It's beauty is only skin deep.
Pros:
Nice design. Good materials and workmanship.
Cons:
Inconsistent toast, especially when you toast just one slice.
The Bottom Line:
Looks good in our kitchen, but the darkness of the toast is inconsistent and it's terrible when toasting a single slice.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
We ordered a Model 3916 from a catalog about 9 months ago. I chose it based on its appearance and on Sunbeam's reputation. I remember the great automatic toasters they made years ago.
On this one, I like the overall quality of design, materials, and workmanship. However, we can't get consistent results on toast. Sometimes it's too light, sometimes too dark. We use the features like the button for frozen bread and the lever for bagels and buns.
I'd like to be able to set the darkness selector once and then get consistent results whether the bread is frozen (using the button for it) or at room temperature. I don't.
I'd like to get consistent results regardless of the thickness of the slice. Thin slices will burn when I use the setting I like for thick slices.
I'd like to get consistent results whether I toast one slice or two slices. When I toast a single slice of bread, one side comes out fine but the other side is too light.
Maybe I expect too much from a toaster. I emailed the Sunbeam customer service department twice to see what they have to say about my complaints. Their first reply merely directed me to their service centers and their second reply merely said that my comments were duly noted.
Postscript:
Fours days after I informed Sunbeam customer service that I posted a review here, they sent an email saying they were shipping another toaster to me.
We've used the replacement for almost two weeks now and I've changed my opinion slightly. The new toaster is better at toasting single slices, however, one side is still considerably lighter than the other side. (But if you like the toast very dark, then it seems to work well.)
The results are still inconsistent: when the darkness is set the way I like it for room-temperature bread, it's too light for the same bread if it's frozen. I use the Defrost control as directed in the instructions.
In my correspondence with Sunbeam customer service, they did not say the toaster was working improperly. Maybe this is how its supposed to work. It isn't terrible - it's just less than I expected.
