I recently related experiencing poor performance of Force 10 ranges. Robin Roberts, the listee who asked for recommendations, contacted Force 10 to understand the issue. I also wrote to Force 10 to describe my experience in detail. Force 10 responded fully with test results (about 25 batches of cookies) and many pictures showing the cookies had been very evenly cooked. They used a Fluke thermometer to authenticate the oven temperature (oven was set for 330, temperature registered 336 - very close). Paul Windover, Sales Manager, suggested a Heat Disbursement Shield may have been missing. Given the comprehensive test results (while it's hard to take "cookies" seriously, the testing methodology seemed flawless to me) and the general quality/reputation of Force 10, I believe the most likely cause of my bad experiences to be the result of a missing or improperly installed heat disbursement shield. Given the several other notable design features of the range (see the copied e-mail below), it seems to be a logical choice despite the somewhat higher cost. Many thanks to Paul Windover, Sales Manager at Force 10. I only wish I had one of the 25 batches of cookies (both Chocolate Chip and White Chocolate Chip) with some milk. Must be hard to be a quality tester at Force 10.... Peter Willard 36 San Francisco CA > -----Original Message----- > From: Paul Windover [mailto:pwindover@force10.com] > Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 4:21 PM > To: 'Pisciotta, Peter' > Cc: rar@cox.net > Subject: RE: Uneven heating in Force 10 propane oven - re: Robin Roberts > > > Hi Peter; > > I want to thank you for taking the time to write us. We find your comments > very interesting. Of course, we are curious as to the model and serial #s > of the units you discussed, but I doubt much that that information is > available. Our first thought is that in these oven the heat disbursement > plate was either not there, or not installed correctly. Very often, we see > builders remove this plate during installation and then not re-install it OR > re-install it incorrectly. Is this a possibility? I would also like to > share with you technical test data regarding our testing of the cooking > performance of our ovens. > > I look forward to your return thoughts. We would certainly like to improve > our products if there are more people like you in the field. > > Regards, > > Paul Windover > Sales Manager > Force 10 > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Pisciotta, Peter [mailto:Peter_Pisciotta@csaa.com] > Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 9:26 AM > To: 'sales@force10.com' > Cc: 'rar@cox.net' > Subject: Uneven heating in Force 10 propane oven - re: Robin Roberts > > > My name is Peter Pisciotta. I run a small marine services company > (www.seaskills.com) where I teach seamanship skills, perform vessel > deliveries, and consult with new owners during the commissioning of their > boat. Robin Roberts posted a message on the Trawler World bulletin board > asking for feedback on marine stoves. I offered my experience with several > Force 10's in the past few years on new boats and recommended Seaward due to > my experience with newer Force 10's having uneven oven heating. Robin's post > mentioned Force 10 was contacted and was unfamiliar with the complaint. I > thought it only fair to offer my direct, personal experience. > > To preface, my experience has been almost exclusively with 3-burner, fixed > mount stoves, mostly installed in new Nordhavn's. I have also had experience > with a 3 burner gambled mount aboard 2002 Brewer 44 pilothouse sailboat. In > the past 3 years, I have probably spent a total of 50 or so days cooking > with Force 10's, and I am an avid cook, well known among my friends as > possessing well above average culinary skills. > > My personal experience has been the ovens in newer Force 10's heated > unevenly, presumably because the burner is tucked in the back of the oven. > For example, a favorite "delivery" meal for me and my crew is a large frozen > lasagna - allows us to eat leftovers for a couple days, and it doesn't slop > around. The back of the lasagna burned while the front was still cold - > rotating the tray helped deal with the problem but still, the problem > shouldn't exist in my opinion. Similar experience making brownies where it > is difficult to continually rotate the tray. My own personal boat has a > Seaward Princess that I installed about 4 years ago, largely on the basis of > a Practical Sailor recommendation. I have prepared similar meals in the > Seaward and found it to be comparable to traditional home-style ovens in > operation, vastly superior to the Force 10. > > However, the Force 10 has several design advantages compared to my 3-4 year > old Seaward (newer models may have changed): > 1. Swing away door. Especially in gambled applications > 2. Hinge-up cooking grate - Seaward is a lift-out which is less > convenient > 3. Stainless steel grate - the Force 10 is stainless rather than > Seaward's porcelain coated > 4. Stove burners - the Force 10 has fewer nooks & crannies for > easier cleaning > 5. Broiler burner - Force 10 has a nice, infrared-style burner > that's probably a better than my old Seaward's traditional burner. > 6. Igniter. The Piezo igniter on my old Seaward is very difficult to > turn, especially with wet hands. The Force 10's push-button is much better. > > Despite the above advantages - and they are significant, I recommend to > clients the Seaward propane Princess over the Force 10. A range needs to do > two primary tasks: stove top burners, and oven baking. In my experience, the > Force 10's performance in oven baking is poor (I would imagine fresh bread > would be a disaster in the Force 10). Solve that problem, and the Force 10's > design features quickly move it to the top of the market. > > Please keep me informed in product development. > > Best regards > Peter Pisciotta > 415-902-8439 > peter@seaskills.com > www.seaskills.com > > >