Customer Reviews

Toastmaster 6431 Eclipse Single Burner

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

The Toastmaster 6431 does not have an Underwriters Lab label, which would make anyone hesitate before buying it. The Underwriters Lab endorsement (a "UL" logo) indicates that the electrical product is properly designed and constructed so that it is safe. We found the product online, where there was no info about the UL status of the product.
The first thing that broke was the temperature control. We fixed that by oiling the screw whose in-out motion controls the heat setting.
The more serious problems emerged when the fuse blew. We looked inside and discovered overheated wires with partially-melted insulation. This condition could cause both an electrical shock to the user and an electrical fire that could burn down a house.
Toastmaster makes another hot plate (model TTS1) which does have an Underwriters Lab endorsement. We bought one today, and we hope that it will work safely until after the end of our kitchen remodelling project.

After reading some of the reviews for this I was skeptical, but knowing that you always hear more complaints than praise, thought I'd give it a shot. I'm a college student and was looking for an easy, inexpensive way to cook in my dorm. And for the most part, this was perfect.

It's nice and small, so storage wasn't a problem. The first couple times you use it, there's a weird smell like something's burning, but I'll assume that's normal. It doesn't heat very quickly, but once it's heated it takes a while to cool back down. Having it on high then turning down to low doesn't have much of an affect, at least not for a few minutes. But if you're just boiling pasta or heating soup, it's all good. The entire thing gets really hot when cooking, so it has to sit a good 30 minutes or so before you can deal with it again.

But this morning it stopped working. I've had it for about 2 1/2 months, and it worked perfectly up until now. I used it about 2 to 4 times a week. I haven't dunked it in water or anything, it just won't turn on. I just wish it hadn't died right before finals.

All that said, was it worth the investment? Sure. But that's up to you. If you need something for a couple months, this is absolutely perfect, but if you're looking for a long term investment, look elsewhere, or just buy one every few months.

This product is a poorly designed piece of crap that is destined to fail from the first day you use it.

A friend had purchased this item a few months back and asked me to look at it when it died recently. (I have been repairing electrical and electronic equipment for almost 30yrs). This is a perfect example of a "throw-away" item. If more care had gone into the design and a few more dollars into producing it you might have a product that could last a few years. Neither was done. Look at how many reviews mention the item failing after only a few months... and even the positive reviewers usually have only been using it for a month or so-

Do yourself a favor and buy a commercial grade hot plate from a reputable manufacturer. You will pay more but you will likely still be using it many years from now. (Not too mention that the operation will be better also). How much "VALUE" is in a $20 hot plate when it is headed to the landfill a few months from now? It is a shame that so many people are willing to accept low quality products these days and think it is OK if it lasted a few months (note the reviews...)

Good Luck-

I've loved my little hotplate for 3 months, but it died. Froze the temp control at the time of death. Up until then I was very happy except for trying to boil large pots... never got there, and on frozen stirfry it has a hard time coming back after you add the frozen veggies... but ALL of the reviews are accurate, the high ratings just haven't used it enough times for it to burn out.. looks like anywhere from 50 to 100 uses, depending on how often you turn it all the way up. Highly recommended for a temporary use while on vacation or broken stove... now to try to get some warranty help!

The toastmaster single burner is definitely a product I'd recommend for people without gas burners in their kitchen. Its design is compact, powerful and enables you to cook whatever you want.
It saved my life when my burners went out of order!

I purchesd Toastmaster 6431 Eclipse Single Burner last September. Out of the 400 days of ownership I used the Burner maybe 100 times. It worked well and I am most pleased with the appearence and the easy to use design, however it is now just lump of non working metal. It stoped working three days ago for no particular reason.

If there is any kind of adjustment that can be made I would purchase this unit again. If there is no finacial consideration I will shop around and seek another brand.

The benefits from owning this unit were, easy to clean, the hot
filiment is some sort of high tech plastic, and the warming area is large, simple heat control and easy to store.

.... if you think this is going to replace the kitchen stove ... forget it ... it'll drive you NUTS ....


Because the burner has a heavy metal plate it is perfect for fondueing or warming on the dining room table. Even though it does have good wattage the unit takes FOREVER to heat up and thats why I say to be carefull of thinking its good to replace a stove. Once, however the plate gets hot its fabulous and great for fine temeprature control ....

I've had this burner for two months, now. The smell it emits is really bothersome. It's sort of a burning chemical smell. It really never got better with use, although it got a little bit better. But it is still a strong smell which is unacceptable.

The burner takes a long time to heat up. It takes about twenty minutes just to boil water in a 3 qt. saucepan.

On the plus side, it is a good looking burner. The new rubber top with concentric rings is something I've never seen before. Cleanup is easy.

If I could do it all over again, I would never buy this. I thought I was buying one of those solid cooktops that is metallic. Instead, there is this rubber type surface which emits a chemical smell on every use.

Don't buy it! Looks great and is easy to clean, but quits for no apparent reason. I returned the first one after it quit on week three, and the second one quit tonight after two weeks. My last ... hot plate lasted three years! Also, this one seemed to get extremely hot on it's outer counter. Something is wrong with these - don't risk it.. We only use it for making tea. It should not perform so badly. Looks great -
is not worth the extra price.

I used this stove to boil water about 100 times in six months. Recently it quit working in the middle of cooking dinner. I replaced a fuse inside the stove which had burnt out but the new fuse burnt out in the middle of the next meal. I searched extensively for a short circuit inside and could find none so I removed the fuse altogether and replaced it with 14 gauge wire -- solder melted during next use. I've resoldered the connection and watched it closely tonight, it appears to get stuck in the on position until it heats up enough to short out. I'd say this product has a design flaw and may possibly be dangerous.