Studies have suggested that black spotted bananas produce or transition from starch to sugars that are easier to digest and are richer in antioxidants. This in turn leads apparently to a more anti-cancerous remedy the more black spotted the banana is. Scientists refer to it as the Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF).
So, apparently it is healthier to eat black bananas, the blacker the better, the riper the better. Of course, ideally you have your own banana tree in your backyard. But even if you don't, the aging ripening process by letting the banana sit to age, contributes to the same end result; less carcinogens when you drink or slurp your over-ripe banana.
I know, it looks gross. I grew up actually eating spotted apples and spotted bananas all the time. These were just the cheaper things to buy in the grocery store. Actually this is pretty funny, because according to this study that we found, these are better healthier ingredients and foods anyway.
See the video below to get an idea of how you can incorporate your black spotted banana into your smoothie. : https://youtu.be/WtQJu9PNe1c
Restaurants and smoothie shops as well as coffee and beverage servers most of the time operate a high powered high quality Blender. These are either Waring, Vita Mix, or Blendtec type smoothie and drink machines. Click on Alterna Jar for more information.
It is common that jars and blades and their bearings wear out and need to be replaced. Restaurants, depending on size, buy sometimes from 4 to 20 new jars every year. Those that operate a blender that has a jar where blade assemblies can be replaced, buy the complete jar less frequently, but replace the lower cost replacement component "the blade cutting unit" or blending assembly, about 2 to 3 times a year. The only high performance smoothie machine that requires a complete whole new jar replacement is Blendtec.
It is estimated that globally about 30 to 50 million of these high performance food processors are in use. On average after warranty is expired, a blending container is replaced once every two years. This is including, on average, all, residential and commercial uses. In reality, residential kitchen applicators replace their blade and or jar about 3 to 5 years, while restaurants and especially smoothie shops replace their jars or blades about every 6 month. Giving this number, the global market is about 20 million jars per year between Vita Mix, Blendtec, and Waring.
Warranty of course varies between the brands and also subject to residential or commercial use. A commercial machine is not necessarily better. But for sure the warranty for commercial blending application is less than that for residential use. For example, Waring is all commercially focused and offers a 2 years warranty for parts and 1 year for service, in the USA. Blendtec and Vita Mix offer a 5 to 8 year warranty for residential operation and 1 year for commercial use. In other outside USA markets, the residential use warranty is between 2 to 3 years and commercial warranty is 1 year.
Ideally, if there was one type of jar that can fit on all three of these blender brands, the one product can literally address a 100 million dollar industry for replacement aftermarket jars.
Going to the dentist, having some dental procedure done that requires anesthesia for pain control, can affect your food intake. It is not only that you won't be able to chew the meal, you could very well bite off your tongue and not even feel it. Well, maybe not that graphic, but you need to be for sure careful to avoid biting your inside cheek.
That said, it is best to drink your meal. What better opportunity than to make yourself a delicious concoction with your high performance blender. In this smoothie we have the best recipe choice for you, which we call the "After the Dentist Smoothie"
Watch the Video
Ingredients are:
Spinach (good handful)
Pineapple (1 slice 3/4" to 1" thick)
Grapefruit (1/2)
Grapefruit peel section, to taste / desire
Yogurt (Greek Style)
Avocado (1/2)
Cucumber (2 inches - unpeeled)
1.5 to 2 cups of water
Blend for about 30 seconds.
Final yield is about 30 ounces, which are 2 to 3 servings anywhere in the world, except in the USA it is 1 US size serving. Drink with straw to avoid spilling the smoothie on your shirt. Remember, you will obviously not have the greatest feeling in your face / lips / mouth. Use the straw on the side where your mouth is not numb.
The outcome of the smoothie and its texture was extremely smooth and due to the speed and power of the KTec (aka Blendtec) blender, with the sharp-bladed Alterna aftermarket container, the avocado was whipped into a gel type texture. This made the smoothie a little stiffer than usual. It is recommended to add a little more water in case you want to the smoothie little more liquid.
Avocado as a smoothie ingredient, will normally stiffen up the smoothie liquidity into more like a puree or even a pudding, if you let it sit long enough. Avocado carries the properties for that. Chia does too. It is a great way to make avocado green pineapple pudding.
