KitchenAid KPWB100OB Pro Line Waffle Baker, Onyx Black

Received this waffle iron from Amazon two days ago, after reading the very positive reviews here. I made two waffles yesterday to discard as recommended in the manual, and made waffles for breakfast this morning. The "Waffles of Insane Greatness", mentioned in other reviews, are a very good, and easy, recipe to use; I'll try others in the coming weeks (Alton Brown's Basic Waffle has been my go-to recipe for some time; I'll try it with this iron shortly). They were evenly done with a crispy surface, and tasted great. As other reviews have stated, this is a good-size, hefty unit. It's not unmanageable at all, but you probably don't want to have your 8-year-old get it out for you, either. Shipping weight was listed with UPS at 25.5 lb. Even accounting for its having been triple-boxed, and the styrofoam packaging, the iron itself is probably 22-23 lb. A couple of points. The manual, and other reviews, suggest that 1 cup of batter is appropriate. I found that 1 cup was just a little shy of filling up the waffle, so I'd suggest a generous cup of batter per waffle. I like to use dishers with waffle batter, and two scoops of a #8 are not quite enough to get a perfectly-filled-out waffle. This compares to two scoops of a #12 for my old Waring, may it rest in pieces. This iron preheats very quickly, and stays hot for a long time once you turn it off. It does have a thermometer imbedded in the cover, which the geek in me likes. The geek in me would also like it if the thermometer indicated actual temperatures, rather than just "Cool - Preheating - Ready", but it does give an indication of how hot it is. It's obviously too early for me to tell how it will last, but it appears to be very sturdy. Highly recommended. UPDATE: After about a year and a half with this waffle iron, I'm still very pleased with it. I do have a couple of minor annoyances: (1) the LCD for the timer has a very narrow viewing angle--if you're looking at all off-center it's very hard (if not impossible) to read. (2) the alarm beeper could stand to be a bit louder. For recipes, I'm back to Alton Brown's Basic Waffle 98% of the time--it just makes a great waffle. Cook for 4:30.

I ordered this item Nov 2012 from amazon.com. It is now sitting in my trash bin and I am going to look for a replacement. It made fairly good waffles. I took very good care of it. It is still nice and shiny sitting there in my bin. I bet you'd think I bought it yesterday from just looking at it. I would estimate I used this product 100 - 150 times in the 3 or so years that I owned it. Hardly a 'Pro Line' level of use, I'd say. In the first year, one of the plastic pieces that covers the entrance of the spring-shrouded wire into the back of the waffle iron broke. I fixed that. Then sometime in the second year, I estimate, I had the same issue with the other side. Not a problem; I knew just what to do. This morning, my waffles had to be cooked as pancakes. The buttons for 'Start' timer and 'Reset' timer stopped working. The unit itself turned on. Now, I could have just done what I did last week and used my microwave timer. But I decided to have a go a fixing it. Well, I did get it sort of working again, the PC board inside the unit where that display is in the front seemed to have shifted down and slightly to the right so that the external physical buttons were no longer lined up with the little buttons mounted to the PCB. So I tweaked the receptacle where the timer dial is just a little too hard and I think I pushed the timer rheostat up off the board. I tried to solder it back into place with no luck. It was very hard to solder it because I was not able to pull the PCB out of the waffle maker. The external buttons are essentially melted after being placed into the unit at the factory and that blocked me getting the PCB out without causing more destruction. Okay, so you may not want to mess with your waffle iron like that. I suggest when your start and reset button stop working, use the egg timer until you can get a replacement waffle iron. For waffle cooking, this device was the best I have owned. The waffles did not stick much and they pretty much came out consistently. My biggest gripe with waffle irons before this one was the sticking. I had a few other issues with this waffle iron that I will be watching out for with the next model I buy: 1) The waffle iron is LARGE. It does not fit on my counter in a position where I can see the display head on. Well, I have a choice, I can see the display, or I can open the lid fully. I must have the waffle iron positioned sideways on my counter and I have to crane my neck sideways over the counter to see the display. it is important to see the display, because sometimes when I pressed the 'Start' button, it turned out my timer didn't start. Hmm. That's right. The alignment problem might have been an issue for a lot longer than I realized. 2) The waffle iron is HEAVY. I mistakenly equated heavy with good quality. Lesson learned. Storing this baby is a workout. 3) Once I accidentally turned the waffle iron OFF instead of pressing the Start button. The waffle iron was already hot, I had just pulled out a batch of waffles. I had a new batch of batter just in the iron when I accidentally turned it off. I immediately turned the switch back on, but I still had to wait about 5 minutes or more for the iron to decide that it was ready to cook. -- I was not allowed to press the Start button until it decided, by some logic that I guess doesn't have much to do with the temperature being correct, that it was ready to allow me to start timing. I would not buy this product again. It, of course, is made in China, where plastic seems to be extra brittle. I suppose I will not find an appliance ever again that isn't made in China, but I can at least report to others when something just isn't a good deal. If you need to buy a Chinese waffle maker every 3 years, might as well go cheap, like our outsourcing American companies have done.

