-20 mph winds we've been having since the opening day of March we haven't had ours out in a while.

Where do you store it during the winter?

Thanks Rick, I new you'd chime in!!

I've recently bought a home with 3/4 acre property just outside of Toronto, so I'll keep it there(trailered). I used to keep my Starcraft at a Marina on Lake Simcoe, just north of Toronto, but I had my 15 hp kicker stolen off it. At least now I'll be able to keep an eye on the new one now.

When you takin' early retirement and coming up for some fishing, Rick?

Congrats on the new acreage with the abode amigo, I hope it serves you well!

Adrian if this wind keeps howling like it has non-stop for the past month and our work keeps piling up I'll forgo the early retirement and just quit, no mas ... finito.

I'll then bring whatever fishing poles the bank hasn't confiscated and so as long as you provide the gas I'll provide said fishing poles and we can fish as long as the lakes up your way aren't frozen over.

How's that!

B.T.W...

Are the lakes usually still frozen over up there in mid-July?

Yup, the igloo's are still nice and cozy. It's not the arctic Rick, it get's darn hot up here too.

many of the lakes in Southern Ontario didn't freeze over at all this year, the ones up in the Muskokas, say 2-3 hours north of Toronto are breaking up quickly. I purchased my boat up there last Saturday and most of Lake Muskoka was clear of ice and the remainder was cracked and slushy looking. This is quite a bit earlier than usual, but winter was quite mild again this year.

Congrats, Adrian! That sounds wonderful.

Thanks, Tom!

Does anyone have a Ram 3500 Dually, with the 24v cummins?

I think i want one of those... a used one with under 100k miles...

The Cummins is a great motor. If I remember correctly, people say to avoid the auto tranny with it, go with the stick.

Actually, Adrian.. The auto is the way to go, the auto is rated for quite a bit more torque than the manual... However, the real way to go is to do a Allyson swap, which costs about 5k$... If i could find a truck that already had an allyson swap i would be interested.. Or that may be a project down the road for me...A good friend of mine is a certified Cummins tech, so if i ever need any help i can call him he use to work on those motors daily in the marine core, before he went officer..

I also love being on the water in any type of way myself. My own vessels however are only 1 Murph-power. I have an aged but trusty Seaward Quest for relaxing paddles and longer trips and I borrow my wife's Necky Chatham when I get the urge to play in the waves. The Quest actually handles big waves nicely but at 19' long it is definitely not a playboat. Despite it's 15 years of age and dullened gel coat colours, the Quest remains my first and favourite kayak.

I grew up on fishing boats, speed boats and canoes. Hopefully, a little day sailor of some sorts is in the works for our bay in the near future.

They are probably top of my list for items I enjoy.

Dak, my suggestion on the stick shift was based on talking to a couple of Dodge truck owners when I was shopping around for a diesel myself. They were driving slightly older trucks, so maybe the new autos have been improved. I've put over 30km's on my '10 GMC Duramax/Allison with no problems so far and the truck will get 30mpg's(imp) on the highway if cruising at 90km(55 mph approx).

So you're no longer in the place that Tom, Peter and I saw at the homecoming bash in 2010?

Does the new place have anything nearby that can compete with the Chinese buffet restaurant that you took us to?

Did somebody say buffet?

JP, I sold that house last August. There is a Mandarin Restaurant in Barrie which is about 15 minutes from where we will be moving to...the one I took you guys to is the headquarters, it's larger than their other restaurants, but they all have the same menu. On your way up the 400 to Axiom, you may have seen the Barrie Mandarin on the east side of the highway. Dammit....I'm gettin hungry....

Adrian- Congratulations on the house and the boat!

You know, you could keep us better informed of such things!

I think we stopped at the beer store in Barrie.

It was next to Timmie's.



Hey, now, family forum, Murph.

In Canada, everything is next to Timmie's.

I didn't think the Duramax got that kind of fuel economy, it's a V8 motor right? I think i will want to spend about 20k$.. maybe a little more..However, hopefully i can find a deal.

Yes, 6.6L. That's doing about 1450rpm in 6th or a steady speed of about 90kph. City driving is a different story but still better than gas. Note I'm talking about imperial gallons so US mpg would be about 1/5th less or around 24 mpg.

Got a sweet deal on a slightly used Rancilio Silvia espresso machine from a seller on Kijiji. Matches perfectly with the Rocky grinder I bought a few weeks ago. Then sold my Saeco Via Venezia to a co-worker not as far down the rabbit hole as I am.

He's happy as can be and I am in espresso heaven! I have some of the Santa Lucia Costa Rican beans Josh from Transcend coffee brewed to win the National Barista Championship. Now to start pulling some godshots...good-bye sleep!

I was shocked! Very skeptical at first since it was a capsule based espresso system. That was put to rest! Now I use a Nespresso Citiz as my main espresso machine. Such a well engineered piece of equipment. Beautiful crema, consistent cup after cup. That's what I like the most, consistency and extremely easy and fast clean-up.

Once I get low on the starter pack I might try modding the capsules to use with my own coffee.

I've had the Nespresso Pixie plus milk frother package since Christmas.

Again, stunning European engineering & made entirely in Switzerland - a rarity these days. At $.68 per cappuccino (I have 1 per day) using Nespresso's pods, it is a bargain especially considering the convenience factor. Their frother is absolutely foolproof as it makes wonderful thick milk foam - way better than I ever made manually.

I manually made cappys daily for 20 years & this little gem beats that hands down...

