Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

**Posted June 22, 2011** I am currently using a $5 Chefmate from Target but I decided it was time for an upgrade. After researching extensively for a top rated toaster at an affordable price, I came to the same conclusion as determined by the editors of America's Test Kitchen- there is no 5 star toaster (The ATK recommendation is no longer being sold). You would think that an appliance so commonly found in every household would have a better product design. All I ask is for it to fit bagels and long artisan breads, toast bread somewhat evenly and quickly, and have a decent light-to-dark knob setting. Unfortunately this still does not exist in the current toaster market. A lot of designs have hit or miss reviews, if you are lucky to get a working toaster out of the box and have some patience to learn your toasters quirks, you might get an appliance that you won't regret buying. After weighing out the 4, 5 star reviews with the 2, 3 star ones and taking it with a grain of salt, I chose this toaster as it seemed to fit my requirements. (Most of the 1 star reviews were customers who received a broken product and it seemed like a small percentage. ) I figured most of the complaints I could deal with - digital settings turning off and resetting, too loud/not loud enough beeping, etc. and I was hopeful I could get the hang of the toast settings with practice and use. When it arrived, I do admit while it has a nice sleek design (not bulky and has smooth lines) it felt flimsy and like it was made cheaply. But I figured as long as you didn't have to pick it up, it would still look nice on the counter top. Unfortunately the toaster was broken out of the box. When I began to test it I realized the toaster button was broken - the lock position for the lever wasn't catching when you pushed down to toast and therefore would not stay on. I guess I am one of the unlucky ones. Will return and possibly exchange for a new one (only because I have free prime and Amazon makes returns soo easy). Even after the dud, this still seems like the best of the worst out there and I am willing to give it another chance. **Update** 3/28/12 I returned and exchanged the toaster for an identical one and the 2nd one is much better. It works upon arrival and has been a pretty useful appliance in our household. I love that it can fit a variety bread/bagel sizes and toasts fairly quickly. I found that even on the 2-3 setting, it can create a nice light to deep brown color on the bread. One thing to note is the type of bread you use - ie, standard white bread will require a much lower setting and burns easier whereas wheat or heartier breads can be adjusted up. I don't see any use for anything higher than the 4 setting, as everything that I've toasted above that burns. I also found that if you lay croissants on top of the toaster you can get a nice crunch out of those too (since they do not fit very well inside). Changing my 1-star review to 4-stars because it gets the job done with minimal hassle.