Olvy Sandwichmaker XXL

Four sandwiches at once, and a brand without a website

The Olvy Sandwich Maker XXL is an electric contact grill: two coated heating plates that close over the bread like a book or open flat by 180 degrees. Amazon lists it under model number ZJ-529 in the household goods product group. It costs approx. €60 (Amazon page on 20 October 2026: €59.99). In our electric grill category it sits among the contact grills, that is, appliances that cook bread, meat and vegetables between two hot surfaces rather than over embers or a gas flame.

What stood out first during research was the brand itself. We did not find a manufacturer website with a data sheet, nor an instruction manual as a PDF. Olvy appears online as a seller on marketplaces, not as a manufacturer with its own presence. Everything this text says about the appliance therefore comes from two sources: the five product descriptions and the master data in the Amazon catalogue (retrieved on 5 October 2026), and the product photo.

For an appliance that plugs into a socket and heats fat, that is little. We put it at the start because it colours every later assessment.

At least it is clearly described who Olvy built the grill for. The first product description addresses families and hosts whose guests should not have to wait in turn for their sandwich.

What the catalogue and product photo reveal

According to the catalogue, the heat is adjustable, and there is also a timer. Whether the temperature is set in steps or in degrees, and how long the timer runs, remains open. The heating plates are coated so that food does not stick, and Olvy promises that they wipe clean easily after use. Opened by 180 degrees, the appliance becomes an open cooking surface: Olvy names meat and grilled vegetables for this, and explicitly names indoor use as the place of use. Folded shut, the silver grill is meant to fit into a kitchen cupboard without taking much space. As a result, the manufacturer promises snacks that are crisp on the outside and melted on the inside, which is an advertising claim and not a property we were able to check.

The photo adds to the text in a few places. A bar handle with a silver rod sits over the lid. The upper plate has deep transverse ridges. Four slices of toast lie on the lower plate in two rows. At the front of the base sits a control panel with buttons on the left and right and a digital display, which shows 10:00 and 230 °C in the picture.

An advertising photo is not a data sheet. Whether 230 °C is the appliance’s maximum temperature or an arbitrary display value cannot be read from it, and we derive no specification from it. All that can be said with certainty: if the photo shows the production model, temperature and time are shown as numbers and not set with a dial and indicator light. The digital display in our data sheet above therefore rests on the photo alone; the catalogue text says nothing about digital controls.

The master data gives three dimensions, converted from inches: height approx. 38.5 cm, length approx. 37.5 cm, width approx. 15 cm. Whether they describe the closed appliance or the box is not noted. We do not calculate a plate size from them: catalogue dimensions include the base, bar handle and hinge, so the usable surface is always smaller and cannot be estimated from the outer shell.

In detail: pressing with the lid, cooking without it

A contact grill works in two modes, and the Olvy is meant for both.

When closed, the food lies between two heated plates. The heat comes from above and below at the same time, so a sandwich does not need turning, and the cooking time is shorter than in a pan. The ridges of the plate press into the bread and leave the typical stripes. Where the ridges touch, the surface browns more; in the gaps it stays paler. With meat, ridges have a second purpose: escaping fat collects in the grooves and, if the plate is slightly tilted, runs off to the front or back. Whether the Olvy’s plates are tilted and where the fat goes is open; the catalogue does not list a drip tray, and none is visible in the photo.

With “generously filled” sandwiches, as Olvy advertises them, the hinge matters. Many contact grills have a floating hinge that lifts the upper plate and lays it parallel on thick food. A fixed hinge, by contrast, closes at an angle, so thick fillings are pressed harder at the back than at the front. Which design the Olvy has is one of the gaps we collect below.

When opened, the appliance becomes a cooking surface made of two halves. Each half then heats from below only, so the food has to be turned as in a pan, and the cooking time lengthens accordingly. In return, more fits side by side, and thick pieces such as chicken breast or halved peppers are not squashed by the lid.

For meat, the Olvy lacks an aid that more expensive contact grills have: a sensor that measures thickness and regulates the heat accordingly. The timer only sets a time; it knows nothing about the state inside. With poultry and minced meat, we would not rely on it and would check with a probe thermometer. According to our core temperature chart, poultry must reach at least 72 °C, and the values for beef and pork are listed there too.

Is the Olvy enough for a family of four?

For a round of sandwiches, yes. Olvy states up to four at once, and the photo shows exactly four slices of toast side by side. Whether four portions of meat fit when opened cannot be said without a surface figure.

Two caveats belong here. The photo shows toast bread in a handy format. Ciabatta, baguette pieces or large slices of farmhouse bread need more space, and with such breads it would be three rather than four in our assessment. Second, a family is not only about the first round: if someone wants a second sandwich, the cycle starts again, and the catalogue does not describe how quickly the plates return to temperature after opening.

