Side by Side Comparison of: Zojirushi vs Panasonic

I have had this Zojirushi for just under 1 year now and still love it. I've had no problems whatsoever. It's a solidly built unit although it does take up quite a bit of counter space. It's also quite heavy. Initially I would put it away in the pantry when not it use but because of it's weight I decided just to leave it on our breakfast counter and only put it away when we have company. It's reasonably quiet. When I use the timer and set it to startup around 6:00 am I can hear it from my bedroom but only because I'm a light sleeper. I can watch tv in the family room open to the kitchen without a problem. It's easy to use and I love the variety of settings. I have yet to have a bread failure. There's only 2 of us in the household so I only make a small loaf about once a week; I tried the 2 pound size early on and it was too much for us to eat and wouldn't fit into the toaster. I expect to be using this unit for many more years.

Have owned it for a year now (thanks Prime day 2015) and you can pry it from my cold dead hands. I never ever buy bread anymore. Use the King Arthur Flour sourdough starter instructions and go wild.For anyone who lives at altitude in a dry climate (Denver) it can take some experimentation to get your sugar/flour/liquid/yeast ratios correct, and unfortunately that's something unique to location. Don't blame the machine, just add more liquid and less sugar and yeast and try again with cheap ingredients until you find your golden zone. Even my failed attempts tasted fine, they just weren't pretty. I generally add an egg to every batch of dough and that seems to do wonders. I also use instant yeast on the regular yeast setting (and reduce by about 1/2 tsp).I believe it is the University of Wyoming who produces a wonderful spreadsheet on baking at altitude, if you need more guidance.

I bought this on June 14, 2014. I use it a MINIMUM of 2 times a week and I could not be more pleased with every loaf or dough ball I pull out! I have not bought bread since I got the Zojirushi. I had a smaller model Zojirushi before and never had a problem with it but I wasn't crazy about the shape of the loaves. I wanted the loaves that I baked to be long and short like you buy in the store, not tall and so skinny you can only cut 3 or 4 slices from a loaf! This model fits the bill perfectly! As with all bread machines, you must be precise in your measurements and also consistent in the way you measure flour in particular. I have made jams, "cake" style breads like pumpkin and zucchini and banana. Everything I have tried has turned out fantastic! I have tried the same recipe with both "bread machine" or "rapid rise" yeast and with regular SAF and I prefer the SAF yeast results. It has been a long time since I used any of the "quick" bread settings due to my preferences. When I make any kind of pasta dish, I always use the machine to turn out a ball of focaccia bread dough and then I press it down onto a pizza pan or cookie sheet and cook it in my range!

I have had this machine for a while. Due to some personal problems, it has taken a while to "get to know" him/ her. First I would say that it is VERY helpful if you have knowledge about making bread by hand. I have found that some of the recipes (even directions) need a tiny bit more liquid to form a good dough so don't dump, start and ignore if you want great success. Second, the paddles may be hard to "seat". Make sure the paddles securely click down into place. When I neglected this, I found only one paddle was working so incomplete mixing. After working those things out, I have loved this machine and used some of the bread machine recipes from Amazon recommended books as well as recipes in the instructions. The instructions are good and if you question a book recipe, you can compare a similar one from factory directions. I cannot stress enough watching the initial mixing and kneading so that liquid may be added if necessary

Our trusty, 18-year-old Zo was still going strong when the non-stick coating began to peel. When no replacement parts could be found, we faced the inevitable and began to look for a worthy successor. After much research, other brands seemed to have serious issues we hadn't had with our old workhorse, despite its age (it was a hard act to follow!). Plunking down mega-bucks for the Virtuoso took much soul-searching, especially after so many negative reviews of its predecessor, but we checked Amazon's price daily and took the plunge when it went on sale, since it could be returned if it was a dud. Surprisingly, this machine actually has exceeded our expectations; even 100% whole wheat bread, which in the ancestor Zo could be iffy, is perfect. In both 2 lb. and 1.5 lb. loaves, the crust is just right - not tough or hard; the top is golden and even; every loaf/cake, complex or simple, has been almost freakishly flawless (true, you are paying for those double paddles and top heater, but do they ever make a difference!). In true Zo form, it's simple to use, very quiet and stable, and finished goodies slip right out with minimal holes and cleanup. Paddles remain in the pan, not the bread, and separate easily after briefly soaking the cooled pan in warm water. A "Shape" stage can be used to remove the dough to specially form it or remove the paddles before baking (the splines will remain, but the resulting holes will be much smaller without the paddles), and raising the lid will stop the machine temporarily without interfering with the program. Like older models, the initial "Rest" period warms ingredients as needed before mixing so no need to bring them to room temp first, but a cool new feature is the ability to bypass this stage if you don't need it, which shortens the overall time considerably. The "Add" signal also beeps for a longer period so you have less chance of missing it, which is easy to do if you're not nearby since it isn't very loud. Although the DVD manual provided is unintentionally comical and prim, and mind-numbingly redundant, it does have some useful info not included in the written manual. One consideration before buying would be your available space: since it bakes a horizontal loaf, this is a hefty machine with a footprint 18"w, 11"d, and with the lid raised, 20"h, plus space needed behind and at sides for vents. An extension cord will probably be needed unless parked directly in front of an outlet. Although we've only begun to tap its many talents, after over a month of frequent use (2 - 3 times/wk. for whole-grain breads w/nuts/fruit/seeds, banana bread, cakes, and pizza dough so far, and hopefully noodles soon), we're delighted with our new Zo and recommend it without reservation; we also appreciate Amazon's free shipping and right-on-time arrival before Christmas. Just an added note if you're new to bread makers (and to set straight some previous detractors' comments) - for best results with any machine, take the time to measure ingredients by weight rather than volume and add them in the order recommended in your machine's manual, since order can vary by manufacturer and doesn't necessarily match that listed in cookbook recipes. And if you need more reasons to think Zo, check out the King Arthur Flour website blog where they used one to cook almost every dish last Thanksgiving (except the turkey)!

I have owned bread machines ever since about 1987 at a cost then of close to $600! Since then I have had just about every brand at one time or another. My favorites have been made by Panasonic and Zojirushi. In short you really do get what you pay for in quality and durability. This new "Zo" is heavy duty and makes a truly excellent and normal shaped loaf. I say normal as most make slightly odd shapes that are a little too wide or too tall. The added top heater solves the small flaw the previous Zo had and that was the top would have less color than the rest of the crust. I have had this machine about 2 weeks and have already made 10 loaves. All have come out perfectly including 100% whole wheat.Our favorite is a rich egg bread also know as Challah and here is my personal recipe:2 Beaten Eggs with water to equal 10 oz- or 10 oz water and 0.90 oz of powered whole eggs14.85 oz BY WEIGHT bread flour (I highly suggest King Arthur!)1.5 t Salt2 T Sugar1/3 stick of butter (2.66 T or just cut a stick in 3 parts)1.5 t Yeast (buy it in bulk here or at Costco as grocery store prices are insane)Optional: 2 drops of egg yellow food color (I suggest AmeriColor available here)Set the machine to the quick or normal cycle, light crust, and hit start. DO NOT use the timer as eggs are perishable.Enjoy :-)UPDATE: 04-10-2012The machine is still going strong and has now produced well over 100 loaves of delicious bread. The pan has held up nicely and shows virtually no wear. In short this is a winner.Update 03-24-15Can you believe the machine is still working well!?!!A few observations after many hundreds of loafs and years of use: The pan has aged as expected and should probably be replaced and the motor is making a little tiny squeak not. I may replace the machine but will just buy the same once again. I have more than gotten my money's worth on this Zo! You get what you pay for :-)

