As part of my on-going quest to investigate various induction cooktops I’ve just completed this review of the Duxtop 8300ST 1800 W model. I’d recently taken a look at it another model put out by Duxtop and wanted to explore the differences between the two, as well.
1.Design: look and feel
As we can see in the above picture it looks very nice being well designed, black color and clean surface.
The Duxtop 1800 Model 8300ST comes with touch sensors so there is no material differences between the burner and control panel. Already we can notice a benefit: the easy cleaning because of the same material used for the surface: ceramic glass.
This is the most significant difference between the 8300ST and the 8100MC. On the MC, the controls panel was made of plastic and could be warped or melted if you pulled a hot pan over it while removing it from the burner.
As you can see with the 8300ST there is no plastic panel. The control buttons are touch sensor operated and covered with the same protective glass used on top of the burner.
For this reason alone I’d consider the 8300ST over the 8100MC even though the ST is more expensive.
The front surface of the 8300ST is a little bit curved out while, the other 3 sides are perfectly straight and that makes it look some how fresh and in trend with the current designs.
On back to the front left you will find the Cool Air Inlet and Fan and in the rear left back you will find the Warm Air Outlet. Together these, both create the ventilation system.
2. Controls
The 8300 ST portable induction cooktop model is very simple to use. It has few controls which makes learning time for the user to be very short.
Let’s’t take a look to see how every control is positioned and if they have any influence on how easy it is to use them.
Below you can see the control panel for 8300ST.
Controls/LEDS | 8300ST Model |
|---|---|
On/OFF | Front right which will turn red when you plug in the power cord |
LED READOUT DISPLAY | Is placed to the left of ON/OFF and a little above |
+ and - | These controls are close to each other and are placed under Led Readout Display also there is a large enough space between them so you cant press both at the same time by mistake. |
Heating (W) | It is placed above the Function icon (has a circle and inside it a finger shows that you need to press), along with the other 2 functions. Its placed first starting from right to left. The manual advises to use it if no specific temperature is required, by example if you want to bring to boiling a pot of water you can use the 10 level of Heating function. The default level is 5 and using + and controls you can increase or decrease the power. Also sometimes you can get an E2 error and manufacturer advise to switch to Temperature Mode. |
Temp (F) | This is placed between Heating and Timer functions. In the default mode you get a 320 F degree (160 C degree) from start and we can use + and to adjust the needed temperature. The manual advises to use this mode if we want to brow or fry food. This mode has 10 settings from 140 F (60 C) to 464 F (240 C). |
Timer | This is placed first in the row of functions starting from left having a clock as an icon. The LED Readout Display will show a 0 when pressed it. There is a maximum time you can set of 170 min with the ability to increase in 1 min increments. When time is up you will hear an acoustic warning (1 beep) and the coocktop will turn off. The warning sound is pretty loud so if you are away (other room) you will be able to hear it. |
Safety Lock | This control is placed at the left of the + control and will lock the entire cooktop except for the ON/OFF control. This can be activated by pressing and holding for 3 seconds. This safety feature will help to avoid accidents. |
3. Surface
The 8300 ST has a ceramic glass control panel, in fact the entire surface is made of ceramic glass so there’s no unevenness if your pan is over sized.
This model has 2 circles on the black surface marked with white.
The 2 circles are a guide for centering the pan for optimal cooking, the small circle is about 6 inches in diameter and the bigger one is 8 inches in diameter.
The small circle is fit to the size of the induction coil inside.
The surface is very easy to clean because of the one piece construction of ceramic glass and touch sensors which aren’t raised.
4. Heating Elements
The 8300ST model has 1 burner and there are 2 circles on the surface which will guide you about where to place the pan.
The flat bottom of your cookware needs to have be at least 4 inches in diameter, otherwise we you will see an error coded with E0 and the cooktop will not work. “E0” code error will let you know that the cookware is not suitable (non magnetic or too small) and needs to be taken off pan. If that happens, wait 30 seconds and try again with another one.
5. Power/Watts
This model uses 110/120 volts electrical outlet having 15 amps of electricity – standard in all homes. Basically, you plug the cooktop into any standard household outlet. This makes it very convenient to move around but you probably don’t want to plug anything else into the same outlet.
The 8300ST provides two modes of cooking and this appears to be one of the most confusing concepts people have to deal with when transitioning from a regular stovetop or gas burners to an induction cooktop.
First, there’s the Temp mode. Whenever you want to cook something at a specific temperature you would use this mode. This is unlike a regular stovetop because you aren’t able to tell most electric or gas burners to heat to a specific temperature setting.
This takes some getting used to but you’ll be able to get the same results time after time for scrambled eggs or seared fish by knowing what temperature setting works best.
The other cooking mode is called Power mode. Power mode is set by watts and is used for either slow or fast cooking. When you want to boil water really fast, you’d use the highest level of the Power mode because there’s no chance you’re going to burn the water and you can heat it as fast as you want.
Misunderstanding these two cooking modes is what seems to lead to some people thinking the Duxtop 8300ST doesn’t boil water any faster than a regular stovetop while others say it’s blazing fast at boiling water.
