Best 'Budget' Gas Cooker

Caer Urfa

Caer Urfa

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Sorry to ask again but :-

There's quite a selection on the market but what's the verdict on the best buy 'current' Budget Gas cooker with oven.

Any ups/down on say typically the 'current' Plastimo Neptune 4500.

Mike
 
In all the reviews and in recommendations on here the Nelson Spinflo comes out "best" followed closely by Plastimo. The advantage of Plastimo is the wider range including one without a grill (which I have just fitted) or choice of 2 or 3 burner hobs.

When I bought mine, leaving aside it was one of only a small number that would fit, I found it very difficult to see what one got extra for the considerably higher prices of other brands.
 
I have just bought a Spinflo Nelson it looks to be a decent unit. I read up on the net and it seemed to come out pretty well for spares and reliability was ordered from marine scene and delivered free next day. Can’t say how good it is in use as I’ve been fitting it all afternoon but I am on the next pontoon to you if you want to take a look.
Geoff (Miss Enigma)
 
We had a Neptune on first boat - replaced after 12 years. Second boat we used a Plastimo for 5 years before selling. Prospective next boat has a Plastimo and that is fine with me.

They always worked and the spares support was good. I never saw the need for anything more up market on a boat, and we did a lot of cooking.
 
I,ve had a Nelson Spinflo for last 10yrs.No probs so far a good cooker and made in UK, so spares are available.we wish it had 3 rings.My daughter had a caravan with a Nelson,it had 3 rings and it was same dimensions as the 2 ring,wish we had known at the time.
 
Sorry to hijack the thread slightly but can someone tell me why Plastimo put the burners on their hobs so far apart so that when you use two decent sized pans or one large and one small (which will comfortably fit on the hob) you can't cook anything evenly! I'm guessing their argument is that you might not want the heat from the grill transfering to the pans above but personally I think spacing them closer together, or off-setting them (along with the grill) so you can have one large and one small pan would be far more useful. This also wouldn't effect the performance of the grill because the grill shelf is far wider than the grill pan. Mind you the hob may look a bit odd in the brochure which I'm guessing comes before any practical considerations!

Anyway - apologies - rant over ;-)
 
I replaced the old Flavel that came with my current boat with a Nelson Spinflo 18 months ago. Far superior to the Plastimo ones IMHO. Much more controllable and the oven is better insulated so cooks more evenly. Only downside as far as I'm concerned is the grill which is rather slow.
 
I was going to suggest a real budget cooker - the Parker with twin hob, grill and cooker.
However, I just did an on-line check and find the retail price has rocketted since I bought one for my old boat. Some chandlers are quoting just short of £600 and the best price is £399!
When I bought mine they were made in Italy but are now being branded Spinflo, so maybe have been bought over (?).
The Parker comes without gimbals and the hob-cover is enamelled mild steel. I threw the cover away and robbed a junked Plastimo for the gimbals and pan-clamps. The cooker is still doing good service on a friend's boat.
 
Geoff Enigma said:
I have just bought a Spinflo Nelson it looks to be a decent unit. I read up on the net and it seemed to come out pretty well for spares and reliability was ordered from marine scene and delivered free next day. Can’t say how good it is in use as I’ve been fitting it all afternoon but I am on the next pontoon to you if you want to take a look.
Geoff (Miss Enigma)
Click to expand...

Hi Geoff

Thank you, just might pop round the weekend.

Mike
 
We fitted a Spinflo last spring and are very pleased on the whole!

Our 'just one thing' relates to the quality of the chrome on the the pan holders. They were showing signs of surface rust by September!
 
The Plastimo models are manufactured in the UK and I had a chat with one of the engineers a while back. He pointed out that the carcase is not stainless as it will still outlast the burners which probably will no longer be supported by the time they wear out... It would be good to see fiddles and pan clamps made of stainless though.

I wonder whether the more expensive cookers actually cook any better or last any longer. Many problems are brought on by cleaning the thing. If there is no actual advantage, then you can buy three Plastimos for the price of many others.

Rob.
 
fastjedi said:
We fitted a Spinflo last spring and are very pleased on the whole!

Our 'just one thing' relates to the quality of the chrome on the the pan holders. They were showing signs of surface rust by September!
Click to expand...

Yes, mine have gone like that. I'd have gladly paid £50 extra to have stainless steel pan supports instead of chromed.

Boo2
 
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