The Crocodile Cage

• Electric Fireplaces
• Electric Fireplace Inserts
• Dimplex Electric Fireplaces
• Classic Flame Electric Fireplaces
• Entertainment Center Electric Fireplaces

When I was 10, my family went on our first family skiing vacation to Breckenridge, Colorado. There were several of us including some extended family. Some had skied previously, some had not. We made memories, learned to ski and all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Since that year, we have tried to have a skiing vacation each year. Because of kids school schedules we’ve had to always have our trips on during Christmas and/or Spring Break. Several times we’ve had at least some of us go both times. Since the family was enjoying our vacation time together so much, but having to work around work and school vacation times, we decided to focus on going to a more convenient driving location. After several experimental excursions to places like Red River and Taos, New Mexico, the family settled on our favorite location of Angel Fire, New Mexico.

After several trips to Angel Fire, my immediate family decided to look into purchasing a condominium or town home there. After much financial research and legal advice, we decided that it would offset the cost of our vacations and serve as an asset. This would allow us to always have a guaranteed place to stay on our trips while affording us the luxury of a yearly vacation together that we enjoyed so much.

After contacting a realtor, we discovered that there was a condo for sale in a complex that already had a management company set up. All we would have to do furnish the condo with their requirements such as dishes, pots, pans and furniture and linens. Then, we would pay them a fee each month as part of our agreement that they would handle the reservations, cleaning and some maintenance. We purchased the condo and began our adventures in mountain real estate just in time for spring skiing.

Before the spring could turn in to summer that year, we had a huge problem that we didn’t anticipate. A family renting our condo decided to build a fire and somehow caught the living room on fire! There was considerable damage to some furniture and carpet, but luckily the rest of the condo and other condos in the building were fine. However, the fireplace was going to cost at least $1000 to fix appropriately.

We discussed this problem with other condo owners in the building and were advised to install an electric fireplace insert. They all had a Classic Flame Electric Fireplace and highly recommended it. This would give off heat for cold vacationers, but would allow for a certain level of ease for those renters that either did not know how to properly start a fire or operate a chimney. It would alleviate the worry for another fire. There are many advantages to this electric fireplace insert that we didn’t even realize. They have little maintenance, no chimney cleaning, no smoke smell, and no wood to buy. Also, we spent the same money we would have spent fixing the wood-burning fireplace. It’s been a perfect investment for our family vacation home.

• Doctors Scales
• Detecto Scales
• Analytical Balances
• Moisture Analyzers
• Price Computing Scales

There are many types of businesses that may use a certain type of scale called a price computing scale. A price computing scale is a scale that weighs and item or quantity of items and can determine a price for the total weight based on preprogrammed computations. Retail, restaurant, and shipping industries are a few examples of industries that may use price computing scales. Price computing scales can be used by delis and butchers for weighing meat and poultry items, they can be used by sellers of produce for weighing fruits and vegetables, and they can be used by candy sellers to weigh and price quantities of candy. These are just a few examples of businesses that could use price computing scales, but this is by no means an exhaustive list. Basically, any business that sells quantities of items, priced by weight, can make use of a price computing scale.

There are several different types of price computing scales, some with similar features, some with unique features. Think about how your business might use a price computing scale, what types of items it would be weighing and pricing, and you can easily determine which price computing scale is right for you. Below are a couple of examples of price computing scales available on the market today and a description of each scale.

A&D makes a series of price computing scales called the SBR Series Business Scale. This would be an excellent choice if your business is related to the shipping industry. The Series Business Scales are fully compatible with shipping manifest software systems such as UPS Worldship. These scales are also compatible with various point of sale (POS) software systems, including OPOS. This scale would also be very useful in a warehouse for stock control, check-weighing, and more. The Series Business Scales are capable of interfacing with a computer or printer. These scales come in various weight capacities including thirty pound, seventy pound, and one hundred and fifty pounds. The pan size on these scales vary from 10.2 inches by 13 inches to 13 inches by 13 inches. The price range of these scales is between about $400 and $500.

A&D also makes a couple of retail scales, the SF Series Retail Scale and the SG Series Retail Scale. These scales are ideal for retail, produce, deli, or candy store applications. Both of these scales have an easy to use, intuitive design, with easy touch keypad entry. These scales are capable of interfacing with a computer and / or printer. The SF and SG Series Retail scales have stainless steel pans that are easy to clean, and the keypad is splash proof so you do not have to worry about damaging your scales while weighing items that have moisture. The SF and SG series price computing scales have a very quick computation time, so your customers will not be kept waiting and your checkout lines will move quickly. There are many models in this line to choose from and they range in price from about $319 to $417.

• Counting Scales
• Floor Scales
• Food Scales
• Hanging Scales
• Medical Scales for Sale

Many types of businesses use floor scales. Practically any company that includes a warehouse full of inventory could use a floor scale. Freight and shipping companies could use floor scales to weigh pallets and other items. Airlines may use floor scales to weigh luggage and other containers that are to be placed on their airplanes. Floor scales are made in many different weight capacities and models. Many floor scales have the same basic features, but there are also specialized features on the models of several different floor scales.

Choosing a floor scale for your business should not be a difficult decision. You must simply review the needs of your business and what your business will be using the floor scale for and then investigate the different makes and models of floor scales available on the market today. Below are two types of floor scales and a brief description of each scale. This guide should be helpful to you in choosing a floor scale that is proper for your business and business needs. .

Cardinal – Cardinal makes a floor scale model called the Guardian. The Guardian is classified as a wash down floor scale model. The Cardinal Guardian has a weight capacity of up to ten thousand pounds with an accuracy rating of one pound. The platform size of Cardinal’s Guardian comes in two options, from four feet by four feet for a total of sixteen square feet of platform space to five feet by five feet for a total of twenty five square feet of platform space. The Guardian is a perfect floor scale for harsh environments because of its rugged construction. This floor scale has a stainless steel deck, frame, and the load cells are corrosion proof and explosion proof. There is no electrical power in this scale because it uses hydraulic load cells. This lack of electrical power makes the Guardian perfect for wet environments. This means it could be used outdoors where it could be possibly exposed to rain, this scale can be pressure washed if used in chemical environments, or this scale can be used in marine applications. Depending on the features you choose for the Guardian, the price range is from about five thousand dollars to approximately ten thousand dollars.

Weighmax – Weighmax makes floor scales that are rough, rugged, and affordable. The Weighmax floor scales have full steel frames and high quality load cells. These floor scales are very well built and can handle lots of strenuous use. The Weighmax scales are classified as heavy duty shipping scales, so this type of scale would be perfect in a shipping environment. These floor scales have a two hundred percent overload capacity, technical support to connect to a computer or printer, and a NEMA approved swivel indicator. This scale can be purchase with a platform size of four feet by four feet (sixteen square feet), or five feet by five feet (twenty five square feet). This scale also comes in different weight capacities from five thousand to ten thousand pounds. This is a very affordable scale with a price range from $579 to $679.