What is the normal shape of Zojirushi rice cooker's inner pot?

Question

I possess an 8-year old Zojirushi rice cooker Model NS-LAQ05, which is marketed as the ‘international’ model, as its electronics are suited for places where the electrical grid’s voltage is something like 220 – 230V.

I recently purchased a replacement inner pot (labelled on the box as a Model B250-6B) from a vendor in the United States. Unfortunately, the new inner pot does not fit into my rice cooker.

The diameter of my old inner pot’s lip is perfectly round, and it slides into place easily. The replacement pot’s diameter is not round. It seems to be slightly asymmetrical, as though it might have been damaged/bent/crushed, or manufactured incorrectly.

So, I’m trying to diagnose whether the problem lies with the replacement pot, or alternatively, whether this pot is simply not compatible with my NS-LAQ05. I haven't been able to find any details on the web. All the pictures make them look pretty round/symmetrical, but its hard to tell.

My question: Does anyone know if the Zojirushi rice cooker Model NS-LAC05 (the US model) uses the same inner pot as the Model NS-LAQ05? Or whether Model NS-LAC05 inner pots normally have round diameters?

Answer 1

Following @Joe's suggestion, I contacted Zojirushi customer service in the US zojirushi.com/app/customer_service/entry. They were able to confirm that the Zojirushi inner pots for these models should be quite round. They also said that the inner pots should slide into place easily, and be able to spin around freely. For legal reasons they declined to comment on whether this inner pot (whose packaging said it was suitable for Model NS-LAC05) was appropriate for the NS-LAQ05. All told, based on the shape of the inner pot, it's reasonable to conclude that my replacement inner pot is defective or damaged.