KRUPS: 2 Slice Toaster, Stainless Steel Toaster, 5 Functions with Cancel, Toasting, Defrost, Reheat and Bagel, Cord Storage, Silver

The T-Fal TT7495002 SS Avante Deluxe 4-Slice Toaster purchased in January 2007 from Amazon finally died (slowly - we limped along with a broken handle for a good 6 months looking for a replacement). I probably would have purchased another T-Fal but I didn't like that we could never get the old interior actually clear of crumbs and debris and it stayed hot for a fair bit after the toasting was over. (For reference we have it sitting on a 2-inch thick Boos block that we pull over for toasting and push back underneath upper cabinet overhang in order to conserve counter space.) Other than that the T-Fal toasted all thicknesses of bread as well as bagels and re-heated waffles beautifully.I thought long and hard about investing in a Dualit because I am in love with my Dualit mixer, but, in the end, I simply could not swallow the hefty price tag for the one that I wanted (with the sandwich cage).The T-Fal died unexpectedly and I ordered the Krups on a whim. I figured, at the very least, it would be a suitable interim toaster. I've used it now for nearly a month and I like it enough I stopped looking for another toaster!The chrome is easy to wipe clean and stays cool to the touch (everywhere except right outside the toaster slots). It is light and extremely easy to remove crumbs. The browning dial clicks at each setting so you know you are increasing/decreasing and the buttons for Bagel, Defrost, ReHeat and Cancel all light up nicely and click when activated as well. Personally, I like that the top button for Cancel lights up during each toasting session making it a no-brainer about which button to push to stop toasting.There are several different preferences in this house for toast - from hot bread to very crispy - and more for Bagels and Waffles (we make our own Belgian waffles and then freeze them for a quick re-heat). Our bread is both pre-sliced (Alvarado Street Bakery) in both thin and regular widths as well as self-sliced in all manner of thicknesses from fresh loaves. We've sliced rounds, loaves, biscuits and even cookies a couple times and have not found the size issue to be bothersome. The center slices of rounds are usually cut in half to slip right into the slots but other than that just pop it + toast.I have not had the problem with uneven toasting about which others have complained. Since it was a new toaster/brand I EXPECTED a learning curve. By the end of the first week of use I found preferred settings/re-toast for darkness options for everything we toast. It wasn't hugely frustrating for me, but, then, as I said, I expected to put the time into figuring out a new machine.I'd say if you are looking for an inexpensive, good-looking chrome 2-slice toaster, give this one a whirl. Expect to spend a little bit of time to find your preferred settings and you may find yourself as pleased as I in this little gem!

Before buying this I read the reviews. Some folks complained this toaster didn't toast the bread evenly. Some thought it did. I decided to take a chance because this toaster has wide slots and I love the occasional toasted bagel, and I also love the look of this toaster. Also, some folks complained that this toaster gets quite hot, but I haven't found that to be true. Yes, the very TOP might be warm, but not super hot, and the sides are not hot at all when it's toasting.Well, my HUSBAND, who rarely notices anything, commented on how beautiful this toaster is. I've found it toasts bread beautifully (I usually get large sized bread to make sandwiches, so didn't want a small toaster slot), and does bagels, as well. I did look at another toaster that comes in many colors (I am a sucker for color), but the slots were small, so I finally realized it wouldn't work for what I like to toast.This toaster has several different buttons on the side (you can see them from the picture) and I use the "cancel" button all the time (the one at the top) to stop the toasting. The dial on the right is for how brown you like your toast. I leave it turned up to high, then hit the "cancel" button when I think the toast is done. I used the "bagel" button once, but I like both sides of my bagel to be hot, and with the bagel setting it only toasts one side (makes sense), so I just use the toast setting for bagels. This would be a personal preference, I think.The under tray that catches crumbs is a tiny bit fiddly to take out, but once you do it you will get how it works, and it DOES come out and you can get rid of the crumbs. I found it went back in very easily. Quite a good toaster, and very, very attractive if you like a shiny, silver contraption on your counter top. It looks somewhat retro, too, which I find appealing, in lieu of the many colors I'd been dreaming of!

I really didnt know what to expect from this toaster. I've spent dozens of hours reviewing all different brands and decided that there wasn't one brand that made everyone happy. I've been using a West Bend toaster for years and have been happy with it but it just took up too much counter space. I wanted a smaller toaster that looked nice. It came down between the Cuisinart and this Krups. And truthfully I was leaning toward the Cuisinart until I went to a store and looked at it. I wasn't really impressed with the very dull stainless look of it. This Krups is PRETTY! It has a mirror like finish that looks great next to my breadbox and shiny stainless refrigerator. It's not really stainless but a shiny metal (which okay with me because so is my bread box). It was actually hard to get a decent picture because it was so reflective. Anyway, to the important part of toasting. It gave me the nicest toast on setting 3. It was as perfect as you can get. It was evenly toasted on both sides. And the interesting part for me was that the toast was crisp! I don't think I've ever had a crispy piece of toast from my previous toaster. I guess I just assumed that all toast got soggy after buttering it. Nope! This baby is amazing. Of Course I've only had it for 1 day but from what I see it's going to be great.Update 1/2/20: I've downgraded my original review to a 4. I love that this thing toasts but the shiny surface makes it impossible to see the writing on the toaster because of the glare. You kind of have to guess where the settings are. Of course after using it for awhile you will probably know where they are anyway. Also the crumb tray leaks a little and I usually end up with some crumbs on the counter. I've debated for weeks whether to return it or not but in the end decided to keep it. It is a toaster and it Toasts well and consistently. Besides it is pretty. I'm not going to spend more time researching toasters when there isn't a perfect one and this one comes pretty close.