What are the top products currently making headlines in the news and why?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around various consumer products that are currently making headlines, with participants sharing their personal favorites and experiences. The scope includes food items, household appliances, grooming tools, and more, reflecting a mix of opinions and preferences.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express strong preferences for specific food items, such as Nutella, which is described as both delicious and misleadingly marketed as healthy.
  • Several participants share their experiences with household products, like the effectiveness of Formula 409 cleaner and the convenience of Keurig coffee makers.
  • There are mentions of various brands and products, including Dell computers for their customer service and the Furminator deShedding tool for pet grooming.
  • Some participants discuss their experiences with different types of batteries and chargers, highlighting the reliability of Eneloop batteries.
  • One participant introduces polymer clay and its artistic applications, contrasting it with another material, Polymorph.
  • There is a light-hearted exchange about personal grooming and colognes, with participants sharing their favorite scents.
  • Tools and workgear are briefly mentioned, with a participant listing specific hand tools and work clothing preferences.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally share their individual preferences without reaching a consensus on which products are superior. Multiple competing views and experiences are presented, particularly regarding food items and household products.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes subjective opinions and personal anecdotes, which may not reflect broader consumer trends or product effectiveness. Some claims about product performance are based on individual experiences and may not be universally applicable.

Ivan Seeking
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One in the news: Tsu and I are huge Toyota fans. The current problems do not concern us at all.

Tillamook Extra Sharp, White, Cheddar Cheese; aged two years+ Mmmmm, makes the best nachos!

If I'm going to eat a microwave dinner, about all that I can tolerate is Marie Calendar brand, which is often pretty decent for MW.

I love my Bunn Coffee Maker

Dell Computers - can't beat the customer service. I can buy a computer with an extended warranty and forget about any problems for at least three years. They even replaced a screen that I damaged through carelessness. When I consider the potential down time due to computer problems, the price of the warranty is insignificant. Also, I don't have to send anything away to the factory and wait for repairs. They either ship the parts or send someone to my house. I've bought seven Dells, I think [one for my parents], and plan to buy more.

Nirvana [Belgian] Chocolates. We got hooked while in Europe and have bought some at least once a year ever since.

Speaking of Europe - Nutella hazelnut spread is great stuff! Only recently have I seen it in local stores.
 
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Ivan Seeking said:
Speaking of Europe - Nutella hazelnut spread is great stuff! Only recently have I seen it in local stores.

Nutella is the wolf-in-sheep's-clothing of food. It pretends to be a healthy food like peanut butter, but it's still a chocolate-bar-in-a-jar.

But mmmm so good...
 
DaveC426913 said:
Nutella is the wolf-in-sheep's-clothing of food. It pretends to be a healthy food like peanut butter, but it's still a chocolate-bar-in-a-jar.

But mmmm so good...

Actually, if you listen to their commercial carefully, they only say that it goes good with foods that are good for you. :smile: Had to lol when I heard that one!
 
Formula 409 spray cleaner. I am sure its not good for the planet, but boy does it clean well.
Hefty zip-loc freezer storage bags, they are the best for long term freezing{get as much air out as possible}.
PT Barnum Animal Crackers, because they are great dipping in Nutella.
 
Ivan Seeking said:
Actually, if you listen to their commercial carefully, they only say that it goes good with foods that are good for you. :smile: Had to lol when I heard that one!
I know. But it's got my wife convinced. And I have to battle her at the store to keep it from coming home.
 
Heckler & Koch Volkswagen TDI OpenSource software OpenOffice.org Maxima GIMP HP-48GX Chemex coffee maker
 
Nescafé instant coffee, Styrian Milk, Vienna Lump Sugar, Siemens Mikrowelle
 
Hunt's petite diced tomatoes, in sauce, Boursin cheese, San Marcos mild pickled jalapenos, Marie Calendar's frozen foods, Quaker five minute grits, Snap-E-Tom tomato chile juice, Knorr Swiss bouillion, Jimmy Dean's Breakfast Sausage.
 
Ah, my Nike Equalon running shoes :!).
 
  • #10
I LOVE Nutella! It's perfect spread on a croissant. I can get the Nutella in stores here easily enough, but getting a good croissant is a challenge. I miss NJ for things like that.