Have been making two to three loaves of bread weekly since early March, 2017 and can say that this machine is great. I haven't made any loaf except the french or basic sandwich loaf, but both are quite tasty. I did try a bread machine mix for multi-grain bread, but it was dry and really not worth the money. It's just so much cheaper to buy the ingredients and then follow a recipe. Yes, the machine is loud when kneading, but not generally a problem. I have a Formica counter top and the machine has never moved so I don't have to worry about it "walking" off the counter thankfully. There are only 2 of us so we occasionally usually throw away some of a loaf, but I wanted the option of making larger loaves when we have company. I have made bread pudding out of leftovers, but there is a limit to how much of that we can eat, too.If definitely like that the kneading blade stays with the machine when I remove the loaf. It is an easy machine to clean even though the loaf pan cannot be immersed in water. It has a non-stick surface that is easy to clean and the blade can be soaked for a little while in order to take out and clean. The yeast dispenser does need to be cleaned out after every use because there is condensation in the dispenser when the bread is done so that can be a little sticky. I use a small brush to be sure the opening is cleaned out while I hold the underside rubber stopper open. You can check that the stopper is moving freely by pushing in the button on the right side of the lid. That part of the machine is purely mechanical, so easy to test and clean.My only complaint is that it is impossible to change the settings once you program it. I accidentally hit the wrong setting one night when I was trying to set it up to be done in the morning and then compounded that by hitting start! I couldn't find any way to change the setting including unplugging it. Maybe I just needed to leave it unplugged longer, but it was late and I didn't think of that. I have to say that the loaf came out fine even though I used the wrong settings, but an undo button would be nice.

I have never baked anything before, either in an oven or using a machine, but on the first day I baked a carrot spice bread which came out perfect. I started it in the evening and set it to finish just in time for breakfast.Then I baked whole-wheat, French, nut brand, peanut sesame, whole-wheat herb, white raisin, whole-wheat raisin, walnut cinnamon and rye with onions and sesame. The results were delicious. Apparently the secret is to follow the recipes precisely. Recommendation: do not leave God's good earth without having tasted freshly baked rye with onions and sesame seeds.One problem was a misprint in the instruction manual, which required some heavy thinking and some wasted time to clarify. Step 7 on page 8 says “Press select to choose the type of bread indicated on the right of the display.” It should have read “Press MENU to choose the type of bread indicated on the right of the display.” Also, If you make the medium size loaf of peanut sesame, put in 1/8 of a cup of sesame seeds, not 1 1/8, which is an absurd amount. There may be other errors, so be prudent. This is a pity, because the manual is beautifully written otherwise.But the important thing is that the machine is brilliantly designed and the recipes make delicious bread.

I have made Great bread for over 13 years for myself, children, grandchildren, and occasionally for friends. Each loaf is easily cut into slices as needed and is soft, with a soft crust, and not crumbly. Correction: the kids now make all the bread. The 12-year-old grandson who now lives with me makes all the bread. We purchase organic whole grain winter wheat berries (50 lb bag from Whole Foods, then stored at the house in 1 gal. Ziplock bags. We grind the berries using the WonderMill Grain Mill (110v). One hour and 55 minutes is the cooking time required for one loaf. Recipe: 3 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, water, and 1 teaspoon of Fleischmann's BreadMachine Yeast. I estimate we save enough money every year or year and a half to pay for both the grinder and bread maker - - over and over, at least 8 times in 13 years. Remarkable financial investment, plus we never run out of bread, and there are no chemicals or preservatives. It's so nourishing and filling you can eat less and lose weight with this bread.

I bought this same bread machine in 1982 (no this is not a typo). It lasted me all these years - and probably made thousands of loaves. I used it for making dough a lot more than for cooking. It started to make a squeaking noise when kneading so I decided to buy a new one. I was surprised that the same machine still even existed, and decided to get it. Of course it has more features and will make a bigger loaf, but it really isn't that different from the old one. I struggled a little bit with learning how to use the features, but I think I have it figured out. I've only made two loaves so far. As far as I can tell it's as good of a machine as the old one. I'm giving it five stars mainly because the last one lasted over 20 years. I need time to use this and try the different features to give a true opinion. For example, options are different crust colors, different sizes, different types of bread such as whole wheat, french, and raisin - and there is rapid rise or regular. You cannot use all options with all types. I am not sure why. The book with it is good and has a lot of recipes.

I've had this bread maker for 2 years now. I generally make one loaf of bread a week, and this unit has not given me any problems to date. Included with the unit is a recipe guide for multiple types of bread, pizza doughs, and pastries. Measurements are given for three different sizes, so you can pick how large you want the loaf depending if it is for a few people or for a larger gathering. The unit has settings for different types of bread, size, and how dark you want the crust, so there is no guess work involved. The timer can be set for up to 13 hours, so you can set it the night before and wake up to a hot fresh loaf of bread. There is also an option to double the yeast to make a loaf faster than the 4 hours that is required for a standard loaf.For those that plan on making bread often, definitely buy a 25 lb bag of bread flour and a 2 lb bag of yeast, it will save alot of money in the long term. I believe ingredients came out to 60-70 cents per loaf. Since there are no preservatives, bread is best within the first 3-4 days but can last just over a week.

I purchased this to replace an inherited Breadman Bread Machine that could no longer knead dough. Upon completion of my first loaf with the Panasonic SD-YD250, I realized I had been missing out on so much with that inherited bread machine. First, uniform crust color from top to bottom. Nice soft uniform interior. My previous bread machine sometimes had some raw parts after baking. And consistent from loaf to loaf. I wish I had bought this machine sooner.I will, however, add some thoughts. A window to see the bread. Sometimes you need to adjust water or flour based on humidity and by lifting the lid to peek, you may miss the trigger for the yeast dispenser (which is on top).Second, on the normal (non-rapid) setting, the machine will "wait" for about 30 minutes. It has thrown us off a few times thinking that the machine won't make the bread. But we learned that this wait time is normal and it is really just waiting until the temperature of the ingredients match the optimal settings prior to kneading.Overall, we love this bread maker and have been quite pleased with the 2 loaves/week we've been making.

May give it fewer or more stars as I use it more but I have to say (after using it twice) -- 1. sturdy, high quality construction, unlike the $89 breadmakers I've seen in big box stores. 2. My first 2 loaves were perfect (one gluten free and one basic). 3. Easy to use and very intuitive buttons.

