I love fried food but hate the thick and sticky grease mess it makes. I needed a fast way to make fresh, hot snacks on a lazy Sunday afternoon in my kitchen. That is how I began testing the Ninja SP101 Vs SP080 to see which one cooks the best flat meal. Both machines claim to save you time and space, but one is clearly the top choice for a smart cook.
Ninja SP101 Review
The Ninja SP101 is a sleek steel box that flips up fast. I bought it to save room on my tight and cramped kitchen counter. It cooks food fast and folds right up when you are fully done.
Pros and Cons
Here are the good and bad things I found while cooking my daily meals. Read this short list before you run out to spend your hard earned cash.
| Pros | Cons |
| It folds right up on its back hinge and frees up a whole lot of dead space on your kitchen counter. | The back part of the oven wall is very hard to scrub clean when you get baked on grease spots. |
| It heats up in just one quick minute to cook your hot food fast and save you a lot of time. | It does not hold tall food like a big fat whole bird or a tall thick cake pan at all. |
| It has a nice dry out mode to let you make your own beef jerky from fresh cuts of meat. | The loud fan makes a whole lot of noise while you cook your quick meal in the tight space. |
| The thick metal build feels very tough, strong, and made to last a long time in your busy home. | Hot grease can get stuck near the top heat glass tubes over a long stretch of hard daily use. |
Daily Life With The Flip Oven
I used this neat oven each day for two full months to see how well it holds up. I made crisp toast in the morning light and hot wings late at night when I got a bit hungry. The core heat is very strong and it gives all your food a great, loud crunch. You can hear a loud fan hum, but the fast cook time makes it well worth the loud noise.
The flip trick is what makes me love this box the most out of all my tools. I just fold it back on its hinge when my hot food is all done. It frees up space so I can chop my fresh green salad in peace. Thick grease does stick in the deep back, which is a big pain to wipe down with a sponge.
Recommendation
This oven is a great fit for folks who live in small homes with not much space. If you need counter room to chop your food, this flip oven is a great buy. It is a smart choice for busy folks who want their food fast right after a long work day. You get nice crisp fries without using much oil at all, which keeps your kitchen clean. It is not good for folks who cook huge meals for large groups of friends or big crowds. If you want to roast a whole big bird, this flat box is far too thin. It is also a bad pick if you hate cleaning tight, hard to reach spots in the back. You have to scrub the back wall quite a bit to keep it free from old burned oil. Still, it is a great tool to keep your kitchen neat, and the strong metal build is worth the cash.
Ninja SP080 Review
The Ninja SP080 is a low cost form of the big flip oven that aims to save you some money. I tried this one out when I had to make a quick hot meal and did not want to wait. It lacks a few traits but it still flips right up to save you a lot of room. The front controls are a bit more basic but they do the core job quite well. It is a very solid pick if you just want to keep your hard earned cash in your wallet.
Pros and Cons
Let us look at what works well and what falls quite short of the high mark. Here is my true and honest list of good and bad points for this low cost model.
| Pros | Cons |
| The price tag is much lower and saves you some good cash to spend on other kitchen tools. | The metal pan feels a bit thin and can get a slight warp when the heat gets far too high. |
| It flips up fast on its strong hinge just like the more costly model does for your space. | It lacks a nice mode to dry out food for when you want to make fruit bits or beef jerky. |
| Simple round knobs make it very easy for just a brand new cook or anyone to use. | The core build does not feel quite as tough or as strong as the high end steel model does. |
| It bakes a great flat pie with a nice and crisp crust that tastes great with fresh hot cheese. | You still have a very hard time trying to scrub the deep back walls to get the old grease off. |
Real Truth After Two Months
After a few months of hard use, I clearly see why folks like this base model so much. It cooks a flat pizza or hot fries in no time at all when you are very hungry. The front knobs are quite plain and do not take a long time to learn how to turn. You do give up a few of the fancy food modes, but it still gets the main job done well.
I did note the flat pan gets a slight bend when the box gets very hot inside. It pops right back into shape, but it feels a bit cheap to me when I hold it. Still, the core cooking heat is strong and cooks your meal in an even way. It is a very handy and neat tool for a quick hot snack on a late night.
Recommendation
This low cost choice is a nice fit for young students on a very tight budget. If you just want a quick way to bake and fry your snacks, it does the trick well. It is a great fit for a small dorm room or a tight flat where space is tight. You will love how it folds up out of your way to save room on your desk or counter. It is not a good choice for a pro chef who wants top grade, thick steel tools. If you want to dry fruit or make your own jerky, you must look at a far high end tool. It is also not good for folks who want thick, heavy pans that stay flat at all times. The light thin tray can bend when the heat gets up far too high on a hot bake. It serves best as a basic tool for quick, flat food and saves you some nice cash.
Detail Comparison for Ninja SP101 Vs SP080
Choosing the right flat oven can make your head spin a bit when you look at the specs. Both ovens look much the same and do a lot of the same basic hot air tricks. Let us break down the key facts to help you choose the best fit for your home.