I have one of those really expensive Keurig coffee makers, the kind that makes a single cup at a time, always has the water heated and ready, and a reservoir to refill quickly. While it doesn't make as good of a cup as brewing freshly ground beans in a drip coffee maker or French press, it is a lifesaver first thing in the morning, especially since the "drip tray" can hold almost a full cup of coffee. :rolleyes: Yeah, I found that out by forgetting to put the cup under it one morning. This is precisely why I need my coffee quickly and it cuts about 10 min off my morning routine, which makes me love it even more. :biggrin:
 
  • #11
The Furminator deShedding tool is fantastic. My wife brought one home today, and Duke loves being brushed with it. It effectively removes undercoat fur on cats and dogs, and comes in several sizes. I have been using an old-fashioned wire carding brush on him, but it's a very slow grooming process. The Furminator let's you remove loose undercoat fur by the handfuls, in no time. Got a dog or cat, and want to reduce shedding and pet hair on your furniture and clothing? This is the ultimate grooming tool!

Best of all, Duke thinks it feels good (even better than the wire brush) and keeps turning around to lap my hand while I'm grooming him. If you shop around, you can find one on-line for a little over $20, or you can go nuts and pay your vet almost $50 for one. (please, no!)
 
  • #12
Doral cigarettes, Amour Vienna Sausages, Texas Pete hot sauce, generic instant coffee, ahh life is good.
 
  • #13
Eneloop batteries and my Maha MH-C9000 charger, absolutely the best. Use these batteries in everything from cameras to remote controls, they retain 85% of their power even after sitting for a year. Have to plug my Valentine One radar detector, saved me from a ticket last week. Also love my LED flashlights, Fenix and Nitecore are two good brands.
 
  • #14
Polymorph!
http://www.mutr.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=550&osCsid=d873bf5369cae36a5427814ad761735f
Called 'friendly plastic' or 'shapelock' in the US

http://img686.imageshack.us/img686/1408/android102001.jpg

And...

Fimo!
http://fimo.com/FIMO_classic_eng.Staedtler?ActiveID=136137

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/5530/58669702.jpg
http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/9059/jonanderson1.jpg

I would love to explain how the above sculptures where made (by artist Jon Anderson). It's a long and drawn-out process called millefiori (thousand flowers) with its roots in traditional Italian glass making. It would take far too long to explain though. Fimo (or polymer clay) has to be the most versatile arts medium known to humanity.

And Fimo is way better than Polymorph.
 
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  • #15
Helios said:
Doral cigarettes, Amour Vienna Sausages, Texas Pete hot sauce, generic instant coffee, ahh life is good.

Living the good life?

Mine are:
snuggie_burgandy_1000.jpg

mine is light brown, although a zebra stripe is the next one i want!
stock-photo-glass-teapot-with-blooming-flower-green-tea-on-white-background-29663860.jpg

who knew flowers could bloom in a teapot??
chair.jpg

this chair is much more comfortable then it looks
 
  • #16
Kerrie said:
snuggie_burgandy_1000.jpg

mine is light brown, although a zebra stripe is the next one i want!
Your hot model is light brown? And you want a zebra-striped hot model?? Kinky...
 
  • #17
I LOVE nutella on a crepe with slices of banana. Too good. Add some whipped cream for extra deliciousness. Make sure the crepe+nutella are hot though.

Hmm I used to like HP computers but after I got my laptop from their company and the entire plastic casing basically broke (apparently it's made out of recycled film... yay) and the monitor frame broke I lost that interest. Right now my laptop screen has to be placed against something to stop it from opening backwards too far or closing (nothing makes it stay in place)

I LOVE blackberries. I don't have one anymore ATM had to get rid of it when I quit my job but when I stopped using it I felt like a part of me had been ripped out.

I like McDonalds SouthWest crispy chicken sandwich with no leaf lettuce no tomatoe and add shredded lettuce! Oh goddd so good.

Hmm I like colognes a lot too. I have a lot, which kind of sucks thinking about it cause each bottle is about 70-100$ :cry: so much moneyyy!:
Lacoste Essentials (it is essential for every man to have this)
Swiss Army Classic
Diesel
Armani Attitude
Versace Fraiche
212 SexyMan
Davidoff Adventure
Those are my favorites hahahah yeah.. it's a lot. I like smelling good for the ladies though.
 
  • #18
zomgwtf said:
Diesel



I prefer Midnight Pasture
 
  • #19
Ivan Seeking said:
I prefer Midnight Pasture

:smile:
 
  • #20
Wait no mention of tools or workgear?

Some Great Handtool Products:
Klein Lineman's Pliers. (and screwdrivers).. duh
A Lenox heavy duty Hacksaw.
A Greenlee Pocket-sized earthmagnet Level.
A Fatmax Tape ruler with a magnetic tip that glows in the dark.



