Sous Vide favorite unit for home use?

Looking for a recco for a friend...also considering having a second unit on-hand.

I have the Sansaire and it certainly meets my needs...but i recall some of you have more than one unit and there seemed to be a preference for one of the Anova products?

Where's the love these days?

My Anova has been solid and very easy to clean if you use it directly. The build is very simple which is great as it'll likely last longer. The phone app is somewhat lacking as it doesn't seem to get the start temperature quite right. Several of the brands just released the WiFi versions that you can start remotely. Waiting to see what experience people have with those.

Same friend?

I bought Anova because they were available when I was ready. They were first to the market and get a lot of love for that. I bought another when they had the kickstarter for V2. Two good friends have the V2 units and another has a V1. I think they have a good track record, good customer service (unless you get Shermie on the phone) and a good product. If I was buying another I would get another Anova.

But at the end of the day they are just immersion water heaters. Simple devices with very precise controls. They all seem to perform that task pretty much equally well. Modernist Cuisine website just reviewed the Anova, Sansaire, Nomiku and PolyScience circulators and seemed to conclude they were for all practical purposes equal. (Note that Polyscience is about 3X the cost of the other units.) http://www.modernistcookingmadeeasy...rk-tests-0985304e-73fa-4407-a90b-c14611bc898e

Anova dislikes. I don't like the bluetooth interface with the V2 Anova - mostly because it does not work for me and my Android (though it's supposed to and it may well be me. Not sure what it would do if it did work. Profoundly dislike the "wheel" Anova uses for the V2 interface. Some pimple faced geek thought that was a good idea. The Anova seems to be very sensitive to power hits and will reset itself to awaiting input in the event of a power hit and maybe even large fluctuations. Awaiting input is a lot like off - just with lights.

If you like your Sansaire, and I'm sure it has it's glitches as well, then I suggest getting another.

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I've used the Anova V1 in my kitchen and at home. I love that little machine. Simple, reliable, cheap, and seemingly abusable. I've used nearly every generation of PolyScience circulators as well. The PolySci circulators had previously been of higher quality due to their science/med-oriented production. In recent years, the introduction of a culinary division and the merger with Breville have seen the decline of reliability. Perhaps the $1k+ PolySci units are as good as ever, but you're ultimately spending an additional $1k for the same usefulness as the Anova.

PolySci pieces are primarily without the ability to be taken apart. This is problematic as well. I've had a Lauda post-lab-use that I've taken entirely apart to replace bearings, etc. The older science units, if found for very little money, can be great.

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity is ridiculous and never a feature I've found myself longing for. If the V1 is still available cheaply, that's your girl. I see zero reason to look for anything else.

PolyScience danced with Breville for customer support of their home units. But they went home with Sous Vide (the company that makes the Sous Vide Supreme). The Creative Series Professional retails for about $400.00 and is not repairable outside of the warranty period. Ouch. I've used (and use) the unit. I like the unit, user interface is very intuitive, and unlike the other "home" units, if the PS unit takes a power hit it will return to the operational state it was in before the hit. Running.

But I would not buy one at current pricing.

I

Interesting! Last year, I was working with a long-term PolySci guy that offered an exchange for a recipe or video from me. This was in the midst of Breville's inclusion. At some point he said he needed to speak with Breville, as the PolySci Culinary division had been recently acquired by them. Apologies for not fact-checking what I was told. Thanks for the correction, Dave.

The return-to-running feature sounds like a clever, and day-saving, one. If they were to include added features to their circulators, why not incorporate the ability to physically clean the immersed components?

And though it was in the hands of FOH, I watched a Smoking Gun fail every month; but that's another story. Sorry for taking this off track, Zwiefel!

At the culinary store I do demos for they had a Smoking Gun for half off retail. I got 20% off the 50% off and bought it for thirty something bucks of store credit. I'm thinking if I never use it maybe it will never fail? Nah - I've got 10 lbs of fresh gulf shrimp that I need to play with.

Now back to Z.

I have a Sansaire from the first run, and it has been perfectly fine. No need/ desire for wireless/ bluetooth for me, though.

I just bought an anova after one of the monkeys at work decided to see if the polyscience could swim underwater.....it can't. It seems like a really nice unit and for the price can't be beat. I would buy another, or maybe their commercial unit when it becomes available

Anova's customer support is very good, and I generally prefer their design to the others.
As has been mentioned, there isn't a whole lot of difference in practice. I'm usually a user interface snob, but you spend so little time and energy interacting with the circulator that a bit of clunkiness isn't a deal breaker.