My first review didn't appear to post so I am doing a horrid job with a second try. UPDATE: Wow! The level of control on this is amazing. I could take something from "boiling" to "not boiling" by using the +/- with the temperature settings with just a five degree difference. Also let something cook on 600w rather than 900w - still boiled. Amazing. Items of note: - Usable "HOT" area in center ring area is a diameter of 6 3/4". - Max recommended pot/pan size if 10.3". Material in the 3.5" zone outside the inner ring will take longer to heat, etc. - PIC Flex is about 10.1" wide. 11 3/4" long, and 2 1/2" inches high. - Does not have an "Off" switch so may (or may not) use Vampire Power. - Can be set for 600w/900w/1300w, but cooking times are obviously "longer" for lower settings. - "Exhaust" vent looks to run from "9-oclock to 1-oclock" position. Air seems to exit around "11-oclock". - "Another vent ("Intake"?) looks to be around the "2-oclock to 3-oclock" position. - 32" cord is permanently attached at comes out "from the right" in between the two vents. - Area around the exhaust vent can get on the toasty side. - Digital thermometers are very useful to keep an eye on the temperature. - Heat does travel to the outer edge of the unit, so if using a larger pan for long periods of time, don't do like the picture on the box and put your hand on the surface. - Looks like it "cools reasonably fast". I wouldn't put my hand on it immediately after use, but it's certainly safer than a conventional stove top. If I had the remodel to do all over again, I could envision stealing the stove top's 40a breaker and instead just having a counter top with outlets for multiple NuWaves. Hmm..... Always The Future... Although it maxes out at 1300 watts, I am on the Paranoid Side so will be running it at 900 watts. Kitchen circuit is 20a, but never hurts to be safe. I like that they include a two quick-reference pages for those who tend to skip reading manuals, but even the "instructions" section of the "manual" is only about nine pages with the rest being recipes. A PDF version of the manual is also available. They list additional "accessories" for purchase in the manual. Ex: if I plan to store the PIC Flex rather than leave it on the counter, I would want to consider getting the Carrying Case (31115) to protect the PIC Flex from being bumped or scraped. One could also purchase an "induction ready cast-iron grill" (with drip tray) to actually "grill" on the PIC Flex (32023). Unfortunately, the carrying case (31115) does not appear to be listed on Amazon :( but the manufacturer sells it for (at present) $14.95 ***PLUS*** another $11.95 in shipping/handling/etc. $27.00 is a bit too much for a bag, so I may try the PIC Gold's slightly larger case (31111) as that is $18.95 and Free Shipping for Prime Members. Set at 900w, It boiled half a quart of water in a short amount of time, and one of the quick start pages also gives examples of times/wattage. Going to assume the temp was set to either "High" (425F) or "Max/Sear" (500F) . 1 cup water at: 600W / 900W / 1,300W Time: 4:15m 2:00m 1:30m I finally gave "cooking soup" a try, and that would be about 4.75 quarts of veggies and water and such. The bottom of the pot (usable area) was 7 1/4", so only 1/2" was outside the inner ring. I set the PIC Flex for 380 degrees and after thirty minutes it was showing signs of beginning to boil. I cheated and pushed it to 400 and it started boiling a few minutes later. After that, I turned it down to 360 and it was still bubbling away. I was too much of a coward to try adding the lid as didn't want to risk things spilling over. Everything worked flawlessly. The only issue was User Error - I was unaware of the Countdown Timer which I assume defaults at one hour. I wanted to let it boil for 45 minutes, but my ignoring the timer meant it shut off before this. I switched it back on and let things finish up. I pressed the "clear" button twice to deactivate the unit, and gave it a few more minutes to let the fan run to exhaust any additional heat. Then pressed the "off" switch on the device (rated for 1800w) that I had the PIC Flex plugged into. This unit is smaller than other models, so if one wanted to cook with larger pots/pans, one should opt for a larger NuWave unit. The benefit of this one is the smaller size, so if one is trying to save space and isn't planning to use larger pots/pans - Get This! :) Combined with the ability to choose your wattage (600w/900w/1300w) and temperature, this is a great all-round single burner for environments where space or power is a concern. The Countdown Timer is an added safety feature. Should one get called away, fall asleep, etc, the PIC Flex will shut itself off - less concern of burning food or worse. Where was this when I was in college? Hot Plate = Stone Knives & Bear Skins! Negative Stuff... :( Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) Concerns ================================= The manual mentions "This appliance emits an electromagnetic field that is STRONGEST within TWO FEET of the cooking surface." The manual also mentions "Do not place devices or objects that are sensitive to magnetic fields on top of or next to the NuWave(tm) PIC Flex. (Eg: credit cards, cell phones, radios, TVs, video recorders, etc.). This may well be "CYA Boilerplate" documentation, but still something to consider. If one exists in the 21st century, then one may have on one's person a cell phone and/or some credit cards. And if one is operating the PIC Flex without Plastic Man Arms (or a long stick) then one is going to be well inside the "electromagnetic field that is STRONGEST within TWO FEET of the cooking surface." So one could interpret the manual to infer that it might be wiser to keep one's wallet and cell phone "elsewhere" when using the PIC Flex. Some Annoyances =============== - There is no "off" switch so may be using "Vampire Power". As I don't like things that could be switched on by an accidental touch, will be plugging this into something that will function as an "off" switch (rated for 1800w). - Cord is a bit on the short side and comes out from the "right" so this limits where one might place the PIC Flex. If the cord was centered in the rear or a bit longer, this wouldn't be much of an issue as I want to avoid Stretching the Cord. - Above mentioned concern about "EMI". - The ads state that the unused area "remains cool" and that is not a completely accurate statement. One can't banish physics, and there isn't a vacuum (or a force field) to keep the heat contained inside the 6 3/4" inner ring. Heat will radiate out from the center to the unused area. Not much, but it is noticeable. Ex: I was using a pot with a "contact area" of about 5 1/2" to boil water. When I started, the digital thermometer said the overall surface temp was about 72 degrees. When I took the pot off the PIC Flex later, then "center" area was around 170 degrees and the outer ring was 84 degrees. Obviously the heat will radiate outward from the center, with the points closest to the pot/pan being the hottest. Since humans operate at 98.6 degrees, 84 degrees is nothing to worry about, but just mentioning that heat will radiate out from the center. I assume the bigger the pot/pan, the hotter the temp, and the longer the time, the hotter the outside area will be. Ex: Place a HOT pot/pan on a table, and the surface of the table is going to heat up.. etc. UPDATE: When I was cooking soup, the area of the ring behind the pot was pushing 115 degrees. No force fields, so the heat is going to radiate out from the center. - If one is going to use this with an "off" switch, do NOT turn it "off" immediately after use. The internal fan will be running for at least a minute after you stop using the PIX Flex, so wait at least 90 seconds to allow the fan to dissipate heat from the unit. - The heat has to go SOMEWHERE (physics again). The exhaust vent doubles as a mini space heater. I was measuring temps of 115
