Who we use

Here's who's responsible for the wonderful web site you're currently enjoying.

We're very pleased with all the companies and providers here - You can consider it as an advocation and recommendation of them all.

Except the ones which are struck off - which are noted as a warning for you that they... "displeased" us.


Content writer: J J Doyle
Who thanks every one of you people who left comments of approval with their orders or have just written in to compliment the style and content. Actually, it's me who's writing this paragraph right now, so I'd like to say "you're very welcome" and I'm very increased to hear from people who've found it enjoyable and/or helpful with the details we write up. You lot are what makes it continue to be fun to get out of bed on work days.


Online ordering software: X-Cart http://www.x-cart.com
Very fully featured shopping cart, well maintained and updated, thriving user community. Qualiteam have also been right on the ball and fairly priced when hired to carry out some of the trickier work we needed and were rubbish at doing ourselves.
PREVIOUSLY: Actinic Catalog - did the job well enough when we started out, but it had to go; required a local client running on a computer at Clarity Towers which is primitive these days. And it doesn't support online customer accounts. Very lame now. I don't know about you, but I always like to look at my order history on web sites - the moment I place an order!


Web site hosting: Fused Network http://www.fusednetwork.com
An exceptional web host. Previous hosting company Hostroute UK really dropped the ball over the years and became miserable for performance and service but the idea of moving a live e-commerce web site without breaking it was so terrifying we stayed. Fused actually hands-on helped transplant the live site to their server. They have superb hardware and network infrastructure, and they are razor sharp with administration and client servicing. And not at all expensive. Give them your hosting business, from personal stuff to corporate, and tell them Clarity sent you - (in case we get any freebies for referring you!)
PREVIOUSLY: Hostroute UK - such a relief to be free of them now.


Our own worthy ADSL provider: Zen Internet http://www.zen.co.uk
These guys are gods in the British ISP arena. Consistently the best figures by a significant margin on ADSLGuide's user ratings since DSL was invented, but always quite expensive versus the competition. Slightly cheaper these days, but to be sensible, if you want the best, you pays up for it. I dread the day when one of the grazing cattle mass market ISP giants buy them out. Hopefully their genius and proud Directorate won't let that happen.
PREVIOUSLY: Nildram. Actually very good performance but when they were bought by Tiscali I had to get rid of them - you see, Tiscali was once known as Screaming.Net, who were AWFUL BASTARDS back in the dialup days (and I risk no lawsuit for saying that, I have the paperwork to back it up) and I vowed never to give them another cent so long as I lived. Sadly Nildram has gone the way of the Giant Corporate now and no longer has their endearing pride and effort which they had when they were younger. They're not the Clarity choice any more but they're still a competent ISP at time of writing.
PREVIOUSLY PREVIOUSLY: Pipex Internet. Served us well in the time we used them - we just changed up to Nildram because they were lightning fast and beautifully run. And other than that it's a shame they bought my beloved Nildram, in turn fell under Tiscali, which in turn itself was swallowed by Carphone Warehouse, no grumbles to report from actual experience.