I don't know if this is typical for this product but I purchased mine in March 2010 and was initially very pleased with it. As in most of the other reviews, I agree that it comes apart and cleans easily. The lid doesn't have a seal on it like my other cooker did which causes a little mess of its own. It started out cooking the food well (typically I usually just cook french fries) but it began to progressively take longer and longer to heat up and to cook as well. The other night it didn't heat enough to cook anything (Even though the ready light came on). I typically used this about once a week but it just didn't hold up. I haven't found my paperwork yet to determine if it's still under warranty. It's a nice unit for the price but it should have a seal on the lid atleast. I imagine that it may have held up better if I didn't use it as much But that's why I bought it was to use it. I hope this information helps in your decision to by a deep fryer.