Compare 4 Consumers

Two years ago at about this time I compared and reviewed some Test Only/Gold Shield Smog Check Centers in Pleasanton. At that time my research pointed to:

Clear Blue Test Only SMOG Station
3790 Hopyard Road
Pleasanton, CA 94588
(925) 462-7664

At that time the price was very competitive and the service was fast and efficient. However this time when I pulled up to the station a man in a heavy eastern block accent informed me that the smog check for my car would run $110. He would make me a good deal though. Not being too interested in haggling over the price of a smog check, I returned to my research.

This time the winner was:

Harry’s Auto Repair
183 Wyoming Street
Pleasanton, CA 94566
(925) 462-3237

Since my last research Harry has received Gold Shield certification, and the online coupon made the cost of the smog check $35. Certificate and ETF brought the grand total to $45 out the door.

I brought my car to Harry’s Auto for repairs a couple of years ago. At that time the repair service was good, price was fair, but customer service left a little to be desired. This time I noticed a marked improvement in the customer service aspect, including a nice, clean waiting room. They did march me back out to read my own odometer, so not an A plus, but much better than last time.

My car barely passed, but did, and I was in and out in 15 or 20 minutes. Compare 4 Consumers recommends Harry’s Auto Repair for your Pleasanton Gold Shield Smog Check needs.

admin Auto gold shield, Harry's Auto Repair, pleasanton, smog check, smog test

Rueb, Motta & Manoukian provides the San Francisco, Sacramento and Oakland area with experienced legal representation. We work with motorcycle, auto, trucking and construction site accident cases. We also handle cases involving back, brain, neck, head and other catastrophic injuries.

Sponsored Post: Bay Area Injury Attorneys

admin Personal Injury Attorneys, personal injury lawyers

Yosemite State Park in California is an extremely popular vacation destination, and the premiere lodging within the Park is the Ahwahnee Hotel. Built in the 1920s, the Ahwahnee is known for it’s timeless architecture and stunning views.

Because your hotel selection within Yosemite is limited (most people tend to stay in tents or RVs) what you are paying for when you stay at the Ahwahnee, besides the history, and the unique decor and architecture, is convenience. Yosemite can get quite crowded, especially during peak season and parking can be a problem. The Ahwahnee’s free valet parking, which is also available directly prior or after your stay, can be a major benefit.

As you might expect of a luxury hotel with little competition, the prices are high and the service is good, but not great. The college-age staff is the bright spot, while service from the older staff can be lackluster. However remember when you are staying at the Ahwahnee you are there for the beauty of Yosemite, and the ease of access that the hotel gives you.

admin Hotels, Luxury Hotels, Yosemite

http://www.livermorewineandcycletours.com/

Please note the details of the tour described below may be subject to change. Check with Livermore Wine and Cycle Tours to confirm the details of your tour, should you decide to take one.

Livemore Wine and Cycle Tours runs half-day tours of the Livemore Valley Wine Country. You can either bring your own bicycle, or rent one at Livermore Cyclery. If you rent, they’ll handle the transportation of the bikes to and from they cycle shop.

To kick things off they host a gourmet antipasto lunch at Campo di Bocci in Livermore, right outside of Ruby Hill in Pleasanton. There you will start off your sampling of some great Livermore Valley wines, along with some great food, and possibly a quick game of bocci ball.

We visited two wineries, Deer Ridge and Tenuta Vineyards. The bike ride had some steep grades, and crossed some busy streets, but overall it was non-strenuous. It will be most enjoyable if you are in shape, but it’s not a requirement.

Deer Ridge Vineyards
http://www.deerridgevineyards.com/
From Campo di Bocci we took the 3 mile ride to Deer Ridge Vineyards, where we enjoyed some barrel tasting. The owner Carl was our host and provided a very interesting take, including history and information on winemaking.

We sampled the following wines:
2009 Sauvignon Blanc, Somoma Valley, Private Reserve ( we also sampled a single grape version)
2007 Chardonnay, Estate – Unoaked
2003 El Dorado Zinfandel, Private Reserve
2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, Estate
2007 Moonstruck ®, Estate – Private Reserve

We received a 15% discount and many people purchased the Moonstruck, which we were told would sell out fast.

