Are Amish fireplace claims a bunch of hot air?

[stevedeshazer]

Here's the 'miracle': People are paying about $300 for a pretty space heater

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40113829/ns/business-consumer_news

It’s an amazing offer: “free miracle heaters” that will keep you warm and “slash your heating bills” this winter. Maybe you’ve seen the TV infomercials or the full-page color newspaper advertisements for the Heat Surge Roll-n-Glow Fireplace. They show Amish men and women in a barn building the wooden mantels.



In order to get your free fireplace (which is described as “a home decorating sensation”) you have to buy the wood mantel for $298, plus shipping. The ads call it “a real steal” at that price. (The ad also spells mantel incorrectly, spelling it mantle.)

“Quite frankly, it’s a rather incredible price for something that is nothing more than a space heater that you can buy for hundreds less,” says Bob Markovich, home editor at Consumer Reports.

“The product has been very successful,” says David Baker, president of Heat Surge. Baker tells me his Ohio-based company has made more than a million of these faux fireplaces in the last three years.

----

These ads always struck me as too good to be true.

[Historic NY]

1. Yup, you'll be warm while your electic bill goes up....psst..the Amish don't use electricity either.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/02/amish_heaters.html

[stevedeshazer]

2. And the heaters are actually Made In...You guessed it...

China!

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/02/amish_heaters.html

<snip>

There is a sure-shot way to perk up the ears of a consumer writer: Hand him an advertisement for a product that claims to be a "miracle." This is what happened to me recently when a neighbor asked me to check out his latest purchase.

Upon entering his living room I saw what appeared to be a small fireplace tucked inside a wood cabinet, and next to that was a large unopened cardboard box. "They were giving two of these away free to each household," my neighbor said. Then he added, "With shipping, both of them cost me $600.00."

While I was trying to figure out why he paid $600.00 for two free products, my neighbor gave me a large advertisement that described his recent acquisition.

"Amish Mantel and Miracle Invention Help Home Heat Bills Hit Rock Bottom," blared the headline on the ad. "The HEAT SURGE miracle heater is a work of engineering genius from the China coast, so advanced you simply plug it into any standard wall outlet," the ad proudly stated.

[Politicalboi]

4. Wow!

So advanced you simply plug it into any standard wall outlet," the ad proudly stated. LOL! That's all ya gotta do. And I just gave a portable heater to this girl I met at a shelter. I had no idea. I may have been able to sell mine on e-bay or Amazon for a steal at $300. LOL! Damn! Not as pretty as these, but ever so HOT! Does your neighbor need another one? LOL! Sounds like he's got money to burn.

[Kolesar]

3. I installed electric heaters in the bathroom because it is frightfully cold in there

And that is one room where you cannot wear a sweater in the winter.

It is a radiant cove heater, it is very nice.

I suppose the faux fireplace could make sense if you spend your time in one small room in your house and leave the rest of the house cold.

[lunamagica]

5. I have always wanted a fireplace for Christmas, but would never buy this one

I would really like a fireplace to decorate for the Holidays and love those electric ones, but this one is waaay overpriced and just plain ugly. It is just a space heater with a simple box around it. Where have you seen a fireplace that looks like that? Big Lots sells full-sized, realistic looking electric fireplaces starting at $299.00. If I had the money and the room for it I'd buy one, and can't imagine anyone choosing this box over those fireplaces if they are looking for a "home decorating sensation".

I've heard that the Amish won't have their picture taken, so those on the ad aren't Amish. And that they won't sue, so they can't do anything about this scam. I don't know if that's true, though.

[dflprincess]

6. The fact that the pictures show "Amish" working on these is enough to say it's bogus

The Amish do not allow photographs to be taken at all.

[NBachers]

8. Yup- and they're working right inside that authentic barn they all raised together, ya know?

[ProdigalJunkMail]

21. horsehockey...

the Amish generally don't POSE for photos (no doubt this picture is posed so would probably be a problem) but to say they won't allow you to take their picture is hogwash.

sP

[dflprincess]

22. "Old Order Amish and Mennonites forbid photography of their people

and their objection is based on the second commandment, Exodus 20:4: Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth."

http://www.holycrosslivonia.org/amish/amishfaq.htm

Though, some groups will allow (unposed) photos from a distance. Others believe the photos are okay as long as copies are not given to the subjects in the photo.

But there remain some very strict Amish who do not allow any photography.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

23. then you just invalidated your previous statement...

there are LOADS of Amish who do not object to being photographed. The persons in this photograph may not be Amish...but that isn't really the point I am trying to make.

sP

[hlthe2b]

7. LOL...

I've wondered about those... I guess the Amish are being paid well for their mantels. ;) Lots of suckers, I guess.

[MattBaggins]

9. I live in Upstate NY and the "Amish" racket is bullshit.

They buy ingredients from restaurant distributors; rent kitchen space from bakery companies and hire a few Amish folk to make crap that they label with "Amish Made" bullshit labels.

Drive the Finger Lakes and find all the "Country Stores" with factory seconds furniture and crappy kits that they hire a Amish people to assemble and then call Amish furniture.

Fricken stick furniture for outside that is put together with damned dry wall screws; that falls apart after the first good rainstorm.

Don't ever trust any "Amish Made" claims anymore. Just a bunch of crooks abusing Amish people and making a quick buck off them.

