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Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker review
1:39 pm | October 24, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Air Fryers Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker: two-minute review

Product info

This model has slightly different names and product codes in different territories:

US: Ninja Combi All-in-One Multicooker, Oven, and Air Fryer SFP701B
UK: Ninja Combi 12-in-1 Multi-Cooker, Oven & Air Fryer SFP700UK

For this review, I tested the UK version. There are minor differences between different countries' models – see specs section for a comparison.

The Ninja Combi is a billed as an all-in-one multi-cooker that can be used like an oven, an air fryer, or even a stovetop (hob). In fact, it offers an intimidating range of modes beyond those, but the headline here is that it has a steam function, which can be used on its own or as part of any of three 'Combi' settings, which combine steaming (for moisture and tenderness) with another cooking mode. It's also designed to be able to cook complete meals – protein, carb, veggies – quickly, and all in one go.

It's sized like a tall microwave, with a sideways-opening door and two internal trays. Inside the cooking cavity, there are heating elements at the top and bottom, and a convection fan at the back to circulate the hot air.

In practice, figuring out sheer number of modes and which one to use for what can be intimidating. There are 12 different options on the UK version I tested, and even more if you're in the US. I suspect that once you've spent a bit of time using the Combi, it'll become clearer which mode suits what meal.

In my tests, the standalone modes all worked efficiently, with expected results. I was especially impressed with the air fryer mode, which got my veggie sausages hot all the way through and nicely browned in double-quick time. It took a little more trial and error to work out the more unusual Combi Meals mode, especially with regards to timings if you're straying away from the set menus in the provided meal booklet. The ability to add steam is unusual, but it does help keep things moist – although the Combi will emit a lot of steam in these modes, so you'll need to put it in a well-ventilated spot.

Aside from the complications that come with navigating all the modes, the Combi is very well designed and straightforward to use. The button controls require no explanation (the giant switch that you flip to shift from standard modes to ones with steam is unnecessary but kind of satisfying). The display offers up useful information, including letting you know when preheating is finished, and alerting you if you've forgotten to add the water tray for steam cooking. There are also some genuinely helpful touches, like how the inside light will come on in the final minute of cooking in some modes.

At $229.99 / £279.99, it's up there with the most expensive options in our best air fryer guide, but this does a lot more than just air fry. While it's not cheap, I actually think it's decent value for money (in the US at least), given the wide range of functions and high build quality. That's the short version; read on for my full Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker review.

Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker review: price & availability

  • List price: $229.99 / £279.99
  • Launched: April 2024
  • Available: US / UK

The Ninja Combi launched in spring 2024, and is currently available in the US and the UK. You can buy direct from SharkNinja, or via various third party retailers.

At time of writing, in the US when you buy direct from Ninja the Combi comes bundled with accessories like a compatible baking pan, Dutch oven and cooking utensils. The list price is $229.99. In the UK, the list price is £279.99, with no accessories bundled in. That's noticeably more expensive than the US option.

Based on TechRadar's price bands, we'd consider anything over $250 / £200 to be a premium air fryer, but this is a slightly different prospect because it offers such a wide selection of functions on top of just air frying.

In the US I think it's really very good value for money, but it's less so in the UK. I'd probably recommend waiting for a discount if you're shopping in the UK – I've seen it drop to £249.99 in the process of writing this review, and I hope more discounts will be in the pipeline when this model gets a little older (the Black Friday sales can be an especially good time to shop for small appliances).

  • Value for money score: 4 out of 5

Ninja Combi specs

Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker review: design

  • Cool, curvy shape, opens sideways via a chunky handle
  • Space for two internal trays
  • Large, intuitive button control panel, plus SmartSwitch

The Ninja Combi looks like kind of like a tiny, curvy oven with a control panel stuck to the front. The door opens sideways, and cooking trays slot into the cavity. You can fit two of these in at once. The cavity is, apparently, large enough to fit a 6lb chicken or a 10-inch pizza.

With the UK version I tested, there was a baking tray, crisper plate (with cutouts) and deep, ceramic-coated 'Combi Pan' included. It's not terribly clear what's included with the US version – the 'What you'll get list' just specifies a baking pan and Dutch oven with glass lid, but I'd expect there to be a crisper plate included too, because how are gonna air fry without one of those? These plates and pans are dishwasher-safe.

Crisper tray and baking tray inside cooking cavity of Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker

(Image credit: Future)

The control panel uses buttons rather than a touchscreen. There are separate up and down arrows for temperature, time and cooking function. There's also a general on switch, a start/stop button, and a lightbulb that enables you to illuminate the inside of the Combi when you want to check on progress. A small, illuminated LED display provides information.

Those are the less exciting controls. The cool bit is the SmartSwitch on the top right of the Combi. If it's pointing upwards, the appliance is in Combi Cooker mode, and if it's pointing sideways, it's in Air Fry / Hob mode. The position of the switch will determine which of the options on the main display panel are available for selection. As such, it's in no way necessary to the function of the cooker, but it is satisfyingly chunky and very flickable.

Chunky 'combi' switch on Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker

If the switch is up, you can select any of the Combi cooking modes; if the switch is sideways, you can select the regular cooking modes (Image credit: Future)

The exact modes offered by the Combi depends on your territory, but you can rest assured that both the US and UK versions have covered plenty of bases. Here's a run-down:

  • 'Combi' modes: Combi Meals, Combi Crisp, Combi Bake, Steam, Rice/Pasta, Proof (Prove)
  • 'Air fry' modes: Broil (Grill), Air Fry, Bake, Sear/Sauté, Slow Cook
  • Extra US version modes: Toast, Pizza, and Sous Vide

If you use any of the 'Combi' modes, you need to add water to the deep Combi Cooker pan. This will create steam in the cooking chamber. If you use it in Steam, Rice/Pasta or Proof (Prove) modes, it'll keep the food moist and prevent it from drying out. On the Ninja website, it also states that this steaming function can also be used to safely and rapidly thaw frozen food – useful if your meal planning abilities, like mine, leave something to be desired. However, there's no dedicated Defrost mode.

If you use the Combi Multi-Cooker in any of the modes prefaced by 'Combi', the appliance will combine the steam function with another cooking mode, for results that are moist yet crispy. That's my understanding, anyway - it's surprisingly hard to make sense of.

The 'Air Fry' modes are more self-explanatory, although the name itself is baffling, because Ninja is just using it to mean 'modes that don't include steam'.

Control panel on Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker

The Combi offers a wide range of cooking modes, accessed via the control panel (Image credit: Future)

My review model came with a recipe booklet that helped demystify things somewhat – if I hadn't have had that, I'd have been lost. This booklet is also downloadable online (via a QR code on a sticker on the Combi) along with videos and other information. Other appliances I've used add this kind of thing to an app, but I'm very happy not to have to download yet another thing to my phone to use the Combi.

Screenshots from online guide to Ninja Combi cooker

The companion booklet is very useful, and there's also plenty of info available online (Image credit: SharkNinja)

On the UK model I tested, the temperature officially ranges from 120C to a generous 230C. It'll actually go lower for proving / proofing – it kicks in at an automatic 35C in that mode. You can set cooking durations up to a hour and 15 minutes, although if you're cooking above 200C, you can only cook for 30 minutes.

  • Design score: 4.5 out of 5

Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker review: performance

  • Combi modes require trial and error, but yield good results
  • Air fry mode is excellent, and other 'standard' modes all work well
  • Emits a lot of steam, and condensation tray can't be easily emptied

Let's start with a general look at how usable the Combi is. You can fit plenty of things inside, with the stacked trays making the most of the internal space. Ninja says it can cater a meal for eight, and while that seems a touch optimistic, I'd be confident cooking for four to six. It's not too noisy in use, although the bleeping did throw me off a bit. It'll sometimes emit what sounds to me like a 'you've done something wrong' bleep, but is actually an 'everything's fine' bleep.

The display is great for providing all the basic information you need. So when it's preheating, it'll say PRE, and when the cooking is all done, it'll say END. There's no guessing as to what's going on and no need to consult an app to check on progress. When you switch it off, it bids you BYE. It'll also tell you when it's time to add food, and if you try and launch a steam mode without the Combi Pan in its slot, it'll sense that and give you an error message.

Peppers cooking inside Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker

You can switch the light on/off manually, can it'll come on automatically for the last minute of cooking (Image credit: Future)

I like the fact there's a light to see inside the cooking chamber, although its positioning means that if there are two trays in there, you'll only be able to see the top one. The light will switch on automatically when the door is open, and sometimes (I couldn't work out a pattern) for the last minute of cooking, too.

The control panel is self-explanatory and very easy to use. The most challenging bit of figuring out which setting you need. I also appreciate that you can reset the timer mid-cook, if you see that things are going to take longer than you'd initially predicted. The Combi will come up with suggested temperatures and times for each mode, and you can adjust up or down from there.

Condensation building up on the door of the Ninja Combi cooker

Condensation will build up when the Combi is preparing to use any of the 'Combi' cooking modes (Image credit: Future)

In steam cooking modes, the Combi takes a few minutes to get the steam going before it starts cooking. During this time, dashes appear on the display, and the Combi emits a very quiet grumbling. Initially it can seem like nothing is happening, but after a while condensation will start to appear on the inside of the glass door. Once it's nice and steamy, the actual cooking will kick in (noticeably noisier than heat-up, but not overly loud in general) and the timer will start.

It's worth flagging that in any of the modes that include steaming (and a few of the others, too) the Combi emits a lot of steam from a vent on the right of the machine - far more than I get with my regular air fryer. You will want to make sure it's positioned somewhere well-ventilated, or near an extractor fan. Ninja is clearly aware of this because it's addressed in the troubleshooting section of the guide booklet, where it makes it clear it's normal and expected.

GIF showing steam coming from Ninja Combi in use

(Image credit: Future)

The steam that doesn't escape condenses on the inside of the viewing window. Ninja has added a little channel where water can collect, so your worktop doesn't end up soaked. Unfortunately, there's no easy way to empty it. After every few uses, I'd have to dip a dry cloth in, let it soak up some liquid, carefully wring it out, then repeat until dry. Not ideal.

Liquid channel, full of water, on Ninja Combi multi-cooker

This channel quickly fills up with condensed water, and there's no way to easily empty it (Image credit: Future)

Combi cooking modes

One of the USPs here is the ability to 'combi' cook. There are three dedicated Combi modes, and it's not immediately clear what the difference is between them. These are the 'best for' suggestions for each, as per Ninja's accompanying recipe booklet:

  • Combi Meals: cooking proteins, grains / pasta and vegetables at the same time
  • Combi Crisp: whole roasts, fresh/frozen proteins, vegetables, crusty breads
  • Combi Bake: homemade batters, boxed mixes, soft-baked breads, delicate baked goods

I think the Meals option is when you're cooking different elements at the same time, the Crisp is for things you want to turn out crispy, and the Bake is for when you want things to turn out soft.

I started by testing the Combi Meals mode. Broadly, the process is: your carb (rice or pasta) goes in the Combi Pan with water, your protein goes on the Bake Tray, which slots in above. In the final 6-7 minutes of cooking, you can add any veggies you want to steam into the Combi Pan alongside the carb.

In the recipe booklet, there are suggestions like salmon with brown rice and steamed broccoli, or tomato pasta with meatballs. I decided to make brown rice, veggie meatballs, steamed courgette and leek, and roasted tomatoes.

Frozen veggie balls and uncooked rice in the Ninja Combi multi-cooker

Your rice or pasta goes in the bottom tray with water, while your protein goes on the top tray (Image credit: Future)

I was at a bit of a loss as to how long to cook it for or at what temperature. There is a guide in the recipe booklet, but I needed to adjust both the quantities and rice type (they specify 'easy cook'; I only had regular). The booklet suggests setting the cooking time based on the protein, that clearly wasn't going to work here.

In the end, the balls and tomatoes ended up cooking way quicker than the rice, and I had to take that tray out and extend the rice cooking time. I also had to add more water as the rice had dried out.

Tomatoes and raw vegetables being added into the Ninja Combi cooker mid-cook

Vegetables to be steamed are added later in the cooking process (Image credit: Future)

All of this to say, figuring out combination meal timings is tricky, and I suspect will take some trial and error. It's more straightforward with something like the Ninja Double Stack air fryer, where you can set different temperatures and durations for each drawer, and leave the appliance to figure out when to switch each one on so they're done at the same time. But that's a regular air fryer, so you'd be sacrificing the steaming possibilities.

Timing mishaps aside, I was pretty impressed with the results of the Combi Meals setting. The veggie balls ended up evenly browned and crispy on the outside, and the tomatoes roasted up nicely. The rice and veggies were tender and slightly crispy on top. I guess if you want to avoid any crispiness, you want to just use the steam mode.

Other functions

During my review period, I also tested out the Combi's other functions, and I didn't have any issues with any of them. I used the bake function for a range of heating-up tasks, and it performed reliably well. I'd like to give a special shout-out to the dedicated Air Fry mode, too. With other multi-cookers I've tested, this function has been a let-down (leading me to suspect that 'air fry' has just been added to the list because it's a buzz-word in cooking right now, rather than it being something the appliance has been designed for). That was not the case with the Combi.

Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker with browned sausages inside

(Image credit: Future)

It took my veggie sausages from frozen to cooked at least as quickly as my dedicated air fryer – despite the fact that the cooking cavity here is larger. They were hot through and browned evenly on the outside. I'd have no qualms recommending this model to someone for whom air frying was a particular priority.

  • Performance score: 4 out of 5

Should you buy the Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker?

Buy it if...

You regularly make meat + veg + carb meals
The Combi function is designed for you to be able to check off these three elements all in one appliance, rather than having to crack out, say, a hob, grill, and steamer.

You want to be able to steam food
The point of difference here compared to an air fryer or big oven is that there's a dedicated steam function, which is great for vegetables.

You've had your eye on an air fryer but are short on space
The Combi's air fryer mode is excellent, so if you've been lusting after one of those but don't have the space to justify a single-function appliance, it could be a great choice. The wide range of functions, including proof/prove, grill/broil, steam, and slow cook let you explore different cooking styles, without compromising on the essentials.

Don't buy it if...

Your kitchen lacks ventilation
In any of the Combi cooking modes, the Combi emits quite a lot of steam. It really needs to go near a window, or at least an extractor fan.

You want minimal effort
Cooking different food types at once does require a bit of figuring out. A dual-basket air fryer, which lets you cook foods at different temperatures and will sync up the timings for you, is less fiddly.

Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker review: also consider

Not sure if the Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker is right for you? Here are a couple of alternatives to consider.

Samsung Combi Smart Microwave oven
This multi-cooker adds microwave functionality to the list, and boasts a sleek, minimalist look. There's smart control via a companion app, and the option to instruct it via voice assistant too. However, it's nowhere near as efficient at air frying as the Ninja Combi, and while the capacity is technically larger, you don't have shelves to maximize use of the space. It's also UK-only.

Read our full Samsung Combi Smart Microwave Oven review

Ninja Double Stack
It's a dedicated air fryer so you won't get the wide range of cooking style options, but the Double Stack is arguably better suited to cooking two things at once. You can set individual temperatures and cooking durations for each drawer, and use the sync function so the machine will work out timings so both are ready simultaneously.

