I got this to do online cooking demos. Unfortunately, the fan is so loud that no one could hear me talking over the sound of it. I didn't have a backup burner, so I had to use it and thus couldn't return it, so I'll just use it for still photos, etc. I've had multiple induction single burners and I've never had one with a fan this loud. Aside from the fan, it functions well and has solid heat distribution and seems very well built and reliable.

This is an amazing extra stove top burner. It's easy to use, heats up quick & is portable. Well worth the price. I will definitely buy this product again & tell all my friends.

A quick update. I have been using this induction cook top for 6 months now on a daily basis, it is the only cook top I use. I am still as happy with it as I was when I first started using it. Getting use to the heat settings did not take long and it does hold true to the temperature. I most certainly recommend this product to others. Am very happy with my investment.

I just received my Duxtop induction cook top from Amazon a few days ago. I have to say, this is a wonderful cook top and I am glad that I made this purchase. I purchased it because my regular gas cook top was no longer safe to use and I needed a burner desperately. I did my homework on several of these cook tops and I found this to be the best option in its price range. There is a slight learning curve in using it as the heat settings are accurate and of course you have to use the preset heat ranges, they increase or decrease by 20 degrees and are not quite what you would expect them to be -- I would like it better if you could increase or decrease by 10 degree increments, and if low went a little lower, say to 120 degrees. I am not sure that on my regular cook top I ever actually cooked at 350/360 degrees even though I thought I was.

I did read in other reviews as to the sound of the fan -- not even as bad as indicated -- and the red "on" light remaining lit -- not a problem and you know you have your appliance plugged in -- I am glad that the light stays lit and you can tell the difference between it being plugged in to power and the unit actually being on -- it is not rocket science -- with the light being on I can remember that I need to unplug it, as anything electrical from a TV etc. can start a fire if left plugged in and you have a faulty plug you might not know you have. I unplug everything when I leave or just when I am not using it -- I have all my electrical items on surge protectors so it is easy to "disconnet" them by just shutting off the surge protector switch. (you might want to consider purchasing a meter to check the working condition of your electrical outlets and then you can replace a faulty outlet before it can cause a problem (fire) -- they are inexpensive, you do not need to be an electrician to check the outlets and the device just plugs into the outlet and lets you know if the outlet is working properly or not -- a great safety device that will save a house fire.)

An induction cook top reguires pans that have a magnetic bottom on them, so you do need to use a magnet to see if it adheres to the bottom of your pans. I mostly use Calphalon pans and they are not magnetic, but I also use cast iron pans (which I actually prefer except for the weight, but now I have found they are making light weight cast iron pans) which are. Also, be sure to take a magnet with you when you shop for pans for your induction cook top. I found I did have a couple of stainless steel fry pans that were magnetic, but I have no sauce pans that are and will need to purchase a couple or invest in the special magnetic round (amazon sells this) to put on the cook top between the cook top and non-magnetic pans so that you can use them. At $34.99 it is pricy for what it is - but if you do not want to have to purchase new pans and yours are not magnetic you will need to invest in one.

As always, I was very pleased with the order processing and handling and had my unit within three (3) days. I am a Prime Member, if you are not and you order from Amazon on a somewhat regular basis you might want to consider becoming a Prime Member, AND NO I am not an Amazon employee -- their program just has great benefits including the 2 day shipping.

Anyway, you can not go wrong purchasing the Duxtop and I am going to not replace my cooktop, but am going to keep on using this one and will purchase an additional one and then go with a stand alone convection oven. I would not hesitate to recommend this unit to my friends, and have done so, that they purchase this unit.

I will say, you do not want to purchase an induction cooktop, or any kind for that matter, that is rated below 1500-watts (regardless of what they give you free along with it, you will not be happy with its performance, plus you will have paid excessively high shipping and handling costs both ways and for that cost you could have purchased two of these -- I am sure you have seen the infomercials a well known company has running whereby they will send you two for the price of one -- they obviously know the worth of their unit and that you will be returning it and they will not refund the shipping and handling cost -- so think seriously about how what appears to be a good bargain but is not!

I also want to add that I live full time in an RV and the Duxtop works beautifully and does not take up too much space -- I have it on top of my non-working unit, I just put a cutting board over the top of my stove and set it on that. Hope this helps if you are contemplating the purchase of one of these units.

I swear by gas stoves. Wouldn't buy a house that didn't have gas. It was my ONLY show-stopper condition when we were house shopping. I was flexible on everything but that.

