I've had this toaster for over 4 years now. Mine still works great and I love everything about it. However, my parents bought the same model 2 years ago and it never worked well and broke after about a year. You can fit most any kind of bread product with ease, even huge artisan loaf slices. I haven't had any trouble getting it to the appropriate doneness, though I never take mine above 3 out of I think 9 levels. The one side bagel toasting works great too. My father insisted that his burnt everything he put into it unless it was on 1, and then it really wasn't done enough. I've found it to be fairly easy to clean too. I contacted Kitchenaid about my parent's broken toaster even though it was out of warranty. Unfortunately, there had been some parts changes in the model and they were no longer offering service of any kind to the particular one he had. To thier credit, they did offer the newer version at almost half off, which seemed like a pretty generous offer to me.

angeldawn5

Fenton, MO

It's kind of difficult for a toaster to be fantastic - You expect your toaster to make toast and, as long as it does that, it's a good toaster unless it breaks in under a year. That said, this is a decent toaster, but it's main benefit is that it's one of the few 4-slice toasters you can actually find that's capable of toasting a bagel. (After all, what sense is there in having a toaster if you can only toast two slices of plain, thin bread with it?) Plus, it actually only has two long slots rather than four small slots, so you can toast longer bread if you need to. If you've got more than one person in your house, it's ridiculously handy to have these features. Beyond that, though, it's just your standard toaster. It tends to toast things more on one half than the other, it's hard to clean, and you'll probably wind up pushing the lever back down again unless you like very light toast. As usual, you'll probably never use any of the settings, but if you do actually cook a bagel (as opposed to a piece of texas toast or thick bread), the bagel setting works quite well.

nacant

Gastonia, NC

I like the look of this toaster and seems like it would be easy to use but the handle never stays down. You have to push it down many times gently and almost trick it into staying down. Once it is down it does stay down and work. It doesn't always pop up the toast all the way also. Need to watch it so you know when it is done. But when it does toast - it toasts well :>

GoodHeartMom

Aliso Viejo, CA

I received this item as a Christmas present a few years ago.  It's still going strong, and makes excellent toast.  I really wanted a nice toaster that would accomodate long bread, bagels, and frozen things.  This one fit all of those qualifications, and also came in colors.  I love RED!  The settings are very easy to understand.  It has buttons for 'frozen' or 'bagel' and you can use both at the same time to toast up that perfect frozen bagel.  Very handy.  I don't get a lot of crumbs lingering on the counter, so the crumb tray is doing it's job as well.  It's pretty on the counter.  It does not get too hot when you are toasting frozen things either.  Prior toasters that I have owned have been cheaper, and obviously so.  Spending a little extra on this model will make you happier in the long run, especially if you can get Santa to bring it to you.  I recommend having some fun with it, and ordering a color instead of just black or white. Spice up your life.

AmyMcAllaster

Sacramento, CA

This toaster does everything I want, just the way I want it.  I've done both regular bread (including the 'longer than normal' kinds) and bagels in it and have never ever burned a thing.  Construction is solid and seems long-lasting, though I haven't had it more than a year yet.  Settings are reliable and operation is duh simple.  This is the first Kitchenaid appliance I've owned (it was a gift) so I think I will check into other things made by this company.  

oxmyx

Kanab, UT

I use my toaster alot--with 3 kids and lots of toast and bagels, we have need of a toaster that can do it all!  I hunted around to find a toaster that met all my criteria, and, I'll admit I am pretty fussy.  It had to have large slots to be able to toast a bagel, and I wanted something to toast 4 slices of toast at once.  The KitchenAid toaster not only has these features, but can toast frozen bread (handy for me since we keep forgetting to get the bread out of the freezer), and has adjustable toasting settings.  I got my toaster in a snazzy red, and love the way it looks.  It's worked pretty much as expected.  Only problem is, I expected more from a fine name like KitchenAid.  The high or low settings don't seem to make a lot of difference with the toaster, and when the toast pops up, the plastic handle flies off.  So why a 4 rating?  All I can say is it is better than any toaster I have had so far.  It does faithfully get the job done, and the toasting is pretty even on both sides. I think the good traits outweigh the annoying ones, but I do think there is room for improvement. 

coolretrogal

Stella, MO

I absolutely love my new toaster.  It is a great machine for the money.  I love the fact that it has extra long slots for any size bread.  It is also extra wide for thick pieces of bread or even bagels.  It toast very evenly. I also love that it has a hard, high-luster polycarbonate housing that stays cool to the touch during use. It also is stain resistant and reven resists fingerprints.  It also makes clean up a breeze.

raceyt1963

Port Saint Lucie, FL