I wrote two reviews for this oven because I ended up purchasing it twice. The first one shocked me with its terrible functioning, but as of purchasing the second one, I have no complaints with its operation (thus far). I wonder if these ovens suffer from some quality control issues. In order, here are my reviews:
Review #1: This is quite possibly one of the worst appliances I have ever bought in my life and I seriously hope my model is simply defective.
(1) It entire oven itself shakes and buzzes. The vibrations are terrible.
(2) The glass door touches the front of the oven and makes a loud buzzing noise. If you push against the handle, it quiets down a bit, but it's still as loud as a hair dryer. Not a comforting noise, especially listening from another room. I would say it's like listening to a bathroom fan or a jackhammer (from 2 blocks away).
(3) The fan is noisy. It starts and stutters and makes noises as if it is hitting the metal enclosure inside. If you've ever run your finger against a fan to hear the whup-whup-whup noise it makes, then you know what it sounds like. Except it's against metal, which is more worrisome.
I was so excited when I bought it and now I'm just disgusted and sad instead. It was originally going to get 1 star because it cooked food as it was supposed to. I gave it another star for having options and features. But with an oven this noisy, it's not worth it. Especially if you're paying full price. I'm glad that I paid 1/3 of what it is listed at, at a Dept. Store. However, I nearly jumped out of my skin from fright when I started it and it is going back tomorrow.
Extra note: Is it operator-error or an imbalanced countertop? I pulled out the contractor's level to double-check. My counter top is perfectly level, it was not sitting on anything unbalanced, and it was not touching any other appliances. It's the oven.
Review #2: So being the ever-lasting optimist (or just someone who can't let a good deal go), I purchased another one. I noticed that one leg was shorter than the others, and created an imbalance, but decided to try it anyway. When I clicked the "on" switch and turned the dial to 400 degrees, I held my breath, stepped back, and cringed... but the fan turned on with a gentle and not unpleasant whir. This was markedly different than the last 74766 I purchased, which buzzed and rattled. So I conclude that perhaps it was just a quality control issue. But at the price these were originally sold at, I would have hoped there were no issues! However, now that the mechanical issues are out of the way, I can finally review the oven itself.
It starts up relatively quietly and works well, has several features, though I didn't see a rotisserie option - that is in a different model, but it broils, bakes, and toasts. It comes with a very handy metal pizza disc, and can accommodate up to 12" pizzas and a whole roaster chicken; mind you - not at the same time. It is a bit large but not more than any 1.7 cubic ft. microwave, plus, it's shorter. There is a removable tray at the bottom (pulls out at the front for cleaning) and it comes in stainless or black knobs. I like the auto-shutoff timer option, and prefer the old-fashioned knobs to a digital interface. The oven itself seems sturdy enough, and has a nice metal handle (not plastic like others). It cooked quickly and relatively quietly. I am looking forward to roasting chickens and prepping dishes without needing my regular oven. But I can guarantee that I will be watching this oven closely for mechanical defects, which I'm sad about. If you buy something, you hope not to worry about it breaking! Nevertheless, if you're not paying full price for this oven, it's worth a try. Just buy two ;)
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West Bend Countertop Convection Oven - 74766Product Description: West Bend 74766 Convection 6 Slice Countertop Oven
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Right out of the box I knew I was in trouble- toaster is lightweight, which is not a good thing for an appliance. Also, the toaster is not nearly as stylish as I expected- esp. for a brushed stainless steel model. The ends seem to be made of plastic?? but the worst thing is: you cannot read the knobs! The black writing on the shiny chrome is impossible to read in my kitchen. Most toasters put the writing on the toaster itself-so you can set the dial to the desired setting. Not so with this one, and the knobs are cheap looking- also I didn't realize that there was no time setting, only a setting for dark-light toast. How do you time a pizza???? My old one had a 20 minute timer that automatically went off when you were done.(this is entirely my fault for not checking- just threw that in in case somebody wanted to know)
