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JohnBrisbane
- 16 reviews
- 9 likes
- SecretChef Electronic 5.5L HP5590
- Verified purchase
Scrapes By
First one we bought lasted about 2 weeks and I think 3 uses before just shutting down. Took it back and got a replacement. This one has lasted about 2 years now. Still cooks fine, however the digital display is only half working, we just program it from memory now...
Pro
- Nice, big size 5.5l
- Reasonably priced
- Cooks well when it works!
Con
- Poor design, breaks easily
- Entire unit gets very hot once fully warmed up - a bit of a burn hazard
...Read more
1 comment
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RH
- 15 reviews
- 5 likes
Rubbish
Lasted 12 months before intermittent fault, used a dozen times maybe, took it to a Sunbeam repairer, mother board dead, no replacement parts available. Very disappointed. Now it looks like they have changed there model line up, and the automatic keep warm function after it has finished is no longer an option. The point of us buying it was to be able to go to work etc leave it on and come back to a hot meal. Sunbeam get zero out of ten in our book. Reading the reviews suggests to me Sunbeams design and quality control people need to take a ha...Read more
rd look at themselves. The cooking was mediocre to start with, we found a few recipes that worked well, slow cookers have a degree of variability in there learning curve to get the recipe right. Have replaced with a Breville 2 in 1 pressure cooker and slow cooker, plus other features and that's working well but it's still early days. Would have preferred a slow cooker with a ceramic bowl, as those Teflon like bowls scratch up after time.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
MarinaMelbourne
- 3 reviews
- 1 like
Slow Cooker or No Cooker?
I bought this last week and was super excited to use it today. After one hour of cooking on Hi, nothing happened. I called Harvey Norman and they told me 'it's normal'. After I explained that it's not even warming up they told me they didn't know. I called Sunbeam who told me that it should be steaming after an hour. So I have a dud and looks like a few other people have duds too. I purchased Sunbeam because I've been using their rice cooker for 21 years without a hitch but it looks like the company has dropped its standards. Shame!. I'm now cooking my 'slow cooked' meal the old fashion way on the stove top and will be returning this heap of junk on the weekend.
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Used TWICE!!
Gift from my parents to Replace a HP1550 Crock-Pot that we lost when our house burnt down. Used only twice, now useless, lights are on but nobody is home. Timer won't adjust, won't heat up. Very very disappointed. Is this what happens when solid companies become profit only focused? AVOID...time for another brand.
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InBrisbaneSouth East Queensland, QLD
- 6 reviews
- 7 likes
Warm mode turns off after 6 hrs
The warm mode turns off after maximum 6 hours so when I come home from work the food is cold!! This is pathetic setting. I used to have older model which had no max warm mode which was much better. For this reason this slow cooker is useless. Very disappointed.
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MumsmumAU
- 3 reviews
- 2 likes
- SecretChef Electronic 5.5L
- Verified purchase
Excellent 5.5 Ltr Slow Cooker
This was brought as a replacement. I have used it 4 times (in 5 days!) with excellent results. The low setting is really low and slow, no furious bubbling like some. I have cooked 2 lots of corned beef, beef in red wine with mushrooms and chicken curry and the results have been decidably yummy. The electronic timer allows you to select the cooking time and hi low settings. There is also a keep warm function that turns on automatically after the item has finished cooking. My only complaint, the timer isn't accurate, which is strange as it's electronic. It seems to lose a bit of time so check when you start cooking with another clock and adjust cooking time.
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Would not recommend
Only had mine a year digital panel went, sunbeam didn't want to know about it out of warranty, my fault should have read the reviews before buying
At least my Ronson was 20 years old before dying
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KymAdelaide
- 2 reviews
- 4 likes
OK, unless you want to be able to read the display
Cooks well, no complaints there. But after approx 1.5 years the display started not showing parts of the digital numbers. I could put up with it at the time by making a guess at what the numbers were, but now after another year the display is showing less and less of the numbers to the point where I now have no idea what numbers are showing on the display at all.
