FW170S

I bought this "Used - Like New" from Amazon Warehouse, and it was indeed like new, although the box it came in - not a cardboard shipping box but a thin flimsy cardboard retail packaging box like you'd see it on a store shelf - was so badly damaged with tears and missing pieces I thought there'd be no way it would be useable and not damaged.But it was OK inside. I tested it out with two medium plates, that's all that will fit comfortably, first turning the temperature control all the way up. I measured with an infrared laser thermometer which has always been quite accurate.It started heating up right away and within a minute or two the metal surface was too hot to touch comfortably, so it heats up fast. The plate on the right was just under boiling after 10 minutes, around 205-210 degrees F. The plate on the left was right around 180 degrees F, so the heating while not perfectly even seems OK to me. Note that at these temperatures the plates can be too hot to handle easily so you may need potholders if you are going to remove them!Then I turned the temperature control to halfway, let it stabilize for 10 minutes, and measured the right plate at 140 F and the left plate at 130 F. I did note that as the heating element cycled on and off (the light goes on when heating), the plates would get maybe 20 F cooler for a short while, the temperatures can vary a bit. The plates and the metal surface are hot to touch at these temperatures but won't burn you. Then I tried heating it back up, this time to 3/4 of the way. After 10 minutes I measured the right plate at 170 F, the left plate at 160 F. Both plates could be handled OK but the metal surface was too hot to touch comfortably.Then I turned it to minimum and unplugged it. In 5 minutes it had cooled off. I don't think I'd ever use the minimum setting - probably you need halfway or more to get decent heating based on my temperature measurements.I would buy this again. Mine has a good temperature range, it works well, it does what it's supposed to without any unnecessary frills or controls, the build quality seems good, the appearance is good. I like it!

Replaced and older tray for an avid baker. Was warm almost instantly so has increased her productivity. The adjustable setting has made it nice for her to use for different types of dough as se uses these to speed rising times of different bake goods.

Great size, quality and price, very attractive too, I love it!

I was not looking for anything fancy, just reasonably priced trays that I can use occasionally to keep the food warm on the sideboard when hosting dinners. I have tested both trays: they heat up very fast, and I hope they last more than a couple of uses. I will update my review accordingly, depending on how the trays perform over time.These trays are good value for the price, but be prepared to have to return if you're looking for no flaws. I ordered two new trays. While I appreciate they showed up on my doorstep one day earlier than expected, one arrived in perfect condition, the other with two small dents (no scratches) on the heating surface. Both original boxes were in perfect shape and the foam pieces inside each box are meant to protect the tray from damage, so I suspect there is a quality control issue. The dents do not bother me, as the surface will be covered with food containers most of the time, and having to return one tray is simply not worth the hassle.NOTE: Both of the trays arrived with the same "fingerprint" marks on the back as mentioned by another reviewer. Personally, I think it does not necessarily mean it is a used item, but rather how the tray is handled (maybe tested?) during the manufacturing/packing process. I honestly doubt I have been sent two used trays misrepresented as new that show almost the exact same fingerprint marking.

The chafing dishes were large enough to keep my food warm while preparing other dishes. Light weight and temperature settings worked very well. The warmer did not take up much space at all. I put it on a card table and enough space around for salad size dishes, napkins, forks, knives etc. Clean up very easy. Storing also great Doesn't take up much space. I only plan on using when having several functions a year. If using on a regular basis I would not recommend as the structure of warmer and chafing dishes are not heavy duty, however, I figured that out when ordering. as the price was very reasonable. For my use it was perfect.

Firstly, this item gets ridiculously hot to be called a warmer. Way too hot and ends up cooking the food. These were delivered today and I used them for mashed potatoes and the casserole dish got so hot it burned the bottom of the potatoes. So I wouldn’t call this a warmer I would call it a cooktop. Second, the dial has two sides: min on the left and max on the right. The tray doesn’t even turn on until you’ve turned the dial to the max side- why even have a min temp setting if the device doesn’t work until the max? Only pros is that it holds heat for a long time, you could get it up to temperature and then turn it off, and they are easy to store/clean. Would buy again if the price came down since it takes a lot more maneuvering.

This warming tray works very well. I’ve used it several times for my parties and often take them to family holiday meals.