Side by Side Comparison of: Breadman vs Sunbeam

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!

This will be my first on many comments on this bread machine. Our long time Cuisinart machine died and we needed a replacement. After reading reviews for a week we decided on this one. Today I am making my fourth loaf in a week. We are using King Arthur bread flour, Trader Joe's unsalted butter, tap water, Red Star bread machine yeast, Alba nonfat milk powder, Morton salt and Aldi sugar. Humidity today is 76% and 68 degrees inside. We are using the standard 1.5 pound loaf recipe. The last three loaves have been perfect. Will post a photo of the finished product. If today's results are like previous ones then you will see how this compares to other bread makers. Bread is a science and measurement is key. Also using fresh ingredients makes your bread even better. I don't think blaming the bread maker is fair. It is just using temperature and mixing to make the product. Will be back later with the photos.

excellent for the price - only con: shape of loafs (but the same with all others). very very easy, fast and reliable, just follow instructions to the letter.

I've been the victim of so many kitchen gadgets, filled with empty promises. I am usually so, so, so disappointed. One day, I heard tell of a magical device called, -A Breadmaker-. It sounded too good to be true. Surely, an art such as break making cannot be replicated by a machine?! And so I researched and read and eventually added this to my wishlist. But memories of gadgets past kept me from making my purchase. Then, on Christmas morning, I find myself face to face with this myth, in the flesh! (kinda). I searched my cabinets and found I had what I needed for a loaf of french bread. With great trepidation, I set it and let it go. Soon, my home was filled with the delicious aroma of fresh bread. Could it be? Could the legends be true? I easily released the bread from its pan and took a bite.HOLEY GUACAMOLE I MADE BREAD BY DUMPING SOME CRAP IN A BOWL AND STICKING IT IN A MACHINE AND GOING TO PLAY VIDEO GAMES.I've made all the breads in the recipe book and have a folder full or recipes to try. I've used the timer to wake up to fresh bread.I. LOVE. THIS. THING.-sobs while stroking bread maker-

I bought this for my younger sister for Christmas and she loves it! She has already made bread and pizza dough. It was a perfect gift for her and her first home. I have owned a bread maker for years (a discontinued model) and have always enjoyed the simplicity of making bread whenever I want. In under two hours we can have pizza dough and in about 4 hours we have fresh bread. If you have ever thought about a bread maker, this one will fit the bill. It is as simple as adding water, flour, sugar, milk powder, and yeast and turning it on. It takes me under 5 minutes to put the ingredients into the pan and hit the on button. I never have to buy store bread with artificial preservatives again. One last tip - I would recommend trying unbleached flour instead of bleached flour. The flavor is much better!

I really don't get into reviewing products, but I just had to for this bread maker. Before I purchased the Sunbeam, I had an expensive Breadman go bad in a very short time. Didn't have a lot of money to spend, but I bake my own bread constantly, so I saw the Sunbeam advertised on Amazon.I wasn't sure how it was going to work out because it was inexpensive. I have to say that I love this Bread machine!! It is so much better than the expensive Breadman I had. The bread comes out perfectly each and every time so far. Last time I made bread, I forgot to add the butter just as the first knead started. I stopped the machine, pulled out the bread, added the butter and threw it back in the machine. The bread came out perfect!! I really can't say enough good things about how great the bread turns out. I will never go back to spending a lot of money for a more expensive brand again. The digital readouts on this Sunbeam were much easier to read than for my Breadman. I make bread twice a week, each and every, week, so if this machine lasts (and I see no reason why it shouldn't), I think it's the best buy on the market.

