Sunbeam 5891 Programmable Breadmaker

Pros: -simple to use
-bread-making for dummies

Cons: -lack of controls for advanced bread making
-loafs come out oddly shaped due to form shape difficult to cut or make sandwiches
-recipe books is puny and mostly useless. I've tried a bunch of breads from it and haven't liked single on of them. you don't buy bread maker to make supermarket-brand quality bread.

Other Thoughts: bought this model in 2009
almost loved it.
made bread with it once every 2-3 weeks.
it worked great until it stopped making good bread.
not sure what's wrong but it goes through the cycle fine, but bread practically doesn't rice and loafs come out dence as a brick and same shape too. i've troubleshoot per manual that came with it, replaced all ingredients with freshest stuff, checked all around but still can't quite find what's wrong. it's been a dozen or so attempts, lots of bad loafs and still no solution.

Pros: - Nice value for this price
- good set of programs
- great for lazy bakers who want to drop ingredients and forget.

Cons: - I have not yet been able to get the same baking results as in oven. It seems there is no heat coming from the top so you cannot get nice crust on top of the bread.
- Missing detailed control on the whole process. THis is must have for sourdough breads.

Pros: Works perfect. I grind my wheatberries and make whole wheat bread only. this machine does everything i want.

Cons: I think the pan may not last. I am going to buy a back up just in case it fails. The shaft that the paddles rides on is the weak link in all bread machines.

Other Thoughts: I am very happy with this machine. If you make 1.5 lbs loafs the paddles shaft will last longer.

Pros: Easy to read instructions, setup is a no brainier, everything comes very well packed. The instruction manual is a great introduction to bread machines. The baking instructions are super simple. You even get a measuring cup and spoon. So you're ready to start baking right out of the box. The LCD screen and the buttons are easy to understand. I got the hang of it from my first use. The machine is built solid. I am still surprised that for the amount of work it does it makes so little noise. It is also very easy to clean.

Cons: A backbit display would be nice but not really a must.

Other Thoughts: I always wanted to bake bread but could never get the dough quite right. I always ended up with giant hockey pucks instead of bread.

This machine takes the guess work out of baking. On my first day of ownership I baked a loaf of French bread and just yesterday a loaf of challah.

I finally know what goes into my bread and no longer have to eat the chemicals or preservatives found in brand name store bought bread.

Plus, the house smells awesome! Nothing like the smell of fresh bread to lift your spirits.

I let the machine do the baking and I take all the credit. What more could I ask for :-)

Pros: - very easy to use
- very versatile
- very forgiving
- longevity
- price

Cons: - odd loaf shape

Other Thoughts: Okay, I bought this unit in November '09, been using it for over a year; so this is sort of a long-term review. Truly resistant to ID-10-T errors; i've always heard that baking was an exact science - with this machine, there might be room to make an exception. Even with my hodgepodge measuring, loaves come out excellent. I have also become famous at holiday dinners for my crescent rolls, the dough for which I make in this machine. Also makes excellent pizza crust. I have become alot more versatile in the kitchen since I bought this, back in the old days I wouldn't even THINK of attempting to bake bread/rolls from scratch. And, i've had this machine for over a year (use about once a week) and it has held up to my (ab)use. Highly recommended. The only issue I have with it is the loaf shape, which results in slices too tall to fit in the toaster.

Pros: Worked as stated in the owner's manual, makes good bread.

Cons: Doesn't work too well for cakes due to the shape of the baking container.

Other Thoughts: 4 eggs because I have it for only 2 weeks. I do not know if it would last a full year.

Pros: Set it up and come back in 3 hours to fresh bread. Easy to clean. Like knowing what ingredients are in the bread.

Cons: None yet.

Other Thoughts: I have made more than a dozen loafs now, they have all been really good and so far with just general purpose flower, can't wait to see difference with bread flower. I've stopped buying loaves of premium bread at close to 4 bucks, so it will pay for itself soon. It doesn't take long to put all ingredients in and the lack of preservatives has not been a problem for me. The loaves easily last a week just in a zip lock bag on the counter. Maybe I eat too much bread but I go through it in a week anyway. Totally recommended.

It is big and bulky, you can just slide it out from under the cabinets to load and unload. I use it in the deep corner area so it doesn't interfere with usable counter space and my counter space is limited too.

Pros: This bread machine is just what I've been looking for, big plus that it was at a very decent price. Straightforward instructions, easy clean up.

Cons: It shakes a little bit at times but it's not too annoying.

Pros: Works great; was bought as a gift to replace broken breadmaker. It did and was just as capable as previous model.

Cons: None

Other Thoughts: Unfortunately, I can't give a full review since I am not the user of this device, but it's my understanding that it works great for their needs.

Pros: - Cheap
- Well-built
- Can make various thinks besides bread (like dough, cakes, sweet-breads, jams, glazes)
- Good user manual

Cons: - Farely large for countertop if you have small to medium kitchen. it's rather tall and upper cabinets prevent from openning lid all the way, to place backing pan in or out (but it's reletive to size of your kitchen cabinetry).
- Very few bread recipes suplied in the manual booklet.
- Loafs are odly shaped and more like a cube versus traditionally shaped loaf.

Other Thoughts: Conclusion:
Wile those cons listed do not effect quality of the final product they do pose some minor inconveniences (at least to a conservatist like myself)
Not that bad of the trade-off for a half the price of the average breadmaker.
If you are OK with odly shaped loafs and don't mind surfing web for extra recipes then don't hesitate and buy this product.
To make your bread making cost effectiv remember following:
- Allways buy yeast in small bulk (1-2lb at Costco, BJs, etc.) NOT small packets from supermarket. Yeast is most expensive part on the recipe list.
- Use of all-purpose flour is no problem, but bread-flour gives bread slightly more traditional texture. I have used half-half mix successfully. Adding wheat gluten to all-purpose makes negligible difference while very expensive to purchase.
- Buying flour on sale (and/or bulk) further increases your savings on making your own bread. Especially if you are not an occasional bread baker and do it all the time.