TR520 Programmable Bread Maker for 1, 1 ½ , and 2-Pound Loaves, Cream,White

This is the second of these machines I've owned. The previous one was marketed under the QVC Chef's Essentials house brand and was the exact same machine except black in color. It gave me years of service, until it shorted out and died recently.This time around, I decided to buy the Breadman TR520 itself, as replacement baking pans and mixing paddles are available through a link at the Breadman site (I never could find such a link at the QVC site).Why did I stay with this model? Because I didn't have to learn anything new to continue making my beloved cinnamon raisin loaves!Now this may not be the case where you live, but here in NYC, we are somewhat limited in terms of food selections in our not-so-supermarkets.So my local Morton Williams store can be counted on to carry just one brand and size of active yeast. This means I have to make a 1.5-pound loaf of cinnamon raisin bread to suit the Fleischman yeast packs on sale at the MW.I knew from previous experience that the TR520 can make a 1.5-pound loaf, and I have the cinnamon raisin recipe memorized after years of making these yummy loaves.I also know that the TR520 is compact enough to work on my cramped kitchen counter and store under my kitchen sink.Beyond that, this model also handles one- and two-pound loaves, offers eight different programs to suit various baking needs (including fast-bake two-pound loaves, French bread, whole wheat, sweet, and dough), and enables three crust colors from light to dark. The machine will also keep your loaf warm for up to one hour if you miss the ready signal, and it has a timer allowing you to delay the start of bread-making for up to thirteen hours, if for example you want to wake up to a freshly baked loaf in the morning.The baking pan has a nonstick coating which held up pretty well on my first model. The machine also alerts you audibly when it's time to add ingredients like raisins or nuts.Finally it's nice that the TR520 has a window allowing you to see the progress of your current loaf.In addition, the TR520 is reasonably priced ($300 for a bread maker??? -- not in my budget, not in this economy, not in this lifetime!)In fact, the only negative I can think of is that the white type against the yellow background surrounding the controls is a little hard to read. Forty lashes with a lump of dough for the thoughtless product designer!But all told, if you're looking for a compact, economical, full-featured bread-maker, it's hard to see how you can go wrong with the TR520. And once you've started making your own bread, you won't want to go back to store-bought, believe me!UPDATE: another review mentioned the fact that Breadman specifies Red Star yeast in their recipes, but I have used Fleischmann's (the only brand available at my local Morton Williams), and that seems to work fine with this machine as well, although I prefer Red Star.UPDATE NUMBER TWO: as I have been using this machine more, I notice that it seems to be built better than the equivalent QVC model I had before. The bread pan snaps into place more firmly, the buttons operate more reliably, and the handle on the pan is raised for easier handling. Nice details that speak to product refinement.PROS:* Compact footprint fits even tight counters.* Full-featured bread-maker, baking loaves of different sizes and styles.* Easy to use and clean.* Excellent recipe book included.* Reasonably priced.* Replacement baking pans and mixing paddles available.CONS:* Hard-to-read control labels.

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.

Purchased for family members as a gift. They opened and discarded package. Later tried to use bread machine and the paddle would not fit in the unit. Called Breadman and was told they no longer make this model and no longer have replacement parts for this model.

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.