Before I purchased this machine, I read ALL the reviews, the good, bad and the ugly. I realized there would possibly be some trials and tribulations with my first attempts at using it since I am not only a novice to breadmakers but also living in high altitude country. I made bread from scratch many eons ago and am aware of the exact measurement problems.So I crossed my fingers, ordered the machine AND, on the advice of several posters, I also bought 2 of the Donna German Bread Machine books(let's go ALL the way :-)I rec'd it in a timely manner and read the manual thoroughly. Sonewhat of a brain overload but I thought very thorough in taking you from start to finish.My first loaf was plain white bread from DG's Bread book (avoiding the Sunbeam manual recipes). I made minor adjustments to compensate for the altitude. Hmmm! Fine loaf of bread but a bit too heavy. My 2nd loaf was made using the exact measurements from DG's book and it turned out much lighter in texture and very good indeed.I have since made fruit/cheese filled brioches, apple chunk bread (Oh, Lordy, Lordy, so sublimely delicious!), hot dog/hamburger buns and banana outmeal bread - all to the exact measurements, no adjustments. ALL have turned out extremely well and I'm quite pleased.In calcing the cost of each loaf, I am making plain white bread (2 lb) for about $1.20/25 a loaf or 12 brioches or buns for the same. Unless I use a particularly expensive ingredient, none of these loaves should cost more than $1.50.My future plans are to make regular pizza plus peanut butter pizza. While it can be intimidating at first, after reading the various problems people have had, I'm now perfectly comfortable with this machine and well pleased with my purchase.To make some observations that may be helpful to others.....1) It's not clear what caused many people to complain of fallen loaves but most did not relate the source of their recipe. My hunch is that most used the recipes from the manual. Several people have warned against this since these recipes appear to be flawed. GREAT machine! LOUSY recipes! If you still have your machine, try purchasing Donna German's book(s) or any other popular bread book and give it another shot.2) DO use the plastic measuring cup and spoon that comes with the machine. Do your very best to have exact measurements. If your recipe calls for 1/2 cup, check the measurement equivalents and create your 1/2 cup from 8 level tbls rather than trying to eyeball just where 1/2 is in your measuring cup.3) I have no explanation why recipes in DG's books seem to need no adjustment for high altitude (I'm a mile high). If you're H/A, try your recipe with no adjustments first and then adjust if necessary.I really do suspect that, for the most part, most of the negative reviews have less to do with a defective machine and more to do with a defective manual. You should avail yourself of a good bread making cookbook. Many people, dependent on where they live (temperature and altitude), may need to make some adjustments. What eventually works for you may not work for the next person and that is just the nature of bread making.At the price it's listed today ($44), I can only say - ORDER IT!

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.

Alright, I'm pretty satisfied with this machine, especially given the price. I think I passed the 100 loaf mark awhile ago (mostly variations of raisin bread), and it is still going strong.Pros:1. Price. It performs similarly to more expensive machines (I've used a Panasonic one).2. Ease of cleaning. The pan is easily removed and cleans very easily.Cons:1. The lid does not close fully. I actually had to return the first machine Amazon sent me, but even the replacement I'm using now has a significant gap between the lid and the rest of the machine when "closed." What this means is that plenty of moisture and heat escapes from the sides and hinge areas.2. Discoloration. Probably because I use cinnamon or brown sugar a lot in my breads, but the steam from the cooking tends to soak into the white plastic. Even cleaning it asap after baking cannot remove the brown stains that have infused into the edges of the lid (and the lid itself).3. The non-stick surface of the pan has started to wear off, especially on the wall-ridges near the bottom. Essentially this means whatever that material is, it is dissolving into the bread and you are eating it. I'm looking into getting a replacement pan, but they're almost half the price of the bread machine. Decisions, decisions.I would have preferred if the manual laid out more of the timings for each bread type, but I guess you get what you pay for.In the end, problems aside, this machine is VERY worth the cost.

