You're welcome, bromfriends! I'm glad you all enjoyed. Thanks for the kind comments and slobbering. Also, thanks to Lisa and J+A for the heads up on the supposed Vr. Pahoa Beauty being more likely King David Kalamahoosywhatsit. I'm not sure where Bruce got his from...or who imported it with the wrong name. He was assured it was the real Macoy. So back to the unknown drawing board - again! (grumble, grumble) And Gonz - you stop kicking that Till rauhii of yours, and behave yourself! So who wants to come with me on our next brom crawl to Greenstock? I charge $100 per hour as tour guide...ha! Sorry Bruce - just joshin'. K :)

Hey Marcelo, My mag macro is tiny, around 18" tall. I got it from Woodlanders last fall. I didn't bother testing the hardiness, which shouldn't be a problem. Its leaves are already bigger than the 12' grandiflora's leaves right next to it. Much thinner, though, as you would expect. I think the leaves only came out a couple weeks ago or so. Some of the leaves on mine have a very unmagnolia appearance, almost as if impossibly crossed with a fig. Too early to tell what that means. It's a good thing I didn't plant it. I'm moving to Hmpton Roads this month.

The problem, besides using the term magic (a usage that should send everyone running away) is that all fans have a varying flow rate (cfm) with pressure drop across the fan. Most fans sold separately are rated for the cfm they move hanging in the air (zero pressure drop). A quality fan manufacturer will measure and supply the "fan curve," a plot showing the relationship between cfm and "pressure loss". When a hood is sold with its fan, the flow rate will necessarily be less than for the fan hanging in the air. (A factor of 1.5 is a bit bold, though, in my opinion.) Very likely, if they aren't lying, VAH is claiming that if the fan were unrestricted, it would achieve 900 cfm flow. Of course, a 900 cfm Broan fan, put in series with a hood and reasonable ducting, might only pull 600 cfm also. However, I don't think VAH is counting any ducting, so comparisons are difficult. If VAH are tying to claim that their fan design has a more "robust" fan curve due to the blade design, then they should supply a fan curve that supports that intent. I doubt that a squirrel cage design is as good for that purpose as a backward curved blade axial fan, but I've been hopeful that VAH would some day provide useful information. (I'm also hoping to find a winning Megabucks ticket.) I think it best to consider other factors such as noise, cleaning ease, etc. VAH is often touted by appliance sales persons, and one wonders whether the mark-up is higher for VAH than for competing suppliers. kas

SPAM BAM THANK YOU MA'AM