The Power scale start at 200 Watts and goes up to 1800 Watts. The complete set of Watt setting options are: 200, 500, 800, 1000, 1200, 1300, 1400, 1500, 1600, 1800.
The Temp mode settings start at 140 F (60 C) and there are 10 steps of 36 F till the last level of 464 F (240 C)
For a better visualization I did a graph which clearly show the steps in both modes.
8300ST Power Graph Chart
8300ST Temperature Level Chart
Induction technology can save on energy usage as compared to than resistance heating. Also, because of its power requirements are low it can to be supported by an emergency generator during a power outage.
6. Sensors
Here is the list of built in sensors:
- Auto Pan detection – which will let you know if a pan is present, if you lift the pan from cooktop there is an acoustic warning (beep) and the cooktop turns off;
- Induction Type sensor – will let you know if your pan is a magnetic one, will display an error code if not, the code is E0;
- High Temperature sensor – this will aware you that your cooktop is over heated (the fan not working properly ), the error code you will see on LED Readout Display will be E1;
- Surface Temperature Sensor – this will let you know that the surface is over 450 F (232 C) and you will get the E2 error. This sensor is activated mostly in Power mode and aware that your cookware can be damaged;
- Voltage Sensor – this will let you know that input power is too low or high and the E3 error will be displayed. The sensor will shut down the cooktop after a 60 seconds.
7. Ventilation
The ventilation system is placed at front and back and you’ll want to be careful as these parts are not to be covered.
The cooling fan will create some noise but is not disturbing. The fan will work till the cooktop is cooled.
You will need a 4 inch clearance around the cooktop for a proper ventilation.
Dropping into a countertop is not advisable because the cooktop needs to stay in line with regulations and also the ventilation would be a problem.
8. Safety Features
This model is in line with ETL which are the minimum standard for safety.The 8300 ST model has a Safety Key Lock which can be activated by pressing and holding for 3 seconds. The same process will unlock the safety.
The only control that works when Safety Key Lock is activated is the On/OF sensor
Another interesting safety feature is the auto pan detection which will shut down the cooktop in after 60 seconds if no cookware is detected. This will help to avoid accidents.
9. Accessories
When you receive the Duxtop 8300 ST inside the box you will find only the cooktop and the user manual.
In case you don’t have any induction cookware you would need to buy some or you will not be able to cook
Some cookware that you might like: Wolfgang Puck and Giada DeLaurentis.
10. Dimensions of Duxtop 8300ST
I tried to get all dimensions possible for parts, including the copper coil:
Dimenssions | 8300ST |
|---|---|
Width | 11.6 (29,4 cm) |
Lengh | 13 (33.02 cm) |
High | 2.5 (6.35 cm) |
Weight | 5 lbs (2.26 kg) |
Cord lengh | 6 ft (182 cm) |
Copper coil | 6 (15.24) |
Weight | 5 lbs |
The cooper coil can be found under the ceramic glass and is the element that generates the heat. The manufacturer stated that the dimension of 6” is the standard for any induction cooktop to be able to pass safety regulations.
11. Pros
Easy to use
Very easy to clean, 8300 ST is more easily to clean because there is no buttons
Compact and light weight so can be easily stored
Is safe because of Lock Key control
Heats fast
Cooks evenly
Can be used for both slow and speed cooking
Even, single piece glass top
Sensor panel is immune to hot pans that might be slid over it during use
12. Cons
You will need new cookware
Some noise because of fans for cooling
The surface stay a bit longer hot than a full size induction cooktop for both models
The Timer use a 5 minutes step.
Touch control pad is overly sensitive and sometimes activated when you’re cleaning it off
13. Warranty
The default time for warranty is 1 year but there is an option for buying an extended warranty . The 8300 ST model come with 2 options for extended warranty: 2 years or 3 years.
You need to pay attention of this extended warranty because it cover only a specific cost
14. Consumer Ratings
The 8300ST model with touch sensors has great consumer reviews.
I have noticed that 80% of buyers gave a high rating and only 9% gave a bad review.
I realized that some customers have higher expectation initially and at the time when they start to use the cooktop they have difficulties in finding the right temperature for cooking different recipes.
Anyway being different from gas we should expect for fast heat so we need to act accordingly. A little bit of patience and some trial and error will help to discover the right settings.
Overall it’s well regarded for even heating, ease of use, its easy to clean exterior, and light weight size.
Here is a video about Duxtop 8300ST:
15. Price for Duxtop 8300ST model
The manufacturer list price is 169 usd for the 8300ST model.
But on Amazon you will find competitive price and this model is in the top ten sell best seller list for portable induction cooktops.
From my point of view this product is worth the price. I would choose 8300 ST model because of its control panel with sensors which can’t be damaged and for the Lock Key control which adds an additional degree of safety.
16. F.A.Q
1.Can Duxtop 8300ST be used with 7 qt dutch oven in order to prepare chicken soup or spaghetti sauce?
Yes, but you should make sure that your Dutch oven is compatible with induction cooking. Just to make sure the Dutch oven is made of the right material. Also, you may consider using a converter plate to use a Dutch oven when the oven is not induction ready.
17. User Manual
Write us in comments and will send it to you
