Review on Hamilton Beach Artisan & Gluten-Free Bread Maker: 2 lbs Capacity, 14 Settings, Stainless Steel - Black & Stainless (29885) by Jeremy Hong

Let's start with audible alarms. I prefer a breadmaker that makes three beeps: first when toppings are about to be added; second, when the batch is ready (and the spatula can be removed); and finally when the bread is ready. According to the instructions, this device should only emit the first and third beeps. But I never managed to hear the first, only the last beep. The second beep is very important in my opinion. If you prefer a firm crust of bread, it's almost impossible to remove the spatula after baking without damaging the bread. If warned at the right time, the spatula will take 10 seconds to remove and your last loaf will have just a tiny hole. Alternatively, I found out when it last kneaded and set an external alarm accordingly immediately after pressing START. Second, about the similarity of machines. These Hamilton Beach 29885, Cusinart CBK-100 and Oster CKSTBRTW20 (and possibly others) are most likely from the same manufacturer. They use an identical and interchangeable baking pan and spatula, and the controls are essentially the same: MENU to cycle through a dozen baking programs, SIZE to cycle through three loaf sizes, CRUST to cycle through three levels of browning, and a TIMER to delay start. Finally, my baking experience. I've used it about a dozen times and it's been fine for the most part. However, I would recommend Cusinart CBK-100 instead as baking with this machine was uneven at times and I missed the first two beeps (Cusineart makes all three). BTW I used the Cusinart CBK-100 for 2 years (probably 6-7 times a week) and stopped because the machine started leaking oil into the pan (yes bread gets dirty with black machine oil). I didn't have it long enough to determine if it would have the same problem.