It's impossible to ignore the new Lex induction hob model. Its marble design in muted gray tones with a matte finish stands out against the traditional shine. Particularly attractive are the two combined heating zones, which make this panel unique among other similar devices.
Today in our review we will take a closer look at the independent built-in hob Lex EVI 640 F DS. This device is equipped with 4 burners with a total power of 7000 W and is controlled by a touch panel. Important functions include locking, pausing and immediately starting heating at maximum power, known as «boost».
Characteristics
| Manufacturer | Lex |
|---|---|
| Model | EVI 640 F DS |
| Type | induction hob |
| Country of Origin | China |
| Guarantee | 36.6 months |
| Life time * | 10 years |
| Total power | 7000 W |
| Burner power | 2 × 1800 W, 2 × 1400 W |
| Control | sensory |
| Surface material | glass ceramics |
| Peculiarities | overheat protection, boil-over protection, timer, pause, lock |
| Cord length | 1m |
| Net weight | 8.2 kg |
| Dimensions (W×D×H) | 590×520×58 mm |
| Built-in niche size | 560×490 mm |
* Contrary to popular belief, this is not the time limit after which the device will necessarily break down. However, after this period, the manufacturer ceases to bear any responsibility for its performance and has the right to refuse to repair it, even for a fee.
Equipment
In the delivery of the Lex EVI 640 F DS hob, we found a large flat box made of durable cardboard. On the front and back sides of the box there were images of the device, its full name, the manufacturer's logo, as well as a brief description of key features and technical specifications.
Inside the box, the cooktop was securely held in place with a pair of foam pads, and the front side was also protected by a foam sheet. In the package we found not only the device, but also instructions, a warranty card, and a set of brackets with screws.
At first sight
The Lex EVI 640 F DS induction hob uses a frameless glass-ceramic surface. A distinctive feature of this model is a matte finish with a small pattern imitating the texture of marble, instead of the usual gloss.
The graphite shade of the panel looks very attractive and promises to make it easier to care for, as the manufacturer claims. We found that fingerprints on the surface are actually almost invisible.
Heating zones are highlighted in light gray. There is no visual difference in the designs of the burners, so you won’t be able to immediately figure out where the zone is weaker and where it’s more powerful without instructions.
The control unit with touch buttons is located front and center. Behind it is the company logo.
| 1400 W (∅200 mm) Boost up to 1800 W | 1800 W (∅200 mm) Boost up to 2200 W |
| 1800 W (∅200 mm) Boost up to 2200 W | 1400 W (∅200 mm) Boost up to 1800 W |
The panel is equipped with two Flex zones measuring 210x420 mm, which allow you to combine two left or two right burners. Each zone has a maximum power of 2800 W, and when using the Boost function it reaches 3500 W.
There is a foam insert along the bottom edge of the panel. The casing on the bottom side is made of plastic. Along the perimeter it is reinforced with metal inserts with holes for mounting brackets included in the kit.
There are ventilation slots at the bottom, a fan in the middle, and a sticker with technical information below.
Closer to the back of the case there is a cable outlet about 80 cm long without a plug. The panel is connected to a standard power supply with parameters of 220-240 V, 50/60 Hz.
Instructions
The instruction manual is presented in the form of a brochure with black and white images, printed on high-quality thick paper. The document is compiled for four models with similar characteristics. Each model is highlighted and labeled, making it easy to study and eliminating the possibility of confusion.
The instructions consistently provide detailed information about the device, operation and safety precautions, management, correct installation, as well as recommendations for preparation and a table with tips for troubleshooting possible problems without contacting service.
Control
The control panel of the Lex EVI 640 F DS hob includes a row of touch buttons located at the bottom, a 9-step slider for adjusting power and four buttons above the slider designed to activate heating zones.
When turned on, the buttons are illuminated in red, however, in comparison with a conventional glossy glass-ceramic surface, the matte glass reduces the brightness of the indicators.
Between the icons indicating the burners there are indicators that display the current state of the heating zone. This can be either the selected power number or an activated function such as Lock, Boost, Pause or Timer. After turning off the heat for a while, the letter “H” will be displayed next to the icon for the hotplate that is cooling down. It will disappear when the heating zone has cooled to a safe temperature.
