I used my new waffle maker for the first time and it does a great job. I used a packaged waffle mix, and watched it carefully to see when the steam stopped escaping (about 3 1/2 minutes, far short of the 8 minutes in the recipe booklet!). Gave it a few seconds more to crisp up the waffle. I used cooking spray and it cleaned up easily. It is a compact size, so it won't take up much storage space, either. Just watch out while moving it when it's on - there are exposed heating surfaces at the hinge area. Overall, it's a great waffle iron.