Price Points: Cream stick blenders

Cream stick blenders

One of the most used gadgets in our kitchen is our trusty orange Billy; we’ve had it for years and years. We use him when making batter, soup, sauces, smoothies, calaloo and loads more.

In our previous house, we used to have a bright orange kitchen. Poor, old, orange Billy doesn’t look right in our new cream kitchen – I’d like to trade him in for one of these new cream stick blenders.

Here are three that I’ve found for sale online – in a range of prices. They’re all very attractive; the £26 option would suit me fine.  Much as I love Smeg and KitchenAid appliances, I don’t think I’d use the attachments that come included with the other two cream stick blenders – they’d take up precious storage space that we just don’t have.

  1. Haden stick blender: £26.05, Wayfair
  2. Cordless hand blender 5KHBBV53: £109.65, KitchenAid
  3. Smeg 50s retro style HBF02CRUK hand blender: £149.00, Currys

shop cream stick blenders

Some of the links on our blog are affiliate links. We may receive a small commission - at no cost to you - if you click through and make a purchase.
Prices & links correct at time of publication.

Smeg 50s retro style HBF02CRUK hand blender
Smeg 50s retro style HBF02CRUK hand blender
£149.00
Cordless hand blender 5KHBBV53
Cordless hand blender 5KHBBV53
£109.65
Haden stick blender
Haden stick blender
£26.05
Smeg 50s retro style HBF02CRUK hand blender
Smeg 50s retro style HBF02CRUK hand blender
£149.00
Cordless hand blender 5KHBBV53
Cordless hand blender 5KHBBV53
£109.65
Haden stick blender
Haden stick blender
£26.05
Smeg 50s retro style HBF02CRUK hand blender
Smeg 50s retro style HBF02CRUK hand blender
£149.00
Cordless hand blender 5KHBBV53
Cordless hand blender 5KHBBV53
£109.65
Haden stick blender
Haden stick blender
£26.05
Smeg 50s retro style HBF02CRUK hand blender
Smeg 50s retro style HBF02CRUK hand blender
£149.00
Cordless hand blender 5KHBBV53
Cordless hand blender 5KHBBV53
£109.65
Haden stick blender
Haden stick blender
£26.05
Smeg 50s retro style HBF02CRUK hand blender
Smeg 50s retro style HBF02CRUK hand blender
£149.00
Cordless hand blender 5KHBBV53
Cordless hand blender 5KHBBV53
£109.65
Haden stick blender
Haden stick blender
£26.05

Everything to know about freezer repair technicians

Everything about freezer repair technicianscredit

Refrigerators work day in day out, and sometimes they can fall into disrepair. Like any household appliance, wear & tear is to be expected and freezer repair technicians are on call in many areas to respond to such emergencies. It’s easy to tell if your fridge-freezer is malfunctioning simply by checking whether its function of keeping food cold is still intact.

The first step in repairing a refrigerator or freezer is by identifying whether the problem has arisen due to issues in the compressor, air circulation or defrost mode. If both the fridge and the freezer are warm, the problem is likely to be a compressor or thermostat issue. A qualified and competent freezer repair technician is best placed to conduct this diagnosis.

Many people are wary of someone entering their home to repair bulky appliances such as refrigerators, freezers, washing machines or tumble dryers. Since the practicality of repairs of this nature involve a repairman coming to the property instead of you hauling the freezer to the repair shop, there are some things to consider before engaging a maintenance specialist. These factors include:

Illustration of workman credentialscredit

Ensure the repairman has the right credentials

Freezer repair is a difficult skill that’s also potentially dangerous. The chemicals involved in keeping freezers cold are called refrigerants and they’re quite corrosive – especially on the skin or in the eyes. A qualified repairman has undergone training and taken regular refresher courses on repairing different types of freezers and refrigerators. Like any other kind of equipment, freezer technology consistently updates as time moves on. Therefore, a good technician keeps abreast of all new developments in technology and learns new repair methods.

Illustration of itemised estimate

Transparent pricing

Given the complicated nature of freezer repairs, some repair people are vague about pricing and charge their naive clients excessive fees. A good maintenance specialist should give a honest price estimate even before they begin the repair process. Consider it a red flag if a technician is unwilling to offer a transparent quote. A good technician will also reveal whether they expect the pricing to fluctuate depending on the availability of parts. Their labour and cost of materials need to be itemised and clearly outlined.

Illustration of person standing in front of a tick and cross

Capacity to accept and correct mistakes

Everyone makes mistakes, and technicians are no exception. New models and iterations of freezer technology are occasionally released and a qualified technician may come across a brand they have never interacted with previously. Whereas the underlying technology doesn’t change much, the little changes might cause a technician to make minor errors during the repair process or even wrongly evaluate the damage and possible remedies. A good technician will admit that they’ve made a mistake and take the necessary measures to remedy their error. However, if they cannot correct the fault, they should be gracious enough to consult a more qualified technician who has a better chance of correcting the mistake and repairing the freezer as per the client’s needs.

Illustration showing 4 and 5-star reviews

Possess a solid reputation

As with any other type of engineer, freezer technicians should have positive referrals to work on your refrigerator. A good reputation means that the technician respects the client’s home, their time and money. References are also a great way of sieving through dozens of technicians who all seem to have the exact same skill set based on their advertising material.

You may look for other qualities in your preferred technician, and these qualities depend entirely on the client’s preferences; proximity to their location, whether or not they have a website or the number of 5-star reviews they’ve received.

Some people are very private and would prefer to take their freezers or refrigerators to the repair shop rather than allow a technician to enter their home. For those who are happy to have at-home repairs, a technician should always arrive prepared with all the necessary tools and equipment for the job. If replacement parts need to be purchased, the technician should factor this into the price estimate.

