VonShef Panini Press Grill – Sandwich Toaster 2 Slice with Non-Stick Plates, 1000W, Deep Fill Toastie Maker with Floating Hinge, Easy Clean, Stainless Steel – Black

Having had difficulty obtaining a product suitable for my requirements, find this model excellent, east to use and clean. Well made, sturdy,. highly recommend also value for money.

Good value and makes lovely toasties

It does the job and was cheap, I'm expecting the plastic lever to break one day though.

I bought this to replace my Breville 1000W sandwich press which packed up just after the warranty ran out. It arrived quickly and was well packed, and to date I have cooked Panini, Ciabata and Burgers. I have not as yet tried it on a toasted sandwich as I agree with another reviewer that it would need thick bread, which I will buy next week. I have also not tried it as an open grill but based on the way it handled burgers I would expect it to work well. It is fairly easy to clean using hot water, a plastic scraper and a cloth. Being hotter than the old machine the temperature control is a good idea.A couple of minor niggles so far - the cable is even shorter than that on the Breville and whilst this may be for safety reasons it is a nuisance. Also, unlike my George Foreman grill (1750 Watts) the bottom plate is not at serious angle even with the feet adjusted so to get the fat to drain off I have had to raise the back feet 1cm or so . When used as an open grill the top plate has no drainage hole anyway so I expect a lot of fat to collect in the perimeter groove. Hence only 4 stars,As to the negative reviews on this and similar products, some seem to be down to the reviewer not actually understanding what they are buying - it is not an old fashioned sandwich toaster and does not seal the edges, neither will it be hot enough to flash fry thick cuts of steak I suspect, so if that is what you want buy something else. Also there are some who do not seem to have understood the instructions - the green light comes on when you select a temperature setting and goes off when that temperature is reached which is the same as my previous machine but a bit counter intuitive. Thus the comment that the green light is seldom on is an inaccurate criticism.Hopefully this will last a bit longer than the one it replaced though in fairness that was used virtually every day for a year before failing. If not it has a 2 year warranty providing you register online, not the 1 year shown in the booklet.Update, tried thick bread and it works well for toasted sandwiches. Yes farmhouse gets a bit crusty and soft squashes a bit but I am satisfied.Further update - OK as sandwich/panini press but poor as grill. The drip tray is badly positioned and leaks, the non stick surface was not brilliant at first even when oiled but now is getting pretty poor, and it is now proving difficult to clean. I scrape the residue off with a plastic scraper and then wash with hot soapy water using a plastic scouring sponge, but no matter how much I clean it I get smoke every time I turn it on which implies that there is grease left on it. Lastly, the numbers on the temperature control knob rubbed off after a couple of months. Poor design and manufacture, so will use my old George for grilling in future.

Our sandwich maker is really good. Cooks them well, cleans easily. Very tasty. I would definitely but one again.

Fits two pairs of Hovis / Kingsmill sandwiches side-by-side easily. There's enough space to fit a variety of stuff in the panini/sandwiches. Brushing some oil on the plates before switching it on, buttering the breads before placing the sandwiches on the heated plates ensures that they crisp-up evenly. Temp control is a big help for regulating the heat applied to different types of breads. Since the plates do not lock shut, but is only held down, it prevents the cheese from melting and squeezing out or getting burnt. Any excess fat is collected in the tray and is easy to clean. Can also grill kebabs with the plates open flat. The plates cool down quickly on switching off and can be wiped clean with a kitchen sponge or Bounty tissue. Great for packing variety lunchboxes amidst the morning rush.

Good but you have to hold it down it does not close when the bread is in . You have to press and hold.

I was happy with the product using it for panini until one day after only 2 months usage I use it for first time for meat and after the cleaning with soft sponge and kitchen towel I was badly surprised-the surface became damaged and looks like a scratched, but is not possible to scratch it with soft sponge… Such a bad quality of this product… I am really disappointed. And now-no refund ,not return,nothing because this damage happened not in the first month…. Yes,this happened in the second month….