I've been making waffles for 30 years, every Saturday. I've owned and used 10 different irons, minimum. This is hands down the worst I have ever owned AND the most expensive too. It worked fine, then after maybe 13 months of weekly use, the machine wouldn't turn on. The iron doesn't heat up without that circuitry, so it's a 10 pound paper weight. I can't discourage purchase of this more vehemently.

KitchenAid Pro Line Series Waffle Baker I recommend the purchase of this waffle baker. I purchased the baker from Amazon.com using bonus points on 12/18/10. S&H was included which is one of the reasons I like using Amazon. Plus, the price was right. I received the unit via UPS in three days after ordering. Even though it was Christmas time, Amazon was just as fast as I usually find them. The packaging was excellent and the package was received unscathed. Cons. The unit is made in China. I find that a little disappointing as the stainless steel and workmanship is good, but not the same quality as products made in the USA. There were a few small scratches on various places to the unit. But, not to the extent that it is worth returning for a different unit. The waffle make unit does not sit level in the cradle and has to be adjusted to insure that it is level. When turning the unit it will go just a little beyond level. Although most of the unit is metal there are still plastic components. The plastic around the hinges causes me some concern. I'll just hope for the best. Pros. The unit is larger than most waffle makers for home use but, it doesn't take up much room on the counter and looks good. It is the size unit that you'll find in most hotels/motels. Be aware that it is, also, heavier than most waffle bakers. It took about three minutes to get hot from the time I plugged it in until ready to cook. After that, the unit was ready to cook within seconds of removing the waffles. The ready light and thermometer work well and leave no doubt of the unit's ready status. I find the alarms helpful in reminding me of the unit being ready to cook or the when waffles are finished. It is easy to clean after use. Just a damp rag for washing and a drying rag is all that is needed. If you read the instruction booklet and follow the instructions, the waffles turn out great with a couple of minor exceptions listed below. The waffles are a good size. I doubt if you'll want more than one as the waffles are that big. It is easy to use. Just set the timer and wait. The controls are clearly marked and easily operated. I found when pouring the batter that it took only about ¾ cup to make a waffle and not the full cup recommended in the instruction booklet. I also found that 4 minutes is a good time to cook the waffles to the doneness that my wife and I like. I am looking forward to getting a lot of use out of the unit. If you're looking for a unit that makes really good Belgian waffles than this unit is a winner. I would get this unit again. I gave it a four stars instead of five primarily due to having to insure the unit is sitting level in the cradle.

I did not purchase it from Amazon -- I found it for $20 cheaper @ Overstock, but since I ordered my waffle mixes from Amazon, I'm going to review anyways. It arrived intact, undamaged and on time. Per instructions, I discarded the four (2/ea side). While they were cooking, there was that odd smell and steaming. I've already used it for 3 days straight, and that odd smell is gone. There is no strange taste, and all the waffles have turned out perfectly! I was so excited with my new toy, I ordered the Golden Malted Pancake/waffle Flour mix -- DELICIOUS, light, golden (set @ 3:30), crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. I also had the Dancing Deer Baking Co. Pumpkin Spice mix; that did not turn out so well (also set @ 3:30); I found it to be dark, maybe because of the spices, and dense -- even though I took care to not overmix it; the finished product tasted mostly of spice, and not so much pumpkin. Since Husband and Daughter deemed it 'tasty' I'm going to try it again and hope I find it tasty, also, b/c I ordered the 3pk! Ironically, my discard batches from Hungry Jack cooked up crisp and perfectly golden. I also ordered (but have not tried) from the Dancing Deer: Old fashioned Buttermilk & Meyer Lemon Blueberry Pancake Mixes. I'm going to finish the Pumpkin Spice mixes before trying the others, and will review. In a nutshell, I originally cringed when thinking about purchasing this waffle iron, but if it keeps performing as it has for the past 3 days and beyond (hopefully years and years w/proper care), this is beyond worth it. The waffles are the kind you get in the hotels with the waffle makers in the breakfast nooks, and the results are consistent. The manual also offers a few savory recipes for those not wanting sweet waffles all the time; don't forget the internet for savory recipes as well. This product is well worth it, is rather heavy, and takes up counter space. The space saving design helps, but this definitely deserves a space on your counter top it you are a waffle fan -- sweet or savory. My family and I will enjoy this product, and it is well worth the $. I think the only suggestion to improve would be to add a drip tray of sorts, but if you follow the directions of the batter just barely reaching the tops of the iron, then there will be no spillage, and a perfect waffle. It took me 2xs to get it right, now I'm pretty good at eyeballing the portion. I use my small metal spoon to smooth the batter, and a heat resistant plastic kitchen fork to take the waffle out. I also found it easier to pour from a mixing cup; if you have a ladle w/the right am't of batter in the scoop, then I can see using it to smooth the batter as well. Either way, invest in this product if you like waffles and want a quality product that will (hopefully) last. I'm so glad I purchased it, and so is Husband! 9/14/15 Hi again! three yrs later and this bad boy still works PERFECTLY; I've since moved on to making omelettes and brownies using this gadget (thanks, YouTube!). When I use this unit to make waffles, the waffles still come out without a problem, and are so perfect. NO REGRETS!!!!!

