I have OPINIONS haha.

My DH got me the InstaPot after my second, smaller, older crockpot died. I think he was hoping we could therefor get rid of the newer larger crockpot, AND the pressure cooker.

I use a slow cooker FAR more often than I use a pressure cooker (because I want to eat when I get home, not start cooking). The instructions with the InstaPot are extremely detailed on how to use it for pressure cooking, but next to nothing about how to slow cook in it. As far as I can make out, there is ONE setting, which is to slow cook on high for 4 hours and then revert to keep warm. No options for changing the heat or the length of time. Also the insert is smaller. This is fine for making a meal for 2 (since you want it fairly full, although a piece of foil on top of the food also prevents drying out if it's less than 2/3 full). But it is not big enough for the turkey or goose carcass for stock-making, so I am keeping my old one too (it's just stashed in the pantry instead of out on the counter in the appliance garage).

As a pressure cooker... I read through the manual/cookbook once, when I got it, I don't want to reread it every time I cook something. I recall the rough outline of 4 minutes for beef and 6 minutes for chicken once it comes to full pressure. That is nowhere in the instructions that I can find. My chief annoyance is that the pressure-release valve is very finicky: twice I have cooked with it and it never reached pressure because although the valve was on it apparently was not on "right". Which means instead of under 10 minutes the meal takes over 30 to cook, in which case I would do it on the stove top so I can poke it and add stuff!

Oh and I still want my manual pressure cooker because it can't be beat when you are cooking on a boat with one burner and limited stove fuel...

L'Abeille--thank you for those opinions! Probably, I would notice and fret over those same issues. My slow cooker recently died, but I always appreciated the oval shape and size, which allowed me to cook a full chicken or other bird. Round shapes have never seemed as convenient to me. I was wondering about that. Also, It would drive me nuts if the pressure valve failed to work properly--although, I am more scared of explosion than the annoyance of failing to come to pressure. I grew up with the old-fashioned, heavy, stove top pressure cooker and it freaked me out.

The bonus with the InstaPot for slow cooking, is that you can also use it to brown the meat/onions at the beginning, in the same pot. Neglecting that step is what makes a lot of slow cooked dishes all grey and same-tasting. And the bonus for pressure cooking is that the food doesn't burn on the bottom, the way it did in my heavy stove-top pressure cooker (because of course you can't stir stuff to keep it from sticking), and it goes in the dishwasher which is a breeze for cleanup.

So I guess I do like it, I just wish the manual was better. I don't need a cookbook with new recipes, I need principles and techniques.

Although for those who do want recipes, recently an InstaPot cookbook, and more recently a vegetarian InstaPot cookbook, were available for free download on Kindle (which by the way you can do to a free Kindle app on your computer, you don't need a specialized ereader).

It has never bothered me to brown things in a skillet first and then add them to the slow cooker. Really, it's no big deal.

OK I have to update. Tonight I made polenta in the Instant Pot. The manual/cookbook didn't have it, just a generic Porridge setting, so I googled. The recipe and technique I found not only worked beautifully (faster and easier than my rice cooker version, that itself is faster and easier than stovetop), but explained in straightforward fashion how to make the pressure release valve work properly, and how to adjust the time!

Here's another article about the instant pot. It's funny, until a few weeks ago I had never heard of it.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/0.....hone-share

I only recently heard about the Instant Pot, too. I just ordered it for DH, the family cook who also enjoys it, for Valentine's Day -- but it won't arrive in time!!! Boo, hoo. So aggravating, but I didn't want to order another brand. I may get the super fancy one for DD for Xmas; she would be into the Apps and FB page. I think it's a bit too much technology for DH.

I'm intrigued but I have a crockpot and a rice cooker so I'm not inclined to buy another kitchen gadget because I don't have a big kitchen. Of course maybe I should think of it as consolidating 2 items into 1.....hmmmm.