The Boost function, as is usually customary with such devices, is active during the first 5 minutes of operation, after which it automatically switches to the maximum, 9th power level. It is possible to simultaneously use the Boost function on a combined zone and on one burner on the other side, or on any three burners, in which case the remaining burner can operate at a maximum of power level 7.
The Pause function pauses the heating of all currently active zones, rather than each burner separately.
The timer can be used both as a reminder without turning off the heating, and to automatically turn off one of the burners. In the latter case, the maximum timer value is 99 minutes. A burner operating at a certain power automatically turns off after the time specified in the table has expired.
| Mode | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shutdown time, h | 8 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
If the pan is lifted or moved too far from the center of the burner, a «U» symbol will appear on the display instead of the power indicator. If the cookware is returned to its place within a minute, heating will resume at the previous power. Otherwise, the heating will automatically turn off. In addition, the panel will also turn off if the liquid boils away significantly.
Connection and installation
More detailed information about the rules for installing and connecting the device can be found in the instructions.
Exploitation
Before using it, we carefully examined the hob from all sides and noted its high-quality glass-ceramic coating. However, we also noticed a small drawback: the lack of differences in the patterns indicating the heating zones. Although this is not critical, it would be convenient to be able to visually distinguish the burners by power.
The touch buttons respond clearly and quickly, even when pressed with wet fingers. The controls are intuitive and convenient. While the single power dial may take some getting used to, it saves space on the control panel, which is placed right in the middle of the cooker. Thanks to this, large dishes on the front burners do not cover the buttons, which makes using the panel more convenient.
The plate has excellent properties of ease of cleaning and resistance to stains and fingerprints, which makes it always look flawless. Its design allows you to simultaneously place two pans with a diameter of ∅24-25 cm, one with a diameter of up to ∅19 cm, and it is also possible to use small dishes with a diameter of ∅12-13 cm. The maximum total weight distributed over all four heating zones is 20 kg, and it is not recommended to place dishes with food weighing more than 5 kg on one burner.
Care
Caring for the Lex EVI 640 F DS hob is simple: it is recommended to regularly clean the glass-ceramic surface from dirt using a soft cloth or paper towel with a neutral detergent. It is not recommended to use lint rags or dish sponges as they may cause streaks that will become noticeable when heated. Chemically aggressive products, scratching sponges and steam cleaners should be avoided. If necessary, you can use a special scraper for glass ceramics.
Our measurements
Boiling 1 liter of water at 20°C
On the right rear burner (1800W, with Boost function up to 2200W) with the lid closed, a pot with 1 liter of water, initial temperature 20°C, boiled in 6 minutes 20 seconds using the Boost function. The total energy consumption was 0.180 kWh.
Power consumption in various modes
In modes 1 to 6, all burners operate in pulse mode, where the emitter periodically turns on and off, changing its power. The duration of each on/off cycle is indicated in the table. The average power is determined by the formula: power consumption is multiplied by the total duration of switching on, divided by the sum of the total duration of switching on and the total duration of pauses.
| Power mode | Power consumption, W | Cycle (off/on), s | Average power consumption, W |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near left burner (1800 W, Boost up to 2200 W) | |||
| 1 | 7.6 | 50—3—50—3 | 0.4 |
| 2 | 7.8 | 23—3—23—3 | 0.9 |