My waffle maker arrived the day before yesterday. Yesterday I fired it up, made two waffles which I discarded (per instructions), then made two more that came out great! Then I tried to make two more, and the electronic controls near the power button started to smoke and smell. That was the end of the waffle maker. I called Kitchen Aid and they will send me a new one, with a box to send back the bad one, and instructions on how to get Fed Ex to pick it up. I hope this is an one time problem, because the waffle maker is the best I have ever owned, and i have owned several. I'll post a follow up when I get some run time on the new one (due in 7 to 10 days).

The electronic timer quit working after a year... and no longer balanced on one side and leans. Seems both of these are not uncommon and for a $400 waffle maker.. one would expect it to last. Very upsetting. But for sure makes a very good waffle.. probably the best.. when it worked.

I looked at purchasing a waffle maker for some time before purchasing this model. I was concerned about spending so much, ($155+NYSTX) but I went by the old adage, you get what you pay for. I was not disappointed. I read so many disappointing reviews regarding other products that I thought I would never be able to find a decent waffle baker. I have a friend that had recommended the older version of this model (a single waffle maker). By the time I made my decision to make the purchase, that model was no longer available but this one was. The reviews were very helpful and overwhelmingly positive. I was looking for something that was a no-brainer. I just wanted to be able to add the batter, turn the switch on and wait for a beep. This does it. I did find that the temp gauge on the top is not that accurate but it really doesn't affect the outcome of the final product, just rely on the lights and beeps to let you know the waffle is done baking. My wife and I have been experimenting with different ingredients and timing but found the generic time setting of 3:15 to be pretty good for most waffles. My wife tends to like her waffles moist in the center while I would rather they be cooked through, crispy and lighter so I leave mine in for about an extra 15-30 seconds. The unit is easy to operate and a cinch to clean. Warm water and a clean cloth are all I use. It's pretty heavy and appears well made. We've only had it for about 4 weeks but it cooks and works as advertised. No issue or problems at this point but will report issues if they arise. Thanks to everyone that wrote reviews on this product before I made this purchase. ~Bill

I had high expectations for this waffle maker based on the brand, price and reviews. Best waffles weve ever had - i doubled the Waffle of Insane Greatness recipe and set the timer for 4.5 minutes. This waffle maker is easy to use, cooks consistently and super easy to clean up - no stick so a good wipe is all it needs. With three teenage boys, we have to have the double-waffle maker. The waffles are so big, they usually only have one each. This machine is solid and does have a big footprint but we use it often enough that it gets a spot on the counter. However, if you aren't making waffles often, storage and lifting should be taken into consideration. (You won't be storing it up high) Great appliance, I'm very happy with the investment.

This is a well made addition to our kitchen and we have never had waffles that were this tasty or nicely made.

I use my waffle maker every weekend. I don't think I could live without this thing! It is very heavy and good quality. Perfect waffles for two in a little over 4 min! :)

This is a heavy duty machine producing perfect Belgian waffles every time. Crisp on the outside, and soft on the inside with deep pockets. Will make both Brussels and Liege waffles.

Unbelievable waffles! Couldn't imagine a better waffle maker.