Saturday, March 24, 2007

Progressive #25614 Road Test

Trying to boil down a vacuum's performance to its essentials is hard--you want to praise the thing for what it does well, while realizing that no machine--even a three-hundred dollar one praised by Consumer Reports--is perfect. My first vacuuming experience with the Kenmore Progressive Canister Vac had me resolved on returning it to the store. It skittered and wandered over a large wool area rug, picking up some stuff after several tries but leaving a lot behind. Strike one.

Then I turned the agitator brush off (simple slide-and-click thumb switch on the handle) and just used the vacuum's suction to vacuum the hardwood floors. Performance (on XLO setting) was better, but I still felt like I was driving around nothing more than a very expensive broom. Performance on area rugs was OK...I felt it was better with the old upright. Plus, the machine's ergonomic features--everything swivelling and turning and whirling with each movement--were hard to get used to. I was used to muscling the machine wherever I wanted to go, even kicking it to give it a sort of "boost." This new machine required much less pressure from the wrist--the wand was very light and I liked the telescoping feature (although it was far less rigid than I would have preferred--the vacuum "head" wiggles a little bit and the telescoping wand wiggles, too). I had expected a Kenmore product to be more tank-like, so the delicacy of this vacuum's movements and controls surprised me.

It was a little difficult to get used to dragging the canister behind me. It always seemed on an inconvenient side, forcing me to hold the hose in front of me, which is harder on the back. You have to get used to working your way around a room, not starting in the center, doing one bit, pulling back and moving to the next. All these things I thought I could get used to in time, but the carpet-cleaning capability seemed to be lacking.

Then I tried out the attachments. Whoa! This thing really can suck. The PowerMate Jr. is a diminutive version of the full-sized carpet cleaning head, complete with powered agitator. When I tried this thing on the stairs, it pulled up the carpet with each stroke. The suction appeared to be greater when I relaxed my arm pressure and let the machine do the work. The way that the handle is shaped makes this a very comfortable task--not like using the attachments on an upright, where you're just grasping the hose with the attachment stuck onto the end of it. Everything is engineered to rest at the angle you'd be most likely to want it to lie. And the canister itself has a little rubber grippie that lets you move it up the stairs with you and it just hangs out there and doesn't slip off. That was sheer genius--no need for 17-foot hoses or machines tipping over or having to muscle the whole machine across each step!

I used all the other attachments with roaring good success. So what was wrong with the actual carpet attachment, the big PowerMate? I took the thing upstairs and re-attached the PowerMate. This time I lowered the height setting from medium to low. I guess I had been babying the thing a little too much, because this time the PowerMate grabbed the pile and gave a good resistance, showing it was actually sucking. And the machine was easier to handle on wall-to-wall carpet than it was on hardwood floors or area rugs. The ergonomics weren't so wiggly with the added resistance. Encouraged, I took it back downstairs and used the low setting on my wool rug. While still a little missish on the forward stroke, the PowerMate grabbed that ground-down wool pile and actually lifted it on the return stroke, sucking up any debris and dust in its wake. Problem solved.

I love this machine, now that I actually understand it a bit better. I think I might actually like it more for wall-to-wall carpet than for hardwoods (which I'd just as soon sweep) but having the dirt go up into the vacuum rather than into the air is a plus for people with allergies. I can't wait to try this thing on the vans. This machine has imperfections...the little plastic doors on the canister look like they could break if treated roughly. The "floor" attachment (different than the PowerMate or PowerMate Jr.) seems a little flimsy and wiggles a bit. The wheels on the PowerMate are a little hard to push and the wheels on the vacuum itself seem kind of cheap (the retractable cord is a great feature, tho). The machine uses a rather small bag which can get expensive if you insist on using the true HEPA cloth bags (which are $8 for 2) and there are also two filters you have to keep an eye on. But for the price point, I'd argue that Sears didn't skimp on the things that count--solid overall components, strong motor, ease of use and true HEPA filtration. I didn't sneeze once, and that's a bloody miracle.

Toilet Tip

This may fall under the category of Too Obvious to Mention, but I've finally found THE WAY to clean a toilet without having to do something disgusting twice.

Typically, you find lurking behind the average toilet a flimsy plastic wand with flattened bristles. This is what you are supposed to use to restore a be-ringed and be-pooped and be-smattered toilet to its pristine porcelain...er, pristineness (hey, it's late). But what really happens is that you take this thing in your bare hand and gingerly swirl it around the bowl to knock down the grossest stuff (while dodging germy splash-back), and end up leaving not only a ring, but a hard yellow crust in the crevices and this black stuff up under the rim. Then you are forced to find some other way to clean the toilet and thus end up engaging in a chore far more often than you should really have to.