| 3 | 1120 | 20—7—20—7 | 290 |
| 4 | 1120 | 14—12—14—12 | 517 |
| 5 | 1121 | 10—17—10—17 | 706 |
| 6 | 1121 | 5—20—5—20 | 897 |
| 7 | 1275 | 1275 | |
| 8 | 1411 | 1411 | |
| 9 | 1762 | 1762 | |
| Boost | 1908 | 1908 | |
| Far left burner (1400 W, Boost up to 1800 W) | |||
| 1 | 7.6 | 48—3—48—3 | 0.4 |
| 2 | 9.3 | 21-4-21-4 | 1.5 |
| 3 | 969 | 18—7—18—7 | 271 |
| 4 | 973 | 15—13—15—13 | 452 |
| 5 | 986 | 11—17—11—17 | 599 |
| 6 | 986 | 5—20—5—20 | 789 |
| 7 | 1029 | 1029 | |
| 8 | 1139 | 1139 | |
| 9 | 1365 | 1365 | |
| Boost | 1580 | 1580 | |
| Near right burner (1400 W, Boost up to 1800 W) | |||
| 1 | 7.6 | 50—3—50—3 | 0.4 |
| 2 | 7.3 | 19-5-19-5 | 1.5 |
| 3 | 969 | 20—6—20—6 | 224 |
| 4 | 973 | 15—13—15—13 | 452 |
| 5 | 986 | 11—17—11—17 | 599 |
| 6 | 990 | 5—18—5—18 | 775 |
| 7 | 1167 | 1167 | |
| 8 | 1263 | 1263 | |
| 9 | 1474 | 1474 | |
| Boost | 1637 | 1637 | |
| Far right burner (1800 W, Boost up to 2200 W) | |||
| 1 | 7.6 | 50—3—50—3 | 0.4 |
| 2 | 7.8 | 23—3—23—3 | 0.9 |
| 3 | 1117 | 20—7—20—7 | 289 |
| 4 | 1117 | 14—12—14—12 | 515 |
| 5 | 1121 | 10—17—10—17 | 706 |
| 6 | 1121 | 5—20—52—20 | 897 |
| 7 | 1300 | 1300 | |
| 8 | 1506 | 1506 | |
| 9 | 1750 | 1750 | |
| Boost | 1876 | 1876 | |
| Combined zone (near and far left burners), cookware covers the heating zone completely | |||
| 1 | 7.8 | 50—3—50—3 | 0.4 |
| 2 | 7.8 | 23—3—23—3 | 0.9 |
| 3 | 1620 | 20—8—20—8 | 463 |
| 4 | 1802 | 14—12—14—12 | 832 |
| 5 | 1992 | 10—16—10—16 | 1226 |
| 6 | 2050 | 6—18—6—18 | 1537 |
| 7 | 2278 | 2278 | |
| 8 | 2437 | 2437 | |
| 9 | 2639 | 2639 | |
| Boost | 3070 | 3070 | |
| Combined zone (near and far right burners), cookware covers the heating zone completely | |||
| 1 | 7.8 | 50—3—50—3 | 0.4 |
| 2 | 7.8 | 23—3—23—3 | 0.9 |
| 3 | 1620 | 20—8—20—8 | 463 |
| 4 | 1802 | 14—12—14—12 | 832 |
| 5 | 1963 | 10—16—10—16 | 1208 |
| 6 | 2075 | 6—18—6—18 | 1556 |
| 7 | 2296 | 2296 | |
| 8 | 2468 | 2468 | |
| 9 | 2642 | 2642 | |
| Boost | 3045 | 3045 |
Heating element size
To determine the size of the heating elements, we placed a large container on the stove, filling it with a small amount of water. After a few seconds, we see how the bottom bubbles are distributed and indicate the configuration of the heating element: in power mode 8-9 a circle with a void inside is formed, and in Boost mode a circle is formed with smooth edges without voids in the center. The diameter of the circle on all four burners is 20-21 cm.
9th power level
Boost mode
In the combined zone, the two touching circles are a total of 42 cm long and approximately 21 cm wide. Everything is exactly as written in the documentation.
Other measurements
The energy consumption of the hob in standby mode, when the burners are not in use, is 4.5 W.
While cooking broth for 1 hour, the device consumed 0.779 kWh of energy. While cooking a stew of meat and vegetables on a combined heating zone, 0.732 kWh of energy was used in 1 hour.
Our wattmeter cannot accurately measure power consumption above 4000 W, so we cannot determine the maximum power consumption when using all burners at the same time. However, the total energy consumption of individual burners at maximum power without the Boost function was 6351 W. If you use Boost on all burners without combining zones, the total power will reach 7000 W, but this is only possible in this case. However, Boost is not activated on all heating zones at the same time, so the maximum power will be lower.
When zones are combined, the device produces an imperceptible whistling sound. Sound signals when pressing buttons are represented by a standard squeak, which does not cause discomfort due to the optimal volume level. The fan noise is moderate for such devices.
Practice tests
Chicken broth, cabbage soup
When making broth, we are interested in the ability of the cooktop to maintain a stable, low temperature.
We placed three legs, an onion, water, salt and turned on the Boost function. After the water boiled, we reduced the power to 3 and began monitoring the temperature of the broth using a thermometer lowered into the liquid. Our goal is to maintain a stable light boil at 89-93°C.
