Dualit 45375 Lite 4-Slice Toaster, Soft Touch Black

My friends will admit that toasters have been something of an obsession with me lately. I've bought and returned products from T-Fal, Cuisinart and Russell Hobbs, all for poor basic toasting function.

Finally, a toaster that works. Here are the key points:
* It makes consistently good toast, reasonably quickly, totally consistently. Toast is evenly browned on both sides. Think every toaster does this? Try the Cuisinart CPT-180.
* Its #8 (maximum) setting will go long enough to blacken even homemade bread during a single cycle (most toasters will require two cycles at max setting to make even dark brown toast). But it can also be set to toast lightly.
* The toasting lever raises bread high enough to give easy access to even very small pieces. Russell Hobbs' unit leaves you with burned fingers every morning.
* Controls are simple to use, feel very solid.
* The unit looks good, and its design takes up very little space. Black plastic ends are a...Read more

I am very happy with this toaster and am glad I didn't spend $300 on the top-of-the-line Dualit. I don't think it could work much better than this one. This one just seems to have less expensive parts (some plastic).

Pluses:

+ Gives great and consistent control over the darkness of the toast.

+ The bagel feature lets you toast only the cut sides of the bagel. Works well and consistently. No more burned bagels or crunchy tops!

+ Toast is raised high enough to get it out without burning your fingers.

+ Attractive design.

+ Simple, sturdy controls.

Minuses:

- When done toasting, very small pieces of toast (like the end pieces of Pepperidge Farm cinnamon bread) sometimes pop right out of the toaster and land on the counter.

- Seems to toast a little more slowly than other toasters I've used.

I would recommend this to anyone who is picky about good design and...Read more

We've had this toster for about 3 weeks and we're tyring to return it. The toast is uneven both vertically and horizontally, and burns at #4 out of 8. We need a long 4-slice toaster because we buy bread that is wider than regular sandwich bread. This is a real disappointment at $120!