Now despite the enormous amount of effort put into discovering new and less-repugnant ways to do this chore using ever-more noxious chemicals and ever-more expensive supplies (disposable toilet scrubbing wands?), I've found that the simplest and best method is the old-fashioned one. Put on a pair of rubber gloves, get down and personal with that toilet, and scrub the heck out of it. Rubber gloves help enormously in doing your housecleaning--they add an element of objectivity and reduce the gross-out factor, as well as saving your hands.

You must use a heavy-duty scrubbing pad to get the scale off, and my favorite is the grey 3M floor stripper pad you can find at your home improvement store. We used these in the military both to scrub black gunky grease off the grill and to strip the floors of old wax (not at the same time). The first few times will require more elbow grease, but as you begin to see those crevices turn white and shiny again, you will experience house-cleaning nirvana, knowing that you have the cleanest toilets on the block (maybe in the city). Follow up with a frequent antibacterial wipedown and you have toilets that a toddler could eat from.

Well, OK, they don't eat from them--but I have caught them chewing on the edges.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

More About Vacuums

In a world of vomit, diarrhea, and endless loads of laundry...how does one relax? I ask because, after two hectic days during which my husband was home (and I was not exactly on my best behavior), while driving him to the airport, I asked him if there was anything I could do for him while he was gone. "Try to relax," he said. Humph, I thought. Here was a man who could probably hit the couch for a snooze during the onset of Armageddon, and he wants me to relax? OK. So what are the two things I haven't done for awhile? Oh yeah, pray and blog. Who knew?

So that's why I'm here to share with you some info from the vacuum-research front. This is big business, folks. My vacuum background is pretty scarce: you inherit some decrepit old thing from an old roommate or boyfriend or grandmother, ride it hard and put it away wet--no user's manual, no spare parts, and you don't even know what type of bag it uses since you never change it. But then one day it quits. And then you realize how much gunk is building up on the floor, so you hit Amazon and look for the vacuum that everybody seems to like.

Trouble is, human nature is subjective. My first instinct was to go for the Dyson. That's when sticker shock hit me. $500 for a vacuum! There seems to be a couple schools of thought on vacuum buying: the first school goes to Wal-Mart or Freddy's and buys what looks cool and is on sale--this kind of demand is what has been fueling soaring upright bagless sales. Day-Glo colors, space-age plastics, and look--! No bag. That must make things easier, right? Plus, these machines are cheap, cheap, cheap. Comparatively speaking.

The second school of thought ponders deeply and, checking the balance in their bank account (reasoning that you get what you pay for), splurges on a Dyson or a Miele or even--a Kirby (though I am convinced that people who buy Kirby vacuums just haven't done that much shopping around). However, after reading at least half of the 302 reviews of the Dyson DC07 on Amazon, one quickly sees a pattern: three or four satisfied customers followed by one or two with busted parts and spotty, expensive service options. I learned that it is not only what you buy--half the battle is who you buy it from and under what service agreement/return policy. I don't care if it is the best vacuum in the world...it is eventually going to need service, and you are not going to like throwing a two- or three- hundred dollar piece of plastic on the junk pile. While there are many wonderful shopping options online, and deep discounts to be had, I became convinced that to buy a vacuum from an online vendor was a mistake.

Then I pulled back from the individual model search (which quickly became confusing) and looked for some general articles about vacuums. Why are bagless vacuums so popular when they seem to break so often? Is there any reason to go with a bagged model anymore? What's best for allergy sufferers? Why do I keep seeing references to canister vacuums (people still use those?)?

It didn't take long to realize that bagged was better for allergies than bagless (why would you want to look at and handle the gunk when the bag was a cleaner, more hygienic way to trap it in the first place?). Canister-type vacuums are better for people who want to vacuum their hardwood and tile floors without eating their area rugs. And a brick-and-mortar store with an iron-clad extended service agreement, that you could find in any sizable town, was a definite plus. This narrowed the options considerably.

Finally, I did the one thing I should have done at the outset: I typed "#1 rated canister vacuum" into the search engine, and guess what came up: the Kenmore Progressive Canister Vacuum, model #25614, rated #1 by Consumer Reports (as of last summer). The model is currently on internet special for $279.99. The 5-year extended service warranty is seventy bucks, which brings the price back to retail. And the cool thing was that I could buy it online, then drive down to my local Sears the next day and pick up my vacuum.

