Induction hob opinions please

ThisIsWeird

There's nothing to suggest they are more prone to cracking than any other type of glass hob, even gas (like mil's last Neff). Something quite serious would have to cause it.
If you only need one or two rings, then - yes - see if you can find a plug-in type. Otherwise, you'll almost certainly require a new supply from your CU (unless you already have a 45A one for a cooker?). 
Most larger induction hobs can have their power ratings adjusted, so if you only had a, say, 30A supply, they could be tweaked down to suit (each ring would be less powerful).
If you need at least two rings - and most singletons would! -  check whether this can be had on a simple 13A plugin supply. 

Mutton_Geoff

I've got a 60cm Siemens iQ700. It is rated at 7,400 watts (>30 amps) and is connected to it's own 32A MCB at the consumer unit.

It takes some getting used to and the correct pans but I have no problem with steaks & stir fries.

comeandgo

I have had induction hobs for over 20 years now.  Mt daughter has gas and induction is so much quicker.  I have managed to crack one of my hobs.   A small glass herb bottle fell from a wall cupboard and managed to fall on the corner of the hob.  As it was part of a fitted kitchen I had to claim from the house insurance rather than house contents insurance. 

wigglygiggly

Our induction hob is a Hotpoint and about 5 years old. Still looks brand new. I wouldn't and couldn't go back to any other type of hob now.

GaleSF63

I've had induction (current), gas, ceramic and electric. Induction by far the best. It's 9 years old and could be new. Make, Teka. Not a fancy one, no boost or timer, but easy to use (9 settings) easy to clean and no chance of pans tipping over as they did on my last gas hob (Siemens; they should have known better!) 

DullGreyGuy

Albermarle said:

DullGreyGuy said:

Albermarle said:

The cheaper Neff inductions are ‘plug and play’, which means they are plugged in rather than wired. However this means you cant run two rings on max power, it will split the power across both rings. 

Other posters mention something similar. I did not realise induction hobs use so much power ( I do not have one) as my electric fan oven runs quite happily on a 13 A plug.

So one hob on max power must be using at least 2 KW, maybe more ?

It varies by model but you have to remember that you have 4+ hobs and a 13amp plug is maxes out at 3kW generally which would be 0.75kW per hob (assuming 4, less if more) and that doesn't factor in the motors, fans etc. 

Ours uses 2.6kW per hob on high power and 3.65kW on Boost+

Interesting, I never realised just one hob could use so much power.
If you put all 4 on boost, maybe the lights in your street would go dim 

Well a £10 Tesco kettle is 3kW so if you want to bring water to a boil at a similar pace it'll need to be fairly similar power. 

The one that actually amuses me is the Mrs' kiln which can reach temps of 1,350C and everyone assumes it must take masses of energy but its the same as two Tesco kettles (but not in price). It gets to that temp through vast amount of insulation and gets there slowly. 

allconnected

Agree with @Thisisweird, we’ve just moved into a house where we’re having to replace the double oven and hob - we not only need a new supply from the consumer unit but a whole new consumer unit (no free space in the current one.) We could have gone plug and play, but wanted the ability to run several rings at full power.

Love the  fact that when not in use it can be covered and used as an additional work surface - never needs more than a quick wipe clean first.

FreeBear

allconnected said: Love the  fact that when not in use it can be covered and used as an additional work surface - never needs more than a quick wipe clean first.

That is one thing that is rarely mentioned - The surface of an induction hob does not get as hot as say a ceramic or halogen. So any food spills don't get burnt in to the surface of the hob. If there are any spills, wait for the hob to cool down, give it a light spray of cleaner, and then wipe away any mess.

oldernonethewiser

Induction hobs are great to clean and with the right pots and pans will be very energy efficient. You can use them as an extra surface when not on which can be a real bonus.

I hate mine and would go back to gas if it was at all practical.

Ganga

oldernonethewiser said:

Induction hobs are great to clean and with the right pots and pans will be very energy efficient. You can use them as an extra surface when not on which can be a real bonus.

I hate mine and would go back to gas if it was at all practical.

Why ? can you explain.