My mom and I spent 5 days comparing the reviews and articles on the Zojirushi BB-PAC20 and Breville BBM800XL. We finally ended up comparing both models side by side because a friend has the Breville. For us, it ultimately boiled down to these key features:Zojirishi:+Longer loaf tub (makes a more normal sized loaf like you'd buy at the store+Heating element in the lid for consistent and even browning all aroundBreville:+4 loaf sizes+Nut dispenserPICTURE DESCRIPTIONS: First loaf we baked was white bread (regular speed, medium crust). I could have shaped it more evenly so it wasn't taller in the middle. Notice how small the holes are since I removed the paddles. The loaf in plastic wrap is wheat bread from the grocery store. Also compare it to a mostly eaten white bread made from the Breville. See how the top is much lighter than the sides? The Breville doesn't have a top heating element. Second bread we made was olive bread from an online recipe. I shaped this one better, also the recipe called for 2 tsp yeast instead of 2.5. Again I compared it to the size of a regular bread from the grocery store (half the bread is missing from the plastic bag).Neutral points:+Breville has a much nicer user interface. Pretty surprising Zojirushi has an interface that looks like it's from the early 2000s. But ultimately, our decision is going to be purely about bread quality.+Zojirushi allows you to create 3 custom profiles in which you can adjust the timings for each phase (Rest->Knead->Shape->Rise1->Rise2-Rise3->Bake->Keep Warm) whereas the Breville allows you to create 9 custom profiles and adjust the timings AND temperature for each phase (Knead 1->Knead 2->Rise 1->Rise 2->Rise 3->Keep Warm).We realized we didn't care too much about the number of custom profiles, because for most bread, the tried and tested standard settings provided by both machines are already sufficient.+The Zojirushi has a "Shape" option where it will beep before the first rise phase and give you an hour to open the lid, take the dough out and shape it with your hands so it looks nice and even, put it back and then close the machine. Don't recall the Breville having this specific feature, but realized it doesn't matter because the ideal shape time is right after the last punch down phase. More on that later.+The Zojirushi has 2 paddles and the Breville has one. The number of paddles isn't specifically a benefit in either machine's favor. It is more of a result of each machine's tub shape. The Breville is narrower and taller, and the Zojirushi is shorter and long. I think that the tub shape goes in favor of the Zojirushi, as I mentioned earlier.+Breville has foldable paddles. Don't really care, because we remove the paddles before the final rise even on the Zojirushi, so the holes are super small (1 centimeter diameter)+The Zojirushi has much sturdier build quality, whereas the Breville is made of thin, unpolished brushed aluminum. As others have noted, it dents very easily. In fact, our Breville arrived with a dent in it. Again, not too big a deal. Ultimately which one makes better bread?+Breville looks more modern and sleek. Zojirushi looks like a typical appliance.+Zojirushi makes less noise. At its loudest, it has the deep droning sound of a washing machine. Breville makes a banging noise as the paddles spin..which is pretty loud.+Zojirushi says it can be used for meatloaf and sourdough starter, Breville has a yeast free option or something...personally I don't care, plus you can probably customize settings on the Breville to make those work. (Just look up online instruction manuals from either companies to see what their timings are for each setting, and you can custom program that timing into the other machine)+Breville has a light you can turn on when peeking through the viewing window. I use my phone's flashlight when using the Zojirushi (though you can kinda see what's going on without it)+The nut dispenser was a pretty awesome get sure in favor of the Breville, but I want to point out that the Zojirushi will beep when it's time to add those ingredients. The automation is missing from the Zojirushi. So this isn't a neutral point - it's a big win for the Breville. But I wanted to point out the beeping of the Zojirushi as an FYI.+The Breville's marketing material goes out of its way to mention the punch down phase, but in fact not machines have this. Right before Rise 2 and Rise 3, the paddle (s) spins slowly a bunch of times in order to let trapped air escape out of the dough.+The Breville has 2 programmable knead phases. The Zojirushi has 1. I don't understand what this is about...They both knead for the appropriate amount of time, so maybe the Breville just let's you get more detailed about the process if you want? If both bake great bread, then I really don't care either way.+The Zojirushi has an optional rest phase in which it allows all your ingredients to come to room tepremature for optimal baking. Don't recall the Breville has this. On both machines, you can always skip a step if you want (on the Breville, you hold down the start button, on the Zojirushi you hold down the up and down buttons on Select Course, if I recall correctly...it's in the manual)Okay, so what was our verdict?Well, it ultimately came down purely to bread quality, and here the Zojirushi is the winner. Just check out the pictures I uploaded. The browning is ridiculously consistent on all sides of the bread. Not overly chewy on one end of another. I have to attribute this to the Zojirushi's heating element in the lid, since I suspect the Breville ends up heating the sides and bottom longer in order to give the top a sufficient amount of browning.The Zojirushi also has a spectacular loaf size. The first time around, it was a bit high. But check out the olive bread we made on the second try...compared to a regular loaf you'd buy at a store, the size is spot on. I put a ruler next to the white bread pics so you can see. However, the white bread was our absolute first loaf we tried, and we could've done one or two things to make it as perfectly formed as the olive bread (see below).Loaf size was an important factor for us, because we want regular sized slices that fit in our toaster. With the Breville, you might be able to achieve these sizes by using a lower bread loaf setting and adjusting the amount of ingredients. But you'll end up with less bread. While we really liked the ability to choose multiple bread sizes with the Breville, we liked that the Zojirushi makes a standard looking loaf right out of the box. And we found out that the recipe book does show you how to make 1.5lb sized loaves of wheat bread and some others.So how did we make the perfect looking bread you'll see in the pics?Tips:1) Read the instruction manual precisely and/or watch the first part of the DVD (liquids first, dry things second, make a little pocket for the yeast, and be EXACT for the ingredient measurements)2) SHAPE YOUR DOUGH AND REMOVE PADDLES: Use the instruction manual to identify when the last punch down phase will begin. For the white bread regular setting, this should be 55 minutes after the Knead phase ends. The knead phase was 19 minutes and the Rest 30...so that means you should set an alarm to get back to your machine 1 hour and 44 minutes after pressing the start button. At that time, you will hear the paddles making one rotation every few seconds. It does this about 15 times. As soon as it stops doing this, it means the final rise phase will begin. Open the machine (it automatically pauses where it is in the process), and take the dough out with your hands. Put it on a table or mat or something (maybe parchment paper that is lubricated with olive oil - that's what I did), and roll the dough a bit and shape it with your hands so it looks nice and smooth. Better is if you shape it to look like a rectangle that will fit the tub perfectly, and flatten it a bit so it has an even night all the way. Then, remove the paddles (they are slippery so use something that has a good grip to pull them out). Put your loaf back in so it takes the full space of the tub, maybe pat it down one last time, and close the machine. Your bread will have a great shape.+Bonus tip: one of the reviewers mentioned putting your paddles in the same orientation before putting in the ingredients. Not sure if it helped, but I definitely did this. I pointed both my paddles in the 6 o'clock position.The first recipe we used was the Basic White Bread Regular (meaning we used active dry yeast instead of fast/instant yeast). Medium crust setting, except we left it in for 5 minutes extra after it was done to let it brown more.The second recipe we used is some southern olive bread recipe I googled in which they happened to use a Zojirushi as well! I used the dark crust setting and took it out immediately. Here's the "Kalamata Olive Bread Recipe from Southernfood/Aboutfood : http://southernfood.about.com/od/breadmachine/r/r70412a.htmDon't forget to let your bread sit for 30 minutes before slicing!Bottom line: The Zojirushi's even browning and standard loaf size make me feel it makes an overall better bread loaf. Check out the pics!After seeing the modern look, cool interface, and more granular programmable control of the Breville (e.g. temperature control) I want to take one star away from this machine. I may not use all those features, but maybe I would! But c'mon - it's the 21st century. Great looking user interfaces should be standard.

I bought this in September 2014, and it worked beautifully for almost two years and about 150 loaves. Then it started making unhealthy-sounding noises during the kneading cycle, and also started leaving stray dough under the kneading blades, making cleanup more difficult. It was still well worth the price, but I had hoped that it would last longer. I considered buying another one, but instead I plan to buy a mixer to prepare the dough, and will use the breadmaker just to bake it.

I purchased this Zojirushi BB-PAC20 Home Bakery Virtuoso on sale. I have used it a few times, I made dough and bread loaves with it and so far I am very happy with it.Why I love it:The "homemade" or programmable mode allows you to enter your own program so you can experiment with any recipes you find online.Tip:- because there are two paddles in the machine, sometimes the dough can form two lumps that are uneven in size. If you want an even loaf, remove the dough and reshape just before the final rise.- if you don't want your loaf to have the two big holes on the bottom, remove the paddles just before final rise. You will still get two small holes from the axles but much smaller.

very good and well made. Just getting the hang or rather the rise of it. I may revise the stars and update after more usage. I make ABSOLUTELY sure that the paddles are fully seated as instructed in the users manual. Nevertheless, I am concerned that the loose fit of the paddles may cause failure of the paddles. The fit of the paddle of my previous, early BreadMan, machine was better and never failed in any way. A little oil on the shaft will help with removing snug paddles, but may be moot on this machine.This Zoji has lots of functionality and flexibility. I like being able to make my own programs. Whole wheat banana nut yeast bread with Ener-g egg replacer and Sunsweet easy bake oil replacement needs its own program.Read, understand and save the instructions.

