In Depth Baby Product Reviews Led by a Pediatrician

Philips AVENT Fast Review

Warmer that easily overheats and lacks some necessary features
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philips avent fast bottle warmer review
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Price:  $50 List
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Manufacturer:   Philips
By Juliet Spurrier, MD and Wendy Schmitz  ⋅  Jan 2, 2019
53
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#7 of 13
  • Warming Efficiency - 25% 2.0
  • Ease Of Use - 30% 3.0
  • Health/Safety - 40% 9.0
  • Ease of Cleaning - 5% 6.0

The Skinny

The Philips AVENT Fast is a water bath warmer that is somewhat slow. This unit has a basic design that is easy to use and easy to clean with a chamber that fits bottles of most sizes. It has an LED indicator to tell you when the cycle is over but it doesn't have a real auto shut off, so it can continue to heat the bottle if you don't remove it from the chamber. The AVENT heats slowly and fails to reach room temperature following the instructions with average temps of only 63F. Overall, it isn't the worst warmer in our tests, but Fast is not a word we'd used to describe this warmer.
REASONS TO BUY
Basic design
Fits most bottles
LED indicator
Easy to clean
REASONS TO AVOID
No auto-shut off
Slow heater
Continues heating once off

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philips avent fast bottle warmer review
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Philips AVENT Fast
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Price $50 List
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Overall Score Sort Icon
53
77
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73
66
Star Rating
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Pros Basic design, fits most bottles, LED indicator, easy to cleanSimple to operate, versatile, consistent temperaturesSimple, safe, keep bottle warm for up to an hourWater bath, user-friendly, versatile, timer in minutesInexpensive, travel friendly, easy to use
Cons No auto-shut off, slow heater, continues heating once offAverage heat time, frequent mainteneceSlowerExpensive, no end of cycle beep, multiple cleaning stepsNo auto-shutoff, only works for one bottle
Bottom Line Warmer that easily overheats and lacks some necessary featuresBottle warmer with average heating time, but safe and effective for breastmilkExcellent value with a simple design that is easy to useConsistent, simple, and works with any bottleAn innovative way for on-the-go families to heat baby's milk
Rating Categories Philips AVENT Fast Tommee Tippee 3-in-... Chicco NaturalFit Kiinde Kozii Tommee Tippee Trave...
Warming Efficiency (25%)
2.0
6.0
6.0
4.0
6.0
Ease Of Use (30%)
3.0
9.0
9.0
8.0
6.0
Health/Safety (40%)
9.0
8.0
7.0
9.0
7.0
Ease of Cleaning (5%)
6.0
6.0
5.0
6.0
9.0
Specs Philips AVENT Fast Tommee Tippee 3-in-... Chicco NaturalFit Kiinde Kozii Tommee Tippee Trave...
Heat Technology Water Bath Water Bath Water Bath Water Bath Water Bath
Temp or Timer Based Have to manually turn off Timer Temperature Timer N/A
Auto Shut Off No Yes Yes Yes No
Audible Beep No Yes Yes No No
Water Resevoir Yes No Yes Yes No
Wide Bottle Capacity Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Compatible w/ Glass Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Compatible w/ Breast Pump Bags No Yes No Yes Yes
Time to Warm to 99F 12:00 min:sec 7:40 min:sec 9:15 min:sec 12:00 min:sec 5:38 min:sec
Wait Time Between Warmings Not Listed Not listed Allow bottle warmer to cool completely (approx 30 min) If Kozii feels warm around the base (from recent use), decrease warming time by 30 seconds. None
Dimensions 6.25"H x 5.5"L x 5.25"W 7.5"H x 6"L x 5"W 6"H x 5.5"L x 5.25"W 6"H x 6.4"L x 4.7"W 7.75"H x 3.5"L x 3.5"W
Temp. & Time at Auto Shut-Off w/ Warmer Chart Recommended Setting (4oz Refrig. Milk in Glass w/ Silicone Sleeve) 3:30 min:sec 62F 5:00 min:sec 86F 9:00 min:sec 94F 5:30 min:sec 79F NA
Max Temp if Left in Warmer 12 minutes 93F 109F 104F 94F 111F

Our Analysis and Test Results

Philips got its start in 1891 when Gerard and Frederik Philips, a father and son team, established Philips & Co. in the Netherlands. Their original goal was to "manufacture incandescent lamps and other electrical products." In 1895, little brother Anton Philips joined the team, helping them become one of the leading producers of light bulbs. Royal Philips is now a health technology company working toward products for healthy living, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and home care.

