The iRoast definitely does a good job producing a quality roasted coffee.  For the short time it was functional, I absolutely loved the coffee and was often complimented on how good my coffee tasted.  I also found it very easy to use.

Extremely noisy!!
If the base of the unit malfunctions after the 1 year warranty, you are out of luck.  You cannot get a replacement base or a repair.

While coffee roasting may be high on the Hearthware priority list, customer service is not.  I agree that the iRoast2 is a good roaster, and I loved it while it was operational, but just two years after buying one, and using it according to the mfg instructions, the computer in the base died.  Yes, I used the unit according to the instructions, and yes, i cleaned it regularly.  Since no computer = no function, I contacted the company to see about getting a replacement part, or having the unit repaired, and this is what I got in response:

"Cherie,
Good Morning. I truly apologize for the inconvenience in regards to your
IRoast2 not functioning properly. Unfortunately we do not do any repairs for
the IRoast2, only replacements if they are within the one year warranty.

"Jane" (I changed the reps name to ensure her privacy ... she isn't the one to blame)
Customer Service Representative"

I don't know about you, but when I spend $200 for an appliance, I have a certain expectation of longevity.  I'm also a realist.  I know that with an appliance like an electronically controlled coffee roaster, that operates at very high temperatures, and has a fan that has to work very hard, there is likely to be some problems along the way.  I'm ok with that, however, I also have the expectation that if something does go wrong with my $200 appliance that I should be able to get it fixed.  

I've read lots of reviews, and there are certainly a lot of folks out there that have had a better experience than I did with their iRoast2.  Great for them, but it still leaves folks like me with a real bad taste in their mouth.  I have to buy a new roaster, and I have to decide which one to buy.

The bottom line is this, if you plunk down the $200 for this roaster, you are taking a gamble.  If it lasts 5+ years you are fortunate, if it breaks within the warranty period, you are ok.  However, if it breaks after the warranty period, you are out of luck.  If you price it out, pound for pound, that home roasted coffee becomes quite expensive.  I for one, will not be taking another chance with an iRoast.  If they want to keep a loyal customer base, they had better make customer service and satisfaction as high of a priority as making coffee roasters.

Sweet Maria's is awesome!  No complaints there :-)