Highlander Bi-I8Vi2

Wow it's still going well – Bought this years ago. Not only keeps working but does everything well. Thought I would get another and tried a Breville - piece of you know what. The Highlander does what I tell it, the Breville knows better . . . well it doesn't . . . stuffs most things up.

Great Value – Let's start with the price ... you see this advertised for under $50 (delivered) and start to think.. boy this thing must be cheap rubbish. I convinced myself to dispel that fear and just give it a go - heck I figured that losing $50 was an acceptable risk. Anyway, I'm glad I did, because this hotplate is darn right awesome for the money!. I just wanted one as a spare because we only have a 4 burner ceramic top. This has totally changed the way I cook. Since buying it, the ceramic plates have hardly been used. Everything is so quick and easy on this one that it simply doesn't make sense to use the age old hot plates which take forever to heat up and cool back down. This thing is instant - turn it on; pan is instantly hot; there's really no waiting or chasing temperatures.

Very nice, reasonably good temperature control (in 20 deg.C increments; or via wattage), and it also has a timer. If you've never cooked with induction - it's like gas only better. Gives you far nicer and faster control over your cooking. This is certainly a very nice addition to any small kitchen.

The only criticisms I could level at it is that the internal fan and the internal beeper are slightly too noisy, but these are very minor points. Build quality seems very reasonable for the money.

Highly recommended.

Plasticky, but works well – You get what you pay for. But at under $50, this is a bargain portable induction cooker. It is fairly intuitive to work and has variable heat 60C-240C in 10C increments, variable power levels 200-1800kwh and a timer. It takes a little fiddling to work out the best heat & power combo for your cooking needs, but it is instantly controllable and fast. I've found myself pulling this out to use rather than using the built in gas hob. Be careful with the plastic front panel where the controls are. The cheap plastic melts on contact with a hot pan, and mine is plenty scarred! Induction is fast and responds instantly. Small footprint. Light. Portable. Cheap material. Plastic front panel melts on contact with hot pan. Inadequate manual.

Good value – I am averse to purchasing cheaper products but made an exception in this case and all turned out good. Soon we will be buying a full size range cooktop and have thought of induction cooking and bought this as a trial that could later be moved into the caravan. I am sold on induction cooking. Great piece of kit! Instant heat control. Only issue was i finished cooking and left the pan slightly over the front and melted some of the plastic near the controls. Hasnt stopped it working though. (Cant help stupidity) Quality. Speed of heating and cooling when off. I melted the front by leaving a hot pan slightly over the front of the cooker. Maybe a small lip would prevent this.