Tenuta Vineyards
http://www.tenutawinery.com/

The next 3 mile trek took us to Tenuta Vineyards. We started off in the main tasting room and sampled our choice of wines, and then were taken on a short tour of the plant on our way to the barrel tasting room. We passed through a room were another group was custom blending their own wines as a team building exercise. Our entertaining tour guide also mentioned that the winery was being considered for the subject of a reality television show.

We sampled a variety of wines and ended up purchasing futures on an amazing Chardonnay Port. After the tour we sampled a Caberney Port with some cookies, and finally a couple of olive oils with some bread.

Finally we took the 3 mile ride back to our meeting place at Campo di Bocci, or tour was finished. Overall an enjoyable half-day introduction the Livermore Valley Wine County.

admin Livermore Valley Wine Country, Tours

Ant baits contain small amounts of pesticide mixed with a food substance that serves to attract the ants. Ants take the bait back to the nest, and share it with the rest of the colony. In this way the entire colony can be eliminated. Here are some tips that will help you better utilize your ant baits:

• Don’t use ant spray around the bait. It will repel ants, and they will not be attracted to the food substance in the bait.
• Use baits with boric acid, borax, fipronil, hydramethylnon, or arsenic as the active ingredient.
• Keep several different baits on hand because ants can change their food preferences. If one bait isn’t working, you may want to try another before deciding on an exterminator.
• Don’t use baits outside when it is raining.
• When ants are gone, remove the bait, so you don’t attract more.
• Baits will take 2 to 5 weeks to kill the entire colony. If the ant trail becomes thick after placing the ant bait, that is a good sign. It means that they are carrying a lot of bait back to the nest. After a few days to a week, the trail should get smaller, until it eventually disappears, along with the colony!

admin pest control

Tuna is tuna. Or is it? It’s hard to tell the difference between brands by looking at the neatly stacked cans. We purchased our tuna at a popular California grocery chain. Both cans of tuna were on sale for approximatly one dollar each.

We tested the following products:

1. Bumble Bee - Solid White Albacore - In Water

 

2. Chicken of the Sea - Chunk White Albacore Tuna - In Water

 

First, we opened the tuna cans and drained the water. We immediately noticed a difference.

Bumble Bee tuna drained nicely. We were able to get much of the water off, leaving the dry, flakey meat.

We were only able to decant about one third the amount of water from the Chicken of the Sea Tuna. What was left was a very wet Tuna/Water emulsion. It did not appear to be chunk tuna.

You can see the difference in consistency in the bowl. Bumble Bee was dry and ready to be served, or made into tuna salad, wheras Chicken of the Sea was too wet to have mayonaise or other dressing added.

 

 

In the final taste test, Bumble Bee had a far superior texture and taste compared to Chicken of the Sea. Compare4Consumers recommends Bumble Bee Solid White Albacore Tuna in Water!

admin Food

The revolution in self-publishing in recent years, combined with the ease and affordability of digital imaging technology has not only been a boon for photographers but also for designer. The widespread availability of affordable, quality stock photography has put professional-looking publications within the reach of a larger and larger number of businesses.

In this article we will compare three providers of affordable stock photography:

iStockphoto.com

Bigstockphoto.com

Shutterstock.com

For the sake of comparison we have chosen two images - a blue toaster, and the skyline of Sacramento, California. We’ll compare the quality and number of availble images, pricing, and ease of search.

Blue Toasters

iStock Photo - 13 matches - all relevant

Big Stock Photo

8 matches - all relevant

Shutterstock - 24 matches - most relevant - no photo’s of blue toaster available

Sacramento Skyline

iStockphoto - 96 matches - all relevant

Big Stock Photo - 21 matches - most relevant

Shutterstock - 65 matches - all relevant

Pricing

Comparing pricing for pay-as-you go options, all providers were in the same ballpark, with small images costing less than $5 apiece and large images costing less than $10 apiece. Shutterstock was the highest priced for the large images, but also offered a “super” size, which is 8000px wide.