So now that my new vacuum is sitting here beside me in its box (wonder of wonders, I've just been too busy to use it!), I wondered what to do with the old one, which didn't really break like in the hypothetical example, it's just Dean's 10+ year old Hoover Futura from the Navy Exchange which still sucks and hasn't croaked yet. I think I'll hang on to it, and just have it serviced. "It's lasted pretty well," Dean said when I commented on this venerable vacuum. "But then," I mused. "It probably hasn't seen much use." Forget what happened after that.

Monday, March 19, 2007

The Dirt on Kirby

Continuing my series (as it seems to be morphing into) on door-to-door salesmen and telemarketers...my latest encounter has been with the Kirby guys. Now you know my heart, gang. I don't want to slam the door in these people's faces--I want to be the best Christian and Catholic I can be to them. We even had a celtic cross on our front doorstep ($10 at Lowe's) until Carl broke it.

This was our second round with Kirby salespeople. The first time, we took the bait and sat patiently through a 1 1/2 hour demo, and were very impressed with the machine--until they showed us a payment plan for $2,000!! Trying to get these people out of your house once they turn on the hard sell is hard! Why did I let them in this time? Well...to tell you the truth, my uncle has fallen on some hard times and his latest crummy job is being a window "demonstrator" in K-mart, trying to get people to sign up for their "contest" which is really an invitation to a sales pitch for...you guessed it--windows. I'm sorta feeling sorry for anybody who has to resort to sales to make money for their family.

So when the guy hears my reasons for turning him away, he turns on the sympathy mode..."Ah, c'mon, I've got these new kids that just need some training...couldn't sell chocolate cake to a fat kid...and my supervisor'll give me $50 if I can just clean your stairs." AARRGGHH!! Why do I always fall for that one? So I give in, and they go away. Meanwhile, I'm thinking about Tom's allergies and my own interminable research process on buying a new vacuum. "Maybe I'll hear them out and check out their product for allergies." But I wanted to see what the internet had to say, and so jumped online and checked out this article from Wikipedia (which continues to impress me as a general source of unbiased information).

The bottom line, I learned after reading the article, is that while Kirby makes a good product, it's way overpriced, their sales tactics are questionable at best and unscrupulous at worst, and they all do it THE SAME WAY. The article gave a devastating blow-by-blow rundown on the typical Kirby sales demonstration that, while effective, seems rather smarmy when you've reading about it dispassionately and you're not the one involved. They appeal to scare and smear tactics and ultimately try to close the deal at the highest possible purchase price, or get you to sign up for an outrageously expensive payment plan. I hit the print button just as the knock came at my door.

They were practicall pushing the box into the house when I said, "Hold on a minute, guys. I want you to have this information and know why it is that I can't do business with a company that uses tactics like this."

KIRBY GUY: What do you mean?

ME (turning back to the printer): You should really read it because a lot of it concerns the sales force.

KIRBY GUY (confers with young saleskid):.......

ME (I kept turning away to check progress on the print job): There's also some interesting history...of complaints.

KIRBY GUY:........

ME (handing them the printout): Plus, there's no way I'm going to spend $1200 bucks on something that only comes with a 3-year limited warranty.

KIRBY GUY (looking hurt): It's a lifetime warranty.

ME (closing door): Goodbye.

As I returned to the dishes, I was tempted to feel proud of myself, but then I thought about my uncle again. That guy was probably trying to feed a family. And it's a hard life for many out there, these days. So I'm not proud about the way I behaved. But I do think it's justified to refuse to deal with an organization if you have a reason to believe that they are dishonest, use unscrupulous tactics, or support immoral organizations (like Planned Parenthood). So good luck out there and I'm sure I'll have another doorknocker update soon.

P.S. I did finally purchase the Kenmore Progressive Canister Vacuum from the Sears web site. It is rated #1 by Consumer Reports for best value and performance for the price. See consumersearch.com for details.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

And now...time for something...fun.


"You are most like Frodo. You're very friendly, and you have a great personality. Although you like to have fun, you can also be pretty serious at times. It's pretty hard to get you mad, but once you're mad...everybody better look out! Keep that temper under control and realize that you're better off than you may think."

OK...I fail to see how liking the color blue and being a nerd in high school translates to this. But then maybe it's because I didn't pay much attention in Psych 101. The funny thing is, this personality description is pretty much on target.