I called the Sunbeam help line in the hope that I may be able to connect a new display. But alas, I was told that anything that goes wrong with the electronics is far too hard to ...Read more
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LucyGreater Melbourne (Metropolitan), VIC
- 3 reviews
- 2 likes
Died after 2 years
We were given this slow cooker as a wedding present 2 years ago & it's been pretty good until recently when the cooking/heating function died. I put a casserole on for 10hrs low heat & after about 2hrs I couldn't smell any cooking so I touched the side & it was cold but the timer was still working. I turned it off & back on & then put it on high cook & it worked so I thought maybe the low cook function just wasn't working. However I turned it on last night to make stock & none of the cooking/heating functions worked. I emailed sunbeam to notif...Read more
y them & see what response I got because I think 2 year life on a product that isn't used a lot is terrible. I received a response today essentially saying thanks for your feedback. I think I'll be buying a Breville next. My mum has one of their fast slow cookers with a searing function that she loves.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
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Caroline
- 2 reviews
- 2 likes
Does not last!
Had my cooker for about a year, probably used about a dozen times, made up everything for a meal tonight and it wouldn't switch on, finally managed to fiddle with the plug and get it connected, for it to stop about an hour into the cooking. Not impressed with it at all. Very little chance of me finding the receipt and frankly I wouldn't want another one if it's so shoddy and only lasts a handful of times. Very poor won't buy sunbeam again, now got to figure out how to cook everything without it so I don't loose everything I bought. Not happy
Doesn't work after 12 uses
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medicmikeAuckland
Avoid!
Bought a slow cooker and used it 6 times, which was fantastic. Until it broke. Sunbeam service is rubbish. The recommended service agent had a look at it and the element is broken. What I have learned:
1. Make sure receipts are secure and kept as Sunbeam wont fix it without one
2. never to buy a Sunbeam product again
When it worked, great food
Poor quality and broke after 3 meals.
5 comments
Agreed, sunbeam have the WORST customer service!
Brendan K.Sunbeam
Hi lahwees, we are truly sorry to hear of your bad experience. If you do have an issue please contact us and ask to speak with the Team Leader on 1300 881 861.
Hey sunbeam. I never got an apology. Not that i was expecting one, but it just goes to show how bad you are. Just bought a kenwood product, you know, that decent brand?!
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MeeganNorthern Region, NSW
Good while it worked.
I've had this product for 14 months and it has now stopped working..
I agree with other reviewers that it did cook out of food, but i just learnt to add more liquid (not typical slow cooker cooking).
I loved the programmable feature of this product.
Basically, the display started to stop showing parts of the numbers, then the beep noise stopped, and then last week it just didnt heat up.
I wouldnt buy one full price ($90 at target), bit as i originally got it for $29 i cant complain. For the price a year of weekly use is probably ok i guess.
3 stars just because it was programmable
Programmable, big size
Stopped working completely after 14 months, cooked preety hot so that all liquid cooked away most of the time.
3 comments
UPDATE: couldnt find another programmable slow cooker for under $100, so I was able to get one for $75 from Bing Lee. First one i bought home didnt work at all straight out of the box! Went back and g... Read more
ot another and the display is blurry and barely readable. When this breaks I'll pay for a cuisinart programmable one. I so wanted it to be good, but the quality aspect has let me down.UPDATE 2: sent an email to Sunbeam over a week ago. Still no reply.
Update 3: actual bowl cracked and was no longer water tight at the 13month mark! (Outside of warranty). Very disappointed now. Wont buy another.
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breadmaker
- 6 reviews
Why didn't I buy one years ago
I bought this appliance even though some reviews were less than encouraging, my daughter and daughter in law have Sunbeam models, and are happy with them.
I too am more than happy with this model, every meal has been perfect, full of flavour and cooked just right. I have cooked roast beef, silverside, casseroles, ragout and my family just love it. Would recommend Sunbeam.
Ease of use, easy to clean.
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frostingqueenSydney
Fine while it worked! (2yrs)
I feel compelled to review this product after a call with Sunbeam customer support who incidentally couldn't help me with my issue.
I have been using this slow cooker (HP5590) about once a month for just under 2 years. It's always done a decent job although I do agree with other reviewers who also noted that the cooker could burn food and make a messy clean up job even on a low setting.
