Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I spent many hours reading the reviews on the Cuisinart, the Breadman and the Zoji. I was hesitant to buy this machine because of all the negativity, but in the end I wanted 1)the low carb cycle, 2)the beep to remove paddle, 3)the horizontal loaf, 4)the jam cycle, 4) the pause option, 5)the power failure backup and 6)I really like the convection fan idea. I bought the machine at Amazon knowing their exchange policy was good, and waited before sending the warranty card. Now I have 4 weeks of busy holiday baking to report and the results are wonderful! I am so happy! I love being able to remove the paddle and lose that hole. I can only assume that Cuisinart's quality control has not been up to par and that I was lucky enough to get a one of a good batch. There have been some disappointments. The LowCarb cycle was a total failure with my own recipes and the Cuisinart recipes didn't meet MY definition of low carb. However my own recipes (from Dana Carpender's 500 Low Carb Recipes)come out perfectly on the whole wheat light or medium settings. The Pumpernickel was to-die-for. I also use the Jam setting frequently to make sugar-free jam and cranberry sauce. The first batch was a hit as far as taste and consistency of the sauce, but a disaster in terms of cleaning up the machine afterwards. Cranberries had flown all over in the first 10 minutes or so and burned on the heating elements. The second time, I covered the pan with a 10 inch square hot pad of silicone able to withstand 550 degrees, held in place by the handle. It worked perfectly. I leave it on until the second phase when the paddle goes more slowly and berries aren't flying anymore. I was also helped enormously by the Bread Machine Magic books, which recommend checking on the bread at the early stages and adding more flour or liquid as needed to get a nice loaf. I have used this several times, and it has definitely reduced my failures to zero. I'm looking forward to trying the artisan bread cycles, and to many more loaves of Pumpernickel and Whole Wheat low carb bread. I have heard no clunking noises, had no burned bread. I would give it 5 stars after 6 months of trouble free operation.