Side by Side Comparison of: Breadman vs Panasonic

We use it mostly for making dough to bake in the oven, but makes a nice loaf, too.

I love the Breadman bread maker. This is my second Breadman and I had tried another brand between them and was always dissatisfied with it. My first Breadman fell off the table after 3 years of constant use, but I continued to use it for years afterwards even though the lid did not completely shut and the bread would be moist because of it. No sense in paying 100's of dollars for a bread maker when you can get this one for $49.95 on sale. I like the fact that it now makes a horizontal loaf. I do not like the pale yellow around the functions on top because they're hard to see but the digital features are lit up. The top now comes off and that makes it easier to clean. My bread always comes out soft and fresh for great sandwiches.This machine will take on any bread recipe for bread makers and come out on top everytime. By the way, I take the paddle out after the last 30 second knead because I dislike digging it out when the bread is done. GREAT DEAL! GREAT BREAD MACHINE!

This was a luxury purchase, as I was making bread by hand nearly everyday. The price was low enough that I thought I could give my hands a rest.So far, I've made white, whole wheat, gluten free, and sweet breads in full and quick bread cycles. Every batch has come out fine.I heat the water hotter than listed in the recipe, because the pan is usually cold when I start putting ingredients in. Adding ingredients only takes a couple of minutes, but with a cold pan, and a cool room (we heat with a wood stove and the kitchen doesn't get as much of the heat from it, which is fine with me) I didn't want the bread to be flat for lack of heat. Warmer water and 1 teaspoon of extra yeast will make even a whole wheat, 2 pound loaf rise on a the quick cycle (wheat bread takes longer to rise because of the gluten content and it's not recommended to make anything but white bread on the fast cycle because of that.If you want a wonderful buttery taste, add 1/5 to 1/4 cup of real butter powder when putting in the dry ingredients. The liquid needs to be adjusted to make up for the water absorbed by the butter powder (I use a slightly less than 1 to 1 ratio. 1/4 cup butter powder and add just under 1/4 cup of extra water), and just put the bread thru whatever cycle you were going to use anyway.There is definitely a butter taste to the bread before spreading anything on it. If you're on a diet, remember that butter powder doesn't mean calorie free. I usually order my butter powder from emergency ess>>>>>, though I just bought my first container of butter powder here on Amazon. I'm trying a new company because ironically, I found one that makes it here in our home state. So, we're buying local, even though we're having it shipped thru Amazon.Overall, with the ability to make 1, 1 1/2, and 2 pound loaves, plus all the different cycles at a great price, you can't go wrong with this machine.I haven't had it that long, but as I use it almost every day, it's probably already been used as much as a regular family would in a year. I really like it.

I bought this breadmaker slightly used, however it arrived in excellent condition. I have used it approx. 12 times so far and have to rate it 5 stars. It doesn't heat up the kitchen, is quiet in operation, very easy to use, and makes absolutely excellent bread and dough for rolls or biscuits. I've been trying many of the recipes in the back of the manual supplied with the machine. All are very simple, easy to read, inexpensive to create, and all have come out absolutely delicious! The family loves fresh treats every day now. The Breadman TR520 is very efficient too. I have been using it daily for about 3 hours at a time and haven't seen any difference in my utility bills. The only negative I would have a complaint about would be the face of the machine is difficult to read because it is gold in color and the letters do not show well or stand out. Other than that...buy one! You can't go wrong...I love mine. My friends have other brands and used theirs initially, but have retired them because the novelty wore off and they were difficult to use and understand. Several have seen mine and are stunned at it's ease of operation and simplicity of being able to understand how to use it. Plus, the finished product tastes so much better than any theirs EVER produced...so they claim. Music to my ears.

