A couple of comments to a few of my reviews on Amazon. Priceless...

May 14, 2012 8:19:27 AM PDT

Below is a comment and a response back and forth on my review on Amazon of the Vitamix Blender. 

 


MacGuffin says:

Processing difficult things on a low variable speed for any length of time is precisely what causes the overload protector to trip. You can run the machine on a low speed for a long time if you're dealing, e.g., with a thin liquid.

The "ramming rod" (I can see you really familiarized yourself with the instructional media) is called a "tamper," BTW and you can make really excellent nut butter--including almond--by following the instructions in that pesky manual. And incidentally, the fan only kicks in on HIGH (as described in, you guessed it, the manual).

Mark Says:

"..is called a tamper" Who cares? Yes, I know that processing things on low is precisely what causes an overload... Do you know why that is? Do you know what takes place? I do.
Do you know why I say it needs thicker windings to process things on low? It is because at lower speeds, and higher torque, the motor would have to carry more current. More current requires thicker wire. Hence my suggestion of a setting for lower speeds with thicker wires.. Heavier gauge wires are for higher torque applications. Try to understand the concepts in my review, before you trash me. I did read the manual. However, I do also understand how electric motors work. When you use the tamper, you are actually compressing the blend material and forcing down into the motor. A risky proposition for such a high speed, low torque, high armature winding motor. If you stall it, you stand a good chance of fusing some of the windings, and or having a melt down. 


MacGuffin Says:


I care...and you don't like being challenged, do you? And yeah, believe it or not, there are others who know what you do ("know," that is). And I've been using these blenders AND--believe it or not--"compressing the blend material and forcing down into the motor" (in actuality, TOWARDS the bottom of the CONTAINER given that the motor is sealed in the base of the unit and never touches the container or its contents--SUCH a burden possessing that punctilious understanding of language required of a technical editor) since 1988 and quite a bit of that "blend material" has been frozen solid. Only once, in all that time, has the overload protector tripped due to my really having tried to process 'way too much frozen "blend material" with too little liquid and given that the aforementioned protector tripped, no damage was done to the motor. I really, REALLY doubt that Vitamix gets many returns (and I'm not saying that they don't ship a defective unit now and then) due to "fusing some of the windings, and or having a melt down."






 MacGuffin Takes Mark to Amazon Review Court and pleads a case against him for a faulty review:

Cue the Peoples Court Music..... 

Vitamix is here...





Below is another set of comments for my review on an Eton Wind up emergency radio...

M. Mason says:

I'm a bit surprised that you call yourself the "gadget guy" and are a "top reviewer" and you didn't even bother to pay attention to exactly how long you cranked the radio, how long the charge lasted ("hours" is a pretty vague term), how long you left it on, how long you left it in the sun, and then...you just didn't feel like completing the experiment. You should buy a watch...and use it.

I only bothered to comment because contrary to 291 other people (I have no idea what they were seeing here), I did not find your review very helpful at all. Just some vague estimates without much detail.

Mark Fellows says:

Okay then, feel free to disregard my review..... You can buy it, and slip on your lab coat and glasses, and do a consumer reports style review, and really show me... You are right, I guess I am being a little arrogant when I call myself the "Gadget Guy". I guess that is just my conceit coming out. I need to really spend some time evaluating myself, so see where my flaws are. Thank you for giving me a reality check....


Marks Comments about what M. Mason said.....

Psst, if 291 people like the review, and find it helpful and you don't, it MIGHT be you...

Just saying.............

Radio is below...

The Little Eton 160 emergency radio








Right after posting this, I realized that just yesterday, I left this radio out to let it charge in the sun, and forgot it, and it rained today.  Hard.... It may be ruined!



UPDATE ONE HOUR LATER.... 



The Eton hardly got any water in it after a day of sitting out in the hard rain.  

M. Mason would want to know exactly how hard the rain was.  Justin Berk says up to 1"/Hour.

M. Mason  would want to know exactly how long it sat in the rain?  Approximately 8 hours...

M. Mason would want to know how much is "Hardly any" Approximately three, 1 mm droplets..

I let it dry out and it worked fine!