SlendorMagnetic Stirrer SH-2 Hot Plate Mixer Max 520℉ Lab Hotplate Stirrer 2000 RPM Stir Plate with Thermometer, Stir Bar and Support Stand

Did I ever like this hot plate? No. I'm used to working on Corning units in professional labs that have chemical resistance, precise temp control, 550°C max temp, powerful incremental stirring, and LCD display.This unit has none of these things, and is quite frustrating to use.To start, the knobs mean basically nothing. The heating element is only slightly warm until you crank it to max at which point its ripping hot. The stirring is only slightly more incremental, and quite shockingly weak as hot plates go. It also developed an issue early on where I had to fiddle with the knobs for like 3 minutes to get it to actually start heating at all.The hot plate surface has very minimal chemical resistance, and was permanently discolored by 2M HCl. It also happens to be designed in a way that's very difficult to clean/maintenance.AND all 4 little rubber feet melted from the heat of the hot plate itself within a month.Despite all that, this little unit lasted 7 whole months of very constant hobby use, which exceeded my initial expectations. It probably could have lasted longer but a beaker of boiling piranha solution spilled all over it.. which finally killed it for good.That said, I became quite fond of this little thing over the months along with all its annoying quirks, and I admit I'll miss it. At the end of the day the low cost helps with the barrier of entry into hobby chemistry, and it always (eventually) got the job done. I highly recommend this unit if you want to get into hobby chemistry, but aren't sure how long the hobby is going to last.

Gets very hot and temperature setting is helpful, requires careful use

Gotta watch the heat, real touchy. Sometimes will be stable, sometimes manic.

This is a perfect budget stirrer hotplate, it will get the job done and done and done and done. I've put mine through its paces, and it seems no worse for wear! I would advise plugging this into a cheap wattage meter plug if you care about repeatability, though. Reading the input wattage can be MUCH more reproduceable than relying on the dial, especially in lower temperature ranges. The amount of dial-turn from 0 watts to 90 watts is quite small, and the give on the dial makes consistency difficult. That said, if you need a temperature controlled hotplate, this isn't that - so a bit of a moot point! It does what it's supposed to, very well, for a good price.

This unit blew a fuse within the first hour of use, I replaced the fuse with one that was provided. After that the unit would not heat up all the way, and the temperature would vairy widely at any given setting. In addition, I had a hunch that the thermometer that came with the unit was not accurate; it wasn't, when tested, it revealed that it read 3 degrees C higher than the actual temperature. This may seem like a minor issues, however, it is a testament to the overall lack of quality.

Great design!! Great little stirrer! 2000rpm would be better, but it works. The hot plate is either on or off, there is no adjustment to it!! Also the plate seems to not be flat and have somewhat of a curve to it making things difficult!Overall it’s not a bad thing for someone just starting out, but for experienced people it’s honestly not worth it… better off spending 150+ for a nice one.Reached out to them due to smoking and smell issues and they refunded the money for it due to safety concerns!!Also the thermometer didn’t work.It’d get a high rating if it wasn’t for the unlevel plate and no temp control!! Other than that it’s a slim nice little product! As long as it doesn’t start smoking!!

Works great! Does what it's meant to do.

This is great