Wish it would get hotter and keep itself closed

This is a very simple waffle maker. And it's quite compact. For our infrequent waffle making (I've only used it 3 or 4 times in the last 2 months) it is a decent fit for our needs, especially the size. Small and light. However, when making Liege waffles with Pearl sugar, it doesn't seem to have enough power (even on "Max" setting) to quickly cook the outside to a crispy consistency and caramelize the sugar while not drying out the center of the waffle. You can of course simply leave it on longer to get the outside crispy and caramelized but then it runs the risk of drying out the inside. Best I can do it let it pre-heat on 'Max' temp and get nice and hot and also make sure the Liege dough is fully at room temp (and not any colder). It mostly works but does seem underpowered a bit to me. Maybe a compromise for having the compact form factor. Works better for regular (American style) batter-based waffles than dough-based ones in my experience. Another thing I don't like about it is that the two halves cannot lock together. So you close the two halves tightly initially, but then as the waffle rises, it will separate the two halves. I'd like a "snap" to at least have the option to keep it closed. But, alas, if you want to keep it closed, you will have to either hold it shut for several minutes or come up with your own clamp or apparatus to keep it closed. On the flip side, it does clean up extremely easily with a wipe of a damp paper towel as the non stick surface is very smooth. A few months in, no issues with flaking of the ceramic coating. But time will tell how well it holds up. I'm moderately happy with it but I've definitely used much better and more versatile waffle makers. It's OK.

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