Read our full Ninja Double Stack reviewView Deal

How I tested the Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker

  • I used it regularly for around a week
  • I tried out the various different cooking mode options
  • I compared the results to my dedicated air fryer and oven

I used the Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker regularly for a week before writing up this review, testing it on everything from bread, to ready-made pie, to veggie sausages. I assessed the results in terms of texture, evenness of cooking, and browning (if relevant). I also compared the results and timings to what I'd expect using my usual method of cooking, be that a dedicated air fryer, oven, or stovetop.

To test the 'Combi' functions, I used the Combi to cook variations of the kinds of meals suggested in the companion booklet – i.e. those that feature a rice/pasta, vegetable, and protein component. I judged how well it cooked each of those individual elements, and if the steam function made a difference to the texture of the results.

I also considered how straightforward and intuitive the controls were, if there were any features I felt were confusing or missing, as well as maintenance aspects such as how easy it was to clean.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed October 2024

Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry 10L Air Fryer review: a top-notch gadget with some frustrating drawbacks
5:00 pm | October 20, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

Cosori Dual Blaze TwinFry 10L Air Fryer: one-minute review

The Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry 10L Air Fryer is a solid choice of air fryer for those with larger households or who entertain on a regular basis. With its basket able to be used as one large (albeit slightly narrow) space, or split into two separate zones, this is a versatile appliance that will make mealtimes much easier. What's more, thanks to its handy app, you can control the device from your phone and set the two baskets to separate cooking times and temperatures. Thanks to Sync Cooking, you can even set two foods to finish at the same time, or with Match Cooking, set two baskets of separate foods to cook at the same settings.

We largely had great results across this air fryer's six cooking functions, but found a few disappointing outcomes with basics like vegetables. Considering this device's hefty price tag, we'd expect close to perfection every time.

Despite this, the Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry 10L Air Fryer is a convenient, solid family air fryer - as long as you have the room for it.

Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry 10L Air Fryer with drawer open to show baskets

(Image credit: Vic Hood)

Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry 10L Air Fryer: price and availability

  • Price: £289.99 (about $380 / AU$560)
  • Available in UK from Amazon
  • Unavailable in US and Australia at the time of writing

The Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry 10L Air Fryer has an eye-watering price tag of £289.99 (about $380 / AU$560), putting it at the higher end of air fryer prices. Amazon UK does appear to drop the price occasionally by around £40, however.

This air fryer seems to have limited availability right now. I've only been able to find it at Amazon UK, with even the Cosori website directing me to the third-party retailer. Whether that's because of limited availability or air fryer enthusiasts snapping up stock, I'm not sure, but I found no mention of it on Cosori's Australian and US sites.

  • Value score: 4/5

Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry 10L Air Fryer: specifications

Cosori Dual Blaze TwinFry 10L Air Fryer: design

  • Easy-to-use interface
  • Sleek, matt black design
  • No windows
  • Large capacity, but bulky

The Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry 10L Air Fryer is a mammoth of an air fryer, at 33.8 x 51.8 x 31.3cm. If you've got limited counter space, you may find its size (accounting for the 13cm space requirement at the back) quite imposing in your kitchen. If you choose to store it away when you're done, you're going to need a big cupboard.

The air fryer has a sleek, matte black design and an easy-to-use digital interface, where you can choose from one of six cooking functions and easily set the required temperature and time for its zones. The appliance's basket is very versatile: you can use it as one large, 10-liter basket (the Grandzone), or two separate 5-liter baskets (Dual Zones) - with a divider breaking up the sections - or just use one of the 5-liter baskets. These sections are able to be controlled separately using the air fryer's interface or via an app (which I explain more in the next section).

Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry 10L Air Fryer on kitchen counter

(Image credit: Vic Hood)

While the Dual Blaze TwinFry is easy to set up and use, I did have some gripes with its bulky design. For one, it makes it very frustrating to clean as, while the basket, crisper plates, divider, and included tongs are dishwasher safe, you need a pretty big dishwasher to fit that basket in.

If you opt to hand wash it instead, you need to contend with its size - which I found very tricky. In addition, this bulk can make it challenging to get certain foods out of the basket/s, especially if you have two separate foods being cooked. While the tongs allowed me to easily pick up wings from one side, I had more difficulty finding the angle and device that would remove the chips from the other - without accidentally scraping the non-stick basket coating.

Likewise, when I wanted to shake my roasties on one side, I accidentally shook my roasting beef joint on the other. This air fryer definitely would have benefited from two separate baskets that can connect as one instead - and a window.

Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry 10L Air Fryer control panel and display

(Image credit: Vic Hood)
  • Design score: 3.5/5

Cosori Dual Blaze TwinFry 10L Air Fryer: performance

  • Convent app compatibility
  • Great results for most foods…
  • …but some basics were a bit disappointing

The Cosori Dual Blaze TwinFry 10-Litre Air Fryer is miles better than the manufacturer's disappointing TurboBlaze - which I reviewed around the same time. While it doesn't have the same number of functions, the results are (mostly) much better and it's much more convenient.

The Dual Blaze TwinFry can be paired with the VeSync app on your phone, which is easy to set up and allows you to control the time and temperature of the Grandzone and Dual Zones from your phone. While the app's list of recipes is limited, and I wish it would give a bit more guidance on cooking times, its Sync Cooking and Match Cooking features are brilliant. With Sync Cooking, you can put one type of food in one basket and a different one in the other basket, then using the app, set each basket's individual cooking times and temperatures.

Fries and wings cooked using Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry 10L Air Fryer

(Image credit: Vic Hood)

The air fryer then ensures the two baskets finish cooking at the same time, starting the one that takes longer first then automatically turning on the second when the first has its amount of cooking time left. It makes cooking a meal with different components much easier: just throw everything in, set the app, and track it from there. Match Cooking, on the other hand, lets you put different foods, with the same amount of cooking time and temperature, in each basket.

Sync Cooking cut down the time of testing considerably, letting me add chicken wings to one zone and fresh fries to the other, with both finishing at the same time. The wings were crispy and succulent and my chips were crispy on the outside, but fluffy inside - perfection, with little hassle.

Beef and vegetables cooked using Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry 10L Air Fryer

(Image credit: Vic Hood)

Frozen fries, on the other hand, weren't as successful, with smaller chips dropping through the crisper plate and the ends burning a bit on those that survived. Similarly, with the Roast setting, I found my broccoli florets had burnt ends, but my carrots worked well, and the Dehydrate setting left my oranges still pretty juicy after four hours. I largely followed the instructions of the included Quick Start Guide booklet, but it's somewhat limited and I advise not always taking it at face value.

While my broccoli was a bit disappointing, the Dual Blaze TwinFry really proved its worth when making a roast. I was able to pop potatoes for roasting in one zone and my beef joint in the other, using Sync Cooking to ensure they finished around the same time. The beef came out to perfection, medium-rare inside but with a flavorsome crust on the outside, while my roasties were crispy on the outside but fluffy inside. Toast, too, was a breeze to make.

Beef cooked using Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry 10L Air Fryer

(Image credit: Vic Hood)

And while the design is quite imposing, the air fryer isn't that loud when on, clocking in around 62 decibels on average. It did mean we had to raise our voices a bit to talk, but no more than most kitchen appliances. Those with small children, or are clumsy like me, will be pleased to hear the outside of the air fryer doesn't get too warm either, only around 25C - cool enough to touch without getting burned.

  • Performance score: 4/5

Should you buy the Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry 10L Air Fryer?

Buy it if

You have a big household or enjoy hosting

The 10-liter capacity of this air fryer makes it a solid choice for those who need to cook bigger meals.

You regularly make meals with varying components

Sync and Match Cooking make it easy to cook different foods, without having to keep your own timer or anything going cold. View Deal

You don't need a bunch of bells and whistles

Other air fryers have a lot more functions, but the Dual Blaze TwinFry doesn't need them. It has fewer options, but does them well.View Deal

Don't buy it if

You've limited kitchen space

This big boy takes up a lot of room, so may be less suited to those with less counter space - or a small sink for washing up.View Deal

You're on a tight budget

This air fryer doesn't come cheap. If you're on a tight budget (or don't think you'll use it enough to justify the cost), then you can find other great options for less.View Deal

How I tested the Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry 10L Air Fryer

I used the Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry 10L for several days, cooking a wide variety of foods including fresh and frozen fries, chicken wings, fresh vegetables, and cake. I tested all the air fryer's various modes (including dehydrate, which I used to dry orange slices) and used all of the mobile app's features. I cleaned the air fryer in line with the instructions provided in the manual. For more details, see how we test.

First reviewed October 2024

Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer review: a convenient, multifunctional air fryer with inconsistent results
5:00 pm | October 19, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances | Tags: | Comments: Off

Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer: one-minute review

The Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer is the perfect size for smaller families looking to cut down their cooking time a bit by air frying a larger part of their meal, like a chicken, or side dishes, with the basket easily big enough to feed three people - but it has some less-than-ideal quirks that prevent it ranking up there with the best air fryers.

The interface is easy to use, and there are an abundance of cooking functions available (including four Turbo Modes), but the performance isn't what we'd have liked (or expected) from an air fryer costing over $100. While some foods, like chicken wings and toast, turned out perfectly and allowed for easy clean up afterward, I also ended up with a half-baked cake and a mixture of burnt and undercooked chips and vegetables.

These niggles may be able to be worked out, but given the TurboBlaze's promise of 360-degree air flow, and faster cooking on its Air Fry, Roast, Grill, and Frozen modes, I was left disappointed and uncertain of what to expect next from this rollercoaster gadget.

These performance quirks may be able to be worked out with a lot of time, experimentation - and patience - but after my week with this air fryer, I was left far from impressed.

Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer

(Image credit: Vic Hood)

Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer: price and availability

  • Price: $119.99 / £159.99 (about AU$180)
  • Available in UK and US (as 6 Quart) from Cosori's website or third-party retailers like Amazon
  • Regular discounts and sales

The TurboBlaze may not be the most expensive air fryer on the market, but it's certainly not the most affordable we've seen - nor the best for this price range. The US price tag is a bit less than the UK one, coming in just under $120. If you are buying in the US, note that the name and model is a bit different (6 Quart rather than 6L) If you've got a $100 budget, don't worry, this air fryer seems to be regularly discounted on Amazon, so we advise picking one up there rather than from Cosori directly. While the price in the UK is a bit higher, making this a less budget-friendly air fryer, again, Amazon regularly does discounts that knock it closer to the £100 mark. Unfortunately, if you're in Australia, the TurboBlaze range isn't available.

While this air fryer offers a bunch of bells and whistles, its lack of consistent results hold it back from being good value for money at that price tag. The things it does well, it does brilliantly, but there's a lot of functions that just didn't work how I'd expect. For an air fryer over 100 quid, I would expect the most basic functions (at the very least) to work well every time. That's not the case here.

  • Value score: 2.5/5

Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer: specifications

Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer: design

  • Easy to set up, use, and clean
  • Touch controls work well
  • Fairly compact given its capacity

The Cosori TurboBlaze 6.0-Litre Air Fryer was a breeze to set up, coming with a handy booklet of recipes and tips to try out and recommendations on cooking weights and times for some of the most common air fryer ingredients.

The overall black, matte design is pretty sleek, and its digital interface is easy to use, with a good-sized touch-screen interface showing its nine cooking functions (including four Turbo modes) and keep warm function. Simply select the mode suited to what you're cooking (the booklet helps here), then use the touch screen to increase or decrease the time and temperature. Press start, and you're off.

The air fryer itself is pretty compact given its generous capacity, but still measures 40 x 30 x 30.1cm, so it takes up a chunk of counter space when you consider the 13 cm behind it you need to leave. How imposing you find it will really depend on your kitchen counter space - and how often you plan to use it.

The six-liter basket provides plenty of room to cook for a small family (I was easily able to fit an eight-inch cake tin pan inside) and is ideal for those looking to cook one larger item, like a whole chicken or a portion of vegetables or fries for a few people. It comes with a crisper plate, which slots in simply from an angle (just don't catch the rubber stoppers) and is used for most cooking functions.

Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer

(Image credit: Vic Hood)

The basket and crisper plate are dishwasher-safe, but I found that hand washing them was almost quicker and easier than waiting for the dishwasher cycle to end.

It would have been good for a window to be included in the basket to prevent me from having to pull it out to check on my food (letting some heat out), and it was frustrating at times to have to reset all the controls when my food needed an extra 10 minutes, but overall this TurboBlaze has a solid, to-the-point design.

  • Design score: 4/5

Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer: performance

  • Inconsistent results
  • Handy preheating function
  • Plenty of functions to try out, including proving

I found Cosori TurboBlaze 6.0-Litre Air Fryer the perfect size for me and my partner, and I was excited to put it through its many cooking functions through their paces- but the results were mixed to say the least.

Testing started off strong when I tried a chicken wing recipe from the booklet. After preheating the air fryer as per Cosori's instructions, I added 700g of seasoned wing to the crisper plate and set it to air fry at 200C for 16 minutes.

Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer

(Image credit: Vic Hood)

This air fryer isn't too loud, hitting around 60 decibels when cooking - about the volume of a conversation between people sitting a meter away. So, while you don't need to shout over it, you will notice it a bit. As a massive clutz, I liked that the outside of the air fryer never got above around 23/24C, with the back airflow around 25C, so if you've got little ones, you don't need to worry about them accidentally burning themselves by touching the outside- though obviously, the inside is another story.

I was really impressed with the first test. The wings came out crispy on the outside and succulent inside - perfectly cooked and the best I've ever made. There was minimal mess in the bottom of the basket, too. But my other tests were another story.

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Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer

(Image credit: Vic Hood)
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Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer

(Image credit: Vic Hood)

I tried 500g of fresh and frozen fries on the air fryer setting (part of the Turbo modes), at different times, but both came out with half the fries underdone and half overdone - mostly with the edges of the chips burnt. Even giving the basket a shake during cooking didn't help. Those that were cooked were fluffy inside but either burnt outside or soggy. Considering fries are a staple of air fryer cooking, and the Turbo Mode cooking functions are meant to quickly cook food with 360-degree air flow, this was a big disappointment.

The disappointment only continued with my cake baking. I used this as a perfect opportunity to bake my fiancé a birthday cake, using an online air fryer standard cake recipe. After consulting the book again (which I had to do a lot), I set the air fryer on the Bake function, using the recommended time and temperature from the booklet. It's worth noting, you can't (and shouldn't) just use the default cooking mode setting for everything and anything you're cooking in this air fryer (or any, really).

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Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer

(Image credit: Vic Hood)
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Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer

(Image credit: Vic Hood)

After preheating the air fryer and cooking my cake for 20 minutes at 165C (as the book instructed), my skewer came out wet. I ended up baking the cake for another 20 minutes (in intervals) until the top was burning and busting open.

Though the skewer was still a bit wet at the bottom, the cake wasn't going to survive much longer. After cooling, I tipped the cake upside down on a rack to find the entire bottom half was completely raw, while the top half was on the verge of burning. Absolute disaster.

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Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer

(Image credit: Vic Hood)
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Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer

(Image credit: Vic Hood)

Using this air fryer was a bit of a rollercoaster. After the cake, I made a roast chicken using the roast function and the booklet's recipe that was crispy on top and juicy inside. Though, the bottom was a bit too juicy, verging on almost soggy after the air fryer managed to blow over my whole chicken. Much like the chips, the vegetables for the roast were inconsistently booked, with the edges of my broccoli burning until the point of being inedible but my carrots not cooking enough - and requiring more time than the instructions stated.