I cooked A LOT. The only reason I bought an induction cooktop was because I wore out both sides of the inserts on my [brand name] gas cooktop (they rusted to bits from constant use) and since I wanted time before I decided what my replacement would be, I ordered one of these to tide us over. We had the grill insert, so with one "burner" and a double grill, I'd have time to think.

I was shocked at how great the Duxtop induction cooktop was. I was a tough sell, but they won me over.

Water (for pasta) came to boil faster than my gas stove ever did. Peanut oil, for frying chicken, was also ready faster than anything I'd ever experienced with gas, and it stayed hot (I burned the first batch!). It has also been marvelous for wok cooking, and that's what made me a total convert. I've had to learn how to cook with it, but that hasn't been too difficult, since the results have been worth it.

The heat is so hot that I ruined a wok with a non-stick coating and had to go for the old-fashioned, steel kind instead. I like that! You'd think that would have turned me off of induction cooking, but just the reverse. Stir fry is SUPPOSED to be hot and quick (that's how you get cooked through veggies that maintain their color). I spent $25 on an all steel Wok at the cooking store with the initials W&S, and I've been making the best stir fry to ever come out of my kitchen. If for no other reason, getting one of these cooktops is worth it just for that (just don't use your non-stick coated wok with it--it WILL get too hot). Be sure to buy a wok with a flat bottom, and it has to be steel, of course, or the induction won't recognize it, and it won't turn on.

I was enjoying all of this so much, I ordered a second Duxtop cooktop, exactly like the first one.

The other thing that's been fun is cooking wherever I want in the kitchen (or where there is an outlet). There's a nice spot, right next to the sink, where there's great light in the kitchen. This is where it has been best to stir fry, near the sink (as I don't have a pot filler tap next to my stove), and having water close to a steel wok for quick rinsing between dishes is a good idea. No problem if I spill a bit, and it is close to where I've cut all the veggies. No walking back and forth to the stove. (Made me realize even more how badly laid out my kitchen is--as if my husband needed me to have more of a reminder of that!)

All of this has made me rethink my stove replacement. Maybe I don't need to do anything other than buy a replacement drop-in for the exact same cooktop I already have, and continue using the Duxtop Cooktops, as I'm using them now. Maybe we should all rethink how we cook in our kitchens, eh? Some of us have multiple sinks and dishwashers now. Why not multiple cooktops, in different cooking zones?

And no, I'm not a shill for Duxtop. It just makes sense to think about cooking zones in the same way we're thinking about other zones in our kitchens.

This is not to say I'm a total convert to electric cooking. It still has its downsides, as always. I can't scramble eggs with it without burning them or overcooking (or anything that requires medium or subtle heat, or with copper bottom pans--which is unfortunate), but induction cooking does bring something to the party that ordinary electric cooking never had: Higher, quicker heat. Did I say quick? I mean IMMEDIATE! Electric cooking is always going to have the same problem of hot zones that it always had, and these are not going to solve that problem. With gas heat (especially with copper bottom pans) the heat spread is even, and spreads evenly up the sides of the pan, covering the bottom. With electric, the heat is going to be hotter where there is a coil. Induction improves on that a bit, because there are no coils, but there is still a cooking center. (I found that if I move the pan so that it doesn't have a chance to get too hot in any one place, I burn the food less.) All of this takes practice and experience. I'm sure that people who have more experience with electric cooking burn food on gas stoves, so it is what you are used to--so this isn't a magic bullet, but it is certainly better than the old-fashioned coils. But, as I said, the speed at which you can boil, or bring heat to other dishes is well worth the learning curve, where it wasn't worth it before.

These cooktops have two methods of setting the temp: either a numeric setting of 1 to 10 or a kind of high/medium/low, but in a setting of 1 to 4 (I think, I never use that setting). I prefer the 1 to 10 setting (giving the greatest control). I set to 10 when I want to bring water to boil, but then quickly change the setting to about 3 to keep things boiling, and 2 to maintain a simmer (for things like sauces), or 1 to keep things warm.

It's my belief that every house needs at least one of these. They're handy for parties (when you need an extra burner), for emergengies (if the gas stove breaks), they'll be great for the summer for boiling corn (take it outside and put near the grill), and there is no way to get this kind of high heat for stir fry or quick boiling without upgrading your gas pipe to 3/4".

You don't have to be as crazy as me and buy two, but at these prices, it isn't as crazy as it sounds. Party, table cooking (for shish kabap or steak on "stone") will be great this summer too.

I'd recommend these to anyone... and I'd recommend two. Just avoid buying the interface disks (the products sold so you can use pans other than steel). Those ARE a waste of time. They don't work (they get too hot, causing the cooktops to shut off). Spend your money on a few extra steel pans instead... because you can't have too many pans EVER.

