We bought a Mr. Induction portable unit last year when we wanted to test induction & because 2 of our electric cooktop burners had died. (We didn't repair them because we were selling the house.) Not only did it sell us on induction, we now have a great little unit that is perfect for outside by the grill, tabletop use, buffets, you name it. Not only can you set the temperature of this unit, you can set a timer to shut it off. It is 120v & not as powerful as a 240v built-in, but it gets the job done as well as my former electric burners did.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sunpentown Mr. Induction

Ditto on using the 120v induction burner. I bought one to use during renovation in makeshift kitchen. I had already decided to continue with gas but was only going with 3 burners...gagg modular wok plus 2 burner...because I needed 24" cooktop with power. Now I use the induction as an extra burner when I need one or outside by the grill. Works like a charm...

I have a Mr. Induction single-burner unit too. Bought it for the same reason as gizmomike. I love using it and can't wait to get a whole induction cooktop. HTH . . .

We bought a Mr Induction burner to try before investing on a unit as part of our remodel. Once it arrived, it was pretty much the only burner we used even though the old coil unit still worked. We put induction in our new kitchen and that is beg step up from the single burner but Mr Induction is still wonderful. We use him out on the deck, take him on trips and to various events where a portable burner comes in very handy.

Count me in as yet another happy Mr. Induction user. My story echoes GismoNike's exactly, two burners dead and was moving out so I got the black Sunpentown Mr. Induction from Newegg and was thrilled with it. I still use it to this day.

Does the mr. Induction $150 model handle a large pot -- 8 to 12 qts. or more of water for pasta and bring it to a boil quickly? Or does it not have that much power.

does it produce enough high heat for to say, saute chicken pieces or veal in a 12-inch skillet?

We frequently boiled water in a 12 inch pot and cooked in a skillet on our Mr Induction before and during our remodel. The water takes quite a bit longer to boil than it does on our Thermador induction cooktop power boost mode but it is still a significant improvement over our coil cooktop. Skillet performance is wonderful. We still use Mr Induction on our deck on nice summer evenings.

It seems to me that my Mr. Induction is a good bit slower than my coils in cooking large quantities, because the advantage of not needing a warm-up time is washed out by its limitation on delivering energy. Also, my 12-inch skillets require extra preheating if I want to brown food near the rim.

But the Mr. Induction is wonderful for smaller quantities, smaller pots, and shorter cooking times, and great for away from the kitchen uses. And I've enjoyed it so much that I've been gradually replacing my pots with induction-capable ones.

One note on coils: I was amazed at how much faster my current stove cooked than my previous one -- and they both had the same cooktop (same brand, same specs, same kitchen wiring). It raises the possibility that cooking performance could be improved by replacing the coils even if they appear to working properly.

Trying to do 10 or 12 quarts of water on a 1200 watt unit will be an exercise in patience, it will work, but it won't be fast. Smaller quantities, work much better.

I bought a cheapo Tayama/Homesmart 1600 watt unit on eBay for around 60 bucks, mainly to satisfy my curiosity about induction. It works fine, but you get what you pay for. Only five heat settings (it's hard to be precise with it), and the fit & finish are about what you'd expect for sixty bucks. Still, on a dollar-per-Kilowatt basis it's hard to beat. And if all you're doing is boiling water, you're gonna put it on max anyway.

If I were to buy a sub-$250 unit again, I'd consider a Sunpentown or other unit with more levels, even if the max wattage is slightly less.

But if you really want a fine kitchen there, you might consider a Cooktek. They sell a couple of 1800 watt models--that's about the most you can run on a 120v circuit--but the selling point is that they are commercial grade units with a great ability to control the power level.

Pricey, though. The MC-1800, with 27 power levels, is around $570, and the 'Apogee' MC-1800G with 100 power levels runs around $670.

And if you really want to do some serious cooking there, consider having a 220 line run there and getting a Cooktek Apogee MC-3500G for around $1000...

Check out the link. They give fairly comprehensive reviews of virtually every unit available.

Even though my little Tayama/Homesmart unit is dinky and cheap, it's convinced me that induction will be in my kitchen when I remodel.

Here is a link that might be useful: the induction site

Thanks! The reason I gave so much detail about that little kitchen area is that the only ventilation there is the window above the sink and the other, not-so-near windows in the game room. There is a ceiling fan, too, but no venthood or anything like that. It's about an 8' long counter with a 33" sink in the middle, simple ceramic tiles for a surface, and cabinets underneath. I never dreamed that I'd have a use for anything that really cooked up there, but we have ended up using that area for overflow guests during overnight fundraisers and crowded holidays and now I a bit sorry that I didn't put more of a kitchen up there. I will study your "Induction Site."