Bulbs & Fittings Ideas

For all the users who have had this fail. There is a minor “flaw” with this product, but failure can be avoided easily.

There is a thermal fuse in the product located near the side of the device. You should maintain 10 inches of clearance around all sides (no towels, etc.) to prevent the thermal fuse from overheating causes the device to “fail”. This fuse is intentionally sensitive to avoid the product from causing a fire.

(Ideal design would have been a resettable PTC fuse, but this would increase cost).

The temperature control is from a bimetallic switch whose tension is controlled by a screw connected to the knob. Internals are well built and mounted, albeit simple. Appropriate heat shielding is used.

Otherwise – don’t expect magic. I purchased this for a sous vide and intentionally chose a simple cheap product. However caveats for users expecting fast temperature response: while it heats very quickly, it cools very slowly. (I did not rely on the thermostat to control the temperature, the included thermostat only very roughly controls the temperature and allows it to fluctuate wildly.)

Edit 9/10/2012
So far no issues, fairly constant use. For users wondering – I find it draws around 8 Amps (max amperage). A 6 Amp breaker will trip when running this device (I would size all wiring for 15 Amps, but that’s just me).

Also the top surface is very heavy, which causes it to hold a great deal of heat – if you are building a sous vide – I would try to maintain the temperature of the surface to your desired temperature. (eg place your thermocouple near the bottom of the pot, I let mine touch the bottom).

Edit 12/13/2012
Note: Your mileage may vary: the HIGH temperature setting does still regulate the temperature. Aka setting it on HIGH isn’t going to just cause it to be constantly powered. This I don’t mind. If it were to be constantly powered it would without doubt blow the thermal fuse, and with my PID controller – it doesn’t really affect anything.

I don’t usually write reviews of products, but when I saw the overwhelmingly negative reviews this product has received, I had to speak up. I’ve had one of these for several years, and it’s been working — and still works — flawlessly. I use it mostly for keeping a pot of tea at the temperature I like throughout the day, and I’m quite pleased with how well I can control the temperature of the hot plate.

The heating plate is cast — something, and it holds heat well. It does everything I want it to do exactly as I want it to do it, and the price is pleasantly modest. What more could I want? I don’t know what planet these other folks are on, but the reason I returned to this product page is to buy a second one for my office!

Works well, and exactly as it should.

I followed the advice of another reviewer here, heeding the recommendation to give the unit plenty of space while operating it so as not to activate the thermal safety trigger. And yes, it does get very hot, and yes because the top is cast iron it remains hot for a very long time. Cast iron is a righteous conductor.

So, it would figure, if one is looking to accomplish a low simmer, or to gently warm something one should start at the lowest setting wait a few minutes for it to heat up, then gradually turn up the heat IF needed. And keep in mind the lowest setting is when you turn the nob JUST enough to turn it on. Again, because the top is cast iron the heat will remain so it is much easier to increase the heat rather than decrease it.

Also, if you’re looking to boil something this nifty little burner will bring a pot to boil relatively quickly, which is nice.

In summation, this burner is not expensive, nor is it intuitive. It does what you tell it to, and for the price it’s a rather good value.