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Beko Hobs HIC-64402
by northernlovely
When my dad had a stroke which left him disabled, he didn't want to risk keeping his gas hob, so he decided to go for a ceramic one - one which he can clearly see he has switched off and one which is easy to clean. I chose the Beko HIC-64402 and used it regularly. Here is my review.
- Price and Availability -
The ... Beko HIC-64402 is priced at around £170 and is available in most high street retailers (we got ours from Currys) and online, best price I can see is £166 from the Co-Op Electrical Shop. The Beko HIC-64402 comes with a 2 year manufacturer's warranty though longer warranties can be purchased from your supplier if required.
- Looks -
The Beko hob is a ceramic hob in black, and is quite minimal in looks, it has four hob rings circled in white with a double circle for the fast ring. It has the BEKO logo to the front centre in white. Overall it looks rather minimalist and would go well in most kitchens.
- Use -
The Beko HIC-64402 was initially a good hob to use - very easy, with simple controls for each ring going 1 to 6 with 6 being the hottest. The rings reach a good temperature and give a good even coverage over the surface area (unlike a gas burner which gives a burst of concentrated heat, and can warp your pans). This means frying is very easy on the hob, as is a nice even simmer and rolling boil.
- The Big Downside -
If it were based on the first month of owning the Beko HIC-64402 I would give it five out of five for being an attractive, reasonably priced, easy to use ceramic hob. But unfortunately there are two reasons I would not recommend the Beko to you.
Firstly we found that despite using special ceramic hob cleaner and non abrasive cloths the hob was still badly scratched after only four weeks. I shudder to think what it would look like after 12 months! We were very careful with it, but my dad wasn't happy that it looked so scratty after only a few weeks - a bit of an eyesore in the kitchen despite it being the new appliance!
Secondly, we lifted the hob to move it following a kitchen refurb (again, over cautiously) and placed it back down, literally, thirty seconds of movement at most, and one of the rings totally stopped working. We found out that it was so badly made that it was a surprise it was working in the first place! So my dad used it with three rings working until he could get a refund from Beko. He went back to a gas hob - despite their flaws - because the Beko had put him off ceramic hobs so much!
- Overall -
I can't recommend the Beko HIC-64402 at all - we had less than two months use out of ours and had the hassle of being refunded and having to arrange for a new hob to be fitted on top of it. They just seem so poorly made that even when treated with kid gloves you can't keep them to a reasonable level or even operational.
I don't think we will be going back to ceramic though my mother is now considering getting one (despite my warnings!) so we will have to see - but she won't be buying a Beko.
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Beko HIZG64120
by alyson29
As my husband and I decided to splash the cash on a new fitted kitchen a few weeks before Christmas 2009 I felt it was an appropriate time to change our appliances. Considerable research was carried out to find both an oven and a hob that would suit our specific needs and hopefully last us for many years. We eventually decided on Beko ... where we purchased a pack containing an electric built-in oven (reviewed on 13.10.11) and a gas built-in hob; both of which carried the model number OSF 22130 S. However, when purchased individually, the stainless steel gas hob carries the model number HIZ64120SX.
~~ THE GAS HOB ~~
Whilst the hob is available in three different colours when purchased individually, namely silver, white and black, it is the stainless steel silver model included within the pack. The hob offers a high quality and professional finish and blends in perfectly with our kitchen décor. Our appliance was installed by a CORGI registered gas fitter during the fitting of our new kitchen. Consequently, I will not be discussing how easy it was to fit, as the hob should be installed by a professional. However, I would point out that due to safety issues, the hob must be installed with a safety distance between the appliance and the kitchen walls and cabinets.
Another safety issue is that the kitchen must offer good ventilation due to the gases that are emitted. Consequently, if there are no windows are adequate ventilation this must be considered prior to installation. Its' measurements of 9½ cm in height, 58 cm in width and 51 cm in depth enabled it to perfectly blend in with the work surface without appearing obtrusive. The first time I had cooked with gas was just over six years ago when I burned every saucepan in sight together with their contents, so I was a little nervous about using our new hob, particularly as we had just purchased a new set of saucepans.
~~ USING THE HOB ~~
The four easy grip knobs are identical to that of the oven and are extremely easy to hold and subsequently turn to the required heat setting, which is easily adjusted. What I like about this hob as opposed to our last gas cooker is that there is no ignition to light, as once the required knob is gently pushed downwards and twisted in a clockwise direction a spark will automatically ignite the ring plate. The hob offers four sizes of gas burners, namely the smallest, which is the auxiliary burner that cooks at 1000 w, two same size normal burners that cook at 2000 W and the largest, which is the rapid burner, which cooks at 2900 W with all burners being highly glossed with enamel pan supports.
Accompanying the hob was a 19 page instruction booklet with easy to follow directions. Using this hob took considerable practice, particularly as it cooks food far quicker that my previous hob. Fortunately, I've only burned one saucepan due to the fact that I forgot to turn off one of the gas rings and left the empty saucepan on top. The appliance is almost silent when in operation, as all that can be witnessed is a gentle whirring sound of the gas.
~~ CLEANING THE HOB AND OTHER INFORMATION ~~
I've owned quite a few different styles of hobs in my time, but this has to be the easiest to clean, as the two large black enamel pan supports are simply lifted away and can be wiped with a dampened cloth or placed in ordinary washing up water. Each of the four gas burners are covered by a circular black plate, which again, are easily lifted and wiped with a dampened cloth and they click back into place. For the stainless steel section of the hob I spray it with ordinary kitchen cleaner and wipe with a soft damp cloth, which easily lifts any grease splashes.
However, not long after purchase I made the mistake of wiping with the rough side of a washing up sponge and as a result the stainless steel now bears several scratches, which cannot be removed. Once a week I will use a specialised stainless steel cleaner to enable the hob to sparkle. On one occasion I experienced a problem whereby one of the rings would not ignite on the first attempt, but for some unknown reason the fault correct itself without the need for a repair by a professional.
~~ PRICE AND AVAILABILITY ~~
Both the stainless steel gas hob and electric oven are sold in a pack and vary in price amongst dealers. I have checked online for the most competitive prices and at the time of writing Appliance Direct are selling them at £198, but they are currently out of stock. However, another online seller by the name of Next Domestic Appliances is selling the pack for £308. Please note that whilst I have named both of these companies I have no experience of using them.
The black hob when purchased individually carries the model number HIZG64120SB, the white hob carries the model number HIZG64120SW and the stainless steel model HIZ64120SX and can be found in Comet at £139.99 for the white, £149.99 for the black and £159.99 for the stainless steel.
The hob is of a high quality and is easy to use and clean. Consequently, it comes with my full recommendation.
I hope you found my review useful and would thank you for reading.
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