Analysis

Both Shutterstock and Big Stock Photo served up some irrelevant results. When digging through hundereds of thumbnails to find just the right photo, this can be a big waste of time. iStockphoto seemed to serve up a higher number of consistently high quality, relevant photos, and was in the middle of pricing. We were not happy at all with the selection of photos served up by Big Stock Photo, and although Shutterstock did have some good images, Compare 4 Consumers recommends iStockPhoto.com for your affordable stock photograpy needs.

admin Stock photography, photography, stock images

Whirlpools combine water and air to create the therapy system. The high flow configuration can be custom tailored to your specific needs by selecting options such as back jets, an in-line heater, or custom jet placement. Each system can be hand crafted.

The easiest way to search for spa tubs is by size, style or manufacture. The following is a list of top twelve manufactures with a wide variety of sizes and styles. Warranties vary with model and manufacturer.

• American Bath Factory
• Aquatic Industries
• Laurel Mountain
• Americh Whirlpools
• Pearl
• Jacuzzi
• Jetta
• Maax
• Swirl Way
• St. Thomas
• Safety Tubs
• Water Dance Baths

Unique features are the website focus for each of the different manufactures. Safety Tubs offer Walk-in-tubs for the handicap bath solution. Jetta has a “Stay Hot Guarantee”. Their environmentally friendly foam insulation combined with a warm air induction system allows the tub to stay within 2 degrees even after 30 minutes.

Laurel Mountain claims unparalleled quality, dependability, ease of installation and service ability.

The most common motor size is 2HP. Elite series are 3HP and custom units can be much larger. The standard length is 60” but Pearl offers two models at 59 ¾”. Width can vary greatly with the shape configuration. Acrylic colors are available depending on model and manufacturer.

MaryH Spa, Tubs, Whirlpools

The Law Office of O’Connor, Runckel & O’Malley specializes in DUI/DWI Drunk Driving Defense cases in Walnut Creek, California. The partners of this law firm are former Deputy District Attorneys and a Superior Court Judge in Contra Costa County, with the experience of hundreds of criminal jury trials. They are now dedicated to protecting the rights of those accused with DUI, DWI and Drunk Driving charges.

Don’t put your life in the hands of a lawyer with limited courtroom experience. In Walnut Creek, O’Connor, Runckel and O’Malley is definitely the best choice for a DUI Defense law firm.

admin criminal defense lawyers, dui defense lawyers, walnut creek dui defense lawyers

According to consumer reports, the price of electric ovens can have little to do with the performance of the appliance.  Wall ovens range from $4-7,000 for high end double wall units but can go much higher. Self cleaning single wall ovens at the low end can be purchased in the $500 range.

The top five manufactures sited in the 2009 Buyers Guide are Thermador, Viking, Bosch, GE and Electrolux. The top ten brands and models included Kenmore, Frigidaire and Whirlpool. KitchenAid Superba was rated twelfth. The ratings for these appliances reflect capacity, baking, broiling and self-cleaning ability of the specific model. All rated models are electric but gas wall ovens are also available.

I have chosen to focus on two wall oven models in the mid price range with an overall score of “very good” in the 2009 Consumer Report Buying Guide and one higher priced unit.  I have also included information on the KitchenAid 24” double convection oven and the GE Profile Advantium SpeedCook Wall Oven.

The most common size for today’s wall oven is 30 inches. Most styles and models are also available with a 27 inch width and some as wide as 36 inches.  I am currently working on an older kitchen where the existing cabinets require a 24 inch double wall unit. The availability of the smaller width will be addressed with each of the five brands/models individually.

Consumer Reports claims that the higher price for a Bosch and the Kenmore (Sears) gives you well rounded performance and a temperature probe. GE is cheaper but the cooking/heating is not as even. Frigidaire Gallery is also cheaper but less capacity.

MaryH Appliances, Kitchen, Ovens