As for the other functions, I ended up still somewhat juicy lemons and limes after four hours dehydrating, but did find toast easy to grill and the proving feature rose my bread dough in just an hour, resulting in perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside bread.

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Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer

(Image credit: Vic Hood)
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Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer

(Image credit: Vic Hood)

By the end of my testing, I wasn't quite sure what I was going to get from this air fryer. I spent days testing its modes, but still found it inconsistent across some of its most basic modes. My advice? Trust the book's recipes, but maybe not its cooking times.

  • Performance score: 2/5

Should you buy the Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer?

Buy it if

You don't mind working out its quirks

This air fryer does some things perfectly, and others not so well If you're up for experimenting with the best cooking times for each product, or an air fryer expert, you could end up with the same level of consistency across the board.

You've a smaller household

The 6-liter basket is aimed at households of three to five, but I think three is the perfect number (depending on appetites).

You want an easy-to-use air fryer with multiple functions

The touchscreen interface is super simple to use and there's lots of different functions to try out - even if they aren't all perfect.

Don't buy it if

You don't want to mess around with times and temperatures

If you want an air fryer that does a lot of the work for you, working out the precise cooking times and temperatures for your meals via smart app or otherwise, this isn't for you.

You want a solid air fryer on a budget

There are better air fryers at this price range, or for less, so it's worth considering them instead. Take a look at our roundup of the best air fryers for some alternatives.

You have very limited counter space

This air fryer doesn't take up loads of room, but if you have a small kitchen then it could be too bulky.View Deal

How I tested the Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer:

I used the Cosori TurboBlaze 6L for a week, cooking a wide variety of foods including fresh and frozen fries, chicken wings, fresh vegetables, a roast dinner, cake, and bread. I tested all the air fryer's various modes (including dehydrate, which I used to dry fruit slices). I cleaned the air fryer in line with the instructions provided in the manual. For more details, see how we test.

First reviewed October 2024

KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF8 review: making café quality coffee at home has never been easier
10:00 pm | October 14, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Coffee Machines Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances | Comments: Off

KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF8: two-minute review

The KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF8 is a truly premium bean-to-cup espresso machine, which automates the entire coffee-making process, but also gives you a surprising amount of control over your drinks. Each of the many drink types can be customized with your preferred strength, body, temperature, and volume - preferences that you can then save to your personal profile so everyone in the household can have their coffee exactly the way they like it.

The KF8 comes with very few instructions, but once you power it on, you’ll realize that’s because it doesn’t need them. You will be guided through every step of preparing the FK8, loading beans, filling the tank, and brewing your coffee with clear instructions and illustrations on the bright, responsive 5in touchscreen.

Interestingly, the KF8 takes both whole coffee beans and grounds (so you can opt for ready-ground decaf in the evening, for example), but it’s worth noting that you can only add one scoop of ground coffee at a time. This is primarily a bean-to-cup machine, with an alternative only for occasional use.

Kitchenaid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF8 dispensing steamed almond milk

The KitchenAid KF8 has a dedicated mode for steaming plant milk, unlike most other bean-to-cup machines I've tested, which are optimized only for dairy (Image credit: Future)

Coffee is consistently well extracted, with creamy golden crema, and the machine is much less noisy than you might expect while brewing - a fact that has earned it the Quiet Mark seal of approval. During my testing, most of the coffee-making process was no louder than the background murmur you might expect in a library.

The automatic milk frother works well too, and offers options for both dairy and plant-based milk. Surprisingly, almond milk foamed even better than dairy during my tests. Most bean-to-cup coffee makers only have one setting that’s optimized for dairy, so this was a pleasant surprise.

It’s certainly expensive (see below for details) but if you enjoy really good coffee and don’t want the hassle of preparing it yourself, it doesn’t get much easier than this.

KitchenAid KF8: price and availability

Bean-to-cup coffee machines are always pricey due to their complexity, and the KF8 is one no exception. It has a list price of $1,999.99 / £1,899 / AU$2,599, and is available direct from KitchenAid worldwide, or from third-party retailers like Currys in the UK and Williams Sonoma in the US.

It’s roughly the same price as our current top-rated bean-to-cup coffee maker, the Breville Oracle Touch (known as the Sage Oracle Touch in the UK), which is also operated via a generously sized touchscreen, but is semi- rather than fully-automatic.

It’s a big investment, but the extra features like advanced customization of your drinks, the ability to use both beans and grounds, the option to purge all coffee from the system when you want to try something new, and the sheer ease of use help justify that price tag.

  • Value score: 4/5

KitchenAid KF8: specs

KitchenAid KF8: design

The KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF8 is an attractive, modern-looking coffee maker, finished in brushed metal and black (shown here), white, green, or stainless steel to match your other appliances. It’s one of the taller and longer coffee machines I’ve tested, measuring 10.2 x 14.3 x 15.2in / 260 x 363 x 385mm (W x H x D), but its narrow front means it doesn’t actually take up too much space on the kitchen counter.

This is a premium machine, and it shows in touches like the accessible design of the water tank, which has an ergonomic carry handle that makes it easy to lift out, and is supplied with a screw-in water filter. The KF8 also comes with a water hardness testing strip so you can configure it accordingly, and KitchenAid recommends filling it with fresh (not distilled) water every day for the best results.

Water thank removed from Kitchenaid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF8

The large water tank is easy to remove thanks to its ergonomically designed handle, and comes with a screw-in filter (Image credit: Future)

Opening the largest door on the top of the machine reveals the bean hopper, plus a chute for inserting ground coffee (ideal if someone in your home prefers robusta to arabica, or you want to switch to decaf in the evening). There is also a button inside that allows you to remove the hopper for cleaning.

You’ll be offered the choice of using the hopper or the chute when you start up the machine, though it’s worth bearing in mind that you can only insert a single scoop of grounds at a time. There’s a measuring scoop supplied to make this easy, but this is primarily a bean-to-cup machine. If you want to use ready-ground espresso regularly, you could save some cash by opting for a semi-automatic coffee maker instead.

The machine’s dispenser moves smoothly up and down to accommodate different sized cups, and I was particularly impressed with the design of the milk system. Most fully automatic coffee makers use milk from a tube dangling in an open-topped container. The KF8’s milk container is covered at all times, which seems more hygienic, and is less likely to spill. It tucks neatly to the side without spoiling the coffee maker’s clean lines.

Kitchenaid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF8 bean hopper containing coffee beans

Load beans into the hopper, and ground coffee into the chute (at the top right) (Image credit: Future)

All drink choices are made using the bright 5in touchscreen, which is the biggest I’ve seen on any coffee maker I’ve tested to date, and feels pleasantly responsive in use.

A service door on the right-hand side of the machine allows you to access the brew unit for cleaning. The machine is supplied with two cleaning tablets, and more can be bought from Kitchenaid. To clean it, first rinse the brew unit with cold water and dry it as directed, then insert the cleaning tablet, place a large cup underneath the dispenser, and let the machine handle the rest. The process takes a long time, but you won’t need to repeat it regularly. It’s also possible to purge all coffee beans and grounds from the machine (ideal for when you want to use a different type of bean), and even evaporate everything from the water system after emptying the tank, which are both unusual but useful features.

Options menu for making caffe latte using Kitchenaid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF8

The large, bright touchscreen makes it easy to fine-tune your perfect coffee (Image credit: Future)

On the subject of cleaning, when you first use your KF8, it’s worth knowing that the machine is tested with real coffee at Kitchenaid’s factory. It’s thoroughly cleaned before being shipped out (there were no traces of coffee in my review unit) but if you do happen to spot a stray grain or two, that’s why.

  • Design score: 5/5

KitchenAid KF8: performance

When I first unpacked the KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF8, I was surprised how few instructions were provided. The manual looked chunky, but the section for each language was surprisingly brief for such a feature-packed device. Upon powering it up, however, the reason soon became clear - the KF8 guides you through every step of setup, brewing coffee, and cleaning via clear instructions on its large touchscreen display.

There’s almost no need to refer to the paper manual at all. Each instruction is presented in plain language, with images where necessary. It really couldn’t be easier to use.

Milk system attached to Kitchenaid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF8

The milk dispenser is easy to attach, and unlike most fully automatic espresso machines, the KF8 keeps the container covered at all times. (Image credit: Future)

The power button is on the right-hand side of the machine, so make sure you don’t position it right against a wall. Once you’ve pressed it, the KF8 will guide you through the process of installing the water filter and filling the tank. You’ll then be prompted to put a container under the dispenser to rinse it through - a standard coffee mug is the perfect size. When that’s done, load up beans (and grounds if you like) and you’ll receive the exciting message that “you are ready to start your coffee experience”.

There are 15 different drink options to choose from, most of which are customizable:

  • Cappuccino
  • Espresso
  • Caffe Latte
  • Espresso Lungo
  • Macchiato
  • Latte macchiato
  • Americano
  • Flat white
  • Coffee
  • Ristretto
  • Cortado
  • Frothed milk
  • Warmed milk
  • Hot water
  • Green tea

If you choose a coffee drink, you’ll be offered the chance to select body, volume, and strength. The machine will then brew and dispense your drink. Once it’s done, you’re given the option to save any adjustments to your favorites for easy access next time. Members of your household can make their own named profiles for their custom drinks, which is a nice feature.

Creating a user profile using Kitchenaid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF8

Each member of your household can have their own profile for their custom drinks (Image credit: Future)

The ability to adjust the volume of each drink is welcome too, letting you use non-standard cups with ease. Some other bean-to-cup coffee makers require you to set the size of your cups through an awkward manual process, which isn’t easy to change again later.

I also appreciated the option to choose whether milk or coffee is dispensed first for lattes and cappuccinos. Bean-to-cup machines usually pour your espresso shot through the milk, which is the opposite way you’d do it yourself, and leaves a brown spot in the foam.

I tested the KF8 with fresh beans from my local coffee shop Mokoko, and the machine reliably produced lovely espresso with a thick, golden crema. It was definitely some of the best tasting coffee I’ve tried from a bean-to-cup machine.

Kitchenaid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF8 dispensing espresso shot

Espresso was consistently well extracted, with rich, golden crema (Image credit: Future)

You can also choose between dairy and plant milk settings - most bean-to-cup machines (like the Smeg BCC13 I tested recently) are optimized for dairy, so this is a welcome addition. There are no options for different plant milks, but during my tests I got the best results with almond milk rather than oat or soy. In fact, almond milk produced even silkier foam than dairy, which was surprising - normally I find almond milk foam stiff. Whichiver milk I used, it was always heated to just the right temperature - pleasantly sweet but never scorched.

I got the best results with lattes and cappuccinos when I increased the volume of the drink, adding more milk. The default setting is quite short and didn’t produce enough foam for my liking, so it’s definitely worth taking some time to create a preset that works for you.

Espresso made using Kitchenaid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF8

You can tailor your drinks to suit your preferences, including volume dispensed (Image credit: Future)

One of the key selling points of the KF8 and its smaller siblings is their Quiet Mark certification, and the KF8 is definitely quieter than most. While making a latte it very briefly reached 66dB while grinding the beans, but the average volume was just 44dB. That’s about the same noise level you might expect in a library. I was particularly surprised how quietly the KF8 was able to foam and steam milk, which is normally one of the noisiest parts of the coffee-making process.

Used coffee pucks are dispensed into an easily removable bin that you can access by gently lifting and pulling out the drip tray. The tray has a spout at the back that makes it very easy to empty and rinse. After that, you’ll be prompted to connect the milk hose to the drip tray so it can be rinsed through with hot water. It’s a neater solution than that of many fully automatic coffee machines, which require you to use a separate container of water for the same purpose. The dispenser itself will also be rinsed, so place a mug underneath when prompted to catch the used water. The whole process is fast and simple.

Waste container and drip tray for Kitchenaid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF8

Used coffee pucks drop into an easy to clean container that you can pull out with the drip tray (Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the KitchenAid KF8?

Buy it if

You aren't confident using a manual machine

The KitchenAid KF8 produces excellent results consistently, and is an excellent choice if you're passionate about coffee but don't feel happy pulling shots and foaming milk manually - or not everyone in you household is savvy with grinding, pulling and steaming.

You live with other coffee lovers

The ability to save your personalized drinks under your own profile is a real boon, and includes factors like body, strength, temperature, and volume (so you can tailor your coffee to your favorite cup).

You enjoy plant milk

Unlike most fully automatic coffee makers, the KF8 has modes for both dairy and non-dairy milk, and the non-dairy option works surprisingly well - particularly if you choose almond.

Don't buy it if

You prefer to use pre-ground coffee

The KF8 has a chute that allows you to load in ready ground coffee that you can use to brew a drink rather than fresh beans, but you can only add one scoop at a time, and this is definitely a bean-to-cup machine first and foremost. If you like to use pre-ground coffee, a coffee machine without a grinder is a more logical choice.

You want the barista experience

The KF8 handles all the work of dosing beans, choosing the right grind size, and pulling a shot of espresso for you. If you want the option of doing some of that yourself, look for a semi-automatic machine instead (our roundup of the best espresso machines) has some good options.

KitchenAid KF8: also consider

Not completely sold on the KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF8? Here are a couple of alternatives to consider.

Breville Oracle Touch

If you want more of the barista experience but would prefer some guidance, this premium semi-automatic coffee machine (known as the Sage Oracle Touch in the UK) will help you master the techniques needed to pull a perfect shot of espresso - provided your wallet can take the hit.

Read our full Breville Oracle Touch review

Ninja Luxe Café

Can't choose between drip coffee and espresso? The Ninja Luxe Café can prepare both, and is very reasonably priced for a bean-to-cup machine, costing around a quarter the KitchenAid KF8's asking price.

Read our full Ninja Luxe Café review

How I tested the KitchenAid KF8

I tested the KitchenAid Fully Automatic Expresso Machine KF8 over the course of several days, making each type of drink available through the menu, making customizations, and saving them to a personal profile for re-use later.

I used freshly roasted beans from a local coffee company in the KF8's hopper, plus pre-ground espresso in the chute. I tested the milk system using full-fat dairy milk, barista oat milk, soya milk, and almond milk - all fresh and cold from the fridge.

I refilled the water tank before each use, and ran the full battery of cleaning programs at the end of testing, including cleaning the milk system, purging coffee beans, cleaning the brew unit, and evaporating remaining water.

Find out more about how we test.

De’Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo review: the bean-to-cup coffee machine that’ll have you bossing the barista basics in no time
6:00 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Coffee Machines Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo: two-minute review

The De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo Espresso Machine with Cold Brew is available to buy in the US, UK, and Australia. They have slightly different product names in each territory: in the US, the model code is EC9255M, and it’s called La Specialista Arte Evo Espresso Machine with Cold Brew. In the UK and Australia, the model code is EC9255.M, and the full product name is La Specialista Arte Evo Compact Manual Bean to Cup coffee machine with Cold Brew in the UK, and La Specialista Arte Evo Cold Brew in Australia.

Specialista Arte Evo is listed at $699.95 / £549.99 / AU$699 on the official De'Longhi website. You can also purchase it from third-party retailers, including Amazon in the US and the UK, which offer discounts on occasion.

