If you want an inexpensive slow cooker this isn't the worst thing in the world, but it's not great.. I have a really nice Cruisnart and the difference is noticeable. The Cruisnart is much more sturdy and heavily insulated. I would guess that this has almost no insulation if any at all. Be very careful to not touch the side of this even on the low setting because it's HOT. I would not want to rub up against it on high. Virtually all of the weight is in the ceramic bowl which is decent. I can pick up the heated base with my little finger so there's not much to it. I would relegate this to something you would use for a party or as a backup to keep already cooked food warm. If you plan to slow cook a lot then I would suggest spending a bit more money on a better slow cooker if you can afford it.

I just bought this crockpot on Sat and this morning i opened turned to low and gathered stuff for beef stew it has been on hour on low and OMG is soooo hot to touch Im sad i gave my old one way...It is going back [...]tonight I would never ever leave alone wheni it..the outside got this hot...i don't think is right...Reading the above reviews...someone posted you buy cheap you get cheap..

I got online today to find a new crockpot insert because after 3 years the insert in this crockpot has a huge crack in it. I am not sure how this has happened?! I would have expected a few more years use out of this one. I was planning to just buy another insert for this model but after reading other reviews about how the machine cooks to hot I realized I too have the same problem. The other day I put a whole chicken in the crockpot at 1:00pm and around 5:30 pm i checked it and it was overcooked! The recipe said 7 to 8 hours on low and mine cooked in half the time. Fast cooking time is fine and all but this defeats the purpose of low and slow with the crockpot. I want to be able to assemble something in the morning leave it and have it ready for dinner. I will be buying a different model!

I have cooked regularly with crock pots each fall and winter since college, and have a vintage 4 quart that has been my staple for years. However, the smaller pot does not usually make enough to have much of any leftovers in our house, nor enough to share dinner with friends. I received this model for Christmas and enjoyed using it for the season last year... that is until it overheated and melted the formica countertop in my kitchen. We discovered early on that we could not leave it on while away from the house or overnight, which defeated the purpose for many of my recipes. Also, on several occasions just touching the exterior of the pot resulted in unfriendly burns. I wish the temperature control was designed better, but as it stands, I will have to replace this with something else as I am afraid to use this pot and create a fire hazard.

My thoughts were confirmed while reading the previous reviews, this crack pot cooks too hot. This is my second crock pot and I love its size. My first meal was a bit overdone and I hoping that I can learn to adjust the cooking heat/times to get a meal just done right. This is definitely not a crock pot that can be left alone.

Careful with this thing- the outside becomes HOT to the touch. If you have small children, make sure they can't accidently touch this when its on. The product did work well and I do like that the inside portion comes out which makes it easy to clean!

purchased one week ago, set on the counter and it rocks not in a good way should have been designed with 4 base feet not 3. rename as the rock pot, it is not like any of the others I have purchased. As far as we are concerned not your best design.

You get what you pay for. If you're looking for a cheap, functional crock-pot, this is a good one. It's not insulated so the outside gets hot. As long as you are aware of this it works great.

This crock pot works great and I love the large size for big meals. The reason I gave it a 3 instead of 5 is because it gets SOOO hot to the touch. It you accidentally brush your hand against it when it's on it will burn your skin. Don't use where children can touch it.

Bought this one , needed a big crock pot! This was my fave!,But barely had it a year and the stonewear cracked? It still looks brand new?! Cooks faster too, then my last one did.