Works great after heavy use for 6 months!

Read First Before Buy Big Boss Operation Immersian Hand Stick

I bought this for cold process soapmaking, and on the first few batches, it worked great. After a minute or so, it starts getting HOT. So I'm a little concerned about its lifespan due to overheating. I will update this post after a I put it through the ringers.

UPDATE: I've been using this almost daily to make soap for 6 months now, and it still works great! I did learn that stick blenders are really meant to be used in short bursts, so I use it for about 30 seconds, then stir a bit, and then another 30 seconds.

One thing I really like about it is the detachable stick. So I can quickly detach, leave the stick in the soap, and set the heavy part down. Then I don't risk it falling out and slinging caustic soap everywhere. Plus, it is soooo easy to clean up.

I'm actually buying a second one now, so i can swap out the sticks and always have one clean and ready.

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Order of Magnitude Better the "Worm Man"

Best Review on Uncle Jims Worm Farm Composting

I ordered my worms smack in the dead of winter. I was concerned that they will arrive frozen dead. The company gave me enough notice via e-mail when they were sent out and when approximately to expect them in the mail. They came in the mail when I was luckily scheduled to be off work that day. I wondered what would have happened to them if I came home late at night. The worms were all balled up together packed with dry sawdust in a cloth pouch. One or two were slightly moving. Some were literally dried up like brown twigs. I spritz some room temperature water on them, and as instructed, left them on my composter with the lid open exposed to the room light. After awhile most of them were slowly moving and digging themselves into the compost. Supposedly they do not like light. So I left them there and after about 3-4 hours I came back down the basement to check up on them, none of them were on the surface. I looked into the pile of food scraps underneath and there they were, already taking home.It's been almost 2 months and they are looking good!

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Smoothee maker

Best Review on Cuisinart CBT 700 Die Cast 700 Watt Blender

I really enjoy this blender. I've had it seventeen months and use it twice a day to make fruit and vegetable smoothies. It works better to put soft foods and liquids in first, then frozen and use the pre-programmed smoothie setting. I wear noise protection headphones as it's a bit loud. The lid is a tight fit so I just hold it on while blending. The glass carafe is good for food, easy to clean and looks good as new. My S.O. bought a Vitamix at the same time and his copolyester carafe looks grungy now. The Cuisinart is a much better price, has a timer and smoothies taste just as good. Unlike the Vitamix all-in-one unit, the Cuisinart blades and ring unscrew from the carafe. A small bottle brush works well to clean the blades. If you rinse the blender immediately after using clean up is easy.

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Good to have on hand

Read First Before Buy Baby Brezza Quick Blend Blender

Yay I get to be the first to review this item! How exciting! I have the Baby Brezza (actually I have two) and I really thought I wouldn't need or use this but we are going on a cruise in November and I figured this blender is small enough to take with me so that I could blend some food on the ship and feed my 7 month old as opposed to buying jarred (sorry I cringe now when I think about jarred baby food) baby food and lugging it around for a week. Soon, I found myself reaching for this on a daily basis. Here is what is so nice about it: I make my own food using the Brezza and I store it in 1 ounce cubes. My baby girl can plow through 7 ounces of her frozen veggies in one feeding so I recently started adding rice and meat to really fill her up. First I thaw the cubes in the microwave then I add it to the blender with some rice and cooked ground beef along with just a little bit of water. Grind for about 30 seconds and poof! I have ready made baby food. Although I could easily use the Brezza to defrost or reheat and then blend, I feel it takes too long. The lowest steam setting is 10 minutes versus 30 seconds in the microwave. Also, using the Brezza means you have to clean the bowl, take out the blade, empty the steam basket, yadda yadda whereas the blender, you just pop off the top and stick it in the dishwasher. And again, it is small enough to travel with if need be. So, in a nutshell, I would definately purchase this to use on a daily basis. Love my Brezzas but not practical to use 2-3 times per day with each meal.

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Tried all the flavors of GS Natural Whey

Best Review on Optimum Nutrition Standard Natural Chocolate

im lactose intolerant and i've gone through about three 5lb tubs of natural chocolate so far with no problems (without taking any lactase supplements)!
the flavor is pretty good, it is mildly sweet. tastes great if you blend it with almond milk. tastes pretty good with just water as well.

i also tried natural strawberry, very good as well, but i got tired of the flavor halfway through the 5lb tub. maybe because it's much sweeter.
if i try the strawberry again, i'll get the smaller 2lb tub. i havent tried the vanilla.

i also tried their double rich chocolate, this one tastes more milk chocolatey and is slightly more sweet than the natural chocolate, but it had slightly more metallic aftertaste. this one i had to take a lactase pill before drinking, without it i'd get some minor symptoms. all the optimum nutrition proteins contain lactase so im not sure why the double rich was a problem for me.

update 01/19/12: my most recent tub of natural chocolate tastes different. dont know if its just me but it tastes a lot milkier, which is great for the taste but not so great for me and my lactose intolerance. i now have to take lactase supplements along with the protein, something i didnt do previously and i'm certain my level of lactose intolerance has not changed. still a great protein, i've had good results with it. however im going to switch proteins after my current tub is done, the price has steadily continued to go up and is now $15 more expensive than the cheapest i remember buying it.

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Good product

Read First Before Buy Boost High Protein Chocolate 17 7 Ounce

My new $37 "beehive" sits next to my soon-to-be-repaired $100+ KitchenAid, and it works great. I make smoothies every morning for breakfast and this baby kicks it. My son is brutal: ignores all procedural instructions, fills it with p.b., bananas, ice, and yogurt and then turns it on! It pauses a second then gets right to work. I'm like, "you have to put the ice in while it's running," and he's, "No you don't." We rarely take it apart to clean it, just rinse right away, sometimes a little suds, eh voila, it's done. I can tell you though the blades they are sharp!
Regarding other reviews, it is loud, but hey, it's a blender! And do not need any other speeds, just the one and pulse. Can't say about frozen drinks/ice slushees, however does fine with ice for smoothies. Great deal!

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A Superior Product

Read First Before Buy Oster 4096 009 Designer Beehive Blender

My new $37 "beehive" sits next to my soon-to-be-repaired $100+ KitchenAid, and it works great. I make smoothies every morning for breakfast and this baby kicks it. My son is brutal: ignores all procedural instructions, fills it with p.b., bananas, ice, and yogurt and then turns it on! It pauses a second then gets right to work. I'm like, "you have to put the ice in while it's running," and he's, "No you don't." We rarely take it apart to clean it, just rinse right away, sometimes a little suds, eh voila, it's done. I can tell you though the blades they are sharp!
Regarding other reviews, it is loud, but hey, it's a blender! And do not need any other speeds, just the one and pulse. Can't say about frozen drinks/ice slushees, however does fine with ice for smoothies. Great deal!

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