I put this little dude into action last week end and it worked great. I can cook 6 nice sized pancakes at once on it. That's kind of a win for me as I find it frustrating to cook 2 pancakes at a time. Since I tend to "breakfast cook" with the lid open, I didn't really notice any excessive heat build up. The griddle is a real nice all around temp when the flame is kept on low. Also, very even griddle heat due to the circular design of the burner. Looking back I wished I wasn't in such a hurry when I built it.....It has a pretty "made in Pakistan look" to it! But it works!