(checked 2026-10-10)
Amazon's best-selling bread machine and a pick at Serious Eats, The Spruce Eats and Food & Wine for good loaves in a compact body. But its tall 2-lb loaves can hit the lid and collapse, and some units fail early.
Top complaints
- Tall loaves that can collapse
Serious Eats found larger loaves very tall and awkward to slice. The Spruce Eats says the largest loaves tended to hit the lid and deflate, and Wirecutter saw a dramatic dome collapse that it says owner reviews confirm is a recurring issue.
- Some units break early
Amazon's summary says durability is a concern, with some units breaking after a month. The Spruce Eats says the compact body has less insulation, so the outside gets hot during baking.
- Uneven results with some breads
Food & Wine's sourdough came out gummy with a darker bottom, and Serious Eats found its white bread a little dry. Amazon owners are split on noise.
What owners love
- Great results for the price
Serious Eats says it baked neat, nicely browned bread in every test, helped by rests between kneading cycles. Food & Wine says it made the best banana bread of any machine tested.
Source: Serious Eats, Food & Wine - Compact and light
The Spruce Eats and Good Housekeeping call it one of the most compact machines, and Amazon owners like that it fits on counters or in cupboards.
- Intuitive with plenty of options
Serious Eats found the interface intuitive. Food & Wine lists 12 programs, three loaf sizes, a 13-hour delay timer and keep-warm. Amazon owners say it's easy to clean.
- You want sandwich-shaped slices
- You mostly bake big 2-lb loaves
- You need a confirmed gluten-free setting
- Small kitchens
- Good bread under $200
- Quick breads like banana bread
Scores (tap for why)
What experts say
- Serious Eats: Best under $200: great results and intuitive, but large loaves are very tall and the white bread was a little dry.
- The Spruce Eats: Best budget: compact and easy, but the exterior gets hot and 2-lb loaves can hit the lid and deflate.
- Food & Wine: Best for quick breads, with excellent banana bread; its sourdough was gummy.
- Wirecutter (NYT): Not recommended: a particularly dramatic dome collapse, which Wirecutter says reviews confirm is recurring.