After a few minutes, the boiling stopped completely and the temperature of the liquid dropped to 83 °C. We increased the power to 5, but the maximum temperature we could achieve was only 85°C. Further increasing the power to 6 raised the temperature of the broth to 87°C, and at power level 7 we achieved a barely noticeable simmer at 90°C. However, after 15 minutes the broth began to boil at 120 °C, and we had to reduce the power to 3. The temperature stabilized again at 87-90 °C, but then dropped again to 85 °C. Increasing the power to 5 brought us back to the desired 90°C. We concluded that a light boil is achievable, but maintaining it at a stable level requires constant monitoring every 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, on the next burner we fried onions and carrots at power level 8-6. In this case, everything happened smoothly and predictably.
Later, after removing the cooked legs, diced potatoes, a couple of tomatoes, shredded fresh cabbage and fried carrots and onions were added to the finished broth. They salted and peppered it, and later they put skinless chicken pieces cut from the bones into the broth. As a result, we got tasty and rich cabbage soup.
The rating was reduced due to the need for careful heat control during the broth cooking process.
Result: good
Fried potatoes
The potatoes were fried on the far right burner, first on power level 8, stirring regularly to ensure even cooking. Then, when the potatoes were almost ready and had a nice golden crust, we lowered the power to 5, covered the pan with a lid and finished cooking the dish.
Result: excellent
Steak
Two pieces of pork were salted and peppered and placed in a well-heated frying pan.
Fry the meat for 2.5 minutes on each side at power level 9.
Then we lowered the heat to 6 and after a few more minutes we got juicy, evenly fried steaks with an appetizing crust.
Result: excellent
Cutlets and frozen flatbread with filling
The chicken cutlets were first fried on both sides at power level 9.
After we noticed that frying was more intense in the center of the pan, immediately after photographing, we swapped the cutlets. This allowed for a more even crust on both sides. Then we lowered the heat to 5, covered with a lid and finished cooking the cutlets. As a result, they were well fried, remained juicy and did not burn.
A heavily frozen thin flatbread with potatoes and cheese was placed on a dry, hot frying pan...
...and fried on both sides at heat level 7, and then added a couple more minutes at power 3.
The center was more fried, but not critical. The inside of the cake was defrosted and heated evenly. The dough was not left raw.
Result: good
Pork stew with vegetables
A cast-iron duckling pan was placed on the combined zone and heated at power level 9. At this level, we lightly fried the pork, and then lowered the heat to 7. Added potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes and finely chopped garlic, cut into small pieces, to the duckling pan.
We added water, added salt and spices and stirred. After making sure that the liquid was hot enough, we closed the lid and reduced the power to 3, leaving the dish to simmer. After a little over an hour we turned off the panel. The dish continued to simmer under the lid for about another 30 minutes. The entire simmering process was carried out with even heating, and all ingredients were cooked uniformly.
Result: excellent
conclusions
The Lex EVI 640 F DS built-in induction hob is a 4-burner hob equipped with all the necessary functions for convenient cooking at home. Its arsenal includes a control panel lock from accidental touches, a 5-minute pause function that pauses the operation of the entire stove at once, and a timer with a limit of 99 minutes. However, for some users this may be a disadvantage.
For the use of large dishes or dishes of non-standard shape, two combined zones are provided. The temperature range of the panel with 9 power levels and the Boost function ensures fast and high-quality browning, as well as slow stewing. However, it cannot be said that the boiling point remains stable when using low heating power — periodic monitoring will be required approximately every 15-20 minutes. This may not be significant for large pots of vegetables and meat, but can be critical for dishes that require precision down to the degree.
Among the undoubted advantages, it is worth noting the beautiful panel coating with an original marble pattern. Drops of grease and fingerprints on the sensors are practically invisible during the cooking process, and after cleaning the surface there are no streaks left. It is also worth highlighting the moderate fan noise and specific sounds when heating zones are combined, which is not typical for all induction panels in the mid-price segment.
Pros:
- beautiful and non-staining coating
- Convenient touch controls with Boost, timer, pause and lock functions
- two Flex zones
- optimal power for most dishes and a wide temperature control range
- moderate fan noise
Minuses:
- the overall maximum power is actually slightly lower than stated
- frying piece goods requires skill
- unstable boiling point at low heating power
- non-switchable sound signals