O.k. this will be a very no-nonsense review. I have read the reviews (all of them) before finally deciding to purchase this unit. I will first admit that there is a display problem for those in low light or who have trouble reading small lettering however this is avoidable by using the digital program display on the unit. I just got this unit last week and I have already made 8 loaves of bread. When I first got the unit it was ran on the fastbake cycle to burn off the manufacturing residue. My first try at this unit was the dough cycle. It made an excellant pizza dough and will become a regular for my dinner menu. I think because the machine has such a good kneading process you will soon find out that it is almost impossible to duplicate with human hands. My second loaf was the 3 hour whitebread with medium crust. I was quite possible the best bread I have ever eaten. I mean they have the recipe dead on and the unit REALLY DOES make a perfect loaf. Beyond that, I get to control the size of the load and also the crust type (ie. light, medium or dark). My third loaf was a quick bread. I made banana nut bread. It was really good however I wished I would have done it on the 3 hour cycle. You will notice a difference between the quick bread and the 3 hour cycle. The density of the bread is different. I guess you would have to now about bread to even tell the difference. There is no taste difference but it will be a little thicker and not as light as the 3 hour cycle.As fas as performance, it DOES NOT move a millimeter. I have granite counter tops so maybe that makes a difference but I in no way can understand how people have said it "walked" across the counter. My fourth loaf was made while I was at work using the delay timer and it was on my island counter at the very end. When I got home I checked to be sure but it did not move a singe millimeter. I did open the door to some wonderful bread warming in the unit. It is something I am going to love gettiing used to.I tried other loaves as well but what made me right this review today is that I made a cinnamon sugar bread for my co-workers today. I used the recipe in the book for my fifth loaf. It was cinnamon raisin nut bread. It was good but I found that it wasn't sweet enough and didn't have enough cinnamon for my taste. This is completely my taste and not the recipe. It was good but I modified the recipe. I trippled the cinnamon and also used a cup a white sugar and added an egg. WOW! my co-workers are telling me that I missed my calling as a baker. LOL!The unit IS qiet and does not make any noise that would bother you. You can open the top while it is in action to push down the flour from the corner if you wish. I use a rubber spactula when I am home but the fumnny thing is that when I use the delay timer for when I am not there I haven't noticed any flour of the side of the bread. I did see some using the quickbread funtion. You will definatley need to push down the dough on that cycle because you don't get as many knead cycles. The bread can is easy to clean and the unit doesn't get hot as some have suggested. It has a very large window to view the bread being made. I am 100% satisfied with the unit. I will admit I was a little nervous reading these reviews but I guess you can't please everyone. I paid 60 bucks for this and have no plans on buying bread from the store. NO WAY! Not while I have my breadmaker. This is definately worth the buy and I will buy 2 more...one for my mother and another for my brother as gifts.

I spent some time deciding between this machine and the Panasonic (which was more $$). I only considered horizontal loaves and I'm glad because they are still quite tall. I'm very happy I chose this machine and didn't spend the extra money. Having a window really makes a difference - to monitor whether or not to scrape the flour/dough down to make sure it all gets into the dough ball, and to make sure it's not too sticky (or dry). It's also just fun to peek! Of course maybe the Panasonic does a better job kneading all the ingredients together without "help"... I'll never know!I was worried that the white-on-beige control labels might be a pain but I haven't found them inconvenient (although it could be designed better with more contrast). The options and controls are pretty simple and straightforward and easy to get used to.I've made about 6-7 loaves and some rolls (dough cycle) and all have come out great. Although the daytime (monitored) loaves were more symmetrical than the overnight loaves, we were still very happy with the overnight loaves using the delay-timer.I'm looking forward to doing a pizza crust and maybe some breadsticks, but for someone like me who just wanted a good alternative to the bread you get in the store (plus the aroma in the a.m!) this is a great choice. I just hope it holds up for a while being used 2+ times a week. I make sure and push it WAY back on the counter (it does "walk" a bit) and I don't immerse the bread pan (per the instructions - not sure why). The biggest problem with our breadmaker? The bread is so delicious and we eat WAY too much bread now (the homemade loaves are sometimes gone in a day compared to store-bought loaves which hang around forever!) But we're eating healthy, wholesome and delicious bread now (no calcium proprionate or other suspicious additives) and we couldn't be happier!

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.

