Waring WMK300A Pro Professional Stainless-Steel Belgian Waffle Maker
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Waring WMK300A Pro Professional Stainless-Steel Belgian Waffle Maker
Customer Review: Exceptionally poor quality
Summary: 1 Stars
Today, exactly one year and one week after getting this waffle iron (so it's no longer under warranty), it made a very loud popping noise and started throwing sparks all over the place. Normally, I wouldn't be so quick to judge and deem this model of poor quality, if this weren't our second one.
The first one lasted less than a month before it died--the lights would still come on but it wouldn't heat up. So we got the one that died today as a warranty replacement. We had bought it from Macy's and they were really nice about it then and sent us the replacement with free shipping. I had called Waring's warranty department first but I was told that I would be responsible for shipping both ways (which can easily add up to more than half what this waffle iron is worth), and that it would take 8-12 weeks for them to fix it.
I am willing to bet that having it shipped back to Waring for service now would be more expensive that buying a new one given it's no longer under warranty. Overall, this model has been a huge disappointment for the price. It makes great waffles, sure, but it really ought to last more than a few months.
UPDATE: I was looking through the reviews today and noticed that exactly 1/3 of all reviews report electrical failure, most within a couple of months of purchase. With that kind of reliability, I'm really happy I didn't buy another one of these. Admittedly, the rest are mostly five star rating, which is what I would have rated this product as well if it just worked.
Customer Review: Buy the Commercial version instead - this "Pro" version will fall apart
Summary: 1 Stars
We liked the waffles the Waring WMK300A "Pro" waffle maker baked, but the appliance itself turned out to be a piece of junk. It is NOT made of stainless steel, only some parts are covered with a thin layer of metal. Most parts are cheap plastic, including all the screw joints. Our waffle maker worked OK for about a year, we used in once a week. First the column that holds the pan got wobbly, then all of a sudden the entire structure fell apart. The rotating pan simply collapsed onto the base. That's when we saw that the metal screws were going into plastic tubes that were MELTED and no longer could hold them. We also saw the exposed wires - not sure if the sheathing was not there to begin with, or just melted away. Anyway, the waffle maker was useless and unsalvageable a this point, and promptly out of warranty.
Since we liked the type of waffles this thing made, we started looking for another similar appliance. On Waring's website we found the real professional version, sold as part of their "Commercial" line. So, here is the trick: "Pro" does not mean professional, it is more like "Pro-bably works for a few months".
If you like the features of this waffle maker, but want a product that actually lasts, buy the Waring WW150 Commercial waffle maker. It is more expensive, but it is the real thing. Made of die-cast metal, no plastic in any of the mechanics, we love it, works great. It makes waffles slightly faster than the cheap-o version, too.
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Customer Review: Waring Pro Waffle Maker
Summary: 4 Stars
We recieved the Waring Pro Waffle Maker yesterday...I carefully read all instructions; I had read some negative reviews and thought maybe it was a matter of doing as instructed. My daughter has a double one and they love theirs. I mixed up the overnight mix and sat every thing out ready to go. We got up excited to try it out this morning. For the record the overnight mix is WONDERFUL!! I heated the iron on #4 setting, when it beeped, I brushed oil on it, I measured the mix and poured in, spreading with my silicone spatula, closed the lid and waited, and waited, no beep to say it was done...I waited, then it began to smoke, duh, I forgot to flip..guess that triggers the timer. So we removed that waffle! By the way it did not stick! So we tried again...watched for the green light, poured the batter in, closed the lid and flipped, just in case I sat my own timer, good thing, in exactly one minute the three beeps went off, supposed to take four minutes. With each waffle we made in exactly one minute the beeper went off. So was sort of disappointing that I had to sat a timer each time...but guess it is do-able. The waffles were good, crisp and airy. Never had one stick even a little, just wiped off to clean, easy. Would I purchase the same one again, probably, not a lot of good choices out there in that price range...but still you know, seems for $80 you should be able to buy something that works like it is supposed to.Customer Review: I know how to fix this maker when it stops working
Summary: 3 Stars
I have had this waffle maker for a little over a year so it is now out of warranty. It just stopped heating up last weekend. After some online research I found out what goes wrong. When I plug mine in the orange light turns on and you can hear the relay click but it does not get hot. If you are experiencing this problem and you are out of warranty please don't throw out your waffle maker. It can be fixed and the part is only $1.50. The part you need is a thermal fuse and it can be found under the round stainless cover of the lower griddle. It is a 250v 240 degree celsius thermal fuse. It is covered by a white silicon tube. Apparently this thermal fuse overheats and blows and power no longer gets to the burners. I have replaced the fuse and my waffle maker works again. This is a really great product but they either have the wrong size fuse in the unit or it was defective. Mine blew when I made a batch of waffles, turned off the unit and then turned it back on to make a second batch. It never heated back up. I kept my temperature control at 3.5. I hope this helps all you waffltiers out there. Also, the golden waffle mix is the best and you need to buy an isi brand whip cream dispenser. You add two pints of heavy whipping cream and three table spoons of powdered sugar and have the best whip cream for those tasty waffles. If you have questions leave me a comment and I will check back.Customer Review: Pleasantly Surprised
Summary: 5 Stars
This was purchased as a Christmas gift for my wife. Previously, she had owned several waffle makers with disappointing results: inconsistent cooking, messy, premature failure of units, etc.
Today, she operated the Waring Pro for the first time and was pleasantly surprised. The cooking time was very short, (~75 seconds), and the results were exceptionally good.
We followed the directions to use #4 setting on the heating knob, but noticed subsequent waffles were progressively darker, but still satisfactory.
Our only complaint is with the accompanying measuring cup for the batter--the top opening is too small for transfering the batter from the mixing bowl into it, but that doesn't affect the performance with the main unit.
One note: The day after Christmas, we were perusing the aisles of BJ's (an East Coast store similiar to the "big box" Sam's Club). For the first time I noticed a similar Waring Pro for $30 less than Amazon's price. I couldn't remember the entire model number, but it ended with "BJ," which probably meant it was a special order for this chain of stores. These had a slightly different handle and temperature knob. Although the $49.98 price is a significant price difference, I didn't want to take a chance this unit was one of the older Waring Pro models that had some less-than-satisfactory reviews.