Performance Comparison


philips avent fast bottle warmer review - the philips avent fast is a steam bath warmer with a simple design...
The Philips AVENT Fast is a steam bath warmer with a simple design and no auto shut off.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Health and Safety


The AVENT Fast only scored an exceptionally high score among its competitors in health and safety. As a water bath, this unit is inherently safer than steam bath technology with a lower risk of potential injury related to burns. However, it doesn't automatically turn off, and a bottle left in the chamber can surely overheat. It has an LED indicator light, but no audible end of cycle beep, and it must be turned off manually no matter what setting you choose. Setting an additional timer can help you avoid distractions so you can remove the bottle at the right time.

philips avent fast bottle warmer review - the avent fast can easily overheat contents when used at maximum...
The AVENT Fast can easily overheat contents when used at maximum settings.
Credit: Ruth and Ben Traxler

Following the user manual instructions, this warmer indicated the end of the cycle at 3:30 minutes with a temperature of 63F. If left in the warmer after the cycle ended, it reached 94F at 12 minutes, which is closer to the ideal temperature and not a health concern. However, at maximum settings, the bottle overheated to 113F, which is over 104F when breastmilk starts to lose nutrients and could potentially hurt little mouths.

philips avent fast bottle warmer review - the fast has a single dial with multiple setting options and an led...
The Fast has a single dial with multiple setting options and an LED indicator light to tell you when it is warming versus when the cycle is over.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Ease of Use


This bottle warmer earned one of the lowest scores for ease of use. The user manual for this unit is in English, but we suspect a native English speaker didn't write it, which can make it difficult to follow. The instructions are convoluted for what turns out to be a simple process based on the ounces in the bottle. On the upside, you put the bottle in first and fill water up to the line of the bottle contents, so no measuring is required.

philips avent fast bottle warmer review - the fast works with a variety of bottle shapes but is not compatible...
The Fast works with a variety of bottle shapes but is not compatible with breastmilk pouches of any kind.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

The manual doesn't include instructions for glass bottles, and there is no automatic shut-off, so bottles will continue to heat as long as they remain in the warmer. The LED indicator light will tell you when the cycle is over, but the unit only shuts-off when you manually turn the dial to the off position. Since there is no audible beep for the end of the warming cycle, but would like notification, you'll need to set a second timer, which is additional work.

Strange Timers
The user manual includes heating times for different liquid amounts. Intuitively, it makes sense for an increase in contents to translate to an increase in time to warm. However, this manual indicates that bottles over 6 ounces will need 2 minutes less to heat than bottles between 4-6 ounces, and 2-3 ounce bottles will take a minute more to heat than 4-5 ounces. Why? We don't know, but it is something to be aware of.

philips avent fast bottle warmer review - we used a glass bottle with silicone sleeve during testing which...
We used a glass bottle with silicone sleeve during testing which could account for the lower content temperature we experienced when following the manufacturer's instructions.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Warming Efficiency


The Fast isn't all that fast, and even when it is, it doesn't heat very warm, earning it a so-so score for warming efficiency. At recommended settings, it took 3:30 to achieve a temperature of 63F using a 4 ounce Lifefactory Glass Bottle with silicone sleeve. With the ideal warmed temperature being close to 98, this could be too cool for some babies, especially those who regularly breastfeed. However, if you leave the bottle in the warmer, it will continue to heat, and over time you may learn the right amount of time required to heat your bottle to a temperature close to body temperature.

Test Temperature
You should always test the temperature of any food before giving it to your baby. Placing a few drops of liquid on the inside of your wrist is usually adequate to determine if the contents are too hot. Gently swirl the bottle to mix the liquid and avoid hot spots before testing.

This warmer doesn't require cooling before a subsequent bottle is heated, but if you use the same water as the first bottle, it could heat the second bottle to a higher temperature, even in the same setting.

philips avent fast bottle warmer review - the bottom of the fast is not accessible which means you can't wipe...
The bottom of the Fast is not accessible which means you can't wipe the heating plate clean.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Ease of Cleaning


The AVENT earned a slightly above average ranking for ease of cleaning with few parts and descaling every four weeks. Daily cleaning includes emptying the chamber, waiting for it to cool, and wiping the unit dry. Every four weeks, it requires de-scaling with a vinegar/cold water solution inside the running device for 10 minutes. The trouble with this unit is the design prevents the user from being able to reach the warming plate making it impossible to clean it with a cloth.

Manufacturer's Video



Juliet Spurrier, MD and Wendy Schmitz
 

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