Breville Ikon 2-Slice Toaster - CT70XL

Comment: I haven't owned a good toaster for years. I thought buying a more expensive toaster like Breville (I paid $79.99 at William Sonoma) would be the solution. Within one month the machine toasted only one side of the bread in one slot. When looking down into that slot while toaster is on, i can see some of the grills are not red. I use the other slot now but cannot seem to find a good setting: setting the dial at 3 and above burns the toast, setting the dial at 2 and under doesn't toast it enough. i now set it to number 2. when it pops up i turn the bread over and set it back in on number 1 but i have to watch it or it will burn parts of the bread. we toast one piece at a time in our 2 slot toaster. Technology allows us to send a man to the moon but we can't make a decent toaster? I am still looking for a toaster that works. I've read good review on a Kitchen Aid model.

Comment: We got this toaster as a gift, otherwise it is not very likely that we would have spent this much money on what is still just a toaster. The toaster is actually really cool, and it is one of our favorite new kitchen appliances. This toaster has several improvements over any other toaster that I have come across, some of which are more or less just cosmetic and some which actually make a difference in terms of actual toasting.

From the pure design viewpoint, this is a really well designed appliance. The body and most of the outer surface are made of stainless steel. Some of the parts and all of the buttons and handles are made out of thermo plastic that looks cool, does not get dirty easily, and gives you a good grip when handled.

The two slots are capacious enough to handle most baked goods, including bagels.

The LED monitor tells you what setting the toaster is on and how much time is left before the toasting is finished. LED is a bit of overkill if you ask me, but I have to admit that it looks pretty cool.

The power plug has a finger hole in it that makes it particularly easy to unplug. I have never seen any similar plug before and must say that it is a very neat and practical design.

Finally, the most important part: the actual toasting. I have never come across a toaster that does a better job of toasting bread and other baked goods evenly and uniformly. You will never have to eat another piece of bread where half of it is under-toasted and the other half is burnt. This toaster on the other hand performs uniformly on a consistent basis.

The materials and the design of this toaster also make it very easy to clean.

Overall this is a very well made toaster and I am really pleased with it.

Comment: This toaster is worth every cent I paid for it. It toasts evenly, and you don't have to guess which setting to use. The lift and look feature is handy because it doesn't cancel the cycle. You can easily fit deeper breads into it for toasting, as the well is deeper than most toasters. The product description doesn't state it, but the sides stay cool during use, which is a feature I was looking for. It is very stylish. It's the best toaster I've bought over the years.

Comment: Great product. It toasts well and looks good in my kitchen. I like the little digital display and indicator on how much time is left to toast. I haven't done anything other than sliced bread, but it looks like it will handle bangles and muffins easily.

Comment: After many years of using toasters that were cheap, would break or not working properly, I have finally found a gem! This toaster toasts evenly and has electronic intelligence using a digital dial. Using the 5 is perfect for toast. You don't have to manually lift the lever to stop it. There is a cancel button. It is one of the most stylish toasters I have seen and looks nice if you have to have it on your counter.