Vortex 5QT ClearCook

Some personal feedback on this as I spent the last week picking an air fryer. Size of the fryer was a big factor in our search. First I bought the Ninja Pro XL 6 in 1. I liked that it would get to 450 degrees. We ended up returning it because it was so loud it sounded like a plane taking off. Second we got the Instant Pot, due to the positive online and Americas Test Kitchen reviews from a few years ago. We got the updated version with the window. That one got returned because one, it smelled absolutely awful when heated. Second, the bottom plate would pop up and sit at an angle as soon as it started to warm up. This is a safety issue because it would fly out when trying to dump out hot food. After looking back at the "positive" reviews, I realized they are almost all incentivized. Third and final one we got is the Ninja Foodi 8qt two basket fryer. So far so good. It's still kind of noisy, but it's tolerable. The dual basket is a nice option. Also even though it's dual, the dimensions are still surprisingly compact. It's slightly wider than a single basket model, but it wasn't any deeper. We also considered a Midea because Sam's has some, but they are huge.

I purchased the same Vortex Plus with front window from a thrift store with the "Close Basket" error. The only solution for me was to open the unit and replace the micro switch.  When you close the door, a cone shaped extension, visible on the top front center housing, gets pushed up to the micro switch.  If the micro switch is faulty, you'll always get the "Close Basket" error.  This used unit has been working for close to 2 years.

We had an Instant Brand Vortex that the display started failing 1 year in. I replaced it with a Gourmia and its performed perfectly for 13 months. It cost less than 1/2 what the vortex did.

I like the instapot vortex. We have a single basket as it's just the 3 of us. I would get double if you have a bigger family

we have the ninja side by side. it works fine. you can operate both sides as one, if you want. and you can set both sides to finish at the same time if they have different settings. i don't like that you have to manually pause it if you don't want hot air just blowing out when you open a basket and it doesn't have a reminder to flip like our single basket Instant Vortex does.