A huge improvement and a great value

Back in the day when my wife and I were first married we got a waffle maker as a surprise gift. I thought we were living in the lap of luxury. As it turns out, the Procter Silex was a piece of junk, and although I was able to make waffles with it for years, I spent most of that time wishing I had a better waffler, a nice one. The problem is, I couldn't bring myself to buy a new waffle iron when we already had one that worked. I recently saw the Cuisinart WMR-CA Round Classic Waffle Maker for $29.99 at Linens-n-Things and knowing there was a 20% off online coupon I pulled the trigger. For $25.50 (after tax) I am waffle making heaven. ( Side note, I also opted for in-store pickup and saved on shipping. Pick up was unnecessarily painful, but I didn’t pay shipping and didn’t have to wait on it.)

Criteria
Over the years of using my old Procter Silex waffle maker I developed a list of criteria for what I wanted in my new waffle iron. The Procter Silex had two settings, go and stop. You plug it in and it is on, or you unplug it and it is off. Is your waffle done? Open it up and check, or don’t and take your chances. Other than the non-stick surface, which seems like a given for a waffler, I really wanted a multiple settings. The Cuisinart WMR-CA Round Classic Waffle Maker offers an adjuster with 5 marked done-ness settings. Not everyone likes their waffles the same way and the just guessing method wasn't to my liking. To go along with the multiple settings I wanted some indicator lights. One to tell me that the waffle iron is ready to go and another to tell me that the waffle is actually ready. Beyond these things, I just wanted a decent quality waffle iron with a good brand name, so I don't have to replace it right away.

My Experience
The Cuisinart WMR-CA Round Classic Waffle Maker has been good to me so far. I am delighted with my purchase. It has an adjuster with 5 marked done-ness settings, as well as the indicator lights to "show ready to go" and "waffle ready" statuses. The non stick appears to be of high quality and has taken care of me even when I forget the cooking spray. This may be circumstantial or simply me wanting to justify my purchase, but I swear the waffles taste better coming off of the Cuisinart WMR-CA Round Classic Waffle Maker. It could perhaps be a matter of them just being done exactly to my taste (thanks to features mentioned above) or maybe it just does a better job of cooking waffles. I am pleased with the fact that it is Cuisinart. I am not a huge Cuisinart fan or anything, but it seems like a pretty reliable and quality brand name. I know we have been pleased with our food processor, mini prep, and blender for years now. Their food processor seems sort of like the industry standard with a good design and excellent motor. Overall my experience has been very positive, the waffles are good, the indicator lights and browning adjustor work well, and overall it is easy to use. One thing I did notice right away is that the waffles come out a bit more thin than I am used to. You can pretty much tell this will happen by looking at the configuration on the griddle. If you don't like your waffles that way, look elsewhere.

Features
One of the most basic features is that on the Cuisinart WMR-CA Round Classic Waffle Maker makes round waffles with divisions into 4 triangular sections, which is a pretty standard configuration. I realize I have discusses the browning settings and indicator lights already, but I would be remiss not to mention them in the features section. If you would like more details see above. Other than those things, one of the more important features is a weighted lid. This is sort of basic to any decent waffle maker and helps them cook evenly and causes the batter to spread better. I mentioned that I thought the non-stick coating was good. Well according to Cuisinart that is due to the "Exclusive Regulating ThermostatStick Free Plates." This may help them be a bit easier to clean, but truth be told, all waffle makers I have ever encountered are a real pain in the rear to clean. They may wipe down easily enough, but to get them really clean seems to take forever. The unit is designed so the cord stores underneath, with makes storage a bit easier. Finally, you get a 3 year limited warranty.

Conclusion
I am not trying to claim that this is the best waffler in the world. I feel it may actually be in contention as the best waffle iron for your money. I feel like I got so much value for my $25.50. It has exactly the features I was looking for, and has done a good job making waffles. Add to that the fact that it is a good brand that will (probably) last and I think we are doing very well. It has made my old Procter Silex waffle iron obsolete. Maybe I can get a few bucks for it at a garage sale, which would deepen my satisfaction with the Cuisinart WMR-CA Round Classic Waffle Maker even more. I really do recommend it.