For meat, the situation is less favourable. Without a plate size, you cannot estimate whether four chicken breasts fit side by side or only two. For the Tefal appliances in the table below, the manufacturer gives the surface in square centimetres, and for a family that puts meat and vegetables on the contact grill in the evening, that is the more important figure than the sandwich count.

Our assessment: as a breakfast and snack appliance for four, the Olvy is designed for it according to the catalogue description. As a family’s main grill for the evening meal, we would prefer an appliance with a documented surface.

What the manufacturer does not state

The following points are missing in the Amazon catalogue, and because there is neither a manufacturer website nor instructions, they could not be looked up elsewhere either:

• Power in watts
• Temperature range, maximum temperature and number of levels or programmes
• Timer duration and whether it sounds a signal
• Size of the heating plates in centimetres
• Weight and cable length
• Material of housing and plates, type of coating
• Removable plates, dishwasher suitability, drip tray
• Overheating protection, non-slip feet, indicator lights
• Floating or fixed hinge
• Heating time
• Cool-touch handle or heat protection on the handle
• Scope of delivery, warranty terms, spare parts, country of production

The wattage weighs heaviest. It determines how quickly the plates get hot and how strongly they reheat after cold ingredients are placed on them, and it is the only figure with which you can match a contact grill against your kitchen’s circuit.

Retailer listings on other marketplaces do state wattage, temperature and plate size for an Olvy XXL appliance. We do not adopt these values: they are retailer texts, not manufacturer statements, and it is not certain whether they describe the same model ZJ-529.

Cleaning and safety when there are no instructions

For care, the catalogue has exactly one sentence, in essence: the coated heating plates prevent sticking and wipe clean easily after use. What you wipe with, whether the plates are removed for this, whether water may touch the appliance, and when it has cooled enough is not stated there.

That means we cannot give you a manufacturer’s care guide here. If a printed manual comes with the appliance, its wording takes precedence over everything in this section.

As a general rule for contact grills with fixed heating plates: unplug and let cool before touching the plates, and never immerse the appliance in water, because the heating elements sit in the housing. For non-stick coatings, it is generally true that metal spatulas and scouring sponges scratch the surface; wooden or silicone spatulas are the gentler choice. These are general rules, not statements from Olvy.

There is only one manufacturer statement on where to use it: Olvy describes the open cooking surface for indoor use. Anyone who otherwise likes to grill on the balcony should know this before buying the Olvy as a replacement for a balcony grill.

Three alternatives from our catalogue

The prices are guide values from our price box and fluctuate in the shops. The rating is our editorial assessment of the available data; we did not measure anything on any of the four appliances.

In price, the Olvy sits in the middle. The Aigostar Hett Pro costs approx. €29. Aigostar states plates of 27 x 17 cm, whereas the Olvy has no plate size, and Aigostar does not advertise the Hett Pro as an appliance for four sandwiches. The Tefal 3in1 GC3060 costs approx. €115 (on 21 October 2026 only from marketplace sellers on Amazon; Amazon itself did not offer it), and for the higher price you mainly get certainty: a surface figure for both modes and a manufacturer with customer service. In our comparison it is the most direct counterpart, because it follows the same idea, only documented.

We added the Tefal OptiGrill XL GC722D even though, at approx. €129.99, it is in a different price class. It is not a sandwich maker with a grill function but a meat grill with a sandwich programme. Anyone who is really thinking of steaks when searching for a large contact grill should have seen it.

Who the Olvy suits and when another appliance is better

The Olvy suits you if four people want a sandwich at the same time at the weekend and the appliance then goes back in the cupboard. According to the catalogue description, that is what it is built for, and the digital display on the photo makes a repeatable setting easier than a dial without a scale.

We would choose another appliance in these cases:

You mostly grill meat indoors. Then surface and doneness matter more than the sandwich count, and the OptiGrill XL from the table is the better choice, provided the budget allows. Without a sensor, the Olvy leaves you with the thermometer.

You want to put the plates in the dishwasher or catch fat in a tray. Both are undocumented for the Olvy. In that case, buy an appliance where the manufacturer explicitly promises both, instead of hoping.

You mostly cook for yourself or for two. Four sandwich places also mean a larger surface to preheat and more space in the cupboard. The Aigostar Hett Pro is the smaller and cheaper appliance for this household.

You want to grill outdoors. Olvy describes the appliance for indoor use, and without instructions there is no statement at all about outdoor operation. For the balcony, you need an electric grill that is rated for it.

The Olvy is wrong above all for buyers who want to know before buying what they are getting: wattage, plate size, coating, warranty. Anyone who needs this information to decide will find it for the Olvy in no source we could open, and is better served by the Tefal 3in1 GC3060 at approx. €115.