If you enjoyed the video, please share it online. And remember, please, don't poke yourself and avoid biting yourself after you come home from the dentist, trying to eat. Brush your teeth and floss.
2016 (C) All Rights Reserved, by Thomas Fox, Alterna Jar LLC
The title really has nothing to do with this fantastically tasting and highly healthy smoothie recipe. It just so happened that during the demo once I drunk the smoothie, the ear started itching. I am wondering if there is a possible relationship or if it was a coincidence.
Ok, so this is what's in this high antioxidant smoothie, using for blending the old KTec (Blendtec) Champ blender with a new replacement jar by Alterna (with sharp blades, by the way):
pineapple from costco, coconut, spinach, red beet green leafs, grapefruit, almond butter, Greek style yogurt from Walmart, cucumbers, egg shell for calcium fortification, and aloe vera, and grapefruit peel, as opposed to crap fruit, 2 cups of water, blended for about 40 seconds. Yield 48 ounces.
The blade assembly cutting assembly in Blendtec jars (Wildside and Fourside containers) are permanently fix installed in the jar. The ball bearings or bushing can seize up due to water entering the blade assembly housing / bearing housing. The seals sometimes wear out. When the blending assembly is not turning appropriately any more, blending creates smoke and some oil or debris could mix with the smoothie content.
The Solution
Normally, like in Vita Mix type blending containers, blade assembly units can be removed from the jar and replaced. With Blendtec jars the only solution is to throw the jar away and buy a new jar, if your blender warranty is no longer valid. And there is really no reason why one should be upset. There are several things that can be done to prolong the life of the blade assembly unit as can be seen / read here - click here.
See Video about changing out the Container, and what type of container might work the best with the objective to never repeat this expensive problem again.
Please note, even then, with any jar or blade regardless from which brand, that being Vita Mix, Waring, Hamilton Beach, JTC, Optimum, etc (and Blendtec), seals can wear out and blades can seize up. It is important to recognize the problem early so no further damage is caused to the blender motor itself.
I could lose a few words about the ingredients and functionality of our latest smoothie recipe video on Youtube. We suggest you just watch the video. It is about raw vegetables, and a banana-free smoothie approach with rather normally spicy ingredients delivering a kick. Enjoy this surprisingly good tasting smoothie in pink.
See Disclaimer, and note the K-Tec Blendtec Champ blender we are using with the advanced Alterna aftermarket jar for Blendtec blenders, with replaceable blade and sharp knife edges.
Cancer is a tragedy for anyone. I have been so far successful to hold it off. But note, I too had surgery and chemo therapy. In some areas the radiation treatment caused severe tissue damage, a risk the oncologist was willing to take, not me though.
Feasting ever since on healthy smoothies has become a lifestyle choice for me. I have been in the Blender business, and now making aftermarket replacement containers for the big brand names, for over 8 years. During that time, although I have a weight problem, which is a good problem definitely indicating that I do not lose weight due to cancer, I have become accustomed and even dependent on a fiber rich diet.
Because I had colon cancer and subsequently a rectal colon surgery, you can imagine that the muffler is not always well lubricated. A daily intake of freshly blended up vegetables makes the going where every man, woman and child has to go, much easier. I am not talking about death here.
Being on a smoothie diet daily, allows me to live a normal or relatively normal lifestyle, even going out eating from time to time, and enjoying even a hamburger once a week. At times I am low on fiber intake - I do miss occasionally some weekend days - the going gets very tough. During that phase I usually spend 20 to 30 minutes on Dr. John's sewer lid about 3 to 5 times a day.
Sorry for the reality of crude verbage. I mean no offense. Colon cancer, and the life thereafter is a learning experience. It could be worse. Luckily I cheated the infamous colostomy bag.
For more information about smoothie recipes, check out our website and the product pages on http://www.alternajar.com
Everybody knows someone who died of cancer. This is not because we necessarily have a cancer-pandemic on hand, but today communication works better, reporting, and determining cause of death is better. Plus the population is by about 2 billion greater than in the 70's and 80's. And people get old enough to get cancer, unless they die at a younger age because of war.
Regardless, in my family a bunch of people died of cancer. My paternal grandfather died of pancreatic cancer, my maternal grandmother died of kidney cancer, I had rectal colon cancer, my father had and survived leukemia, one of my cousins died of testicular cancer at age 23. One of the discovery factors for cancer cause of death is also the fact that people die at an older age today than 20 or 30 years ago. And so, because many people live long enough the get cancer later. And dying later is, or at least should be everyone's prerogative; it is mine for sure.