Just yesterday it bit the bullet. I switched it on and it appeared to warm up. When I checked on my meal which I had set on High 4 hours later, nothing wa...Read more
s cooked and the liquid was almost cold. The display was still lit up and the timer counting down but the cooker wasn't even warm. I switched the unit off and turned it back on again. Within 15 minutes the outside of the unit was extremely hot (too hot to touch). I left it on for another 15 or so minutes in hopes that the heat outside the cooker meant that something was happening but the crock pot didn't appear to be heating up to temperature while the outside of the unit was dangerously hot. I switched it off and that was the end of that. This seems very dangerous especially since many of us set the slow cooker and leave it for hours unsupervised. I called Sunbeam today with hopes that something could be done. The customer service agent was pleasant but said that the unit only has a 12mth warranty and a repair would be too costly to be worthwhile. Although they quickly recognized the nature of my complaint, they swore that issues with their slow cookers were few and far between. Reading other reviews online about Sunbeam slow cookers makes me wonder how accurate this is. I was offered 30% off a model from their Factory Store but at this point I don't feel compelled to spend more money on this brand of slow cooker. Even though the cooker was reasonably priced, I can't justify buying a new unit every 2 years and will be looking at other brands who offer a longer warranty and a better quality product. Nice display, timer to count down, automatic switch to warm setting after cooking complete Did not last to the 2 year mark, very hot on the low setting, wouldn't trust it at home without supervisionSimilar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
HomeCookWollongong
Not happy
I have had this slow cooker (HP5590) for about 18 months and am yet to have a meal out of it that I would class as good. I put it on before I go to work and come home to a burnt meal. There seems to be no condensation on the lid whatsoever, therefore the top and sides of the meal are totally burnt and dried out. Worse, because it is so burnt, it is extremely hard to clean. Have tried loading the cooker up to 3/4 full, adding extra liquid, but no good. I bought this for the keep warm function, but I'm really reluctant to use it due to the t...Read more
ough, burnt meat. Not sure if it is because the cooker seems too hot, or the lack of condensation to keep the food moist. Certainly wouldn't recommend it, and feel it was a waste of money ($85), particularly after using my cheap ($35) cooker for so long which always cooked amazingly. Keep warm function Food is dry and tough4 comments
Brendan K.Sunbeam
Hi Home Cook, could you please contact us on 1300 881 861 to discuss further.
Hi Sunbeam Official ... did as you requested, contacted you on the number above and told your person why I was ringing. They were very vague and borderline rude, put me on hold then came back eventua... Read more
lly and said the person I needed to speak to was on another call and they would ring me back within 15 minutes. 3 weeks later I am still waiting for that callback .... ready to ditch the Sunbeam slowcooker and the Sunbeam brand altogether. Pretty poor response when you contacted me to call youJust for an update .... still waiting on that return call from Sunbeam. Do you only put the comment above to contact you to make it look good?
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Lisa1616Illawarra, NSW
- 2 reviews
- 1 like
Also Disappointing!
After using my cheap slow cooker for years until I broke the insert, I then went and purchased what I thought would be a superdooper, convenient, but rather expensive, slowcooker. I was swayed by the "keep warm" function, which is sooooo handy ... but I have yet to cook a meal in this cooker without it burning. I leave it on while I am at work, and as there seems to be no condensation to keep the top of the meal moist, so it goes dry and burnt, unless I am there to stir it which is defeating the purpose. I agree with the other review, it is ...Read more
almost impossible to clean due to burnt on food. With winter approaching I will attempt another couple of meals, but based on last year's efforts they will be dry, burnt and tough. The low setting seems way too hot, and the lack of condensation makes for the dried out food. The unit also seems to get very hot on the exterior, and I am a little concerned at leaving it on all day when I am at work. Very disappointing!Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
SimplyCateMaitland
- 5 reviews
Mmm ... Something Smells Good
I love my Sunbeam Electronic 5.5L Slow Cooker. I haven't owned any other so have nothing to compare it to but I just love the smell of slow cooked meals wafting through our house. I find this product easy to use and have only ever had one failed meal and this could well have been the cooks fault although I really don't know what happened. I am no master of the kitchen and I love that I can just throw everything in and cook to perfection every time. My partner loves my slow cooking and is not afraid of on honest opinion so I owe a lot of rav...Read more
e reviews to my Sunbeam slow cooker. Easy to use and comes with good recipe book. Keep warm function is great. Gets hot on outside while cooking which has lead to an "ouchy" for me but I am always a disaster in the kitchen and it does have heat resistant handles.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
Bill4747ADELAIDE
- 7 reviews
Did not work
Well, loaded it up with all the meat, vegies and meal base mix, set the times, pushed start and nothing happened. Rang Sunbeam Customer service, and their best advice was to take it back. Great, so what to do with a slow cooker full of uncooked food when I'm about to leave for work? Sunbeam support had no empathy whatsoever, and their attitude was one of tough luck when it came to the food I had to throw out. Has definitely put me off of buying anything from this company in the future. I would not recommend this product or any Sunbeam product t...Read more
o anyone. Update - Took cooker back to Target for a replacement, took the replacement out of the box and it was damaged, had a large dent in the base. Rang Target because Sunbeam's customer service is next to useless, they are going to ring me when one becomes available. When that happens, maybe it will be third time lucky. At least Target showed some empathy when dealing with this. I notice on other reviews that Sunbeam have taken the time to comment on unfavorable reviews, but no comment regarding my misfortunes with their products.... Didn't work.1 comment
This is a product review forum. To go out of your way to create a personal attack by using a profane and offensive way suggests a lack of maturity on your behalf, and I very much doubt that somebody w... Read more
ho is not closely associated to the company in question would bother to make such a personal attack. Your childish posting also denigrates the credibilty of this site. As for your comment on the picture associated with my profile, which I didn't choose, using your logic can only lead to the conclusion that your friends are a bunch of drips.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
Anon29AU
Disappointing!
