Are cheap induction hobs any good?

Spies

I'm wanting to replace my gas hob but don't want to spend too much as the kitchen is quite old and will be getting redone at some point... are cheap induction hobs particularly worse than more expensive ones?

Albermarle

Spies said:

I'm wanting to replace my gas hob but don't want to spend too much as the kitchen is quite old and will be getting redone at some point... are cheap induction hobs particularly worse than more expensive ones?

One issue seems to be that induction hobs need a lot of power to work to their best effect. With some, especially if it is just plugged into a normal 13a socket, you will find only one or two of the four will work on full power.

Slinky

Do you have suitable wiring nearby for the induction hob?

We have a standalone 2 pan unit we bought from Ikea for temporary use. Wasn't hugely expensive from what I recall.

kimwp

I think it might be fancy options and nicer looks. Options like water detection, child locks etc.

Rodders53

Albermarle said:

Spies said:

I'm wanting to replace my gas hob but don't want to spend too much as the kitchen is quite old and will be getting redone at some point... are cheap induction hobs particularly worse than more expensive ones?

One issue seems to be that induction hobs need a lot of power to work to their best effect. With some, especially if it is just plugged into a normal 13a socket, you will find only one or two of the four will work on full power.

Not an issue for my son with a 13A plug-in induction hob. 
Yes the 4 individual rings/burners can't all be on max at once but that's almost never needed and the hob automatically shares the power to them.
He copes fine with it for his family (and us when we visit for dinner).

Cheap inductions 'pulse' the power in a cruder manner than the more expensive hobs to give lower heat inputs to the pans... from what I've read.  That may result in foods burning/sticking on the base?

Consider retaining the new induction hob when the kitchen is refurbished if a decent quality one is purchased?

PS You are aware that you may need a pile of new hob pots and pans... 
1) bases need to be nice and flat, not distorted by use on gas. 
2) the bases need to be magnetic.

Ikea 365+ pans are cheap but good in my experience. 

prowla

FYI, I saw a single one for £49.999999 a Ikea last week.

ThisIsWeird

Hi Spies.
I've been looking into this a bit recently, as I fancy the transition from gas to induction too.
Best thing is to read reviews on the 'cheap' models of interest. From what I've read, they perform just as well, but may possibly show their budgetness by things like being slightly noisy in use - humming, I guess - and possibly by a generally cheaper construction, if compared with high-end models such as Neff, AEG, Siemens.
Also, fancier models may have additional features such as integrating with extractor hoods - coming on automatically - timers, object detection, pan size sensing, and stuff like that.
Higher-end models may possibly also have (I'd expect them to) a higher quality glass, which should shrug off scratches and stuff more betterer.
From what I understand, tho', they work, and work well.
Do your research on specific models of interest. 

tacpot12

You could buy a higher-quality induction hob, and keep it when you upgrade the kitchen. There's no need to throw away good appliances when upgrading. 

Spies

Is there any way to work out which induction hobs use pulsing vs reducing current at lower power outputs? Or is it just a case of reading reviews?

The wiring is good enough for a full power induction hob as although it's 32a, using diversity I can have the oven and hob wired into the same circuit. 

BarelySentientAI

Spies said:

Is there any way to work out which induction hobs use pulsing vs reducing current at lower power outputs? Or is it just a case of reading reviews?

The wiring is good enough for a full power induction hob as although it's 32a, using diversity I can have the oven and hob wired into the same circuit. 

What do you mean "using diversity"?  I hope it's something more than "I won't turn the oven and hob on at the same time".

ThisIsWeird

I suspect 'diversity' in this case will be Spies' dance moves as his kitchen goes up in flames.