Like many, I've been intrigued by these new, chubby countertop devices called "air fryers". I wondered if they really did what the salesmen claimed or if they were just part of a(nother) great hustle. Although they're called "fryers", they essentially are miniature convection ovens. Why would I sacrifice my money and counter space if I can achieve the same results with my oven? But my curiosity and my love for new toys got the best of me. So, after much research and deliberation, I yelled, "Dammit, I'm getting one!" and decided on this fat little friend from Farberware.First, I made a batch of frozen French fries. They came out okay, with results I normally get with my oven, but in much less time. No waiting for the oven to preheat, no wasted aluminum foil, no ripping holes in the foil with a spatula during the clumsy halfway flip. I followed the instruction book and put the machine on 400 degrees, then "air fried" them for 8 minutes, took out the drawer, shook the basket, put the drawer of fries back in, reset the timer for 8 minutes more, and the fries were done. Golden brown, crispy on the outside (for the most part), and burn-your-tongue-till-you-holler hot.Why I decided on the Farberware:I was able to buy it locally at my fiendly neighborhood Walmart (sorry, Amazon) for $79. This means if I don't like it or if something is wrong with it, it's easily returned.It's made by Farberware, which has been a very reputable company that specializes in cooking items for a very long time. (I'm in no way affiliated with Farberware, nor did I receive a discount or any form of payment for my review.)Best price. Period.1400 watts of air frying power. Not bad.Good size at 3.2 quarts (as stated in the manual -- see photo).Easy to use, reliable dials for temperature and timer. I know, the digital ones look fancier and are more fun to play with, but the dials apparently keep the cost down, and let's face it, dials or digital, they both do the same thing. And when it comes down to it, it's all about the FOOD, not how pretty the buttons are.TWO YEAR warranty. Yup.TWO YEAR Walmart Product Care Plan for an additional $7. This little guy as much as sneezes and Walmart fixes him, replaces him, or reimburses me. With no shipping cost out of my pocket. Sorry, but that's a no brainer. (I am in no way affiliated with Walmart. Like many others, I am money-conscious and I just go for the best deal I can find. That's just me.)I looked at one other brand here on Amazon that I came "this close" to purchasing, but no extended warranty was offered, and I was reading reviews on it and on other appliances by the same manufacturer by folks that said the manufacturer was not responding to them when they reported problems. Yikes.I also considered a popular As-Seen-On-TV (coff blonde coff surfer dude coff) model until I read the fine print of a meager 60 day warranty. And if the machine did fail within those 60 short days, the company expects you to pack it up and ship it back to them on your dime and your time AND include a check for $19.99 to pay them for shipping it back to you once one of their chimpanzees has hammered on it. Hmm, I think I'll pass, thanks.Okay, so far I've told you that this Farberware Air Fryer is the best deal for an air fryer and that it makes so-so French fries. Not much, I know. But I promise, I will update this review as I cook more with it.UPDATE:I made a few frozen French toast sticks, 8 minutes total. They came out perfect. I stuck two in some vanilla frozen yogurt and added a couple teaspoons of pancake syrup and a shot of whipped cream. Family treated it like I presented them with bowlfuls of gold. Cool.I bought a bag of organic crinkle cut carrot slices from the produce department thinking they'd be good roasted -- ehm, err, air fried -- carrot chips. They however tasted like orange construction paper (oh, don't make that puzzled face, you know you ate it when you were little, too). I think, though, that this was the carrots and no fault of the air fryer (or the chef, of course). They looked kinda iffy when I took them out of the fridge and opened the bag. So, okay, fail on me, I'll take the blame, but I definitely wouldn't fault the Farberware.Although not something you'd fry but would rather bake, I made a stromboli and it turned out great. And no preheating the big oven, no cooking spray, no aluminum foil, no heating up the house. Done in 10 or 15 minutes.UPDATE #2:I made kielbasa, baby gold potatoes, and some chicken drumsticks. I cut the kielbasa into 3-inch links and then butterflied each link with a lengthwise slice so to lay flat on a burger bun. Took around 10-12 minutes to brown them perfectly. The potatoes I did in three episodes: first and second at 8 minutes, and the third at 5 minutes. They came out very nice. Can't-stop-eating-them nice. The drumsticks I did for 22 minutes -- and all of those in the photo did fit in the air fryer basket -- and they were right to doneness temperature. I would have preferred the skin to be a bit browner and crispier, however.So far, so good. Do I like it? Yeah, it's pretty neat. Does it fry food or does the food taste like it's been fried? No, it tastes like it's been baked. So, I guess as long as you know this going into it, you won't be disappointed. Do I think it's a novelty item that I'll eventually get tired of using and seeing on my countertop, taking up space? Well, I can predict a "probably" here, but maybe that's my fickleness and not the fault of the Farberware. Stay tuned...UPDATE #3:Made some frozen sweet potato fries last night. I filled the basket about halfway, set the timer for 15 minutes, gave them a shake halfway through, and they were nowhere near finished at the enw. I set it three more times at 5 minutes, and at last the edges were getting very dark, but the fries still weren't at all crispy. So that was 30 minutes total time, at the highest temperature of 400 degrees F. Maybe next time I'll try 30 minutes with a shake at the halfway mark. I suppose I shouldn't consider this a failure, but rather just part of the learning process. I'll update when I make them again.I also make some frozen breaded cod, and it came out absolutely perfect. I had to play with the time with the fish as well, and I think the final tally was around 25 minutes. Loved it.