Tower, T17100, Vortx Vizion 9L Dual Basket Air Fryer with Digital control panel & 10 One-touch Pre-sets, Black

What it is and who it's for

The Tower Vortx Vizion T17100 is a dual-basket air fryer aimed at households wanting more cooking flexibility without the premium price tag. At 9L total capacity split between two 4.5L baskets, it appeals to families seeking simultaneous cooking of different foods or portion control for couples and smaller households. It's positioned firmly in the mid-market—well above the budget 5L Tower model at £54.99, but beneath the premium Ninja offerings that exceed £199.

If you're torn between simplicity and capacity, this hits an awkward middle ground. You're paying more for dual baskets than a single 9-10L unit costs, but gaining genuine functionality rather than unnecessary complexity. That trade-off matters depending on your cooking habits.

Design and build

The T17100 follows Tower's familiar aesthetic: matte black plastic with straightforward lines. It's not particularly distinguished, but it's honest about what it is. The build quality feels adequate rather than premium—the plastic doesn't feel flimsy, but it won't win awards for material selection against stainless steel competitors like the Philips Essential Air Fryer.

The dual-basket layout physically separates your cooking zones, which is the key design decision here. Unlike the Ninja Foodi FlexDrawer's removable divider system, these are fixed compartments. That means no flexibility if you want to cook one large item, but also no fumbling with partition pieces mid-meal.

The digital control panel is straightforward: physical buttons and a small LCD display rather than a touchscreen. This keeps costs down and removes potential failure points. You're not getting smart connectivity or app controls—it's entirely mechanical, which suits the price point.

Performance

The Vortx circulation technology is essentially Tower's answer to Ninja's dual-zone heating. In practice, it means air moves efficiently through both baskets, though actual performance depends heavily on proper basket loading. Cramming food too densely defeats any circulation system.

Heating speed is respectable but not exceptional. The unit reaches 200°C in roughly 3-4 minutes, which is standard for this class. Cooking times align with typical air fryer expectations: frozen chips in about 12-15 minutes, chicken breasts in 14-16 minutes depending on thickness. Nothing remarkably fast or slow.

Consistency is where dual baskets prove their worth. You can cook chips in one basket and fish in the other without flavour transfer, and both finish evenly. A single-basket design with this capacity would lack that flexibility. However, if you need different temperatures—say, 180°C and 200°C simultaneously—you're out of luck. Both baskets run at identical temperatures, which limits some cooking scenarios.

The 4.5L basket size is notably smaller than the 5.2L baskets found in the Cosori TurboBlaze, meaning you'll load more frequently if handling larger batches. This is a practical consequence of the dual-basket design.

Key features

The 10 one-touch presets cover basics: chips, chicken, vegetables, reheating and several others. They're genuinely convenient for everyday cooking, though anyone exploring air fryer recipes beyond the manual will quickly ignore them. These presets are identical across both baskets—you can't have one running a custom temperature whilst the other uses a preset.

Independent basket controls are the marquee feature here. Each basket has its own power and temperature controls, meaning you can cook one basket longer, stop one early, or run different programs. This actually works well in practice and justifies the "dual basket" terminology over cheaper competitors.

The 9L capacity sits comfortably between the original 5L Tower (which genuinely feels cramped for families) and larger single-basket models. Two 4.5L baskets handle a family meal split across proteins and sides reasonably well, though you're cooking sequentially if both items are the same type.

Value versus competitors

At £159.99, the T17100 occupies strange pricing territory. The cheaper Tower Vortx 5L at £54.99 is £105 less but offers half the capacity and no dual-basket benefits. Jump to the Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone AF400UK (£199.99, 4.8★ rating) and you're paying just £40 more for better reviews and faster cooking performance.

The Cosori TurboBlaze (£89.99) sits below this model but offers larger 6L baskets in a single-zone design—if you don't need simultaneous cooking, you're spending £70 less for more usable cooking volume.

The Philips Essential XL (£109.99) is another single-basket compromise: cheap enough to question whether dual baskets justify the price difference, yet lacking the performance reputation of either brand.

The Ninja Foodi FlexDrawer (£229.99) is the premium player with removable dividers and superior heating, but it's £70 more—a significant jump. The 4.7★ rating suggests it delivers something measurably better, though reviews alone don't reveal whether that premium is justified for your cooking needs.

Honestly, the T17100's pricing makes sense only if you specifically want dual baskets. If you don't care about cooking two things simultaneously, the Cosori or Philips offer better value. If you need genuine air fryer excellence, the Ninja Foodi MAX edges ahead for just £40 more.

Verdict

The Tower Vortx Vizion T17100 is a competent, functional air fryer that solves a specific problem: simultaneous cooking of different foods in one unit. The independent basket controls work properly, the heating is consistent, and the build quality is adequate for the price.

But it's honest work rather than standout performance. The 4.6★ rating from 4,500 Amazon reviews reflects a consensus: it's good, not exceptional. It doesn't cook faster than competitors, doesn't innovate technologically, and doesn't deliver better results than cheaper or more expensive alternatives. It simply does dual-basket cooking adequately.

Recommend it if you genuinely want independent basket functionality and the price point suits your budget. If you're choosing between this, the Cosori, and the Ninja Foodi MAX, ask yourself whether dual baskets are worth £70 more than Cosori or whether spending £40 extra on a superior Ninja makes better sense. For many households, one of those alternatives will prove the smarter purchase.