Hottop Kudos

[chas]

A while back I upgraded my HT from the original, lame digital panel to the "P" model. That upgrade required a new control panel and a new control board. Shortly thereafter the "B" model came out. As it turns out and others have discovered, the "P" model for all its programmability is a bit of a pain to use and actually imposes restrictions that reduce the functionality you'd expect from a "fully" programmable roaster. The more manual nature of the "B" model is actually more flexible for attaining that perfect roast.

So I decided last night to check into downgrading to the "B". At some point I had read somewhere that the P and B models share the same controller board and only the control panel was different. I shot off an e-mail to Michael at Hottop USA at 8PM on a Sunday night and got a response within 30 minutes. It turns out that the current controller board does work with the "B" and the "P" models but, depending on when I got my "P" upgrade, my board might not be compatible with the B control panel. Michael e-mailed me a picture showing how I could tell the difference and it turns out that I did need a new control board. Normally the kit with "B" control panel and control board is $200 and the "B"control panel upgrade alone is $120. However, Michael offered to send me the control panel and the control board for $120.

And this isn't the first time in buying upgrades or replacement parts that he's done something similar. A couple of times in the past (my HT is one of the original models, low serial number) when I have ordered a replacement part, Michael has thrown in other parts at no charge such as when I ordered a new heater element and he threw in a new heat sensor.

So for anyone thinking about purchasing a roaster, keep this tale in mind. Getting a Hottop and dealing with service from HT USA is a major selling point. Also, Randy Glass writes all their User's Guides and upgrade manuals and the quality is excellent.

BTW: The parts have already shipped and I'll probably have them tomorrow!

[JohnB]

Michael has been very good to me & my HT P/B.

[blowery]

Ditto. I've had nothing but good experiences with Michael.

-b

[Cafesp]

Good to hear that.
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