Overall, a pretty good toaster. I like having a product available that can fit the larger slices like texas toast and thicker bagels without worry I'll need to pry them out with a knife or fork. Toasting Evenness Items are toasted quite evenly which is exciting, especially with the thicker items. Safety I have never had any safety concerns with this toaster. It heats up, but not to the point where I worry about gettint burnt from it and it cools down pretty quickly after use. Ease of Cleaning It is very easy to get the crumbs out of the toaster without a giant mess and it is easy to wipe down this unit. Durability This toaster holds up well to a lot of use and a lot of moving around from on to the counter back under and on shelves in our basement. It has had the misfortune of being dropped and still holds up well. Design Love the overall design of this toaster. It is decently sleek looking and easily fits the more plump bagels and larger slices of texas toast. Even though I don't usually leave it on my counter, it has a nice enough look that you can leave it on your counter without it looking off or out of place.

Jenjlg

USA

I love this toaster. I bought this because of the extra-wide feature. I needed something that would fit all the different types of bagels that I love to eat almost every morning. It definitely has room for even the largest of pastries. The only thing I do not like about it is that I have to keep my other smaller toaster for the really soft bread I eat. Since it is so wide, the soft bread will fold a little bit and will not toast into a flat shape. Other than that it works perfectly. You get a nice even toast on both sides and throughout each side. The settings can be match to exactly how dark you would like the bread to be. It also toasts much more quickly than other toasters which is a plus because I keep my bagels cold which could potentially add a whole minute to the toasting time. If you like to eat a lot of bagles this is the toaster I would recommend for you! Ease of Cleaning The bread crumb slot is sturdy and easy to pull out.

randomhouse

USA

I asked for a toaster for Christmas and I received the **Hamilton Beach SmartToast Extra-Wide 4-Slot Toaster**. We've been using my husband's old, bachelor 2-slice toaster for our family of four for over 6 years, so I was super excited to "upgrade" to a 4-slice toaster, but there are some features that leave me a little disappointed in this product. Toasting Evenness The one thing this toaster does well is toast evenly. Each side of bread comes out looking uniform on both sides. Safety This toaster is equipped with many safety features. It will automatically shut off if toast gets jammed, it has cool-touch sides to help prevent burning and it has "SureGuard Shock-Resistant Concealed Heating Elements". Ease of Cleaning There is a crumb tray in the back of the toaster for crumb removal. Durability This toaster is very lightweight and feels cheap. While nothing has happened to it in the 3 months I've had it, it wouldn't surprise me if something broke off within its first year of use. Design While this toaster has "extra-wide" slots that are ideal for bagels, the length of the slots are way too short. My regular slices of bread get smashed at the edges while trying to get them in the toaster. It's as if this toaster is made just for bagels. The slices of bread that I use are not super-long pieces of sourdough either, just your standard wheat variety. Another thing I don't like about this toaster are the knobs for adjusting darkness; they turn way to easily and you could very easily accidentally bump the knob oh so slightly and the whole knob will turn.

this2shallpass19

Camp Lejeune, NC