IMUSA Double Electric Hot Plate, Black

Perfect for my cooking needs...retiree, living alone. This was top rated on a top cooking channel. This won over the butane type burners.This is a hot plate (think of a dorm room)....no more, no less. I fry eggs, boll, reheat, replacing my replacing my commercial grade range. I wish the burner area was larger. A rice cooker completes my stovetop needs.

My use is "off label"I bought it to heat a small pan of blueing salts.At full power the unit got the molten salts hot enough to produce a uniform dark blue.My lab hot plate melted the salts in the pan but did not reach blueing temperature.It has enough power to boil a small pan of water and is very sturdy.The smooth surface heated my blueing evenly.

I give it four stars because my wife and I lived with this as our only stove for a year. It was knocked off the counter, spilled on, and even kicked around a bit during a move and never failed to work. It was pretty damn durable, all things considered.The burners on this are slightly tilted, making it extremely easy for pots and pans to slide off. A bit difficult to clean since I couldn't detach the coils. Had two temperatures; off and boiling. Overall, not what I would pick for long-term use, in something like a small apartment. But it is a handy item to have for something quick, like warming up some soup; as long as you're not taking your hands off the pot and not really making a mess.

My stove went out on me and I found this efficient for my needs.

Terrible. Turns off and on. Seems like you can’t use both burners at once.

This is s great little burner! Excellent value. Compared to its "familiar 'trusted' brand competition, the Imusa outperforms by all metrixs: The cast iron covering (welded to base) distributes the heat evenly compared to the old coils; it heats up fast, and the extra wattage (1200) is a significant step up from the old 1000. It boils water in a big pot, and simmered chicken consomme, poached 2 eggs, kept all the food piping hot. No impatient "hangry" chef :) The cast iron on black and compact design looks great on the countertop (had to stow my old burner, it looked like a garage item). Elevated feet protect your countertops. One caveat: the entire unit does get hot, even the casing. Use hot plates to move it, keep one handy.

This item arrived loosely packaged, and one of the plastic end caps was broken in the packaging. Returned and ordered a replacement which arrived in a similar broken condition. That item was also returned. The unit itself appeared to be well made, and I give it 3 stars, but it probably would not survive a drop without damage.

Impossible to fully express how much I like this new & improved hotplate! Very fine item. I especially appreciate the closed top, so if I ever again let a pot boil over, there won't be any place to clean that I can't reach. The old hotplates with those coils were next to impossible to clean well. The size is just right too for the little studio apt I'm planning in the downstairs back half of my old Vic. Or the tiny house I might build if I ever join an LLC over-50 community. Or ....