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Agreed!
I have 3 bread machines....and a new stand mixer w/dough hook. (I bake for farmers market sales.) The first bread machine has been with me for 15 yrs, the 2nd a hand-me-down, the 3rd a Goodwill store find for $4.00. And the $4.00 find is the fanciest of them all!
Anyway, I only use them for kneading, then shape the dough in loaf pans and bake in the oven. Also use them to mix & knead doughs for dinner rolls, sweet rolls, bread sticks, etc. I can line them up, start enough dough for 6 loaves in 3 different varieties, walk away until the dough finishes. I like my new stand mixer too. It kneads quite well.
When I worked a 9-5 job, I found it wonderful to set-up the bread machine on a delayed cycle, then walk in the door after work to bread almost finished and the house smelling heavenly.
I guess it comes down to how much you want to bake and how much money you want to spend. I would go to a Goodwill store and look for a used bread machine. That would allow you to 'try it out' for very little investment.