Sorry if this subject has been discussed before, I couldn't find it in the old(er) posts by searching.

I just got a 8.5 liter WMF Perfect Pro pressure cooker -- it's very similar to the Perfect Plus models, the only differences seem to be that the valve that lets out steam at the beginning of the warm up phase and shuts off when the pressure is reached is under the removable handle instead of on the far side of the lid across the handle, and also it has a twist knob that selects between low pressure (1) and high pressure (2).

Anyway, I hand washed the pot and lid as instructed in the user guide, and then I tried a water test where I put 2 cups (0.5 liter) of water in the pot (they say 1 cup minimum to reach pressure), closed it and brought it up to pressure, then lowered the heat. The problem seems to be that something is not working well, in that instead of a very low gentle hiss and very little steam coming out, it makes a louder hiss, and puts out about as much steam as a jiggler pressure cooker on high heat. It also seems to lose all pressure in a couple of minutes if I turn off the heat.

In the same situation, my other two pots (a 6 liter Fagor Multirapid and a 10 liter Fissler Vitaquick), which are also spring valve pots, hiss for about a minute or two while coming up to the boiling point, then only a gentle hiss with barely a hint of steam comes out. Also, they take at least 4-5 minutes to let go of all pressure with "natural release", i.e., let them cool off on their own until one can open the lids.

With the WMF the steam seem to be coming from under the handle, in the center of the lid, so I'm not sure which valve is letting steam out and/or misbehaving.

In case it matters, I'm using an induction range, it seems to do the same thing whether I use the high heat/power boost or whether I bring the pot up to pressure on medium high heat, so I may be mistaken, but I don't think it's because I'm bringing it up to pressure way too fast.

I am wondering if people who have a WMF pressure cooker have a similar experience, if I'm doing something wrong, or if this pot is presenting a manufacturing defect that I need to either get them to fix or exchange, since it's brand new.

Thank you in advance for your help,

-- Paulo.