Customer Reviews

Coleman InstaStart Portable Oven

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought my oven at a local sporting goods store and paid about $140 for it. Right from the start it wasn't quite right, I had problems with the door sticking but I figured it might get better with a few heat cycles. Wrong the door refused to open after just two uses and the only way to open the oven was to push on one end and pull on the other while opening the door. Coleman was great about it and sent me a new oven that was falling apart when it arrived at my door. Now I have received my third oven and it functions like a dream! Coleman really needs to work on the packaging on these things because it appears that the ovens get damaged in shipping. It's really hard to judge the quality of something if it can't even get to your door in working order.

We have made cookies and toast in this oven so far and they both came out great. I could have done without the problems, but now that I have a good oven I'm really happy with it.

The oven is nice, built extremely well for the price, however when using it, one has to be VERY attentive to keep adjusting and readjusting the temp.,as it's hot, too hot, and super hot in a matter of minutes! You really don't know how much to turn the knob back to regulate temp. as it's 3 full turns & off. I put a white marker dot on the knob in the off position so that I would know when I was about to turn it completely off. I'm sure that with a little more experience, I will manage to get the handle on the situation and I can see where it will be a handy item to have along. As our RV doesn't have an oven & we're using a generator, this will be very helpful!!

The door catches on this are a very poor design. Mine refused to work correctly after a heat cycle to burn it in. I had to push the corners of the door to get them to catch. This is tough when the oven is at 400 degrees....one has to use a tool.

I took it back. Coleman needs to redesigne the catches on the door. They are inferior for the price of this product.

Absolutely a great little oven. Definitely bigger than I expected, but not horrendously large. It makes up for it in interior space though. I had none of the sticking door problems, but I did "adjust" the catches a bit to my liking and works fine whether hot or cold. I agree with the substandard packaging, as my one end was slightly pressed in a bit, but doesn't affect function.

As for heating, I don't know why others are reporting problems. Yes, the knob setting is very sensitive, but not unmanageable. (everything from off to full on happens in slightly more than an eighth turn of the knob) I am able to get my oven down to 250F before risking flameout. (at this lowest setting, you may blowout the flame if you open the door) I found that I can monitor the flame by closely looking through the door hinge gaps. Obtaining lower temperatures could be achieved by propping the door open slightly with a fork or something.

I was worried about maintaining clearances to combustibles, but my fears were unfounded, as the oven doesn't generate much radiated heat to the sides or bottom. The table doesn't heat up. (the bottom heat shield works wonders!)

For the camper who wants to bring a little home comfort to the wilderness, or the person living off-the-grid, on-the-cheap, this oven is a great value, especially when it can be acquired for less than $100. Coleman's propane griddle would be a perfect companion item.

This oven is HUGE. Keep that in mind if you are limited on space and plan to travel with it. It cooks well but this is not a set and forget oven. You will need to watch the temp gauge and adjust the heat. For anything that would need to cook for long periods of time this may be a hassle, however while camping pizza rolls for a snack, biscuits and gravy for breakfast fresh cookies as an afternoon snack is well worth it to me. Countless ideas come to mind. Just plan well so you are baking items that will take no longer than 15 minutes so that you don't ruin that outdoor trip.
I also used this during a power outage that lasted 4 days due to an ice storm. Coupled with my Coleman stove we ate like kings compared to most in that same boat.

Coleman InstaStart Portable Oven

I bought this oven to use on camping trips in California. It works great at sea level. However, not so great in the Sierras at 7,000 plus feet. The oven started fine and heated up really fast at McGrath State Beach (sea level) It gets really hot if you let it. According to the built in thermostat It was at 500 degrees when I reheated some pizza. The pizza was crispy and good. But at Rock Creek, near Mammoth, I had a really hard time getting it lit and keeping it lit. It is large, but not horribly heavy. If you want a real oven while you camp, this one will do the job. It runs off a small propane bottle. It is not hard to set up and, at sea, level, the instastart button works so that you do not have to use any matches or other lighter to light it. YOu just turn on the propane and press the instastart button and it goes right on . At higher altitudes I had a really hard time getting it started and keeping it lit. I am not sure how this can be corrected.

We love being able to have biscuits and homemake cookies, as well as cinnamon rolls and other things that you normally cannot eat while camping. It is also great for cooking pizza and casseroles. You have to watch and adjust the tempurature, but it is easy to do and has never been a problem for us.

Made cookies and biscuits this morning. It took some persistance keeping the temperature constant, but everything turned out pretty good. You have to rotate your pans during cooking. I love it and it adds a new variety of foods when you are camping.

Bought this for use in a duckblind. Works great. Heats up fast and makes perfect biscuits. Temp is not as easily regulated in your home oven but all in all a great product.

I had been looking at a camp oven to add to my cooking choices while camping. I debated between this model and the one by Campchef that included the stove top. I finally chose this one for 2 reasons 1) I already have 2 Coleman stoves and didn't really need more burners 2) I am leary of all-in-one units. IF one of the pieces malfunctions you are left with needing to replace all of it. I also like how I can tuck my Coleman stove into smlla spaces. After reading the specs on both products I was very aware that the temp would require monitoring and that it would likely handle the hardier types of baking that I had in mind for this item. This oven does accommodate a 9 by 13 pan-but no handles etc. I have found that the temp is steady but needs to be monitored carefully. I have made cobbler, cornbread, cookies and brownies in this little oven- and have been pleased with the outcome-- It was great to be able to keep scrambled eggs hot, and reheat as well. I have sometimes propped the door ajar using a wooden spoon as a previous reviewer suggested, to help with the temperature- which tends to get hot fast. All in all, it has been a nice addition for camping and is kept at the ready in case of power outage etc. I do dislike the way the propane connects-- its in the back and is awkward in my opinion. It can take some patience to get the bottle attached to the stove properly. I also wish Coleman would make some kind of attachment or storage for the propane adapter-- it is the same one that is used for the Coleman stoves -- I have been carefully storing it inside the oven when not set up. I anticipate using this for a good many years and would choose this oven if I had it to do over again.