This. Induction. Element. Is. Incredible.The Experience(tm):(Feel free to skip down to my TL;DR - however there is much to explain, being an induction newbie!)I could not wait to unbox this Induction cook element the moment it was delivered. I spent a casual hour in the kitchen, absorbing the warnings and usage instructions - then going about the unpacking of all of my cookware in the place. After testing all the cookware with a refrigerator magnet - it turns out that the simple magnet test revealed the majority of cookware items would simply work. Boy, Howdy - does this magnificent little machine WORK.As advertised, it puts more energy efficiently, spot on right where it is needed; right into the cookware itself. Heat changes/power output/temperature control is *instantaneous*. It literally went from zero to sixty in less than half the time and with a 1/4 less energy to heat water for coffee/tea in the microwave. In fact, it takes 5 minutes for my 1,200 Watt over-the-range microwave to heat up 16oz of water to a rolling boil to brew a hefty double dose mug of coffee. This element used less energy and time to get there, bringing a completely full (9 cups) classic stove top stainless percolator to a complete brew, then kept it warm to settle the grinds out and pour - at a speed that left the microwave in it's dusty wake. Let alone actually using the stove top percolator on a ceramic electric range. (That takes upwards of 20 minutes and you have to watch that you don't overcook and sour the coffee)That said, I made a guilty pleasure Black bean & Dirty Rice 'n' sausage gumbo. In a 4qt stainless encapsulated base pot, I seared and mashed up the sausages. Once browned, they were drained of fats. The unattended Duxtop at first paused all energy output with a "Pot" warning, but restarted the moment the pot was returned to the element. Same, last temperature settings. Into that, went the measure of water, the beans (from cans) veggies and seasonings. Starting with frozen veggies, I expected to linger around to get back to a boil. No - she was "rolling" within 3 minutes on *medium power heat*. I covered it all up, then went to "Temperature mode" to let it simmer the veggies tender enough to launch the rice. Setting it at 200*F and covering it for the simmer - things got weird.Because it was now cooking to temperature, it's *IDLE* - waiting for the temperature to naturally decrease. There was absolutely no simmer/boil action going on at all. Which confusing me - but then occurred to me that there is a lot of latent heat in classic, electric coil cook top surfaces that would perpetuate a boil/simmer between thermostat/burner changes. As I was about to touch the controls to set it back into power mode - it switched on again, brought everything to a simmer again. Then it switched off - halting the simmer. But as it progressed, latent heat in that thick, encapsulated bottom Stainless pot kept it gently, constantly simmering after just a few minutes. At that time, I set the timer for the rice and walked away.It shut off as programmed after sounding a series of beeps you can hear across the house. I turned it on again in "Keep Warm" mode, leaving the lid on it canted to thicken the juicy-dirty-rice-n-black-bean brew as I cleaned kitchen. Every grain, every bean, every diced up veggie and sausage bit came out stick free, plump and tender. Even with my most careful watching over my Ceramic-Electric range, one gets stuck on grains or worse, the bottom singes so very slightly with the black bean sauce.Okay, the highlights for our TL;DR crowd and bullet points:The Good:With appropriate "Induction" compatible/ready/made cookware, this thing is a beast.Unrivaled performance due to extreme efficiency. It literally drives power into the cookware directly to heat your foods. None of the burner to air to pot to food nonsense like gas and conventional electric coil or deep infra-red systems. No residual heat to overcook or scorch foods. When it's on, it heats, when it's off, it's cooling.It kinda looks good even sitting there by itself. It has a definitely more modern styling and shape that's appealing. (To me at least) The sloped front facing display and control panel not only makes for easy control adjustment, overhanging cookware will not erratically bump those control settings.Duxtop surface and pot are no hotter than the pot temp itself. There's no cool down waiting for cleanup when the unit finishes it's shutdown and cool off cycle. Sure, it's going to burn you if you immediately go poking about with your fingers the second it stops cooking - but only the heat of the pot itself conducts a small amount of residual heat to where it was directly sitting on the Duxtop surface before. There is NO cool-down waiting for the better half of an hour after using a gas or electric-ceramic stove. Because spills on the surrounding Duxtop element aren't scorched on like in gas or electric - it literally wipes clean with a moist towel in seconds.Extreme efficiency also means less utility bills - it puts more energy, straight into cookware directly. No wasted heat is spent into the air, handles - or worse, you. As such, the kitchen and home stays much cooler so, no running up the energy bills on an overworked AC unit.The Duxtop 9600 series features all glass/ceramic surfaces, even on the touch sensitive pads. No membrane "buttons-go-click" pads to eventually wear out.Portable. Electric. Safe. Eco-friendly - no fumes, toxic gasses or excessive CO2, it goes places tucked in a bag - No open flames and even if accidentally unattended - overtemp shutoff is there to help. If you do not specify a timer setting, it shuts itself off after 70 minutes of active cooking.Lockout control keeps curious fingers and interlopers at bay. Makes for quick, in use wipe-up cleaning a breeze, but avoid the power button. An erroneous touch registered there will shut the unit off immediately. The power button is always active despite having the lockout function engaged.The BAD:You may discover that whole kitchen heart transplant may be needed. Not all