Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I spent a couple days researching toaster ovens before finally deciding on this one, which seemed to have everything I was looking for while also being about $40 lower than my maximum price point. I've had the unit for a couple months now and so far I am very impressed. It heats up relatively quickly and has handled everything we've thrown at it with ease, from baking cornbread to toasting bagels to broiling catfish. I find the oven's size to be pretty perfect - it's big enough to hold just about anything I'd want to put in there, including most of my smaller baking dishes, but not so big that it looks ridiculous or takes up too much room on the counter. The construction seems very sturdy and while the sides and top do heat up a bit (which the instruction manual warns about) it's not nearly as bad as I was expecting based on some of the reviews on here, nor have I ever found the handle to be hot at all. As long as you make sure there's a couple inches of clearance around it I don't think the heat should be an issue during normal use. Now obviously if you're planning to leave it on for hours at a time then it will likely heat up more, but what would you expect from a $60 toaster? It's obviously not a full replacement for a traditional oven, nor does it claim to be. Also, I wanted to clarify that this toaster oven most certainly DOES turn off on its own if you turn the knob past 20 minutes before setting it to the desired time. It is kind of a silly quirk but given that that instruction is printed not only in the owner's manual but also on the unit itself next to the timer, people really only have themselves to blame if they don't follow it. All in all, I've found this product to be more than a match for my small-scale toasting and baking needs and I am very happy with my purchase. It's great to be able to make food without having to turn on my big energy-hogging oven, especially during the summer. The one thing I wish was different is that the timer knob is only marked every 10 minutes - it would be nice if it at least had 5-minute marks. **Edit: It's been 3 years since I bought this toaster oven and it's still going strong. As it's gotten older it's started to take longer to heat up which can be annoying, but it's still useful and has never had any mechanical problems**