When I first bought this my boyfriend and I made our money back within two months. It is incredibly easy to work, makes great bread, and is ideal for people curious about getting a bread machine. We stopped buying bread completely and were stocked on sandwiches of all different varieties.The only reason this is not getting five stars is because you see, my fellow homemade bread makers, I tried a recipe and I have honestly no idea what went wrong. It was hard and wet in weird patterns and I decided yeah, that can't be eaten. Apparently this demon loaf ate the blade for the bread machine and in my haste to get its evil not deliciousness out of my home, I threw out the blade.This should not be such an issue, but it is. I've searched far and wide on the Internet and Amazon and cannot find the damn blade for this wonderful budget friendly bread machine ANYWHERE. I've been buying store bought crap and my taste buds and wallet are very mad at me. It looks like I am going to have to continue my search only to end up spending $60+ on probably the most important teeny tiny plastic part of this thing.I'd definitely recommend this but please for the love of bread do not lose the blade because then you'll be sad and bread less like me:(

Bought it nearly 2 years ago but did not have time to use it until today. Unpacked it and ready to Use it but couldn't find the paddle. Spent 30 min searching, thinking I dropped it or rolled off. The box was sealed so it wasn't lost during the 2 years. I Concluded there was an error while packaging and went online to buy a replacement but couldn't find one specific for this model. Spent another 30 min. Combing the website for clues then I saw that the "Paddle comes attached to electrical cord". Sure enough it was taped to the cord.Maybe it's just me but wanted to spare another hapless user what I went through.For the actual use review, it was very loud when mixing but worked fine to make dinner rolls. I wasn't sure if it was properly seated and at e hat was why it was so loud? I use the bread machine only for the dough setting so can't comment on bread baking ability.

Excellent for first time bread machine users. First timers do not have to buy the $200+ machines, this $60 one and a good bread machine cook book and a bit of practice (sorry to say, even with the $200 machines, you can't just add ingredients and walk away and expect a good loaf. You have to learn what the mixture's consistency is supposed to be like in the first kneading, adjust (add water or flour), once you learn that, then you can walk away after the first kneading).I have had this machine for about 9 months and I like it. It did take a number of loaves to get to know it but I believe that would be true with any machine.Short comings: The yellow background with white writing on the controls is very hard to read, even with good light.

This bread machine seems to work nicely. It is difficult to get the dough out of the inside of the hole of the stirrer. A small diameter bottle brush works pretty well. Be careful when using this. Ours walked off the cabinet top shortly after we purchased it when my wife was making rolls. It broke the hinge on the lid. It does not seem to walk when just making regular loaves of bread. Even after it walked off the counter it still worked and the lid stayed on well enough to continue using it.

This a very good product. In particular, the bread rises evenly and the paddle stays with the pan when I turn out the bread. Instructions are very simple. It also has a small footprint and takes up less counter space than any other I have owned.I am still adjusting my recipes to get he bread just right but this is because I like to use my own recipes.I had read about the yellow printing on the machine but I find no problem.I have owned many bread machines over the years but from now on will stay with the Breadman.

