Our's is a cheapy from bigW i think and works well, i got a bigger one but should have opted for a smaller one for 2 people as it tends to burn small quantities at the sides and is hard to clean off. Having said that i do love slow cooker meals
I have a Ronson, again I think it was just cheap at BigW. I'm dropping hints about the new Breville one though mentioned above by littlelara as it has a pot you can take from the stove to the cooker. I've never seen one with a timer, it really seems impossible to overcook things in it as long as the pot is at least half full - I chuck it on low in the morning and 8 -10 hours later it's done. I have never used it more than in the months since my daughter was born, it has been a life saver (and probably has saved DH and me from malnutrition!).
I've got a Russel Hobbs. I cracked the ceramic insert and had to replace it. Their after sales service is ok. I rang them, they charged my card and the pot arrived a couple of days later.
It does seem to cook a bit hotter than some other brands. I usually knock a bit of time off the cooking times but I think that as it ages it won't cook quite so hot.
It's a 6l so it's big enough to roast a leg of lamb in - yum.
It's 11 months old and still doing its job perfectly. I wouldn't change it, it's big enough for a roast and family meals with left overs.
The only time I brown something is if it isn't going into a sauce, so a big piece of meat like a roast. And I prefer using a heavy based frying pan to brown anyway even if I'm using the oven so an insert to go on the stove wouldn't be useful to me. I also like to prop roasts up on a couple of ramekins so it isn't sitting in the juices (the juices make a yummy gravy though)
i have a Breville banquet slow cooker which has 6.5 ltr capacity. I like to cook enough for 8 - 10 people (we're a family of 5) so we have enough leftovers for another meal (given that it takes all day to cook!). it handles a 2kg leg of lamb with ease with all the veggies. no timer, but the usual low, high , keep warm. I'm very happy with it. I chose it because of the size & shape (it's a rectangle which fits in my cupboard better & fits roasts easier than round ones).
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