[jmowreader]

10. The Amish aren't exactly simon-pure...

The Amish are known not only for loving craftsmanship, but for running an inordinate amount of America's puppy mills.

http://www.columbusdogconnection.com/PuppyMillArticles.htm

About the photo comment upthread...

http://amishamerica.com/what-do-amish-think-about-photography/

It seems there are more than one view on this. The Old Order Amish say photos of them of any kind are a Second Commandment violation. Other Amish say posed photos show vanity (which is forbidden) but unposed photos are all right.

[blue neen]

11. The Amish puppy mill trade here in PA is a horrible situation.

It's an out and out crime, and I don't understand why they are allowed to get away with it.

[AlienGirl]

15. To the Amish, the dogs are just another kind of livestock--they don't know why English care about it

The English don't care about cows, pigs, or chickens that are raised for sale, so why care about dogs that are raised for sale? It's a very internally-consistent paradigm.

Tucker

[Occulus]

16. My parents used to have property "up north" in MI.

On the way there, there was a real- and I do mean real, authentic, walk-the-walk type- Amish dairy. They had electricity to adhere to health codes, but I don't recall their house having any power at all.

Oh. My. GOD. The stuff they sold there was absolutely incredible. Their cheeses were so damn delicious I almost got sick on it. The sausage was just as good. They also sold small furniture- chairs, book cases, and such- and it was all very solid construction. This place, at the least, was the Real Deal.

Authentic Amish goods really are worth the money; those people take a lot of time and care in making certain it comes out right the first time, every time, whatever the product. American manufacturing would do well to take a cue from them.

This space heater thing? They'd probably politely smile and tell you how to build a fireplace.

[Historic NY]

12. I've had dealing with the Amish & they were straighforward....

they built my Garage in 8 hrs from the panels they preassembled complete. It came out so nice they have done a few more, I couldn't do it myself for the price. Of course they don't drive and they work rather quietly. I usually deal with those near State Collage Pa.

[B Calm]

13. We bought an Eden Pure last winter. Hardly ever use the damn thing.

If you want to see your electric bill go through the roof, then buy one of these damn heaters!

[LWolf]

19. It didn't "slash your home heating bills?"

I use a wood stove, plus some electric heat, because my ratty old mobile home is poorly insulated. My electric bills go through the roof every winter. Of course, that's not just inside heaters. Electricity is also heating the pumphouse, the stock tanks, and a small tack room in the barn that has a sink, so I can keep water flowing out there.

The most economical AND efficient electric heat I've found is the heat dish.

[B Calm]

31. It's more efficient to use my gas furnace.

[vanamonde]

14. I especially liked this line

"It even has certification of Underwriters Laboratories coveted UL listing"
Coveted? They make it sound like it is some kind of engineering award. All it implies is that it won't electrocute you when you plug it in.

And "the China coast" - that's a good one too.

[Ganja Ninja]

17. An electric heater is an electric heater, they're only so efficient.

It doesn't matter who makes them.

[Kaleva]

24. They're damn near 100% efficient.

However, the cost to operate them is very high.

[Canuckistanian]

26. That's right

It's pretty hard to screw up an electric heater for efficiency - unless they add a useless display to it. Oh, wait....

[donco6]

18. It's a rather inefficient space heater with a pretty visualization of a fire on the front.

For heating one small room occasionally, it's probably fine, mostly as a decoration. But to actually HEAT anything? You're way better off getting a true space heater - ANY other space heater.

[hobbit709]

20. Designed to separate the gullible from their money.

$50 space heater inside an overpriced wooden box.

[ChoppinBroccoli]

25. But Remember The Faux News Talking Point.................

This one made me almost fall out of my chair laughing. A few months ago, my Bush-can-do-no-wrong father-in-law, who never allows his TV to leave Faux News EVER, told my wife something he'd heard "somewhere" that day (guess where), and she came home to ask me if it was true. According to him, the Government was going to start coming to people's homes and confiscating their wood-burning stoves. But not only that, they'd apparently be going door-to-door and checking to make sure your house uses only high efficiency light bulbs, etc. And here's the funniest part. You want to know what "new law" is going to give the Government the authority to start doing this? They'll be confiscating your wood-burning stove in the name of the "Cap and Trade" law.

I know, I know. Stop laughing. This was an ACTUAL Faux News talking point a few months ago. These right-wingers actually believe this crap. I had to actually explain to my wife what "Cap and Trade" really was, and how it had no relevance to wood-burning stoves or high efficiency light bulbs or any of that. And when she found out what the "Cap and Trade" law was, she nearly busted up laughing herself. And she's a highly educated, very intelligent person. So if SMART people are being fooled by this crap, guess what happens when most Faux viewers hear this stuff.

So don't worry about these Amish fireplaces. The Government will soon be coming to your house to take them away in the name of "Cap and Trade."

[Kaleva]

27. Consumer Reports recommends the DeLonghi space heater

http://delonghispaceheater.net/

[stevedeshazer]

32. Thanks for your useful post.

Those are cool.

[Kennah]

28. Who knows more about electricity than the Amish

[Ezlivin]

30. The Mennonites, that's who!

I'll bet they're years ahead of the Amish.

[Kennah]

29. Electric heat is very expensive ...

... but it's very energy efficient.

A heat pump--be it ground source or air source--is the only form of electric heat that's cheaper to operate.