Household goods

Message deleted by Gransnet for breaking our forum guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

Vax Air Cordless Switch - overall rating 10/10

(From lilygran)

(2015) Very easy to assemble. Clear instructions. Very light and very easy to manoeuvre. Very recommendable!

(From jogove)

(2015) An amazing product. You are not limited with the cord so you can go any where, easy to carry, fantastic cleaning, recommended to my family & friends, thank you for making a hard job easier.

Doro PhoneEasy 715 - overall rating 10/10

(From sneetch)

(2013) I came late to mobile phones. My grandchildren laughed at me when I first had one because I told them it lasted three months between charges. I only ever switched it on when I wanted to make a call. It took me a while to get the hang of having a phone on all the time...

The I got my Doro PhoneEasy 715, which I love. I was given it so I didn't realise it slid apart at first and I had to ring up my daughter and ask where the buttons were - but as soon as I started using it, I really appreciated how easy it was. I read the instruction manual from cover to cover: it was very clear, and I was impressed by my own ability to master the functions!

The display is very easy-to-read and the buttons are big enough that you don't accidentally hit the wrong one.

There's a special button to send texts, which is a lot easier than on my previous phone. And I can take pictures and upload them to my computer through Bluetooth.

The display shows you who's calling. It's easy to use and a pleasing object to have - it feels smart, not like a disability aid. Although it's designed for older people, it looks sleek and stylish and I don't feel like I'm holding some piece of out-of-date equipment.

I'm not an expert and I don't really feel qualified to know what a better phone would look like. It's possible there might be one. But I really love my Doro phone and it's improved my experience of using a phone a lot. And I do actually keep it on and charge it every day...

Dyson Digital Slim DC44 - overall rating 10/10

(From whenim64)

(2012) The Dyson cordless DC44 arrived yesterday at tea time and I unpacked it with my four year old twin grandsons this morning. I thought I knew what to expect, as I have a handheld cordless Dyson already. However, this is much more powerful. It was charged up, ready to use and simple to assemble. The boys helped me and were pushing it around the carpet themselves within minutes. That demonstrates how light and manoeuvrable it is.

I looked at the Dyson booklet and commented to the children that you can even vacuum the dog, as it has a pet grooming tool. The glint in their eyes was priceless! To distract them from mowing down the poor dog, we did a little video about what it could do, and the dog went back to her basket.

We tried it on the sitting room carpet, slate kitchen floor and the stairs. It's very quiet and within minutes, the cylinder was half full with no effort at all. Crevices are very easy to clean with the crevice tool, and no matter which way you push it into corners and under furniture, the power does not reduce.

This is going to be so useful over Christmas, for a quick whizz round before relatives arrive, and the post-party tidy up. The spare bedroom's ceiling cobwebs will be done away with, without me waiting for my tall son to arrive and do the job. I will no longer have to carry the heavy Dyson vac up the stairs. It's powerful, but I have had it a few years so is one of the heavier ones. I hope this one lasts as well.

So far, I'm very pleased with this DC44. It looks attractive, is not at all cumbersome, and I can recharge it upstairs without having to organise space for it.

*I was picked by GNHQ to review this product, which I received for free. These are my own words and reflects my true opinion.

JJ Cole Picnic Blanket - overall rating 10/10

(From redberry48)

(2014) This is such a gorgeous and versatile picnic blanket. The best thing about it is that you can use it as a picnic blanket (at the park, on the beach or in the garden), but it also doubles up brilliantly as an indoor playmat. It's water resistant and whilst soft, it is also made of a very helpful wipe clean material – ideal for the endless spills! The soft material means that your skin doesn’t stick to the fabric and it’s cosy for babies/kids to role around on. It's great value for money and the colours are really stylish – muted and calm, and in no way garish - would definitely recommend.

ONCE iron on name labels - overall rating 10/10

(From CariGransnet)

(2014) Not being a dab hand with a needle I thought that iron on name labels were the perfect solution when DD started school. Actually I was wrong. They were fiddly to put on and almost without exception fell off within two washes (and I tried two different brands) and I ended up having to scrawl her name in biro on the manufacturers' labels (not something that appealed to my inner domestic goddess : ))

Then gave the ONCE (trademark) iron on labels from The Name Label Company (www.namelabelco.com) a go.

First of all instead of having to do the iron process and repeat a further couple times for each label, this took one quick press and it was done. Secondly, after vigorous washing many times over, every single label has stayed put.

Absolutely delighted with them and won't hesitate to get these again when I have worked my way through the current pack.

(Note - recommend getting one of the mixed packs that also includes self adhesive labels for things like water bottle and pencil cases and also shoe labels with clear cover stickers to stop them coming off. All three types of label are really useful and have worked really well).

Vax Air 3 - overall rating 10/10

(From flopsybunny)

(2013) The Air 3 Vax has powerful suction and is good at picking up stubborn bits of fluff in the carpet. It is light and easy to get up and down stairs and manoeuvrable, so good for getting down low underneath those bits of furniture you can't move every time you need to do the hoovering!

It is excellent for storage, due to its upright compact form. All the extra parts fit effortlessly back into the structure of the hoover once you are done with them so you don’t have any of those annoying dangly bits hanging off it as you try and get it back into the cupboard under the stairs!

It's one click to empty - no bag - and it looks good. An excellent all round vacuum cleaner with effective suction, easy to handle and great when you want to hide it away neatly.

Amstd Fast-part washer seal - overall rating 10/10

(From kingdaddyking)

(2015) Bought this from www.mytoiletspares.co.uk. It helps stop leaking into the Pan constantly after Flushing, watch the video below below:

www.youtube.com/embed/4MaUIsR7Q1I

Good Elf Norway Spruce Christmas tree - overall rating 10/10

(From ap123)

(2014) I have ordered a 7ft non drop tree from this company. It was delivered on the day agreed but the tree brances ended at about 4.5-5 feet and the rest was just one long twig sticking up. We had to cut the top so the star will sit without bending the single sticking up branch.

Contacted the company the same day. Their respone? None! So this year we have a bush for Christmas. Next year we'll order from somewhere else....

Revitive IX Circulation booster - overall rating 5/10

(From nutmeg)

(2013) I've had really poor circulation all my life, which means that my feet have always been cold. The only thing that seems to get them warm is a brisk walk, or jumping up and down.

I was intrigued to try the Revitive IX, which is advertised as helping cold feet, but mine continued to feel cold (they were bare) while I was doing it and my conclusion was that I felt it would only get my circulation going while I was actually using the machine - I wasn't convinced the benefits would last.

I don't terribly like the idea of sitting with my icy bare feet watching my legs jumping - the machine sends electrical pulses to your legs, which make them look like they have a nervous tic..

So all in all I was doubtful about whether it was doing me any good - tbh, I was a bit scared of it. I was frightened to do it for too long because it hadn't been recommended by a doctor, I felt cold when I did it, and I wasn't really sure how beneficial it was.

My suspicion is that nothing is going to change my cold feet of a lifetime at my age (83) and walking does help and is probably better for me. It was very interesting to try it but not particularly pleasurable and the sensations were mildly disconcerting, so I don't think I would use it regularly.

Domino 2-seater sofa - overall rating 3/10

(From Wattie)

(2014)

Bad quality overall

1. Springs do not reach near enough to the sides so the seats are lopsided and lean to the edge.

2. The covers are very badly made so do not fit at all, in particular:

a. The footstool cover comes off/moves at the slightest pull

b. Hems do not reach the ground so the ugly feet (no castors on sofas/armchairs) show

3. Fabric protector is no use whatsoever. The covers cannot be wiped of any small mark

4. The covers lose their original colour when washed – even at the recommended low heat.

If ordering online, there is no option of ‘filling’ although the range I purchased stated one could choose.

As yet I have not opened the seat cushions to find out what is inside these. However, they do need plumping up after EVERY use.

If you buy replacement arm covers get something to fix these to the chair/sofa, or they come off. Remember NOT to wash these arm covers unless you wash the whole cover – the colour difference is great after a wash. In other words the arm covers are a waste of money.

This furniture is cheap and cheerful and has the advantage of being smaller than average furniture so will fit easily into a small house. I do not recommend this furniture for any household with children or pets.

Last, and by no means least, carefully read the small print about returns/refunds.

Not more reviews!! Please go back to the old system!

I thought you were new, Alea...

Scrolling through the Forums I see there is a thread called Product Test and Reviews or some such, so I assumed that was the thread for "reviews". Didn't realise this is a change to that system.
Silly me.

Memo to self, read the explanation first.
Otherwise known in some circles as RTFM