materials and metals work. No purely ceramic pots, no glass, no copper or aluminum. A Revereware copper clad pot I had with stainless insert didn't detect or work on the Duxtop. If you do not check cookware with a magnet, the Duxtop will sense if cookware is incompatible and reject it. Simply lay it on the inductor surface and if the "Pot" warning persists, it's a no go.Cast Iron and enameled cast iron:They work the best. But allow time for it's heavier mass to slow warm on a low setting before elevating to cook temperatures. You could warp pots, Dutch Ovens, skillets, fry pans if you go thermonuclear hot out of the gate. Iron is heavy. Cook within weight limits of the element. (25lbs max on the surface) Cast iron is sometimes rough and unfinished on the bottom. To avoid scratching or breaking surface - pick up and gently place the cookware. Do not drag, slide or jostle it about while using the inductor - treat it with the same kindness as you would if you dare to cook with iron on any glass/ceramic range.Massive performance = Massive Power:The Duxtop draws 1800watts @ 120volts AC when gong full speed Lvl 10 power control. Put it on a dedicated 15AMP line and breaker with no other appliances. Preferably on a 20Amp service branch, but many homes built in the last 50 years typically have all 20Amp branch circuit service in the kitchen. For peak power usage, I still caution to make sure no other devices share the same wiring string of outlets.Somewhat noisy operation:The induction element is air cooled via a small computer style fan. It keeps the power drive electronics and surface area cool as it works. But it's on the second the unit starts. There's no modulation range at all no matter what power or temperature setting you use. It continues to run for 2 minutes after the unit is switched off. LET IT COOL and shut down when the cycle is in use. After the fan stops, then you can unplug it.Always ON power consumption:When the unit is powered off and cooled, leaving it plugged in still drives some internal components and a Big Red(tm) standby light. This parasitic drain of power is substantial. The manual recommends unplugging the unit between uses.The UGLY!!!The operation manual in no less than 3 places mentions a warning for pacemaker patients. So be very cautious of that.Cosmetics:As such a mirror fine reflective finish on the ceramic it has? It collects smudges and fingerprints very easily - even with clean hands. I find myself wiping it several times a day - but only because - kitty walks across it leaving little pawsies-prints all over it. Mum gets curious, reads the manual - picks it up out of it's spot beside the stove, looks it over, puts it down. Now there is mumsy-pawsies-prints all over it. LOL!Resonance noise:With it modulating power levels, especially in "Temperature Mode" it can emit a sliding scale squeal. You can hear it sweep through frequencies along with a slight hum. This appears to happen more with thin wall stainless, blued carbon steel and to a lesser degree - encapsulated stainless pots with an aluminum heat spreader sandwiched in the bottom. Cast iron does not make any noise at all that I can detect.Cookware Size & Type:Despite passing the magnet test or "certifications" on pot labels - as you vary sizes, composition, manufacturers, characteristics of heating and spread of that heat can vary very wide and wild. Thin walled carbon steel pans and woks can get extreme hot spotting. Keep stirring your food if you utilize thin and steel based pans w/o a cladded-in heat spreader in the bottom. Too small of a utensil, despite being induction ready - may not activate the element. I find anything under 5 inches diameter to be useless.Likewise, too large of a cookware set will have just a localized heat spot just in the middle 6", especially if it's a thinner bottomed piece. It's efficiency and raw power can see you and the Duxtop with a carbon black, perma-bonded sample of your last meal permanently welded on your wide and thin carbon steelies.At the price of entry, this is a rather refined piece of equipment. Precise (In mine at least) thermal controls and power levels took time time to tinker with, but I got fabulous results on my first try. Time and energy savings due to just the inherent nature of induction cooking is all there, in spades.Are there better units with more features? Of course! All will see you parting with your wallet to the tune of $300+ more. The decently granular power and thermal settings will get the most of your basic heavy lifting done simply. Lesser, more inexpensive units will all assuredly blast a 2qt pot into the Ionosphere full of water and boil just fine - yet the finesse of stable power and thermal controls aren't as good. There is also quality and durability issues there. Please, I implore you spend the extra $50~70 and grab this unit.Firm construction and materials will likely see it last very well in my home setting. I couldn't justify the purchase of an "Industrial grade" Duxtop or offerings from other manufacturers for the cash as this was my first time getting my feet wet in induction cooking. For the low-grade price tag, you get a pretty damn good upper-middle grade product with a 2 year warranty smothered atop of it like a warm, smooth chocolate sauce.......Which apparently, with excellent lower end power controls? This Duxtop can *make*. ;>I'll stop typing now - I love induction cooking, though I was suspicious of it before. And my first, entry level purchase into the space was fortunate. I did months of research and reading. Duxtop 9600xx series is a great beginner setup, more than decent overall quality and will not break your piggy bank.Ok, not really. If you don't have a lick of Induction ready/compatible cookware, there's going to be a bump to get over. But grandmaw's rusty cast iron can be scrounged up, cleaned out and re-seasoned for use here. This is a great stop gap device to introduce yourself and learn too; right before you pull the trigger on a kitchen renovation and you're on the fence about modernized Induction cook tops.