I bought this little sandwich maker because I was really craving grilled cheese sandwiches, but going through the effort to dirty up a whole pan seemed like a bit much (we didn't have water at the time thanks to a busted pipe). I saw this and thought my prayer was answered. When it came in, I was very excited, but I still didn't use it right away. We were having the pipe worked on and I couldn't clean it so I waited. When I finally got to use it, it kind of surprised me.For the money? I've used it every day so far (three days in a row) and I love the grilled cheese it makes. The value is worthwhile. With the machine closed and latched, you plug it in so it can pre-heat which takes about a minute. During this minute, you're supposed to prep your sandwich to go in. I am basic, so I use cheese and bread. It comes out light crisped (which I LOVE), but if you want it crispier, you can just open the machine and close it again and it will go for another round. I'd say about two minutes each. My boyfriend likes his sandwiches a little burnt, but I don't, so mine are done faster. In total, for me, my sandwich takes about 3 minutes from start to end for one, and when I make two sandwiches, I'd say it takes an extra 2 minutes. Cook time - The time to cook my sandwiches in this is much faster than on the stove. I'd say 2 minutes per sandwich, maybe 3 max. Longer if you want it extra crispy.Size - it's tiny. Think of your standard loaf of bread and it's probably a little bit bigger than that. It only fits one sandwich at a time, but that's perfect for me. Cleaning it, you just need water and a soapy cloth. It's pretty easy to go over it (when it is cooled down) and then dry it off.Heat level - It says not to hold your arm over it when you're opening the machine (because heat rises, of course) and it also says you should use a silicone tool and over mitts when you're working the machine. I use a silicone spoon to peel my sandwiches out, but the heat level hasn't made me use oven mitts yet. Obviously, be careful when you'r e handling the device either way.