I certainly do, and I also think that the MB is a different kind of product. BUT ---- there are variables that can affect different people differently. One of them will be your own sensitivity to the noises. I can tell you that the MB units --- I have a MB Model # 6200 -- are far noisier than any built-in induction cooktop or range that I have used over the last three decades. As discussed above, there are two noise components and they can play out differently for different folks. One noise component is the electronics' cooling fans which are usually pretty quiet on most induction ranges and cooktops. Not so with the portable units. I'd say that the cooling fan in my MB 6200 is a lot like the middle setting on my range hood or like being right next to the multiple-fans in the tower of my video-editing workstation. Now, some models of cooktops and range cooling fans will be louder than other models, but even the loudest I've heard has been about like the cooling fans in a laptop computer on the other side of the desk. There are you-tube videos where something has gone seriously wrong with an induction cooker and the noise level is as high as with the MB and sometimes worse. Those are products in need of warranty service or replacement. Noise component two is a combination buzzing, whistling and ringing (what I call "BWR" noise). This is noise that I rarely hear when I've used my pans on an induction range or built-in cooktop but which I find distinct and annoying when some of those same pans are used on my MB unit. With disk-based pans -- a Sitram Profissiere (disk-base) 3 qt. sauce pan and a Kuhn-Rikon pressure cooker -- the BWR noise persists for as long as the MB is heating. After about three or four minutes, the BWR does falls to about the threshold of the sounds of the cooling fan and the sound of the water boiling. If I pay attention, though, I notice the BWR for as long as either disk based pan pan is in use on the MB. With All-Clad pans and Circulon Premier Pro (anodized aluminum with magnetic steel disks inset into the bases), the BWR noise persists for about a minute and then falls below the noise threshold of the cooling fan and water boiling. With cast-iron, I don't notice BWR noise at all with the MB. A couple of years ago, I had the chance to run these same pans on a GE PHB925 range (which has been supplanted in GE's line-up by the PHB920). No perceptible noise for me except with the disk base pans and that noise quickly faded as the pans came to heat. It would have been completely masked by a hood-fan if one had been running. With the other pans -- zip, nada, etc. Again, however, it is your ears that matter, not mine. Note the diversity of comments above. Best to seek out a demo of a countertop or range in to test it for yourself, if that is at all possible. This post was edited by JWVideo on Thu, Jun 19, 14 at 21:55

Chaos045: Countertop induction units, as jxbrown points out, simply lack the power to demonstrate the much-vaunted speed of induction on cooktops or stoves. What it can demonstrate for you is induction's adjustability and control and, hopefully, evenness of simmer-type heating at low settings. When jxbrown says your Aroma unit is only a 110v-120v unit, that means you have a hot plate. If you think of the Aroma as a hotplate, is there really any disappointment that it does not perform like a much more powerful unit. I mean, if you had a small portable butane burner, how would you expect its performance to compare with, say, that of a 22K btu-hr gas stove burner on a Blue Star range? Or, what would you expect when comparing a .65 KwH coil-burner hot plate with a 2.5 KwH coil-burner stove burner? To be sure, it is possible to get countertop induction units that run from 220v-240v circuits. Cooktek has several such units in its product line. Those are fully as powerful as any stove or installed-cooktop induction unit, and maybe more so. But those are also three to six times more expensive than most 120v induction hotplates and you need to have a spare 240v outlet, too. The Aroma's max power rate is 1.5 KwH (that is what they mean when the specs say "1500 watts.") Actual power may be rather less. There is a review/discussion on Chowhound where I think somebody measured the Aroma unit and found it typically pulled no more than "1200 watts" (1.2 KwH). Compare that to induction stoves and cooktops. The biggest burners pull at least 3.4KwH on boost (and some units will pull far more than that.) Even the smallest induction hobs on a stove are often capable of pulling 2.4 KwH, which is twice the power available from the Aroma unit. You can see where folks would see greater boiling speed from a much more powerful unit. Your electric kettle is a dedicated device with might called "direct coupling" to the water. Most of the ones I've seen have been rated at 1.5 to 1.8 KwH and the heat goes directly to the water without having to deal with space around a burner, and the imprecise coupling of pan to burner that can slow down kettles on most stoves and cooktops. So, back to your original question, the thing to test with your Aroma unit is control and adjustability. Try melting and holding chocolate on the low settings. If you have or can borrow an induction suitable pressure cooker, you might experiment with that. Also, you might try making stove-top rice. Maybe others can suggest more tests? Of course, you did get the unit from Costco so there should be no problem taking it back for a full refund. This post was edited by JWVideo on Mon, Dec 31, 12 at 13:56

OK...I'll answer as best I can long distance... For reference, I have the Ticor S405D with the small bowl on the right & the Kohler K-3345 (5-sided sink). Please can you tell me which one you prefer? Ans: I like them both for both the quality and look...the Kohler may be a little "shinier", but I have no preference for one over the other. However, I do prefer the Ticor sink grids to the Kohler sink grid. The Kohler sink grid only comes w/a vinyl-coated grid in white or almond. After a year the grid is somewhat stained. It's the sink I use for prep...fruits, veggies, etc. Berries & tomato products seem to stain the most. The Ticor grids, OTOH, are SS and look as good as the day I got them! (I called Kohler directly and they told me there were no SS grids available for my sink.) Which one is easier to keep clean? Ans: They're the same...maybe the Kohler b/c it's smaller and there's no divider to wipe down...but it's a trivial difference IMHO! Do they leave a small puddle after rinsing? Ans: No, neither do. I do seem to have "chase" scraps a little more in the Kohler so it may have a slightly less slope than the Ticor, but there's still no puddling of water. Do they have the same brushed finish?. Ans: No, there is a slight difference. What it is, I don't know right now. When I first got them both together I did do a quick check b/c I was concerned the Ticor would look less nice than the Kohler, but they both look nice, just slightly different. But, no one else notices & my DH thinks I'm crazy! The brush of Ticor goes horizontal or vertical at the bottom? Ans: I don't remember....I'll have to check when I get home...sorry! Does Ticor have the mirror finish on the top of the rim? Ans: Yes If yes, that mirror finish is only on the rim around the bowls (like Kohler) or also on the divider (like Franke). Ans: On the divider as well. HTH!

Gooster, good theory, but it's fully induction capable. It's pure steel, and handles like any other thin steel pan I have, when I'm browning onions in the bottom. Very quick and very responsive. Also for boiling water. It's the mass of the contents when it's full of stock or spaghetti sauce that makes it slow to return to a boil. And that's what was faster in the bean pot. I'm trying to compare to the stock pot half full, since that would be about the same volume, but I may be underestimating how much was really in the stock pot when I remember bringing it to a boil half full. BTW, both pots are Le Creuset. Graniteware works fine on my induction, too. :) Jasdip, are there any stores or showrooms in your area that have "live" cooktops? Some do. If there is, you can make an appointment to come in and cook on the induction to see how it works (always a good thing to feed samples to the employees or bring them cookies). You don't have to make a commitment. Just say what you've told us: You have a portable and want to see how an installed cooktop compares before you start planning a change.