So my Anova One died

[weedy]

But, with respect, you're making up those numbers. 

 

I dont actually believe it's a 1% failure rate after 3 years. 

 

It it were REALLY one in a hundred units dying after three years no one could complain. 

It seems considerably higher. 

 

so would I pay more for -a 10% instead of a 40% failure rate?  Yes I would.  And so would you. 

Edited November 12, 2016 by weedy (log)

[paulraphael]

16 hours ago, weedy said:

But, with respect, you're making up those numbers. 

 

 

Of course I'm making up those numbers. What I'm not making up is how big the diminishing returns are on increasing reliability. Making something twice as reliable typically costs more than twice the price—if you're dealing with something that's pretty reliable in the first place (no major, obvious flaws, etc..). 

 

Would I pay more for a 10% failure rate instead of a 40% failure rate? No, I wouldn't buy the stupid product. A 10% failure rate (over a few years of normal use) is unacceptable and would probably be unsustainable for the company. These are made up numbers, too. I would be surprised if the failure rate has been much more than 1%, not counting their initial manufacturing run. If they've sold tens of thousands of them, that would account for hundreds of pissed customers.

 

No one runs to the internet to trumpet that their immersion circulator didn't break today. When things fail, owners get vocal.

Edited November 12, 2016 by paulraphael (log)

[Anna N]

Tonight my Anova also died.  I had it set for 95°C to cook some endive and at about the 20 minute mark it began beeping at irregular intervals and when I went over to sort it the set temperature was flashing all sorts of different numbers.   I unplugged it and finished my endive on top of the stove.  Tomorrow when everything has cooled down and I am a little less tired I will see if there is anything that is fixable by me.  

[gfweb]

FWIW My sous vide supreme is still going strong. No moving parts , basically a water bath. 

[nickrey]

12 hours ago, paulraphael said:

 

Of course I'm making up those numbers. What I'm not making up is how big the diminishing returns are on increasing reliability. Making something twice as reliable typically costs more than twice the price—if you're dealing with something that's pretty reliable in the first place (no major, obvious flaws, etc..). 

 

Would I pay more for a 10% failure rate instead of a 40% failure rate? No, I wouldn't buy the stupid product. A 10% failure rate (over a few years of normal use) is unacceptable and would probably be unsustainable for the company. These are made up numbers, too. I would be surprised if the failure rate has been much more than 1%, not counting their initial manufacturing run. If they've sold tens of thousands of them, that would account for hundreds of pissed customers.

 

No one runs to the internet to trumpet that their immersion circulator didn't break today. When things fail, owners get vocal.

 

I'm with you on this.

 

Out of all the people who bought the Anova on eGullet, how many have posted here with problems? Not many.

 

My sympathies are with you but this does not seem to be a high failure rate.

 

As people, we have something called a confirmation bias which means that we pay particular attention to things that confirm our beliefs and ignore things that don't. I was reading an article today about someone who researched the incidence of adverse police events on days with a full moon. As a police officer, the author was sure that more incidents happened on a full moon day. He was disappointed that his research showed that there was no difference to other days. Now you have had something go wrong with your Anova, you will focus on the number of complaints on the Internet (which, by the way, is not large) as a way of confirming that it is a bad product.

 

I bought one of the industrial strength Anovas when they were first launched. Mine had some issues with temperature control so I contacted Anova and they paid for return postage from Australia for the faulty unit and sent me a brand new one. No fuss, just replacement.

 

I have around five circulators of one type or another. The Anova (one) is the one that I use most often.

 

If this thread had heaps of complaints about the product, I'd be concerned. It doesn't so I'm not.

 

Sometimes if a product fails, you have to suck it up if it is out of warranty. Judging from the unstated experience of everyone else, the next one you buy may last you many years more; particularly if it is the upgraded model.

 

ps. a friend had horrible issues with his polyscience circulator so don't think that it is without faults -- it's just more expensive.

Edited November 13, 2016 by nickrey (log)

[dcarch]

Solid state (digital electronics) devices are extremely sensitive to power surges and static electricity.  Get a very good surge protector if you seem to burn out electronic gadgets regularly in your house. Your power source may not be very "clean".

 

dcarch

 

 

[Yiannos]

4 hours ago, dcarch said:

Solid state (digital electronics) devices are extremely sensitive to power surges and static electricity.  Get a very good surge protector if you seem to burn out electronic gadgets regularly in your house. Your power source may not be very "clean".

 

dcarch

 

 

 

Let's just say I know for a fact that this is not the issue with weedy's Anova (it is on my bench). Also I would include the word "some" at the beginning of your post, just as some modern electronics are incredibly robust and durable, in all sorts of extreme environments.

[IEATRIO]

Just to add another data point, my Anova, purchased September, 2013, died last night after running for about 3 hours at 194F.  All of a sudden I heard silence, instead of the whirring of the circulator, and upon closer examination noticed a faint electrical smell that seemed to be coming from near the power button.  Maybe a fuse, but I tried to take it apart to see if I could see where the burning smell is coming from, and quickly became convinced that I wouldn't ever get it back together, and that I had a lost cause on my hands.

 

So nearly 4 years, which isn't great, but it was a bit of a bleeding edge product at the time of purchase.  It was always a bit clunky, had an intermittent metal on metal noise and never seemed to have fit together too tightly.  Still, it was a great tool, and I feel like I got my money's worth.

 

It must have known that I was almost hoping it would die soon -- although not in the middle of a cook -- so that I could replace it with a Joule.  I don't know if I'll like the interface but it will be nice to play with something new and closer to the state of the art.  

 

 

[Porthos]

Since I never use my Bluetooth Anova over 147 F I hope to have it for a while.

 

The simpe heat versus electronics doesn't seem to me to be an issue. The heating element is in the thermally conductive solution (water), the thermal energy is being transferred to the water, and the temperature is very accurately controlled. However, I have no clue what they have done in the design to keep water vapor out of the electronics. That would worry me at higher temperatures.

 

I wrap a towel around the body of my Anova setup as a poor man's gasket to minimze water loss. That may help with external vapor seeping into the control section.

 

YMMV.