Unfortunately, this is the home roaster I'd recommend getting. It does a great job, but has serious quality problems.
Positive Product Points
Roasts coffee very well and consistently. Push button control means you can monitor to the roast and instantly start cooldown without having to set a timer (why don't the FreshRoast and the CaffeRosto have this feature?). Chaff collector relatively easy to clean. Big, glass roasting chamber makes it very easy to monitor the beans visually (it's also easy to monitor them by smell; sound is a bit trickier...see below).
Negative Product Points
Although I have had few problems with my HWP, many, many owners report a slew of difficulties, ranging from certain electrical circuits interfering with its electronics to motors breaking down. Although HWP has very helpful customer service (in my experience), someone has to produce a more solidly built home roaster! Finally, HWP is very noisy, making it a bit tricky to hear second crack (though I found that with a little practice I could do so). A larger roasting capacity might also be nice.
Detailed Commentary
For all its problems, I love my HWP because it gets the job done. The HWP does a superb job roasting coffee (at least the way I like it, which is generally fairly light). I have also roasted with a Poppery II. This works fairly well, but it roasts very hot and fast, and has no cooling cycle (obviously). I find the slightly slower HWP easier to manage and more consistent. But I live in constant fear of its failing (I still have that Poppery II in the closet...). One should not have to feel that way about an appliance. The HWP has a timer, but I never use it. Instead, I just put the timer to the highest setting and stop the roast manually with the cooldown button. This gives me maximum control. Indeed, the pushbutton control of the HWP is why I would still buy this product again if (or when) it fails. It's the only roaster that has such a control.
Since purchasing my HWP, a newer version of the HWP has come out (often referred to as the white, or Home Innovations, version). But my understanding is that there are no significant differences between the new and old version.
Buying Experience
As always, buying from Tom at Sweetmarias.com was a wonderful experience. I had some questions about the HWP which he swiftly answered. And his tip sheets were very helpful.
