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nice to have a product that is well made and can do a good job and last.
This was a gift, and I felt terrible about the expense they paid in relation to the loathe I feel for this contraption.We use my husband's 6+ year old, $35 Black & Decker toaster oven, and it's perfect every time. Plus, as mentioned by other reviewers, I've never been able to successfully toast a half-bagel without it getting stuck AND heaven forbid you have a slightly taller-than-average piece of bread. I don't understand its hefty price for its subpar performance. It will literally burn one side of the toast while barely toasting the other side.
We have to sort of bend them into a wavy shape to get them into the toaster slot. It toasts beautifully, when the bread fits in it, and it has a simplicity of design which is quite attractive compared to some of the dial-heavy, technological, digital, nonsense out there.
I'm tending towards a lower rating because of the bread fit issues; hubby wants to give a higher rating because of the quality of toast. We are still debating it.
We bought this toaster because we kept buying cheapies that broke after a year or so. I'm not sure about this one.
Three stars is pretty much the family consensus. Plus this one came in metallic blue which goes with our kitchen :-) Well, the slots may be "extra wide" as described, but they are not long enough for standard slices of packaged, sliced Oroweat buttermilk bread, which is our daily bread of choice.
On the other hand the so-called "extra wide" slots are still too small for half a Panera bagel, even when we are meticulous about cutting it right down the middle.
When ever someone other than me uses it, since they aren't used to it, toast is burnt. To make two acceptable slices of toast, it usually takes at least 4 slices of bread to get it right. I've learned how to make it work with warming up and watching the toast like a hawk. Of course this is a great looking toaster but every time I use it, I am reminded how much I hate it. This isn't how something as basic as a toaster is supposed to work. It's wide opening makes normal sliced bread widths fall down into the toaster and not able to pop up. With the high price, you'd expect it to work better. I'm constantly unplugging it and digging the burning item out with a fork.Bagels are generally too wide for the opening and I have to shove it down and then it gets stuck and I'm once again unplugging it to force the bagel (now destroyed) out.
The repair labor is up to you. The toaster is over $200. To replace the timer knob, it's $149 from one USA supplier, or $60 ordering it from the UK. I've had mine for about 3 years. Something to consider. If you happen to be away from the toaster you could easy have a fire on your hands. The timer knob sticks more and more everyday. Repairs aren't cheap.
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