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Shop Vacuum Testing is time consuming for the small business person and even more problematic is there are so many to choose from. Most retailers will not allow you to test them in the store before purchasing, but if you pick the wrong one you will be sorry.

After testing the off the shelf shop vacuums available to the public, we have some recommendations. If you are to buy a shop vac off the shelf from a major retailer rather buying an industrial shop vac such as a quiet and powerful Karcher or WAP, then these are the results you need to know. First we tested many things. Suction of sawdust from a five-gallon bucket. Sucking up steel washers of different sizes, Sucking up water from a five gallon bucket and then we measured the decibels while doing so. We tested the Craftsman 5.5 Hp-16 gallon vacuum. The Genie 6.0 hp vacuum with 16 gallons. The Ridgid vacuum 6.0 hp and the Shop-Vac six hp 16-gallon shop vacuum.

Here are the results. The vacuuming of wood chips was won by the Shop-Vac Vacuum, which took only 11.4 seconds. Second was the Ridgid at 12.4 seconds. Last the Craftsman at 14.1 seconds. For the water test the winner was the Genie with the five gallon bucket of water gone in 7.3 seconds, Craftsman second at 9.4 and the Ridgid and Shop-Vac tied for last at 9.6 seconds to empty the five gallon bucket of water. The noise factor is of importance too. The decibel rating for Shop Vac was lowest at 81 dB at a five-foot distance. The Craftsman was at 86 dB and the Ridgid was 88 dB. Last and noisiest was the Genie with 90 dB. We think the Genie was worst due to the high pitch of the motor while under higher demands for suction. But it did suck the water fastest while making this noise. It won the water-sucking test.

We might also recommend the Muffler, which is available through Craftsman or Ridgid as an accessory. With a little Teflon tape it can be made to fit both the Genie and the Shop Vac without any loss of suction. It is a simple baffle system, which breaks up the airflow and quiets the noise and high-pitched shrill sounds. It will lower the vacuums by 5-7 decibels. If you stick it into the exhaust port of your vacuum for a blower, it will work and costs $10.00.

You can order it from the Kmart-Sears Catalog or buy the ridgid model off the shelf at a Home Depot. Another great attachment to be added to your arsenal is the rain gutter attachment for about $7.00, which is also made available through Craftsman or Ridgid. It is a molded piece of bended plastic able to help you clean rain gutters. Here are the web sites we found to help you learn more about Shop Vacs;

Shop-Vac QSP PRO, http://www.shop-vac.com

It requires approximately 6 amps of you 36 amp generator during run time and spike is 12 amps and a full power. Phone number is 1-570-326-3557, average retail costs are between $78.00-99.00, available in yellow with black top.

Ridgid WD-1660 with blower, http://www.ridgidwoodworking.com

It needs 6.25 amps to run and spike peak is 12 amps. The price is about $129.00 but we have seen them on sale occasionally for $99.00 at Home Depot a couple of times per year. The color is gray and red top, does not come in yellow. 1-800-474-3443. It has a twenty-foot cord which is good.

Craftsman 113.177370 Usually sells for $99.00 sometimes higher but seems to be perpetually on sale. Demands 5.5 amps to run and spikes at 11.4 as per the manual, but we got it to 13.8 amps sucking water. Also realize that Craftsman filed bankruptcy, but the good news is that they are still operating and Craftsman has a 1 year warranty and if bought on the Sears card you can get a 3 year add on warranty for $15.00, we recommend this. 1-800-377-7414. Available in Red and black top only. Most popular and longest made brand of shop vacuums.

Genie PRO 600Q. 6 amps running, 12 at peak.

http://www.geniecompany.com 1-800-354-3643.

Comes in yellow with black top. Usually prices under $100.00, Normally on sale at $89.00 and off sale is about $95.00 at Home depot, Target, Loews, Home depot and Wal*Mart.

After all these tests our research has concluded that due to color of unit, noise, and performance of all four of these top selling shop vacuums, we like the Shop-Vac Model, with the attachments for the muffler at Home Depot from Ridgid wrapped with three layers of one inch wide Teflon tape and stuck into the exhaust of the vacuum to quiet it a little.

Here are some other reasons for picking this unit over the others; Genie was too loud for use at office parks near customers, but we liked the color. Craftsman was good but we felt that the color red and the noise were an issue and also the lid falls off too easy when trying to move it around, we did not like the latches or the cradle used to maneuver it, it took up too much space in the shop. Ridgid has a yucky color and the same large cradle as the Craftsman. We liked the blower idea, but not powerful enough for blowing water off cars and no real attachment available for blowing out door jams. So that feature is not needed and probably the reason for the higher price.

Shop-Vac has a ridge on the inside of the bucket so to empty you have to completely turn the vac upside down, which was a pain. But in the end the quietness and fit ability of the Ridgid attachment to make it even quieter put us down to 75 Decibels, which is more than acceptable in office parks. Enough to let people know you are there, but not enough to be bothersome or interfere with their phone calls, conferences, meetings or conversations.

Also you can communicate with your employees while working as long as you are up to 10 feet from it. Also nice is when we stuck a 30 foot pool hose up to it, the Shop-Vac was still able to get adequate suction to pick up the water from a floor mat which was pressure washed to remove stains to make it dry. Other good things which we feel would increase longevity to these units was the fact that Shop-Vac had an option of filter Bags, and Dry Pick-up Cartridges either one or two stage pleated and a foam filter for picking up water or a filter cover over option. Like wise most of these had Drum Liners

Consumer reports had an article in their magazine, which rated the unit high but gave the winning seal of approval to Craftsman. Other reports have been divided. Now realize that we do prefer the WAP, Blue bucket, black top unit to these off the shelf units and they are much quieter by 25 decibels or more. The WAP with a thirty-foot vacuum hose draws much better air flow than any of these and is about 20% more powerful. It uses the same amps more or less. If you need one of these WAPs Call 1-480-517-1925 ask for Jason and ask for your Ezine Discount and they will ship one out to you.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance in the Online Think Tank and solve the problems of the World; www.WorldThinkTank.net/

Have you heard people say that toddlers always prefer the box and the rubbish rather than the present inside? Fun and funky kids skittles and Christmas pudding bowling ball and all made from rubbish! The ideal Christmas present for younger brothers and sisters. Best of all each skittle is made from a Yazoo milkshake bottle, and somebody needs to drink the delicious milkshake drink!

You will need a pack of 6 mini Yazoo milkshakes. Empty the bottles and rinse the bottles out and leave them to drain until they are completely dry.

Each bottle now needs a thin layer of paper mache. This makes the bottles easier to paint and it covers the ridges on the bottle. Rip up newspapers into small squares. Mix some PVA glue with two parts water and with a paintbrush, stick the newspaper pieces to the bottles so that they are completely covered. Allow to dry over night.

Now you can paint your bottles in festive designs such as, a penguin from Lapland, a snowman, a Christmas tree, a robin, Rudolf and Father Christmas.

To make the bowling ball, scrunch up two sheets of newspaper into a ball and add some selotape so that it keeps its ball like shape. Then apply 3 or 4 layers of paper mache. Allow to dry overnight.

Paint the bowling ball to look like a Christmas pudding with cream drizzled over it and with a sprig of holly on the top.

When all the paint is dry you can test it out. Set the skittles out to form a triangle. 3 skittles in the back row, 2 skittles in the middle row and one skittle at the front. Try to knock all the skittles over with the Christmas pudding.

To make the game harder you can put some sand inside each bottle to weight it slightly.

You could also write points on the bottom of each skittle and make a point scoring system.

You could make a larger set of skittles by using the larger bottles of Yazoo milkshake, and then you would have more milkshake to guzzle!

