My problem is the mower simply quits while mowing. Now I've been mowing for 40 years, I know what I'm doing, and I have read all 3 manuals for the dixie chopper silver eagle cover to cover. The mower simply quits while mowing, I'm not running it too fast or anything like that. Usually on a planned restart, there's no need to choke the engine (Generac 24 hp). The first two times it quit and it would not restart (it quit a total of 4 times within the first 9 hours of operation), I tried everything, including choking a hot engine, no luck. At that point, the local small town dealer (whom I've dealt with for several years) replaced the mercury switch (tilt switch), and checked the wire routing (apparently there where issues with the way the wires were routed on some mowers). The mower again quit twice at approximately 25 hours. In these cases, after 4 or 5 attempts to restart, if I choke the heck out of the mower, it'll sputter and cough and eventually run fine. Each time I checked that I had plenty of gas. The local dealer hauled it in (they gave me a loaner, it's raining like crazy around here), I told him I also had had problems with the left control handle, you need to put them all the way out before engaging the parking brake, but it would still die when I went to get off it (blade had been stopped). If I repositioned the left handle, then it worked as designed. This time around, they replaced the fuel solenoid (the local service guy said he had heard of problems with them, he said the solenoid was there to prevent backfiring, I told him it's always backfired when I throttle it down and let it idle, after turning the engine off, it always backfires once). I trust the local dealer, I have my mower back and tonight it worked fine, but really makes me wonder if I can depend on it. I payed a premium price for a mower that's crowed about how reliable it is, but here I am, nearly out of warrantee, and not sure it'll keep going. I'd be cranked off if this was a brand new $1500 Sears mower and it quit this many times, but a $5000 mower that fails like this, and the manufacturer hides behind the dealer, that's just not right. It obviously is a manufacturing problem, and they need to at least reply. I've also been told there's a 2 year warrantee on this thing, but all I can find in the manual is a 1 year warrantee. If it's 2 years, that also needs to be in WRITING, considering my experience with this company so far.

The chopper that I posted in my earlier post (I included it here, too) is the one I use and it is fantastic. I've chopped onions, peppers (cut into 8ths so the pieces are more uniform), cukes, summer squash...basically most veggies. It made the process of prepping salsa 10 times faster. I enjoy the process of using my knives. However sometimes it's just more convenient to use the chopper, especially when I need lots of small, uniform pieces. The caveat I have with it is that sometimes you need to use force to get it to chop through, especially if you're chopping a half of an onion. I've had to use both hands and put my full weight on the top to get it to go through. I got it at my local hardware store. It is the "Progressive International" brand. Jill Here is a link that might be useful: Onion Chopper

The one in the picture that I have and find it versatile. It consists of one motor/driver and two different blender/ grinders attachments. Blender looks just like a blender and the grinder is just like conventional coffee mill/grinder. They thread onto the containers and then dropped into the driver. So if I want to just make flakes (not fine powder) use the grinder. But if I wish to make fine powder, use the grinder. Since the units are detached/separate from the motor, you can wash them, manually or in dish washer. You can also temporarily store things in the container that you just blended. The unit comes with a few screw on lids for the containers. I have had this unit for maybe 10 years. I throw away my bulky blender with zillion buttons ( Oyster ?) . This unit together with the stick blender ( 25 yrs old Braun) do every blending and grinding needs. I find them the best inventions since the ball point pen. :-)

I have an old Hamilton Beach, and I like it because it has slow speeds and will make pickle relish without making pickle puree. I also use it for making deviled ham/turkey, and it will chop everything just the way I like it, but I have to add the ingredients in a certain order or else take them out to put something else in. It's good for making pesto, which I like to have chunky instead of pureed. I puree most of it but put the pine nuts in last and then pulse it to get a coarse chop. A friend of mine had a Cuisinart, and it would puree everything in seconds and therefore was difficult to control. Make sure you get one with a pulse option and multiple speeds. I also have a Kitchenaid hand blender with a chopper attachment, but I don't use it because it is really too small to be of much use. I tend to use my mini food processor more than the large one because it is easier to clean. Lars