The Low-Tech Times

While some report that the manufacturing sector in the U.S. is shrinking, the fact is that some manufacturers in the U.S. are thriving.

Furniture is generally expensive; therefore, I believe that if you’re going to spend a lot of money on furniture, you should spend your money on quality furniture.

My wife and I shopped around quite a bit before ordering our dining room set.  We found that in many cases mis-made Asian imports cost nearly as much as, and in some cases cost more than, high quality American products.  We decided to purchase chairs, a table, and a corner cabinet built by Tom Seely Furniture, which manufactures antique furniture reproductions by hand, one piece at at time.  Their furniture is manufactured in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio by expert craftsmen and craftswomen.  I expect that the furniture we purchased will last well beyond my own lifetime.

If you live in Northern Virginia and like traditional-style furniture, I highly recommend shopping for furniture at The Miller House, located in Stephens City.  The owners offer great advice, outstanding customer service, and fair pricing. Their store carries Tom Seely Furniture, as well as other quality American brands.

There are quite a few hi-tech razors and shavers on the market these days. Some of them are simply over the top. For example:

• The Braun Pulsonic System 9595 with LCD Screen costs about $200. Why does an electric shaver need an LCD screen?
• The Gillette Fusion Power Phenom razor has a five-blade shaving surface, battery, and on-board microchip. Why does a hand-held razor need a battery and microchip?

Hand-held razors like the Gillette Mach3 and the Fusion Power Phenom are actually fairly inexpensive initially. However, the cost of the replacement blades over time gets very expensive.

Instead of a hi-tech choice, The Low-Tech Times recommends a simple safety razor. The Merkur razor is not dirt cheap; however, the much lower costing replacement blades easily make it the most economical choice over time. This Merkur razor and replacement blade 30-pack from Amazon.com are highly recommended:

There are four good reasons to choose a manual can opener over electric can openers:

1. A manual can opener works when the power goes out.
2. Manual can openers do not require a great deal of time or effort to open a can.
3. Manual can openers easily fit in a kitchen drawer, thus saving valuable counter space.
4. Manual can openers generally cost less than electric can openers.

Here’s a link to a manual can opener that leaves no sharp edges with good customer reviews available from Amazon.Com: