[12/8/2013: This article was modified for clarity.]

For about 10 years, I sold appliances, among other things. While model-specific knowledge has passed me by, I’m still familiar with many points relating to technology, applications, useful features, features to avoid, and user errors which create some problems.

For my Chinese in-laws, I sometimes suggest appliances which may be helpful to them, but which may not be common in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In such cases, I write ‘helpful hints’ emails to assist them in finding equivalents. In many cases, they must educate the Chinese sales people with whom they deal, who themselves may not be familiar with Western-style appliances which we take for granted. (As an example, only 1% of Chinese households have automatic dishwashers, and sales people are usually unfamiliar with how to use them  effectively and safely, let alone what features are useful for solving a customer’s  needs or desires.)

Below my bullet points, I’ve pasted some examples. If you live outside the United States, you will probably have to look for comparable domestically-available units.

Continue reading →