UPDATE 2/2012: I've had these a year now. I continue to use them, meaning they haven't ended up in the dead/bored appliance part of the pantry. Most of the time I keep one by the stove (that I still haven't fixed) and one by the sink. I'll move them around, as needed. I'm still not a very good electric-stove chef, but they continue to work, as advertised. If the food doesn't turn out properly, the fault is definitely with me. They were a saving grace during the Holidays: 3 burners were enough to get us through Thanksgiving and Christmas. The advice above, to allow the pan to warm up a bit (to setting 5) before blasting it (at setting 10) has prevented other non-stick pans from losing their non-stick coating, and having it flake off on the food. Not a good thing at all.

I absolutely could not be happier with this cooktop.

I set out to specifically purchase a different brand based on recommendations that I had read on several cooking sites. But as I compared features, specifications, prices, and the ergonomics of the design... the Duxtop appeared to be the better choice.

My order arrived sooner than scheduled. Yea! I'm not a patient fellow, so it was test when I prepared that evening's meal. The one and only induction ready pan I accidentally own proved in the first dish that I would be delight with this new, to me, methodology. As soon as I mastered it!

Electric ranges have been on my dirty list since leaving the country. (No gas to be had in the city here.) I was fed up with the lack of heat control and the delayed responses to adjustments. When one lady discussed induction as her favorite tool when commenting on her recipe cite, I liked the sound of it.

Thus I began researching the method and perusing recommendations. Those all leaned towards two other brands; one being what I had read about on the lady's recipe page. Duxtop was not on the lists. Why? It looked to significantly be a better product than the two big-name brands.

Almost a month now of cooking with it for at least two meals a day, and I could not be happier! I still have only that one induction pan, but I have lots of cast-iron that I love. [The cast-iron is ideal for this device because the heat goes into the food, not the pan, I am often done with a dish before the handle even gets warm.] This Duxtop cooks so well that I can, and do, frequently prepare two dishes per meal on it.

The heat control is exactly what I desired. And, the food heats almost instantly. Because of this I'm finding it hard to keep up, as I was used to having time to do other things or just idle myself waiting on the electric range. Now I have to be on my game or things will be cooked before I'm ready to add the next ingredient!

I have yet to even need to set to the highest temperature. The cooktop comes on at medium, and I find that I most often lower that to medium-low. Only when using the 5 and 6 quart pots or the 12" skillet (all cast-iron) have I needed to set it to medium high.

The controls are simple, with a sensible layout, and properly located for ease of use. They are large enough for a man's fingers and the markings are easily legible to my old eyes.

Clean up is a cinch, just a swipe with the dishrag. Done.

One absolutely wonderful aspect of induction cooking is that the heat goes into the food... not the kitchen. No sweating over a hot range now. That also equates to less energy usage and I am sure to see that when the electric bills come. With the amount I cook, I expect to see a savings payback in less than a year!

The Duxtop sits precisely over a small burner on the electric range, so I have not had to give up any precious countertop space, with the added advantage of being able to use the range hood fan to draw away the steam of cooking.

If I can squeeze another purchase out of my Social Security, I won't need the range at all. A large board over that to hold two Duxtop cooktops will even provide me a net increase in work space.

I have not once found any item to fault; this product has exceeded my expectations and thus a well earned 5 Stars!

That was in July 2015, it is now October 2015. Did I say I could not be happier? Well I really do mean that!

The heat of summer has passed, without overheating my kitchen with the big electric range that I hate.

This Duxtop burner has cooked everything I've asked of it. And done so flawlessly. At this time, I don't know if I'd even go back to using a gas range. I've used timer and temperature setting features a lot, and love 'em. The highest (10) power has never been needed, and 90% of my cooking has been done in the 2-7 power ranges when not using the direct temperature control.

I have added a couple of new induction compatible stainless steel pans to the one I accidentally had, but my cast-iron is still my usual go-to first cookware. I've just learned to slowly pre-heat them first for better performance. And the Duxtop is still faster than waiting for the range's coils to heat up!

I did cover the electric range with a piece of counter-top. Although I only laid it there so as to be easily removable, I have yet to need the range. I now have two induction burners and more counter space. I'm in heaven!

Now I have to admit, sadly, to finding one single thing to fault: The control panel is level with the cooking surface. I carelessly moved a 12" cast-iron skillet onto part of the control area and left a slightly melted semi-circlular mark across it. Shame on me! But, the Duxtop suffered my ill abuse without any ill effect in operation. Hint to Duxtop: slope the control panel to protect it from people like me

Is 5 Stars all I can give this item? It deserves more!