Those with anovas..impressions after having used it for a few months

I use mine at least once every couple of weeks, and most weeks it gets some use. I'm just beginning to tap into the possibilities with it. Bought 10 pounds of leg quarters last week, separated the legs from the thighs and cooked all at once to the perfect temp; now they're sitting in the freezer ready to either put on the grill to sear and add sauce or into the frying pan if we want to have fried chicken. All I'll need to do is thaw and sear at that point and no worries about the chicken being under or overcooked.

Just one example. It makes the best steaks I've had, as well as the most flavorful steelhead trout that is perfectly cooked. Hell, I even smoked a brisket for a few hours and then put in the water bath, which let me sort of smoke during the week and then have sandwiches the next day. It was definitely a compromise, but better than oven-baking by a mile and something I couldn't have done during the week the traditional way.

I would definitely buy it again; I paid either $200 or $250 for the 2nd generation Anova back in September.

I’ve had mine since Christmas 2014 and did not use it for much for first few months. 8 months ago my wife birthed our baby and I’ve used it more since then. On average I use it about once/week and would use more if I was better planning ahead. I’ve only done meats and fish and the biggest difference from baking, grilling, etc is the consistency you’ve probably read about. Others will probably have more to say about it, but yes, it makes a taste difference. If you think food texture is important to taste then the difference is even greater. Next time you have a steak, cut to separate the pink, red, and gray parts and you'll probably find there's a difference in taste. If you're going to order something cooked to temperature because you like that temperature, then it makes sense to me to have the whole piece cooked to that temperature you like (and not just the middle).

At first I used gallon or quart ziplock freezer backs and it generally worked fine. A few time some water got into the bag that it annoyed me enough that I invested in a vacuum sealer. I do not advise investing in a vacuum sealer exclusively for sous vide (unless you have the money), but if you expect you’ll use it for other stuff like freezing then it’s worth it. For example, I’ll smoke a pork shoulder and freeze one pound portions for future use in tacos, sandwiches, pastas, chili, etc. Vacuum sealer also allowed me to just drop bag in the water and worry less about clipping. But when I do, I use a one or two inch binder clip.

Because of the baby, our dinner time has to be flexible. Sous vide means we can pop something in to cook that we can eat anywhere from 630-830 when we can find time to eat together. For example, it’ll be finished at 630 but it can stay in water without really overcooking. It’s not that sous vide food never overcooks, but it is very forgiving. It allows for people on a busy schedule to let the water bath do the cooking and not worry about having to pull meal out of oven or off grill at a specific time in fear of overcooking.

The downside is really only planning ahead, and let's an issue of the machine or process itself and more of a personal issue that I don't always think ahead.

I have had my Anova for year and use it every couple of weeks. I'm hooked and recommend it all the time. I do gallon ziplocks.

It's my go-to method for steaks as the internal temp will be exactly what you want for the entire thickness and it gives me the flexibility to finish/sear the steaks at my leisure or whenever guests arrive.

My best sear method is with a white-hot cast iron skillet on an outside propane burner after the steaks are dipped in butter and sprinked with salt/pepper. Trying to finish steak on a regular stove or range will be too slow and not give you a good sear until you've over-cooked the steaks.

I've had awesome results with pork loin. I marinated in a gallon bag overnight and then just transferred the bag to the water bath 3 hrs before dinner time. Quick sear and its good to go.

My most ambitious project was a front quarter from wild boar put in the bath frozen solid and cooked for 36 hours before searing and adding seasoning. Incredibly tender and the gaminess was barely detectable, probably due to the long cook time.

Love mine! Best steaks ever! Perfectly cooked inside how I like them. Finish in cast iron skillet high heat one minute each side. Bernzomatic blow torch to the sides of the steak. Easiest cooking on earth. Put in ziploc gallon bags submerge partially open and let the water push the air out. Seal, large paper clip to hold .
Great to know it's ready in an hour or if I don't feel like eating then, then can wait another two to three hours.
Can't live without mine.

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any downsides?

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Yes. If you post any success here, you'll be ridiculed by those without a clue not only because of the longer controlled cook time, but also because you didn't prepare it in a traditional manner.

The witch hunters have wanted my head on a plate many times.

For instance, here's a pic of tonight's dinner...sous vide hanger steak, roasted turnip and carrot, just before I sauced it.

I love mine. Definitely worth it's weight in gold for steak alone. Not to mention perfectly juicy chicken, burgers, and pork loin. I wish I would have gotten the wifi version so I could start it while at work.