For a quality manual bean-to-cup coffee machine with cold brew capabilities, this is pretty good value, and the De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo should be considered alongside one of the best espresso machines.

A compact example of a manual bean-to-cup espresso machine, the Arte Evo has dimensions of 11.2 x 14.4 x 15.9 inches / 285 x 365 x 400mm, and is a pretty weighty 21.5 lbs / 9.3 kg. I did feel that it had the potential to move around despite this, so I always tended to have a steadying hand on the machine whenever I pushed the portafilter and tamper guide in to receive the ground coffee.

A close-up of the control buttons and the pressure gauge.

(Image credit: Future)

There is a helpful small storage compartment in the top of the machine, to the right of the hopper. The My Latte Art steam arm sits on the right of the coffee-making area and can be rotated out, so I could easily get the included metal milk jug under. Located on the back of the machine, the generous 56 fl oz / 1.7L water tank was easy to remove and replace.

One thing I missed with the Arte Evo, is that it doesn’t have changeable hoppers, so it can prove tricky if you like to switch between caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee. I can’t really complain about this considering the price though, as it’s mainly the more premium coffee machines that have this ability.

There are three temperature settings to choose from on this manual espresso machine, so it can be adjusted to suit whichever beverage is being made, and eight different bean-grinding settings to achieve the right intensity, and I found this useful for perfecting different coffee options.

The portafilter, single-walled filters, and cleaning brush are arranged on a stone-effect surface.

(Image credit: Future)

The Arte Evo comes with two single-walled coffee filters in a single and double dose. The filters were unusually difficult to get out of the portafilter once pushed in. I had to use a taper-ended butter knife to remove the filter each time, so this isn’t the end of the world, but care will need to be taken when attempting to remove them.

The De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo was delightfully straightforward to use. The setup process was quick and simple, and thanks to the helpful tips in the quick guide it was easy to determine the perfect grind coarseness, dosage, and techniques to create tasty cups of coffee.

I’m a huge fan of this coffee machine, and I’d recommend it as the best in this price bracket, but if you think you might want some different features or you prefer a different aesthetic, you could always take a look at our selection of the best bean-to-cup coffee machines to see if anything catches your eye.

De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo review: price and availability

  • List price: $699 / £549 / AU$699
  • Available in the US, UK, and Australia

The list price for the Specialista Arte Evo is $699.95 / £549.99 / AU$699 on the official De'Longhi website. It’s available from other third-party retailers too, including Amazon in the US and the UK, where the price is occasionally discounted.

This is pretty good value for a quality manual bean-to-cup coffee machine with cold brew capabilities, and while it may not have as many grind settings or auto-tamping as the reigning champion of our selection of the best bean-to-cup coffee machines, the Sage Barista Express Impress, this compact De'Longhi espresso machine offers cold brew and is a whole lot cheaper.

  • Value score: 5/5

De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo review: specs

De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo review: design and features

  • Quick and easy setup
  • Dishwasher safe accessories
  • Smaller-than-average footprint for manual bean-to-cup machines

The De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo is fairly compact as far as manual bean-to-cup espresso makers go, with dimensions of 11.2 x 14.4 x 15.9 inches / 285 x 365 x 400mm. It’s understandably a bit weighty at 21.5 lbs / 9.3 kg, but this is fine as it’s a product that’s not intended to be moved around. One thing I will say, though, is that it didn’t feel quite heavy enough for me to push the portafilter and tamper guide in to receive the ground coffee without a hand on the machine to hold it in place.

One small niggle is that there isn’t the option to have changeable hoppers, which can prove to be a pain if you’ve left the beans in for too long, or if you like to switch between caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, for example. It’s only really more premium coffee machines that offer this, so I can’t complain much considering the price of the Arte Evo. If you only use the amount of beans needed to avoid leaving them sitting for too long, or only use one kind of bean, you shouldn’t have any problems.

A close-up of the hopper and the conical burr grinder within it.

(Image credit: Future)

To the right of the hopper, there is a small storage compartment that could fit the filter baskets and small cleaning utensils. At first, I believed that the UK model didn’t come with a tamping mat, as it is not obviously listed on the De'Longhi UK website, but it turned out to be hidden underneath the base fitment in the accessories box. I found it really helpful when tamping my coffee, with a circular indentation for the tamper to sit in, and a shaped area for the portafilter. This also fit the tamper slot after it was removed before attaching the portafilter to the machine, so it was easy to keep things neat and tidy through each stage.

The Arte Evo also comes with a small cup support, to give those mini espresso glasses a little boost. The removable water tank is easy to remove and replace. It has a 56 fl oz / 1.7 capacity, which is plenty for a few cups of java, while also remaining light enough to be maneuvered easily.

A view of the back of the De'Longhi Specialista Arte Evo, which sits on a stone-effect surface in front of a pink backdrop.

(Image credit: Future)

The layout of the grinder, extractor, and My Latte Art steam arm is fairly standard, but the steam arm is in close proximity to where the extraction area and small cup support sit in a bid to save some space. The steam arm rotates outwards, so I could easily get the included metal milk jug under.

Inside the removable drip tray sits a red plastic water level indicator that rises through the cup grille as the tray fills up so it can be emptied before it gets too full. Speaking of the drip tray, it’s really easy to remove for emptying and cleaning. It breaks down into three parts: the cup grille, the cup grille support, and the drip tray itself.

There are three drink presets to choose from, Espresso, Americano (Long Black in the UK and Australia), and Cold Brew. The My Latte Art steam arm was easy to maneuver and I was able to use it to create smooth microfoam, as well as using it to heat and add body to the milk when mocha and cappuccino making.

A close-up view of the OK, temperature, and steam arm buttons, along with the dial to select drink types.

(Image credit: Future)

The Arte Evo has three temperature settings to choose from, so it can be adjusted to deliver the best results for whatever you’re making. It also has eight different bean-grinding settings to achieve the ideal intensity. I mostly used level five for americanos and espresso shots (which I of course used to make my beloved mochas), but I found that level six worked best for cold brews.

The My Latte Art steam arm was easy to maneuver, and thanks to the tips in the quick guide I easily created a smooth microfoam. I also used the steam arm to heat and add body to the milk for mocha making, which I did a lot of in my time with it, as it quickly became my favorite way to make coffee each day.

  • Design score: 4.5/5

De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo review: performance

  • Simple to use
  • Hassle-free
  • Great results

Straight out of the box, the setup and coffee-making process was straightforward. The De'Longhi Quick Guide manual was easy to follow and made setting up this espresso machine a breeze. Plus, for those who are new to a manual bean-to-cup coffee machine, or you’re a visual learner, De'Longhi also has a useful how-to YouTube channel where you can see videos of their coffee machine setup processes.

After washing and drying the accessories and water tank, I put the drip tray back in place and filled the water tank before rinsing the included SoftBalls sachet under running water and dropping it into the tank. Each SoftBalls sachet lasts for three months and is designed to prevent limescale formation without affecting the quality of the coffee. After plugging the machine in and turning it on, I placed a glass bowl under the water spout before pressing okay to initiate a short rinse cycle. I then popped a filter basket into the portafilter before locking it into place, then hit okay again so that it rinsed through.

Some things to note here are that it’s tricky to get the filter baskets out of the portafilter: I had to use a taper-ended butter knife to prise them out, and in addition, it took a fair bit of elbow grease to get the portafilter to lock into place. Perhaps those stronger than me won’t have as much of an issue, but I found myself having to put my other hand on the machine to brace myself when inserting or removing the portafilter. The final part to be flushed through was the steam arm, which was just a case of placing it into the bowl and pushing the steam button on the machine.

The tamper guide, tamper, and nozzle cleaning needle are arranged on a stone-effect surface.

(Image credit: Future)

Once the machine was all set, I experimented with the grind and dose levels until I was happy with the result. This De'Longhi machine comes with a really helpful dosing and tamping guide that simply screws onto the top of the portafilter, so it’s easy to give it a few taps to help the coffee grounds settle before pushing them down with the satisfyingly weighted tamper.

The quick start guide had a helpful little Infusion Temperature Profiles box out, explaining that different beans and roasting colors require specific temperatures, informing me that Robusta coffee beans prefer a lower temperature, and Arabica beans like a higher temperature. As I was using Arabica beans, I used the maximum temperature option (level three) and selected my drink using the right-hand dial, which for my first attempt was an espresso.

A close-up view of the dose level dial, dose selection button, and indicator lights.

(Image credit: Future)

Following the instructions and tips helped me to make a pretty perfect espresso shot in a few minutes. There wasn’t quite as much crema as I’d anticipated, but other than that it was great. When trying out the steam wand on some semi-skimmed milk, I once again found the quick start guide super helpful with its additional barista tips, recommending that fresh cold milk is used and that the metal milk jug is cold. The visuals provided a little guidance, explaining where the nozzle should be placed to get the milk to froth, and these pointers helped me make some lovely foam for a cappuccino on my first attempt.

The Thermoblock heating system and active temperature control feature seemingly worked well during the brewing process, as the extracted coffee tasted spot-on every time. All three presets delivered satisfying and great-tasting results. I used the Espresso preset most frequently, combining it with steamed milk and hot chocolate powder, as I am quite partial to a mocha.

A close-up of the steam arm that sits on the right-hand side of the front of the machine.

(Image credit: Future)

I’ll admit that cold brew coffee isn’t really my thing, so I roped in my very helpful editor to do a taste test for me. I ground a single dose of espresso, which the Arte Evo mixes with 3.7 fl oz /110ml of water; alternatively, I could have ground a double dose, which would then have been used to create a 6 fl oz / 180ml sized drink. In his opinion, the coffee tasted nice, wasn't overly bitter as you'd expect from a cold brew, but it was a little too diluted for his taste.

De'Longhi recommends a grind coarseness of between four and six for cold brew. Originally I aimed for the middle with level five, so I increased the coarseness to level six following the feedback from our team's resident cold brew fanatic. He confirmed that this tweak to the settings did indeed make it stronger and, although not perfect, it was more to his tastes.

Cleaning the machine was fairly straightforward. The drip tray and grill can be removed easily and are dishwasher safe. For thorough cleaning, it’s recommended to run a mixture of white vinegar and water through the water spout, portafilter, and steam arm.

  • Performance score: 5/5

The De'Longhi Specialista Arte Evo sits on a stone-effect surface in front of a pink backdrop. It has a small cork-topped bottle of milk to its left, and a metal milk jug to its right.

(Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo?

Buy it if

You want to be your own barista
As the Specialista Arte Evo is easy to operate, and the quick start manual offers so many helpful tips, you’ll be brewing up all kinds of beverages for your family and friends in no time.

You don’t want to dedicate too much space
No manual bean-to-cup machine can be truly compact due to the nature of the espresso-making process. But De'Longhi has been mindful of how valuable countertop space is in our kitchens, which is reflected in the smaller-than-average footprint of this machine.

You want fancy coffee at home
With the La Specialista Arte Evo Espresso Machine, you’ll have the freedom to make your own espresso, cappuccinos, lattes, mochas, cold brews, and more, right from the comfort of your own kitchen.

Don't buy it if

You don’t want to have to clean up after every cup
Whether you have your coffee black or white, there’s extra maintenance to consider when it comes to a manual bean-to-cup machine. The extracted ground coffee will need to be knocked out of the filter and rinsed, and any milk will need to be wiped off the steam arm straight away to stop it from solidifying (which it likes to do very quickly).

You want your coffee quick
The process of making a coffee with the Arte Evo isn’t particularly long when compared to similar machines, but compared to a standard instant coffee, it naturally takes longer due to the extra steps involved. It’s certainly worth the effort, though!

You don’t want to get into tweaking settings
Due to the different settings available, including dose adjustment, grinding levels, and water temperature, it may take time to perfect the settings to get the right brew for you.View Deal

De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo review: also consider

Ninja Luxe Café
For those who want to take some of the guesswork out of their budding barista journey, the Ninja Luxe Café is a great beginner machine thanks to its grind coarseness guidance, weight-based dosage system, and automatic milk frother. It also has a slightly larger water tank, a removable hopper, and a digital display. Our reviewer was mightily impressed when they tested it out, awarding it four and a half stars. Check out the full review of the Ninja Luxe Café for further details.

De'Longhi Dinamica Plus
Undoubtedly more expensive, but the perfect alternative if you don’t want to take a hands-on approach to coffee making. It’s packed full of features, including a removable ergonomic thermal milk carafe that can be kept in the fridge to keep the milk fresh and cold. Interestingly, this machine is compatible with the De'Longhi link app, allowing you to perform some of its functions remotely. This too was awarded four and a half stars, with little in the way of negatives. Read the full De'Longhi Dinamica Plus review here.

How I tested the De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo

  • I tested the De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo over a few weeks
  • I repeatedly made espresso and frothed milk four days a week
  • I tested its variety of settings and features

I used the De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo Espresso Machine roughly three times a day, four days a week for several weeks, for the most part making mochas, cappuccinos, lattes, long blacks, and the odd cup of tea.

I evaluated how easy it was to put together, and how easy the setup process was. I made use of all of the features, paying close attention to the process, testing how easy the machine was to use, and the quality of the drinks produced. I tested all of the different coffee types available, and used all of the included accessories to see how they performed.

Finally, I investigated how easy it was to remove the washable parts of the machine and see how easy they were to clean.

Read more about how we test.

First reviewed August 2024

Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Food Processor and Blender review: one appliance that can do it all
5:00 pm | October 13, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances | Comments: Off

Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch: two-minute review

To call the Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch a food processor would be doing quite an injustice to. Yes, it is a food processor, but unlike most of its peers, it comes with a full size blender attachment, as well as personal blender cup and a citrus press. This multi-functional kitchen gadget can even replace your digital weighing scale.

It’s ideal for anyone moving into their first home and looking to set up their kitchen, since it offers so many small appliances in one package. And since Kenwood is a long established kitchen appliance brand, you can rest assured it knows what it’s doing.

The OneTouch sits within Kenwood’s MultiPro range of food processors, and is one of the most multi-functional in the range. Yet it’s still pretty affordable given all that it is capable of. Its biggest competitor in terms of functionality is probably the Ninja 3-in-1 Food Processor with Auto-IQ, but the Kenwood can do more.

On test, I tried all the accessories and it performed well across the board. There were a couple of little design quirks that I noticed along the way, but no major deal-breaker level flaws. You can read my detailed performance review below to see how it compares with the best food processors and best blenders on the market.

Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch: price and availability

  • List price: £199.99 / AU$349 (about $260)
  • Availability: UK / Australia

The Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Pood Procesor and Blender FDM73.850SS in the format tested here is only available in the UK. However, in Australia the Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Food Processor and Blender FDM73.480SS is virtually the same product. The difference is that it doesn’t come with the whisk, citrus press, personal blender, or the 2mm slicing and shredding disc.

In both countries it’s available directly from Kenwood, as well as via Amazon (though at the time of writing it's out of stock at Amazon in both countries). It can also be found at select kitchen appliance retailers, such as Lakeland in the UK.

At the time of writing in the UK the Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch was discounted by both Kenwood and Lakeland, so it is worth hunting around for discounts or checking the price during the big seasonal sales like Black Friday.