When my 15 year old Zo finally gave out, I ordered this one as I knew I wanted another Zojirushi, I've owned five different bread machines over the years, and the Zo is the best. This one is bigger and heavier than my older Zo, but that was no big deal. I like the handles on the bread pan, huge improvement. I usually do the dough cycle for all my bread, and then shape it and bake it in a regular bread pan in the oven. It appears they have changed the stabilizing temperature on this model. It is now 91 degrees, up from 84 degrees on my older model. It's too warm. Over proofs the dough. I've had to play around with the homemade cycle to try to compensate for that. At least it has the ability to custom set your own cycles. Very good manual; explains everything clearly. Lots of recipes.

I have purchased this machine 2 times over the past 10 years. I think it makes good bread fairly consistently. I typically make 100% whole wheat. My complaint is that it doesn't last more than 2- 3 years or so. Somehow, something stops working. Currently, the bake cycle malfunctions, and this beautiful raised loaf doesn't cook right and ends up a big hard lump. It seems something similar happened to the first one I had also. And one more complaint is the 45-60 minute long rest cycle that is automatically built into the machine, (except on rapid bake), before it even starts to mix anything. I think this is totally unnecessary and wastes a lot of time. I do like that it seems heavy duty enough to knead heavier doughs like all whole wheat. The Oster was weak at this, and I had to help it mix right with my hands helping to scrape the pan sides to include it all. Now I am again looking for a replacement, but haven't decided yet.

This bread machine works fine, except it makes more noise than my 20 years old Oster.My old Oster makes scratchy noise, this machine makes clanking noise which is very loud.I had it baked on a rapid mode once, it was good. Other than that, I only use it to make dough like Ialways did with my old but still working Oster bread machine.This machine makes pizza dough in 45 minutes, quicker than the other machine. It is a good basicdough for making Chinese steamed buns and other steamed food. So basically I'm happy with it.Instead of buying a stand mixer, I use a bread machine to mix and rise dough, then bake bread in oven.It costs much less than a stand mixer and does a good job. My bread and dinner rolls taste fantastic.

Nom, nom, nom!! Let me start by saying that before I got this bread maker, I sucked at making bread. I bought this bread maker about 2 months ago, and now I make bread all the time.I used it to make pizza dough, and my husband and son don't even want to order takeout anymore. I made a braided raisin loaf, and my dad took one bite and said it was much better than store bought. I've made sandwich bread, and my son came home from school and said it was delicious. (I hadn't even asked him!)If you are just making a loaf, it is super easy. Just throw in your ingredients (you don't even have to stir them), put the yeast in the yeast dispenser, set the program, and walk away. It does the rest -- kneads the dough, lets it rise, and bakes. Depending on what you are making, you can choose the size of the loaf and you can set the darkness of the crust. It has programs for basic bread, whole wheat, multigrain, and french. It also has a program where, if you are making raisin bread, it pauses for you to add the raisins.Most programs take 4 or 5 hours or so, but there is also a quick bake program that takes only 2-3 hours. I used quick bake for a basic white bread and found there wasn't much difference in how it tasted when compared to the regular bake. Also, for some cooking programs, there is a timer so you can put the ingredients in and set the bread to be done at a specific time -- such as in time for dinner or breakfast.There's also a program for just making regular dough and pizza dough. I've used the basic dough program to make hamburger rolls.There's also a cook-only program for things like quick breads, but I don't really see the point in using that when I can just as easily use my oven.So far, for the most part, I've followed the recipes that came with it. The recipes list both volume and weight measurements for measuring the flour and the liquid. I use my kitchen scale to measure because the company said that weight is more accurate then volume (ie. the measuring cup).I would love to give it 5 stars, but cleaning it can be a little annoying. The cooking bowl is not dishwasher safe. You aren't even supposed to submerse it. Also, it can be a little difficult to make sure everything gets clean underneath the mixing blade. There is a round seam there that just wants to trap tiny bits of the dough.All in all, I'm having a good time with my bread machine.

I have finally entered the world of bread making, I am way too late into the game. If you know me, you know that I am a carb junkie. I absolutely love bread and will eat whole loaves (and I have). This is the first bread machine I have ever owned or used. I decided to buy one after my partner made me bread using his and I struggled to restrain myself from eating the entire loaf. It was so delicious I couldn't have just one piece or two.So, I have had this machine for about a month now and I do enjoy it. It has lots of options and recipes in the included booklet. I appreciate the automatic dispenser because I really don't have to do anything after loading it up and starting it. It does all the work! It's great having freshly baked bread at home and knowing what goes in them and knowing that it's much better for mine and my family's health.The only problem I have with this is that it makes a loud noise during the kneading process. I don't know if it's just my bread maker or if it's normal, but when it kneads it makes a loud, grinding noise. I've checked it during the process and after the bread was complete and the machine and pan appear to be fine. It's annoying but I can live with it.Aside from that, I would recommend this machine, it's fantastic.

I've had the machine for almost a year and make bread almost every week. I've tried Panasonic recipes as well as my own. It's easier to stick with their versions because the machine is sensitive to the amount of ingredients you use and that includes water. the reason for the sensitivity is that machines are stuck with a particular temperature and time for baking that can't be varied as you can in an oven. It is all based on the machine setting for the type of bread and size you make. And yes, the size versus amount of all ingredients can make a huge difference. If you stick to their recommendations all will turn out great. You'll have tasty bread make with a minimum amount of fuss. I use the dough only setting a lot when making various versions of rye and multigrain when I'm looking for an open density. That often requires baking in an oven. However, mixing and the first rise is wonderfully easy and convenient using the machine. I highly recommend this unit. The only downside is the rather vertical loaf it produces. If I had to do it all over again I'd pick the Panasonic with duel paddles that makes more of a horizontal loaf. Oh yes, a number of the low reviews talked about damage to the internal heating element. I've therefore been careful about inserting the loaded container so I didn't bang up the elements that hold the heating wire. As a result I've had no problem with the unit in any way.

I bought this to replace an older Zojirushi bread maker when it died and their service support wouldn't help. I don't think this is as good as the Zojirushi but on the other hand, I couldn't support that company any more after the way their service support treated my problem. This breadmaker is definitely good. My one complaint is that it makes a very loud knocking sound for a few minutes during the dough cycle, but because it's just a few minutes, I can live with it. I think the dough it makes is comparable to the Zojirushi. I am definitely happy with my purchase, just hoping this one will last!

Product works well, and makes great bread, We have used ours for about 6 months. 3 stars because a maintenance parts are over priced. A replacement non-stick pan is $80-$100 (without the blades!) and replacement blades are about $20 a set. Looking closely at how the blades are designed, I can't help but think that these were intentionally designed to wear out after a certain amount of use.In my case we make bread every few days and they lasted about 6 months. The blades are pushed on to a D-Shaft in the fancy pan, the shaft seems fine but the hole in the blade rounds out over time and then spins freely on the shaft so the unit is no longer able function. I know others with the same machine and other Zojirushi models and they have the same problem, so if you like this unit just keep an extra set of blades on hand and be careful not to scratch the non-stick coating on your pan (especially when trying to get the non-functional but stuck-on blades off the D-shafts),

The bread maker works great but the kneading blades are impossible to remove for cleaning.Zojirushi BB-PAC20 Home Bakery Virtuoso Breadmaker with Gluten Free Menu setting

Very nice machine with a flaw. One of the blades is very difficult to remove for cleaning. I have arthritis and I had to take pain reliever for my fingers after fighting to remove the blade to clean stuck dough. I had the machine for two months but I had to return it because it makes it difficult for me to work (typing) after trying to remove the blade. I really did like it though. Too bad.

Makes a good loaf of bread. Unfortunately, the nonstick coating on the rather loose-fitting kneading paddles wears off and ends up in your bread. Replacement paddles run $8-10 each. Zojirushi part number 8-BBP-P070. Our unit is less than 10 months, used about once a week, and we already need to replace paddles. Very frustrating for a supposedly well engineered machine at this price point.

