evans, the circuit boards are built not to last. The circuit board went out on our Magic Chef gas slide-in range 3 years after we bought it and it was going to cost $1,000 for the circuit so we opted to just put the stove on the curb for trash and buy another. We bought the new Magic Chef, but this time purchased the extended warranty which is a very minimal amount of money. Within a couple of years the board went out and they replaced it free of charge. That was 10 years ago and the stove has worked fine ever since. In case you're wondering why we purchased a second Magic Chef, the reason is the price was much cheaper than the other brands that we could find in a slide in gas range. When I buy my new range for the new house I'm going to make sure to purchase the extended warranty for that one also. It will be a Jenn Air.

c t - "I rarely shop at the dollar stores. ..." "The extra time to make the trip isn't worth i." --- I understand that for you (and perhaps many other people), it may be different, but for me, I live about 1/2 mile away from a Dollar Tree. I pass right by it nearly half the time I go anywhere. It is more convenient to get to than nearly any other place I might go. That said, I don't go there often... sometimes no more than once in a month or 2. "A lot of the food is junk food / dozens of broken plastic utensils...but they were a bargain ..." --- I agree (partly). Not everything at a dollar store is a wise purchase. Some things (including some food items) are low quality, cheaply made, and should be avoided. If "everyone" decided not to purchase these sort of items, and left them on the shelf, the stores (likely) would not carry them anymore (sadly, people do buy them). But, they do have many quality, brand-name items. Even some of those are not a bargain. For example, they usually have a small package of "Aleve" or "Excedrin" (typically 6 pills per package). Approximately 50 pills would cost $8.00, 100 pills for $17.00, and 200 for $33.00. This is more than twice what you would probably pay for the larger sizes, even at regular (non sale) prices at other stores like CVS, Osco, Target, Walmart, or K-Mart. Another thing to watch out for is "expire dates" (sell by/use by/best by-dates). It's common to find food items that are near or past their prime, and these are rarely a bargain. But still, you can sometimes find some brand name food items that are a good deal even if they are near their "best-by" date, if it is something that you use up fairly quickly. And many other non-food items can be found that are also good deals.

I'm not sure I can answer all of your questions correctly so I will just say what was my very recent experience. I too, compared the store brand to the Blanco that was on display in the kitchen section. I liked the "feel" of the Blanco better. I priced the Blanco silgranit sink at Lowe's...(they would special order it )and it was quite a lot more than what I could purchase it for online. (approx. $200 more) I got the 60/40 sink. My DW is on the left. The large bowl is on the left. The smaller bowl with my garbage disposal is on the right. I would have preferred it to be in the opposite postion, but it wasn't available that way at place I was ordering it from. So I am living with it and it is not really a big deal for me. Personally I prefer a double bowl...but I know there are many on this forum who prefer the single. I like to have a sink for washing and a sink for rinsing/draining/disposing of stuff etc... Good luck and I hope I helped....even a little bit:) Here is a link that might be useful: blanco 441128

My plumber. We needed a major sewer line repair and installation of a clean-out. It entailed tearing out the entire front porch. The replacement porch was simply awful, like monkeys on crack did it. We had him to our house to install a gas line for my new range. He installed the line and then stayed to help my DH place the oven even though it wasn't part of the job. Extra hour at least. Moving leveling and moving again. Then we told him about the porch. Never blinked said he's make it right. No defensive, no excuses. I will make it right. The next day he was out there directing a crew to tear out the whole thing and re-pour. Looks great. He bills our credit card to our convenience so everything he does is interest free. if he is getting ready to put a new charge on he always calls first even though we pre-authorized the date. He wants to make sure it's a good time. Recently we had an emergency at the rental again. he came out and fixed it within hours. Haven't got a bill yet. We called and he said he's wait until our last installment was done on the last major job. My vet. I have spent extra hours at his practice without additional charge. He teaches me. Takes me back into the hospital and shows me. When I went deaf this month and had to take my dog in I mention I was taking large amounts of Preds and was concerned. He immediately pulled out paper and pen and explained how and what preds do, gave an entire clinical lesson on the way they work with the body, the immuneology system and how it would affect a canine since he can't give people advice. I went away with a clear understanding and what to watch for. That lengthened my appointment by a good 25 minutes. No charge. Another time I took the dog in for a specific test. (he's diabetic). I went in back to calibrate my monitor with theirs. While there we drew some blood. The vet asked if he could run some other tests since we were doing blood work anyway. I thought cah-ching but figured it would be good to know the results. Those tests would easily have run a few hundred or more extra. When I went to pay the bill it was no charge for the visit or the additional tests. Just the lab fee for the original test. He calls me at home to check on my pets whenever they are ill or have a procedure. Even relatively minor ones. I can call the clinic anytime and know they will call back. He's retired but we had a great brake guy. That was his specialty but he never ever put the car on the rack without giving it a thorough look see. Gave us advice, ordered parts for us, told us how to fix it ourselves with no profit for him. If I was driving and something seemed off all I had to was pull in and he'd assist. Miss him. Today at a Holiday Inn Express out of town. I plan to stay there for an event next year. Stopped by and explained my needs due to my newly deafened state. I am getting an upgrade to a room meeting my needs at the same special rate the group has for standard. The young women at the desk worked with me, will see the room is in an area that meets my needs and never once showed impatience with the difficulty of communicating with me. Took the time, was pleasant throughout and didn't make me feel rushed even though there was a line. Put it all in writing then confirmed the room, the rate etc. A wonderful pleasant transaction from start to finish.