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I think there is economy in simplicity. A house can be built with only type of socket everywhere and one only has to keep one kind of spare plug and a packet of two or three kinds of cartridge fuse.

There is no [economical] way to ensure complete safety. People have found all sorts of ways of bridging the fuse, on of the simplest being wrapping it in silver foil. Stupid and dangerous, and no I never did that. But hey, humans!

It broke into pieces and was misplaced. Its a small metal one, I would say about 1cm in diameter. It goes inside the white highlighted piece and holds the blade in place, Without that, the blade moves up and down freely, thus making it unusable.

Visit your neighborhood mechanic. They have all sorts of screws and washers that are discarded. If there is a spare parts shop (normally there are around mechanics), they may have what you need.

Just take the blender and see if any washer fits.

By the way, over the last 60 years I have collected hundreds of old nuts, bolts and washers of various sizes. Though they are just lying there, once in a while they are god sent for situations like yours.

Go to any hardware store and ask them for small metal washers. They will have a few different sizes. See if any of them fits. If it works, your problem is solved with Rs 1.

I was not convinced about the need to protect the upstream wiring by fused plugs, when that upstream wiring ought to already have its own circuit breaker(s) for protection. Then I was puzzled why one needed "two or three kinds of cartridge fuse" to protect upstream wiring that is already high-power rated: why not use just a 13A fuse in every plug?!

As already mentioned, I was clueless about the British wiring system, so decided to do a bit of research. And here is what I have learned:

1) Thanks to the British system of the final Ring Circuit which is typically rated at quite a high power (32A), the standard 13A individual sockets can easily be tapped off it. So, my concern about usage of "unnecessarily thick cables for even low-power things" was not based on fact. There is actually no higher price to pay for "simplicity"! Rather, the Ring Circuit actually turns out to be more economical.

2) The fuses in plugs are not to protect upstream wiring. They are there to protect the downstream flexible appliance cables! Makes sense to me.

Now I can die happy with my confusions all cleared. :-)
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I don't understand about the fuses, but the common understanding is that they are there to protect the appliance, to which engineers reply, "No! They are actually there to protect the upstream cables: it helps to prevent your house burning down!"

Others here understand these things better, so I request enlightenment too!

1. Fuses on the appliances are there to protect the appliances themselves.

2. Fuses on the plugs are there to protect the cables to the appliances. Think of it this way: in absence of a fuse on the plug, the thinner cable on the plug itself is the fuse in case of a fault, not the much thicker cable of the ring circuit it's attached to.
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Anyone has the waterfall type kitchen sink installed? I was planning to have that installed but was advised that it is not reliable. Wife has liked it so was trying to get some real reviews here if anyone has installed at their homes.

Waterfall sink

Friend has it installed in their kitchen and its very good. No issues with reliability in the last 2 years. He installed a brand called Ruhe.

No, and I wouldn't. I know what would happen to me: I'd put a big plate under it, the water would bounce off and soak me, and the floor.

You can say that's my stupidity, and I wouldn't disagree, but can't we all be stupid? And for the perfect among us, if not you, then you spouse, family member, maid etc!

I'm a great one for modern gadgets, but I think that innovation, especially in kitchens and bathrooms, can go too far. Avoid stuff that looks wonderful in ads and magazine photos: consider the practical aspects.

And, if you are not the one who does the cooking, washing up, etc, ask the people who do, before choosing. I often wonder how many architects, designers, etc, do the work at home!

I have this from a generic brand installed in an apartment I have rented out. The quality isnt something that will last long because the main pipe and its next is plastic bodied and you have a flexible pipe inside it which you can pull out. The control knob has a good feel to it but has its metal plating coming off in one year of use.

Since the price of this sink and a Carysil basic sink was the same, I fell into this. But for my primary kitchen, I would get something of better quality.

We got it installed in our new apartment last year, and I wouldn't really recommend it. First of all the quality isn't that great and if you have hard water in your area, the paint on the main control unit (the waterfall, faucet and knob) seem to peel off or discolour, there can be bit of a rust too. The waterfall nozzles get clogged very quickly if the water is hard, and its difficiult to clean.

