# Those Amish Heaters **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 9, 2009, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-amish-heaters/485122 "2009-02-09T19:54:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-amish-heaters/485122/21 "2009-02-09T23:18:08Z")
Just so folks understand: Not all Amish have problems with being photographed or even videotaped. It varies from person to person, or family to family. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-amish-heaters/485122/22 "2009-02-10T00:45:46Z")
If you notice in the commercials, you **never** see the Amish building the mantels (other than a couple of hammer blows), and I doubt that’s because they’re made by Chinese slave laborers. Its to protect the “handcrafted” image people have of the Amish. They’re **not** out there building them with tools your great-great-grandfather would recognize. They’re building them in a shop with the latest and greatest in power tools, and instead of tapping into the powergrid for the electricity, they’ve probably got a bank of gas-powered generators to run them (or [solar, in some cases](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10506342)). [_Devil’s Playground_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0293088/) is an interesting look at Amish life. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-amish-heaters/485122/23 "2009-02-10T01:00:16Z")
The heaters work best in Amish terrariums. (Much more comfortable when you’re making your skeleton meatier with a crowbar covered in lettuce.) ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-amish-heaters/485122/24 "2009-02-10T01:14:41Z")
[Infomercialratings.com](http://www.infomercialratings.com/product/heat_surge_miracle_heater_reviews) opinion on the heaters. I’ve spent hours over there, reading the reviews on various products. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-amish-heaters/485122/25 "2009-02-10T01:19:45Z")
> [@StuffLikeThatThere](#): > > I live just north of Amish country in Ohio. In case you were wondering … no, the roads are not clogged by those delightful Amish families taking the handcrafted heaters to the warehouse two at a time, like in the picture. > > That picture cracks me up everytime. We must be neighbors. I’m in Wooster. I also like the fact that they appear to be working in the hay loft of a wooden barn. The Amish are all about barns, right? I take it there’s a TV commercial, too? Dang! I guess I’m watching the wrong channels. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-amish-heaters/485122/26 "2009-02-10T02:04:41Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > And if you cheat and order more than two, they can find you in their big Amish database. then what? ‘Amish police, pull over.’ ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-amish-heaters/485122/27 "2009-02-10T02:12:29Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > I take it there’s a TV commercial, too? Dang! I guess I’m watching the wrong channels. ![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/0xQtEmISMhQ/maxresdefault.jpg)https://www.youtube.com/embed/0xQtEmISMhQ?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-amish-heaters/485122/28 "2009-02-10T03:24:26Z")
I’ve been trying to warn you people about the Amish since 2000 ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-amish-heaters/485122/29 "2009-02-10T03:30:48Z")
> [@Scylla](#): > > I’ve been trying to warn you people about the Amish since 2000 So are they in league with the Nazi groundhogs? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-amish-heaters/485122/30 "2009-02-10T04:17:44Z")
I’m gonna start selling Amish laptops. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-amish-heaters/485122/31 "2009-02-10T04:20:50Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I’m gonna start selling Amish laptops. [Its been done.](http://www.datamancer.net/steampunklaptop/steampunklaptop.htm)😉 ---
**Author:** ![Breccia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Breccia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Breccia)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-amish-heaters/485122/32 "2009-02-10T04:23:06Z")
'k, let’s see here… 1. we have “mantles” standing in for “mantels” [mantle is an accepted, albeit sometimes considered archaic, version of mantel…no harm done **Sigmagirl** , just sayin…] 2. those cheap, imitation Amish actors standing in for the real men, errr Mennonites? 3. Chinese pyrotechnical displays in place of a real fire works? 4. plus, no fan, just radiant heat All this with a strict limit of 2 per customer? I’d best be gettin’ on the phone now! ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-amish-heaters/485122/33 "2009-02-10T04:56:56Z")
This ad seems to expect us to believe that the amish are like magical fairies or something. Why should we expect something that’s made by the amish to be better than something that was made by, e.g., anglicans? Do they possess wondrous powers of making stuff? ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-amish-heaters/485122/34 "2009-02-10T05:03:03Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > This ad seems to expect us to believe that the amish are like magical fairies or something. Why should we expect something that’s made by the amish to be better than something that was made by, e.g., anglicans? Do they possess wondrous powers of making stuff? The Amish can be, though not all of them are, of course, bigger sticklers about quality than the Japanese are. My brother worked with a group of them, when they were installing fixtures inside a Wendy’s, and he said they found a _cosmetic_ feature was 1/32nd of an inch off and promptly called the factory (Amish owned) and proceeded to give the folks in the factory the most severe dressing down imaginable _without_ any profanity. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-amish-heaters/485122/35 "2009-02-10T05:30:08Z")