Around here we have been having a LOTR geek-fest every weekend because there's not much else worth watching and the kids don't think my Jane Austen movies are that interesting. Carl is really into it. He says, "Wanna watch bad monkey? Wanna watch man-with-the-sword?" (Gollum is the bad monkey). He also said "Trees are made out of wood" today. Who says these kids don't learn anything from PBS?

I think I enjoy these movies so much because now that I am a Catholic, I can perceive Tolkien's metaphor more fully. When we find ourselves in the trenches, slogging away at some task or trial, we are like Frodo and Sam, carrying the bane of self, while trying not to use it, for the purpose of destroying it. And when we offer our sufferings for souls, we ride to their rescue--as it were--like the Rohirrim. The elves, like the saints, help us with their gifts and their prayers, but it is we who must go into battle with the hordes of deceived, weak, and ignorant souls...not to destroy them but to save. To win back the land for the king.

There. Who says you can't learn anything from watching TV?

TAKE THE TEST.


Monday, March 12, 2007

All I want for Christmas is my new knitting needle set, honey...

OK, so I'm jumping the gun a little. But if I ever went back to work, I'd love to be working for Knit Picks. They got started up a few years ago--local outfit, based right here in Vancouver, Washington--offering premium quality yarn at pretty much rock-bottom prices. This is because the owner, Kelley Petkun, goes wherever the animals are and buys direct. They must keep their overhead pretty low, because the office I saw today was small and tucked into the back of a larger building...but you'd never know it from their catalogue, web site, and product line.

Part of what makes this company unique is that they're not just a middleman--selling a plethora of yarns, needles, and supplies culled from all over and taking their cut. I would call them the "Trader Joe's" of knitting. Kelley searches out the yarns herself and specifies how each is to be made up. Then they get the Knit Picks name.

The most exciting product they've come out with in the last year is a set of interchangeable needles. But unlike the interchangeable sets out on the market, Knit Picks' set is quality stuff. These needles aren't plastic--they're the smooth metallic nickel needles that you see AddiTurbo selling for $12 a pair. And they come with 2 different lengths of cable, complete with end caps (meaning that you can use them circular or straight). AND they give you, like, nine sizes. And a case. Get out your calculator and start multiplying and you get dozens of variations of needles, all in one set. What would you expect to pay for this set in a retail knitting store? $100? $120? HA!! Thanks to their low overhead and direct-to-the-buyer concept, this set comes in for the very housewife-friendly price of SIXTY BUCKS. Those other interchangeable (plastic) sets sell for at least fifty. And they don't have the quality, or utility, of Knit Picks Options needles.

Oh, great, now I sound like an ad. I'm sure Tina Birch, the VP that I talked to today, was fortified by my enthusiasm. I couldn't stop praising their product. We sat in her office (with the kids in their double stroller parked alongside) and she asked me questions about the current Options set and some design changes they were considering. Seeing as how I don't actually own the set, I was working off the memory of the set that I sent to my mother last Christmas (that I couldn't help, um, peeking at). They are going to improve it (like that was possible) and keep it AT THE SAME PRICE.

Then she showed me some of the new products. O-ooh. I won't tell you exactly...but for a little higher price, they are taking the Options set way upscale. I am totally hanging on to my gift certificate until this new set comes out next fall! Then she showed me some double-pointed needles that had been given the same treatment. This is the perfect example of what sets this company apart from the rest. They are selling these double-points in SETS OF SIX so the customer isn't TOTALLY SCREWED if one of the needles gets sat upon or chewed by the cat. They might be a couple bucks more, but compared with the plain jane bamboo needles in the store (where you only get four), this shows quality, innovation, and care for the customer that you just don't see in the knitting world.

She did ask me if I read any knitting blogs. It occurred to me that I had not, so here's my bleg--those of you knitters charitable enough to take the time to read me, please leave your favorite knitting blogs and books in the combox so I know where to get started.

In conclusion, I just have to say that in a knitting industry that is become more boutique-y and out of reach of the "average" knitter, Knit Picks saves the day, offering you quality AND quantity--and excellent customer relations, I might add.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

I get to be in a focus group!

Not to make anyone, er, jealous or anything, but I am excited...I've been invited to be part of a focus group for my favorite knitting people, Knit Picks. The company is based here in Vancouver, WA--so lucky me gets to trot on down to their office (which is, like, 1.5 miles away from my house) to check out new products and give my opinion. Don't ask me how I got invited. I probably only got their first catalogue because we're in the city limits. But I feel like one of the privileged few who gets to go to a movie premiere or something (shows you how much I get out now)!

