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1263 of 1278 found the following review helpful:
Solid performer, but with limited flexibility Nov 11, 2006
By Edward Barnett
This is my third bread machine. My first was the original Zojirushi, and the second was a Breadman. I still use both the Breadman and the Zojirushi BBCCX20. According to most baking sites I've seen, the Zo and the Breadman are the leading contenders in this category today, so here's my comparison:
- The Zo is more solidly built and has a stronger motor. It can handle stiffer doughs that literally stopped the motor on my Breadman.
- The Zo is much quieter than the Breadman. The pan in the Breadman clanks around in its clips and makes quite a racket during kneading.
- Unfortunately, the Zo has an annoying 15-second beep to signal the right time to add nuts or fruits. As far as I can tell, there is no way to turn off this feature. For me, this is a big deal, because I used to love to set up my bread machine to make bread during the night, giving me a wonderful hot loaf of bread for breakfast. With the 15-second beeper, which sounds a lot like an alarm clock, using the Zo BBCCX20 overnight simply isn't an option. I wish there were a way to turn it off.
- The double paddles on the Zo do a better job of mixing ingredients without the need for scraping down the sides of the pan.
- The Breadman is a much more flexible machine. It's "Pause" button let's you add 15 minutes at any point in the cycle. Without the ability to pause, the Zo sometimes starts baking before the loaf is fully proofed. With bread, where the length of the rise depends on so many factors, having the flexibility to pause during a cycle is very valuable. You can program custom cycles on the Zo, but that's only a solution if you know in advance that your loaf is going to take some extra proofing time.
- Crust control is better on the Breadman. Even set on "light" crust, the Zo tends to produce a dark crust with breads that have a lot of sugar.
- The Breadman has a small bin that automatically dispenses "add ins" (fruits, nuts, etc.) at the right point in the cycle. You just load it up at the beginning of the cycle and the "trap door" releases the goodies at the right time near the end of the kneading cycle.
In a nutshell: The Zo is a better built, more powerful, quieter bread machine. It's solid, reliable, and great for doughs that would stop a lesser machine. The Breadman, on the other hand, provides much greater flexibility to make changes to the cycle once you've started and to get the crust you like. It also has an automatic fruit/nut dispenser and no long, annoying beep. If Zojirushi and Breadman would combine the Zo's motor and mechanics with Breadman's control panel and programming, they'd have the perfect bread machine. As it is, you have to choose based on what's most important to you.
UPDATE 02-JAN-2010
I found a new bread machine that has replaced both the Zo BBCCX20 and the Breadman as my favorite machine. It's the Zojirushi "Mini" (BB-HAC10). It takes up half the counter space of the Zo BBCCX20 and makes a perfect size loaf for a small family. It still doesn't have the flexibility of the Breadman, but at least they shortened the "add ingredients" beep (which goes on for so long on the full-size Zo that I can't use it for overnight bread making). Other than the beep, the Zo Mini is the quietest bread machine I've found. I really like it. You can find a more complete review on the Zo Mini product page. Happy Baking!
762 of 769 found the following review helpful:
Converted from Breadman Nov 17, 2004
By Ross A. Seymour
"rseymour10"
After much agonizing, we (I) chose the Zo' breadmaker. We had the Breadman for five years until it gave out a month ago. Before that I hand made bread for ten years. I bought the Breadman as present for my wife (she called it a "football present") after I just became tired of making bread. The cathartic effects of kneading bread are way overblown, in my opinion. We came to rely on the bread machine, baking at least once a week. After the Breadman died a slightly early death, we originally were going to replace it with another Breadman. But, after consideration of how much bread we make, and more important, the kind of bread we make, we decided to look at other machines.
See, we bake mostly whole wheat breads and such breads are hard on a machine. That is why the two paddle set up of the Zo' was so attractive. While I know there is only one motor, I thought the two paddles could knead the tough dough better. So far (a week into it), the Zo' is working great.
As noted above, we thought long and hard because of the negative comments in this section, as well as the cost, which is twice the Breadman. None of those negative comments have proven true. One cause for the bad loaves complained of may be inexperience with these machines. Even with ten years of baking, we had quite a few problems with the Breadman, mostly because of poor recipe choices and sloppiness in measuring. You see, hand bread bakers do much by feel, so amounts of liquid and flour are flexible. Not so with the bread machine. As far as recipes, go get one book: The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger. Her recipes are nearly foolproof.