S. Roberts writes for www.santaspostbag.co.uk/ an educational website packed with fun things to do and make to make Christmas time magical and inspirational. Kids can also email Santa their Christmas Wishes www.santaspostbag.co.uk/write-letter-to-santa.html Skittle images can be seen here www.santaspostbag.co.uk/homemade-christmas-skittles-gift.html

You live in your house and your dolls live in dollhouse. Dollhouse is the replica of a real house, made especially for the dolls. It is the first choice of the kids to play. They love to remake the scenes of their real life. Dollhouse is excellent to look, an epitome of beauty and luxury.

Also known as miniature doll house, the dollhouse has almost everything that a real house has. It is fully decked with furniture, upholstery, curtains and other accessories to enhance the overall look.

Dollhouse can be of just any size. The most used scale available in the dollhouse is 1/12th or one inch. Dollhouse has some specific number of rooms to be used by the doll. It has an ideal height to make your doll stand up and move freely from here and there. The doll looks beautiful while sitting on a sofa in the dollhouse or standing in the kitchen with a smile.

Popularity of dollhouse

Dollhouse is not only popular among only the children but also the adults. Many people love to collect it, which is actually their hobby. The passion for dollhouse is easily understood with the presence of several magazines and web sites devoted to dollhouse.

There is a complete dollhouse industry that has taken shape gradually. The dollhouse lovers face no problem in finding a dollhouse of their choice as there are many suppliers that make important dollhouse components and accessories available easily. There are even many dolls house lovers who have made dolls house clubs and share their views on them.

Caring tips for dollhouse

Besides collecting the doll house, it is very important to care for them. Here are some tips following which you can make a serious care to make your dollhouse live long.

1.Clean your dollhouse regularly to keep the dust away.

2.Keep the dollhouse away from sunlight which can spoil its color.

3.Do not be negligent about your dollhouse and take care it does not meet any accident. The dollhouse should not be damp and away from the reach of toddlers and pets.

4.Smoke is an enemy of your dollhouse. It can make the color of the dollhouse dark and spoil the overall look and texture of the dollhouse.

5.It is a good idea to keep your dollhouse in a show case covered well with a glass. In this way, it can remain quite safe from all possible hazards.

Natasha

As we age, our skin begins to show the signs of time. All of a sudden normal facial muscle movement such as smiling, chewing and squinting become enemies. Not to mention that gravity and years of sun exposure (for those hard core sun bathers) reflect an image you may no longer recognize. In essence aging skin is caused by the fact that underlying tissues that keep our skin looking youthful and plumped up during our teens, twenties, thirties and forties begin to break down. Once the signs of time start to manifest themselves we quickly start seeing laugh lines, smile lines, crow's feet or facial creases over the areas where repetitive muscle movement occur.

Until recently, signs of aging were synonymous with wisdom, experience, character and sage advice. In other words, aging meant getting better at figuring life. Today, we still want to get better at figuring life as we age, we simply dont want to look like were older on the outside than we are on the inside.

It seems we are more determined now than ever in history to sip, drink and gulp the elixirs or potions of eternal youth. Did you know that men and women living in western countries spend several billions (yes, billion with a b) of dollars each year on anti aging skin care products and treatments that promise to tighten the skin, smooth out wrinkles, lighten age spots, remove excess fat, eradicate cellulite, tuck tummies and erase 20 years off of our smiles.

Looking 10 years younger no longer means going under the knife because there are so many other options that can make you feel great with a minimum amount of pain. Another bonus to these new procedures the cost is far more affordable than plastic surgery.

Get the facts about collagen or fat transfer, Botox ()injections, injectable fillers, removing acne scars, non facial surgery options, Restylane (), facial fillers, face lift creams, skin resurfacing, laser removal facial veins, natural skin care products glycolic acid, photofacials, anti aging skin for men and the many anti-aging skin care products.

Copyright Beauty Match Network. All rights reserved.

Gisele Brosnan is a contributing Editor for http://www.mybeautymatch.com.

Canada! Find out which anti-aging skincare products, treatments & solutions will help you possess optimal skincare & beauty at every age.

Our site is dedicated to providing information on anti-aging treatments and about aging well options so you can keep feeling beautiful for as long as you want.

