VonShef Premium 8 Liter Sous Vide/Water Oven $40

[1stlink]

I just started browsing the Sous Vide world and came across this: $40 for a VonShef Premium 8 Liter Sous Vide/Water Oven... Lots of reviews mostly good but many bad.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NMIRSTI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2869E9NXGD6WI&psc=1#customerReviews
I see most here on the SI forum have Anova Sticks that appear to be of higher quality along with a Polly container w/lid for the bath.
I like the idea of an insulated bath for practical reasons as it seems that the polly units would use more energy to maintain temps.
One way or another, I will be joining the Sous Vide army. Any comments and or would be appreciated.
Thanks a bunch,
Ralph

 

[Walt]

You can drill a hole in an ice chest for a more insulated bath. I have seen some very nice setups [online] like that.

 

[1stlink]

Thanks Walt and yes I saw a couple of those also, one lady used an Igloo Island Breeze lunch cooler (8 Liter) and I happen to have one laying around unused for years. I may go that route if I decide on buying a Anova perhaps the Nano which is smaller and new for 2018.
How's that sound for a combo?  ???

 

[prudentsmoker]

I have two Anovas, but there may be better values out there. One thing I have suggested before is that the Omaha Steaks styrofoam coolers work great for longer cooks. For shorter ones, often a large pot is enough.

 

[1stlink]

Good idea, Omaha Steaks styrofoam coolers for those long soaks. I have similar coolers sent to me but not saved... next one will be saved...

 

[SconnieQ]

I'm not a fan of the dedicated machines. They take a lot of space for a single purpose. I prefer the stick style sous vide devices. They are easy to store, and you have several choices for containers and sizes. Plus, the containers can be multipurpose use, like pots for cooking, or cambro containers you can also use for brining, food prep and storage.

You don't really need a cooler. An insulated container is not needed for the sous vide stick to maintain temperature. It won't struggle, and it's not like you are saving much $$ in electricity by using a cooler. Plus, now you have to store this giant cooler that now only serves a single purpose because you've cut a hole in it. Nothing wrong with repurposing a cooler you are going to throw away though. Not sure how styrofoam would do with higher temps. You can wrap a towel around your cambro container if you feel you need to, but it's not necessary. Here's a link to a neoprene sleeve that might be a more elegant solution than a towel. I just use a cambro container for all sous vide, long and short. Just replenish the water loss every so often if you are doing a long cook for more than 12 hours... or buy a nifty lid to help minimize heat and water loss. I highly recommend buying the lid. Below is the cambro container and lid I use with my Anova.

Cambro 12 qt Container
Same Cambro Container, different price
This is the lid I have
Another nice lid option

You can also find a number of food-safe container/lid combos by Rubbermaid, Everie, Lipavi and probably others. Just make sure the lid is compatible with the container you choose (they are not interchangeable), and the lid is made for the brand of sous vide stick you choose.

 

[1stlink]

Thanks for the feedback Kari. I was very skeptical of the $40 unit anyway and your input is very sound. . Restaurant Depot has the SQUARE CONTAINER CLEAR 12 QT - Unit $15.52 so I can save a little by going there and pick up some meat, etc. while there.
Next decision is which stick to buy. Avona current models: Anova Precision Cooker 4.0 and Nova. Size, weight(2.5-1.6 lbs), price(??) & wattage(900-750) all weigh in on decision making. I'm not sure if the extra power & capacity of the 4.0 is necessary (8 gallon vs 5) No rush so I may wait for a sale.
Thanks again