I bought this to replace a more sophisticated programmable Breadman Ultimate that I had used once or twice a week, sometimes more frequently, for several years. The machine still worked, but the kneading assembly finally just fell out of the bread pan (the shaft, etc.), and there were no replacement bread pans available for that machine. (I looked high and low!)I looked at a number of different machines before choosing this one. It seemed that people who bought Breadman machines were satisfied with this one, but the successor machine to the Ultimate received disappointed reviews from people who had owned the Ultimate. I also looked at other brands, and for one reason or another, rejected them. One of them, when you look at the manual, you discover that the ONLY setting for one pound and one and a half pound loaves is the "fast" setting, and the other settings are available only for the two lb loaves. Since I almost always bake one and a half pound loaves, this surprised me. (I find that the "fast" setting is hardly adequate even for a plain white loaf, but forget it for anything involving multiple whole grains.)The Breadman TR520 isn't programmable the way that the Ultimate was, but I had only used that feature rarely, so it was something I was willing to forego. It has a plain dough setting, but no pizza dough setting, which my previous machine had. Pizza dough does not require the time and rises that a bread dough would, but that's easily worked around -- I set my kitchen timer for an hour and take the pizza dough out after an hour and it's perfect. (I use my own traditional recipe for pizza dough, not the one in the manual that comes with the machine, which calls for sugar and dry milk, which I found bizarre.)Some of the differences between the TR520 and the Ultimate:- the TR520 cannot be custom programmed, although it does have the "delay" feature so that you can set the machine up the night before (or in the morning before work) and set the bread to be baked up to 13 hours after you put the ingredients in the machine.- the TR520 is MUCH quieter than the Ultimate.- the TR520 does not have as many settings as the Ultimate (such as "pizza dough"), but it still allows you to "mix and match" your loaf size, crust setting, and loaf type (e.g., basic white, whole wheat, French, etc.), and it does have the "plain dough" and "bake only" settings.- The display does not tell you what stage of bread-making the machine is on, only the time remaining. With the Ultimate, it was nice to glance at it and see that it was on its second rise, or whatever.- The key to the programs and the labels for the buttons, as noted by other reviewers, is printed on the machine in white with a yellow background and is very difficult to read, though I didn't find it impossible (really a stupid design mistake). You can always refer to the manual until you memorize them.- The casing seems to get hotter than the casing for the Ultimate used to, but that may be a subjective impression that is actually incorrect.- It has a slightly smaller footprint than the Ultimate, and is more of a square machine than rectangular, although the loaves are the usual rectangular loaf-shape.- Rather than having a receptacle for extras (raisins, nuts, etc.) like the Ultimate had, the TR520 has a loud beep, instead, signalling you to add the extras.- The Ultimate had a pause button, and the TR520 does not. I would like to be able to pause the machine early on and use my spatula to push dough from the corners if necessary, and pause it when adding the extras.- Neither the Ultimate nor the TR520 have two paddles, but they handle stiff bialy dough very well with just the one, and they don't make two holes in the bottom of the bread.I have baked several different loaves in the machine so far, including a buttermilk white loaf, a whole wheat oatmeal loaf, a whole wheat potato bread, cinnamon raisin bread, and a multigrain loaf, and they all came out well, just as I'd expected them to. My pizza dough has turned out beautifully each time I make it, too, and I do that about once a week. I have also made hard roll dough and bialy dough in the machine. It handled the very stiff bialy dough beautifully (bialy dough is like bagel dough), which pleased me.I have never made quick breads and cakes in my bread machine, this one or its predecessor, since I found early on that they don't turn out well for my taste. It's also scarcely any harder to mix something like that in a bowl and put it in the oven to bake, provided you have an oven!One of the things I love about the bread machine, aside from its general ease of use, is that I can bake bread in even the hottest weather without heating up my kitchen with the oven.The manual that comes with the machine is good and quite thorough. It pays to read it -- it is important with this machine, as with the Ultimate, to keep it unplugged in between uses, for example, and not to soak or immerse the bread pan. The recipes, however, are not any I would use as written, although I may try the pita bread recipe and tweak it a bit. I have been baking bread for about thirty years, more if you include when I would help my mother when I was growing up, and I have never, either in old-fashioned manual bread-making or in machine bread-making, used TWO TABLESPOONS of sugar for one ordinary loaf of bread. The sugar is there to feed the yeast, not to flavor the bread (unless it's a sweet bread, such as cinnamon raisin, Portuguese sweet bread, or challah). Two TEASPOONS per loaf has always been sufficient, regardless of the bread/flour type. My loaves turn out beautifully risen and golden with a lovely texture and crumb. Some breads, such as traditional white Italian and French loaves and pizza dough, do not need sugar at all.It was a a great price for a very good, perfectly functional machine. It had the features I found essential in a bread machine, though it didn't have some of the extras that would be nice. The only flaws that were real design flaws, as opposed to just being not-ideal, are the lack of a "pause" button, and the strange choice of white writing on yellow on the breadmaker lid. But the white-on-yellow is more-or-less a cosmetic flaw that can be compensated for. I do miss the pause button, though.It's not perfect and it lacks some frills, but it's an excellent buy, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking to buy a basic bread machine.

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!

So far this machine has excelled itself baking perfect loaves every time. We are very happy with it. The one problem we have encountered with it is the non-stick coating coming off the bake pan. Now bits of loaf stick to the exposed metal when the loaf is removed. We noticed this three days after the expiration of the window for returning the unit. Bummer. We have not yet found anywhere where we can buy a new bake pan, but we are still looking ...Apart from that, this is a great breadmaker!

I've used this bread maker several times already, and every time the bread comes out great, as long as you stick to the measurements. However, I've noticed that recipes have some errors in the book that comes with this machine, for example Potato bread - unclear how much instant potato flakes you need, is it 2/3 of a cup or 2 full cups and a fraction of a cup (there's either a digit missing or 2 was typed as a whole number by mistake). There are more such typo's in the manual which makes it confusing, and I'm sure someone's bread would not come out as perfect as should be in the end.Also, I find options display and a list of baking options are very tiny, I have difficulty choosing what I need even in my glasses.

