I have recently purchased the Model 8000 that was asked about way back in December. I paid $400 at Lowes with free assembly and a full gas bottle thrown in. I've had other grills, and I believe that the GO grills should be easily the longest lasting in their price range. Many so-called stainless steel grills use stainless cosmetically, which eliminates some repainting but does not contribute to structural survivability. The GOs are aluminum essentially everywhere (with the exception of the 4000 model, which uses some plastic). The entire body of the grill is guaranteed for 75 years. The burners are solid brass and guaranteed for 25 years. Most other parts are guaranteed for 5 years or more. All nut and bolt hardware is stainless. I've had expensive grills that rusted at the bottom of the legs where the casters or wheels attach. That's a pretty catastrophic failure. All the cosmetic stainless in the world won't deal with that. And the GOs simply can't have that problem, since they are aluminum all the way down to the casters. The casters appear to be bullet-proof themselves. So what are the limitations? Is this grill totally bullet-proof? I expect the paint will deteriorate -- of course many of you have repainted a grill, as I have. It's not that hard. A custom-fitted cover with zipper is available from GO and will prolong paint life. I expect that the grid that holds the ceramic briquettes just above the burners will be the first component to fail. Replacements are $12.95 plus shipping from the manufacturer. This raises an important question: If this grill is largely bulletproof and replacement parts will be affordable, what if the manufacturer doesn't survive? I've done some research on Great Outdoors, and here's what I've found: They incorporated in 1997. Their first products rolled off the line in 1999. Since then, they've tripled their production and sales every year. They are now retailing through giants such as Lowe's and Wal-Mart. Of course, this doesn't guarantee that they'll be around forever. They certainly won't sustain that growth rate indefinitely, and when they level off, they'll have to make serious adjustments to stay profitable. I'm betting they're here for the long haul, but I'm hedging my bet by buying a few spare parts and putting them away. (My guess is that five years from now GO be bought by one of the big boys like Weber or Char Broil. All the principles will walk away as 10-million aires.) I forgot to mention that the grill seems to be of first-class construction. Everything works well and has a feel of quality. So far I've had no problems with flame-up, but I haven't been cooking super-fatty meat. The only shortcoming from my perspective is lack of any temperature sensor. At GO's suggestion, I bought a Grill Care thermometer from Wal-Mart. I had to drill a 7/8-inch hole in the top casting to install it. LoweÂs sells a hole-saw type bit (a cylinder with bi-metal teeth around the bottom) for $12.95 that has a half-inch shank to fit your half-inch drill's chuck. It's a cinch to drill the hole if you have those tools. The thermometer was about $14 and is a high-quality item worthy of the grill. Drilling the hole does not void the warranty. One impressive thing about Great Outdoors is their customer service. Send them an e-mail, and you get a prompt and courteous response. They seem to have their act together in that vein. Is this the perfect grill, thermometer aside? No, I think the perfect grill is all stainless -- it doesn't rust, and it doesn't need paint. But such items are extremely expensive. I sent GO an e-mail saying that I wished they'd take the all aluminum design and supplement it with stainless to eliminate painting -- a bullet-proof grill at a more affordable price than end-to-end stainless. The manager, Linn Anne Rowe, said they were looking at a design like that. We'll see. Meanwhile, you can have your Webers and similar-quality, simlarly priced grills. I believe the Great Outdoors grills are best in class -- hands down. Tim Naff

Uh... Hum.... Uh...... Well?!.... Oh... Sorry, I couldn't just pick a few. I love and use all my kitchen gadgets! The ones I don't like, they're given away. But!... I can tell you the latest one though... it's an Ironwood Chopping Block that made a trip from China to San Francisco and flew into my kitchen =). These near endangered Lignum Vitae tree are now protected in China and these high quality chopping blocks are getting harder to find. Don't get confused with the little blocks glued together with a 1-piece cut chopping board. Below is a link where you can still order. However, not all sizes that are listed on this site are available. Ask her first. pros: density and hardness wood. Durable. cons: heavy wood block. A 13" x 1 1/2" is about 8-10 lbs. Here is a link that might be useful: Place you can still order...

Well beachlily, your "little" kitchen would likely hold at least 3 of mine! My kitchen is 9x11. I'd venture a guess you have more counter space than I have kitchen square footage! LOL And no, there's not "always" room to hang pots and pans from the ceiling. I wish I could, but in my kitchen I guess you'd have to be about Verne Troyer's size to do that. You make do with what you've got. We all have our "wish we hads". I thin it's unfair and stupid that not all kitchens have a pantry. I've made do with shelves and stuff but I'd gladly trade my basement laundry room for a first floor laundry and a pantry. Had I not wanted to try a self cleaning oven I probably would have bought one of those "apartment sized" stoves. With my old one I used the electric frypan more than the actual stove. Although I miss the small oven on it (it was a double oven) I just use the convection oven more now unless I'm making several things or bigger stuff. (It's one of those glass bowl with heater on top) Also use the Nesco a lot. Never found a practical use for an electric kettle. I use the coffee maker when I need water heated quickly. Much depends of course on what I'm making and for how many, as to what cookware I use most often. 9" frypan gets used a lot along with a 3 qt sauce pan. I have smaller sauce pans but you don't have to fill it. The Dutch oven and chicken fryer get used for bigger stuff. I often use the chicken fryer for cooking pasta in larger amounts. I have some of the T-fal nylon utensils that I use pretty much all the time. I like them. I use tongs rather than a spaghetti fork. Also have a flat wooden utensil that gets used a lot and is safe for non-stick. When I was camping I used 2, sometimes 3 boxes for a chuck box and that carried everything for cooking and cleaning up. It was my portable kitchen. Worked well. Both my apartments had kitchens about the size I have in the house so I'm used to a small kitchen. Most large kitchens waste a lot o room IMO. Now with mobility issues, a compact kitchen is actually an advantage rather than a liability. For me, it only makes sense to have things out that you use often. I don't see any reason to hide a coffeemaker or a toaster in a kitchen. I'm not out to impress people with the look of the room. If people don't like it, stay out, is my philosophy. You could get by with very little if you wanted to. My cast iron Dutch oven is in the basement unused for 30+ years. Now it'd be difficult to use while I'm healing anyway so it'll stay in the basement unless I give it away. I do have a few gadgets that could be superfluous but I still like having them. One of the jar poppers, like a big bottle opener, to pop the seal on jars is one. But I guess I'm using a strap wrench more in its place but that's a one-trick pony too. I really dislike one-use items unless they're very special. Helps keep some of the junk and clutter in check.

What about counter height bistro table with wood trunks as base, and Pier 1's tempered glass as the top, etc.... 2 wood stools and oval glass? or plywood top, and use your leftover panel fabric as tablecloth...! Leslie Hayes Interiors posted: "you will need the 3 for 36" glass? //Archilla wrote: Joining glass top to stools - Does this have rubber or suction points to keep the glass from moving on top? with kids I'm afraid they'll slide the glass top right off. https://www.houzz.com/photos/leslie-hayes-interiors-contemporary-patio-phvw-vp~815251