We've made our bread at home using breadmakers for a couple of decades. This is a perfectly satisfactory solution although it may take some practice. This particular model (there are many brands) has a design problem with the breadpan spindle which sometimes freezes permanently. Its life can be extended by occasionally lubricating with vegetable oil. And they do wear out. That was what led to our most recent replacement. However, the rewards of fresh homemade bread like cinnamon raisin breakfast bread more than make up for the minor issues. Wonderful treat with apple butter! We also love a winter bread made with dried tropical fruit and fresh orange juice instead of cinnamon and raisins. Great with guava jelly! There are a number of other breads which we enjoy. Except for thanksgiving stuffing bread, we never have to buy bread and we always have fresh, homemade bread available.

I have had this bread machine about a month and have used almost everyday. The main reason for buying this is to produce all the bread of the household. I wanted to save money and produce bread I knew exactly what was in it. For anyone considering buying this machine I would recommend it. The bad productions that have been made have been mainly due to the booklet the machine came with. I do not recommend using the book for the recipes, they never worked for me. I bought a seperate book, with recipes just for a bread machine and they have all worked perfectly. I have only tried a few of the settings on the machine, the normal bread setting, the expressbake and the dough method. I also tried the quick setting but I do not really know the difference between it and the expressbake and the bread did not rise as much with the quick setting so use expressbake. In general expressbake did produce good bread but it did not rise as much and was therefore, much denser than the usual longer setting. I use the dough method to make rolls, which I subsequently baked in the oven. These have been perfect everytime using the recipe from the book I bought. Overall I would recommend this machine but DO NOT use the provided book it is terrible!!!

I am new to bread baking, and this machine was recommended to me by a friend. I was originally looking at a much more expensive Zo 1 lb. Machine, because I have a small family. I decided to go with this knowing if I really enjoyed the process, I could upgrade at a later date. I read the other reviews, did not attempt recipes from the manual, bought both the Betty crocker and Beth Hensperger's bread machine cook books and started baking. I am happy with the results. I have made rye, white, cinnamon raisin. Follwed the recipes from the book exactly, experienced no problems, and was thrilled to produce really good bread without the 50 + ingredients in store-bought. REAL food, easy to make. I am attempting the dough cycle this weekend, to make brioche...hping for similar success. In the future I'll try the jam setting... Nice feature in an inexpensive machine.After purchasing the machine, I noticed most recipes in cookbooks and online are for 1-1/2 & 2 lb. Loaves, and since I keep reading how exact measurements are so important, I am relieved I didn't buy the 1 lb. Machine... Recipes are not always easy to halve, depending on the book. Betty crocker's book for instance in some cases mentions their testing has shown there is no difference in the amount of yeast between a 1-1/2 and 2 lb. Loaf... I wouldn't want to " guess" what might work for a 1 lb.loaf.For the price, this machine is great.

This is an inexpensive, reliable, easy to use bread machine overall. I use it twice a week and I get better at baking with it as time goes on.Don't use the recipe for the 1.5 lb. "Homestyle White Bread Loaf" on page 13 in the Sunbeam manual that comes with the machine! Try my version instead. After many weeks of trial and error, this adjusted recipe works best for me:Add to the bread pan in the usual Sunbeam-recommended order - this is the order I use:1 c. plus 2 T. water1 T. soft butter1 T. vegetable oil3 T. sugar2 T. dry or powdered milk1 1/2 t. salt3 c. flour*1 1/2 t. quick yeast or bread machine yeast*Either bread flour, all-purpose flour, or a mixture thereof - 2 c. bread and 1 c. all-purpose works best for me.Set the machine to bake at the lightest color, at the 1.5 lb. size. When the bread maker finishes baking the loaf, unplug the machine and extract the bread pan (twist to the left and pull up). Don't leave it in the machine. IT'S HOT! Be careful!Gently twist and shake the bread pan to loosen the loaf or loosen with a thin plastic spatula. Carefully remove the bread from the pan and lay the loaf on its side on a rack to cool. If the mixing paddle is stuck inside the loaf, remove it with the included tool.This makes a delicious, tender, yet substantial loaf for cold, hot, or grilled sandwiches, toast & jam, French toast, or just about anything. For a delicious stuffing base, cut it into cubes, season, drizzle lightly with melted butter or olive oil, then spread out and lightly toast on big cookie sheets.Economics: For a 1.5 lb loaf @ 3 cups flour per loaf, I get 6 loaves of bread per 5 lbs. of flour, with around 2 cups of flour left over for the next batch.UPDATE 2/9/2009: Here's another great recipe for this bread maker. It's made with oatmeal and makes a wonderful tender loaf of tasty bread. In my experience, everybody LOVES it so it doesn't last long. Add to the bread pan in the usual Sunbeam-recommended order - this is the order I use:1 1/4 c. milk (lukewarm)2 T. soft butter3 T. light brown sugar1 1/2 t. salt2 c. bread flour1 c. rolled oats (or old fashioned oats)1 c. all-purpose flour2 t. quick yeast or bread machine yeastI set the machine at light color for a 1.5 lb. loaf. Makes delicious sandwiches and toast.UPDATE 4/28/2010: Hodgson Mill Honey Whole Wheat Bread Mix (and all the other Hodgson Mill bread mixes) work perfectly in this machine, and when bought through Amazon subscription (for the current price $9.60 per 6 pack) are actually cheaper than from scratch (fresh yeast is included). All you add is water and a tablespoon of butter or oil for a great loaf. I usually don't use mixes but the Hodgson Mill mixes contain very high quality fresh ingredients and are very easy to use with this machine.