However, the major con is the water control knob, it is not at all user-friendly to use. Say your hands are oily, you will not be able to turn that knob, there is very little leverage. The second problem is with the control knob is, if you don't turn it back to right position, there would be small leaks internally and the area under the sink would get wet.

So after using this for a while, my recommendation is to get a sink with a branded good quality faucet with a lever type handle which would make using it so much more easier.

I think you would be letting go of a gem if you did. In the future I really want to get my hands on one of the old IFB front loaders from my toddler days, that filled with water to nearly the centre of the porthole. I remember Supremo Dx, Elena and Senorita plus all did that.

Meanwhile, in the latest LG we have you'll be lucky to spot the water in the bottom of the drum.

Yes, it cleans well, and yes, I know a lot of research has gone into making it efficient, and FWIW there's a lot I'm thankful for (brushless motors, automatic balance correction et al). But I firmly believe stimulation should be a big part of the laundry experience, and it pains to know that new machines don't quite deliver that.

We are a family of 3 (occasionally 5 when either parents come over). We are soon moving to a new house. Given most of my current home appliances / Electronic White goods are nearing end of their useful life, I plan to buy a new set.

I am listing down the things that I need :

• Refrigerator Double Door - ~350L (Can consider Bottom Mounted, but don't need side-by-side). Have seen Samsung, Whirlpool, Heir
• Washing Machine - Top Load ~8Kg (Have never been convinced about the benefits of Front Load machines, though many people seem to prefer it.)
• Microwave Oven - Solo (Have used solo microwave oven for last 12 years and it suffices for our need)
• Air Conditioner 1 Ton + 0.8 Ton (Need a silent, no-fuss equipment. Don't need fancy features such as AI / Wifi. My current LG AC is noisy and had some repairs once in a while).
• Cleaning Robot (Never used one, so don't have much idea on type/capacity/power or features)

I need some suggestions from BHPians on what brands / models are suitable considering durability and maintenance.

I plan to buy these in next 1-2 months and I would go with a bulk order with a physical shop such as Vijay Sales / Croma / Reliance Digital. I did visit Vijay Sales and they seem to be willing to discuss Bulk Deal. Hoping I can cross-check with Reliance /Croma and get best deal from one of them. Do all of them offer Credit Card discounts ? Vijay Sales seem to offer an Extended Warranty at a cost, is it worth it?

Let me answer your questions one by one:
1. Refrigerator: Consider Samsung or Whirlpool, both have good service and last long, ideally I would go with Samsung owing to the vast number of models on offer in this size (350 litres). We have a Samsung Refrigerator and it has been without any issue for over 15 years, many of our family members have ones nearly 2 decades old.

2. Washing Machine: We have a front-loading one but a top load is more than sufficient, Consider Bosch, Whirlpool, LG or Samsung. We have Bosch and it has been great for over 10 years, we have an LG in Muscat and it has been great for over 15 years, our other family members have had great experiences with Whirlpool and Samsung as well.

3. Microwave Oven: If you aren't into grilling, baking and the like, a solo oven is more than sufficient, we have had convection ovens only for over two decades, LG and Samsung have been our preferred brands, and LG Oven is still going strong without any issue whatsoever even after 2 decades, We bought a Samsung over 2 years ago with 5-year extended warranty (the extended warranty is quite cheap) and it is also going well.

4. Air Conditioner: We have experience with a whole lot of ACs including Carrier, LG, Samsung, Voltas, Whirlpool, BlueStar, Daikin, Panasonic, Hitachi, O General and Mitsubishi. Daikin, O General and Mitsubishi are on the expensive side and better avoided especially when considering low tonnage. From our experience BlueStar seems to be a great brand with good service and a long warranty, it's quite silent too, Samsung and Voltas are the next options I would prefer in no particular order. Our experience with LG hasn't been great so wouldn't recommend it.

5. Cleaning Robot: Ecovacs and Xiaomi are the only brands I have experience with and both are good, not sure of the support in India though.

Placing bulk orders is best to get maximum discounts, I have had a good experience with Reliance Digital and Croma for my friends here and they give great card offers as well. Croma and Reliance Digital also have extended warranty plans at reasonable prices. Vijay Sales too has good card offers but we somehow found Croma and Reliance Digital giving us better deals.

Hope it helps and if you need model wise recommendations, feel free to DM me!