Product review (2 stars): LOUD, loud, LOUD whirring fan noise can be annoying
LOUD, loud fan that (obviously) runs as long as the unit is on. It's as loud as having a standing room fan on med/high in the summer...or a loud oven fan constantly on high. I found the noise surprisingly annoying -- especially when simmering liquid/soup/sauce for hours, for instance, which is what we bought it for. We DO have an open concept layout in our house (kitchen/living area flow into each other with no full walls) which is a contributor. As far as how it operates, it was simple to use, did what it's supposed to (but didn't heat up as quickly as I thought it would) and it wasn't super heavy or cumbersome. If you have an open living/kitchen area, it's something to think about: a noisy, whirring fan running at high speed. Probably not annoying in small doses, but for longer regular use (simmering, stewing, boiling, etc.), you may find it distracting just by being on.