Thanks to all the various functions and accessories, this multi-purpose food processor can replace several appliances, and from that perspective it offers very good value for money.

  • Value for money score: 4.5 out of 5

Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Food Processor and Blender with attachments in box

The Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch comes with a huge array of accessories and attachments, making it much more than just a food processor (Image credit: Helen McCue)

Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch: design

  • Control panel has a cluttered appearance
  • Design is better suited to right handed users
  • Express serve lid is a useful addition

The Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch isn’t a standout appliance for stunning good looks; it’s built more for practicality and function. For example, I'm not a fan of the color images on the control panel that represent the preset modes. They give the appliance a cluttered, busy appearance even when switched off.

Despite my thoughts on the aesthetic, the controls are very simple to get to grips with. There are just three speeds to choose from and a pulse button. The six preset functions are divided into dough, puree, and mix for the food processor and ice crush, blend, and clean for the blender.

Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Food Processor and Blender control panel

The color icons on the control panel give the appliance a busy look, even when it's switched off (Image credit: Helen McCue)

There’s no start/stop button - instead you start it by selecting a preset or speed. When you need to stop it, you then have to press the same button again, which doesn’t always come naturally. I got used to it, but it’s a bit of a quirk that took a few goes to get my head around.

Cleverly, the base of the food processor doubles as a digital weighing scale. There’s a button to switch between lb and kg as well as a zero button. Weight is displayed on a small screen, which doubles as the timer when it’s in use as a food processor.

A plastic plate attachment sits on the base to allow you to use it as a scale independent of the food processor accessories. Or, you can weigh directly into the food processor bowl or blender jug.

Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Food Processor and Blender being used to weigh frozen berries

The base of the Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch serves as a digital scale. You can weigh ingredients on a plastic plate, or directly into the food processor bowl or blender jug (Image credit: Helen McCue)

The machine comes with the main basic food processor attachments that I’d expect, including the knife blade, dough tool, whisk, a 4mm slicing and shredding disc as well as a 2mm slicing and shredding disc.

One stand-out addition is the express serve lid attachment, which is used in conjunction with the slicing and grating discs. It works as a chute to propel the sliced and grated food into a container of your choosing, which means you’re not limited by the size of the main food processor bowl. It’s a great innovation, especially for those who want to slice or grate in bulk.

Cheese grated using Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Food Processor and Blender

The Serve Lid attachment propels grated or chopped food into a container of your choice (Image credit: Helen McCue)

What makes this food processor truly multi-functional is that it also comes with a full size blender attachment and a personal blender attachment. There’s even a citrus press accessory that attaches to the food processor bowl..

Every large attachment has to be twisted into position on the base. For the food processor bowl and the blender, the lid also has to be twisted and locked in place otherwise they won’t work. This is a necessary safety feature.

Before adding the food processor bowl a long spindle attachment called the drive shaft, has to be placed on the base first. However, the drive shaft doesn’t click or lock in place, in fact, it feels quite loose, so it’s easy to think something is missing when you first assemble it. What’s more, I found that every time I removed the food processor bowl, I knocked the drive shaft and sent it clattering across the counter, which gets a bit annoying.

Another downside is that the main food processor bowl and the blender jug have to be configured on the base with the handle sitting to the right. So they’re not well placed for left-handed users.

The footprint of the base is 22.2 x 27.7cm / 8.7 x 10.9 inches (w x d) and the height depends on the accessory added. The tallest is when the blender jug is attached, which makes it 42.9cm / 16.9 inches high

  • Design score: 4 out of 5

Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch: performance

  • Very fast grating and slicing
  • Uncomplicated to use
  • Built in scales save time and mess

Food processor

The Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch's lid was incredibly tough to remove for the first few uses but loosened and became far easier the more I used it.

The first thing I did was to use the pulse button to chop an onion. I peeled and quartered the onion, then put it in with the main blade attached, and it took just five pulses to finely chop the onion. To make sure nothing was missed, I removed the lid before the final pulse and scraped off any chunks that were stuck to the side of the bowl. That did the trick to ensure the pieces were all evenly sized.

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Onions ready to be chopped using Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Food Processor and Blender

It took just five pulses to finely chop a quartered onion (Image credit: Helen McCue)
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Onions chopped using Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Food Processor and Blender

It took just five pulses to finely chop a quartered onion (Image credit: Helen McCue)

To make up a cake batter I used the main blade again in conjunction with the ‘mix’ preset which successfully combined all of the ingredients into a smooth cake batter in just 45 seconds. The best part was that prior to mixing I was able to weigh the ingredients directly into the food processor, which reduced the number of dishes to clean up.

Chopping nuts was next on the agenda. I threw in a handful of mixed nuts and pulsed it to avoid over-chopping them. It took 18 pulses, so I think it would have been quicker to just put it on the high speed setting. The nuts were chopped nevertheless.

There was a mixture of ground powdery nuts and some chunky pieces, so it didn’t chop them to a consistent texture. However, some of the other Kenwood MultiPro food processors come with a milling attachment. If you frequently chop hard foods like nuts, then it might be worth looking at those other models.

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Chopping nuts with Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Food Processor and Blender

The texture of chopped nuts was somewhat inconsistent, with some fine powder and some chunks (Image credit: Helen McCue)
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Nuts chopped using Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Food Processor and Blender

The texture of chopped nuts was somewhat inconsistent, with some fine powder and some chunks (Image credit: Helen McCue)

The last test I did with the main chopping blade was to chop diced beef chunks into a ground beef texture. This task was a breeze for the food processor and the job was done in just 20 seconds on the high speed setting.

It took just five seconds to grate two carrots using the large disc. There were a couple of chunks left un-grated, and having weighed the carrot before grating as well as the chunks that didn’t get shredded, I worked out that the waste was around 8% (and I don’t really consider it waste since I was still able to use these chunks in another recipe).

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Carrots ready to be chopped using Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Food Processor and Blender

It took just five seconds to grate two carrots using the large disc (Image credit: Helen McCue)
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Carrots chopped using Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Food Processor and Blender

It took just five seconds to grate two carrots using the large disc (Image credit: Helen McCue)

When grating cheese, I used the large grate disc again, and also the express serve attachment. I wanted to see if any cheese would get lodged or clumped in the express serve mechanism.

A 300g/ 10oz block of cheddar took under 15 seconds to grate and none of it got stuck in the express serve attachment. There were a few chunks of cheese that remained un-grated, amounting to about 8% of the total. But given how fast it is, I’m happy to save those chunks in the fridge for something else.

Cheese grated using Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Food Processor and Blender

Grating cheese left a few un-grated pieces, but I was happy to keep these in the fridge for another recipe (Image credit: Helen McCue)

Grating chocolate can be a messy business and I’m happy to let a machine take care of the job. I used the small disc to grate a 180g / 6oz bar of dark chocolate. It took 40 seconds to push all the chocolate through and I had to press really firmly on the chocolate with the pusher.

Some chocolate did melt to the disc in the process and the chunks that didn’t get grated amounted to 19%, which is quite a lot. However, it’s much faster and easier than doing it by hand and I won’t let those ungrated chunks go to waste.

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Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Food Processor and Blender

The Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch sliced six carrots in 10 seconds (Image credit: Helen McCue)
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Carrots sliced using Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Food Processor and Blender

The Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch sliced six carrots in 10 seconds (Image credit: Helen McCue)

Next up was slicing, and it sliced six carrots in an impressive 10 seconds on the highest speed. There wasn’t any waste, though some did end up going through at a bit of an angle, so the slices were somewhat elongated. Overall though, it was a great result.

To slice half a cucumber I set it up with the disc that creates thin slices. It took about eight seconds on the high speed setting to slice the cucumber. The slices were perfectly even and there was no waste.

To test the dough tool, I added the ingredients for a bread dough and selected the ‘dough’ preset. It’s only a 30 second preset but it mixed the ingredients and combined them into a dough within the time.

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Making bread dough using Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Food Processor and Blender

The dough preset only takes 30 seconds, but produces a well combined result (Image credit: Helen McCue)
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Bread dough made using Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Food Processor and Blender

The dough preset only takes 30 seconds, but produces a well combined result (Image credit: Helen McCue)
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Bread dough made using Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Food Processor and Blender

The dough preset only takes 30 seconds, but produces a well combined result (Image credit: Helen McCue)

I was impressed that the suction cups on the base kept the food processor firmly rooted to the counter, even after the ingredients had turned into a big ball of dough that would have some other food processors walking across the counter.

I used the whisk attachment to whip 300ml / 0.6 pints of cream. To avoid over whipping the cream, I selected the medium speed setting. It took two and a half minutes and while the cream was beautifully thick and light, I’d probably try out the high speed setting next time as it took a little longer than I expected.

Whipping cream using Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Food Processor and Blender

Whipping cream on the medium setting took two and a half minutes - I might use the high speed setting next time (Image credit: Helen McCue)

Personal blender

I made a smoothie consisting of frozen mixed berries, milk, protein powder, half a banana, and a tablespoon of mixed seeds. The Instructions say not to use more than 60g frozen ingredients, so I made use of the integrated scales to weigh my berries before adding to the cup.

To blitz up the smoothie, I selected the ‘blend’ preset, which took 57 seconds. The finished smoothie was a little gritty thanks to the seeds that I had added as well as the seeds in the berries. However, there were no whole seeds and it had a pleasant, slightly aerated texture that was otherwise smooth and well mixed.

After blending, the blade attachment came off the cup in two sections, which wasn’t what I was expecting, but it didn’t actually matter. It made it easier to rinse clean under the tap.

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Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Food Processor and Blender being used to make berry smoothie

A smoothie made using the personal blender attachment was a little gritty due to the seeds I added, but well mixed and lightly aerated (Image credit: Helen McCue)
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Berry smoothie made using Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Food Processor and Blender

A smoothie made using the personal blender attachment was a little gritty due to the seeds I added, but well mixed and lightly aerated (Image credit: Helen McCue)
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Berry smoothie made using Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Food Processor and Blender

A smoothie made using the personal blender attachment was a little gritty due to the seeds I added, but well mixed and lightly aerated (Image credit: Helen McCue)

Blender

To crush ice, I added eight ice cubes and selected the ‘ice crush’ preset. It blended the ice for 28 seconds. At the end of the program, the ice was evenly crushed to a snowy consistency.

I cooked up the chopped onion, grated and sliced carrot from the above tests, into a tasty soup. Then once it had cooled I added it to the blender to blitz into a smooth soup.

I blended the soup on the ‘blend’ setting which takes 57 seconds. This was enough to completely liquidize everything into a perfectly smooth and creamy soup.

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Making soup using Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Food Processor and Blender

It was easy to blend ingredients into a smooth soup, though a small hole in the lid of the blender means liquid can spit out (Image credit: Helen McCue)
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Soup blended using Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Food Processor and Blender

It was easy to blend ingredients into a smooth soup, though a small hole in the lid of the blender means liquid can spit out (Image credit: Helen McCue)

The one issue I had with the blender was that there’s a small hole in the lid. And at the start of blending the soup, liquid was spitting out of the hole. In the end I held a paper towel over it and the spitting stopped after the first 10-15 seconds when the soup began to thicken.

Next I half filled it with water and added some dishwashing liquid, then used the 33 second ‘clean’ preset to remove most of the soup residues. It worked a treat and I just had to rinse it and give it a quick wipe to get it fully cleaned.

Citrus press

The citrus press attachment slots on top of the main food processor bowl, in place of the lid. I switched it on to the low speed setting to make orange juice. Even on the low speed setting it felt fast and certainly made short work of the oranges. Four oranges (eight halves) took me around 90 seconds to juice.

The top section catches all the seeds and some of the pulp, leaving the rest of the juice to make its way into the bowl below. It’s a fast and effective attachment for people who want to juice citrus fruits, though the juice is pretty pulpy so if you want it super smooth, you’ll have to pour it through a sieve before drinking.

In general I didn’t find the food processor to be too loud, which is probably in part to do with how fast it processed everything. The blender and personal blender were pretty loud though and both hit a high of 105dB on my noise meter. This noise level is equivalent to outdoor power tools like a chainsaw or leaf blower. Though thankfully it was for less than a minute, so much more bearable.

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Oranges ready to be juiced using Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Food Processor and Blender

It took about 90 seconds to juice four oranges with the Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch's citrus juicer (Image credit: Helen McCue)
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Oranges juiced using Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch Food Processor and Blender

The juice contains quite a lot of pulp, so you'll need to strain it if you like a smoother texture (Image credit: Helen McCue)

Should you buy the Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch?

Buy it if

You want to grate and slice in bulk

With the express serve attachment, you can slice or grate directly into your own bowl(s), meaning there really is no limit to the amount you can get done without stopping.

You want a multi-tasking all-rounder

At this point it goes without saying that this appliance can take the place of several other appliances. It's the perfect all-rounder to buy if you’re just setting up home and don’t yet own any appliances.

You want digital scales built in

Not only is it a game changer being able to weigh ingredients directly into the food processor bowl or the blender jug, but having the option to use it as a digital scale in its own right is an excellent add-on.

Don't buy it if

You already own a blender or personal blender

If you already own some of the appliances that are included in this bundle, then it simply doesn’t make sense to double up. You’d be better off looking for a model with fewer accessories.

You’re short on storage space

While the number of accessories is what makes this a great value multi-tasking kitchen machine, don’t overlook the fact that there’s a lot to store. If you have a compact kitchen, it’s worth considering whether you have sufficient storage space.

How I tested the Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch

I had the Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch set up on my kitchen counter for a week while I did my best to try out every accessory and attachment at least once. In doing so, I also made use of the integrated weighing scales and tried most of the preset programmes on the control panel.

Further to testing its ability to deal with chopping, slicing, grating, whisking and blending, I was also noting how easy it was to use. This included how easily all the parts slot together as well as whether it’s tricky to clean.

I noted down any annoying features that I encountered and paid attention to whether it struggled or wobbled during use. I used a noise meter to establish how loud it is in use as well as taking into consideration the sheer volume of stuff there is to store. Learn more about how we test.

First reviewed October 2024

Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI review: a great robovac that will be even greater with software fixes
8:00 am |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances Vacuums | Comments: Off

Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI: two-minute review

Samsung has come out swinging with its Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI robot vacuum and mop. It comes packed with cutting-edge, onboard intelligence tech for navigation, obstacle detection and identification, as well as some upgraded hardware and a self-cleaning base station.

I've been eagerly awaiting the Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI ever since it was first announced, hoping its highly commended on-board intelligence might provide a serious challenge to the likes of iRobot.

Having tested the robot vacuum for three weeks on a variety of floor types and against a litany of obstacles and messes, I, unfortunately, don't think it's quite the best robot vacuum on the market – though I do think it has the potential to shake things up.

I actually had to call in a second unit for review, as the issues I had with the original unit I tested (randomly dropping and abandoning its mop pads, not being able to detect them in the cleaning station, navigation issues and refusing to let me access the live monitoring, being among the most problematic). Largely, I couldn't replicate these issues in my replacement model, so definitely do reach out to Samsung if you spot any major problems after purchasing. My review below reflects my experience with the second, replacement model.

The Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI's greatest enemy is its own software, with some in-app faults and missing features that lead to a frustrating user experience and unfinished cleans (although, in fairness, throughout my testing, many of these bugs seemed to resolve themselves). My overall impression was that of a fairly accomplished, albeit occasionally buggy, robot vacuum that can deliver a competent clean despite slightly lower-than-average suction power for its price point. That's not to say it's lacking in power, mind you – it's still very much capable, and performed fairly well in both its vacuuming and mopping tests.

What you're really paying for is Samsung's on-board intelligence and native compatibility with the wider SmartThings ecosystem, which is a real boon if you own some of Samsung's large appliances and other home products. This sucker's smarts are pretty impressive, especially when it comes to object avoidance, mapping and value-adding features like pet and home monitoring – though unfortunately, my second review unit still wouldn't let me use this feature in iOS.

It's hard to settle on a score for the Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI. If I was to judge on raw potential, assuming every software feature was behaving properly, I'd say it was a brilliant robot vacuum, with its only real weaknesses being its suction power and edge cleaning. However, the difficulties I've had with software have been a little off-putting. Still, it's worth highlighting that throughout my testing many of these bugs have been fixed, and I imagine the remaining issues will continue to be ironed out. Read on for my full Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI review.

Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI review: price & availability

  • List price: $1,699.99 / £1,299
  • Launched: July 2024

Samsung's Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI robot vacuum sells for $1,699.99 / £1,299, and is available directly from Samsung as well as third-party retailers like Amazon. Even though that's very much in the premium price bracket, it's actually more affordable than I'd expect – in the UK at least – for a combination robot vacuum and mop with so many next-generation features. Compare this price to, for example, the Roomba Combo 10 Max, which launched in August 2024 at a list price of $1,399 / £1,499.

It's unfortunately quite pricey in the US right now, but it does offer some attractive features above and beyond much of its competition, such as mop pad steam sterilization, stain detection, pet care and a roller brush featuring Samsung's patented Hair Grinder technology. It also offers great specs, as well as easy integration into SmartThings ecosystems – and even onboard Bixby functionality.

Samsung often runs some pretty appealing deals, and especially during major sales events. However, I wouldn't put money on this particular robovac featuring in the 2024 winter sales, given how close its release date is to the start of the Black Friday sales.

  • Value for money score: 3.5 out of 5

Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI specs

Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI review: design

  • Modern, minimalist and sophisticated design
  • Rather a large dock with water tanks and dust bin
  • Camera isn't recessed, risking damage

Clad in all-greige, the Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI and its self-emptying, self-cleaning base make for a modern and slick-looking package that keeps things simple with its design.

On top of the vacuum is the dToF (direct time of flight) LiDAR scanner, a raised ovoid that increases the height of the robovac by 0.6 inches / 15mm, as well as two touch controls. The first commands the vacuum to return to its base, and the other begins or pauses its cleaning cycle. These are only really necessary in an emergency where you don't have your phone or a smart home controller handy. You can lift the rear half of the robot vacuum to reveal the onboard dust bin, reset button and the QR code you'll use for setup. It's unlikely you'll need to remove the dust bin unless there's something stuck, given the clean station automatically empties dirt when the robovac docks.

Samsung Jet Bot Combo AI robot vacuum in its dock

(Image credit: Future)

The front of the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI houses its two 3D depth cameras and its main camera, as well as the built-in microphone for controlling Bixby and detecting sounds around the home. It's worth highlighting these are all active by default, and the vacuum won't work without the cameras, so for those privacy-conscious users, you'll need to manually switch off the microphone. There's also a status light indicator on the top of the robovac's face, as well as another smaller light strip below the camera to help the robot illuminate dark spaces.

View of dust bag and water tank inside Samsung Jet Bot Combo AI dock

(Image credit: Future)

On the rear of the vacuum you'll find the chutes for emptying the water and dust bins, and on its underside are the roller brush, side brush, two circular mop pads and its wheels. The roller brush is secured with an easily removable casing and is made of plastic with coiling rubber wings and soft brushes. The mop pads are fabric and attach magnetically to the robot vacuum. However, unfortunately after just a few uses, the right rondel magnet on my first review unit jammed, abandoning a mop pad mid-clean. Thankfully, simply replacing the mop pad in the cleaning station and commanding the robot vacuum to clean its pads seemed to fix the issue.

Underside Samsung Jet Bot Combo AI robot vacuum, showing two circular mop pads

(Image credit: Future)

When in use, the mop pads can rotate at 170rpm. Overall, I prefer this rotating mop solution over the static mop pad strips found in many Roomba and Roborock devices – the latter can't polish out tough stains as well as rotating rondels can.

To avoid cross-contamination and stinky carpet, the robot vacuum will intelligently lift them when transitioning from hard floors to carpets, or, if you're not mopping at all, the vacuum will discard its mop pads into the base. The latter is a pretty rare feature, but a welcome one, if you want to remove all danger of damp carpets.

Underside of Samsung Jet Bot Combo AI robot vacuum, showing rollers and side brush

(Image credit: Future)

The Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI's side brush is made from individual bristles rather than the rubber material found in many robot vacuums. Personally, I prefer this, finding bristles far less prone to flicking debris. However, they are far more easily damaged and tangled with hair, especially on wet floors after the vacuum has made its mopping rounds. The side brush does not extend to reach tougher spots, but the vacuum is, broadly speaking, intelligent enough to hunt down any wayward messes.

This robovac is also equipped with cliff sensors, surface detectors, stain detectors, and dirt detectors, which it uses to intelligently navigate and thoroughly clean your home without damaging any surfaces.

Samsung Jet Bot Combo AI robot vacuum in reviewer's home

(Image credit: Future)

The dock is a bit of a behemoth at 17.5 x 21.5 x 20.1" / 44.4 x 54.7 x 51 cm, but given that it's basically the robot vacuum equivalent of a car wash, I can understand why. It houses three containers; an 88oz / 2.5L dust bin, a 106oz / 3L water tank and a 127oz / 3.6L dirty water tank in the main body of the base, from which the robot vacuum is emptied and refilled when docked. These are easily removed: simply grip the lid, pull them out, and unclip the tank's lid to empty or refill the water tanks, or remove the lid and slide out the full dust bag.

The vacuum itself ascends a small ramp into a neat little alcove in the dock, at the base of which are the washing plates. After a mopping session, the base station will steam clean the mop pads with high-pressure steam, before drying them with hot air. On the rear of the base you'll find the port for the power supply, which is 59 inches / 1.5m long. You'll need to clear as much space as possible to the sides of the machine to ensure the robovac's navigation is unhindered.

  • Design score: 4 out of 5

Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI review: performance

  • Let down by app software
  • Decent suction, excellent mopping
  • Obstacle detection and onboard intelligence are great

Samsung's Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI positions itself as a high-spec, high-performance automated home cleaner, but does it fit the bill? Well, kind of – with some software updates, it certainly would, but at the moment it's slightly impeded by its beautiful-looking but semi-functional in-app experience and dodgy mop pad connectors.

Once paired, I was very impressed by the app's design and wide array of features, which I'll talk a little more about later in the review, but I was less pleased with the default settings. For some reason, the robot vacuum by default is set to continually clean until it runs out of battery, which led to an admittedly hilarious but confusing first clean for me. I always run my standardized pickup tests in the smallest room in my home, and asked the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI to just clean that 6.5 x 6.5-foot / 2x2m space. Two hours of solid cleaning later, I realized something was up.

For the avoidance of hilarity/frustration, I'd definitely recommend poring through Samsung's extensive list of settings and options before your first clean. Otherwise, the robovac's first pass around my home to map the layout was broadly a success, with the app creating a fairly accurate floor plan.

Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI on a patterned rug, trying to pick up oats and cornflower

(Image credit: Future)

Onto vacuuming performance. The Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI isn't the most powerful sucker on the market, offering 6,000Pa of suction. Today's most powerful models can achieve almost double that (for example, the Deebot T30S Combo has 11,000Pa on max mode, $1,199.99 or about £950 / AU$1,800). In contrast, Samsung's robot vacuum sits in the comfortable mid-range overall, and while its pricing doesn't necessarily reflect that, its onboard intelligence carries the brunt of the value.

Despite this lower suction, it delivers a great clean. A litany of onboard sensors help the vacuum not only to identify different floor types and obstacles but also spot dirtier areas – whether that's due to stains and spillages or dust and debris – and adjust its cleaning accordingly. The Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI will also lift and lower its mop pads based on the surface area it's cleaning, which I found worked perfectly throughout my testing.

I sprinkled cornflour on my hard floors and low-pile carpet to see how well the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI could pick up fine debris, treading in some of it to create more real-world scenarios. On hard flooring, the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI performed well, collecting a majority of the fine powder. On carpet, however, with its first pass, Samsung's newest robovac didn't really impress me, leaving about 80% of the cornflour on the carpet, even when the machine amped up its suction to tackle the issue.

However, it's a stubborn bot with solid dirt detection technology, and throughout the rest of its clean returned to the fine powder to have another go. After about three attempts during one cleaning job, it did manage to clean up a vast majority of the powder, leaving roughly 20% behind.

On the other hand, the oats I sprinkled to test larger debris pickup on hard flooring were almost entirely suctioned by the robot vacuum in its first pass, including some of the grains closer to the obstacles I had set up for the vacuum to avoid. Thicker-pile carpets present more of a challenge; my rug was left with a fair amount of large and fine debris still in situ.

Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI edge cleaning

(Image credit: Future)

Its bristled side brushes are far superior to the more commonly utilized rubber side brush arms, at least in my opinion, and proved very efficient at sweeping lighter debris straight into the mouth of the robot vacuum. However, they don't offer a great edge clean. It would have been good to see Samsung incorporate an extending side arm to help in this area – a feature offered by a few rival models in this premium price bracket.

As for the hair-grinding technology, I was fairly impressed, but not quite awestruck by the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI. Samsung promises an 880% improvement compared to “a brush without a hair grinder” based on its internal testing, but it's worth highlighting we don't know enough about the brush it was compared to validate that claim, and it really is quite the claim.

That being said, I was very pleased with how few of my long hairs tangled around the roller's brushes. They did, however, wrap around the midsection of the roller (which is usually covered by its casing and therefore wouldn't impact the cleaning), and my hair also made a right mess of the side brush, leaving some of the brush strands permanently bent out of place. For pet owners, however, I imagine the Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI could just be one of the best robot vacuums for pet hair, as shorter hair is far less likely to tangle up either brush.

The onboard dust bin is a little small, so expect your vacuum to regularly empty itself at the base if you're cleaning larger spaces or dealing with higher levels of dirt and debris – thankfully, the battery life is above average for its price, so that will save some time from the cleaning cycle.

Samsung Jet Bot Combo AI robot vacuum cleaning a hard floor

(Image credit: Future)

On the other hand, the Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI's mopping performance is most impressive, with its rotating rondels making quick work of wet spills (coffee), dry spills (also coffee) and sticky spills (dried fruit juice). Plus, thanks to the bot's stain detection, there was scarcely a mark left on my floors after it made its rounds – although the dried-on and sticky spills did take a few laps. Once the robovac has completed its cleaning mission, it returns to the base to have its mop pads steamed, removed, and dried in a two hour-long cycle that leaves them good as new.

I was very impressed with the Samsung Jet Bot AI Combo's navigation system, which deftly avoided all obstacles while still making its way into and around some tight spots to give the most thorough clean it could muster. That includes the fake dog poop I placed on the floor; pet owners will be pleased to learn that this robovac never so much as nudged it. When you first map your home, however, it's important to have floors as clear as possible, as the bot will assume even the smallest obstacle is, in fact, a wall.

Its onboard intelligence can identify a variety of household objects (though Samsung doesn't seem to list these anywhere), both in terms of obstacles and furnishings, which proved to be impressively accurate when I checked in the app.

Object avoidance is a real highlight for the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI. As well as identifying the obstacle, it's pretty clever when it comes to cleaning around it, managing to poke itself in and around non-hazardous obstacles like the cable and sock I left on my multicolored carpet. Broadly speaking, it was capable of recognizing each specific obstacle, though it did repeatedly identify a non-existent plate on my floor. I guess the local ghosts are having a tea party without me…

  • Performance score: 4 out of 5

Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI review: app

  • Managed through the very well-designed Samsung SmartThings app
  • Lots of customization options, but a few too many bugs at time of writing
  • Samsung Bixby voice assistant built in, but no list of supported commands

This presents a good opportunity to pivot to discussing the app, which is a bit of a beautiful mess. I've tested a fair few robot vacuums, but Samsung's SmartThings app is by far the best designed and offers plenty of easy ways to set up your robovac and customize it just to your liking. That is, of course, provided the in-app features are working, and as of writing this review, many of them aren't.

Let's start with the positives. You can also take more control of your cleaning by adjusting the in-app settings, manually selecting the suction power, cleaning type, driving mode, and water level to ensure your floors are sparkling by the time the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI is done. For instance, you might prefer that your robovac cleans the main part of the room then the edges (or the 'walls' as they're referred to in the Samsung app), or vice versa, or instead focus on quick cleaning in a zig-zag fashion. You can also opt for vacuuming and mopping to occur simultaneously, or instead ask the bot to vacuum first, then come back to mop the room.

Using the map function, you can also set specific settings for different rooms, identify key pieces of furniture and adjust how the vacuum approaches these, highlight areas where the vacuum may need to breach a raised surface and set up no-go zones. When I first began my testing, sometimes editing the map at all would cause it to crash, but thankfully as of writing, it seems to have been fixed. It will, however, room-shame you if you have a smaller area you want to zone – such is the case with my kitchen, which the app won't recognize as a room.

Screen shots of the Bespoke Jet Bot AI companion app

(Image credit: Samsung)

You can also download extension packages to the app to allow pet monitoring and more advanced smart home features. The pet monitoring in particular is pretty useful, allowing you to hunt down your furry friends remotely, instruct the bot to listen out for barks and even play calming music to assuage rowdy pups. I tried this using recordings of dogs barking, which worked well, but when I forgot to switch off the pet detection mode, it continued to alert me that my 'dog' was barking for hours every night.

Similarly, you can program the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI to monitor your home or family when you're away. There's an area in-app where you can also manually control your robot vacuum and view a live stream, too, but in my experience, this works very sporadically at least on iOS, and rarely when you're dialing in on a different Wi-Fi network or using mobile data.

Samsung's Bixby voice assistant is also built into the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI, meaning you can command your robovac with relative ease. There's no list of commands provided, so it's a little hit or miss whether it will understand your instructions. I found being very direct and simple with my wording helped massively, though I'd probably sooner use the app than my voice.

  • App score: 3.5 out of 5

Should you buy the Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI?

Buy it if...

You run a SmartThings smart home
If you're a Samsung home appliance fan, the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI is a no-brainer. It integrates effortlessly, and paired with Samsung's wider array of devices offers some excellent added value features.

You're home is a little messy
If there are lots of obstacles around your home, the Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI offers fantastic detection and identification, meaning you won't have to worry so much about tidying up before a cleaning cycle.

You want a more hygienic mop
With its self-cleaning station, the Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI can steam and dry its own mop pads, meaning less bacteria will be left to fester when your vacuum is out of use.

Don't buy it if...

You want something truly hands-off
At least as of writing, I can't in good conscience call the Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI truly hands-free. By all accounts, it should be, but the software just isn't up to scratch right now.

