I got hooked on the American Harvest Jet Stream oven years and years ago. That oven has to be the best way to cook frozen chicken fingers,french fries, hot dogs, etc. in the world. I have owned several and had good success. The latest one I got was from Sams Club about 4 years ago. It was a new issue (back by popular demand) that had a digital readout, timer and temp controls. About six months ago this oven finally fell apart. To be more specific the electronics just basically would not start the oven anymore.
Just like Homer I started "The Odyssey" the quest to buy the new air oven. Believe it or not I applied for the new Amazon Credit card just for the $30 discount to buy my new oven.
At the time Amazon was out of the new Nesco (wiz bang) version of my favorite healthy fast food appliance JS-4000T. There was a "new" older model of the Jet Stream for 39.95 and this strange knock off Koolatron oven. If you know me you (and yes my friends do laugh at the way I think.) I ended up buying both the new Koolatron and the old-new Jetstream ovens.
Both ovens arrived (gotta love Amazon for it's out standing customer service and delivery quality) and I decided to use the Jet Stream first. Everything was there and the oven seemed 100% new, yet I thought it must have sat on a pallet for like 8 years waiting for a buyer. After only a few uses I heard strange grinding sounds (from the internal belt?)and the smell of ozone from the oven. Shortly after about 10 uses the plastic nob on the top more or less stripped. I contacted amazon and Duh... figured out that I didnt buy the oven from Amazon but from some 3rd party place. Oh Joy! I put that on the side and just wrote that whole thing off. $40 wasn't worth the hassle of getting another old junk oven and then fight for my money back... I opened up the Koolatron.
This is a strange oven. The external temp guage was missing but no big thing. It came with a whole lot of strange looking stuff.. a huge needle thing to "inject" flavor?? into meat, rods and a wire stand (that makes no sense whatsoever)to hold up the lid after cooking.
The Koolatron design takes up a WHOLE LOT of room on your counter. The Jet Stream goes on its side and actually hides very well. I got the Koolatron all setup and then ... it was DOA. A quick email and Amazon sent out another one. I then packed up the old and used the return tag to get rid of the dead one. (Love Amazon)
Well... the Koolatron has a thermastat that won't let things get over heated. I setup my normal chicken fingers and started to cook. What would normally take 8-9 minutes in the Jet Stream took 25 in the Koolatron. The chicken was not evenly cooked from piece to piece. The other day I tried frozen onion rings and exactly the same thing happened. One ring was soggy the other hard as a rock. It is pretty clear that the Koolatron does NOT get hot ENOUGH nor does the fan BLOW as hard as the Jet Stream. Very very sad as with the exception of the size on my counter, this oven looked like it beat many of the Jet Stream problems.
Long story short the Koolatron does not even come close to cooking as well as the Jet Stream does. Save your money. Actually I think it cooks "strange" as if favors some pieces and avoids others? Hidden AI?
Yes my wife is going to kill me but I am going to buy ANOTHER JetStream (the JS-4000T oven and start again.
If you are a Jet Stream Junkie like I am... the Koolatron is NOT the replacement we have been waiting for. Save your money and go with the orginal.
GENE
Las Vegas, NV 4/2004
Much quieter, faster than American Harvest's Jetstream, EXCEPT ... Jetstream's lid raises on a hinge. It can be operated in about 20 inches of counter space, 2 feet from surface to cabinet in height. THERE IS NO HINGE ON THE KOOLATRON!!!I have a ceramic-cooktop, and don't dare put anything on the burners that might scratch its top. Unless you have enough room to put the lift-off-top of the unit to the side while you're removing the food, and another two feet of counter-space you can occupy as needed, forget it!
Come on, Koolatron, isn't there anybody in your organization who understands how a hinge works? Is there a hardware store nearby so you can ask for a demonstration?
I debated whether to send the unit back, decided to take it to the office. Where there is no cook-top, more counter-space, and putting the top down on it will only leave a grease-ring.
The instructions for assembly are worse than useless, I only have 23 years of formal education, there's a couple pieces of metal that have no discernable purpose.
