A toaster is a necessity in every household. There are many brands and sizes to choose from. I chose the  Hamilton Beach 22450 Cool Touch Two- Slice Toaster purely because of the cost. I thought for sure that this toaster would perform and do the job, after all I had never heard of a bad toaster! From the moment I brought this thing I had problems. Crumbs would always and I mean ALWAYS be all of the counter and I would have to wipe extensively underneath every day. However, this is a minor complaint compared to the way the toaster performed! There was no in between when it came to the darkness of my toast. The toast was either always burnt or it was never cooked enough. I tried over and over to adjust the lightness/darkness and always got the same results. After having this toaster a short time I ditched it. In hindsight I should have gotten the more expensive toaster, but the price was right for my budget at the time. Please save yourself the trouble and buy another toaster.

schedink

Tampa, FL

When my last toaster died and I went shopping, my only criteria was a toaster with wide slots so I could enjoy a morning bagel. I found that in this basic Hamilton Beach toaster, but I also discovered the benefit of the Cool Touch casing on the outside. It may not be "high tech trendy" but it certainly gives me peace of mind when little fingers try to help me in the kitchen on really busy mornings. The wide slots do handle bagels and english muffins as easily as regular toast. I have had mine for over five years now and for a lower-priced toaster this has been a great value. Sometimes it is slow to toast, but it pops up high enough to make it easy to retrieve the toasted bread easily, and when it is time to replace this toaster, I will most likely replace it with another just like it.

barefoot1

Cumberland, MD

My husband is very picky about his toast. I has to be browned evenly. Fortunately, he doesn't mind waiting because I've found that having evenly-browned toast requires a lower temperature, hence, a longer time. I searched reviews of toasters when ours finally exasperated him (and me, having to listen to him!) to surprise him for Father's Day about 3 years ago. Consumer Reports rated this as their pick. I was so happy to find out that not only was it inexpensive, it was available in our small town!             It's worked great the whole time. I love the cool touch sides as a safety feature. There's also a button to cancel toasting quickly if you feel it's done before the time is up. With 6 settings, there's a setting for any type of bread and doneness; thick, thin, moist, barely toasted, or burnt! The slots hold really thick bread, but still keep thin breads upright. It's endured our large family well, and I don't hear any more complaints. I love it!

Caredoll

Martin, TN