It is Okay but I expected a little bit more for $300. I used to have Panasonic similar to this one Panasonic Home Bakery 36menu (With Rice Cake,udon Nioodle and Pasta Maker) Loaf Type Brown Sd-bmt1001-t and was pretty happy with it because it had *automatic* dispensers for yeast and nuts and the user interface was fairly intuitive.Now with Zojirushi I have to live with few minor but still annoying issues: - Because there is no auto-dispenser I have to maintain the order of ingredients. According to instruction I put liquid first, then add everything, then dig a small hole in the flour to put yeast. I need to be careful (!) to have some dry flour on the top. This is annoying! - The interface is simple but surprisingly counter intuitive: some genius of design placed mode names in circular order around display. - As I selected the mode it goes into the resting state. After a while it beeps loudly to indicate that I need to come and put nuts or raising or whatever. Seriously, I would better have auto-dispenser than those useless top window! - As the baking is finished I usually want to put out two rotary blades to clean them out but they are always stuck. It is really hard to take them out and it annoys me.Apart from issues mentioned it seems to be a product of good quality. It is not flimsy. It works fine. It has a timer that you can set to a specific time (e.g. at 8:00 am) So, I cannot say it is a waste of money. It is a nice product, maybe a bit overpriced.

While this is the best breadmaker I have owned to date, I have run into a few issues that I thought I should share. The most serious issue deals with some sort of defect. After about a dozen loaves of bread, the kneading cycle produces a loud squeak that sounds like the machine is tearing itself apart. I called Zojirushi customer service and they had me run a test cycle that skips the initial rest. We ran the cycle with the bread pan in the machine and with it removed. The noise appears to be present when the bread pan is in the machine. The machine is only weeks old and is under warranty, so Zojirushi is sending me a new bread pan, but I have concerns that it is not just the bread pan and is really a defective unit, or that I will be going through bread pans on a regular basis. I will update this review with the results of my customer service experience and the outcome.The other issues I am having deal with the provided recipes. I have found that I cannot follow them to the letter. I always have to add more water then they call for and have gotten used to rushing over to the machine once I hear it thumping and slowly adding more water until the dough looks like it is the right consistency. Our home is of average humidity (we humidify during the winter and run A/C during the summer), so I do not feel like my flour is unusually dry. Many of the negative reviews on this site mention "lopsided loaves", which I have found means the dough is too dry. I imagine they are also following the recipes and having the same results I am. Another negative review that was posted here talks about whole wheat loaves and how bad they are coming out. While I find that your "basic white loaf" using bread flour comes out fantastic, the healthier wheat loaves are coming out hard on the bottom and dry and I have tried different flours and blends. They are usually inedible by day 2 and almost impossible to cut through at the bottom. I am not sure why I am having such disappointing results following the healthier recipes from their manual. Also, if I follow their recipes exactly using recommended ingredients and their provided measuring cup, the "basic white loaf" will often rise to the point that it hits the top of the breadmaker, but I have to admit, even though it is a loafzilla, it tastes amazing.Based on the number of people complaining about similar issues, I wonder if Zojirushi really tested the provided recipes with this exact machine or if they lifted them from the manual of another of their models. Granted, I can experiment with the ratios, etc. to tune my experience and I admit that this is part of the fun, but I am concerned that I will not get a anything but a "basic white loaf" out of the machine that tastes good and has a good texture. Stay tuned...

I had purchased a similar model years ago while my 3 kids were small. It worked very well and thought I'd try the same thing again because it's hard for me to get out and shop. Well, this particular machine has a few drawbacks VS my previous machine. Also the price as in most anything has basically skyrocketed over the last probably 15 years since my first machine. The problem with my new one is that if you don't clean it perfectly especially where the yeast goes in it can plug up. Moisture or yeast stuck in the edges of where it dumps in can prevent the yeast from emptying completely. This is a death sentence for the bread. It won't mix into it properly causing the bread not to rise properly producing a deflated loaf of bread that you can't salvage much from. I also have seen a lack of complete mixing of the ingredients. After the baking cycle you can end up with flour or other things trapped along the outsides of the loaf. As I encounter these problems I am learning what to do or not do in order to have a decent loaf of bread. I have also began using medium and large instead of the default extra large setting. I believe it has helped in the blending and rising processes without so much material to mix perfectly etc.As far as decent bread goes when it works properly the bread is quite good. I haven't used it for any other functions other than to bake bread. This was the only machine I found under $100.00 or less. Most were $150.00 on up but didn't have any obvious benefits over this. The instructions for making bread or other things were a little confusing. The measurements were given in oz. Tbs. Cups and off to the left it would say measurement by weight is more accurate for things like flour and such. It really was confusing until I figured out they were specifying by weight rather than volume. Considering I don't have a scale as such to weigh food I try and stick with the volume measurements I'm most familiar with. I get in trouble when I'm asked to measure something like 13/16th of a cup so I try to figure out the closest measurement I'm familiar with and mark it in the book.I do think it will be generally OK eventually once I figure everything out. I don't believe it has any actual problems per say, just some idiosyncrasies that are taking some getting used to. Call it a learning curve I didn't have with my previous bread machine.

I'm still trying to learn to use it. So far it is only so-so - doesn't do nearly as well as the old bread maker that I had which finally broke after many years of service. I'm only getting about a 3/4 rise with a very rough top. The kneading process doesn't seem to be long enough or vigorous enough. I'm using my own sourdough recipe which has done very well in two other machines, and am hoping that eventually I'll find the key to getting this machine to work for me. It is easy to clean, but very difficult to see the control panel clearly. I purchased this machine because it was highly rated at a moderate price. Not sure yet if it was the right choice.

I bought this to replace another bread machine that I'd had 4 ten years. I have a large family. I generally only bake extra large loaves. The manual says to lay the loaf on it's side before slicing. The problem is that on it's side, it a little too long for an adequate sawing motion with a standard bread slicing knife. Attempting to cut the bread in a normal upright position doesn't work well because although the loaves are too long to be cut on their side with a regular bread knife, they're too short to get enough slices cutting them with the loaf in a normal, upright position.My other complaint is that according to the manual, quick breads like banana bread are supposed to be mixed in a bowl first and then poured into the machine. That defeats the purpose of using the machine.

I first tried the extra large loaf - mistake. The loaf was so large that it almost pushed up the lid and baked to the inside of the machine. The large is just right and made a great loaf of bread. Otherwise, it works great. Not too fond of the ingredients measured in such small (16th of a cup) amount so I wound up weighing the flour out which is the more accurate way of doing it. Right now I'm not sure I would buy another Panasonic Bread Maker.

My review is for the SD-YD250, still being sold new by Panasonic in 2012. But in fact, the bread maker I received is model SD-YD200 which is at least nine years old. I was very disappointed to learn this, and in order to download a correct manual for the model I have, I had to get it from a web site in New Zealand! It has less features than the model listed and is a very basic machine. Having said all that, I will say the machine works very well. I am making my fourth loaf of bread in it tonight. Overall, I have been pleased with the breads I've made. But I will say that if I had known which model this really way, I probably would have looked further and made a different choice. The price seemed reasonable for a two year old model, but a little pricey for a estimated nine year old model. I am not looking to return it, so far it has performed very well, which speaks well for the age of it, and I will continue to use it.

I read all the reviews before I bought this. So I am puzzled as to why mine is not living up to these other glowing reviews. The 1st time I used this to make bread, I thought it was going to walk it way right off the counter. Ok, maybe it was not quite that bad. But its noisy and does vibrate a lot.I cannot tell why since I can see it as it is working. But when it was done, I looked inside. The heating element is lose so it would well be a cause of some of the noise when the unit is agitating.The other potential problem is the bread pan itself. It is supposed to lock in place. You have to turn it counter clockwise to get it on and off.It does not really lock in place like it should. This could be an issue as well. When the bread machine is making bread, it is pretty noisy. it also vibrates quite a bit. I would compare it to our washing machine.Not sure if all these units are like this, or I just got a lemon. I will probably be returning this and likely will get a different one.

