k0xxx
Mr. Sunshine
Our Sylvan brand Solar Oven arrived yesterday, and we tested it today. We decided on the Sylvan, over the Global Sun Oven (GSO), simply on the basis of price. Being basically cheapskates, we liked the fact that the Sylvan was $60 dollars less than the GS0.
My first impression is that it is a nearly identical copy of the GSOn. There are a few differences, though. The first thing that I noticed was on the GSO, there are two well made latches to hold the glass closed, the Sylvan has only one and it isn't made as well. It still seems to work OK, with the one. Also, the GSO has a "handle" attached to the glass that makes opening the glass safer, as you don't actually touch the glass. The Sylvan does not, and you actually have to touch the glass to open it, and the glass is HOT. As long as you use an oven mitt or pot holder, it can be done safely.
Bringing it from inside an air conditioned house, it had reached 300 degrees fifteen minutes after being set up. After 1/2 hour it was 325, and it was 350 after an hour (it may have reached 350 sooner, but that was the next time that I checked it). It may have gotten hotter, but I believe the breeze we had reduced the temperature that it reached. There were a lot of fumes coming from the cooker when I first opened it after it had reached temperature. These were from the heat resistant paint curing, but the instructions said it was to be expected and to clean it before using it to cook for the first time. The instructions are adequate, but there were a few typos, like stating that after twenty minutes that the cooker should obtain a temperature of 3000 degrees. That would have been impressive indeed, but I believe that the meant 300.
The only other disappointment was that, although the Sylvan company is listed as being in Oolteway, TN, we found that it was actually manufactured in China. Had we known that it was not produced in the US, like the GSO, we would have opted to spend the extra $60. We will be purchasing at least one more oven in the future, and if it is the same type, it will probably be the GSO. That's just us, and YMMV.
Tomorrow, We'll see how it cooks.
My first impression is that it is a nearly identical copy of the GSOn. There are a few differences, though. The first thing that I noticed was on the GSO, there are two well made latches to hold the glass closed, the Sylvan has only one and it isn't made as well. It still seems to work OK, with the one. Also, the GSO has a "handle" attached to the glass that makes opening the glass safer, as you don't actually touch the glass. The Sylvan does not, and you actually have to touch the glass to open it, and the glass is HOT. As long as you use an oven mitt or pot holder, it can be done safely.
Bringing it from inside an air conditioned house, it had reached 300 degrees fifteen minutes after being set up. After 1/2 hour it was 325, and it was 350 after an hour (it may have reached 350 sooner, but that was the next time that I checked it). It may have gotten hotter, but I believe the breeze we had reduced the temperature that it reached. There were a lot of fumes coming from the cooker when I first opened it after it had reached temperature. These were from the heat resistant paint curing, but the instructions said it was to be expected and to clean it before using it to cook for the first time. The instructions are adequate, but there were a few typos, like stating that after twenty minutes that the cooker should obtain a temperature of 3000 degrees. That would have been impressive indeed, but I believe that the meant 300.
The only other disappointment was that, although the Sylvan company is listed as being in Oolteway, TN, we found that it was actually manufactured in China. Had we known that it was not produced in the US, like the GSO, we would have opted to spend the extra $60. We will be purchasing at least one more oven in the future, and if it is the same type, it will probably be the GSO. That's just us, and YMMV.
Tomorrow, We'll see how it cooks.
