Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I called the number in the user manual to get the following information: Probe temperature is right on according to manufacturer's rep- important info if food has to be brought to a certain temp to be safe. Cooker can be operated in manual mode on warm 165 degrees F, low 185-200 degrees F, high 200-225 degrees F. Probe set range is 140-180 degrees F and when food reaches set temp, cooker automatically switches to warm setting. The representative also said the glaze on the ceramic cook pot does not contain lead or cadmium. My wait time to talk with a representative was less than five minutes and there was no long menu tree to work my way through when I called. A couple of button pushes is all it took to route my call. Now for the stuff that needs improvement: This made in China 275 Watt cooker is a little on the slow side in bringing food up to temperature- 400 Watts of power would likely cure this problem. This unit comes with a very short 24 inch cord attached to the bottom center of the unit in the back; so if you're not very close to an outlet you'll need an extension cord rated for 15 amps or more. One of the reasons I picked this unit was the lid latches for traveling without spills. The plastic ears on the lid that the latches grab onto should be more robust for long term durability. I do like the gasket on the lid but the instruction book says not to use the latches when cooking with, or storing this unit. Latches should only be used when traveling. I suppose this is to prevent eventual flatting of the gasket. When the latches are open they are slightly in the way but this is not to the point of being overly inconvenient. The ceramic pot is not as easy to clean as those of other slow cookers I have used. Food seems to stick to it more. My MAJOR disappointment with this slow cooker is that it does not have 6 quarts of cooking capacity. The 4.5 quart GE slow cooker I'm replacing had 4.5 quarts of liquid cooking capacity with 3/8 of an inch of space left at the top. The model 33969 has 3/8 of an inch of space left at the top with only 5 quarts of liquid in it! I only gained a half a quart with this "6 quart" cooker! With 6 quarts in it, the liquid is almost over topping the crock; and it just would not be usable with more than 5 quarts in it. This is, in my opinion, a major deception on the part of Hamilton Beach and it cost them a star. If a manufacturer is deceptive about one thing it raises questions about everything else they say. For instance is the crock glaze really lead and cadmium free; and is the temp probe reading really right on? How durable this unit will be remains to be experienced. Features for this unit are better than average, build quality appears to be average, bang for the buck is better than average, and satisfaction is below average due to the real cooking capacity. I would like to see this offered with an insulated, fitted case for keeping food warm while traveling. I would be willing to pay $5-7 more for this handy feature, which my old GE unit has. Oct. 22, 2014 UPDATE This is a follow-up to my review: When I wrote this review I did not have a dishwasher. I do now but haven't tried cleaning it with the dishwasher yet. I do not work for a competing company nor have I worked for a competing company in the past. I'm a retired emergency manager. My review is based on MY experience with THIS ITEM and does not apply to any other model variations or products this company produces. Usable capacity for this product remains at 5 quarts for me and is still a disappointment. You might get a little more out of it, but you'd better have a steady hand or things are going to get sloppy! If the manual recommends using the latches only when traveling that's what I'm going to do. Doing otherwise may affect longevity of gasket or latches and I'm just guessing on that. Longer extension cords require higher a higher amp rating to prevent problems. Fifteen amps may be overkill depending on length of the cord, but I would rather be safe than sorry; especially if this crock pot will be operating while I'm away.