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Anova Sous Vide Circulator (Part 1)

Beusho

By Beusho
in Kitchen Consumer

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Tri2Cook

Tri2Cook

Posted
Posted

The Anova circulator is available...looks like a great (cheaper) alternative to the polyscience. If anyone has tried this I know I would appreciate a review and I'm sure many others would as well

http://www.sousvides.com/

I might consider trying it for that price but, as is often the case, they apparently only ship within the U.S. There's no other option on the checkout page.

It's kinda like wrestling a gorilla... you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is tired.

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Anova Jeff

Anova Jeff

Posted
Posted

Hello this is Jeff senior engineer & project manager @Anova Industries/Culinary

@Beusho - There is a 2 week return period on top of a 1 year warranty. I basically shrunk down one of our lab circulators for this unit - you won't be disappointed.

@Tri2Cook - CSA certification got postponed (~ 2 months) other projects have priority ATM. If you still want a unit call in during business hours: shipping + customs was around $75 last time I checked. You might get me actually until I can fill all the sales positions here.

If you have any other questions feel free to PM me

Jeff Wu

Senior Engineer

Anova Culinary LLC

BBQ Fanatic, Organic Gardener, Organic Grape Grower

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dcarch

dcarch

Posted
Posted

Ooooh... looks spiffy. Upgrading from 5L to 5+ G would be a great increase in capacity for me...

Should be possible to do it yourself.

The weakest component which limits this unit I believe is the circulator, based on the picture.

If you use an insulated vessel, and add another cheap ($10.00) fountain pump, that 1000 watt heat should have no problem controlling 5 gallons or more capacity

dcarch.

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cdh

cdh

Posted
Posted (edited)

I've got a lab surplus 5L water bath with magnetic stirrer underneath and .1C resolution digital controls . Very rare thing, Armalab brand from Bethesda MD, so probably a short-lived gov't contractor. Does fine for steaks and seafood and such, but whole poultry would never work. Since the circulation is by magnetic spinner rather than pump, the volume is not something I could expand.

Edited by cdh (log)

Christopher D. Holst aka "cdh"

Learn to brew beer with my eGCI course

Chris Holst, Attorney-at-Lunch

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rotuts

rotuts

Posted
Posted

another way to increase your water volume and circulation is with a simple aquarium pump and 'bubbler' stones.

http://www.amazon.com/JW-Pet-Company-Fusion-Aquarium/dp/B002DVVDFA/ref=sr_1_4/192-1017934-2189904?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1376068672&sr=1-4&keywords=aquarium++pump

and just spotted this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-AAPA15L-6-Watt-15-LPM-Outlets/dp/B002JPEVMC/ref=sr_1_20/192-1017934-2189904?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1376068672&sr=1-20&keywords=aquarium++pump

4 outlets!

if you use an insulated cooler, most of your heat stays in that cooler and you dont really need more than an external aquarium pump to move the water around.

the 4 channel item above is talking to me!

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PedroG

PedroG

Posted
Posted

I repeat myself:

An aquarium bubbler is a good option; use the air-stone as a weight to pull the tube to the bottom of the vessel, but cut a lateral hole in the silicon tube just above the air-stone; the larger bubbles will rise faster (more vigorous circulation) and cause less cooling and less sprinkling on the surface.

Peter F. Gruber aka Pedro

eG Ethics Signatory

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JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted

Hello this is Jeff senior engineer & project manager @Anova Industries/Culinary

@Beusho - There is a 2 week return period on top of a 1 year warranty. I basically shrunk down one of our lab circulators for this unit - you won't be disappointed.

@Tri2Cook - CSA certification got postponed (~ 2 months) other projects have priority ATM. If you still want a unit call in during business hours: shipping + customs was around $75 last time I checked. You might get me actually until I can fill all the sales positions here.

If you have any other questions feel free to PM me

Independent of this thread I was looking at the Anova website last night. Has Anova considered a home version of a circulator like the C-6? I'd be happy with +/- 0.5 deg C or so, and a lot less power and flow rate than the C-6. Sadly $995 is too much for me.

I suppose one could stick the immersion heater in a pot and use a small cheap pump.

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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  • 2 weeks later...
tomrush

tomrush

Posted
Posted

I've had my Anova circulator for about a week now, and I'm liking it a lot. It seems strong and durable. It runs quietly. The touchscreen configuration is simple and effective. It heats and circulates well. I'm using it in a 12-litre stock pot; it took 10 or 15 minutes to run the temp up from 130F to 175F and then it stayed at that temp for 24 hours without fail. It tells you if the water is too low. It's dead simple to use.

I was surprised when I unboxed it that there was no manual in sight, but there was a little box with an 8mb USB flash drive inside. This contained the manual as a .pdf. I've never encountered this approach before, but I'd rather have the digital .pdf than a printed copy anyway.

Pretty much continual use for the week I've had it, and no problems. I'm not expecting any. I feel like this was one of my better investments.

I signed up here so I could post this review, it seems that good a product to me.

