Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

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