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© Copyright 1997, 1998, 1999, Jim Loy
Inflation and deflation doesn't just happen to money. Would it surprise you if I told you that I just had a 190,000 calorie meal? Yum, yum. I can hardly move. Well, the original calorie is a pretty tiny unit of energy. What we now call a calorie is actually a kilocalorie, in other words it is 1000 actual calories. So, I just ate 190 kilocalories. By calling a kilocalorie a calorie, we are not trying to fool anyone, we are just using a handier unit of measurement. The original calorie is too tiny for our purposes. People often capitalize the bigger Calorie.
I heard that the horsepower claimed by engine manufacturers is actually twice what the real horsepower of that engine is. A 100 horsepower engine is actually about 50 real horsepower. Maybe this happened because one engine manufacturer lied about his engine's horsepower, so everyone else had to lie in order to compete. So now, the smaller horsepower is standard, and it's not really a lie anymore. Anyway, in any test between engines and horses, bet on the horses.
I bought a toilet bowl cleaner called 2000 Flushes. And, I got about 700 flushes out of it. Has this guy inflated his flushes? His test toilet probably does little tiny flushes. I see that he doesn't guarantee that you get 2000 flushes out of that little blue brick. He also says that it lasts up to 5 full months. That's no guarantee either. I got a little over two months out of mine. But, I compared that with another toilet bowl cleaner (Vanish Long Life), which supposedly lasts up to 4 full months. And it lasted about a month and a half. So, I'll go with 2000 Flushes (after I test Lime Away).
Addendum:
OK, here are some more results (indicating the time it took for the product to dissolve). I did not compare prices, or cleaning properties. Some of these weigh significantly more than others. Most are "drop ins," meaning that you just drop them into the tank. I suspect that some lose there cleaning properties before they lose their color.
| Vanish Hang-ins | 141 days (very weak color most of that time) |
| Bully Blue Boy (jar) | 76 days |
| 2000 Flushes (Blue + Bleach) | 73 days (white part lasted much longer than that) |
| 2000 Flushes | 67 days & 61 days |
| Ty-D-Bol | 66 days (lots of residue) |
| Lime-A-Way | 60 days |
| Toilet Duck | 50 days |
| X-14 | 48 days (some white film) |
| Vanish Long Life | 42 days |
| Smith's | 42 days |
| Sani-Flush | 36 days |
| Albertsons | 33 days |
| Safeway | 32 days |
| Western Family | 10 days (gel residue) |
The Vanish Hang-in (fits into a plastic holder which limits the water contacting the product) lasted a long time, with a very weak color. This may depend a lot on how deep the water in the tank is. The Western Family product dissolved very rapidly, and may have been defective (There was a strong smell before I opened the package). I will try to test that one again. The Toilet Duck drop in is shaped like a duck, which undoubtedly speeds up the dissolving process. The Bully Blu Boy is a jar with a cap with holes in the side. There is a Safeway product that looks identical.