Customer Reviews

VillaWare 2010 UNO Pro Belgian Gravity Waffler

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

I bought this machine because I liked the fact that it made 1.5" thick waffles, rather than the 1.25" waffles that the other flip machines make. I also liked the short handle of the iron and its compact appearance. I felt that the machine was sturdier than the Waring Pro waffle machine, the other machine I was thinking of buying. I was hestitant to spend $100 on a waffle machine. But I reasoned that if I was willing to pay $80 for the Waring Pro, I could pay $20 more for a machine I really wanted. I am definitely happy with my decision!

The first time I used the machine, I used a belgian waffle mix and a spray made for waffle machines. The first waffle was okay, but when I adjusted the browning level to 5, instead of the 3-4 suggested by the manufacturer, I got the crisp and fluffy waffle that I wanted. The machine beeps when it is hot enough to fill and again when the waffle is ready. The whole process went smoothly; there was no overflow, no dough got stuck and I was able to wipe the machine with a damp cloth when I was done. I also used a pastry brush to absord any left over grease and remove the one crumb that was left behind. I made four waffles for four people, but they were so big that we just split two between the four of us and saved the other two for later. Everyone loved the waffles! I don't remember how long it took to make all four waffles, but I don't believe that it took more than 30 minutes to heat up the waffle iron, mix the batter and cook the waffles (the mix had to stand for 15 minutes to allow the yeast to activate).

The machine is heavier than I expected, but not an unreasonable weight. I keep it on top of my kitchen cabinet because it takes up a lot of counter space, which is a bad thing in a small kitchen. It takes a while for the machine to cool down, longer than I expected. These are very minor drawbacks. I really love this machine, especially because now I don't have to rely on IHOP when I need a waffle fix!

Too bad, I missed on this New Waffle Iron when I shopped for a Professional series waffle iron. I got Waring Pro WMK300 model which does EXCELLENT Belgain Waffles and has great reviews here. I saw this NEW Villaware model in a friends house and it works as good as the Waring Pro model and does better in looks. It's much more compact and looks styish in kitchen. Maybe, someday I will get this because I find the Waring Pro model looks very ugly after seeing this model or the Kitchen-Aid model(way too expensive but makes 2 Waffles at a time)!

This model has all the features found in other Pro series models like beep indicator when waffle is done, browning setting, 180 degree flip etc. The finish and style of this is more like the $299 Kitchen-Aid model. Villaware also makes another model V3400 which has the stainless steel look. But, this model looks more compact because of the shorter handle.

Waring pro model has a plate that is supposed to collect the batter spill. I find this useless as most of the time the spill happens outside of this plate. So, I spread an Aluminim foil under the iron to aviod any spills on the units base to save my cleaning time. Anyone, who gets this model can do that as well.

I bought two of these products because I own a B&B inn and waffles are a breakfast favorite with our guests. One of the machines worked and one did not. It was an absolute nightmare dealing with customer service and trying to get my wafflemaker replaced. When I finally did get a replacement, the replacement was faulty. I called the company again to tell them of my frustration and of the urgency of my need to replace it as it was being used at our inn. I must have called customer service a dozen times. Finally, I asked to speak to a supervisor and the wait time was over an hour to speak to "Clyde". I gave up. I have been in business for 30 years and this company is by far the WORST for customer service of anyone I have ever dealt with. As I write this I am still trying to get through to find out why my replacement machine has not been shipped. It has been over a month! I am so upset that I am writing this review. I have never written a review about any product before but I hope this will prevent others from having to go through this terrible experience. My message to Villaware: stop selling products that are inferior and properly service what you sell!

I've owned any number of VillaWare products in the past and have always been happy with their quality and longevity. This product has not lived up to that reputation - the heating element has failed on this unit after only about 6 uses in 2 months.

I bought this waffle maker two years ago. After using it for about six months, I noticed that it didn't get as hot as it did when I first bought it. I had to turn it up all the way to "7" to get the waffles done. After about two years, it finally died. The orange light came on, but it wouldn't get hot at all. Also, very hard to clean. Very disappointed in this product.

The waffler waffled fine for about 2 years and then in the middle of a batch it quit heating. Checked with customer service since it was supposed to be on a 3-yr warranty but since I didn't have a receipt and the cord was missing the date of mfg. stamp, they couldn't help me. It really made great waffles but it certainly wasn't overworked. I used it to make 1-2 waffles about every 1 - 2 months, not much before it failed.

I bought this unit in the hope that there was more positive feed back than negative. My mistake. The unit required to be turned all the way up and then after the ding left to cook one more minute. I could live with that procedure. Then one day I was making some waffles and in the middle of the second waffle the unit just quit. Lights are on but there isn't any heat. I called Villaware to take advantage of the 3 year warranty. They said the unit only has a 1 yr warranty. I read directly from the user guide on the back page "3 year limit warranty". Turns out that the "limit" is whether or not they want to honor the warranty.

They were more that happy to offer me another unit for a price. Lovely.
I'll pass on that and any other Villaware products from now on.

When my husband and I first got our waffle maker, we couldn't believe how well it worked - at this price point, nothing could be better. A couple of months ago the lock that holds the waffle plate upright while you're pouring batter and removing the waffle broke in the middle of using the waffle maker. It slipped to the side and burnt the inside of my arm. Three months later, I still have a scar and I can no longer in any way recommend this waffle maker. I'm going to purchase something slightly more expensive (e.g., KitchenAid) that hopefully has more of a focus on ensuring that parts continue to work. If you do choose to buy this, BE CAREFUL.

Yes, like the other reviewers say, it works just as you'd want it to work. I do have a few nits to pick (and hence the four stars) that I don't recall anyone else mentioning:

- The cord is really short. I suppose it's designed that way so it can be stored in the base, but it only extends 29" from the base. May or may not be a problem for you depending on where your outlets are.

- The temperature adjustment knob feels really cheap. A friend of mine said it feels like it isn't attached to anything. I agree, but in fact it is. I just hope it's more durable than it feels.

- Unlike the Waring Pro WMK300, this has no spill tray. The plastic base is just bowl-shaped to contain spills and crumbs. I didn't really have any spills, but a removable tray would be nicer (if not as attractive).

- Made in China. Not that I'm opposed to China getting my money, but until China does more to protect its workers and environment I prefer my money go to countries that do better on those fronts. Just my $0.02.

The description is incorrect. The waffles are 6.5" across the top and 7" across the middle.

My favorite topping so far is sliced frozen strawberries (thawed, of course) and fresh real whipped cream.

elena lisa:
I followed the instructions to apply oil with a pastry brush and never had a stuck waffle. Personally, I hate aerosol cooking sprays. They work, but:

- It's impossible to confine the fine mist they produce to the cooking surface and I rarely want to oil my stove or counter top.

- According to Calphalon they use a propellant that can make cookware harder to clean.

I can't confirm the latter but I know that they get an oil film on things I don't want oiled.

I received this waffle maker as a gift and I loved it- until it stopped working 11 months later. It failed to heat up. I sent my broken unit back to the company since it was still under warranty and they sent me a new one. I had the new one for about a year and a half when it too stopped heating up. I called the company again and they said it was no longer under warranty and they offered me a discount on a new waffle maker. I declined their offer. I only used the waffle makers once or twice per month and I was disappointed they didn't last longer.