The Amazon generic brand is $65 and the Anova is $130. I would prefer to buy once cry once but I’m curious if anyone has any input on the pros cons or certain specs I should look for when buying. I would be using it mostly once or twice a week
by MPC1K
21 Comments
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You may cry twice when Anova decides to drop smartphone support for this model like they did with mine.
Inkbird is also a solid brand so you could check them out. I’ve had many of their products and they are good quality.
Might as well go for the Amazon brand. Anovas quality has gone into the toilet.
I have the anova. It’s lasted many years. Never used the app. No problems. Essentially it’s just a very accurate water heater. Read the reviews on Amazon. YouTube may have reviews on these also.
I like my Anova.
If you live in New England, Ocean State has this one for $99 with an equal store credit.
https://www.oceanstatejoblot.com/kitchen-gadgets/sousvide-art-precision-cooker-kit/282983
Anova has started treating their customers like shit. I currently have one but will not buy another when this one dies.
I got a cheap instant pot one and it works well. I would not pay top dollar for one. Just make sure the water temp is correct with a thermometer.
I don’t have experience with the Amazon brand, but I did try a cheaper brand once. We were on vacation and one of the other guests in our condo had brought a cheap sv. Did it work? Yes. All these sv units do is maintain water at an accurate temperature while circulating it. It’s not rocket science. However, it was tricky to use as you had to delve through layers of menus to set it up. My Anova has a simple wheel to set temp.
So I’d say buy the cheap one if you can’t afford the Anova; even a poor sv is better than no sv. But if you can afford it, get the Anova.
If you’re looking to save money, I see a lot of sous vide machines on Facebook marketplace for cheap.
INKBIRD
There’s several decent brands, but please consider not giving Bezos any more money.
I’ll never buy anything from Anova again after they decided to disable smartphone integration on mine because I’d had it for too long and they wanted to make me buy another.
Disgusting company.
Bought a SousVide Supreme 13 years ago. Still works like a dream – never had an issue with it.
I like my anova, but in all honesty, a sous vide circulator is a very simple device and unless it’s an utter garbage model, it will work fine. Just pay attention to wattage (the higher the wattage the quicker it heats up and larger container you can use), whether or not it has physical controls (preference, but I won’t buy one that requires an app to set time and temp) and obviously customer reviews.
It’s kind of a difficult thing to screw up, but many see that as a challenge.
Also, that particular model of anova is the same one I have. It has a major design flaw that I don’t think they ever addressed. The top face plate attaches with metal screws into PAPER thin plastic bits. So with normal use it will usually break off at some point. It’s not something you ever need to remove so I just glued it back down.
The anova aint special though. These are very simple devices. A heater, a water pump, and a thermometer. That’s pretty much it.
I have the original Anova One. It’s still working. I’m sure the quality has gone downhill since then though. The more “features” a product has, the less life it gets.
It’s a very simple device, so not much to go wrong. Temperature and time with automatic shutoff if water evaporates. Go with the cheapest. I never use any bells and whistles.
Big believer in buying the knockoff with a protection plan. Most things are junk, just buy the cheaper one and get reimbursed later.
Top rated is the Joule.