Sunbeam 3823-100 4-Slice Wide Slot Toaster, White

I am not a toast expert that many seem to be regarding reviews. All I wanted was a toaster that did a good job. First tried a Dualit ($108), and returned it since many of the elements either with not heating equally, or were not lit up at all. Then I tried just a two-slice Kitchen Aid ($70). It worked OK, but the housing was so big, there was almost 2 inches from the front of the toaster to the edge of the toast opening. I returned it too, really wanting a 4 slice. I took a chance on the Sunbeam, have had it for about 3 months, and it toasts very good. I found it toasted the edges better when you laid the bread down, rather than standing it up. I have not tried the bagel option yet. It has consistently toasted the bread the same each time at the same setting. I have been setting it at 4.5. I also like the "interrupt" button just below the setting knob. Just a light touch pops the toast up. I had a previous toaster where I had to push very hard to make it work (sometimes!)

I've been using this toaster for over a year now and have been very happy with its performance. It toasts bread evenly and the bagel setting works great. It also has an extra 'boost' built into the dropping mechanism to help you get the bread out. Love it.

The levers are much easier to push than my old model and they stay down the first time. I did notice a strong "new electronics" smell the first couple of times I used this toaster, which I suppose would be the case with any toaster, and it was temporary.

The toast turns out great in my opinion-crisp but not too dry which is much better than the model I'm replacing, and when you set the two dials to the same number, both sets of toast turn out pretty much the same. With my old toaster, the darkness settings were not created equal and a five on one meant dry white bread, and on the other it meant dark brown. As for the individual slices, sure, I noticed a slight difference, top versus flip side but it was not something that would actually impact the taste of the toast, and not something with which I was concerned.

I'm very happy with the purchase.