You want powerful suction
With only 6,000 Pa bolstering the Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI, it's just not quite powerful enough for deeper cleans without running several cycles.View Deal

You want to make the most of every intelligent feature
Until Samsung fixes the litany of bugs plaguing the Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI, I wouldn't view many of its intelligent selling points as a given.

How I tested the Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI

  • I used this as my main vacuum for 3 weeks
  • I tested all the different modes and features
  • I ran specific cleaning tests using different types of spillages

For my Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI review, I used the device as my main vacuum cleaner for three weeks in order to assess how it lives up to its specs and marketing, including its suction power, mopping capability and onboard intelligence.

I tested various substances and stains (cornflour, oats, dried-on and wet messes) as well as obstacles (socks, bags, wires) to see how well its AI features detect and treat different obstacles, and also used the app to try its various intelligent features like home and pet monitoring.

For comparison, I used my experience testing robot vacuums like the iRobot Roomba Combo J7+ and other TechRadar reviews to judge how well it lives up to its price tag and Samsung's own claims about its performance.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed October 2024

Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K review: the sync box gamers have been waiting for
5:00 pm | October 12, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances | Tags: | Comments: Off

The Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K is the second generation of the Hue entertainment product, following on from the 4K Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box. It’s designed to synchronize your Hue smart lighting system with the on-screen action in movies, games and with music, and it works with a wide range of different lights and lamps: simply create an entertainment area in your Hue app, add the bulbs or lights you want to sync, and the Sync Box 8K does its thing. It works very well and has an excellent app, but as ever with Hue it’s quite expensive.

The 4K version is still for sale and works fine, but if you’re using games consoles or just want to get the most future-proof option this is the one to go for even if an 8K TV is not currently in your home or on the horizon.

Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K: price and availability

  • List price $349.99 / £299.99 (about AU$520)
  • More expensive than 4K Sync Box

The Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K launched in September 2024. The UK price is £299.99 and the US price is $349.99. That’s about AU$520.

That's a slight price increase over the previous model, the Sync Box 4K, which is £229.99 / $229.

Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K

(Image credit: Signify)

Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K: specifications

  • Very similar design to previous version
  • Supports 8K at 60Hz, and 4K at 120Hz

While the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K looks almost identical to its predecessor bar its slightly larger dimensions, there are some key differences.

The first and most important difference is that the four HMDI ports are HDMI 2.1b with HDCP 2.3. The previous version has HDMI 2.0b with HDCP 2.2. Both versions support HDR10+, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos and CEC for device control.

The 4K version delivered resolutions of up to 4K at 60Hz and 1080p and 1440p at 120Hz. The new 8K model has 8K at 60Hz, a gaming console-friendly 4K at 120Hz, plus 4K/60Hz and 1080p/120Hz.

The 8K version has Bluetooth 5 compared to the Bluetooth 4.2 of the 4K box.

There are some minor changes to the power consumption too: standby power is down from 1.5W to 0.8W and maximum power consumption is down from 7.3W to 7.0W. The USB connector is now USB-C rather than micro-USB.

Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K connections

The box is slightly larger than before but retains the familiar shape and setup, with four HDMI inputs and one output. (Image credit: Signify)

Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K: setup

  • Requires Philips Hue Bridge
  • User-friendly app makes setup straightforward

As before, the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K requires a Hue Bridge to connect to your lights. It can only sync with audio-visual devices that are connected to its HDMI ports, which rules out the apps already installed on your TV. However, it will happily sync with apps on HDMI-connected devices such as an Apple TV 4K.

If you have a Samsung TV, you can sync your lights with your TV's apps via the Hue Sync TV app on compatible TVs. That doesn't require this sync box; your TV connects to your Hue Bridge via the app. The app is $2.99 per month in the US or £2.68 in the UK, and requires a Q60 QLED TV or a later QLED model.

You can connect your various devices directly via the HDMI ports. If you have them connected to an AV receiver, that connects to HDMI 4: that’s the HDMI port where you can enable CEC pass through so that your devices can control your TV. Whichever connection option you choose, you can set the Sync Box to detect a video signal and turn itself on automatically.

The original Sync Box required a separate Hue app, but the sync functionality is now in the core app to keep things simpler. It’s more user-friendly than before, but gives you the same options: game, movie or music modes, four levels of intensity and a brightness control. Pairing the sync box, adding it to your Wi-Fi network and checking for software updates are all handled by the app and work efficiently.

Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K app

The sync features no longer require a separate app: it's all in the core Hue app (Image credit: Future)

Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K: performance

  • Effectively 'expands' your TV screen when connected to smart lights
  • Much better than previous version for gaming
  • No noticeable lag between images on TV and lights changing

With the best smart lights, the Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K works exceptionally well: it’s very fast and very accurate, so for example my gradient lightstrip didn’t just blast the wall with one or two colors but a mix that followed the on-screen visuals very well. It’s best suited to lights that are in the immediate vicinity of your TV; you can have the whole room synced if you wish, but I felt it distracted from the effectiveness.

For me, the lighting was at its best when it seemed to expand my TV to the entire wall behind it and the objects and furniture on either side. It really does make your TV feel much bigger and immersive, and the response speed means it looks very natural.

I noticed a big difference in gaming, especially on PS5: the glitch that would frequently give me a black screen for a moment at the worst possible time in intense games such as Helldivers is gone, and input switching issues that previously confused my TV were absent too. If you have a PS5 or Xbox X, that alone is a big reason to go for the 8K model rather than the older one.

For me, this is one of those products that you tend to take for granted almost immediately: the effect it produces is great but you soon stop noticing it, in part because the response rate is so fast that there isn’t a lag between what you see on screen and how your lights respond. That means after a short time you only really notice it when you turn it off: the room seems awfully bare and the TV awfully small without it.

Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K watching TV

The lighting effects don't overpower the on-screen colors; instead, they make the TV feel bigger (Image credit: Future)

Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K: verdict

There's no doubt that the Sync Box is expensive, even more so than its predecessor, and functionally it's not very different from the 4K box. If you're not a gamer, that's the one to go for here unless of course you have an 8K TV.

For gaming, though, this is a vast improvement: HDMI 2.1 is a must-have for modern consoles, and the upgrade addressed issues that have been annoying me for years – so while an 8K TV is not in my foreseeable future, this is still the box I'd recommend for Hue gamers.

Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K: how I tested

I’m a long-time Hue Sync Box 4K user, so I swapped the new model with my existing one. It’s connected to a Sony AV receiver, which in turn is connected to a PS5, an Xbox Series X, an Apple TV 4K and a Sony Blu-Ray player. I used the Sync Box to control a Hue Gradient Lightstrip on the back of my Samsung TV, and also added other Hue bulbs around my living room to check the syncing worked with multiple Hue products. Read more about how we test.

First reviewed October 2024

Molekule Air Mini+ review: high-grade filtering doesn’t offset this air purifier’s performance problems
5:00 pm | October 2, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Air Quality Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances | Tags: | Comments: Off

The Molekule Air Mini+ is a small but innovatively designed air purifier. It boasts medical-grade materials and patented PECO filter technology, using UV radiation to help further destroy airborne pollutants.

I tested it to see whether it could compete with our pick of the best air purifiers on the market. It's simple to use and has an aesthetically pleasing app, but the only data that gets recorded is the air quality, in a range running from Good to Very Bad. This means that, unlike some cheaper air purifiers, there's no breakdown of the type of particles contaminating the air. In addition, the Molekule Air Mini+ can't detect VOCs (volatile organic compounds), making it hard for this purifier to tackle odors without manual intervention.

Note: the Pro version of this purifier does detect VOCs and is particularly good at tackling odors, but that model is significantly bulkier and more expensive (read my Molekule Air Pro review for more on that one). Alternatively, read on for my full Molekule Air Mini review below.

Molekule Air Mini+ review: price & availability

  • List price: $359.99
  • Only available in the US at present

At $359.99, the Molekule Air Mini+ isn’t cheap. You’d be forgiven for thinking that this must mean it’s packed with features, but Molekule has kept things seemingly simple with this model. Perhaps too simple, in my opinion, as cheaper alternatives can give more detailed readings.

What this purifier does have in comparison to these lower-priced alternatives, however, is patented PECO technology. This allegedly breaks down organic matter at a molecular level. While I can neither confirm nor deny that this is accurate, this, along with the use of medical-grade polycarbonate, would go some way to explain why the price point is as high as it is.

But I found myself asking: is this quality filter being used to its full potential if the Air Mini+ can't detect VOCs in order to respond appropriately in the first place?

The Air Mini+ is available to purchase directly from the Molekule website and on Amazon, but only in the US at present.

  • Value for money score: 3 out of 5

Molekule Air Mini+ review specs

Molekule Air Mini+ review: design

  • Simple aesthetic
  • Redundant handle
  • One-button control

Air purifiers can vary aesthetically: some look utilitarian while others make a statement, and the Molekule Air Mini+ sits somewhere in the middle. It has some fancy little design elements but, overall, I’ve gotta say, it’s kinda giving bathroom trash can vibes. That being said, it is at least a fairly compact size, standing at 12 inches tall, with a diameter of just over 8 inches. It’s surprisingly heavy for its size, weighing 7.3 lb, which is 4.8 ounces heavier than the much larger Shark NeverChange air purifier.

The white medical grade polycarbonate outer has a textured matte finish, with the word Molekule inlaid in shiny silver. On the right-hand side, a somewhat redundant tan-colored vegan leather handle is fixed in place by a large silver metal pin. It wasn’t easy or practical to carry it around using this, so it appears to be more of a design choice to keep it in line with the design concept of its larger sibling, the Molekule Air Pro.

Picture shows the side of the Molekule Air Mini Plus air purifier, mainly focussing on the tan faux-leather handle held in place by a large metal pin at the top.

(Image credit: Future)

There’s an inset gray band toward the bottom of the unit where the base meets the top section, and slanted gray slats at the top of the purifier circling the gray touch panel in the center. The control panel is subtle as no lights are on show until you touch the center to awaken the purifier. This center button is used to turn the power on and off, cycle through Auto Protect and manual fan modes, and reset the Air Mini+. In the middle of this button is the indicator light for the air quality in the room, it shows green for good, yellow for moderate, red for bad, and blue for very bad.

Picture shows a the top of the Molekule Air Mini Plus air purifier, with a finger nearly pressing the illuminated auto protect button.

(Image credit: Future)

A series of white dots indicate the fan level, so one dot for the lowest fan speed, and five for the highest. It also shows an interlinked symbol when it’s in Auto Protect mode. There’s a Wi-Fi symbol that flashes up upon startup or if there are connectivity issues and a filter symbol that communicates the filter’s health.

In terms of packaging, the Air Mini+ comes in a shipping-style corrugated cardboard box, with consideration going into the cardboard fitments, eliminating the need for single-use materials like polystyrene. For extra protection, the purifier comes in a good-quality reusable drawstring bag.

  • Design score: 4.5 out of 5

Molekule Air Mini+ review: features

  • Aesthetically pleasing app
  • Lacking detailed air quality data
  • Impressive (but expensive) filter

The Air Mini+ is compatible with the Molekule app, which has an attractive and easy-to-use interface with a cool-toned color palette and animations. Despite the app being simple to use, setting up the Wi-Fi connection was a bit of a headache, but I’ll regale my woes further in the performance section.

Once everything was connected, the Purifier tab on the app told me what the current IAQ was, from good to very bad. From this tab, I could also change between Auto Protect mode, or manually select a fan speed from one to five. There's also a percentage rating to show the PECO-Filter condition: when pressed, it provides further information on the filter capabilities and details on how to change it. In the More tab, you can connect to Alexa, add more air purifiers to the app, and enable or disable notifications.

Picture shows the base and cable spool of a Molekule Air Mini Plus air purifier.

(Image credit: Future)

The Indoor Air tab shows a timed graph spanning 24 hours or one week. Unlike this purifier’s larger (and much more expensive) sibling the Molekule Air Pro, there is very limited information provided by the Air Mini+. You simply see a graph that notes the IAQ using the same color-coded system as shown on the purifier itself, and the length of time the air quality was at that level. There's no details on whether the IAQ was affected by dust particles, pollen, smoke, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and so on. Perhaps this is enough information for some users, but when air purifiers that cost at least $100 less can provide more detail, it’s quite disappointing that the readings are so basic from the Air Mini+.

Picture shows the Molekule Air Mini Plus air purifier with its top removed, revealing the PECO-HEPA Tri-Power filter sitting within the base.

(Image credit: Future)

The Molekule Air Mini+ has received FDA clearance and is classed as a device intended for medical purposes. It’s stated that it can capture 95% of particulate matter and destroy bacteria and viruses by exposing them to ultraviolet radiation – though only when in manual mode on fan speed three or above.

The Air Mini+ comes with a PECO-HEPA Tri-Power Filter, which Molekule states can destroy bacteria, mold and allergens, and reduce odors and toxic gasses, with a 99.97% particle-capture efficiency rate. Molekule recommends changing the filter every six months, which doesn’t sound excessive, but it’s important to note that a replacement filter costs $99.99, or $79.99 if you subscribe to bi-annual deliveries.

  • Features score: 3 out of 5

Molekule Air Mini+ review: performance

  • Buggy Wi-Fi connectivity
  • IAQ tracking not accurate
  • Does not clear odors automatically

Having tried out many lower-cost purifiers and the Air Mini+’s highly talented sibling, I expected great things from this little purifier. The results from everyday use didn’t blow me away, unfortunately.

Upon initial setup at home, I couldn’t connect the Air Mini+ to my iPhone 12 Pro. I found that I needed to manually go into my Wi-Fi settings to find the Molekule Wi-Fi the purifier was trying to connect to. This action wasn’t prompted or made clear; on the app, a button just appeared asking to connect to the Molekule network, which would then throw up an error saying that it was unable to join. Once I’d discovered that I needed to join this network manually, my phone connected to the purifier.

Sadly, this wasn’t the end of the frustration. When it came to connecting the Air Mini+ to my Wi-Fi router, I was left with the spinning wheel of doom until I had to give up. I tried resetting the purifier, reinstalling the app, and restarting the Wi-Fi, but to no avail. I ended up admitting defeat late in the evening, which meant that even though the Air Mini+ was running overnight, it was not collecting any data. The only indication of the air quality was the colored indicator light on the top of the unit, which turns off until you touch it, so it wasn't easily visible from my bed. It’s unusual not to have Bluetooth backup available. I found this alternative connectivity option helpful when the lower-priced Welov P200 Pro wouldn’t connect to Wi-Fi, as at least it could still record data and be controllable as long as the device was in range.

Picture shows a Molekule Air Mini Plus air purifier sitting on a glass bedside table with a candle, cosmetic bottle, and potted plant to its right.

(Image credit: Future)

I decided to test the syncing process with our OnePlus Pad Go, to see if this was an iOS, app, or firmware issue. Upon installing the Molekule app, it became clear that it wasn’t optimized for Android tablets, or certainly not in this instance anyway. The Auto Protect and Manual button on the Purifier tab went beyond the edges of the screen, and the chart in the Indoor Air tab didn't display properly, in either screen orientation. I couldn't use the OnePlus Pad Go to connect the Air Mini+ to the Molekule app again, as the page was too large for the screen, so it wasn't possible to go through the connection process.

