Reasonable Home Barista Ivana, a good friend of mine, loves her Bialetti Moka Express:

Let me recommend one of the most reasonable items I have ever purchased. I’ve been using this simple stovetop espresso maker (”macchinetta“) for over a decade, and found it easy to use, and, well, handsome. It costs a fraction of those overly large, elaborate electric ones, and you can take it camping with you (camping percolators are too large and make horrible coffee). This “6 cup” makes 12 oz. They come in a myriad of sizes, but I’ve found the 6 cup to be right for one to three people.

A CoffeeGeek says “As long as your expectations are reasonable, this product doesn’t really have any negative points.” Some cranks scare themselves silly because it’s made out of aluminium, but I can’t find any substantive negative opinions of this product on the web. I do believe this product is very reasonable.

Saul :: Jul.30.2007 :: Espresso Maker :: 1 Comment »

Chef James owns and uses a KitchenAid 12-cup food processor

because it will do the jobs of a food processor, blender, and mixer. This processor is excellent for making pastry dough, soup, and chopped/blended/sliced vegetables, but if you want to make cookies and bread, buy a stand mixer.

Cook’s Illustrated and Consumer Search whole-heartedly recommend the KitchenAid. Some people have experienced splashing with more than 4oz of liquid, so be careful!

On Amazon currently, choosing a particular onyx black (OB) model mysteriously saves you $50.

Saul :: Jul.29.2007 :: Food Processor :: No Comments »

A corded drill will buy you more drilling power for less money. But if you don’t need the power, take advantage of the convenience of a cordless drill. This lightweight 9.6 volt Makita 6260DWPE is a top brand, and a reasonable compromise between smaller versions that really don’t pack the punch needed to do most jobs, and larger types that are too heavy and intense to drag out for every project. You can vary the speed, adjust the torque, and change the bit without a special tool. It comes with a plastic briefcase for storage and 2 batteries so that you can leave one on the drill and keep the other plugged into the wall, then swap when needed.

Beth :: Jul.23.2007 :: Cordless Drill :: No Comments »

Reasonable Chef James reports that the Kuhn Rikon Peeler peels vegetables well and easily, the blades are sharp, and it lasts a very reasonable amount of time for $3.50. Sara Kate says, “There really is no reason to use any other vegetable peeler.” Cook’s Illustrated (pdf) says that it “couldn’t be matched when peeling thick-skinned vegetables like squash and celery root”.

Saul :: Jul.22.2007 :: Vegetable Peeler :: No Comments »

[Update: This has been redacted. There's a new, more reasonable rating system in place now.]

Shoppers usually have to consider how much they’re willing to sacrifice quality for a lower price, and how much more they’re willing to spend for greater quality. For any given product, consumers’ desires form something like a normal distribution.

At the extreme left are the skinflints willing to risk embarrassingly low quality to save money; on the extreme right are the fanatics willing to unload their wallets for 3% better performance. Usually, though, people aren’t all that extreme: most people will gladly pay a little more for a clearly superior product–but not a lot more for a marginal improvement.

We try to make recommendations that are reasonable for as many consumers as possible. We look for reasonable maxima, those “sweet spots,” of price, quality, and performance, so that our recommendations always meet or exceed our readers’ expectations.

We know that our choices are not all equally reasonable, however. Home electronics are constantly changing and shifting and advancing, and no DVD player can reasonably be given the same proud recommendation as the reliable motorcycle that’s been around for 20 years and is still being produced and sold in large numbers.

So we rate our product listings on a very reasonable 5-star scale. The best rating of 5 stars is the most inclusive (95% of shoppers), and each lower rating acknowledges that another segment of the consuming population may prefer to do their own shopping. Note that we’re not necessarily rating the specific quality or performance of the products in isolation, but rather their reasonableness, which also includes price, availability, interoperability and other aspects of the consumer experience.

The Ratings

Ultrareasonable

The consensus. Beyond best-in-class, and probably been that way for awhile; there are simply no close seconds. These products are the passion behind Reasonable Goods. If you find a five-star product unreasonable, I may have to find you unreasonable, and I’m sure others will agree.

Very reasonable

Best-in-class. There’s no reason not to buy this item, but there are probably competitors and you might be able to save a few bucks getting a reasonable deal on another product, or spend a few more bucks and get something much more reasonably suited to your needs. There isn’t an ultrareasonable item in this category, but you will not be disappointed with this purchase. You or one of your friends probably has one of these already. We’ve tried some of the other ones, and this one is still the most reasonable unless you know you want something else, in which case, go shopping!

Reasonable

A fine choice. Nothing in this category really stands out as exceptional, at least nothing at any reasonable price point. For many consumer goods, the product makes and models change so frequently that it’s difficult to predict the long-term quality of any one item. You will probably find this item reasonable, and we try to mention the downsides in case any one of them is a dealbreaker. You aren’t going to find anything any more reasonable for much cheaper.

[I cut "moderately reasonable" (two stars) and "not entirely unreasonable" (one star), which just lopped off half-sigma-sized chunks of the bell.]

