NORPRO 559 Immersion Heater for Warming Liquids
by Norpro
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List Price: Our Price: $4.50 You Save: $3.99 (47%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of NORPRO 559 Immersion Heater for Warming Liquids
Customer Review: Cheap, Designed to Self Destruct So You Have To Buy Another
Summary: 1 Stars
These are great travel ideas, and very handy during their very short lifetimes. That might be one use, might be at most a couple dozen uses if you're incredibly lucky, but sooner or later they all die. They're designed to, cheaply made in China with a one-time fuse designed to destroy the unit permanently anytime it senses the unit is 'too hot'. That will happen anytime you remove the coil while it's still plugged in, even for a microsecond as other reviewers describe. It will also happen anytime you bring water to a boil and leave the coil in, continuing to boil the water (IE trying to boil a 3 minute egg); even though it's still fully immersed, the fuse will still self-destruct. It can also self-destruct even if you've unplugged it if you simply leave it unplugged in the water that it's already heated. It will self=destruct if you drop it off a table, even onto the softest carpet.
No matter what you do, no matter how religiously you obey the instructions, these will just self-destruct. You have to think of them as disposable, and temporary, like a cigarette lighter (except lighters work hundreds of times reliably until they give out and they're much much cheaper)
I've bought easily three dozen of these at various places over the years, and I hate it, but they're just designed to fail. I figure if they save me two cups of room service coffee I've broken even and anything beyond that is convenience=plus=savings. Like other reviewers I would gladly pay much more for a reliable, long lasting, well designed American product, but they no longer exist--another industry sold off to China.
A bulkier option is to buy an electric travel pot, or if you're going abroad, buy one there--hopefully better made, and definitely in the local voltage.
Customer Review: Works great but Fried on third day - $ in drain with cold water
Summary: 2 Stars
I thought this product was going to be fabulous and it was-it heated liquid very very quickly - so quickly sometimes that it was boiling before I even realized it. But just as quickly unfortunately it's also way too sensitive. I read all the instructions and warnings and thought OK just have to be very careful with it. I was removing it from the side of mug and trying to unplug it at same time as it was boiling water in the mug and must have lifted it just a tad too high out of water-it was not completely out of the water but the top of the heating coil must have been just a hair out of water - I heard a noise and saw smoke and it was dead. When they say don't lift it out of water while it's plugged in they mean it literally. I'm sure that's what happened on most of the negative reviews that say it just died. Don't move it around in mug at all unless it's unplugged or it will short out instantly - it took less than a second and it was gone along with the money I paid for it which was a great price. Although it worked splendidly to boil the liquid quickly, it needs an in-line switch to turn off for easier removal when you've let it boil too long - it's just too easy to forget not to lift it above a certain level when you're trying to unplug it hurriedly and lifting it out simultaneously. If you can train yourself not to touch it at all unless it's unplugged I'm sure it'll work great for you.Customer Review: Fool me Twice, Shame on Me
Summary: 1 Stars
Fool me Once Shame on You. Fool me Twice Shame on Me.
Yes, i've purchased two of these immersion heaters. both failed after only a few weeks of simple and limited use. With both units, the failure occurred after the water (filled in a ceramic mug well above the top of the heating coil stem) reached a rolling boil (at sea level). In each failure, the failure was discovered when attempting to heat a second mug of water on the same day - No response whatsoever to plugging unit in to the hotel 110v. Tried reseting GFI breakers and plugging it into all outlets that were otherwise working, lamps, etc...) I suspect that the defect with these units is a low threshold for the "one time" safety circuit. Once this circuit faults, the heater is destroyed.
Also, you should know the guidance for these heaters. Do not plug the heater in to the wall outlet until the heater is immersed in the water you hope to heat. Make sure the metal "coil" in completely immersed for the entire time the unit is plugged in. Unplug the unit and let it cool down before removing it from the water you have heated. I've followed each of these rules faithfully and the units each failed after a matter of weeks (approximately a dozen uses each).
Does anyone know of a basic reliable immersion heater that operates as advertised?
Customer Review: Simple and well-performing product - BUT READ DIRECTIONS!
Summary: 5 Stars
The name of the product is pretty self explanatory.
Its PORTABLE.
Its IMMERSIBLE.
And it HEATS.
So why would anyone not think this works well?
You can't heat soup, or lasagna, or hot chocolate or even coffee or tea if you follow the directions to the letter. You can heat WATER. PERIOD.
Anything else and you're likely going to be disappointed that the unit dies a premature death.
That immersible thing is tricky too, because the cord is short.
You can't plug it in before you immerse it.
You can't remove it while it is still plugged in.
You can't let it boil off the water leaving it above water level (meaning you CANNOT leave this unattended).
Follow these three simple rules, and I think you'll be more than pleased with yours.
One that I had lasted over a year...until-distracted-I forgot about it.
Came back to find a half full cup of water and a dead heater.
My bad.
Learn from my mistakes.
Enjoy hot beverages anywhere on the go!
AND FOR ANYONE WONDERING...
ACEHARDWAREOUTLET folks are GREAT.
Fast shipping, quick email responses, good customer service.
Customer Review: Comforts of home
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this immersion heater to take with me into the hospital. I was having radioactive iodine treatment for thyroid cancer. I knew I'd be able-bodied, but bored, under orders to drink lots of fluids, and seeing very little of the nurses, as they do these treatments in special isolation rooms. It was such a good thing to be able to have a cup of hot herbal tea, or some cocoa, whenever I wanted, just as I would at home. The immersion heater worked perfectly. The key is to remember that you must never plug the heater in until the coil is immersed in your cup, and never remove the coil from your cup until you unplug it. The heater boils water so fast, you really do need to watch it- a watched pot may never boil, but a forgotten immersion heater would boil your cup dry very quickly. I had to put my heater away in a box with the books I read in the hospital, as they scanned my stuff with a Geiger counter when my treatment was over, and it read "hot". Everything will be safe to use again after a month, and I will be glad to have the heater to use when we travel. My post-treatment scan gave me a clean bill of health, so I will be enjoying this heater for a long time to come!