When I tried to connect it to the Wi-Fi in the office the next morning, it was the same fun and games, until eventually, the app said that there was an issue connecting to the network and to try to reconnect. When I pressed the button to continue, it successfully connected to Wi-Fi and I was able to name my purifier on the app. I had the same issue when setting up the Molekule Air Pro, but it surrendered much quicker than the Air Mini+.

The biggest issue with the Wi-Fi not connecting was that, despite the price, the Air Mini+ doesn’t use Bluetooth, so if you can’t connect over Wi-Fi, the IAQ isn’t tracked and you can’t adjust settings hands-free.

One element that's been a cause of irritation for myself and my colleagues is that when switching between manual mode and Auto Protect, the fan speed builds up to its highest (and loudest) setting, even when the air quality is good. This isn’t great at the best of times, but if you’ve forgotten to set it onto auto when your baby is napping, or you’re in a quiet shared office, say, it’s very inconvenient. It was particularly off-putting when going to bed late at night, as it became more apparent to me that it took the fan some time to reduce to its final speed when I put it onto auto, even though it had only been on manual for a moment and the IAQ was good, meaning that the fan noise is loud for longer than it needs to be.

Image shows screenshots of the Molekule app showing bad and very bad air quality readings, but the graph is still showing good coloring.

(Image credit: Molekule)

When using it in the TechRadar reviews office, the readings did not correspond with the Molekule Air Pro I had running simultaneously. The Air Pro detected a substantial drop in air quality on two occasions, which was when there was a lot of activity in the office. The reason that the two Molekule purifiers didn’t correspond with one another is simple – the Air Pro can detect an increase in VOC, but the Mini+ lacks this ability. While this can’t be held against the Mini+ due to the massive price difference between the two, before settling on a purifier you should consider the contaminants you want to be detected so that your purifier can react and clear the air fast.

I sprayed dry shampoo toward the Air Mini+ and it detected it quickly. The fan sped up gradually as a result, changing the IAQ from bad back to good within two minutes. The fan speed slowed gradually, even though the fragrance remained strong in the air. I manually set the purifier to full fan speed to clear the fragrance from the dry shampoo, it took the Air Mini+ about 30 minutes to clear the air. This is more than double the time it took the AiDot Welov P200 Pro, which left the air smelling fresher after just 10 minutes of running on full power.

One issue that became apparent is that the app does not always correspond with the reading on the purifier itself. When performing the dry shampoo test in the TR office it relayed the change in air quality after some time, but when I retested at home, it didn't register that the Air Mini+ was detecting bad air quality at all, relaying a fairly flatline reading of “good” over the whole day. While this isn’t the end of the world, as the purifier itself still reacted, it’s not ideal if you want to keep track of the air quality remotely or in the morning after a night's sleep, as the data does not feel reliable.

  • Performance score: 2.5 out of 5

Should I buy the Molekule Air Mini+?

Buy it if...

You don’t want a visible display
The light-up control panel turns off promptly following inactivity, so you’re left with what simply looks like the top panel of the air purifier.

You prefer a minimalist, Scandi design
With a simplistic color palette of white and gray and a tan-colored faux leather handle, the Air Mini+ could easily fit into many homes.

You want a simple-to-use app
Attractive and user-friendly, you can use the app to easily control the Air Mini+, review the filter life, connect to Alexa, and change notification settings.

Don't buy it if...

You want to keep noise to a minimum
Curiously, the Air Mini+ insists on increasing the fan speed to its maximum when Auto Protect mode is switched on, so if you want to change to this setting quietly, you’re out of luck.

You’re on a budget
There’s no doubt about it, this air purifier isn’t cheap. I could forgive this if it had more features or performed particularly well, but it didn’t impress any more than purifiers I’ve tested that cost $100 less.

You’d like to see what’s contaminating your air
The readings provided on the Molekule app from the Air Mini+ are disappointingly basic. Where other air purifiers can tell you the different particle types, VOCs, CO2, humidity, and so on, the Air Mini+ simply shows you whether the overall air quality was rated between good or very bad throughout the day or week.

Molekule Air Mini+ review: Also consider

Levoit Core 300S True HEPA air purifier
Less than half the price but very highly rated, we loved the Levoit Core 300S when we reviewed it, scoring it four and a half stars out of five. The readings aren’t the most detailed, only showing the PM2.5 level, but we were impressed with the performance for the cost.

Shark NeverChange Air Purifier
If the sky-high cost of the Air Mini+ replacement filters is putting you off, then the long-lasting filter capabilities of the Shark NeverChange might suit you better. Two washable DebrisDefence filters add another layer of protection, meaning that the HEPA filter could last for years.

How I tested the Molekule Air Mini+

  • I used the Molekule Air Mini+ for one week
  • I tested it in multiple environments
  • I observed its reaction to aerosols

I tested the Molekule Air Mini+ in the TechRadar reviews office and music testing room, as well as in my bedroom at home.

I monitored how effectively it detected and purified airborne contaminants such as dust and dry shampoo, and how well it tackled the strong fragrance left by the latter.

I left it running in my bedroom overnight to determine whether it disturbed my sleep. I tested the sound levels using a sound level meter on my phone and assessed the controls and how easy it was to change the filter.

Philips 5400 LatteGo review: your own personal barista
6:00 pm | September 29, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Coffee Machines Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances | Tags: | Comments: Off

Philips 5400 LatteGo: two-minute review

The Philips 5400 LatteGo is a bean-to-cup coffee machine capable of making 12 different types of coffee. With its easy-to-use TFT LCD display, you can customize each cup by tweaking the amount of beans, milk and water you want. Best of all, the 5400 remembers these settings, giving you the option to save it to one of four profiles, saving you the hassle of adjusting the options every time.

Setting up the 5400 LatteGo is simple enough, though some important details are missing from the instructions. For example, it doesn’t mention that a rubber band must be attached to the filter in order to slot into the water tank. Once you’ve placed the machine in your kitchen or office, the 5400 is easy enough to maintain. The water tank, found on the right side, can be easily slid out from the front for refills.

Water tank removed from Philips 5400 Series Bean to Cup Coffee Machine

The machine's water tank is easy to remove, and you'll get an alert when it needs refilling (Image credit: Daryl Baxter)

Longevity is a big theme of the 5400, self-cleaning after each use to prevent any grime from clogging up its internal pipes. Though it’s worth noting that when it’s working, especially when grinding the coffee beans you’ve put in, it can be noisy. We measured noise levels of up to 79 dBA (about the same as a phone dial tone), so we’d recommend not making a cup during the night if others are sleeping nearby.

The 5400 offers plenty of customization options, such as different milk foam levels. However, the milk spout can’t be turned, so you have to carefully position your cup between the milk and coffee spouts. Nevertheless, the 5400 made a fantastic drink every time, and we didn’t experience any issues that dampered our experience of using it — apart from setting it up for the first time.

Overall, this mid-range coffee machine is designed to appeal to users with different skill levels when making coffee, and the 5400 succeeds in that regard. Granted, the Breville Barista Express Impress offers something similar, but it lacks a helpful LCD display and the useful modularity of the 5400 that makes it so easy to clean. If you’re new to machines like this, we can’t recommend the Philips 5400 LatteGo enough. 

Philips 5400 Series Bean to Cup Coffee Machine dispensing foamed milk

It's not possible to adjust the direction of the milk spout, so you'll need to be careful how you position your cup (Image credit: Daryl Baxter)

Philips 5400 LatteGo: price and availability

  • List price: £679.99 (around $900 / AU$1,320)
  • Launch date: December 2021
  • Availability: UK

At the time of writing, you can only buy the Philips 5400 LatteGo on Amazon UK, or the Philips website with a list price of £679.99 (discounted to £619.99 at the time of writing). The coffee machine isn’t available in the US or Australia, but the 3200 is a smaller version of the 5400 that's more widely available.

The best bean-to-cup coffee machines are never cheap, and considering what the Philips 5400 LatteGo is capable of, you’re getting a fantastic machine that sits comfortably at the mid-range price bracket, with a lot of features helpful for beginners.

  • Value for money score: 5/5

Philips 5400 LatteGo: specs

Philips 5400 LatteGo: design

The Philips 5400 LatteGo looks every bit like a £619 coffee machine — high-quality, big, and sleek with its chrome finish. However, taking it out of the box, we were surprised by its depth (14.6in / 37.2cm), and you may find it comes close to the edge of your kitchen counter.

Setting the machine up was straightforward. The instruction booklet outlined out how to put the right compartments in, such as the water tank and the waste tray. The 5400 LatteGo also comes with an optional filter, called AquaClean, which Philips claims can help avoid descaling for up to 5,000 cups of coffee. While the instructions explained how to install the filter, it left out an important point. You see, there’s a black elastic band that must attach to the filter - otherwise, it won’t slot into place. We only found this out after coming across a post on Reddit, as we were under the impression that the filter just had to be placed into the tank. Not so. Including this detail in the instructions would help prevent this frustrating moment for others.

Once set up, we switched on the 5400 LatteGo and followed the prompts on the bright TFT display to prepare it for its first cup of coffee. Putting in the coffee beans, bought from a nearby independent coffee shop, was easy enough. You simply pour them into the designated section of the machine, and the 5400 LatteGo does the rest. Every time you select a coffee from the display, you can choose how much coffee, water, and milk you want — even choosing whether or not to include milk foam.

Drink selection menu on Philips 5400 Series Bean to Cup Coffee Machine

The bright display makes the 5400 LatteGo very easy to use (Image credit: Daryl Baxter)

It’s worth noting that the colorful TFT display is very helpful, making it easy for beginners and advanced users to personalize their coffee. Best of all, the machine remembers your preferences, saving you the chore of tweaking the coffee, water, and milk every time.

When it comes to cleaning the 5400, everything is simple enough to take out, such as the water tank, the drip tray, and more. It makes the machine feel modular — almost like working on a car engine. Everything has its place, but it’s easy enough that you can put every part back in as before once they’ve been cleaned. The machine even takes care of its internals by rinsing its pips regularly. But the machine’s design ensures that cleaning never feels like a chore.

There’s little here we can criticize, except for the unclear instructions. Everything in the Philips 5400 has its place, and everything works as you expect. Just be sure to not put anything in the bin when you set up the machine for the first time.

  • Design score: 4.5/5 

Philips 5400 LatteGo: performance

When it comes to mid-range coffee machines in this price range, there are usually plenty of knobs and levers to get accustomed to - but not with the Philips 5400 LatteGo. Instead, the TFT display lets you easily pick the coffee you want, with a bunch of customization options to make sure the machine will brew the right amount of beans, foam the right amount of milk, and use enough water.

The Philips 5400 LatteGo offers 12 different drink options as standard:

  1. Americano 
  2. Cappuccino 
  3. Café au lait 
  4. Caffe Latte 
  5. Caffé crema 
  6. Coffee
  7. Espresso
  8. Espresso lungo
  9. Frothed milk 
  10. Flat white 
  11. Latte macchiato
  12. Ristretto 

It can also dispense hot water for making tea, and has a dedicated travel mug function.

First off, I picked a regular caffe latte from the TFT display, using the physical buttons on the machine to scroll through the list. Once selected, I could easily choose how much coffee, milk and water I wanted by tweaking the levels of each. After I pressed ‘OK’, the 5400 got to work.

It was noisy during the three minutes it took from pressing the button to having a fresh cup of coffee, but everything worked as expected. One important note is that the spout can’t be adjusted, so you have to make sure that the cup is lined up with both the milk spout and the coffee dispenser.

Drink selection menu on Philips 5400 Series Bean to Cup Coffee Machine

The color display is accompanied by physical buttons for selecting options (Image credit: Daryl Baxter)

Afterwards, I decided I wanted more milk foam, so I simply went back to the display, selected ‘milk foam’, and the machine delivered. The coffee tasted fantastic, especially using fresh coffee beans from Stokes Coffee in my home town of Lincoln. Once the machine finishes making a drink, it automatically self-cleans, which takes a minute, and is noisy. So, if you’re wanting coffee late at night, make sure there’s no one sleeping nearby.

Another useful feature of the Philips 5400 is its ability to save your preferences as one of four profiles. This allows you to quickly select your custom drink without having to manually adjust your settings every time. I found this very useful, setting up three profiles for the different types of coffee I usually have in the morning, afternoon, and when I need to get some urgent work done.

Refill beans and water notification on Philips 5400 Series Bean to Cup Coffee Machine

The 5400 LatteGo's interface is easy to understand and use, even for beginners (Image credit: Daryl Baxter)

Overall, I’ve been very happy with the Philips 5400 LatteGo. Although the initial setup process was frustrating in places, the daily routine of picking and choosing the types of coffee was a breeze. The water tank simply slides out from the front for easy refills, and maintaining the machine’s other parts were also straightforward when needed. Granted, the 5400 can be noisy, with sounds of up to 79 dBA when grinding beans and steaming milk. However, that’s admittedly part of the package when you want a freshly brewed cup with steamed milk. For everything it offers, the Philips 5400 is a fantastic buy for anyone looking for a high-quality coffee machine.

  •  Performance score: 4.5/5 

Should you buy the Philips 5400 LatteGo?

Buy it if

You love a variety of coffee-based beverages
The 5400 isn’t sparse on the types of coffee it can make. If you want a latte with extra milk foam or one with none but more coffee in, it can happen. There’s plenty of customization here, so you may discover a type of coffee you’ll end up loving.

You want to save a trip to Starbucks
A regular cup from Starbucks or another big chain soon adds up. With the 5400, there’s the potential to save a trip and some money for your coffee fix, especially with the many types of coffee it can make.

You want to explore the world of coffee beans
Using this machine is a perfect opportunity to try out a variety of coffee beans that many independent stores offer. For instance, we tried this variant from Stokes Coffee, based in Lincoln, UK, which had a fantastic berry aftertaste, perfect for this time of the year. 

Don't buy it if

You’re on a budget
A high-quality bean-to-cup coffee machine can be expensive, to be prepared to, not only buy the 5400 LatteGo at a high price, but to maintain it with good quality coffee beans, filters to prevent build up of grime, and more.

You’re looking for a small and simple coffee machine
There’s no escaping how long the 5400 is. If you’re short on space in your kitchen, you should reconsider where it’s going to be. 

You want to make large amounts of coffee for you and your family
Don’t expect to make a round for your workmates or family — the 5400 is meant to do one cup well, so take that into account. 

Philips 5400 LatteGo: also consider

Not completely sold on the Philips 5400 LatteGo? Here are two alternatives you should consider:

Smeg BCC13

The BCC13 is much pricier than the Philips 5400 LatteGo, but has a more stylish design and a boiler that can generate more pressure for better quality steamed milk.

Read our full Smeg BCC13 review

Casabrews 5700Pro

If you want more of the barista experience, this machine gives you the fun of inserting the portafilter, pulling a shot, and foaming your milk, but guides you through the process to make it straightforward.

Read our full Casabrews 5700Pro review

How I tested the Philips 5400 LatteGo

I used the Philips 5400 for several weeks at home in my kitchen, making three to four types of coffee every day via the display that allowed me to choose new variants every time.

With every coffee made, I noted the time it took for one to be made, the noise, and flavor, alongside what it was like to clean and maintain the coffee machine. I also made coffee with different levels of milk, water, and beans, as well as choosing different amounts of milk foam. Learn more about how we test.

First reviewed September 2024

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