A local station did a test of various heaters. The amazing Amish heaters came out as poorly performing and overpriced. I love the ads though. ---
**Author:** ![seodoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@seodoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seodoa)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-amish-heaters/485122/36 "2009-02-10T06:11:07Z")
Found [this](http://www.maccompanion.com/macc/archives/February2008/Greenware/Roll.htm) article trashing the heater in general. The mantle is apparently mostly pressboard and veneer. ---
**Author:** ![StuffLikeThatThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@StuffLikeThatThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StuffLikeThatThere)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-amish-heaters/485122/37 "2009-02-10T06:20:35Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > This ad seems to expect us to believe that the amish are like magical fairies or something. Why should we expect something that’s made by the amish to be better than something that was made by, e.g., anglicans? Do they possess wondrous powers of making stuff? Not necessarily. But tourists think they do. This is why there is stuff like “Amish Spicy Popcorn” and “Amish Pasta” that have little or nothing to do with Amish culture (and possibly little to do with any person that is or was Amish). But it says Amish, and people will buy it. I find it an interesting phenomenon. When purchasing goods labeled Amish, it behooves the customer to verify the origin. My husband and I got an enormous kick out of the heater ads the first time we saw them. 🙂 There are, of course, many very skilled craftsmen among the Amish. They do have a culture that I think promotes hard work and diligence, which can translate to excellent quality. But, no, they don’t have special fairy dust or anything. ---
**Author:** ![StuffLikeThatThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@StuffLikeThatThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StuffLikeThatThere)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-amish-heaters/485122/38 "2009-02-10T06:32:43Z")
I meant to mention this, but missed the edit window. The guy in the pictures - with the short white beard - doesn’t look quite right for the part to me. I’m not an expert on the different flavors of Anabaptist we have around here (there are at least five different sects of Amish as well as steel-wheel Mennonites, “regular” conservative Mennonites, and Apostolics, and if you’re sharp you can tell by looking which sect someone belongs to), but he looks more like a conservative Mennonite to me, or possibly at the most Beachy Amish. For one thing, his beard is trimmed. For another, his pants have a zipper. Most Amish, to my knowledge, use buttons or hooks and eyes to fasten pants. ---
**Author:** ![PopeJewish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@PopeJewish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PopeJewish)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-amish-heaters/485122/39 "2009-02-10T07:01:54Z")
space heaters are pretty wasteful. I’m all about the Japanese heaters (Kotatsu) which is basically a table with a heater underneath it. You toss a blanket over the whole thing and chill with your feet/legs under the blanket, keeps you amazingly warm and doesn’t damn the old electricity bill too much > **[Kotatsu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kotatsu)** > > A kotatsu (Japanese: 炬燵 or こたつ) is a low, wooden table frame covered by a futon, or heavy blanket, upon which a table top sits. Underneath is a heat source, formerly a charcoal brazier but now electric, often built into the table itself. Kotatsu are used almost exclusively in Japan, although similar devices for the same purpose of heating are used elsewhere, e.g. the Spanish brasero or Iranian korsi. > The history of the kotatsu begins in the Muromachi period or Ashikaga shogunate during the fou... ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-amish-heaters/485122/40 "2009-02-10T08:23:50Z")
I will say this about the Mennonites – and this was a real eye-opener for me. We had terrible tornadoes in Gibson County a few years ago. In areas where the Mennonite communities were hit, other Mennonites from all over the country were soon there to bring whatever was needed to get houses and barns restored and furnished and farms running again. And the Mennonites whose property had been damaged _knew_ beforehand that others would be coming to restore them. _That’s just what they do for each other._ It was very moving. They have been very peaceful and reliable. It is Mennonites who tend my father’s grave. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-amish-heaters/485122.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-amish-heaters/485122.md?page=3)