ChrisBau

If they wanted to get into the low-end game, they should've just priced the creative series at $199. And even then, it would be difficult choosing between that and the Anova. At $299, I'd go with Nomiku. But why pay 100 more when the Sansaire and the Anova are better speced?

I measured the water and it was 20.5L Just at the upper limit. (It's amazing what a couple empty zip lock bags can do for insulation) Once it got up to temp though, it didn't fluctuate even when I removed the cover to check on the pork belly I was cooking. Next time I'm preheating the water to save time and electricity.

I bought a Coleman Party Stacker 48 can capacity cooler for my anova and filled it to less than 2/3. Uncovered, it got stuck at 67.4 - 67.6 C and won't go above that. So I covered it with a sheet of baking paper but steam still managed to go through that. I put 2 zip lock bags with some air (so it doesn't sink) on top and the steaming stopped. Temp went up to the set 82.2C

I think turning off the impeller on an immersion circulator is a bad idea. It needs to circulate water by design. There wouldn't be enough natural convection current to spread the heat evenly from a heater hanging by the side of a water bath.

I'm definitely getting a 220v version when it comes out. I'm currently using a transformer that must weigh 50lbs! Ok in the house but I can't bring it anywhere. But it's all my fault, I couldn't wait.

And it says in the new manual that you linked to that you can set the timer (when the desired temp is reached) without having to stop it running. Is that correct? Previously, you had to stop the machine then set the time. Overall I think that's a big improvement on the timer function.

thanks! I just noticed that the specs listed for the Anova is +/- 0.01C stability! NOT +/- 0.1C as I have written above. That would make it better than Polyscience's +/- 0.07C stability for the prof chef series (!?). Though I don't know why my 80C bath fluctuated from 79.9-80.1C I noticed too that in the photos at the Anova website, the temperature reading resolution in Centigrade goes to a hundredth of a degree, 27.00 C in the photos. My unit only displays up to a tenth of a degree. I wonder what the temp accuracy is...

1. Higher level of temp stability +/-.06C vs +/-.1C Although even for professional use, you may not need .06 accuracy. Having said that, I was cooking corned beef last night and the anova would occasionally oscillate between 80.0 and 80.1 C and a couple of times went down to 79.9 C. Doesn't matter with corned beef but it still bothered me that it won't stay at 80. No oscillation at lower temps though. 2. The anova is made with heavy duty materials with a very nice finish but I am a little worried how it will hold in the long term. The plastic has a velvety rubberized coating that in my experience with other electronics, degrades over time especially with the heat and humidity here in the tropics. My one week old unit actually has a couple nicks already. Another issue would be the joint between the main body and the stainless steel skirt- it has on occasion moved enough to get it out of perfect alignment and the skirt touched the impeller producing a grinding noise. I can only speculate that it will get looser with repeated dismantling. The polyscience chef series on the other hand is made of plastic that kinda feels cheap in texture but can stand up to more abuse. Those are the only things I can think of now. And I'm comparing it to the $800 chef series. The creative series has lower specs. Still, for my current purposes, I'd rather buy 4 anovas than 1 poly chef series... unless I had a really busy restaurant.

Me too, please. Mine is older version "Anova Manual 2013.7.pdf" (and it's only 8 days old). Somebody has it on Scribd. Here's the link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/165823093/Anova-SousVide-Series-Manual-2013-8

That was the first time I used the timer function of any sous vide machine. For me the timer is just not important. But somebody described the timer of the swid adelice here, it seems to have the best functionality.

Meant to answer this earlier. When time is up on the Demi it beeps once and then the timer light blinks until you attend to it. The unit does not switch off. Ah. Now that makes more sense. Thanks for letting me know! I used the timer on the anova yesterday. When time is up it beeps once and turns off. I can see myself using this for short cook times where I will be in the kitchen for the whole duration. For long cook times, I'll stick to using my phone as timer.

Firmware 1.19, if I'm not mistaken. No problem with the cord, it fits snugly. The 3 taps on the upper right corner to adjust/offset the read temp works. Didn't find a need to adjust as my 63.3C egg came out spot on in texture. I tried to read temp with my pid controller. It was 1C lower on it but its accuracy is +/- 1C... Water temp stays solidly on the set value. When coming up to temp it overshoots by .1C for a few seconds then goes back down to set temp and stays there.

In an email, Jeff of Anova said they'll come out with a 220V version next month.

One odd thing though, the LCD screen turns off after a few minutes. It turns back on when you tap it. It would have been nice if it stayed on with current temp displayed in big bold digits so you can see its status from across the room. Regarding the interface. I find it intuitive and simple. I like it. I don't mind tapping the screen multiple times to set the temp. Doesn't require much time and energy anyway. The touch screen is very responsive too.

My anova just arrived after a 20 day wait (from anova to my cargo forwarder in CA then to the Philippines). First impressions- it's solidly built. The stainless steel skirt and vector are thicker than I expected. I'm cooking an egg now and it is quiet. Much quieter than the polyscience chef series I used at work. It heats up fast at a rate of about 3 -4 degrees C every minute I'm using a 6qt stockpot. I have no way of verifying the temp reading as I don't have a reference thermometer on hand hence the egg :-) Will see what firmware I've got when the egg finishes.

You can just pour in cold water to lower the temperature faster.

Re the sound the unit produces, I find that the Polyscience Chef series to be quite noisy. I wonder how the anova compares to it. You can hear it clearly in this video on youtube: Having said that, I don't find it bothersome- just another sound in the kitchen. However, if you live in a studio apartment that may be an issue.

I hope mine has the new firmware when it arrives. It's a looong way back to Texas from the Philippines.

Jeff - it looks like my unit is off by around 2º C at 55.5º C (comparing to the thermister from my SVM). This seems consistent with the observations Anna made while she was playing with the unit. I've attempted tapping the boot screen as instructed - just takes me into the regular program. Any suggestions? Has anyone else tried calibrating their Anova? Did tapping 3x on the upper right corner of the boot screen work?

I've never used the timer on my SV PID controller at home and on the circulator I use at work. I use my phone as a timer so I know time is up wherever I am then I turn the SV rig off manually. Having it turn off automatically has no practical use, at least for me.

Is there a cooling fan or did you mean the impeller?