I have never owned a bread maker before, but have made it by hand without a machine. In spite of all the amazing reviews, we felt this product really fell short. We baked 4 loaves before deciding to return it. Every one turned out heavy and dough-y. When we bit into a piece, sometimes we would get a bite that seemed really salty, and sometimes it seemed like there was so salt. So maybe the mixing mechanism was off. We also tried different brands of yeast and different types of flour, and followed the recipes and directions exactly. Maybe we just got one that was defective, but the quality of bread this machine turned out for us was pretty poor.

this would be a 5 star product if not for the paddle wear. I bought it from a store where I can return it.After a little more than a year, with about 2-3 breads a week, we encountered the exact same issue as others on here with the paddle wear. I might try the screw fix. Other than that it's a good machine.They should send free blades. But what concerns me is eating that metal that comes from the blades...Update: 12/31/15I just checked my order and I bought it in March and the paddles wore out in November, that's 8 months.I tried the screw fix, but that did not last long. Blades are made from soft aluminium.Probably I'll just go and exchange the entire machine at the store just because of this. I like it and it served us well. Not sure what to think about the aluminium shavings in the bread though..

The recipes are disappointing, though the bread loaf did all it was supposed to do the first time I made some.. It didn't smell or taste as bread should when it's baking. I'm experimenting with other recipes. Sometimes the bread is lopsided, all the dough piling up on one side.

I have owned Zojirushi bread machines ever since they produced the first 2-pound loaf machine many years ago; this is my 6th machine. I LOVE them, and actually wear them out because I use them so much (well, I gave one to my daughter because she really wanted one). I bake three to four loaves of bread per week, so I am very familiar with Zoes. This is the worst machine I have owned, however. It produces the ugliest shaped loaf I have ever seen come out of a bread machine. It twists the loaf quite badly before the final rise, and I wind up with a badly mis-shapen, "gnarly" loaf. I have started using the dough setting so that I can shape the loaf myself and bake it in the oven. I am using the very same recipes that I have used for years. I am wondering if it is because of the newly-shaped blades? Needless to say, I am most unhappy with this situation. I wish I could trade my model straight-across for the slightly less expensive model similar to the one I had before. I'm not certain of the new number, but it is (or was) sold on Amazon.

I was so excited when I received my machine. The first problem I encountered was therecipes in the manual do not have enough water/liquid. The next problem occurred afterthe baking cycle. The machine gives off a bad odor from the bottom of the bread pan.The odor gets baked into the bread. Metallic/machine type taste - awful. I was hopingit would bake off after a few loaves. 10 loaves later the smell is as strong as thefirst time. Tried scrubbing and washing the pan and inside of machine. Didn't work.Contacted the company and they sent me a replacement bread pan. The new one had thesame problem. The machine itself did a wonderful job mixing/baking. The loaves lookedbeautiful but had that taste. The company was very accommodating when contacted by e-mail.I never was able to get through by phone. If you have one of these, smell the bottom ofthe bread-pan after a bake. Any amount of odor is not good for your health. It willleach into the bread. Very thankful Amazon is so wonderful to deal with.

I was very excited about this breadmaker because of all the 5 star reviews by Gluten Free bakers. I also read all the 1 star reviews, so I was aware that there were quality control concerns. I've been baking regular and gluten free bread for many years and understand the importance of measuring and ingredient temperature. I followed Zo's Brown Rice GF recipe to the letter with fresh ingredients, and both of my loaves came out with very white tops and medium sides and bottoms, using the light crust setting. Both also had "boobs" on top on opposite ends. In my second effort, I followed several suggestions for this issue in the comments on the 1-star reviews. No luck. Two things lead me too believe that I have one of the lemons cited in the reviews. The bread temperature was only 175 at the end of the bake cycle and I had to leave it in for 10 minutes to get it close to 200 (probably causing the medium sides/bottoms). My home temperature is 80 with airconditioning on so little humidity. The second issue is that the top of this machine only gets warm during the bake cycle. There is absolutely no reason I'd have to use a potholder, as the manual warns. So this to me points to a defective top heater. I'm not going to waste any more expensive ingredients trying for a different result.I really wish this machine had worked for me like it has for so many others. I'm giving it an extra star because the GF bread, although way too dense, tastes GREAT, unlike most rice-based breads. As a note to others who have defective machines: If you purchased it through Amazon, you have 30 days to return or exchange it at Amazon's expense. They even give you the option of a UPS pickup. So don't keep it as an expensive paperweight. You can't go wrong if you bought it from Amazon!

If you are thinking about getting one of this bread maker, please make sure you pay $7 for "Asurion 3-Year Kitchen Appliance Protection Plan".My bread machine broke down after 3months purchase which had been used for around 5times. It made good dough at first and soon after few time used the screen was frozen. I contacted Panasonic customer service center for three times, every time I was informed to return the machine back to the Panasonic facility located in TX. What made me upset about their service was they refused to provide me the shipping label of this return. I paid less than $100 for this product and the shipping fee for repair would be $60+. Few days later then I realized that the insurance was purchased along with this product. After providing basic info they gave me the full refund of the machine and a free shipping label for returning it. So glad I had the insurance with this purchase. Again, no defense at all, if you are planning to get one bread machine, INSURANCE for this Made in China product is SO NECESSARY.

This machine does NOT have a sweet bread setting.. my favorite recipe is Portuguese Sweet Bread... It took a little experimenting but I finally perfected the recipe. I put the machine on Basic, Medium Loaf, and set the crust to light....came out perfect. When I first got it, .. it burned the crust on this recipe. (I had it set to medium for the crust) was going to return because I thought it was defective but I made the recipe from their book for white bread and it came out perfect so I tried my recipe again using the Light setting for the crust and it came out perfect. I like experimenting with different flours so I also made a loaf with half white flour and half wheat flour with caraway seeds. The first one was too brown on the medium crust setting but second with Light crust came out perfect. I used the Basic and medium size loaf with this bread also. Am glad I purchased this machine.. am looking forward to making cinnamon raisin bread for my grand kids. Love the smell of baking bread. UPDATE: 03/17 .... I am not sure what the problem is but all of a sudden my bread is not turning out... I have been using the same recipe but now the bread is only about three inches tall... Yes I figured maybe my yeast was too old so I bought new... ( bread machine yeast) .... still having problems.. So I have now bought new bread flour.. but honestly the flour I have is only about three months old... I think the yeast dispenser is not working properly.. My daughter bought me a new bread machine for Mother's day so this one is going to goodwill..

This is truly a good bread machine. However, it lacks a pause button in order to check the progress of the process, and allow you to remove the mixing paddle prior to baking. It can get rather noisy while kneading, but, it is not annoying. My concern was there would be a gaping hole where the paddle is during baking, but it is not as big as I thought it would be.Jan 23, 2016- After using this for a month, the devil is in the details. I managed to start a cycle I didn't want to use, and was under the impression I could reset the setting according to the owner's manual. Wrong. After following the manual instructions, and making several attempts to reset it without success, I called Panasonic's help line. The call taker walked me through the manual steps, told me to unplug the machine for five minutes to allow it to reset. After doing these things, it still wouldn't reset. He then told me to leave it unplugged overnight to see if it would reset. After bantering back and forth, he finally told me I would have to let it complete the cycle before I could start another cycle. Great. I've got a hopper full of ingredients ready to go and the machine is on the wrong setting, and what I have made is for pizza dough, not bread. I removed the hopper, left the lid open, and threw the dough batch away, and let it complete the cycle. The call taker could have cared less about the problem, and acted as though I was a bother to him. I would encourage anyone considering this machine, to strongly reconsider buying another brand. Don't get me wrong, it makes great bread, but is far from user friendly, and Panasonic's customer service is poor at best.