I bought this for my Mother-In-Law for xmas 2007. I have an older Oster model (Oster = Sunbeam : Sunbeam = Oster, FYI - Oster discontinued my model but seems to have replaced it with this one - the recipe book has the same pictures as my 4 year old model). I made her first batch with her. It came out great. But the reason I made the first batch with her was due to 2 failures that could have been avoided during the manufacturning design process. This review describes my old machine experience vs. this newer model.Oh, the jumbo display and buttons are so great so see and press but they come with these two detractions.1. Upon my Mother-in-law's first batch failure, she was so excited (I wasn't present) that she leaned over the machine so many times at one point she accidentally leaned on the Start/Stop button and unknowingly canceled her cycle. On my older Oster model they did not install raised push buttons. They had those clicky flat plastic selector buttons. It was impossible to accidentally lean against the machine looking into the window and shut down the machine without great effort because they were placed on the top of the machine.2. The display on this machine is bigger and better, but only on first impressions. On my older Oster machine the display was next to the clicky buttons on the top of the machine; which sometimes made it hard to read, cause you had to crane your neck over the counter to see the display. However, the main drawback to this newer display is that it has 12 cycles and when you select 10, 11, or 12, the 1's place can be shadowed by the permanent plastic overlay (not adjustable). So what happened to batch #2 for my mom? Well, due to a shadow and being anxious about her sencond try (and being 79 years old with ok (so so) eyesight, she pressed the cycle selection button to 12 and did not see the 1 due to a shadow. The 12 setting is 180 degrees from the function of the 01 setting which is used for making most all types of bread. The #12 setting is called the "Bake" setting. If you intened on making bread manually (on the counter) and want the machine to cook it for you - just as an oven, this is the setting you would use. So good ol' mom accidentally selected this setting, because she didn't or was not able to acknowledge the 1 next to the 2 designating 12 instead of 02 (the zero is not shown on the display, it is just typed for your clarity here) and therefore the bread machine started cooking her ingredients but not mixing them. Also the crust color icon could be hard to see in one of the rightmost positions.Ok, nuff feature bashing.One more thing before is say my last peace. The recipe/instruction manual (available in Spanish/English) does not include a large variety of recipies that my 4 year old machine included, even though the machines have the same settings and capacities. I can't imagine why Sunbeam would simply leave out 5 pages of already formulated recipes and give you so few to work with. For example, EVERYONE (I think) loves cinnamon raisin bread. Well, that recipe was removed from the instruction manual, including Cheddar chive bread. These are two great recipes I can't believe they skimped on. Anyway, if you go to a good bookstore, there are "Bread Machine" books and that can help fill the void. If purchasing a book kills you or you are too electronified, search for "bread machine recipes" on the Net and you are sure to find a ton of stuff to bake.OK, this is really long winded but I wanted to help my fellow Amazonians, since I believe in these reviews and read them for almost every product I buy online.FINALLY - BUY THIS MACHINE, I would have given it 5-stars if the two design flaws mentioned above weren't there; The machine makes excellent bread! My 4 year old Oster (remember Oster = Sunbeam : Sunbeam = Oster) is still going strong. I've made at least 100 batches of bread, had a few pitfalls (ie, don't add too much cinnamon to bread or it will kill the rising action - found that out the hard way - makes nice bricks for building houses though). Also, for the price, I can't see why you should spend 2x the amount on a more costly machine, unless the design flaws I mentioned make you sick to your stomach.Have a good day. N-Joy ! :-)