Illustraion of a refrigerator repair man

How to become a freezer repair technician

The most common path to becoming a freezer repair technician is working as a trainee in a freezer repair company or a freezer manufacturing/sales organisation. Most manufacturers conduct in-house training for prospective freezer repair technicians, which equips them with the necessary skills and knowledge to become qualified technicians in repairing various models of refrigerators and freezers. Therefore, a competent freezer technician should be knowledgeable about a range of appliances and this will enable them to quickly identify and solve problems arising in appliances even if they’re seeing the make or model for the first time.

Expertise that’s often underrated is good communication skills. A technician must have competent verbal and written skills because a large part of their work involves dealing with their clients. From the moment a technician starts a project, they must consistently communicate where they are at during the process with the client and ensure they have a record of every transaction they make in their work.

Becoming a freezer repair technician is not an end in itself. A technician should always strive to learn more skills and update their core technical knowledge base to continue to succeed. There are many courses on offer, and choosing the right one may be the difference between being a successful technician and merely an average one. A technician capable of understanding the inner working of new machines is best equipped to handle diverse older models of different appliances.

Icon to illustrate after sales servicecredit

After-sales services for freezer repair technicians

As with many other servicing jobs, a freezer repair technician must keep close communication with the client to ensure the freezer continues to operate seamlessly. After-sales service in freezer repair typically entails checking whether the freezer retains its optimum temperature. A competent maintenance specialist will be honest enough to tell the client whether their appliance needs a new component or whether they should scrap the entire machine and trade it in for a new one. This type of advice may go against the selfish need to make money, but it builds trust with clients, and there’s a greater chance of referrals simply because the technician chose honesty over greed.

Overall, freezer repair technicians need to be competent in customer service and be adept at actual machine repair work. The combination of both skills makes for the best technicians in any field.

Expert commercial refrigeration repair technicians for efficient freezer repair services. Quick diagnostics, skilled repairs, and reliable solutions to keep your business running smoothly. Contact us today for assistance.

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Price Points: Water carbonators

Water carbonators

I may have mentioned at some point in the past that I’m not a great fan of drinking plain water. Also, if I really have to drink a glass of the stuff, I prefer fizzy water to flat. Finally, if I really, really must drink water, my favoured way of imbibing is adding a large glug of elderflower cordial.

I don’t like buying bottles of water – even less, if the bottles are plastic. The water that comes out of our taps makes its short journey from the Teifi Pools and tastes lovely! A water carbonator would be a great addition to our kitchen appliance repertoire. It would encourage me to drink more water.

Here are three water carbonators that I found online. I thought that a classic SodaStream would be the most affordable, however, their basic model comes in at £70.00. The Aarke carbonator is an absolute modernist beauty, and is available in a range of colours to complement any kitchen décor; black, gold, brass, copper, steel, white. However, I’d have to be sure that I’d be drinking a lot of fizzy water, every day of the week, to shell out over £100.00.

  1. MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black: £52.80, Finnish Design Shop
  2. SodaStream Spirit Machine, black: £69.99, Argos
  3. Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver: £107.23, Amazon

shop water carbonators

Some of the links on our blog are affiliate links. We may receive a small commission - at no cost to you - if you click through and make a purchase.
Prices & links correct at time of publication.

Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
£107.23
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
£69.99
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
£52.80
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
£107.23
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
£69.99
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
£52.80
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
£107.23
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
£69.99
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
£52.80
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
£107.23
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
£69.99
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
£52.80
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
£107.23
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
£69.99
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
£52.80

When is it worth repairing appliances over replacing them?

When is it worth repairing appliances over replacing them?

If you have a broken appliance or electronic device in your home, are you more likely to replace it or repair it? These days, a lot of tech is so inexpensive that it’s often better to just scrap the broken item and replace it with something new. To make this even easier, you can usually speak to the company that you bought it from and ask them to send you a new one. Perhaps you have a warranty agreement that lets you replace it for no extra cost. You may even be entitled to a free upgrade depending on the company.

With all of these incentives, it’s easy to see why people are more likely to just replace their broken item as opposed to fixing it. However, there are still a couple of good reasons why you might want to repair something. In fact, there are some situations where it could be beneficial to repair instead of replacing.

Taking apart an Apple laptop

Is the appliance or electronic device old?

If your appliance or device is a little old then you may be able to fix it yourself without much trouble. For example, if it’s a computer with fairly old components then you might be able to find spares on websites like Amazon or eBay. You can usually replace components and swap them out for something with the same or a similar configuration.

However, if it’s an appliance such as a microwave, then you may be better off replacing it since spare parts might be difficult to come by or may be just as expensive as buying a new one. If it’s a very old device then you likely won’t find much info on how to fix it or replace highly specific components.

Someone repairing a computer

Is it cheaper to repair the item as opposed to replacing it?

Since a lot of tech these days can be bought for a very low price, it’s tempting to just replace something such as a television or kitchen appliance if there are newer and cheaper models available. However, before you decide to trash your current item and replace it, we suggest calculating repair costs to see how much money you can expect to pay to fix it.

If the device is cheaper to replace then we suggest replacing it. However, if repairing it is cheaper or around the same price, then it may be beneficial to just fix it. This is especially true if you want to keep the appliance since you’re accustomed to it.

Illustration of a repair manualcredit

Are there guides on how to perform a specific repair?

You may be able to repair something yourself if there are repair guides available for it. Of course, you’ll need to be confident in performing the repair and you’ll need the tools for it. You might also need to spend a bit of money on replacement parts.

However, if you’re willing to put a little bit of time investment into repairing it, you could do it yourself at home without paying a professional to do it for you. This could save a bit of money and teach you new DIY repair skills that you can use to repair other appliances or electronics in the future.

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