I had this waffle maker for over ten years. It did not break, but the waffles started to taste bad. I replaced it with another brand and was very disappointed; the waffles were much thinner, plus they were undercooked in some spots and burned in other spots. I went back to this brand and am extremely happy with the quality of the waffles. I gave it only four stars because the grids are difficult to clean. Wiping with paper towels does not remove all the residual oil. Having removable grids that could go into the dishwasher would make this a perfect 5 star product.