If you are looking for the best induction cooktop, you would probably find out really quickly that it is not as easy as you think. First of all, you have to overcome the subjectivity issue when it comes to looking for “the best” of anything. You have to understand that a lot of people use that phrase. It means many different things to many different people. In fact, two different people could be using the exact same phrase and end up with two totally different conclusions. There is a lot of subjectivity when it comes to finding the best of anything. So, you have to begin your search by focusing on objective standards.
The good news is that there are some objective standards as far as what makes for a superior induction cooktop. At the very least you are going to look for high heating capability, even heating, the right materials, as well as portability and ease of maintenance as well as low energy requirement.
With that and several other objective factors out of the way, you are still not out of the woods just yet. There is that not so simple matter of shopping for the best induction cooktop online. When you are shopping for products offline, you can actually interact with the product. You can look at it; you can see it; you can inspect it. There are all sorts of things you can do to get the information or impression that you are looking for. This increases the likelihood that you would make the right choice.
Obviously, you do not get this luxury when you are looking at pictures online and you are reading through reviews. You need to be both systematic and methodical in your search when buying anything online. Otherwise, it can turn into quite a bit of a headache. It is going to be very difficult to get your money back. It is going to be very difficult to return materials. You would rather not go through that hassle. You would rather not waste all that time.
In the interest of helping you shop for the best induction cooktop online, here are some steps that you should consider. This is just advisory. This is not set in stone. Still, these steps increase the chances that you would come up with a decision that you are not going to regret.
Read up on the Basic Operations of Induction Cooking
The first thing that you need to do is to get a proper understanding of how induction cooking works. You have to understand that it all boils down to the cooktop having the proper metal composition to produce the magnetic field needed to create that high heat. Anything magnetic, of course, requires iron-based materials. So, pay attention to this. This is crucial because if you are going to be looking for induction cooktop appliances without this basic understanding, it is going to be very easy for you to make the wrong decision.
Be Aware of Your Specific Needs
You have to be very clear as to what your actual needs are. This is not a survey of your feelings. This has nothing to do with your emotions. Instead, you need to look at objective guide posts so you can properly map out your needs. At the very least, you should pay attention to space considerations, usage patterns, convenience, the dishes that you normally cook, portability, pricing and energy consumption.
These are just some of the objective factors that you should consider. Start with these and pay attention to other considerations that come to mind. You have to remember that as objective as these considerations may be, different people fill these in with different answers depending on their particular set of circumstances.
Check Amazon Bestsellers
The first thing that you need to do is go to Amazon.com and look for the bestsellers that Amazon is featuring for induction cooktops. This is just the first stop of your search. By no means should you end your search on Amazon.
Pick Top Reviewed and Rated Models
Look at the models that are the highest rated. Pay attention to the ones that also got the most reviews. Look at the distribution of the reviews. Are they mostly positive? How many negative reviews do they get? Do the negative reviews have a certain pattern? Do the positive reviews share a certain pattern? A distinct picture should emerge in your mind regarding the strong points and the weak points of the particular model you are considering.
Cross Reference Reviews with Your Needs
Now that you have a broad overview of what the reviews say are the strong and weak points of the particular model, try to correlate that with what you need. Is there a nice fit or should you look for something else?
Remember Negative Reviews should not Kill Your Choice
It is very important to note that just because you see a few negative reviews here and there that these, in of themselves, should not kill your choice. For example, if you are faced with a product that has 1,000 positive reviews and 50 negative reviews, then you should still look at that product. You should still consider that product a contender for your hard-earned dollars.
Now, if the numbers were flipped and you are looking at a product that has 50 positive reviews and 1,000 negative reviews, it would probably be better for you to look at another product. Do you see how this works? It is pretty straightforward. It is very simple. The key here is to look at negative reviews and see if they are realistic. Beware of products with no negative reviews. As long as the negatively reviewed features do not really fit with what you need from an induction cooktop, then you should be fine.
Compare Based on Price
It is very important to do some price comparison. Unfortunately, a lot of people do this first and they forget about everything else. Bad move. Price comparison should actually be the last thing that you do. It increases the likelihood that you will get top value. However, you need to do the steps that I have outlined previously to ensure that you are getting the best products as far as your needs go.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is simple. You need to look at total product value. This is really important to note because you need to maximize your return on investment. You worked hard for your dollars. You worked hard for all that money that you are spending on an induction cooktop. You deserve these appliances to produce maximum value over a long period of time.
In other words, the more you use the item, the greater value you get in return. Now, you need to look at all the factors outlined above to see if they come together to paint a picture of a very positive total product value. In other words, they lay the foundation for a situation where you are going to be using the product year after year and maximizing the value of your hard-earned dollars that you paid in the past. If you are able to enjoy this, then your dollars can go a long way indeed. That is how you maximize total product value.
