Homes and Gardens

During the recent long summer spell of hot weather this was a lifesaver to me. The main difference between a fan and air conditioning, the latter costs a fortune to cool the air down, the former does not cool the air but you feel cooler.

Two rather different products the first for DIY fans that can save expensive redecoration bills as you can get an expect finish via good preparation. The second a tool that could save you a very expensive visit from a plumber.

Like most quality ‘Microwaves’ of recent vintage it is far more than a Microwave. It is a grill, convection oven and Microwave in one and the secret lies in its ability to use any combination of the three at any one time.

Another item that I discovered at a recent Panasonic white goods event that I my ignorance did not know they produced. However as they have been big – mainly in Asia – for around 50 years it is certainly worth a look.

For many a good night’s sleep is rare, others need help in the way of sleeping pills, alcohol or maybe just a milky drink. Here is another way, no pills, no hangover in fact it is just following a light played onto the ceiling above your bed.

This device can check what, how and when causes the astronomical electricity bill. Every modern device tells you somewhere how much power it uses, unfortunately normally few people tend to initially take much notice.

This is the third – and dare I say – the most futuristic Dolce Gusto coffee machine I have reviewed. Firstly I must thank espresso club who pointed the existence of this machine to me long before it was made available for sale in the UK.

Not only does Duracell make exceedingly good batteries but it provides the means to drain them of power.

With a garden that consists of an expanse of concrete and an unruly hedge that divides my property from that of next door, I was perhaps not the ideal choice for checking out WORX and the company’s range of garden tools. But at least I was available to attend the demonstration being carried out on the second floor of a central London office building.

No matter how many rings your cooker has there are always times when you are juggling them to get even a fairly basic meal prepared so that everything is ready to eat at the same time. This could be a solution to the problem.

Seeing when your toast is done to the colour you desire is nice, having a toaster with cool sides is important especially if you have young children. The Magimix does both of these as well as allowing you to toast things others do not.

A pull along cleaner with two major differences, first the suction tube really stretches and second it can run for up to twenty minutes on its inbuilt battery. So if the lead is just long enough to get to that place there are two ways to access it.

Duracell has recently launched a range of LED torches mainly targeted at technicians such as electricians and plumbers. However, a great many more people who need a bright light will feel that the superior performance of Daylite torches justifies their extra cost over the cheaper torches that are on the market.

A device to allow you to view your, movies, photos and music on your TV. Hands up those who thought I was going to say PC rather than TV. You connect a device (hard disc or memory stick) to this and then view / listen on your TV.

On the surface, digital picture frames can look the same but beneath the hood lurks several differences.

Want to rustle up a nutritious and delicious meal on these cold winter nights? Should you be going for a flashy pressure cooker or a reliable slowcooker?

This is not just an Analogue and Digital TV but also (as far as I know) Panasonic are the only manufacturer to put Freesat inside the unit, so just add your satellite dish for the complete solution with both Freeview and Freesat.

Either of these items would make a great Christmas gift, but give some thought to the receiptant as the first one runs backwards. The second is a more conventional al la Wallace and Gromit ‘conventional’ both are great fun.

A useful hobby and enthusiast tool that counts amongst it's abilities carving, engraving, sharpening, cleaning, cutting and sanding.

This audio unit allows the serious Hi-Fi user to have his CD player, Radio, Internet Radio, NAS and even iPod all in one unit together with the all important amplifier. Just add speakers of your choice for a high quality unit.

I first saw this at the beginning of the year and only now in late summer did I get to see this environmentally friendly 'green' TV. Strange that it is only available in 40 and 46inch versions, I saw the former, still because of design it takes up little more room than my 32inch model.

Mention Dyson and you immediately think of vacuum cleaners. Now we have a Dyson cleaner powered by a new engine.

When we found ourselves in a new home with none of the usual white goods, we were very pleased with the versatility of the Morphy Richard Intellichef multi-function cooker and the Intellisteam.

Here not one but two exciting precision tools for the home hobbyist. First do not confuse these items with toys they are definitely not, these items are tools for the home hobbyist. First an engraving stylus and then a quality soldering iron.

While the majority of manufacturers of external speaker systems have tended to concentrate their support for the iPod platform, Edifier has adopted a more wide ranging approach with the launch of its MP300 Plus Portable System.

120 years ago the electric motor was invented and although it has had minor changes it remains more or less the same as it was then. James Dyson has invented a totally new and considerably lighter offering, just one of the new things in this latest handheld unit.

Around 18 months or so ago photo frames were are the rage, ‘the new must have thing’ well at that time I was given one – well almost one – by Sony and now another has materialised by AgfaPhoto, so lets look at both.

First a WebCam that looks like an old style stills camera and second a set of earbuds that is less expensive than a number of those reviewed recently. The latter is also in white so others may just think it is linked to an iPod.

The normal household upright or cylinder vacuum cleaner can sometimes be just too large and cumbersome for a small job. Dyson’s DC31 meets the need for a convenient handheld machine when one just needs to do a quick clean up.

Here I am looking at Kitchen Scales and an Electric Carving Knife from a chef (Antony Worrall Thompson) who graces the TV screens but as far as I know does not throw tantrums that a number of other ‘celebrity’ chefs do.