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Posted by on November 1, 2008, 7:51 pm
Well, once again it's the silly season. Last week my local paper ran a
full-page ad
for the =93revolutionary TropicAir Heater that slashes heat bills and
helps keep you healthier=94. Curiously it comes from the exact same
street address as last year=92s travesty, the HEAT SURGE Roll-n-Glow
Fireplace. That was an electric heater disguised as a fireplace
("fireless flame") and sold wrapped in a "real Amish fireplace
mantel". See: http://www.heatsurge.com
You can see the color version of the newspaper ad in the Denver Post
at: http://shopping.postnewsmarketplace.com/ROP/ads.aspx?advid=3D971564&adi=
d=3D7110425&type=3D
The TropicAir is yet another pile of horsecrap! These clowns should be
horsewhipped, since
they are probably going to make a pile of money by swindling the
gullible and elderly.
The TropicAir =93quickly blasts out 4,094 BTUs of tropical warmth in any
room yet only costs as little as 9 cents an hour to operate. Guess
what? 4,094 BTU/hr converts to exactly 1200 watts. That=92s even less
than the 1500 watts of last years HeatSurge.
Folks, it's a lousy little 1200 watt portable electric heater with a
fan, but with a humidifier feature added. For a limited time they will
sell you not just one, but a pair of these miracles for $298. Guess
what? You can go to www.walmart.com and buy a comparable heater for
only $67.88 (less than half what the TropicAir costs). That=92s the
Sunpentown SH-1506 Ceramic Heater with Humidifier. See:
www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3D5799330
The website for the TropicAir is: www.tropicairheater.com . It
contains a major howler. On the Frequently Asked Questions page it
actually says that the heater =93only uses the same electricity as a 60
Watt Light Bulb=94. So, their power consumption figure is TWENTY TIMES
too low. Also, I found nothing on the web site to indicate how big of
a water tank the humidifier has, or if the heater is UL listed.
Personally I would never buy an unlisted product.
The TropicAir is another example of the "boom box" or (for old-timers)
"console radio" marketing fallacy that a bigger cabinet and a higher
price ABSOLUTELY MUST mean that you are getting a better product.
Once upon a time when you said Canton, Ohio people anywhere would know
you were talking about the hometown of Timken, who made the best damn
tapered roller bearings in the world. Now the town also can claim
bozos hustling =93Chinese junk=94 for high prices.
Pittsburgh Pete
DISCLAIMER
We do not believe what we write, and neither should you. Information
furnished to you is for topical (external) use only. This information
may not be worth any more than either a groundhog turd, or what you
paid for it (nothing). The author may not even have been either sane
or sober when he wrote it down. Do not worry, be happy.
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Posted by lp13-30 on November 1, 2008, 9:12 pm
I didn't look at the website, but they are actually telling the truth
that it uses the same electircity as a 60 watt bulb, if that is their
exact words. That doesn't mean the same AMOUNT of electricity, just the
same electricity. My truck uses the same gasoline as my lawn mower too.
I remember the HeatSurge scam from last year, and this spring/summer
there was a similar scam with an "air conditoner" that had some sort of
ring with water in it that you put in the freezer, and then put it in
the contraption and a little fan would blow over it and give you real
air conditioning for pennies a day. Probably the same folks. Larry
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Posted by Ray Green on November 3, 2008, 4:38 pm
It has three "cooling settings"? Why would you call it that if it is a
heater?
>I didn't look at the website, but they are actually telling the truth
> that it uses the same electircity as a 60 watt bulb, if that is their
> exact words. That doesn't mean the same AMOUNT of electricity, just the
> same electricity. My truck uses the same gasoline as my lawn mower too.
> I remember the HeatSurge scam from last year, and this spring/summer
> there was a similar scam with an "air conditoner" that had some sort of
> ring with water in it that you put in the freezer, and then put it in
> the contraption and a little fan would blow over it and give you real
> air conditioning for pennies a day. Probably the same folks. Larry
>
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Posted by on November 3, 2008, 9:25 pm
> It has three "cooling settings"? =A0Why would you call it that if it is a
> >I didn't look at the website, but they are actually telling the truth
> > that it uses the same electircity as a 60 watt bulb, if that is their
> > exact words. That doesn't mean the same AMOUNT of electricity, just the
> > same electricity. My truck uses the same gasoline as my lawn mower too.
> > I remember the HeatSurge scam from last year, and this spring/summer
> > there was a similar scam with an "air conditoner" that had some sort of
> > ring with water in it that you put in the freezer, and then put it in
> > the contraption and a little fan would blow over it and give you real
> > air conditioning for pennies a day. Probably the same folks. =A0 Larry-=
Hide quoted text -
> - Show quoted text -
The website for the TropicAir is: www.tropicairheater.com . On it you
can find a parent company of Universal Techtronics, LLC listed. If you
Google them, then you can find another web site for the CoolSurge =93eco-
friendly air cooler=94 www.coolsurge.com .
Compare the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) pages for the CoolSurge
www.coolsurge.com/faqs.cfm and the TropicAir www.tropicairheater.com/faqs.c=
fm
and you will find that the dimensions and weight of the two products
are PRECISELY the same. However, the TropicAir costs $298, but the
CoolSurge cost $228.
So, lp13-30 likely is correct that they are the same folks. Their
marketing department seems to have just copied the FAQ page for the
cooler, which is why the heater has three =93cooling settings=94.
Pittsburgh Pete
DISCLAIMER
We do not believe what we write, and neither should you. Information
furnished to you is for topical (external) use only. This information
may not be worth any more than either a groundhog turd, or what you
paid for it (nothing). The author may not even have been either sane
or sober when he wrote it down. Do not worry, be happy.
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> that it uses the same electircity as a 60 watt bulb, if that is their
> exact words. That doesn't mean the same AMOUNT of electricity, just the
> same electricity. My truck uses the same gasoline as my lawn mower too.
> I remember the HeatSurge scam from last year, and this spring/summer
> there was a similar scam with an "air conditoner" that had some sort of
> ring with water in it that you put in the freezer, and then put it in
> the contraption and a little fan would blow over it and give you real
> air conditioning for pennies a day. Probably the same folks. Larry
>