Wasted $200 on a cheap air fryer from Amazon that caught fire on day 3

Bought a no-name air fryer for $45 off some random brand called ChefWave. Put fries in, walked away for 5 minutes, came back to smoke pouring out the back vents. The heating element was literally melting the plastic housing. Does anyone actually check the safety certifications on these things before buying?

3 comments

3 Comments

grantschmidt14d ago

Four hundred fifty dollars might get you a name brand one that doesn't double as a fire starter. That ChefWave thing must have been made in a garage somewhere with zero testing. I always check for a UL or ETL mark on anything that plugs into a wall, even a cheap toaster. Half those Amazon brands just copy the packaging and skip the safety part completely. You got off easy with just smoke damage honestly.

drewsullivan4d ago

@lisak26 you bring up a good point but here's something nobody seems to talk about with these cheap appliances, the power cord gauge. I've taken apart a couple of those no name air fryers and toaster ovens and the wire inside the cord is thinner than a strand of spaghetti. Name brands use 18 gauge wire at minimum but these Amazon specials will use 22 or even 24 gauge. That's why they get hot to the touch and melt the insulation. ChefWave probably saved 12 cents per unit on wire and now someone's kitchen has smoke damage. @lisak26 you're right about those fake UL stickers too, I saw a video where a guy peeled one off and it was just printed on regular paper with a glue stick.

lisak2614d ago

Honestly I never even thought about checking safety certs on cheap kitchen stuff. But now that you mention it, I bet most of those off-brand Amazon gadgets probably just slap a fake UL sticker on there and hope nobody looks close.