Saul :: Jul.21.2007 :: Uncategorized :: No Comments »

If you haven’t been able to justify getting a projector for yourself, the Optoma HD70 just may convince you. For under $1000, this projector competes with much more expensive models, providing amazing colors, fine detail, high contrast and impressive depth for its price. You will continue to be impressed with it from the first movie you watch to a few years from now when all your friends get the same thing for themselves because they can’t stand their now seemingly unreasonable, outdated TV.

Home Theatre Magazine thought it was very reasonable, ProjectorReviews likes it, and this projector geek says:

In conclusion–this unit represents superb value for money. At under $1000, this [is] the projector you’ve been waiting for if you want to step up to 720p front projection.

This is a high-end, well-constructed unit from a respected brand, masquerading at a lower-end price.

Beth :: Jul.19.2007 :: Projector :: No Comments »

Reasonable Reader Ben sent in this recommendation for a kitchen knife:

You can’t go wrong with the Victorinox Chef’s Knife. It’s a third the price of its competition and is highly recommended by Cook’s Illustrated.

I consulted with Chef James, and he was eager to confirm that the 8″ R.H. Forschner by Victorinox is the ultrareasonable kitchen knife for home cooks. Apparently a culinary teacher of his used a 10″ Forschner at CIA and all through her line cook career, and continues to use the exact same knife to teach her classes. He uses his everyday on the line and at home, and he notes that Victorinox also made the original Swiss Army knife.

Chef James recommends getting a blade guard, using a honing steel, and getting a professional sharpening immediately and then about once a year thereafter.

Special Purpose Kitchen Knives

Paring Knife: Forschner ($5)

Cook’s illustrated again says:

A paring knife is essential for smaller cutting tasks, such as peeling and slicing turnips; peeling and mincing shallots; coring tomatoes; peeling, quartering, and coring apples; peeling and sectioning oranges; stemming mushrooms; cutting up small pieces of coconut; peeling and mincing fresh ginger; slicing lemons, limes and hard-cooked eggs…well, you get the idea.

The good news is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a great paring knife. Our top-rated knife was the Wusthof Trident Grand Prix Utility Knife ($40), but finishing a close second was the Forschner (Victorinox) Fibrox.

Bread Knife: Forschner ($35)

Forschner also won the Serrated Knife category hands down:

As useful as a chef’s knife can be, there are certain tasks it simply doesn’t do well, such as slicing bread and tough-skinned tomatoes. That’s why you need a serrated, or bread, knife, which also slices through delicate pastries with ease. The saw-toothed edge of a serrated knife makes it seem like it’s always sharp; the teeth grab hold of whatever you’re cutting and don’t let go.

We sliced through 30 loaves of bread, five dozen bagels, and 25 pounds of tomatoes to see whether there was much difference between brands. There was. The reasonably priced Forschner (Victorinox) Fibrox ($36 $25) was terrifically sharp and easy to use, outperforming models that cost almost twice as much.

If you enjoy being in the kitchen, these R.H. Forschner knives are ultareasonable.

Saul :: Jul.18.2007 :: Kitchen Knife :: 1 Comment »

The Kawasaki Ninja EX500 is a very reasonable one-size-fits-many motorcycle, smackdab between the lightest and cheapest 250cc, which is great to learn on but not great on the highway; and the robust 750cc racer, which is fast and fun but heavy and overkill for most riders. Its 500cc engine has not changed significantly in 20 years; you can readily find parts on eBay and Amazon.

This recommendation seems to be fairly consensus and longstanding, as this review (2000) and this Consumer Democracy writeup illustrate.

If you just want to commute to work, a scooter is probably more reasonable–it’s easier-to-use, cheaper, and probably safer.

Note: Buying a motorcycle is a substantial purchase: at least $1000 for a used bike, up to $5000 for a new EX500. Amazon doesn’t stock motorcycles, so the most reasonable places to buy a bike online are Craigslist and eBay, which has used and sometimes new bikes. Motorcycle enthusiasts generally agree you should buy your first bike used; it’ll save you money and some of these bikes will function for decades if maintained reasonably. The link takes you to an eBay search for the Ninja EX500, highest price first (that way you see the bikes, not the parts). Shop wisely!

Saul :: Jul.15.2007 :: Motorcycle :: 1 Comment »

The Bissell QuickSteamer PowerBrush 2080 may overdo the MarketingSpeak CamelCase with its name, but ConsumerSearch and Epinions reviewers are pleased with the Bissell 2080’s performance and price. Its small tank and lack of attachments may make large jobs a little tedious, however most deep carpet cleaning in the home will be either spot stains or high traffic areas. A 2003 Consumer Reports survey suggests using a professional for best cleaning, adding that consumer cleaners are big and expensive; the small and inexpensive Bissell 2080 is a reasonable wet carpet cleaner for anything you’d want to clean yourself.

Saul :: Jul.09.2007 :: Carpet Cleaner :: 1 Comment »

The Hoover S1120 is cordless, bagless, cleans carpets and bare floors, and both wet and dry messes. Its strong motor uses the battery up in about 7 minutes, so it won’t replace a regular vacuum, but for all the small spills and messes you would hate to pull out the big vacuum for, you can use this. Consumer reviews at Pricegrabber and Amazon are very positive. At $30, it’s an incredibly reasonable handheld vacuum.

Beth :: Jul.03.2007 :: Vacuum :: 1 Comment »