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.

This is my third breadmaker. I make bread every week. This is the first machine I've had that makes a horizontal loaf. It is an odd sized loaf which, depending on how you cut it, makes slices that are larger than what will fit in a sandwich sized zip top bag. The wheat bread recipe that comes with the machine make a pretty nice loaf, but my other recipes seem to be a little "off" in this machine. I tried the "jam" setting and it was really messy! I had jam splattered all over the inside of the machine. My next machine will one that makes vertical loaves.

I purchased this machine on Amazon and it arrived about a week ago. But it did not have any manual or any paperwork at all. I am in Afghanistan so it was a big hassle to send it back so I waited a few days until I could get on the Internet again as I am in a very remote place and went to Sunbeam's web site and downloaded a manual today. I am going back to my quarters now and attempt to make my first bread. If it turns out good, I will upgrade my review. I just hope the personnel at the factory did not leave anything else out! Update: I never got to use this machine before someone stole it! Hope they !@#$%^&*()?><!

As soon as I received the Sunbeam Breadmaker I wanted try out my favorite recipe, potato bread. It can be baked on the Expressbake setting. I was disappointed because my bread came out too compact, too doughy. The manual suggested cutting back on salt, so I tried again reducing salt by a third. Not much change. A big factor is the bake time: my old machine used 85 minutes for Expressbake. The Sunbeam uses only 58 minutes. That's a big difference, given the same recipe. I tried another recipe for Homestyle white bread, using a basic (3 hour) setting. It came out perfectly. This means all my Expressbake recipes have to be modified. A negative, in my opinion.

I have not read this in other reviews of this product, and I just bought mine right before Amazon stopped shipping it direcly and it started being sold only by a 3rd party, so I think there are a couple of different versions out there. However, the directions on the machine I have, and in the manual are WRONG. Just wrong. Period. If you do things in the order the instructions tell you to with the delay timer--THE MACHINE WILL MIX YOUR YEAST IN THE SECOND YOU PUSH THE START BUTTON. Big problem if you weren't planning on being around for the next 3-4 hours (which is why you would use the delay). However, once you figure out that, no matter what, the up and down time buttons must be the last buttons you touch before "start," it does okay.A HUGE, added bonus is that it will let you delay dough--almost no machines, other than the zoji, can do this.I have used the basic, sweet, dough and sandwich cycles so far. The bread it creates is just okay (the crust is too thick when baked in the machine). However, I mostly use the dough cycle for all my needs anyways.I had an Express Bake Oster for 2 years before this that I used about 2x/week--it recently broke. THat machine had less function settings, but was more reliable.All this, combined with the very low price, makes this an okay, serviciable machine.

Sunbeam 5891 2-Pound Programmable BreadmakerI bought this particular machine on the recommendations in Amazon but am a little disappointed with its performance. I've tried many different recipes, both in the recipe book that came with the machine and a great gourmet breadmachine recipe book that turned out perfect bread loaves on my last machine, but all so far have resulted in bread that is both too heavy and falls after rising. All recipes have been followed exactly. I have also tried reducing the amount of yeast/increasing flour because I live at high altitude, but it hasn't made a difference. The bread tastes fine- it just doesn't produce a well-risen loaf.