Whether you are concerned about cancer or not, you should always consult a doctor who can help you watch out for cancer signs. For example skin cancer signs are visible on your skin in a precancerous stage. Precancerous spots and infectious looking mold or fungus can be treated by either freezing it or cutting it out. Doctors will send in the biopsy to a lab to find out whether it may have been malignant or benign. What you want is 'benign', obviously. Or better yet, stay out of the sun. But what fun is that?
Other possible signs for cancer or symptoms related to cancer for example with colon cancer is pain in the abdomen, blood in the stool, and funny looking gooey alike stuff coming out together with the stool. The best rule of thumb to identify whether you should go to the doctor is pain. If the pain, in any case, no matter where it is, you should start investigating it. However keep in mind, in my case, the pain I experienced regarding my colon cancer was in my right foot heal. Using reflexology charts, the point that hurt on my heal was directly pointing to problem in my lower colon and sigmoid colon area and the rectum. Together with blood in the stool and a decade of slight but bearable pain, the signal became clearer and finally I went to the doctor.
Over the years I have investigated possible remedies for cancer, or at least things that might help prevent it and /or better it. Some very important remedy is food, although my oncologist said not to worry about food and just eat normal. Today, normal is fast food and everything out of the can.
The best foods to eat are lactose fermented cabbage (sauerkraut), carrots, garlic, celery, and red beat. What not to eat are white flour breads or pasta, sugar or any sugar substitute, sodas or carbonated beverages, alcoholic beverage, coffee, and excess of red meats. I have become a smoothie enthusiast because the vegetables and fruits are emulsified with a powerful blender to a point that more phyto nutrition is being released into the blood stream, thus giving you more nutrients. But besides blended foods and sauces, juicing is another good and additional method to add healthy nutrients to your body.
Besides food, one consideration for a cause of cancer was also fungal growth. Whether you believe it or not, fungus is all among us. It is inside of you and on the surface of various parts on your body. Fungus can easier grow in moist and warm areas of your body, areas that are not well vented, such as the feet between the toes, and in the lower pelvis areas, if you know what I mean, as well as under your armpits. Often times people have fungus also growing on their hands, mostly because those are the tools for scratching where it itches. And fungus is known to cause itching.
Science does not yet support the idea of fungus somehow being related to cancer. But there are more and more articles written about it. And if you consider a potential chance for that, and regardless of that, fungus still causing problems by itself even if it is not cancer associated, it is still a good idea anyway to get rid of it. And how is that done?
Essential oils like Rosemary, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Frankincense, Clove, Juniper, and a few others are known to be anti-fungal. Some of these oils may be more functional than others and may result in more burning or cooling than others. Peppermint is especially extremely cooling. Eucalyptus and peppermint are good vapor inhalants to address also nasal and lung related potential illnesses, things that may start with a runny nose or a cough.
Cancer, it's causes and remedies, is always a difficult and challenging topic to discuss. No matter what some people do or try to prevent it, or to heal from it, they are not successful. I have been visiting with many cancer patients during my visits when I received chemo and radiation treatments for my rectal colon cancer. It was a very humbling experience. Every single person I met wanted to live and wanted to try everything possible to survive, yet many of them did not. I do not have the perfect solutions either. For sure, trying to eat better and healthier, living a more active lifestyle, and looking at additional remedy options is not going to hurt.
Hopefully we will find the magic pill, or living waters, or the fountain of youth, that will heal us from death. My objective is immortality. And that I will have with certainty. But death is still a good chance to come my way sooner or later, in which case I definitely prefer "later", the later the better.
I could be talking about healthy foods this time. But what our business is really about is healthy equipment so you can blend up your healthy foods. You have already a great blender, either that being a Blendtec, Vita Mix, Waring, or an Omni blender.
Blenders don’t easily break, but the blades and jars wear out. Sometimes blades wear quicker. So let’s go over a few things to help you extend the life of your blender blades and jars, regardless of what brand of a blender you have.
