I think I bought waffle plates in vain - I used them three times in 5 months, it is possible without them. I combine flat and wavy plates for quesadillas and sandwiches: flat down for frying, top - wavy for aesthetics
Got pros:
simple, no frills, but reliable, I'm glad I chose it, and not optigrill.
With its cons:
it is difficult to set the desired thickness with an accuracy of a millimeter (but this is already nit-picking), the plates with active use will need to be changed about once a year. iSee full review