It makes good looking loaves and the paddle mostly stays in the container when you take the bread out. The guide and recipes are good. The operating instructions on the machine are printed in ten pt. type in white on a yellow background - poor design there! Hard to read even in good light. Same with the window that gives the settings of process, loaf size and crust color. Very hard to read. The beep when the process has reached a certain point and when the loaf is done is almost inaudible - that is bad. It is easy to clean except there is a residue of bread around the base of the spindle that does not clean easily. Bread is well shaped if you follow the recipes they give and don't substitute. Once you get around these design imperfections it does the job OK.

Plugged the machine in and a series of beeps starts . . . and goes on . . . and on . . . The error code tells me (per the accompanying instruction book) that there is a failure which requires contacting the manufacturer at the listed phone or email. I email. Then I think that perhaps Amazon will be easier. Way easier. A few clicks and I have the return scheduled and the new one on the way. Meanwhile, the Breadman customer service people emailed me to say that no such model exists. I assume it is being phased out. I've used the new model once and got a perfect loaf of bread. It's the same mixing/baking pan as my prior Breadman, but there are fewer programming options - I found I didn't use them anyway. So for the price, well worth it. But don't count on Breadman for customer service on this model.

I purchased this bread maker after my Breadman 2200 Ultimate died after 10yrs of use.Thank you to all who reviewed before me for the pros and cons of the TR520. I decided to buy the TR520 because of the price and smaller (can fit in a cabinet) dimensions. Here's how I overcame some of the shortcomings that other reviewers found.First, to deal with the white on yellow control panel...I made a photocopy of the image of the front panel that's in the TR520 manual. I cut this out and taped it using clear packing tape on top of the machine. I bet someone willing to take a little time could adjust the copy size so that it fits perfectly over the control panel itself. I can look at the black and white image and know that I'm programming the machine correctly. Not elegant but given the price tradeoff - I think it is fine.Second, after some experimentation I found that if you are using Fleishman's bread machine yeast - comes in a jar - the quantity listed in the recipes for "Red Star" Active Dry Yeast", works well, where as "Bread Machine Yeast" does not.I also found that using the dough function for pizza dough was fine and just adding the "add-ins" like nuts and raisins, at the start didn't turn out any differently than adding them later at the beep. Good luck and may all your bread rise to the top but not beyond.

Yes, too dim! I've got to get a flashlight to read it even with all the lights on in the kitchen! Still, the machine does make a good horizontal loaf of bread. Readers should be aware that this machine is a slightly changed version of an older Toastmaster Bread-maker. When Breadman took over this design they took the indicator lights off the left front side of the control panel and included them into a re-programmed LCD display. Now it is much harder to see what cycle I have set the machine to use, and I need the instruction manual to tell me what options I am going to get. Still, the pans and paddles are interchangeable with my old Toasmaster machines. If you have an old machine and need a new pan or paddle, just buy a whole new machine as sellers at various sights want nearly 50% of the price of the machine just for a part!!! And yes, if you know how, an older pan where the shaft has seized can be fixed with a few simple tools. Weak LCD display lowers this to only three stars, other wise it would be highter.

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 not tried it yet, just received tonight. It does NOT look like a new machine at all. The cover is loosely assembled. More importantly, there is NO instruction book or any booklet included in the package. I hate complaining. But now looking at my new kitchen gift I expected for so long, I am very disappointed. Going to try it this weekend. I will be happy if it really works.

I owned a bread machine before several years ago so I was looking for just a simple machine. This is not it. You must use Red Star Yeast and it makes a difference which Red Star Yeast you use. The directions are complicated. The numbers on the yellow control panel are unreadable. I've tried two basic loaves and still don't have a loaf of bread. I've only had this a couple weeks so I don't know if Amazon would take it back, if not, I'll just trash it and find another.