Problems and solutions (most common) that could arise during blending:
Blade bearings (and bushings) can seize up - Rinse and dry by hand only
Jars can crack - Keep bottom plate tightened
If you blend heavy low-water-content ingredients (puree) you can get temporarily stuck or have a little delay getting the vortex / swirling of the smoothie miracle going - Use a tamper or when blending smoothies, make sure the solids to water ratio is right for the vortex
Problem 1: When you over-expose a blade bearing of your blender jar to water too much, water gets into the blade assembly housing and will wash out grease. You will see rust powder coming out on the bottom end of the blade assembly at the gear seal. This leads to damage to the bearings which then will not turn smoothly anymore. Bearings are getting hot already when they are in good condition. They become much louder and hotter when there is more friction due to bad bearings. This will lead to oil exit on the bottom outside of the where the gear sticks out of the blender container. When the blade seizes it can also transfer energy to the drive socket and snap it or strip it (Drive socket is on the blender motor).
With the Blendtec blender jars (Wildside, Fourside, Twister), as the picture above left indicates, the blades are permanent fix installed. If that breaks, you cannot just change the blade assembly, but you have to change the entire jar. There is a big advantage if you have a jar with a removable blade assembly because you just change the blade – see to the right – if you run into a problem. That said, there are in both cases preventative solutions that can help you preserve the blade assembly bearing and help you get more usage out of it
Solution 1: Always wash or rinse the blender jar by hand and then dry by hand to limit water exposure. For additional sanitizing, use a non-caustic water-diluted spray on sanitizing solution to briefly apply to the inside of the jar. Don’t leave jar in sink with water puddle or wash in dishwasher. If your blade has seized up, or shows signs of seizing (roughness of turning, noisier blending, smoke / smell), replace the blade right away to prevent further damage to the driver socket.
Problem 2: Jars, if they do crack, they mostly crack on the very bottom around the hole where the blade assembly inserted into the jar. This occurs mostly when the blade assembly is starting to seize up or has already seized and you keep blending with it and in addition the bottom plate may not be completely tight, or tight enough.
Solution 2: Make sure the blade assembly works well and there is no rust around the gear. If there is and/or you experience leakage on the bottom, immediately remove the blade assembly and inspect the jar and the blade. Replace the blade if the jar is still good. Or else replace the whole jar with blade. We do have new better working blending jars with sharp efficient advanced blending knives. Frequently check the bottom plate to see if you can manage turning it clockwise to tighten it, to make sure it stays tightened.
Problem / Solution 3: Simple, if you get stuck or your blender has a hard time getting the ingredients blended or started up, either add more liquid, or if liquid is not part of your recipe, use a tamper stick specifically designed for the use with your blender jar. In our case, we have a Universal Tamper that can be adjusted to work with any blender jar, from Blendtec to Waring or Hamilton Beach. Make sure you use the tamper to push down on ingredients with the flanges positioned correctly to avoid touching the blades and only inserting the tamper through the lid hole with the cap removed, the lid on the jar, of course.
If your Universal tamper accidentally touches the blade knives during blending, this is not a serious problem for the tamper. The material is a food grade FDA approved material, but it is not edible. You will lose your smoothie. But you can save the tamper with sand paper and/or a saw. The Universal Tamper is solid.
If the flanges come apart, use tape to secure the flanges. If you use a wooden tamper it will splinter into oblivion unfortunately and if you use a tamper made with injection molding plastic, it will break and not be usable anymore. If you do not have a tamper, I suggest you get one, even if think you never need one or needed one before. It takes only one time of difficult blending when you lose your hand or your fork. Never insert a fork, knife, or spoon into your blender jar during blending to push down on ingredients.
Even blenders made to work well without the use of a tamper need a push every now and then. And if you have a blender from a factory that recommends regular usage of a tamper to eliminate their air pocket, you will find, with the right solid – to – liquid ratio, you do not need to use the tamper.
Please check out our new Alterna Jars, sharp blades, advanced finer better smoother blending, interchangeable between Blendtec – Vita Mix – Waring – Omni, etc… blending volume of 80 ounces. Now available with a $10 OFF discount. Use Coupon code $10AlternaOFF (use with purchase $80 and up – good till supply lasts and/or subject to be discontinued without notice)
Blendtec wants to do everything in opposite Vita Mix does. Vita Mix blenders turn counterclockwise, so Blendtec motors turn clockwise. Vita Mix uses, even promotes, the safe use of air pocket eliminating blending accelerator tools (aka plunger or tamper). So Blendtec's Tom Dickson calls them silly (on Youtube), and in opposition promotes a blender and jars (especially the Twister) that do not need apparently a tamper "plunger". Vitamix has sharp blades, so Blendtec professes blades blend better when they are dull.
