Chefman Air Fryer 6-in-1 (RJ38-RDO-14B): problems, parts and running costs

Checked: 2026-10-14

Summary

The documented issues are uneven cooking from overcrowded racks and white smoke from fatty food; there are no filters, pods or replacement parts to buy, so keeping it running costs electricity only for the 1700 W element. It is a good buy when an off-brand storefront lists it near the $89.99 reference or below; at the $149.99 chefman.com and Best Buy price it is out-evidenced by Chefman’s own RTINGS-tested 10-Quart model at $139.99.

Common problems and fixes

White smoke from fat — the manual warns that fatty foods can produce white smoke; avoid fatty foods and wipe the interior with a damp cloth after the unit cools. Not a defect: the 1-year limited warranty covers manufacturer defects in materials and workmanship, not misuse or poor maintenance [2].
Uneven cooking — the manual names overcrowding and skipping the midway rack swap as the cause; its own recipes split 1–2 lb across two racks and tell you to swap rack positions halfway for even cooking [2]. The tested 10-Quart sibling fried 30% of fries undercooked (58% crispy, 12% overcooked), so unevenness is the family’s known weak point [3]. The warranty does not cover cooking results [2].
Non-crispy food — the manual lists no oil and no preheat as the causes [2]; most functions need no preheat (Bake preheats before its countdown), and the Hi-Fry button adds a fixed 450°F burst for the final 2 minutes of cycles of 5 minutes or longer [2].
Slow preheat — RTINGS called the 10-Quart sibling’s preheat “somewhat slowly” [3]; plan around it or stick to functions that skip preheating [2].
Rotisserie limits — the spit is capped at 4 lb, Chefman recommends a 3–3.5 lb trussed chicken so it clears the cavity, and ROTATE is unavailable on Broil, Reheat and Dehydrate [2]. Not fixable; size the bird to the spit.
Feature-count mismatch — sold as “6-in-1”, but Chefman documents five cooking functions (Air Fry, Bake, Broil, Reheat, Dehydrate) plus a separate ROTATE mode, and Hi-Fry is a fixed 2-minute burst rather than a sustained 450°F setting [1][2]. Set expectations before buying, not after.

Parts and consumables

No replaceable parts or consumables reported. There are no filters, pods or cartridges — the only running input is electricity [1][2]. Chefman lists no separate repair-parts program for this model; the user-serviceable items are the door (removable at a 45° angle for cleaning), the three wire racks, the baking sheet/drip pan and the rotisserie spit. The racks, pan and spit are top-rack dishwasher safe; the manufacturer page leaves the drip pan out of its dishwasher claim while the manual includes it, so hand-wash that pan to be safe [1][2].

Yearly running cost

Electricity only. The unit runs a 1700 W element and has no filters, pods, cartridges or subscriptions, so there are no consumable costs [1][2]. Recurring ownership cost is negligible beyond power.

When it is a good buy

Chefman direct lists the RJ38-RDO-14B at $149.99 (chefman.com, October 2026) [1]; Best Buy lists the same unit at $149.99 [4]. At that level the extra 4 qt buys unproven evenness next to Chefman’s own 10-Quart Multifunctional Air Fryer+ at $139.99, which has real lab-test history [3].
A Newegg marketplace listing (sold by B-IN Electronics) asks $249.99 — a clear outlier to avoid [5].
Off-brand storefronts show deal clips of $45.00–$53.99 against a stated $89.99 reference — low-confidence mirrors, not reliable price anchors [6][8].
Sibling RJ38-RDO-13P, a same-family 13/14-quart variant, lists at $114.99 on chefman.com [7] — the better choice when you want this capacity for less.

Named alternatives:

Chefman 10-Quart Multifunctional Air Fryer+ (RJ38-10-RDO-V2), $139.99 direct — the better choice when tested evenness matters more than 4 extra quarts; RTINGS has instrumented this model [3].
Chefman RJ38-RDO-13P, $114.99 on chefman.com — the better choice when you want the bigger cavity at a lower price and accept that it is a different, untested SKU [7].