I just found this thread because I'm looking for a crock pot. It seems the Hamilton Beach one is considered "unsafe" because it takes too long to heat up food on a low setting (http://www.consumersearch.com/slow-cookers). A lot of recipes call for using a low setting. So while I like the timer idea, I'm concerned. The other one that seemed good (another Hamilton Beach, the 3-in-1, http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-33135-6-Quart-Stainless/dp/B000R8A1OK) lacked a timer.

Any suggestions about which feature trumps the other?

I received a Wolfgang Puck brand as a gift and it works very well and has a timer for low and high cooking. Mine gets a ton of use - especially in the winter. I'm making Beef Bourguignon in it for tonight!

We also have the Hamilton Beech programmable one and love it.

Used to have a Cuisinart and it burned everything. Then the pot/insert cracked. A new pot was $40 plus shipping, which was almost as much as a new Hamilton Beech. Bye-bye Cuisinart!

(BTW, CrockPot is a trademark for slow cooker.)

Using mine tomorrow for pot roast. I have a doctor's appointment after work, and it will be nice to come home and be able to serve up dinner with no fuss. That way DH can focus on homework and bath time with DC.

We have the hamilton beach that's pictured above. It's great. I recommend the Cook's Illustrated crockpot recipe book. It's much better than the others out there. It takes some work, but it's worth the effort.