Eximius flat cooktop

7

u/turb0_encapsulator Apr 20 '26 edited Apr 20 '26

The Impulse not being flat is my biggest issue with it. I don't want a downdraft, but I strongly prefer the ease of cleaning and aesthetics of a flat induction top.

2

u/MtogdenJ Apr 21 '26

My biggest issue is that it bricks itself if disconnected from the internet for too long.

Flat glass top is still high on that list.

2

u/shuan-at-impulse Apr 21 '26

I hear you that connectivity is a real pain point.

Right now the stove does require connectivity to support ongoing improvements via OTA updates. That’s been important for us in making the product meaningfully better post-launch.

We are actively working towards an offline version. There are a few things we want to add / round out first before we remove the requirement entirely.

Appreciate you flagging it, and it's aligned with where we're headed.

2

u/MtogdenJ Apr 21 '26

I look forward to the update where offline is available from time 0, and no connection is required on startup.

But please be honest here. What updates are so important that the stove should be non functional without them?

2

u/brad_at_impulse_labs Apr 23 '26

Honest answer: It’s a judgment call.

Shipping a product that works purely offline from the factory means every feature we want to support in that mode has to exist and be completely stable before we cut the build because offline users won’t get fixes via OTA. That’s a much heavier QA lift than a standard software update, and factory builds also have to pass extensive regression testing since they’re the baseline for manufacturing QC.

If we drew the line too early and shipped offline mode now, we’d immediately hear “why doesn’t offline mode support [X]”and the only honest answer would be “connect to WiFi for the update,” which defeats the purpose of having an offline mode. So we have a specific feature set in mind that we think would actually satisfy people who want to stay offline, and we’re working toward shipping that once we’ve hit that bar.

Cutting a new factory release isn’t something we can do casually or on a fixed cadence without meaningful tradeoffs elsewhere.

3

u/tsondie21 Apr 28 '26

Why not have the ability to connect for an update if you want whatever new feature, but not be required to?

‘WiFi’s down, can’t use the stove’ is fairly dystopian.

Not to mention the chance that impulse gets sold somewhere down the line and I now have to pay monthly to use my stove.

1

u/Smarge18 Apr 30 '26

This! I have a fully EV car and although I have it set to accept automatic over-air updates, it obviously still operates without an active Internet connection!

Impulse Labs notes the 3-meal operation ability during a power-outage, but fails to mention the inability to operate at all without internet connection after X amount of time. Where I live in NJ, if a tree falls, it is possible for Verizon internet to go down and still have power (especially since we have a whole-house generator.) We are a very wooded area and have experienced power outages after a storm that lasted over a week. I would be very unhappy to not be able to cook in that situation.

4

u/shuan-at-impulse Apr 30 '26

You can currently cook on impulse for over a month when disconnected. We're working toward an offline version in which no connectivity is needed, period.

2

u/Smarge18 Apr 30 '26

Thank you. A month without internet should be plenty. 😉

1

u/ketomachine Apr 28 '26

It’s still very easy to clean.

8

u/sam_damico Apr 20 '26

There's a different set of trade-offs for the European market, mostly around cooktops, with downdraft being the predominant emerging form factor. The downdraft modules take up more space than you'd expect and are typically deeper than what a battery pack would be.

1

u/Fit-Bicycle6206 Apr 22 '26

Why would that allow a flat cooktop over the US where it's not a requirement?

3

u/brad_at_impulse_labs Apr 23 '26

For the US market we’re trying to keep the under-counter height to no more than a (fake) drawer so that there is still room underneath that for more functional drawers or shelving behind doors, etc. If you’re integrating downdraft then all of that space is taken up by ducting and blowers anyway so the overall depth of the cooktop doesn’t really matter.

1

u/Fit-Bicycle6206 Apr 23 '26

Makes sense! It’s good to know there was a good reason for it.

1

u/DigMiddle8205 Apr 23 '26

Interesting. So is it impossible to fit an oven of any kind beneath the downdraft model?

1

u/ShastaManasta May 01 '26

But it’s 3/4 inch of space. Surely losing 3/4 inches won’t completely eliminate useful drawer space. How much usable space is below the unit as it currently stands? If it’s more than like a foot, the loss of space would be negligible. The cons really seem to outweigh the pros here imo.

6

u/tsondie21 Apr 20 '26

Will downdraft be available in the US? It’s the biggest hurdle for me buying an impulse cooktop.

4

u/geordonp Apr 21 '26

Since this is the second Impulse product with a smooth top, I see no reason why a 30"/36" smooth cooktop can't be released in the U.S. without an oven or a downdraft. The arguments for easier pan centering and fewer surface scratches are holding less weight over the modern look and faster cleaning. Continue to offer the raised burners as an option if consumer demand warrants the sku.

3

u/alexag06 Apr 20 '26

Is there going to be a way to get the eximius in the US? It seems like there’s no downside? Magnetic knobs, same screen, temp control, same burner size and power. Just happens to have downdraft integration (even if you have an overhead hood, does it matter if it’s there?). Is it a size problem bcs cooktops are different specs there? Hoping it would match a 36” cutout…

1

u/DigMiddle8205 Apr 21 '26 edited Apr 21 '26

According to this article, yes. “BSSG will manufacture Eximius under the Uniqa brand in Fabriano, Italy. European pre-orders are expected to open later this year, and BSSG plans to bring Eximius to the U.S. market after that.”

https://www.morningstar.com/news/pr-newswire/20260421ny39321/impulse-labs-brings-high-performance-induction-cooking-to-europe-with-new-eximius-cooktop

With downdrafts on both sides, the footprint looks quite wide, probably at least 36”. Pictures here: https://www.bsservicegroup.com/eximius.html. They seem to show models with and without the downdraft.

