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I would purchase the same again.
I'm not sure that I can add much that has not already been stated by others, but I will go over some of the concerns expressed by others and maybe add a few comments of my own.

First, there have been many concerns expressed about handles broken in shipping, handle strength, and handles burning up. On a scale of 1-10, I would rate the strength of the handles about a 7.5 to 8. My pans arrived in perfect shape, but I can see how the handles might break if the package were badly mishandled. I believe this is the weakest feature of this pressure cooker. As long as I don't drop the pressure cooker on the handle, I don't expect to have any problem, and who is to say that any heavy pan with a bakelite handle will survive a fall to the floor. As to the comment about the handles burning up, I find it absurd. The only way the handles would burn would be if they were exposed to a very close source of heat, like a burner or a broiler. The fourth (4th) warning in the manual says not to put the pans in the oven. Nuff said.

I purchased the duo combi set. It includes two different sized bottoms for cooking small and large dinners, a steamer basket, a glass lid, and a simple triangular wire designed to keep the steamer off the bottom of the large bottom pan. The whole system works well. In the month I have owned the pressure cooker, I have used both sizes of pans and appreciate the ability to size the pan to my requirements. I also like having the glass lid that I can put on the pan after I'm finished pressure cooking and just want to keep things warm while I finish up other things.

Finally, like others, I was a bit concerned about using a pressure cooker because of all of the things I've heard of older style cookers, but after seeing this unit, I can understand how it would not be possible for it to blow food everywhere like old, poorly designed cookers might. The main reason this unit is safer is that the lid has a gap, perhaps 1" to 1-1/2" that exposes the gasket at all times. If the pan were to over pressurize, the gasket would simply push through this gap and pressure would be released well before dangerous levels. I would have been a lot more comfortable with this purchase if I had understood that design feature.

Cooking is getting more fun!
This Fagor pressure cooker is so wonderful! I got out 4 pressure cooking cookbooks from the library that were highly rated on Amazon so I could try them out to decide which one to buy. The 8 quart cooker is the perfect size for meals that feed the 10 people over 13 years old that are living in our home right now. I haven't used the pasta basket yet. I love how I can cook whole grain rices, like brown rice or mixes of rice with brown and wild rices in a lot less time. I followed the cookbooks suggestions and cooked a lot and then froze it in batches to heat in the microwave to use. Turns out great. Forgot to soak dry beans overnight? No problem. 20 minutes in the pressure cooker, that includes time to bring it to pressure and cool off, and the larger beans are recipe ready. Smaller beans would go faster. This is a time saver and energy saver since all foods cook so much faster that you leave your stove on for much less time and you aren't running an electrical device like a crockpot for hours. Food tastes fabulous. Well, when I'm using these cookbooks they do. Stew beef used in the chilis were so tender after a half hour total cooking time, including time to bring to pressure. The activity taking the most time is the preparation of the food to put in the cooker, not the cooking itself. This is a wonderful alternative for working people who usually have little time to cook the food when they get home from work/school. Some food prep can be done in advance to just throw into the cooker afterwards. You have to pay attention to the cooker a little while bringing it up to pressure...just stay nearby to notice it, then turn the temp down and set the timer for the prescribed cooking time at that pressure.

The cooker is so elegant looking too and no jittery weight on the top, just a little spring loaded button to pop up when at pressure and the occasional escape of steam while maintaining the pressure. As long as you follow instructions and don't take too long to turn the temp down when at pressure, you'll do great.

Just when cooking large meals was getting tedious, I made this wonderful find. Life is fun again!

Great for dried beans
I make soup a lot and for winter, hearty 15 bean soup or split pea soup are favorites. I also make hummus a lot. I read on a recipe site that hummus made from dried beans just doesn't get the texture as good as canned beans. Well, if you cook the garbanzo beans in a pressure cooker, the texture is great. And the skins fall right off. So if you like hummus, make it with dried beans soaked then cooked in a pressure cooker for great results at a great price. As for the Fagor Duo I use both pans a lot both as pressure cookers and non-pressure with the glass lid. A great value.

I'm so happy I bought the combination set
I spent a lot of time looking at reviews before I bought a pressure cooker. I investigated the premium brands, but wasn't sure if I would use a pressure cooker often enough to justify the premium prices. I finally went the middle-of-the-road route, and bought the Fagor Duo combination. Great choice for us. These are serious pots -- I've made a few coconut milk curries, and no scorching on the bottom of the pans. Stews and soups are fantastic -- it really does taste like you've been cooking all day. The smaller pot makes perfect pilaf in just a few minutes. The only downside is that I find sometimes the pressure gauge doesn't "pop" on its own immediately -- when I see lots of steam by the handle, and squeeze the bottom and top handles together, it usually pops up. Small issue though, really. The food has been fantastic.

We love this cooker!!!!!!!!!!!!
A wonderful genius pressure cooker. We love it so much, my husband asked me to write a review. We live at 9,318 feet and use this cooker every day. It is well worth every penny. We have used a 20 year old cooker and a newer presto (it was good), but this set is GREAT.