Rated 1 out of 5 by MNSusieHomemaker Broke within 3 months! I expected this slow cooker to be more programmable than it is--I wanted to be able to program it for a few hours on low, then an hour on high, or vice versa, or to be able to program it to start cooking in 4 hours. I also thought there would be more temperature settings, other than keep warm, low, and high. I grew up using a slow cooker that had a continuous dial, so you had an infinite number of temperatures to choose from. Because that was what I had been hoping for, I was disappointed by the 'features' of this slow cooker.I also didn't like that the crock for this did not fit in my dishwasher--slow cookers are an appliance aimed at convenience, so it was really annoying that I couldn't wash the crock conveniently.Despite all the disappointments, this slow cooker was still better than the plain-Jane Hamilton Beach slow cooker that I already had, so I decided to keep it #plus, it's nice to have more than one slow cooker#. And about a month after I decided to keep it--of course I threw the receipt away once I made that decision--I noticed a crack spanning the entire length of the crock, even though I'd only used it a half dozen times! As soon as I noticed that, I couldn't use it anymore because I didn't want to risk it shattering and ruining an entire meal. Oh, and it was a gift, so it was even more disappointing!I've gone back to using my basic Hamilton Beach slow cooker, which I've had for 3+ years now, and that has held up perfectly fine. I have other Hamilton Beach appliances that I really like and have had for years, so I was incredibly irritated and disappointed when the crock broke...I fully expected this to be as durable as all their other products I've had. 10/24/2011
Rated 2 out of 5 by ChrisN Only lasted a little over 1 year I absolutely loved this slower cooker, it was simple to use and cooked everything great, then automatically set to warm when finished cooking. However, I bought it in March 2011 and it stopped working in July 2012. I guess for the money it was worth a year, but i have an old slow cooker that I've had for 10 years and it still works. I used this item about 3 times per month since purchase and it worked great, until last month. It just stopped heating up, ruined a great roast.I'd love to have another slow cooker as easy to use as this one, but I probably will not purchase a hamilton Beach product again. 08/07/2012
Rated 5 out of 5 by MrMiran Still working after 10+ years My mom bought this and never used it, so she gave it to me... I've had it for over ten years now and it works great! It will cook on high OR low for a preset amount of time, OR to a preset temperature, then switch to warm. That is the limit of its "programability" though... but that's okay.If I were starting out with something cold or frozen I would like to be able to "jump start" it on high for two hours, switch to low for eight hours, then go to warm... but it won't do that. You can cook on high and or low for the preset time (or temp)... then it goes to warm. That's all.That being said, it has never failed to provide the most tender meat on Earth. =0) By the way, you don't need all that liquid, people! We'll put four split chicken breasts in there without any liquid at all, and crank it on low for eight hours... The meat even browns and it is sooo tender it just falls apart. This is how we make our chicken salad now! 04/13/2012
Rated 1 out of 5 by raspberrykisses1111 Do not purchase this product. After 3 excellent uses the programmable stopped working properly. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't so you can't fix it and forget it. The only time I use it is when I am home because it automatically shuts off during random times of the cooking process. I am going out to purchase a good 'ole off, low and high setting turn knob as well as a christmas lights timer type dial to turn off after a certain amount of time, unfortunately the warm function is no longer an option but at least I will come home to warm cooked meals at the end of a long work day rather than having to find something else to cook because my slow cooker failed.I gave it a 5 on appearance because it is pretty 01/12/2012