I used to have an "Emily's" bread box - similar desigh but square. I liked that better because with the curve on one side this has to be aligned to close. Still, great price, and works well.

Having a slicing guide is a must with homemade bread in my mind, however this one is plastic and continually coming apart - better than nothing, but for a home cooking a loaf a day - it's a pain! Also the design of the box is inconvenient. Not bad for a temporary solution, but if you plan to do this for any length of time - get something sturdier.

I paid $ for this set, and the slicer is pretty much worth it by itself. It works well.

BUT, the container is badly designed and inconvenient to use. And if nothing else, just odd:

FIRST, both container pieces only reach half the loaf. I guess this is supposed to adjust to varying loaf sizes, but why? It's cumbersome to pull the container pieces apart, messy with crumbs, and the slices fall out. Why not just have one piece the full length, and make the other piece the lid or something?

SECOND, handles would have been nice -- to pull apart the container pieces when taking out the bread!

THIRD, this set is probably designed for people who like to slice up the whole loaf all at once, because it is not at all convenient to slice as you go. While the product photo shows the slicer inside the container, it's better to store the slicer elsewhere when bread is kept in the container.

LAST, I bought this set quickly, mostly based on its positive reviews, and didn't really give much too much thought to this product's design and such. While I value the customer feedback on this site and have been helped a great deal by them with other past purchases, I don't think they helped much in the instance.

I bought this mostly because I wanted a bread slicer, not a bread box. The first time I used it, my sharp bread knife cut slivers of the plastic cutting guide off. The cutting guide should be more sturdy and of harder plastic.

However, I was able to cut nice even slices using the cutting guide. The bread box is attractive, and the airholes are useful for keeping the bread fresh. I like the bread box better than I thought I would.

I saw another cutting guide at a local store for more money. It seemed sturdier, and I wished I had purchased it instead. But it didn't include the bread box, so I suppose this item was a good deal for the price paid.

Yes, it is a little messy when you open it. Not a big deal, but worth noting. On the other hand, the 2 pound loaves from my Zojirushi horizontal bread maker fit perfectly, and with room to spare. It also looks great on the counter, and is crystal clear to help highlight what is inside. The slicing guide (which is shown sideways in the Amazon.com photo), is the perfect companion to a sharp, serrated bread knife. With it, I can cut thin, uniform slices of my latest sandwich creation, and I get no complaints from the hungry mouths on the other end of the counter.

As for the acrylic construction, well, it's true! So what? It's a crystal clear, dishwasher safe, sturdy polymer. It is built to hold a loaf of bread, but is tough enough to take any expected kitchen abuse, as well as having a better humidity control arrangement than any breadbox that I was subjected to as a kid. It is by no means flimsy, and simply looks and works very well.