The PI640 Gas Hob from the makes of Indesit is a sophisticated built-in hob that will keep the kitchen humming and your family well served with great foods. Besides, enjoying the efficiency and ease of use the gas hob has to offer, the PI640ASWH Integrated Gas Hob can refresh the kitchen set up to nicety.

As a brand, Indesit does not need the greatest of introductions. Guess what, the first thing that pops up in your mind when you think of Indesit is their innovative technology. No wonder all their kitchen appliances are top class when it comes to quality and efficiency. Though Indesit Gas Hobs are easy on the eye with distinctive style and great ease of use, they have their share of both negatives as well as positives. Let us find out if the PI640 Gas Hob does what it says on the tin starting with the plus and minuses of the gas hob.

What is hot?

  • Great looks and easy to clean with no awkward corners
  • Works pretty well with a good range of ring sizes
  • Easy flow of gas flame & hot adjustable burn
  • Looks sturdy and the buttons feel sturdy
  • Easy to operate controls
  • Reasonably good power from the Gas Hob
  • Ignition can work first time, each time
  • Push & turn controllers make it fully safe to light with a match or lighter

What is not?

  • Switch for ignition isn’t good
  • Symbols to indicate which gas is being used do not seem logical
  • Ring indicators on ignition buttons are a bit hard to see
  • Smaller pans tend to slide a bit off burner rings with not much grip on pans
  • Some jets are quite noisy
  • Position of Gas ring controls seems little confusing
  • Cooking height adjustment can be better with more options

Design Features:

The Indesit PI 640 4-Burner Gas Hob sports the signature design of Indesit that could go well with the rest of the kitchen decor. The manufacturer has supplied the built-in hob with a lot of choice of colours on offer including White (PI 640 AS WH/ PI 640 A WH), Black (PI 640 A BK/ PI 640 AS BK) and finishes including enamel (PI 640 AS WH, PI 640 A BK, PI 640 A WH, PI 640 AS BK) and stainless steel (PI 640 AS IX, PI 640 A IX). Equipped with enamel pan supports, it is gratifying to see that there are not any sharp corners on the hob, which trap cooking residues. This means you can quickly wipe the hob off using a damp cloth, thereby making it look sparklingly new.

Gas burners: The PI640 Gas Hob is built with 4 gas burners of power 7.8 kW. These gas burners are of different sizes and this means you can find a good fit for all regular sizes of pots and pans. You need to use the correct diameter of the cookware to select the most suitable burner to cook with. We found the Gas burner Ignition quite impressive and it helps a specific burner to be lit automatically. The flame spreader and the pan support have an enamelled finish. The metal stands do not fit that well over the burners, but seem to do the job well. Also, we are not very impressed with the gas ring controls either as they are slightly confusing. The oven takes sometime to heat up too.

Another positive is that it comes with a plug on it instead of the extensive wiring. This is a perfect gas hob to replace if you are struggling with a fitted gas oven. The plug did well to speed up fitting and got rid of a fairly expensive problem because you need not have to replace the hob with another ineffective gas unit. The new safety cut out feature is a superb addition. We also like the fact that you need to hold the button down for a while to start it on. The Indesit is a quick start gas hob built with a push button ignition system.

Dimension: The PI 640 hob is quite tall with a size of 33mm (H) x 580mm (W) x 510mm (D).  The depth is more than it’s supposed to be, so this means you need to have an additional depth (around 2″-3″) depth where you’re going to fit the Indesit PI640.

Control Knobs: We also found the visual symbols on the control taps poorly marked and this makes it all the more difficult to see and identify, so the peculiar tap action of the hob may get some getting used to. If customer reviews are anything to go by, then all the knobs which control the burners are in somewhat weird order. The controller on the side would have been a lot better if they are designed at the front of the gas hob. The location of the control knobs is a little confusing as it makes one guess which control knob is for which gas ring. Also we expected the lowest setting of the hob to be much higher.

Pan supports: Another disappointment is that the pans do not sit evenly and mind you they can be knocked down and tilted over. We weren’t the most comfortable when we placed cooking trays on top and took them out from the hob for they can slip easily owing to the grid’s rounded effect. This could prove dangerous with hot liquids. You also have to take extra bit of care when you remove the metal pan supports off to wash as you may lose the little back rubbers which prevent the scratching if you use the Indesit designed with a stainless steel finish.

Once hot, one of the rings takes a bit of time to re-light. And sometimes, there is a tendency for the flame to go out on the small burner when you turn it low. There is a Hot Air Vent near the door which can cause discolouring on the oven handle.

Flame supervision device: The Indesit PI640 Gas Hob comes with a flame supervision device which is fitted to each burner and this obviously is a legal requirement if you live in a multi-dwelling building and flat.  The clock setting is found to be a bit confusing and the timer setting has a certain knack to it. However, once you have got the hang of it, it is fine.

When it comes to washing the hob plates in the dishwasher, the silver trim comes off a bit and this is something you need to watch out for. We also found it a little difficult to get our finger prints mark off the hob, particularly the stainless steel ones.

Warranty details:

The Indesit PI640 Gas Hob is covered under a manufacturer’s warranty of 1 year from the actual purchase date.

Verdict:

The Instruction manual for the PI640 Gas Hob can be a bit clearer. However you can get the hang of it by trial and error. The positives of this Indesit Gas Hob certainly outweigh the cons. All said and done, the Indesit may not have a pleasing effect on someone who wants bells and whistles.

Indesit PI640 Gas Hob  – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer Indesit
Model Name Indesit PI640 Gas Hob
Type Built-in
Available colours White (PI 640 AS WH/ PI 640 A WH),
Black (PI 640 A BK/ PI 640 AS BK)
Available finishes Enamel (PI 640 AS WH, PI 640 A BK, PI 640 A WH,
PI 640 AS BK), Stainless steel (PI 640 AS IX, PI 640 A IX)
Gas burners 4 (power: 7.8 KW)
Flame supervision device Yes
Ignition system Push-button
Dimension 33mm (H) x 580mm (W) x 510mm (D)
Highlight features Enamelled pan supports
Gas burner Ignition
Flame spreader
Hob lid No
Warranty 1 year