Missing your son or daughter? Rest assured that although they may not show it, they are missing you too. There are numerous occasions where getting just a little something from Mom & Dad is the boost your college student needs to trudge ahead, cheer them up and ease them into the transition from home to college. Here are just a few gift-giving, cheer-spreading ideas:

1. With many students living miles from home, you wont get to share family holidays together such as Easter and Halloween like you used to. Send them a basket full of goodies or some fresh-baked cookies to let them know you care during those holidays away from home.

2. Final exam care packages are always a big hit. There really is nothing better than food and drink to energize someone studying for finals. Care packages today come in many varieties ranging from caffeine items for the coffee lover, to all-natural nutritious snack choices including fruit and energy bars.

3. Birthdays are always big celebrations amongst friends and family. You can join in the fun by sending a fresh-baked birthday cake or party in a box that includes candles, party blowers and party hats for several people. We always suggest that you send enough food for them to share with their friends because, believe it or not, all parents are not as considerate.

4. Study break gifts are a fabulous way to encourage your student to put the books down and have some good, clean fun with their friends. Perhaps send the game Cranium or Taboo. Both are great games for a group and outrageously fun. Throw in a few snacks and your student will be all set. I cant think of a better way for your son or daughter to build camaraderie. My hall in the dorm used to sit around many nights playing games or watching TV while enjoying snacks. They will be thrilled that you thought of them and score some points with their friends too!

You can either shop online or locally to find some of the above items or you can put together your little gifts yourself. Some great ideas of things to use are a container from the container store or Target. Items such shower totes, nested boxes or crates can be used after all the enclosed items are gone. Fill the container with things like high-liters, pencils, note-pads, aspirin, energy bars, granola bars, pretzels, cracker jack, chips, chex mix, buttered microwave popcorn, candy bars, jelly beans, rice krispie bars, cookies, crackers, coffee, cocoa, tea and fruit juice. Basically, fill it with whatever your son or daughter enjoys. After all, you know them best!

Need to send a College Care Package for upcoming finals , or perhaps just a great Kids Gift Basket to cheer them up? Check out All About Gifts & Baskets for all your gift giving needs. And don't forget to check out the selection of Birthday Gift Baskets too ! Whatever the occasion , shop online today!

Are there flat tummy exercises that are the best for great female abs? Abs-olutely! To make this list, the female abs exercises must be safe, effective and can be done nearly anywhere. Your abs can be worked out every day. Here are great flat tummy exercises:

1. Tummy Isometric Crunch - exhale, then suck in your stomach as far as you can, hold for about 15 seconds. Relax and breathe. Visualize moving your bellybutton straight toward your back. Holding in your tummy muscles and tensing your abs is a good way of firming and strengthening them. You will also become more aware of how to control your tummy muscles. Repeat several times. This exercise can be done anywhere, anytime.

Note - if you have high blood pressure, do not hold your breath for extended periods of time.

2. Rectus Abdominis Tummy Exercises (doesn't that sound great?):

a. Lie on your back on the floor with bent knees and your feet flat on the floor, knees and feet spread apart the width of your hips.
b. Place your hands gently on the sides of your head for support, spreading your elbows so you cannot see them.
c. With your chin tucked toward your chest, gently curl upward and forward so that your head, neck and shoulder blades lift off the floor and your lower back presses against the floor (if you want, start with your head resting on a pillow which has your head and neck in the correct position to begin).
d. Pause just a moment, then gently return to the starting position.
e. Repeat several times.

Note - do not use your arms to complete the curl. If you can see your elbows, you're cheating. Do not put your feet under anything since this lessens the effectiveness of these types of flat tummy exercises. If this female abs exercise is too difficult for you, do the next one below.