Capacity & Size: Ninja SP101 Vs SP080
Both of these ovens share the exact same wide and flat box shape on your desk. They hold a wide crust pie or a tray of hot fries with ease and cook them well. You can not fit tall things like a huge thick cake in them since the top is low.
| Feature Focus | Ninja SP101 Model Facts | Ninja SP080 Model Facts |
| Total Foot Print | Wide and flat, takes up a lot of space when it lies flat down. | Wide and flat, takes up a lot of space when it lies flat down. |
| Flip Up Trick | Folds up tall on a hinge to free up your whole front counter. | Folds up tall on a hinge to free up your whole front counter. |
| Pan Size Fit | Holds a nice big thirteen inch flat pie crust for a hot meal. | Holds a nice big thirteen inch flat pie crust for a hot meal. |
| Tall Food Space | Very poor, you can not fit a whole fat bird in this tight box. | Very poor, you can not fit a whole fat bird in this tight box. |
Ninja SP101 Rating: 8/10
Ninja SP080 Rating: 8/10
Cooking Performance: Ninja SP101 Vs SP080
Both ovens push hot air fast to give food a nice crisp edge and a hot soft core. The base model cooks just fine but has less cook modes for you to pick from. The top tier model lets you dry foods out for nice jerky and toasts bread a bit more fast.
| Feature Focus | Ninja SP101 Model Facts | Ninja SP080 Model Facts |
| Fast Air Fry | Cooks hot wings fast with a deep, loud fan that blows hard. | Cooks hot wings fast with a deep, loud fan that blows hard. |
| Bake And Toast | Bakes good chip cookies and toasts bread very well for breakfast. | Bakes good chip cookies and toasts bread very well for breakfast. |
| Dry Out Food | Has a neat hot air mode to let you make your own beef jerky. | Does not have a mode to let you dry out your food or meat at all. |
| Heat Evenness | Heat moves well so all your food cooks the exact same way. | Heat moves well but seems a bit less tight and true on the edge. |
Ninja SP101 Rating: 9/10
Ninja SP080 Rating: 7/10
Ease of Use: Ninja SP101 Vs SP080
The front knobs and clear bright screens make both ovens simple to run for a new cook. You do not need a thick book to learn how to cook your hot meal with these tools. The top tier one just feels a bit more smooth when you turn the dial in your hand.
| Feature Focus | Ninja SP101 Model Facts | Ninja SP080 Model Facts |
| Dial And Knob | The dial turns smooth and clicks to each set point with ease. | The dial works fine but feels just a bit loose and cheap to turn. |
| Clear Screen | The top screen glows bright and is nice and clear for you to see. | The top screen glows bright and shows the core facts you need. |
| Start And Stop | It has one big clear button to start or stop your hot meal fast. | It has one big clear button to start or stop your hot meal fast. |
| Time And Temp | It is fast to change the hot heat and time on the fly as you cook. | It is fast to change the hot heat and time on the fly as you cook. |
Ninja SP101 Rating: 9/10
Ninja SP080 Rating: 8/10
Cleaning & Maintenance: Ninja SP101 Vs SP080
I hate scrubbing baked old grease out of the dark back spots where my hand will not fit. Both of these ovens are tough to wipe down deep inside when you cook hot meat. A flat crumb tray slides out from the base to help dump out the loose dry bits.
| Feature Focus | Ninja SP101 Model Facts | Ninja SP080 Model Facts |
| Crumb Tray | It slides right out so you can wash it in the sink with warm soap. | It slides right out so you can wash it in the sink with warm soap. |
| Back Wall Scrub | It is hard to reach your hand in deep to wipe the tight back parts. | It is hard to reach your hand in deep to wipe the tight back parts. |
| Top Heat Tube | Grease spots get stuck to the hot glass tubes fast when you fry. | Grease spots get stuck to the hot glass tubes fast when you fry. |
| Pan Wash Up | The thick pan cleans up fast with some soap and a quick scrub. | The thin pan cleans up fast with some soap and a quick scrub. |
Ninja SP101 Rating: 5/10
Ninja SP080 Rating: 5/10
Build Quality & Design: Ninja SP101 Vs SP080
The sleek bright steel look of the top tier oven shines bright and clear on your clean desk. The base tier is fine but the core parts feel thin to the touch when you lift it up. Both have a neat smart design that looks sharp when set up on its back hinge.
| Feature Focus | Ninja SP101 Model Facts | Ninja SP080 Model Facts |
| Steel Body Frame | The thick strong case feels like a real pro chef tool in your home. | The case feels a bit thin but still works just fine for the main job. |
| Pan Build Feel | It is tough and thick, and does not bend in high strong heat. | It feels light and thin, and gets a bend when it gets quite hot. |
| Hinge Strength | It holds firm and strong when you flip it up high to save room. | It holds firm and strong when you flip it up high to save room. |
| Look And Style | It has a bright shiny look that fits a nice clean home very well. | It has a more plain dark look that blends in well with your room. |
Ninja SP101 Rating: 8/10
Ninja SP080 Rating: 6/10
Conclusion
Both of these ovens make quick work of a flat pie or a plate of hot crisp fries. The top tier box is built much better and has a few more food modes for you to use. If you want a top grade flip box that will last a long time, you should pick the top one. If you just want to save your cash and fry hot snacks, the base one works fine. You just need to pick the best fit that works for your own home and your set budget.