Really?
Sharp knives really cut better. Have you ever cut yourself on a dull blade edge? Can you cut an apple better with a dull or a sharp knife? Is a Samurai Sword dull or sharp? Is a circular saw blade dull or sharp? Do you know what happens when a circular saw blade is dull and you cut yourself? It pulls in your whole limb and rips it off instead of just a nice clean straight cut. Do you know what happens to wood when you cut with a dull blade? It is ripped to pieces with an ugly looking finish edge and splinters flying.
Get the point?
Sharp is definitely better:
A sharp knife in a blade assembly inside a blender jar cuts ingredients much finer and smoother. Blending goes faster, it is faster better tasting too. No logic question about sharp, just like with the logic behind that a blender apparently never needs a plunger tamper ("Blendtec friends"), while we sell a ton of tampers for Blendtec Wildside and even for the use with the famous Twister jar. Why would consumers buy tampers if they are not needed?
No need to be all about Rebel. By the way the Rebel Jar is a jar made by Blendtec to fit onto the Vitamix blender, an idea taken from 123Vita LLC in 2010, really nothing so rebel about when a company like Blendtec actually just rebels against common sense and all logic.
Blendtec makes good Blenders. The fight against everything that Vitamix does is childish. We make the real Rebel Jar, the Alterna Jar with replaceable blade assembly and the knives are really sharp, as sharp as a Samurai Sword.
The same jar fits multiple blenders, like the Vita Mix, Omni blender, or the Waring MX series of blenders, and all Blendtec blenders of course. And we offer a tamper for those who blend puree and nut butters. It's common sense. When you need it you are glad you have it.
Aftermarket components and products are produced and sold to consumers in various different markets. It is very common in the consumer technology industry as well as in the automotive industry. Aftermarket products and components / replacement parts usually are an indicator that a certain product is very popular. It is also associated to money savings to the consumer. In the pharmaceutics industry, the term ‘generic’ is often used. Perhaps the latter is not really an aftermarket component in the sense this article is referring to.
Blendtec®, Waring™ MX series of blenders, as well as Vita Mix® blenders are just three blenders from among a few other high performance smoothie blenders, of which a whole ton of are presently in use globally. It is estimated some 100 million of these particular powerful blenders roam the Earth in peoples’ kitchens and restaurants. About 60% of them, according to a study, are not in use. Why they are not in use is not really known. It could be in part a reluctance of user-interest and/or that and being broken down and just never having gotten to it to make a ‘replacement’ attempt of a broken blender blade or jar.
Most people are not very technically inclined. When their jar breaks, or the blade bearing of blade assembly in the jar seizes up, they interpret it as a broken down blender. The blender gets put aside until time and effort is made to make the warranty call, or if the warranty is expired, a new jar is purchased. If the blender is misdiagnosed as dead and broken, not being sure what is bad, time may tell that these high percentage consumers have their ‘broken down’ blender collect dust in storage.
In the case of these blenders, aftermarket components, such as replacement blade assembly cutting units (the knife, or in other words the blades) will be a money saver and a convenient solution, if only the consumer in possession of the broken down Blendtec or Vitamix blender (or Waring and others – non one brand in particular) would dig into finding out more about alternative replacement parts.
It is however not just about replacing a broken part, in the aftermarket industry. Additional jars offer opportunities to have spare parts for just in case, and an additional container for the purpose of alternating blender jars. The Kosher blending enthusiasts of course always use 2 jars. There are certain advantages to the number 2, two jars in possession rather than just one, especially when they are different. Blending is often better in one jar than in another depending on what one blends up.
The Alterna™ Jar, the aftermarket jar reported on in this article, brings several advantages to the table. Current users have reported an increase in finer blending, smoother concoctions, more thorough emulsification. The actual blending capacity is 80 ounces of ingredients. The jar is also, like the OEM factory containers, a BPA-Free copolyester material, with stainless steel removable blade assembly, and tamper stick accelerator tool available.
