Krups FEM2B 2-Slice Toaster, Black & Silver

After having gone through several toasters that looked sleek, but couldn't toast worth a darn -- let alone set off the smoke alarm -- I turned to Consumer Products for guidance (11/04). We picked their number 2 because it looked functional without too many needless gimmicks, whereas the brand name of #1 reminded us too much of the toaster that burnt the bread and toasted its electronics. Also, rather than spending over ten bucks on a "Small Applicance Contract", we tossed in three more bucks to get the number-four-rated toaster as a backup should the Krups ever fail. The toaster yields a nice evenly browned slice of bread or toaster waffle without beeping, dancing or burning up the kitchen. Sorry to learn that others encountered uneven browning -- we are delighted with the Krups, and it looks good too.

This toaster looks good and has lots of special features, but doesn't perform its main purpose, which is toasting bread and bagels. I tried toasting both with the same result: they were very brown at the top and not toasted at all on the bottom. Also, this toaster leaves large stripes on the bread that aren't toasted. I sent it back the day after I received it and purchased the Cuisinart Metal Classic Toaster, which is even better looking and toasts very evenly, top to bottom, with no stripes.

Although Consumer Reports rated this model as #2, I have found this a very disappointing purchase. The cheap aluminum parts inside bend all the time jamming the toaster. It toasts very uneavenly and inconsistently. I am very sorry I purchased this toaster. I was expecting much more from a toaster so highly rated but I've learned that Consumer Reports does not always get everything right. Listen to the other warnings and stay away from this toaster. As soon as I find another toaster, this one goes off to Goodwill.