This is great for cooking a whole batch of pancakes (or eggs, or burgers, or quesadillas... you get the idea) all at once. It heats up pretty evenly, at least more evenly than my griddle pan that covers 2 stove burners.  The temperature is easy to adjust. I love the teal color...it matches my toaster :)  Drawback is that it can be a pain to clean, especially if you have kids who drip pancake batter into the crevices.  However, for the price point, this is pretty good. For an easier to clean griddle, be prepared to pay more for one with removable plates.