Work Clothes
Red Wing the Tungsten Carbide-steel Toed Railway Worker Boots with nylon covers that are electrically insulated (sadly discontinued :( .)
Carhart Jackets
Danner socks.

Casual Clothes :
New balance athletic shoes.
Most of the cheap clothes at Old Navy.

Nerdgear:
A Texas Instruments Scientific Calculator.
 
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  • #21
For winter wear, it's hard to beat LL Bean's flannel-lined jeans. They are soft and warm, and they last longer than the major brands.
 
  • #22
[strike]ComfortWipe. It's so useful and sanitary![/strike]

I really happen to like my Nespresso. World-class coffee in 30 seconds for 50 cents a cup. Hard to beat that. The only drawback is that you have to order the coffee in rather large bulks.

Clothing... I have a pretty nice skin jacket for outside wear. I have a few T-shirts I really like (I can't stand white T-shirts) with various motifs, and I almost always wear my jeans jacket. Together with jeans. Shoot me for it. Almost (or all?) all of my jeans are Crocker, I think. I don't know why, I never look at the brand before buying them. I guess Crocker makes nice jeans.

I only have one pair of shoes. Seriously. Ecco, I believe. But it's largely because I need special-made inner soles to walk properly.

I've also got a KitchenAid Mixer and a Stand Mixer (The ones you knead dough with). Absolutely amazing products and they work for a lifetimes.

Tools... Well, I did like my airbrush a lot... The three times it worked. Maybe I shouldn't get the cheapest one next time. X-acto scalpells are really useful for model building, too.

Tea Forté makes amazing teas, I need to order some more of that. I had some cacao powder which was really great, but I can't remember the name at the moment... Oh well.

That's about what I can think of... Oh, Casall makes great training equipment, too. Got my barbell and crosstrainer yesterday, time to get fit, ho-hoh.
 
  • #23
Whey Protein Isolate.
In any product.

It really does seem to be as healthy and nutritious as the literature suggests.
This might be a psychosomatic effect but when I ingest it mixed in with milk at certain times during the day I do actually feel revitalized and less exhausted all throughout my week.

Ive been eating a more protein rich diet along with doing a regime of intense freeweight exercises and.. its working. My body feels solid and sturdy and stronger than it ever did. My posture is better and I generally feel more positive and more confident and experience less stress. I think a major part of my previous depression was nutrition and part of that was a lack of protein.

I think whey protein isolate and sometimes called milk protein isolate is the real deal.
 
  • #24
DaveC426913 said:
Nutella is the wolf-in-sheep's-clothing of food. It pretends to be a healthy food like peanut butter, but it's still a chocolate-bar-in-a-jar.

But mmmm so good...

peanut butter is good for you?? Since when has that carb to fat ratio been good for you. how many peanuts have to be eaten to get the same concentration of energy, fat and carbs as 1 teaspoon of peanut butter
 
  • #25
sherriffwoody said:
peanut butter is good for you?? Since when has that carb to fat ratio been good for you. how many peanuts have to be eaten to get the same concentration of energy, fat and carbs as 1 teaspoon of peanut butter
It's very good for you.

http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/23/6/660
 
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  • #26
I'll go to live in isolated island if you give me enough "Coca Cola" and "Mars" chocolates.
 
  • #27
Macbook, Top Ramen, and Ford Ranger

In that order

---------------------------------------------------

I would mention the brand of the boat which has brought me more joy than you can imagine over the last 20 years, but I'm sure any other boat would have given me as much pleasure.
And they stopped making them 45 years ago, so I'm sure they do not count.
 
  • #28
Kahtoola MICROspikes - the high quality light traction devices that the Hiking/Mountaineering world has long been waiting for.

6219-564049-d.jpg
 
  • #29
Had an issue without newest Dell computer. Suddenly I got the blue screen of death upon boot, even in safe mode. Being that I have a full warranty, I just called and let them talk me through it.

Since then, they have called twice just to make sure everything is still working properly! Now THAT is great customer service!
 
  • #30
My favorite kitchen tools are Thiers-Issard knives. They are the best of the best, and the only company that deserves to use the Sabatier name, IMO. Other companies using that name are riding on Thiers-Issard's reputation and putting out lower-quality products.

Get a T-I 6" chef's knife and a Santoku and most of your food-prep/chopping chores are covered. Add a cleaver, a heavy butcher's knife, and a few paring knives (almost any decent brand will do), and you've got a well-equipped cutlery block.