Of course I'll have to bring (or wear) my knitting "credentials"--the one sweater I have actually completed using Knit Picks wool and my work-in-progress 16th century knitted wool stockings, also using their stuff. The excitement probably lies in seeing their latest products, which are always rather innovative, quality stuff--and at prices that tightwad knitters don't have to feel guilty about. The $25 gift credit doesn't hurt either.

I'm supposed to go on Monday, so I'll blog about it and let everyone know how it went!

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Late Night Lenten Meditation

First, let's get one thing straight. I should be sleeping. I should be praying. I should be doing pushups. But here we are. I confess I am so confused now about writing, and especially about writing about spiritual things, that I asked the Lord to interrupt me if He does not want me to write this.

The spiritual reading du jour is Story of a Soul, which we are reading at our ladies' study group at the church. St. Therese, while famous for her "little way," nonetheless admits to "immense desires," including the desire for martyrdom--even all the torments of the saints put together.

Here's where she starts to lose me. She tells us that she is so little and weak all the time, so how could she wish for things that even the strongest constitution would recoil at? I wondered at this while I was in the shower, with hot water cascading all about me (while reminding myself how much Therese herself suffered from the cold and damp at the convent)--at how spiritually bankrupt I must be that I could not even force myself to take a cold shower, let alone endure any torture or persecution voluntarily. How many luxuries have we grown used to in our daily lives, from having hot water on demand to warm sheets to plenty of interesting food to eat and the freedom to shut the world out in our own warm homes? I do not mean this to be a simple lookie-what-we-take-for-granted homilette, however. Bear with me.

From this I moved to thinking about the good things Therese had in her life that I do not have. She called the desire for martyrdom a "consolation" that was sometimes given to little souls like hers, but if a soul were not to receive this consolation she called it an even greater grace. I concluded that I definitely have not received this grace. Score 1 for Therese. Next, I considered her home life, the devout faith of her father and mother, and the support and encouragement she received from her sisters. I definitely do not have that. In fact, after considering all her spiritual insights and the great advancement in holiness she achieved at Carmel, the realization hit me that, even if I offered to change places with little Therese--to offer her my flannel sheets, wool sweaters,and cups of hot chocolate--she would not do it. In fact, in her magnanimity, she would probably call my attention to the several martyrdoms I am experiencing right now--which, while not martyrdoms of the flesh, are nonetheless sources of very great suffering not only to me but to many people who live in this modern age and this materialistic society. These martyrdoms have the great advantage of being all but invisible.

1. Living in a society that does not care about religion. This martyrdom manifests itself in a myriad of frustrations for the good Catholic who must suffer attacks against the Church, marginalization in politics, and having to pay extra to educate his children, among other things.

2. Estrangement from family. The scourge of divorce has robbed millions of the stability and emotional security of having intact families as the basis for society. As citizens in a society becoming ever more individualized, it is common to feel only indifference at the plight of even family members struggling to survive. "I did it, why can't they?" we ask, not realizing that God created families to help do for those who cannot do for themselves. Without families, the individual is subject to the tender mercies of the state.

And, more personally:

3. Isolation. Being that my husband must travel long distances to work, I find myself alone with the children almost constantly.

4. Having a sick child. Caring for him and anxiety about his condition. Doctor visits, hospital bills, special diets.

5. Temptations to discouragement and despair. It's all around us, the little voices that tell us that we're no good, we're worth nothing, all our faith and our good efforts to change society are in vain, the resurrection is a hoax, the Church is power trippin.'

6. Temptations to immorality, impurity, and pride. Don't ask me how Peter Pan can tempt one to thoughts of impurity. Just don't ask. I threw the book in the trash. Our culture is sick, sick, sick.

Look around at your life, and I'm sure you'll find a few of your own. I actually rejoiced when I realized that God had given me my own sufferings, tailor-made for me, and that so long as I handed them all back to Him in joy and love and gratitude, I could profit from them just as much as from any physical austerity. Indeed, we can rejoice to let God choose the martyrdoms, since the heavenly Surgeon knows just where to put the lance, where the infection is deepest. He does not do so out of anger (even though we have no cause to refuse His just chastisements), but out of love, since out of our sufferings comes the love that He thirsts for, the love that only we can give.

Jesus thirsts for your love. He has given you the crosses that you must bear, knowing that He stands beside you to shoulder the balance of the burden for you...because He loves you, because He so greatly desires the love that only you can give Him. "Love and cause to be loved the Love that is not loved."

Now I can go to bed.