The Sunbeam 5891 Breadmaker works as well as some other breadmaker machines, but not as well as a few. There are too many to name each and every one here. Since purchasing last month, being April, 2008, I have made quite a few loaves of bread with the Sunbeam 5891. Many adjustments to the recipes in the included book were needed to obtain the perfect loaf, but this is the norm with many of the less expensive machines. But, as with any of the automatic breadmakers, it saves me from having to knead the bread myself, which is a labor of pain with the arthritis in my hands. So, I can enjoy fresh baked bread without the discomfort. I guess it does the job it was purchased to do.

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.

I bought this machine in 2015 as my daughter liked hers. Mine worked... somewhat. The last rising went too long and the loaf collapsed during baking, each time. I went online and found many people had the same problem with this machine. They said to just take the dough out of the machine after the "punch-down" cycle, let it rise in a loaf pan and bake in a regular oven. That worked fine... till the machine quit entirely about a week ago. I tried it again today just to make sure—and yes, it's dead. Two stars because it did kind-of work for awhile, and did save me considerable time. But now I'm going to search for a bread machine with better reviews... or try the "no-knead" bread again.

Makes a very nice loaf of white bread, PERIOD. Unfortunately, it performs very poorly with whole wheat flour. I have tried all of the recommended solutions: 0) Add gluten 1) Better brand of flour 2) Adjust the amount & temperature of water 3) Adjust the amount of salt 4) Adjust the amount & type of yeast 5) Adjust the amount & type of sugar 6) Added lemon juice 7) Lit candles... Although I had limited success with a few recipes, many resulted in an outright brick. I used a Breadman Machine with the same recipes many years ago, with little or no issues, only suffering a few failures out of hundreds of loaves. The only conclusion I can come to is that the cycle times or temperature settings for this machine are inadequate for whole wheat flour. Time to find a different machine!

It worked... eh and lasted 3 3/4 years of very light use (I estimate 20 total uses.) My typical recipe was a 1.5 lb loaf. I did it on "light" quick bake setting, which left the top half baked with a light crust but the bottom third stayed pretty doughy. Odd, but still tasty and it worked well for french toast the next day.When I bought this, I also considered a Zojirushi. I figured I wouldn't use it much and should get the cheap machine, however, I recently used a friend's 21 year old Zojirushi bread maker with perfect results and can't help but think for the quality and longevity, the Zojirushi would have been the better bet.

I ordered 2 units for Christmas presents. One unit had a screw loose inside - was 1 of 3 screws holding the power/mixer drive unit in place and was in a position such that I could not get the screw back into its hole, so I sent it back. Then later I got news on 2nd unit.Its delayed start button fell to inside of control panel (probabaly missing the part behind it that holds it in place?) on the very first press of the button. I had already replaced the 1st defective unit with another one when I learned of the defective button. After testing all its buttons, so far it seems to be OK, no loose screws or buttons, but not much time has passed since X-mas to be sure how it will hold up. The 2nd defective unit will be replaced with a different brand. But it does make good bread when you have a fully functional unit. Too bad the assembly quality is so poor. Thank you Amazon for taking back the defective units no problem!

I received the breadmaker, and when I was taking it out of the box, I noticed something rattling inside the bread maker. I noticed that there was a Chinese "QC Passed" sticker on the bottom of the machine. Great job guys. I tried to take the bottom off the breadmaker, but it won't come off. I guess that I will have to leave the loose screw or whatever it is , inside until it shorts out the electrical components. It's not worth the $15.00 shipping to return it for a new one. I was hoping for a little better quality for a $60.00 BREAD MACHINE !

