Air Fryer Pro XL 6-in-1 with 6.5 QT Capacity Gray AF181

If you base what's best by consumer rankings and professional testing; Phillips is the brand you want. There's a reason you pay $250-$400 for them. That being said, I have a Ninja Pro XL 6.5 quart air-fryer and it's phenomenal. Much better than the PowerXL one I had previously. Fabulous non-stick coating and it's well-built. The only thing I don't like is that it does not have a mid-cook time alarm for flipping, like my PowerXL did.

Yeah, it’s still a solid air fryer in 2026 👍Still worth buying, just not the absolute top anymore. The Cosori TurboBlaze is great for even cooking and quiet operation, but newer models like the Ninja AF181 have slightly better airflow and faster crisping. So it really depends what you care about more. I actually compared them side by side here if you want a quick breakdown: [TurboBlaze vs Ninja AF181](https://sharkfryer.com/air-fryer-reviews/ninja-air-fryer-vs-cosori-turboblaze/)

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.

Make sure you get a decent fan to blow at your fire detector while you use the air fryer. And have the air fryer backside pointing towards an open window. I really like the Ninja pro XL 5 quart. ($79) Super easy to use and clean. And extra insert trays are available on Amazon for like nine bucks, for when yours gets too hard to clean. Don't worry about using liners or anything like that. Just make sure you invest in a good avocado oil spray. If you or your parents have a Costco membership, they've got large avocado sprays in a two pack for a pretty good price.

I have a small Oster convection toaster oven for pizza and things that won't fit in the air fryer, and then I have a 5 quart ninja pro that I got from Walmart that works really well. A wall socket can only put out 1750 watts max, if you want your food to cook quickly, an airfryer with a basket will provide the quickest results. The airfryer ovens simply don't have enough power at the socket to make air frying fast and convenient, they take too long to heat up.

Sorry this has been your experience but it’s not been mine. My Ninja Pro 5 quart is quite reasonable to clean (I mean there’s a built in PIA to it given the nature of air frying residue) and my Apple products (phone, iPads and MacBook Pro) have been very long-lasting. MacBook is especially noteworthy as it’s a 2016 model and still doing what I need just fine (which includes photoshop). 🤷‍♂️

There's a Ninja for every lifestyle, it seems. I have both their indoor grill air fryer and their classic big single drawer air fryer. Both have served me very well and reliably for 4 years. I am definitely getting a bigger 6 liter Auto Advanced glass tub airfryer simply because it can handle different types of tubs and has an extra powerful heating element fan. Unlike its smaller glass bowl fryer, the bigger fryer is better value for the 5 the heating head is mounted on a stand with a rising glass bowl holder for handling different depths of bowls. These are oven grade glass bowls that come with lids. Once cool, they are safe for fridge or freezer.