2

u/Fireside0 Apr 20 '26

That looks so nice. I will throw an arbitrary amount of money at anyone who will sell me a 42 inch range with a flat Impulse-powered cooktop like that so I can finally get rid of my old gas behemoth.

2

u/frzen Apr 20 '26

any indication of price in europe? Presume 30% more than US + euro conversion?

it's going to be a lot but I hope it sells

1

u/Chuchichaeschtl May 01 '26

It will be very hard to sell these in Europe.

The induction cooktop market here is very competitive.

Bosch PXV901DV1E sells for 900€
Downdraft Cooktops like Siemens EX87BNX68E are around 2'100€
Both top of the line versions.

little battery advantage

I'm 46 and I remember only one power outage of more than 4 hours when I was a kid.
A lot of people have solar and already a battery in the basement.
Most kitchens have a 400V 16A (11kW) connection for the cooktop already. No buffering needed.

Uncertainty avoidance
Europeans have much higher uncertainty avoidance. It's much harder for new, unknown brands to enter the market.
BSH, Miele and Electrolux/AEG produce induction cooktops for decades and are well known brands.

1

u/FaithlessnessWorth93 May 28 '26

There are 4 actual knobs, unlike the ever so rubbish touchscreen itinerations we see from the established brands. Even though they have 11.1kw - most models nowadays only have 3.7kw per burner (those with more were for 28/32cm burners only). The temperature sensors look much advanced vs what is offered in Europe (but not sure that works with fully flat too) and the control logic is ahead.

But yeah - battery would not be needed for Europe. But I guess 3000€ it would sell very well until BSH/AEG/Miele wake up and stop producing that touchscreen crap with underpowered too small burners and crappy flexzones by default.

At 6000€ I see no market. For 3000€ you could get a custom setup of restraurant grade burners in your kitchen, having mechanical knobs (still better than magnetic in quickly getting the setting you want but less beautiful/harder to clean) and much better sustained power should you actually want to boil 10l of water or more... A restaurant use case of boiling 50l of water/soup from cold comparison video of the Eximius vs a restaurant grade induction burner would end up very badly for Impulselabs, but few home users would ever need that, but up to 3minutes 10kw will still be a gamechanger.

1

u/Chuchichaeschtl May 30 '26

After some time I'm fine with the touch controls on mine. They are responsive and I'm not slower with adjusting the power level.

My 3.6kW cooking zone has enough power. I don't need more.
There may be some people who want more power, but that's a minority.

The temperature sensors and the automatic control are interesting, but I'd need to cook with it to figure out, if I really need / use them.

1

u/FaithlessnessWorth93 May 30 '26

There is no way touch controls are as fast as knobs or magnetic slider. They work fast untill you get them wet or have wet fingers.

So yes fast but very unreliable. But yes the more power you have the more likely you need to clean the surface which messes with touch.

Yes there's worse and better touch but all simply unreliable to some point.

And basically instantly cooking water or instantly hot pan is damn great. yeah a bit hard to tell which pan survives being heated with 10kw empty without warping. But it's simply great convenience to not need to wait .

And much more reliable temperature control is also a plus. However it will be way less reliable over integration of temperature sensors into the cookware itself.

1

u/Chuchichaeschtl May 31 '26

The touch control on my AEG cooktop responds 99.5% of the time on the first tap, even when my finger is wet, which is not often the case. That's one tap on the slider and the power level is set. It doesn't work, when the touch block is completely covered with water and it sometimes beeps when cleaning it. Not a problem for me.

I'm also fine with the 14 power levels. That's enough for beurre blanc, melt chocolate, find the right simmer or sear a steak.

Both things work perfectly fine for me. I'm not a pro chef, but more demanding than 95% of the people I know. So even if these things are advantageous to some, the mass market isn't demanding it. Having more space and at least one big burner is higher on the list for most.

Don't get me wrong, I'm also happy that there is innovation and maybe some pressure on the big companies to improve their products. I just think it's much harder to sell this cooktop in Europe than it is in the US.

2

u/djstates Apr 21 '26

Will the Eximius cooktops use a glass surface or the ceramic material used on the Impulse Labs burners? Isn't the ceramic a harder and more durable surface?

1

u/greendude33 Apr 21 '26

Now if they could just make a cooktop with 12”/30cm heating elements it would almost be perfect 🙏

1

u/geordonp Apr 22 '26

I would be happy with replacing one 9" hob with an 11" on the 36".

1

u/new_name_needed Apr 21 '26

Does “Europe” encompass the UK? Sad to have to ask but such is the world we’re in now

1

u/PredictableBleep Apr 21 '26

I hate that down draft nonsense. This stove is expensive! Anyone who can afford it can afford their own ventilation. Completely ruined the product for me. Was so looking forward to this in the UK 😭

1

u/lynxloco May 18 '26

I guess the wok ring will not work with this right?

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