My only concern about the Zo' is the set up of the pan. The Breadman has a high narrow pan, while the Zo' has lower pan, more like a traditional bread pan. While the Zo' pan makes it easier to slice the bread (a problem with larger loaves of the Breadman) the loaves can be a bit lopsided. The dough can sit to one side of pan. This is especially true of whole wheat loaves that are more stiff and less likely to "flow" to an even level in the pan. The problem can be addressed somewhat by checking the dough after the first knead and spreading it by hand in the pan.
Addition: Two years later this machine still works great. We use it at least three times a week, mostly with whole wheat bread, so it has been adequately tested. The only irritation is getting the bread out. Helps to keep the paddles clean inside and out. I use a pipe cleaner to clean the inside of the paddle.
Second Addition (2-09): Over four years later, it still is working great. We still use it at least three times a week. I've recently starting using the custom settings, which are much easier to use than I thought.
Third Addition (8-09): This summer we needed to replace the pan. The little "C" clip that held one of the paddle stems underneath broke off. We bought a replacement pan from the manufacturer for $40 or $50. Otherwise, still going strong, being used two to four times a week.
Also, solved a mystery about collapsing loaves in the summer: too much moisture. Cutting back on the water/liquid just a bit (e.g. in the summer (when it is humid) avoided the collapsing loaf problem that has always plagued us.
Fourth Addition (1-12): Machine is still going strong. It has been used twice a week at least since purchase, with 80% of the breads being a whole wheat/white bread. We've gone through a couple of pans and sets of paddles. Highly recommended.
799 of 807 found the following review helpful:
 Wonderful Machine - reputation is well deserved. Jan 26, 2004
I finally purchased this machine after trying two other models; the Breadman TR555 and 2200C. My parents have had thier Zojirushi S-15 for almost 10 years with no problems and flawless bread. Desiring to enter the bread machine market with limited funds, I decided to try the Breadman TR555. It consistently burned the bread and revealed a "tougher" center. The 2200C was the biggest disappointment of all. Seeing all of the reviews for this machine as comparable to the ZO X20, I found myself with the ONLY two loaves of bread that were simply "duds" (did not rise properly and crust settings were useless) I had ever had out of a machine. Finally, I decided that Zojirushis could simply NOT be topped. I was right. This bread machine has worked wonderfully and reminds me of my parents machine from the early 90's. Mixing is complete and the Preheat function is an absolute MUST for proper ingredient preparation and yeast activity.I have noticed that some have been critical of the pan and it's non-stick surface. They also claim that the pan warps. Here is a little bread machine advice: follow the directions for proper care! The new pan has the same non-stick coating that was used in my parents S-15 (1993)! It has not shown one defect in more than 10 years and hundreds of loaves. Do not use metal objects in the pan. This will prevent this kind of damage. Also, the directions clearly state to let the pan cool before soaking in water... this prevents the pan from warping, and (as mentioned before) has worked on the S-10 for over a decade. The new X20's pan is the same material (metal and coating) as the old 90's ZO models. It is simply in a different shape (horizontal). There is no defect with these pans... if you care for it as directed (and it's really only common sense) it will last for years. Go with the top of the line.... Zojirushi X20!
263 of 266 found the following review helpful:
Who could ask for more Feb 13, 2004
By Nadine M. Bass
I am new to the bread machine world and did a lot of research before buying this ZO X20 from Amazon. I could not believe how very easy it is to make bread in this machine and have the results come out so great. Another thing which greatly impressed me is the lack of mess and ease of cleaning. I had a difficult time making up my mind between the X20 and Breadman's TR4000. After determining that the TR4000 still only had one kneeder I went with the X20, even though the ZO people said they still used the same non stick, interior coating. After receiving the machine and using it several times I do not believe the coating will cause any problem, if treated as directed. I must say it was a great experience to wake up at 6AM to the oder of baking bread, the ultimate was having the fresh, warm bread with my coffee, even my husband was totally impressed. Every inch of this machine appears to be top quality.
89 of 89 found the following review helpful:
Great! Except... May 02, 2004
By Petchy Sargent
This is the third bread machine I've owned. The first one was one of those old ones that looked like R2D2 with the glass dome. It walked off the counter one too many times. The next was a Breadman. The motor burned out after only a couple of years. I'd always heard that the Zojirushi's were the best, and the reviews were good on this one, so I bought it. It makes beautiful bread with great ease, and I like the more conventional shape of the loaf. However, it's made for a 2-pound loaf, and if you make a smaller one it's going to come out lopsided. Evidently with the two blades, one gets greedy and gets more dough on it than the other one. I don't mind the lopsided loaves for my personal use, but if you really want a beautiful loaf, make sure it's a 2-pounder.
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