Breadman TR520 Review

Despite its cheap price, the Breadman TR520 offers several of the same features as more expensive machines, including three different loaf-size options (1-, 1.5-, and 2-pound loaves), a 13-hour delayed start, and traditional-looking horizontal loaves. The TR520's eight functions, while fewer than the number offered on most other cheap bread machines, still let consumers make pizza or pasta dough and bake a variety of different breads, such as cinnamon raisin, quick breads, cheesy breads, and more; plus, there's a one-hour keep warm cycle that will kick in after the baking's done.

But just as great power comes with great responsibility, little price also comes with little annoyances. The hard-to-read small, white-and-yellow LCD display, along with an unresponsive start/stop button, leads one user posting a Breadman TR520 review on the Target site to deem this cheap bread maker the opposite of user-friendly; other Breadman TR520 reviews on the same site and on Epinions likewise gripe about the display. This machine is also less consistent than others, sometimes turning out bakery-beautiful loaves with good texture and crust, say Breadman TR520 reviews, and other times producing sunken, hard-crusted messes.

Back on the positive side, at approximately 12.5x11.5x11.5 inches and 9.5 pounds, the Breadman TR520 is one of the smaller machines in the Cheapism niche that still makes a 2-lb. loaf. If you're looking for absolute low price and minimal frills, this bread maker might fit the bill. But be prepared to accept wildcard-type problems.