I'm interested in purchasing one of the small countertop portable
induction units, partly as a stepping stone to eventually buying a
built-in induction cooktop (to see if I actually like induction), but
partly because I think a portable unit could actually be really
useful. It would likely be better than my current low-end electric
coil range, so I might end up using it as my primary burner. So I'd
like to buy one that's more than a toy, but still reasonably cheap.
"Real" units like a CookTek are just too expensive for this purpose.
It seems like Sunpentown is the most popular manufacturer of units in
my price range. So I'm looking for feedback from people who have
actually owned or used one of these units about their performance and
durability. The choices seem to be the 1851 at around $100, the 1881
at around $130, and the 951 at $230 or thereabouts. The 1851 and 1881
seem to both be 1.2kW and I suspect the guts are identical, but in
slightly different packaging. Of course, packaging can make a big
difference, so it might be worth a little extra. The 951 claims 1.4kW
and seems to have a mostly metal housing -- looks like a slightly
scaled down commercial unit, actually. It is much more expensive, but
if it's also much better, I could be convinced to go for it. One
downside seems to be that the 951 has fewer power level settings than
the cheaper units, so fine adjustments would be difficult. (And one
thing I'm very interested in is the ability to "set it and forget it"
for long simmering without having to check on it every 5 minutes.)

TIA for any advice,

--
Randall

Randall Nortman wrote:
It seems like Sunpentown is the most popular manufacturer of units in
my price range. So I'm looking for feedback from people who have
actually owned or used one of these units about their performance and
durability. The choices seem to be the 1851 at around $100, the 1881
at around $130, and the 951 at $230 or thereabouts. The 1851 and 1881
seem to both be 1.2kW and I suspect the guts are identical, but in
slightly different packaging.

Basically, the 1881 has a ceramic top, and the 1851 has a (high-
temperature) plastic coating. I own both (one's at work). I like
the 1881 slightly better, but the real clincher is that the 1851 won't
support a pot larger than its top. Don't know anything about the 951.

I guess we use all nine power settings on our induction burner on the
"cook" (power-controlled) mode, and maybe two settings (just above and
just below boiling temp) when using the "warm" (temperature-controlled)
mode.

We have a very nice gas range now (the Blue Star 30"), but we still
use our induction burner pretty much every day. The timer is invaluable.

Donald

On 2007-11-04, Donald Tsang wrote:
[...]
Basically, the 1881 has a ceramic top, and the 1851 has a (high-
temperature) plastic coating. I own both (one's at work). I like
the 1881 slightly better, but the real clincher is that the 1851 won't
support a pot larger than its top. Don't know anything about the 951.

That is an important distinction. OK, so the 1851 is right out.
Still might consider the 951, for the higher power and apparently more
heavy-duty construction. I also just noticed that they apparently
have a new model out, the 1891, which is 1.3kW and offers a full 20
power settings but only 3 temperature settings. I welcome the choice
of power levels, but I'm rather disappointed at so few temperature
settings (see below). Actually, it's a little unclear whether there
are 3 temperature settings or 20 -- product descriptions on different
sites are contradictory. Perhaps an email to Sunpentown USA is in
order. (Why don't they just put PDF user manuals online?)


I guess we use all nine power settings on our induction burner on the
"cook" (power-controlled) mode, and maybe two settings (just above and
just below boiling temp) when using the "warm" (temperature-controlled)
mode.

I have thought that I might use it to make "long cooked eggs" and
similar custardy concoctions, which need to be held at around 150F
(65C) for a long period of time (8+ hours). That is also a good
temperature for keeping a dish warm and ready to eat, as it inhibits
growth of bacteria. I currently do things like this by using a
digital roasting thermometer with an audible temperature alert, but
it's a bit inconvenient.


We have a very nice gas range now (the Blue Star 30"), but we still
use our induction burner pretty much every day. The timer is invaluable.

Yes, it seems to me that the combination of temperature control and a
timer means that you basically have a slow cooker that works with
whatever (ferrous) pot you want to use. That's one of the really
intriguing things about these induction units to me. I wish they were
a bit more programmable, actually, like some of the slow cookers are
(i.e., simmer for 1 hour, then switch to keep warm at 145F).

Thanks for the information.

--
Randall