The advantages are certainly not always enticing to everyone, for example money savings. Some people may find a Blendtec Fourside replacement container for $60 plus shipping. Why would one purchase an aftermarket non-factory container for $80 including shipping? Those that do, are not buying it for immediate savings, or not for money savings reasons at all. The reason for that is that the old type Blendtec jar is always the same, no improvement with a blade that is just going to break again eventually and a new complete whole jar has to bought again, even if the price is only $60 instead of $80. If that same scenario happens with the Alterna Jar, one would have to simply just purchase a replacement jar for $35, instead of $60 for a new jar by Blendtec. Of course, Alterna has a package deal available for real blender enthusiasts, which is the jar with a blade already installed, plus an extra replacement blade for $99, including shipping.
Let’s assume the Alterna blade goes out at the same time the Blendtec blade would seize up, in the Blendtec jar. At that point the OEM factory enthusiast would have spent $120 while the aftermarket consumer fan spent only $99. But, again, not everybody may be interested in the cost factor issue. The Alterna jar blends better, blends bigger volumes, and is a heavier duty jar overall.
Waring MX series blenders, those that are truly 3.5 horsepower monsters, come with rather inferior blade and jar design. The OEM Waring container has a poor warranty, to one hand. On the other hand, the vertical jar wall goes into the bottom of the jar without curvature straight in a straight 90 degrees. There are numerous reports of poor performance and warranty issues and poor customer service. Plus a 2 Liter replacement jar from Waring costs anywhere from $120 to $160. The Alterna aftermarket container configured for the Waring MX series blenders performs better, hold up better and costs less as well.
Vitamix… ditto to Waring.
In conclusion, aftermarket is not for everyone. OEM has its advantages especially when the blender is still under warranty. In Europe or in Asia, Australia and South America, Blendtec and Vitamix warranties are general between 2 to 4 years maximum. Waring already has a 2 in 1 year warranty in the USA which means 2 year parts and 1 year labor. Costs of replacement jars in non-USA markets are mostly prohibitively expensive. In Brazil a Blendtec Fourside jar is $150 USD and $200 has to be coughed up for a Wildside jar. The same in Europe, the UK, in Australia and all over the Asian Rim.
Those consumers that consider the advantage of aftermarket recognize that aftermarket means that the OEM brands are going to stick around more likely longer, aftermarket components will bring the prices down everywhere, and aftermarket blender containers offer a convenience, a choice, a versatility, especially when this one blender jar actually fits on all, Vitamix, Waring, JTC Omni, Klarstein, Optimum, Omega blenders, and the Blendtec blenders.
Note, how the Alterna Jar sits on the various blenders, straight on Blendtec, and diagonally by 45 degrees on Vita Mix, Waring, and JTC Omni blenders. This is a little different than with any other blender jars, but it works, and is actually mostly designed that way so the same container can be used namely on different blender bases, such as the Blendtec and the Waring kinds.
Pros and Cons, if a blender were still under warranty, and consumer wanted to use the aftermarket Alterna jar, it is most likely assumed that the given factory might tell the consumer that such application is not authorized and will likely void the warranty. If the Blender motor might break, such use opens up the question of whether the jar and the aftermarket blade bearing may have contributed to, or perhaps was the cause of premature motor failure. However, there are several issues to that.
If the blade seizes up on any blender jar, it is the consumer's responsibility to stop using it, replacing the whole jar or the blade assembly from the Alterna jar with removable replaceable blade assembly unit. Plus, who is to say that a given consumer has not already over exerted their blender motor when running the blender motor with a seized up blade unit in their jar for far too long of a time and have not noticed it. Sure, if it can be proven that there is a relationship between the Alterna jar aftermarket container and a broken motor, it would only be fair that warranty is assumed, if there is a warranty. However, in every possible scenario, it should be taken into account, that it just cannot be proven. There are too many variables from abuse to a defect from the blender factory to begin with or simply just heavy normal use and therefore wear and tear having lead to an early natural death of said blender motor. It is simple, anyway, it should be considered to always pay close attention to the condition of the blade assembly and bearing, no matter if the user operates an OEM factory brand blender container or an aftermarket blender jar.
In any case, OEM brand factories should be exited about aftermarket blender jar availability. It is a sign that the market has reached a certain saturation and the brand is here to stay. The consumer views more choices and availability as convenient and as a great advantage, actually and eventually bringing down prices and helping to improve quality.