I'm glad I have toast tongs...
Pros:
Looks good, nice crumb trays, easy-to-use buttons and dial
Cons:
Doesn't toast evenly, doesn't pop up high enough.
The Bottom Line:
If you get this as a gift or don't toast often, this will be fine for you but if you are a 'frequent toaster,' get something else
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
I know a toaster is not a 'frequent' purchase for most people. I know my grandma still has the same toaster she was using when I was little (OK, I'm only 28, but still). Yet somehow, I am already on my third toaster. The little 2-slot I had in college just HAD to go when my husband and I moved in together so we got a nice new white 4-slot for our wedding (about 6 years ago). But this Christmas, I was having a hard time coming up with ideas for my 'Christmas list' for my mom and grandma (they don't like giving cash, darn it!) so I thought, well, my old toaster isn't toasting so evenly anymore and it's getting kind of grungy and most of my small appliances are black...so I went to Target to browse and this one caught my eye. So I put it on my list and my grandma got it for me for Christmas.
Considering it's 'only' a toaster, this one is pretty nice looking. It's all black with some 'brushed nickel' looking accents on the levers and dials. It is sort of 'divided' into two sides, each with two slots. So each 'side' has its own separate controls. The 'controls' consist of a dial to specify how dark you want your toast which ranges from 1 to 6. I don't like my toast dark, but I do like it 'toasted.' Level 3 seems to be the highest I can put it as last time I put it on four and basically ended up with a giant crouton. The other 'controls' are buttons saying 'bagel,' 'cancel,' and 'frozen.' I have not yet used the bagel button and, although I have made a few frozen things, I haven't used the 'frozen' button--it's just not something I think to do but I imagine the point of it is to give a slower, 'colder' heat as to ensure the inside of whatever you're making is warm before the outside is burnt. I have used the 'cancel' button which is essentially like pulling up on the lever before your item is officially 'done.' I can say that button works exactly as it is supposed to!
The main problem I have with this toaster is that the toasting 'slots' don't seem to be deep enough. Certain things I have had to go in halfway through and flip it upside down to make sure it is evenly toasted. This doesn't happen with all items, just 'taller' things. Oddly, you would think with these shallow slots that things would pop up high but that is not the case. When your item pops up, you can pull up on the lever and it will raise your item almost an extra inch--I don't know why they didn't just have it pop up all the way to start with but anyway...even with that extra inch I almost always have to use my tongs so I can get the thing out without burning myself.
Some nice features are the dual crumb trays--they come out from the back so they don't 'disrupt' the nice look it has from the front. They are also metal and the toast crumbs don't seem to stick to it as much as my old plastic crumb trays. Another thing I like is the longer cord. it is not so long as to be a safety hazard but compared to my old toaster which had a cord around 14 inches long, this one is much easier to pull out and use. The buttons and dial are also very easy to use.
I should say that we don't use the toaster very often--maybe once a week at the most. So as long as I have my toast tongs, the 'cons' don't bother me much. However if I used it every day, I would probably be annoyed with it by now. Since I got it as a gift and don't use it often, I plan to keep it, but if you have the option of whether or not to purchase this for yourself, I would suggest that you don't.
