Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer BOV860BSS: What Reddit Actually Says

What Reddit Actually Says

The Breville BOV860BSS generates fierce loyalty — and a specific, documented set of failure modes. Owners who use it as a second oven tend to love it unconditionally. Owners who bought it expecting a serious air fryer are more complicated about it. Both camps agree on one thing: cleaning is a pain.

The Good

The single most repeated sentiment across threads is that people stop using their full-size oven entirely. One Redditor said:

> "I can't even tell you the last time I turned my oven on because I only use this toaster… I would buy it again in a heartbeat. It's perfect for cakes, small batches of cookies, toasting, roasting, and other baking."

That's not an isolated comment. Multiple owners in these threads report their wall oven has become storage. The BOV860BSS handles sourdough, whole chicken, Thanksgiving ham, and morning toast without complaint. Redditors who own one report it preheats faster than a full-size oven and cooks evenly across all those tasks.

Durability holds up for many owners too. One commenter noted their Breville oven is over 20 years old and still running — and they're frustrated it won't break so they have a reason to upgrade.

> "If it died tomorrow, I'd head straight to the store and buy another one."

That kind of repurchase intent shows up repeatedly.

The Bad

The air-fry function gets a consistent downgrade. Multiple owners call it "meh" and say a dedicated air fryer does it better. But the deeper concerns are mechanical.

One thread documents three separate failure points: a thermal fuse that blows without warning (a cheap part, but buried behind roughly 40 screws to access), a fan that develops a rattle around year two or three from worn bearings, and control panel buttons that start misfiring after heavy use. A commenter on one thread described the button problem directly:

> "You'd push the fan button and it would activate the frozen button instead."

The fan issue is the most troubling: Breville reportedly doesn't supply the replacement fan motor for North American models, meaning if it dies, repair isn't straightforward. The crumb tray design also draws complaints — oil seeps through seams and pools underneath the machine when cooking anything drippy.

> "I had one of these ovens for six months — that is until it caught fire. It was rarely used. After that I would never buy another Breville product as long as I live."

That's an outlier, but it's in the thread and shouldn't be scrubbed.

Who Should Skip It

Anyone buying this primarily as an air fryer will be disappointed — dedicated air fryers outperform it in that mode. Anyone who expects BIFL repairability should pause: a thermal fuse that requires near-full disassembly and a fan motor Breville won't sell you are real obstacles. If counter space is already tight and you already own a functioning oven, the consolidation argument weakens.

Bottom Line

As a countertop convection oven and toaster, the BOV860BSS earns its reputation — owners genuinely replace their full-size ovens with it and don't look back. Just go in knowing the air-fry mode is secondary, cleaning takes effort, and a few specific parts have documented failure histories that Breville hasn't made easy to address.

Check the current price on Amazon.ca