Sun Cook Solar Cooker Test / Review
Decide which to use - or buy...Last year we did a test between 3 common solar cookers to report on the findings. The Global Sun Oven ® came out a clear winner.
This winter we decided to test an oven that is being advertised as 'Australia's Best Solar Cooker' - the Sun Cook
The Line Up:
The Global Sun Oven ® - a Solar Oven with built in 4 way fold - down reflectors
Sun Cook Solar Oven - a solar oven with one reflector and a reflector insert.
The Test:
2 Solar Cookers would be used side by side over a number of hours to heat up 2 L of water in identical pots.
The oven temperature and water temperature was to be measured every 10 minutes.
After 2.5 hours the solar cookers being tested would be turned away from the sun to see how well they kept the water hot (insulation value).
The Figures:
2L of water in a black pot
Air Temperature = 15.5ºC
Water Temperature = 17.1ºC
Conditions - fine for 60 minutes then some very light intermittant clouds
Notes:
The temperatures of both ovens would get higher in normal use as you wouldn't be opening the lid every 10 minutes.
The SunCook was brand new - the Global Sun Oven ® had dirty reflectors and glass from being used.
2000g of water by weight was used in each pot. Due to the instability of the SunCook 10 - 30g of it's water was lost during temperature measurement. This favoured the SunCook slightly as the water would heat up slightly quicker but would not be noticeable in the final results.
The lid of the Global Sun Oven ® opens completely to allow easy access, while the SunCook lifts up from the rear which has the effect of keeping some heat in the oven. This hindrance favoured the SunCook in this test as the ovens were opened every 10 minutes.
To start with we treated each oven with the attitude 'must try to get it as hot as possible'. After about an hour we only had this attitude with the SunCook as it was obviously struggling. The SUn Cook received 3 times the attention and adjustments trying to eek every last degree out of it.
Quick Summary:
This test reminds me of the 'Tablet market share wars'. On one hand we have Apples iPad, which operates with speed and ease, on the other there are a host of imitators that are very vocal about 'better specs' - but in actual use they fall short.
The SunCook is marketed with claims that first of all don't reflect truth - but the unit as a whole is just not quite up to the task. It has some very annoying traits that will leave this reviewer a Global Sun Oven ® fan.
The Global Sun Oven ® - Very Hot temperatures, Great Insulation, By far the easiest to load and use, Largest Reflector Surface Area, Most even temperature in light cloud cover, Largest cooking area, Most usable Cooking area, Lightest and easiest to move, Highest Quality.
Sun Cook Solar Oven - Reasonable temperatures, Good insulation, Unstable design, wide but limited height cooking area, no levelling base, very fiddly reflector insert, Fair quality.
The below test is the temperatures in the ovens recorded every 10 minutes for two and a half hours. At the one hour mark a few light clouds passed over but in general the skies were clear.
At 2 and a half hours the ovens were turned away from the sun altogether and the temperatures were taken every 30 minutes.
At 2 and a half hours the ovens were turned away from the sun altogether and the temperatures were taken every 30 minutes.
The SunCook was very sensitive to the direction of the sun. While the Global Sun Oven ® could be left for hours without much negative effect on the temperature, the Sun Cook needed continual adjustment even to achieve the lower temperatures recorded.
The below are the results for the water temperature on the same test. The water temperatures were measured every hour
The Global Sun Oven ® gives the best results. While the Tulsi doesn't look far behind, it has the added help of the water being in two separate black containers that have very thin walls compared to the roasting dishes in the other two ovens.
If you would like to use a solar cooker just as a slow cooker, the SunCook may be ok for you. Unfortunately the price is a little high for it's usefulness as a cooking device.
It would be interesting to see how it compares to the Tulsi solar cooker regarding temperatures as that oven is far cheaper and likely similar in temperature effectiveness.
As a basic solar heater the SunCook might be an option for you - but as a cooker that you would actually use there are a few things that severely impact the experience.
- Not enough heat
- Small Reflector area
- Unstable when the lid is lifted
- Hard to check / stir food
- Very fiddly reflector insert that has to be removed to open the lid properly.
- Poor Quality accessories
- Heavy & hard to carry
The Global Sun Oven ® really is hard to fault and a long way ahead of the competitors in our opinion. High Quality, Easy to use & adjust, Very hot - but even heat so as not to burn the food, Great insulation, Light, Compact and an adjustable base, Odour free.
This unit is voted the World's Best Solar Oven by people who use it, not just the advertisers!
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The World's Best Solar Oven - The Global Sun Oven ® available worldwide from www.sunoven.com.au
Want the world's best Solar Cooker? 
The Global Sun Oven was designed to defeat the problems of solar cookers. It is well insulated to keep food hot - but is light to carry. It has built in reflectors but is easy to fold up & compact. It has the benefits of extra heat but doesn't burn food easily. It is safe and very easy to use - your best choice!
Sun Oven Solar Cookers - the Worlds' Best!
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