I absolutely LOVE my bread-maker! We don't but bread from the store anymore. I add the ingredients - flour, salt, sugar, butter, water, and yeast - exactly per the measurements in the manual, and get a fresh, beautiful loaf in 3 hours (I only use the Rapid Bake setting). It takes me about 10-15 minutes to get all the ingredients in the machine and get it baking. Couldn't be better!HOWEVER - I have to take off 2 stars because the 'lighter vs darker crust' setting was inoperable since I received the machine. It has never worked from day one. When the machine is on - there's no light, or arrow, or clicking sound when I push it (the other settings have all of this), or ANY sign of life at all. It was DOA.Fortunately, the vast majority of the time the crust has been fine - only once it was too dark and too hard (but I wouldn't call it 'burnt'). So I opted not to bother with the hassle of returning/exchanging it. Of note - I purchased the discounted machine which said there was 'mild COSMETIC damage' but that the machine was still in it's original packaging. But now I'm thinking that maybe they're selling them at a discount because some of the machines are a little defective. I'm not accusing, but under the circumstances, I have to wonder.But overall I'm getting exactly what I had hoped for - fast, cheap, easy-to-make, all natural bread - so I'm satisfied. If it wasn't for being sold a machine with a broken setting which was advertised as being to be intact, I would have given this bread-maker a perfect 5 stars!Update 5/27/16: I changed my 3 star rating to 2 stars because after just 1 year and 5 months the machine completely broke down - 5 months after the warranty is expired. I expected much longer use with such a product. I loved it while it lasted and I will likely buy another bread maker, but not from Panasonic.

This was my first bread-making machine and I was very happy with it, hence the two stars. One reviewer said the machine is quiet, but I found it extremely noisy, not constantly but at times during the operation with loud banging noises, which would be an issue if you wanted to set it up to have the bread freshly made for breakfast and your bedroom is within earshot of the kitchen and you don't sleep like the dead.It is big and heavy so a decently large counter-top space is needed if you make bread regularly, which you will do, and it's too heavy to be lifting in and out of cupboards.The deduction of three stars is because the machine died after 8 months. Upon looking at the reviews I see that many people have had the same trouble with this machine. Unlike most of them however I didn't have any trouble with Panasonic Customer Service, my only minor complaint being that they made no mention, and I forgot to ask, about reimbursing me for shipping costs. Anyway I duly mailed the machine to the nearest Exchange Center and after a week or so got a phone call saying that they didn't have the same model to send to me in exchange but would send me a refund check in three to four weeks.So even though I liked the machine and the bread it produced, I must reluctantly choose another model now, and probably brand too, since this one has died after a very short time for too many people.

After reviewing many bread makers I decided on the Panasonic due to the good reviews. Sorry to say I should have read further into the bad reviews on service issues. I purchased my machine in April 2012 and have used it a total of 5 times, the last time was on 6 June 2012 when it developed a leak on the bottom of the baking pot. I called Panasonic service and gave them the purchase info and sales receipt along with the serial and model number. I received a call back from service wanting me to take it to Norcross, Georgia for repair and I live in Raleigh, North Carolina. I said that was out of the question and the service tech then asked me to take pictures of the unit and send them to them for further review. At this point I was frustrated with their avoidance of taking responsibility for a manufacture problem and insisted that they ship me a new holding pot and I will send this one back and then they can take all the pictures they want to see why it is leaking. The tech insisted on not sending me a new pot and would call back tomorrow with their final offer. I paid $133.00 for this unit and if the call tomorrow goes anything like today's call from Panasonic this bread maker will be in the waste management container after the call. Do NOT buy from Panasonic, their service is awful!

After 6 months the bread fails to rise. We changed the flour, we changed the yeast, with changed the quantities of the products used, it just seems that the problem is in the machine.

If I could give this machine zero stars, I absolutely would. I did a lot of research before I bought this machine (I bought it in 2013). My parents had two of them in a row and the last one is still going strong (both were older models). So, after my research and seeing my parents' working so well, I determined this would be an excellent purchase. As soon as I got it, I put it to work. I tried lots of different breads. I tried the cakes. I tried the dough. It worked wonderfully. The loaves were beautiful, tall, and rose evenly and were golden. The bread could not be beat. We used it regularly. And then tragedy struck. In 2014, the machine started making a terrible noise, like the gears were grinding or slipping. But it still made lovely bread, so I kept using it. About the middle of last year, it still made the horrible noise and it started creating lopsided loaves, like they weren't getting kneaded enough or at all on one side. I read the reviews on here and figured it must be the paddles since that was a common complaint. So I ordered new paddles at $30. I popped the new ones in and started a loaf going. I wasted $30. It didn't fix anything. I contacted customer support and they suggested the paddles. I told them I had new paddles. Then they told me that one of the common problems is the belt goes bad and that I would have to pay to send it to them and they would charge me to fix it and then charge me shipping back to me. It was too expensive to do that. So now I have a $300 piece of metal sitting on my counter that makes me feel sad every time I look at it. After I asked around at my local Japanese market, they told me that any Zojirushi product made in China is terrible. And how true this is! Don't buy this machine. I am sure there is something else out there that is cheaper and longer lasting. I am now looking for a different brand. I will never be able to trust Zojirushi again. Not after taking my $300 and not being at all helpful at fixing a common problem. I am very disappointed.

Dear Amazon,I have been looking forward to receiving my Zojirushi. However, I was quite upset to see that accessories (measuring spoon) was not in my package. Worse yet, I am afraid this had been opened previously, not sure if it had been used. This is such an expensive purchase and not easy to pack again and send back. I really do not know what else to say, losing a customer's trust is really worth all these?Thanks,Selim

Updates, nine months later: still using it once or twice every week. Love the taste and smell of home-made bread. Tried some cake recipes, made doughnut and pizza dough a couple of times, came out alright (not my thing, but go ahead if it's yours). I go for the plain bread recipe (flour, water, oil, bit of sugar, bit of salt, and yeast). Easy to clean the baking tray, just let sit with some lukewarm water to loosen up the paddles and then gently wash with a bit of detergent. Rinse carefully so water does not reach the nuts and bolts on the pan's bottom, on the outside.Here are the issues: as of a month or two ago, I have to use "dark crust" setting because "normal crust" gives me bread comes just shy of not fully baked (very, very light color). "Light crust" tastes raw. Sometimes it gets very noisy while kneading the bread dough, the whole countertop vibrates. And it started to rust inside, even though I keep it very clean (regular maintenance with a wet paper towel, if dough sticks to the window; nothing else ever happens, because I don't use it for cooking). Worst thing, though, is some of the screws up top are completely rusted; and the bottom is full of rust stains I can't clean for fear of damaging the coils. Guess I'm going to have to use the warranty because I don't think I'm ok with baking bread in a rusty enclosure.Down to 1 star now because a $250 appliance should be good for more than 9 months.Initial review, right after purchase.Pro: Excellent device for making bread just the way you like it. My family expressed an interest in transitioning to whole wheat (for which you absolutely need to buy gluten flour); however, it tastes much better with a combination of 2/3 whole wheat and 1/3 cake flour, and I reduced sugar to 1-2 spoonfuls. Also, replaced butter with regular vegetable oil. Tried many of the cake recipes, works great. Definitely a good investment, bypassed all preservatives and I have the certainty of fresh, top-quality bread whenever I need it. Recipe book is easy to use, feel free to modify amounts of salt/sugar/nuts etc. according to taste. Keep proportions for flour/water etc.Con: delay start function should allow you to have fresh bread by the time you wake up. Problem is, the machine gets loud when kneading and 'punching' so I don't like to do that. If in use during 'awake' household time, it doesn't bother anyone. You do whatever works for you.

