Review on Calphalon CKCLWF1 Intellicrisp Waffle Maker: Perfectly Crispy Waffles in Dark Stainless Steel by Daniel Pierce

I was very lucky to get this BF deal. Once I opened it up, I rubbed it down with a sponge and dried it with a paper towel. I then made a small batch of pancake batter to test the heating elements. The batter was well spread and I sprinkled Turbinado sugar on top to test the non-stick ceramic coating. It came out beautifully with both sides showing an even browning after 3 minutes on medium setting. I thought I found my waffle maker! After it cooled, I rubbed it with a sponge and then ran a paper towel over the grooves. I was alarmed to find small black dots on the paper towel. Upon inspection, I found a chip on the lower grille. I only ate waffles with wooden sticks. Unfortunately, there are other reviews that mention this problem. My Presto Flip was ceramic and I never noticed any chipping after multiple uses. The rest of the device looks and works well. The top gets very hot during use. Some steam will also escape from under the handle, so be careful when opening it. Without the fries I would have kept it. Back to finding a waffle maker with heat control. UPDATE: I decided to give it another chance and got a replacement. The ceramic coating holds up after two uses, but it's early days. My last batch looks good. I will say that the automatic timer is useless. I cooked the waffles over medium heat and checked after three minutes. If I had waited for the timer to go off (4:30 min), they would have turned too brown.