This is not the first slow cooker I have owned. I bought this one because my old one was accidentally damaged. I thought the electronic timer was a brilliant idea. However, I hate using this slow cooker. It burns every time regardless of the quantity of food and whether I add more water or stir it. I just can't prevent it from burning. The shiny black internal pot surface is difficult to clean when food is burnt on and as other reviewers have stated, the colour makes it difficult to see the baked on food when cleaning. For this price ($90) I ex...Read more
pected better. My family loves slow cooked meals and I love the convenience of them but the burnt results and subsequent cleaning are a real deterrent to using this appliance. I will be reluctantly shopping for a new slow cooker. I hope I can find something as reliable and easy to use as my old one. Convenience of slow cooking and timer settings Food baked on no matter what and it is difficult to cleanSimilar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
chrisbepost
- 4 reviews
- 3 likes
Great cooker when it works, but...
We purchased three HP5580 in the family. Two of them are already broken. One quit working 3 months in. The other just now, 1 month after my extended warranty ended.
What broke? The first one wouldn't switch one any more. With the second one, the handle came loose on one side, and a screw fell off inside the cooker(rattling noise). I fixed it with glue. Another year later, the same happened with the other handle. Now it doesn't heat any more, while the electronic is still showning all OK. That was an annoying trick it played on me with the family easter feast!!!
At this rate of failure, I am done with this slow cooker brand. Will buy another brand next time.
Cooks nicely, easy to operate progamming, hot-med-low settings
Not reliable
2 comments
My HP5580 stopped working yesterday. Digital readout said all was well and it was counting down. Unfortunately no matter what I did it would not heat so I dug out my 1978 orange monier crock pot whi... Read more
ch worked faultlessly. Spouse, an electrician decided to pull it apart but one of the screws was damaged when the cooker was built so couldn't pull it apart without damaging metal cover. Cooker immaculate condition to look at but useless. Has not been used much but is out of warranty!!!! I would rather pay more and get an item that lasts longer.I too had an 'old faithful' Sunbeam which was accidentally broken. I have two other brands but can't stop the contents from boiling despite being on low or auto....off today to buy another Sunbeam, p... Read more
robably the basic model again, i.e. not electronic. Hope I don't buy a 'lemon'. I appreciate the comments.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
Questions & Answers
Jayasked
Our brand new sunbeam slow cooker is extremely hot to touch is this normal
Kwwasked
Why isn’t the light working on my slow cooker it seems to be cooking but the light isn’t working ?
1 answer
Customer C.Sunbeam
HI Kww, no straight forward answer with this. If still under warranty please return to store or call us on 1300 881 861...
Robynasked
My slow cooker has turned off half way through cooking. I had to turn it back on again.
Could you advise why this has happened? It is only second time I have used it.
2 answers
Customer C.Sunbeam
Hi Robyn, I'm not sure why it would turn off. It should go to Keep Warm. Just check you have the hours programmed correctly but if it does it after checking, please return to store for a replacement...
Thank You. I will return to store as I did have correct time for cooking.
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Brendan K.Sunbeam
Hi John,
I do apologise for the issues you encountered with one of our Sunbeam Irons. your feedback is much appreciated and will be passed onto the product team. ... Read more
Sunbeam