I totally agree, $400 is a lot of money but I know everyone loves them. I'm good with mine, I have two now. One is over 30 + years old, the new one I bought last year, and I can do a double layer of half-pints which really cuts down on time. I put up a lot every year so having them both makes life a bit easier when I do large batches. The tomatoes will be coming in hard this week with the next heat wave. And it begins, lol. Have fun in the kitchen.