Ravi Mehra

Ended up purchasing the CFH. Hopefully, it will stand the test of time. Before making the decision, I was trying to compare the heating coil differences between the CF and the Vollrath. I messaged Vollrath customer service on the coil diameter of the MPI4-1800S unit and got back the following response. Leaving it here as an FYI. AFAIK, the coil on the CF has an outer diameter of 10" (unknown inner diameter) so the Vollrath is quite a bit smaller (but should be able to handle smaller pans better).

Thanks @afs and @KennethT for your thoughts. I'm leaning towards the CF Home now, mainly for the temp precision benefits. I didn't know CF had an intensity setting. That sounds promising to "temper the flames" when attempting a light simmer. It also sounds like the Vollrath will also cycle if you set it to temp mode instead of % output mode so that also negates the concern here (although I lose out on having the % output functionality if going w/ the CF). I wish there were more reviews of the 1800 watt 4-series. I can't find the source of where I got the idea that the Vollrath was quieter than the CF but it could be the opposite. Maybe I read that the Mirage series was quieter than CF but that doesn't necessarily translate to the 4-series. Comparisons below. The Vollrath and CF Home have similar volume but Vollrath is likely the heaviest of all three. I couldn't find the weight of the CF Home but likely a couple pounds lower than the CF. Model Dimensions (in) Volume (in3) Weight (lbs) MPI4-1800S 13.375 x 17.812 x 3.5 834 18.64 CF 13.7 x 18.5 x 4.3 1090 16.2 CF Home 12.2 x 16.9 x 4.1 845 unknown Ack, sounds like the under the glass sensor won't really cut it. The Falk Copper Coeur line looks great. I would consider them but am too fixated on rivet-less pans (maybe to a fault).

I’m exploring countertop units for use on 15 amp plugs and narrowed it down to the Control Freak (CF) and the Vollrath MPI4-1800S. Based on afs’s feedback, the CF is the overall better option but after reading a few CF reviews, I have a few concerns and I’m curious what others think. There’s almost no reviews I could find on the Vollrath, especially the newer 4-series (except for afs thoughts in this thread), so hoping this forum has some insights. Concern 1 From an Amazon review on the CF: “The problem is it uses pulse width modulation to simmer, the same as my $100 Duxtop. That means that to use 20% power, for example, it turns full on for two seconds and full off for eight seconds, averaging 20%. But when it's full on it brings the oats to a full boil and foams enough to overflow, the same as my $100 Duxtop. If simmer is important to you save your money would be my advice.” Vollrath on the other hand states the 4-series units have “Patented circuitry delivers steady heat. No power cycling.” This seems like a pretty big advantage for Vollrath for simmering purposes. Continuous heat versus on/off cycles. Concern 2 CF’s physical size, weight, and fan noise all seem arguably worse when compared to the Vollrath. Maybe CF is just better built and that warrants it being bigger/louder but the added heft/noise will likely affect how often the unit gets used. Concern 3 As per afs’s comments, CF has much better temperature control than the Vollrath but reviews on the CF seem mixed on how precise it actually is. Reviews mention the CF can undershoot or overshoot by 10F although it’s generally pretty good and there are pan specific nuances. However, if CF isn’t always that precise, I wonder how much the loss of precision that the Vollrath’s under the glass sensor really matters for everyday cooking. Concern 4 CF reviews indicate the pan sensor is finicky and doesn’t detect some types of pans and pan sizes, even ones that are designed for induction cooking like the Demeyere Atlantis line. Maybe Vollrath has the same problem but no reviews to know if that’s the case.