Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Don’t let the bad reviews intimidate you—I was skeptical at first, but the fact that I couldn’t find ANY toaster with near-perfect ratings (from a reputable brand)—aside from those in the $100 range made me rethink my options; all I want is a toaster with basic functions that won’t break after a couple years. Since this toaster is not only reasonably priced, as well as consistently well-rated from tester sites for appliances, I decided to take a chance on it. It is exactly what I’m looking for: a straightforward toaster with all the basic toaster functions (toast, bagel, defrost, reheat), and in a price range that makes sense for a small appliance that does one thing—toast bread. Additionally, it’s small, has an easily accessible crumb tray, is quiet, and the sides remain cool when toasting. But the best feature is how FAST it toasts! I find it takes a minute, maybe a little more or less, depending the setting. Its toast levels (1 - 5) give pretty distinct toast results from each level, and it toasts fairly evenly, if the pieces fit entirely into the slots—which are not long, but are just big enough to hold a bagel slice. The settings aren’t as effective as I’d like, however; for example, I find the “Frozen” setting isn’t all that different from the “Toast” setting, since toasting frozen waffles using both settings yielded similar results. The “Bagel” setting also tends to toast both sides, but maybe it’s due to the fact I like to use the higher, level 4 setting. In all, I find the positives outweigh the negatives, although I suppose it depends upon what you’re looking for. I was looking for a decent toaster for a decent price—and I found it! UPDATE: After all the abuse I’ve subjected this toaster to, it’s still going strong! I am not the best at “maintaining” appliances (okay, cleaning out the tray) but it’s never given me problems. I’ve even crammed buns that are slightly too-big and specialty bread slices (think thick sweet slices of orange-cranberry toast, cheese, cinnamon) and again, zero issues in terms of getting stuck-on food inside. It’s been really quite reliable and I know once this thing gives in I’ll likely but another one.