*Updated Review After Two Years of Owning*Original review is below but I felt I needed to update. When I first purchased this machine I gave it 4 stars ~ I have however knocked it down to 2. I have only owned this machine for about 2 & a 1/2 years and today, while in the middle of making bread the machine began smoking. I, thankfully, was standing right there in my kitchen, smelled the burning smell, saw the smoke coming out of the machine and was able to unplug it immediately. I wonder however what would've happened had I stepped out of the house for a moment and been unable to unplug it! From what I can tell, I'm almost positive it was an issue of the belt breaking.I had not spilled any ingredients while putting them in the machine and the dough was not overflowing so it definitely wasn't a "user error" and a normal "food burning" smell. (Plus it was smoking out of the back of the machine) I will be contacting Sunbeam although I am not holding my breath that they will help in any way. My suggestion would be look elsewhere for a machine unless you want to be replacing this one every few years! (And for the record, I would use this maybe a couple times a month, if that, so it's not as if I was using it daily and it just simply wore out)*original review*I ordered this bread maker a couple weeks ago and have used it a couple times and really do like it. I took the advice of previous reviewers and don't follow the recipes in the direction book ~ I ordered a separate recipe book for bread makers.However, I do have one issue and am wondering if anyone has had this issue too and if you have been able to fix it?Every time so far that I have made a loaf of bread, the little mixer lever that goes inside the machine bakes INTO the bread and comes off (it is removable as it comes in a separate little bag and you have to put it on) and it's pretty annoying to have to dig it out of the bottom of my loaf of bread every single time. I have no idea how to fix this though?? (short of super gluing it (And no I'm not serious ~ I'm not going to super glue it for real)Otherwise it really is a good machine. The buttons/menu are easy to use and so far I have liked it ~ like I said it's just that one issue that is really frustrating.

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.

Not sure why this has such high reviews. I thought it was too good to be true at the price point, it was purchased August 9th. Used no more than 10 times and the screw that holds the bread blade in place just snapped off... guess how it went with customer service

Please TRUST the reviewers who say the recipes that are listed in this Bread Maker Manuel are BAAAAAD! Bad, and add HORRID! We needed Alka-Seltzers after having a slice. The crust was dry and the excess yeast gave it a very bitter flavor. The texture of the bread is a cross between a kitchen sponge and cheap pig bread. The top crust was like cement. I followed the recipe perfectly. I have been making yeast bread and rolls for years (decades), and this was disgusting. I am going to try a recipe I've used with very well respected success in it tomorrow. If that loaf turns out gross... I'm sending this back!!I will edit after tomorrow.. Today is January 10, 2014.

This did not work at all for whole wheat breads.

To close to the heat, makes loaf dry out, yet not thoroughly bake. Oven bake bread is much better in texture and taste.

I bought mine last March and have been making a loaf of bread just about every week. Today it made its last loaf, the motor was straining to turn the paddle.Positive: The price.Negatives: LCD is next to impossible to read. Made to be viewed by someone under 5' tall, I over 6'. Bread crust is over-cooked, even on the light setting. It never wanted to make a great loaf of bread, no matter how hard I tried. To load the pan I had too pull the machine out from under the cabinet and turn it so the lid would open wide enough for the pan.I'm tired of messing with this machine. I have 3 weeks left on the one year warranty, and won't waste my money shipping it back. My previous machine cost $180, but it lasted 7 years. This one was $40, and lasted one year. Add me to the never again group on Sunbeam bread machines.

I bought mine based on the reviews here; I must've gotten a lemon, because from within the first few runs the kneading motor started laboring more and more to the point where it has a hard time turning at all now. Even so it still produces bread, but the results are unpredictable. This is all with 4-cup recipes.It's noisy as some have pointed out. My bottom line: it might be worth the gamble for the low price, but keep the paperwork! The quality is not consistent between units. This one was to replace a Breadman TR555LC which burnt out after two-plus years of rugged use (operator error); might be time to go back to Breadman.