Regarding the 'Paddle Waddle' wear issue of the Zojirushi.The letter from Zojirushi (manufacturer or some rep) responding to the complainants posted on http://www.saferproducts.gov/ViewIncident/1339046 about eating.aluminum and the engineered failure points of their bread machine.This bread machine has generated NUMEROUS complaints about the Eating Aluminum question and the Paddle Waddle wear failures common to this device. Such a well engineered product EXCEPT for the paddles and the torque delivery system. There is, in my opinion, an engineered failure point in this part of the mechanism. The flats on the shafts, that take the brunt of the beating during the kneading process, are minimally adequate. The play (looseness) between the shaft and the paddle tube body promotes the "stripping" or wearing down of the 'bridge' material that is meant to drive the blades through the bread dough. I am looking at a 'brand new out of the box' device and see that this will fail in the near future. The play creates a brief acceleration of the harder shaft impacting the softer aluminum type material of the paddle body (sorry) each time the paddles change direction, resulting in an impact into the paddle's minimal bridge (locking notch) material. There are a number of simple solutions to this problem but Sojirushi states that it will not fix this problem.There is a letter from the Zojirushi manufacturer (or some rep) responding to the complainants posted on http://www.saferproducts.gov/ViewIncident/1339046.What I got out of their statement is the following (in a nutshell):1. It is not a problem to *eat aluminum every day.2. Their machine is destined to fail regularly due to the wear and tear of the paddle design.3. It is your fault if it does because you used too heavy a mixture in the bread dough.4. We will not fix this.Opinions of family and friends to Sojirushi:. . . 1. Ingesting aluminum: Your statement that adults eat 7-9 mg of aluminum DAILY is misleading and a bad excuse for your irresponsibility, in my opinion. Most producers of the antiperspirants, antacids, cosmetics, have eliminated and/or found safer substitutions to aluminum in their products. People who are taking control of their health and the food their families eat DO NOT WANT TO BE EATING ALUMINUM. It has been linked to dementia and Alzheimer's as well as other issues. You site statistics for 'adults' but not children, known to be more sensitive to toxins during their development. Fix the paddle waddle Soji and you will essentially fix the aluminum eating issue!. . . 2. This is not rocket science. Making a paddle that will last is something that many of the lower priced bread machine market has mastered a long time ago. My current machine is 5 years in use three times a week and still works perfectly (we are tired of the tall breads). There are numerous ways to avoid the sticking issues other than your paddle waddle solution. Just do it!. . . 3. Are you saying that your machine has limitations to making healthier whole grain or nutrient dense breads because it will quicken the failure points of your mechanism? So your machines are only good for making light white bread or we will pay the constant price of repairs? I can buy white bread in my local local markets for less than what it costs me to make my own. Where is your logic?. . . 4. Bleeding your brand is not smart. Fix the problem. Don't be a Kodak in a changing world. I will return my machine till these issues are addressed. I do like your machine but what good is a luxury car that is unsafe and breaks down all the time? I will not feed my family, friends or myself a daily dose of aluminum to accumulate in my tissues and trust that these oxides and toxins will not be a problem. I also have a issue with your company's decision to extract an additional 'usage tax' with your engineered device failures. There are many other bread machines at a fraction of the cost (I can buy 4 or 5 others to your 1) or go to your direct competitor, Breville, if I want to spend this kind of money.*Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), and also state that the average adult American eats 7-9 mg of aluminum per day.

My Breadman Ultra died a few days ago and, thanks to all the reviews left by Amazon customers, I chose the Zojirushi Virtuoso. I just got my Zojirushi Virtuoso today and baked my first loaf of bread in it. This machine has two paddles which mix the ingredients quickly into a dough. It has many different settings to allow you to get creative and try new things. Because I grind my own wheat to make bread, it can get a bit heavy. At least it did in my old Breadman. However, I put the wheat bread setting on the "quick" setting and crossed my fingers. It came out perfectly. Unlike the Breadman, the Virtuoso had a crust that was not soggy. In fact, it came out looking like I had baked it in my oven. The crust was crisp everywhere - sides, top, and bottom. The texture was wonderful, too. THAT ALL CHANGED WITHIN TWO MONTHS OF USE. After six weeks of use, now it doesn't rise like it should and the loaves are like bricks. I use the same ingredients. I even weigh my flour. The yeast is the same. NOTHING has changed in the way I use it. But, I cannot return the item because it has been two months. I am disappointed with Amazon and will probably buy from a retail store in the future. Anyway, please take a moment to read all the 1-star customer ratings. When I first got this machine, it was perfect so I rated it high. But now that I've used it, I don't want anyone to be as disappointed as I am. You shouldn't have to pay a very high price for features but get very poor quality. BE CAREFUL. STEER CLEAR.

Purchased the bread maker in June 2016. Worked great until Dec. 4 2016. And I just found out what a nightmare the Panasonic customer service is.They are not easy to contact via phone. Automated voice on the line states that if product is in warranty you are entitled to a FREE customer representative call, otherwise you have to pay $9.99 for the honor to talk to them! This was of no help as after this announcement they said goodbye and the call was disconnected. At least they offered a free chat on their website which I used.The customer representatives told me that I have to ship the machine to their service center. They have only ONE service center in Texas for the whole US. And shipping would cost me about $50. And there is no guarantee that after repair I would not have the same problem again.This is not what I expected from Panasonic and I will never buy a product that might fail from them again. Instead of shipping the broken one for $50, I bought Oster bread maker for $60.

OK breadmaker unless you need warranty support. Fail.

I bought this product in December 2015. I used 3 times in the past and worked fine. Now it's totally not working. Function key pads do not engage at all after I put all the ingredients and set to go. It's very frustrating. First of all, from all the selections I had, I picked this product because of its nationally well known name brand. But it didn't last long. I am very disappointed. Sorry Amazon and Panasonic I have to write a bad review for the first time.

I had the original made in Japan Panasonic bread maker for 20+ years. I replaced it with this made in China version. The reviews made me think twice as there were many reviews where the product stopped working very soon after purchase. However, these reviews were nearly a year old. I thought a year was ample time to get quality control issues resolved. WRONG. My machine made ONE loaf of bread and after that the machine mixing / kneading cycle quit working. DO NOT BUY THIS MACHINE!

This product was defective and Panasonic does not replace defective items; the buyer has to pay for shipping to a service center, as though shipping the POS back and forth again will improve things. On the third phone call (after I reported the defective product to my credit card company with which I paid so that they could offer additional warranty coverage advice) the supervisor I spoke to actually said "the second time it breaks we pay the shipping, we never pay the shipping the first time you send it for service." The product weighs 16 pounds and the box must be at least 12 x 16 x 18 inches. Based on having previously shipped items at work I think this could easily cost me $30, which is ridiculous.The yeast dispenser won't work and I ended up with a three inch lump of crap in the bottom of the tray which I could barely remove. Panasonic will get around the bad reviews by discontinuing this model and producing a new one, but the important take away here is that they don't stand by their products upon notification that a new product is broken. I will never do business with Panasonic again on any type of product. In 24 years paying with the same credit card I have never called to ask about help with a defective product, so my credit card company took me seriously.

This is my second Panasonic bread machine. I gave my first, older unit (which I bought second hand and used for 5 years) to my son. I am spoiled and need really fresh bread so I find even the small loaf capabilities of the new unit to produce a loaf too large for a 3 person household - the bread goes stale before it is consumed. And I really don't need all the programming capabilities. However I bake bread 3-4x per week and while this unit worked great for the first 8 months, today it failed. Wouldn't kneed, wouldn't heat.,. Further, when I search for a neighborhood warranty service center, I find it is 1700 miles away and though Panasonic may repair the unit (at their election) I must pay the freight and insurance for round-trip shipping. Give the premium price for this unit, it's short service life, features I find unnecessary, I'll replace it with a simple unit at costs similar to round-trip "warranty" repair costs.