Oster 6307 Inspire 2-Slice Toaster, Red

Bought this toaster less than two months ago and it's already broken. The control buttons (one of the reasons why we bought it) are not functioning, neither is the darkness control knob. Once it's put into the toast position, it does not shut off, you have to push up the lever manually. My son put in some Toaster Swirls only to set off the smoke alarm. This is the second time a product (a rice cooker)from this brand has broken within months of purchase. I'm just going to avoid Oster at all costs in the future.

The Amazon reviews are mixed, and for good reason. Mine arrived with a couple small scratches in the otherwise very cool candy-apple red surface. Oh well. But the really bad news was yet to come. After doing the suggested burn-in (one cycle with no bread - and yep, there really is a noxious odor from that), I set the darkness control to about 4.5 (ranges from 1 to 7). Burnt, completely burnt. So I set it down to 3.5. Burnt again. 2.5 - barely brown. 3 - burnt. And, as other reviews note, it doesn't toast evenly on both sides. One reviewer thought that was great; I think it sucks. I guess Oster is owned by Sunbeam, and who knows who owns them, but these products that are thrown together in China or elsewhere where they pay $.02/hr for labor can hardly be expected to be reliable, can they? Aint the global economy f'in' wonderful?!

Had to say that. This toaster does a good job, I especially like the bagel setting which toasts a bagel to a crispy perfection. And it is beautiful on my counter. The shinny red looks like a candy apple finish. Very classy and makes you smile in the morning.