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Syzygies

Syzygies

Posted
Posted

I signed up here so I could post this review, it seems that good a product to me.

Thanks for taking the time, and welcome! Many of us here have had our eyes on the Anova, awaiting its release.

Per la strada incontro un passero che disse "Fratello cane, perche sei cosi triste?"

Ripose il cane: "Ho fame e non ho nulla da mangiare."

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Martin Fisher

Martin Fisher

Posted
Posted

Now just $199.00.....

http://anova.myshopify.com/

~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

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Beusho

Beusho

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted (edited)

Edit: no they're not, it's still $199, the same price as the anova.

Lower prices are bound to happen. Look how much it cost Scott to do the original: $75. That was RETAIL priced, didn't include labor but had multiple heating elements. I can't imagine what it costs to make one of these in China. It's probably mostly the know-how of getting a good manufacturer, supplies, tooling and passing tests. A lot of up front costs (hence kickstarter). My parents still have the first model microwave, about 3x the size and 5x the weight of ones currently. They said it was a couple hundred dollars when it first came out, they bought it used.

Edited by Beusho (log)

“...no one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.”

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Tri2Cook

Tri2Cook

Posted
Posted

Edit: no they're not, it's still $199, the same price as the anova.

I'm pretty sure he was saying Anova lowered their price as a reaction to the Sansaire price, not the other way around. That said, the Sansaire is till cheaper if you live outside the U.S. Anova charges ~$75 for shipping to Canada, Sansaire charges $20.

It's kinda like wrestling a gorilla... you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is tired.

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scubadoo97

scubadoo97

Posted
Posted

Edit: no they're not, it's still $199, the same price as the anova.

I'm pretty sure he was saying Anova lowered their price as a reaction to the Sansaire price, not the other way around. That said, the Sansaire is till cheaper if you live outside the U.S. Anova charges ~$75 for shipping to Canada, Sansaire charges $20.

I'm seriously looking at the Anova now that the price has dropped. I like the sleeker design. The long clip on the Sansaire appears to allow it to fit in a shorter vessel but it appears larger in diameter than the Anova. They both appear to have similar heating and impeller parts. Do we really know what the final price of the Sansaire will be? The Nomiku ended up being more expensive once released

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Tri2Cook

Tri2Cook

Posted
Posted
Do we really know what the final price of the Sansaire will be?

I don't... but if I decide to get it, I'll do it before the kickstarter ends so I know what my final price will be. Really, I don't think anybody is going to go wrong whichever they choose to go with. 6 months after we buy these, someone will come out with one that's somehow even better and costs $99. That's just the way technology works.

It's kinda like wrestling a gorilla... you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is tired.

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Beusho

Beusho

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Well, I got an Anova. Here's my review and specs:

Heater: 1000 W

Pump: 12 L/min

Input Power: 115-120V

Control is touchscreen which I really liked, no knobs or moving parts. Body is stainless steel which is awesome, you could drop this on the floor and it would survive. The attachment is a screw clamp so parts aren't easily broken, I can hook it onto coolers or pots and it's very secure. Bottom heater guard can be taken off for cleaning.

Performance: brought 70F to 133F in about 15 minutes. It kept it there pretty much exactly for an 18hour flank steak that was delicious, the wire didn't get hot which is what the serious eats review mentioned about sansaire.

Customer service: Great, I asked for a tracking number for the shipment and they gave it very quickly. Good response

Overall: The best and most affordable SV immersion circulator on the market I think. I was going to buy a second one and was debating between sansaire and anova and I think the anova is going to win out. The fact that the company has been making lab grade immersion circulators and has some history in the industry is encouraging given that other kickstarter SV have either delayed or had to make odd modifications. Jeff, the Anova engineer who commented above, put it best 'shrunk down version of a lab circulator.' I also prefer the stainless steel to the plastic housing, if it every drops it won't bust in two.

anov2.jpg

Anov1.jpg

“...no one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.”

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Beusho

Beusho

Posted
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Posted

@rotuts: Yep, that's a coleman 16 personal I've had for years, the Anova moves the water around in there. It's rated for about 1.5 gallons more than that and I didn't even fill it up all the way. My next plan is a a small wire rack so I can suspend the bags with clothes line clips, also found a resource for cheap polypropylene balls

@bonkboo: This was my first buy too. I can only say that they've been making lab equipment for a while, which is the main reason I decided to buy it. I hesitated on the first wave of sidekic/dorkfood/random PID controller that came through, and now I'm glad I did. I think the only other viable options for SV are Sansaire and Nomiku. They're both by new groups that are one or two people, Scott (the guy behind Sansaire) has sous vide experience given he's on the MC team. I don't know if this will translate into a product that's any better or more consistent. I know the other one, Nomiku, still hasn't shipped and has been getting delayed. I like to see all this SV device flourishing, I wonder when Polyscience will come out with it's $149 circulator, I can't imagine anyone paying 500 or 900 dollars anymore

“...no one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.”

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