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89 of 92 found the following review helpful:
 Don't buy on advertized Wattage rating.....it's really 350W Nov 06, 2003
By T. A. Lippert
"tlippy"
The 86628 works just fine BUT I bought it based on West Bend's advertized wattage rating of 600W--thinking more is better. In actuality the unit is only rated at 350W. West Bend claims they're changing the misinformation on their site today.
My previous Egg Cooker was an Oster and it was OK.
I prefer my new 86628 because: It's all plastic so the egg holder won't discolor as did the Oster. The water measuring cup allows exact measures not like some others where you add water to the base. The egg holder allows you to remove all the eggs at once and imerse in cooling water so you don't have to handle each egg separately. The 'done' signal is LOUD. I like the positive Off/On switch. Others shut off the unit when cooking is finished. In my opinion that kind of temperature sensitive switching is a weakness. Which is what happened to my Oster. Although the water measuring instructions don't make sence to me, ie: more eggs need less water, I followed the instructions for soft boiling 4 and the eggs were perfect. And AMAZON.com is an excellent way to buy merchandise.
51 of 52 found the following review helpful:
 End result is fine but getting there is difficult Oct 02, 2006
By Mark E. Patton
"Mark"
I love poached eggs, and the eggs that you get from the West Bend Cooker are very tasty. However, getting them from this cooker is a exercise in trial-and-error at best.
Starting from the outside, the clear plastic dome lid has the advantage of letting you see your eggs as they cook (or often as not, don't cook...). That is the ONLY advantage it has. The handle "bumps" on each side fit smoothly into the base of the cooker, meaning that nothing on the dome projects out from it.This means that although they are handle-shaped, you can't actually grab on to them. You can pick up the dome lid by simply palming it (if your hands are big enough) but if you've just poached a tray of eggs under it, you then get a burned hand.
Moving on to the poaching tray, it is designed to hold four very TINY eggs. Anything larger than a "medium" egg will overflow the tray and then accumulate in the water reservoir below, which then trips the power switch and the cooker shuts off, leaving you with egg-drop soup in the water reservoir, and uncooked eggs in the poaching tray.
Moving down from the poaching tray, the base tray works fine for making boiled eggs. The accompanying measuring cup also is accurately marked and if you can get around the problems with the lid, and content yourself with poaching only small eggs, you'll enjoy the eggs you get from this cooker.
42 of 43 found the following review helpful:
 I like it so far Jul 16, 2004
We received our first West Bend egg cooker for a wedding shower gift 16 years ago. It was still working, but the nonstick coating had long ago worn off, and a piece of the plastic handle had broken off. My husband didn't know what the soft-boiled piercer was, so he clipped it off with pliers because he thought it was dangerous.Anyway, I thought it was time for a new one, and I looked on Amazon to see what was new and exciting in egg cookers. After looking at them all and reading the reviews, I decided to buy the West Bend 86628. It seemed to be the most like our old one with a few new perks. So far, I like it just fine. You have to read the manual carefully, though, because I was using the soft-boiled water levels for poached (even though it didn't make sense), then I read the manual to find out that there is a specific recommendation. My poached eggs were coming out too hard before I figured out the correct amount of water. I've used it to cook 1-6 hard boiled eggs, and it has been perfect. I don't know what the other review means about the wells not being deep enough - my large eggs fit perfectly. It is easy to clean, and unlike the older version, the nonstick coating seems better already. The older one had the egg stick on almost from the first use, and we had to use a scrubber or steal wool to get it off. This one cleans up without a problem. It is true that getting the eggs out of the poacher is, well, a challenge. I'm sure it's the same with one designed for the microwave or a pot on the stove. We use a small rubber spatula to help "slide" the egg out, but they are hot! You can't wear a mitt because the handle is too small to grasp with a bulky mitt. All in all, I think anyone would be happy with this unit for the price, and it would make a nice wedding shower gift :-) (even if the bride to be laughs at first - like I did!)
38 of 40 found the following review helpful:
Poaching Can be Messy Mar 25, 2005
By Audeepodee
"Audeepodee"
I buy Extra Large eggs from Trader Joe's and the eggs are often too much for the poaching tray. If they spill out into the heating unit during cooking I think it makes the sensor go off way too early. I've tried putting the water in first, then put the tray in place and then crack the eggs into the tray so that I don't have to move the tray at all... a balancing act. Maybe if you use just regular size eggs, it would be ok. I've kept this egg cooker, though, because it works very nicely for soft or hard boiled eggs. The poached eggs come out well, too, but I end up having to time it manually (i.e. watching it). The buzzer/timer thing is loud and persistent and doesn't stop until you shut it off, which is a good thing, I suppose. I used to have an egg cooker (Kenwood) that pleasantly "chirped" but it was teeny-tiny and eventually chirped itself out. All in all, no regrets with this egg cooker.
13 of 13 found the following review helpful:
Best-tasting poached eggs in our lives! But Read First! Oct 18, 2009
By Douglas H. Hopp
We eat poached eggs only - (have no comments or experience with soft- or hard-boiled egg performance of this incredible device). As noted by others, there are RULES YOU MUST FOLLOW! NEVER USE "JUMBO" OR "EXTRA LARGE" EGGS!!!!! Any egg white slipping over out of a well screws up the timing process, and the eggs will be essentially wasted and unusable (unless you have a dog). BUT---Follow that bit of advice, and be prepared to eat the most perfectly-cooked and tasty eggs you have ever experienced---TIME AFTER TIME AFTER TIME---NEVER FAILS---in almost a year of use! One other disclaimer/recommendation: the water measuring cup is designed for soft-boiled or hard boiled users only---MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE!!! The measuring interpolation for poached eggs is irritating and time consuming---need the manual in-hand every time to poach eggs. West Bend should re-mark the measuring device with a "Poached Egg" section of filling marks, or provide a separate cup for poached egg water measuring! (Their design team was absolutely moronic on this point).
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