TAM

Nice combo. I also have the Silvia & Rocky, have had 'em for a few years. I went this route because I thought I might hack it w/ a PID at some point. However, I can't stomach the cost. THEN, I saw the ZPM on Kickstarter and funded it last year. Let's just say I'm still waiting for one of SEVERAL Kickstarter projects to actually ship to me. Though my Pebble should be in a month or so.

http://zpmespresso.myshopify.com/collect...e-glossy-finish

TAM, I spent a couple hours looking at Nespresso products after your posts in the other thread. I am terribly tempted. Damn you.

Do you know the place of manufacture for any of the other models? It looks like you must have the separate frother (Aeroccino or something?). I was looking at the Lattissima Plus because of the integrated, automated milk feature.

Are you guys buying pods directly from Nespresso?

I'm going to be sorry I asked all of this, but hey, Mother's Day is coming sometime, right?

You have to buy the pods directly from Nespresso.com or Nespresso boutique stores (which you might have a hard time finding). My experience is orders arrive within 48 hours. I'm still on the "welcome pack".

The ONLY negative (and its a small negative) is that you are locked into buying their capsules.

You can buy the machines bundled with the Aeroccino (though those machines take up more counter space). Or you can buy them separately. I steam and froth my milk manually.

If you want a Pixie (lame name) get the package deal with the frother - you will automatically save $50 on the combo. I think that these separate units are better than any single machine ( I reseached a lot on this) unless you go way, way up in price (+$1000). I've heard that some of their other models are being outsourced to China but I can't be certain. Mine is definitely made in Europe.

I got mine for a steal. The combo is $300 in Canada & rarely go on sale. When I bought mine, Nespresso had a $75 credit ($100 in the US go figure) on buying their pods. On top of that, Home Outfitters (none locally here) had a 25% Off Coupon, so my daughter picked me up one for $225 in Victoria - despite what they say, Future Shop would not match that so they lost a sale. So overall I got it for about $150.

Buy the pods from Nespresso. You can get them from Amazon but they are double the price as the seller has to buy them from Nespresso & resell them at a higher price. I got 250 pods for $170 (no tax as it is food & free shipping) that should last me most of this year. Nespresso pods are a quality product, last forever in their aluminum foil packaging & worth what you pay for them IMHO...

TAM

Nespresso coffee is sourced from all over the world (India, Colombia, Brazil etc) and the pods are ALL made in Switzerland. The pods are decent, much better than I expected. The machines are made in Switzerland and China. Either way not a big deal. However, I would avoid their entry level machines (like the U) because when I went by them In Sears they looked cheap. There is a night and day difference in build quality and aesthetics between that model and the Citiz (which I believe is two models up from entry). The Citiz is one low profile, sleek machine. In black, eye candy as well. So when you move up the chain, you are getting better quality for sure.

Another rarity I found is the quality of packaging and product literature that comes with the Citiz. They didn't cheap out here either. Such a well thought out, engineered and executed product.

Thanks, gentlemen. Appreciated.

What is the functional difference - if any - between the Aeroccino 3 and Aeroccino Plus? Are their milky parts dishwasher safe?

I don't have the lingo, but do you pull single shots or long shots from your pods? i.e. if I were used to getting a double, would I need to use two pods?

There are capsules strictly for espresso shots and for the longer shots (lungo). My machine came with some nice literature, almost reads like a menu that tells you all about the different coffee capsules and what type of shot to pull with them (espresso, lungo) and whether they recommend using them with milk based drinks (cappuccino, latte). I usually use two pods. One espresso shot per capsule back to back. I NEVER reuse the same capsule twice. At least on the machine I use, you can also manually adjust the volume of the shot to your liking. Then for a cap, I use 3rds. 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk, 1/3 milk foam. A dry cap is a stiff milk foam, a wet cap is just that, the foam on top is more "loose". Then I like a slight sprinkle of cinnamon on top.

These machines are so easy to use, even a child could make their own.

You're my kinda guy. Why use something the way it was intended when you can mod it.

If you do go that route, find a good local roaster. I don't often use this term, but a good fresh roast blows everything else out of the water.

I've tried fiddling with a cheap espresso machine and was not happy with the results. I'm on the fence as to the value of a good espresso machine for the number of times I'll use it.

I have the 'Plus' which is a stand alone frother on its own removable electric base - it is ingeniously designed with the 2 different frothing heads held in only by magnetism making it easy to clean & change heads. I believe that the '3' is the same thing but is integrated into a receptacle in a different model.

I make only cappies so I pull a long shot (lungo) on a normal pod that is intensity rated at least 8 of 10 in Nespresso's line of coffees. I ordered a mixture of 8, 9 & 10s - they are all the same price. They have several 'lungo' pods available with a little more coffee stuffed into them but they are rated only at 7 or lower but I've never used them.

You get 16 pods included with the machine so that you can sample the different flavours. For me the highest intensities make a very nice cappy even though they are designed for a single shot - great 'crema' that is best shown in a clear glass cup...

TAM

After trying all the the ones in the welcome pack which has like 200 capsules, the Ristretto, Arpeggio, Roma, Indriya and Rosayaba capsules are my favorite. Rosayaba is the only medium intensity (6) espresso that I like. The rest on the list are 8+. I only use the lungo button to heat up my cup with hot water before I pull the shot.

I watched a video on refilling the pods - what a time consuming PITA, ha! I'll gladly pay 68 cents & dispose of the used pods.

In Europe they recycle the pods - in fact the coloured side panels on the Pixie are made of recycled pods.

On my next order (using my $75 credit) I'll try some of the strongest lungo pods; however, as I've said, the normal pod used in the lungo mode produces a really fine cappi. I add a bit of Splenda Sweetener to the milk in the frother & I too sprinkle a little cinnamon on top. I use hot tap water to preheat my cup rather than the hot water from the machine...

TAM