3. Sit-Back Flat Tummy Exercises - if your female abs muscles are weak and you have trouble lifting yourself off the floor in #2 above, here is an alternate flat tummy exercise for you:

a. Start in a sitting position on the floor with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor (secure your feet under a piece of furniture).
b. Cross your arms over your chest and roll your head and shoulders forward toward your chest.
c. Gently and slowly lean back, keeping your head and shoulders tucked. Continue until you begin to feel your stomach muscles contracting.
d. Then try to lean back just a bit more if you can and hold that position until your muscles start shaking. Try to hold this position with your muscles shaking for five seconds, then ease back to the upright sitting position.
e. Repeat in a few seconds.

4. Reducing Chewing Exercises - yes, as in jaw muscles used for excessive chewing as in overeating. Reducing overeating or exercising those jaw muscles less may be necessary to have great female abs. No one can see your great female abs if they are covered with body fat! Having great female abs may require losing some body fat. Losing body fat means:

a. Cardio exercise on a regular basis - getting the heartbeat up with fun whole-body workouts several times a week.
b. Healthy eating habits - eating healthy foods, eliminating sodas/junk food and taking in fewer calories than you burn each day.
c. Besides flat tummy exercises, strength training for the whole body - any muscle tissue you add will burn extra calories 24/7.

Besides looking great, having great female abs is about good health. Visually and physically, the midsection is the center of the body and the foundation of strength. Weak abdominals leave a woman weaker looking and vulnerable to lower back pain. At first, the goal is to build up the basic strength in the female abs area with flat tummy exercises. And remember, always check with your health care provider before starting any exercise program. Start out slowly and gradually build up your strength and repetitions.

For great abs and good health, the ideal is to reduce body fat down to no lower than 15-20% for women. Sometimes, doing flat tummy exercises is the EASY part, losing excess body fat is the TOUGH part. Eat right, exercise right -- it may take time, just don't give up on your dream of having those great female abs.

Copyright 2005 InfoSearch Publishing

Olinda Rola is President of InfoSearch Publishing and webmaster of http://www.safemenopausesolutions.com - a website of physician-recommended natural treatments and articles for a variety of health issues. Visit the website for an excellent free Permanent Weight Loss report you can view online right now.

When I teach private Yoga sessions, sometimes, I become aware that a client has issues that cause anxiety, depression, and a negative outlook on life. This often causes difficulty for the student when trying to practice a stage-by-stage relaxation, and especially during meditation sessions.

When I mention letting go of a situation and forgiving others, very often I hear, Whats in it for me? or Why should I? To be quite frank, you should sincerely forgive for your own health. The purpose is to let go of a heavy burden, that you have placed upon yourself. This is a form of self-imprisonment, where you become bitter and this problem has established control over your life.

Releasing a grudge is like a prisoner having a sentence overturned, but it is much easier for you, since you are your own prison keeper. This is, in fact, an internal conflict and you can take control at anytime you wish.

Yoga, meditation, and relaxation sessions, are therapeutic practices, similar to a life preserver for the mind and body. On the other hand, holding a grudge causes negative energy and a multitude of physical and mental ailments. So, why not just let go of this self-imposed burden? Forgiveness is a way of refusing to carry extra problems around.

Some people like to carry around a badge of courage wherever they go. The badge of courage becomes their self-image and the whole world around them can see it written all over their faces. We all know somebody who walks around, day after day, with a scowl on his or her face. This person may have forgotten who hurt them in the first place. Each conflicting situation compounds, upon the last, to create a life of misery and poor health.

Now, I am not asking you to forgive or apologize, if you dont mean it, but do you see any common ground, between yourself and the other party? Do you think there might be room to negotiate or, at least, talk? Do you see the other viewpoint? Would you be willing to listen?

Starting any negotiations allows both parties to hear each other out peacefully. This should be a common agreement before you meet. This requires that you listen to grievances, on the other side of the fence, completely. You will have to listen with empathy. This is a skill very few people have mastered.

Then you present your side of the issue, without malice. Very often, a perceived big problem is diffused when both parties realize a small misunderstanding created the two opposing viewpoints. It takes courage to sincerely give an apology and it takes courage to sincerely accept one. How you handle conflict and forgiveness is a true measure of your character.

Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html