After experiencing difficulty with baking bread from scratch I looked at the various options here at Amazon and after carefully reading all of the reviews decided that this machine best fit my needs. Have read about people getting good results mixing and kneading the dough in the bread machine and then after a second rise baking the loaf in the oven. On the dough cycle the Breadman never did mix the liquid and dry ingredients and I followed instructions and made sure to put the liquids in first. Ten minutes in I checked on it as others have recommended and with nothing happening I even took my spatula to mix in the flour a bit.I will go back to trying to perfect making no knead bread from scratch. If it works for you the Breadman seems reasonably priced and should make more of a horizontal loaf compared to many other bread machines. I returned the product and based on my experience can't recommend it.

I ordered this machine and made two loaves of bread and after that it didn't work. Took over a week to get it replaced and it cost me money for shipping for the new machine. I have made a few loaves with the new machine and so far it is working. I don't like it when the top is so light in color when the rest of the bread is a darker color. If it wasn't for my friend next door that likes homemade bread I would not have ordered a new one. I found out that it is a $1.00 fuse that went out. Not real happy at this point.

I have used Breadman bread machines for years and loved them. So I naturally expected to love this one. Wrong! The first loaf I made using the recipe from the book that came with it was tough and chewy. The second and third I made using my old recipe (which was not essentially different from the new cookbook) overflowed, filled the whole kitchen with smoke and took hours to clean. Unfortunately I do not have the original box it came in but I'd like to return this machine. I do not recommend it - obviously. I don't know what's wrong with it but I don't have the time or energy to experiment and find out.

I recently purchased this bread machine. First of all, the markings for the loaf size and color are so small and light ( white on a light yellow background) that you need a magnifying glass to see it. I have tried all size loaves and only the 1 lb loaf comes out right. Both the 1 1/2 and 2 lb loaves do not bake on the top of the loaf. Will be buying another machine soon.

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!

Yikes! Do not buy!I read the positive reviews and bought this, but I guess they've changed their quality lately... they sent me cheap plastic kneading blades that didn't fit on the rotating shaft! My friend has a similar model so we checked, in case maybe I was trying to put it on incorrectly (though I followed the vague instructions on the manual)--hers fit on mine just fine, they just sent me a crappy, dented blade that didn't even come close to fitting. When I called to get a replacement piece, they said it wouldn't be possible and that I had to send the whole machine back. Not exactly super convenient to lug around a huge machine in an attempt to find the closest UPS office.Get your bread machine elsewhere.

unfortunately, I did not have enough time to return this refurbished product before I realized it really did not work. I am highly disappointed. When I first turned it on, it appeared it was working until the next day I saw that the dough was not thoroughly mixed and when I tried to turn it back on multiple times, you cannot view the screen mode and it never turned back on.

The bread maker makes two day old bread right out of the maker. The crust is 3/8 to a half inch thick. The bread loaf is dry and gritty and browned throughout. I have gone through a bag of flour trying to make a loaf of bread that looks and tastes good. I still have my old tired bread maker and using the same ingredients still makes great bread. I have 2x'd & 3x’d everything to make sure I did everything correctly and consistently got stale burnt bread out of the machine.

First loaf did not bake at all. Loaf looked really pretty, rose nice, but after 3+ hours it was raw when beeper went off. It was 2 lb cinnamon raisin on med color for crust. So I think maybe I hit a button wrong. Second loaf, I made 1 lb white bread with dark crust color. Was so happy when it got hot at 30 min left on count down. Loaf ended up mostly white, very slight color on outside, bread half raw. Now my third loaf, 2 lb white bread on med crust color, once again very happy it got heated up with around 45 min left on count down timer. Just checking on it with 25 minutes left on count down. Barely feels warm and still very white, collapsing on top. I give up, there has got to be something wrong with the heat element. I guess now it will be only a kneading machine. Update: bread done, very white bread, no color, half raw.

This machine lasted one use, then the motor cog that drives the blade came loose and it wouldn't knead anymore. My husband took the whole thing apart and found that it had never been assembled correctly, and was missing necessary nuts and washers. He found some in his tool supplies and put it together. It works great now, but I wouldn't recommend this unless your husband is as handy as mine! We bake a lot and I have gone through several bread machines. I've always bought inexpensive models, including several Breadman. We've never seen one fall apart before. Very disappointing.

Machine doesn't turn on after 2 loaves of bread baked. Amazon will only accept it back for a partial refund. Should have paid an extra $50 and got a real breadmaker. What a waste of time and money.AVOID THIS MACHINE.

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.