Elektron Model:Cycles

I got Model:Cycles as my 1st Elektron to try what everyone describes as a steep learning curve workflow, but very powerful after putting your time in and mainly intended it as a sequencer for my drum computers (Jomox, Nord).
Ended up using it mostly standalone, for "sketches" and idea generation. Contrary to popular beliefs and statements on various forums, I found it rather easy to learn and the ideas of "Elektron learning curve" quite ridiculous (having since acquired a Digitakt as well).

Despite obvious limitations in terms of sound tweaking options, this is totally my go-to desert island techno machine and I think that its simplicity in fact facilitates a high degree of playability when it comes to live usage and just having fun with it. There's not that many parameters to tweak which means that you can totally stay "in the zone" and at the same time consciously in control of what's going on.
The internal sound engine is very flexible and highly usable and while limited, you can get a lot out of different machines, even stuff they were probably not intended for. It is absolutely possible to play a full-fledged electronic music live set with just this thing and there are videos on YT proving it.

The only real downside to Model:Cycles is the absence of separate outputs or Overbridge support - recording your ideas track-by-track is a real pain and takes some of the fun away.
If you want to sequence melodic patterns, I suggest you get an external controller to do it.

As a guitar player I needed a drum machine to add some beats to my ambient/minimalist pieces. At first I considered something different but a friend of mine who is quite a synth nerd recommended me this by saying it's more versatile than many others. When checking some Youtube demos I arrived at the same conclusion and ordered it.
To put it shortly, it fully met my expectations. Although some people have said it is quite limited, mainly when it comes to sound synthesis, in my opinion, if used as a drum machine with quite a lot of extra features, it is still quite a versatile instrument! But I'm a guitarist, so what do I know, haha.
The main magic lies in the sequencer, which has quite an extensive array of features. Parameter locking, conditional locking to name just a few. So you can build quite complex arrangements with it.
The unit is made of plastic, but it is quite sturdy. The only things I am a bit worried about are the pads and rubbery buttons, but we'll see.
To end my review I'd like to give my two cents from the blindness perspective. I know we are a tiny minority, but I'm not the only blind person who buys from Thomann, so maybe this part will be useful for some people.
As most of the things are done with knobs and buttons, it can be used quite easily if you remember what each of them does. A nifty trick for that is to make a recording of some sighted person giving you the overview of the layout, so you can reference it later.
The manual is well written and easy to understand.
There is some menu diving, that can get quite confusing for the blind, but unless you go very deep it can be done very easily by referencing the manual.
SO, to conclude this review in one sentence, I'm really happy with my first full fledged drum machine!