Breville Die-Cast Smart Toaster, 2-Slice, Brushed Stainless Steel

We have a couple of other Breville products that we have been very happy with. So when it was time to replace our toaster, I decided that Breville was the way to go. At this point, I was so looking forward to getting it, and now, I am very disappointed with this toaster. As soon as we got it, I had to make some toast to see how it worked. as soon as the bread went down, I saw that the elements on the inside panels of both sets of slots did not light up or heat and only some of the elements on the other side of all slots heated. I used homemade whole grain bread that usually takes longer to toast. So I put it on the highest setting. At the end of the cycle, one side of the bread was partially toasted. So I turned the bread around to toast the other side - again only partially toasted using the #5 setting. Really, my old cheap toaster did better!!Since I have never been disappointed with a Breville product before, I decided to return this toaster as defective. Since the seller was not Amazon, the seller expects me to pay return shipping for a defective product. This is totally unacceptable, and I have reported this situation to Amazon. I have decided that I will give Breville another chance on this toaster, and will update this review if my experience with this product improves.The seller did finally email me a return shipping label with the help of Amazon customer service.UPDATE 11/10/16I have increased my star rating from 1 star to 5 as we now really like this toaster. Just in case we still didn't like it, I ordered it from Bed Bath and Beyond so that the return would be easier. They don't have the 30 day limitation on returns and we have a local store. When we first got this toaster, I did toasting with no bread a couple of times to burn off anything that might be on the elements. This was recommended in the instructions. During this process, I noticed that all of the elements did not heat as much as the other side on one side of each slot. Many more heated than with the previous returned toaster, but still not all of them. Having had problems with the first toaster, I called Breville customer service the next day. They told me that the toaster was designed to make "restaurant style" toast. One side of each slice is not toasted as much as the other side so that toppings can be put onto the softer side, and the other side is crisper. The explanation sounded good, but I wasn't sure that I would like "restaurant style" toast. Our first test of the toaster was bagels. I set the toaster at level 5, pressed bagel and the toast. Our old toaster had to be set at the highest level to get anything browned. Before the toasting cycle finished, I checked the bagel and it was almost burned. The next bagel I set the toaster to level 3, and the toasting was perfect. The inside of the bagel was golden brown, and the outside was still soft. Perfect!!The ultimate test was toasting homemade bread, All of our bread is homemade and is primarily made from fresh milled whole grain flour. This type of bread is heavier than store bought bread, and takes much longer to toast. I also freeze loaves after slicing, and we take slices out as needed. For 100% frozen whole wheat bread, I set the toaster at level 5, pressed the frozen button, and then toast, and the bread went down to toast automatically.The bread was beautifully, evenly toasted.A couple of things that should be noted. Although the outside of the toaster gets only warm, it does give off a lot of heat from the top. I initially had it in a space on the counter that was under a cabinet. The underside of the cabinet got really hot - too hot to touch. I also mentioned this to Breville customer service, and was told that it should not be placed under a cabinet. I love and would recommend this toaster, but this may be a point to consider if you are considering purchasing it.UPDATE 12/21/21:We have had this toaster for over 5 years, and it still works as well as the day we got it. I love it not only for toasting bagels, but also use the bagel setting to toast hamburger buns. When the hamburger buns are toasted on one side as bagels are, they hold up much better to the hamburger and other ingredients without falling apart. When I make Belgian waffles, I always make extras for my husband to toast in this toaster. After over 5 years, this toaster still works and we still love it. If it ever poops out, I would certainly buy another of these.I hope this review was helpful for you.

The first toaster I received was completely dead, right out of the box. The second one I received is perfect. Finally, I don't have to push the toast down twice, lol! I adjust the setting depending on the thickness of the bread and it comes out perfect every time. I didn't think I'd use the peek feature but I do. It's heavy, and sturdy and I hope it lasts for years. So far, it's worth the price.

I have used this toaster before, and it's pretty great! The buttons are simple, the mechanism is a smooth raising/lowering of the bread from the toaster so you don't have that "pop goes the weasel" effect. The "just a bit more" button is cheeky but functional, and the progress lights on the "how toasted" slide bar give you an idea on how close to done your toast is at a glance, even from a distance.It looks good, toasts well, accommodates wider bread slices, and generally raises the bar with the features that it provides. Will a $10 toaster toast? Sure. Is $200 for a toaster a good price? That's up for you to decide. It is a luxury purchase for sure. We all have our reasons for what we do and what we buy, but, short of any buyers remorse for spending $200+ on a toaster, this thing shouldn't disappoint.

Whatever the issue was (see below) earlier, it stopped and has not reoccured.I think this is the best toaster I've ever owned (but it is also the most expensive, by far).Bought this toaster a year ago, December 2022. Until this morning it worked fine for the once or twice weekly uses it received. But, today it wanted to keep heating after completing one toast cycle -- indicator lights came on again and heat. Using the "cancel" button just caused the cycle to continue. Unplugged it for a few minutes and now it seems OK BUT will watch it closely over the next days -- I don't want a fire caused by a toaster! If I go a month with no further problems I'll re-visit the star rating.BTW, this thing is supposed to be "brushed stainless steel" -- I don't believe it. The case won't attract a magnet and feels/sounds like plastic when tapped.DBSPS In exploring this issue I note that my unit doesn't have any serial number on the bottom (as someone else here already noticed).I bought this mainly because I was tired of using my toaster oven to toast bread. I expected it to be much quicker but, beyond that, had no expectations. My selection of this particular unit was based mostly on physical design -- it looked nice.After using this for a couple of months I've found, to my surprise, that I actually think this toaster is significantly better than any other toaster (admittedly always much less expensive ones) I've owned.It toasts bread much quicker, more evenly and all-around better. It looks good doing it. The "a little more" button isn't crucial but it's nice to have.Not everyone will see added value -- it's a toaster, after all. But, if you're particular about appliances, this may be worth the extra money.