Paid $65 and is worse toaster I've ever had!
929761
I agree with the growing number of people dissatisfied with this toaster. It toasts upper half but not bottom half. One side always is very pale while other is dark. It may fit thick bagels but doesn't accept wider slices of bread in its small slots. Only standard size pieces. Forunately I just got mine and was madder than a wet hen at being taken in by this very expensive, worthless toaster; I still have the receipt and will take it back today! I'm so happy to have stumbled onto this site on Amazon. To heck with the Kitchen Aid name; I'm never buying it again!
1875064
I never know what I'm going to get when I use this toaster. The setting that produce a warm slice of bread one time will give me burnt toast the next. The one thing I can count on is *never* getting even toasting. It's always much heavier on the top and one side.

Additionally, the metal top guarantees burnt fingers when taking out the toast, unless you remember to use the handle to lift the toast.  The advertised digital LCD display is almost useless -- it's impossible to know how much time each "slot" of the readout represents.  There's no memory for the options.  The option buttons look and feel flimsy and I don't expect them to last long.

The only good things I can say about it is it's space saving and has an inoffensive beep when the toast is done. Except it's never really done.
3096185
I would like to return this toaster. The inside burners are a lot weaker that the outsides. Leaving me with over cooked on one side and perfect on the inside. Guess if I was OCD I would flip the bread half way through. Don't buy it.
624167
This thing is a piece of S***. I am so bummed. Usually I can maintain a fairly diplomatic stance but after trying an average piece of toast on umpteen different settings, once, twice, one and a half times, all it does is:  burn the rim of the toast then, burn it again. then, the smoke alarm.
I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE STUCK WITH OSTER.

BUB-EYE CUISINART.
4664881
I bought this because I needed a basic toaster without the bells and whistles.  Aside from inconsistently browning a slice of bread, my complaint is that it started overheating after 4 months of use.

I always pull the plug out of the socket after each use to avoid a fire hazard.  Well, I got it anyway!  One day after toasting just one slice of bread, I went to pull the plug out of the socket and noticed that the plug and the first inch of the cord were hot.  The next day, after again toasting just one slice of bread, the sides of the toaster were hot.

This piece of junk is toast.  It's going to the e-waste recycling center.  Although it's still under warranty, I don't want this poor excuse for a toaster.  Instead, I bought a 1970's Proctor Silex on ebay.  At least it will last for several years and won't set the house on fire!

LET'S REVOLT!  INSTEAD OF BUYING CRAP (DANGEROUS CRAP) FROM CHINA, BUY USED USA-MADE PRODUCTS IN THRIFT STORES AND ON EBAY.
1964086
I don't like this toaster oven at all .  It has two shelf positions, low or high, nothing right in the middle.  So your toast is either dark on top or dark on bottom, you decide.  Also, it has a "bake" option but no temp control in this mode.  It took me 45 minutes to bake some 12 minute biscuits today, the temp on "bake" is apparently very low.  There's also no way that four pieces of bread will fit inside this small toaster oven, and the door snaps shut rather violently...I'm sure the kids will break the glass door in no time.  Thumbs down.
3567207
Most importantly, it does not toast evenly and I have to re-toast the uncooked part - a real pain. Second, it is cheaply made and poorly engineered: the power cord is attached to the front and goes under the toaster; the temperature is flimsy. Will send it to the dump when I replace it with something that works properly.
648716
I'm cheap I wanted a toaster with our no extra features, This
toaster did a poor job toasting sometimes it pops up to early
on the highest level & didn't brown all the time you have do it
twice. When cleaning it its a mess you have to open from the
bottom. I purchased 2 of them & both have the same problem
after using them for 9 months 1 level will not lock down when
you want toast it keeps pops up so stay away from this
Proctor Silex 4-Slice Toaster you get what you pay for.

I called the company about my problem & told me to send them the
defected toaster & they will replace me with new one & that will
leave me with out no toaster - so I purchased the Waring Pro
WT400 Professional 4 Slice what a difference for 18.00 more
its well made all steel & huge the rye fits all the way in
works great on bagels & with all its features especially
removable trays. I did research for 3 days for 4 slice toasters
$25 to $50 Range I feel is the best from reading all 4 slice
toasters reviews. The only flaws that I don't like is the cancel
is not separate from knob & the sticker leaves a mark but not
that bad after you peel it. Once I get my replacement
Proctor Silex 4-Slice Toaster i will give it a way as a gift who
can use it in my family.

I hope this review helps you
1637264
I bought this toaster 3 years ago.  We have never been thrilled with it, it is NOT high speed.  The toasting has never been even and the last few weeks it has been burning on one side.  I don't know what the trouble is but I am replacing it.  It just seems to take forever to toast and I am actually relieved to have an excuse to replace it with a new one.  I checked consumer reports - they don't review them all but I am getting their highest rated toaster this time.  I see on Amazon that the one I am buying also gets some bad reviews - I just do not see any that are consistantly rated good.
3582071
This is the toaster I got free with Coke Rewards points. I should have expected to "get what you pay for", because I certainly did.

As several other reviewers have stated, the outside gets done darker than the inside. It is even more severe with only 1 piece of toast.

Another complaint is that the slots are not very deep. The top inch or so of a standard "sandwich bread" does not get toasted at all. I suppose for a loaf that is rounded on top, it might not be quite as noticeable. If we are heating Pop-Tarts, either the tops don't get warm or we have to turn them sideways and then have to lift the lever to get them high enough to remove (very carefully). This design flaw is actually the most annoying of all of the things that I don't like about this toaster.

The slots are also not wide enough for bagels or even Texas Toast style bread.

If toasting 4 slices, the second 2 will be quite a bit darker than the first 2 because the heating elements are already warm. You have to remember your favorite setting and adjust it based on whether this is the first batch of toast for the meal or not.

It almost always takes 2 tries to get the level to stay down when starting the toaster. We have not had any problems with it not popping up.

Other than all of that, it works okay. If I had known any of this before ordering, I certainly would have spent my points on something else!
2924366
Purchased this because of Consumer Report's high ranking, the Krups name, and attractive price - about 1/2 what CR said it should cost. After 10 days, I am returning it because , as other reviewers have said, it toasts unevenly - heavier on the top than the bottom and more on one side than the other, and it is slow. I ran a comparison between it and the modest priced 15 year old toaster I wanted to replace and the latter won.  I'm tired of researching this topic, so any recommendations of a good two slice toaster would be appreciated.
2645615
I was so excited to order this toaster with its European look and its vertical style to save counter space.  It is the most oddly designed device - it has metal on the handle and door that heats up and burns your hands; it only has a functional heating element on the bottom and I guess is supposed to cook the top of the toast by the reflective metal but really you just have to turn the toast over halfway through; it only comes with one wire tray so you can only make one piece of toast.  I gave up and am buying a new toaster, this one is just ridiculous!
3208459
Well so far I am really disappointed. I received this a couple days ago and have used it two times. I bought this based on comments/answers that said 1) this toaster is double-walled and doesn't get super hot on top and sides as cheaper toasters do, just warm, and 2) this toaster toasts evenly. Neither of these is true.

First, the top and sides get blistering hot while toasting. (I haven't used it in bake or broil settings yet.) The same or worse than other (cheaper) toasters I've had. And there is a vent on the top so it would be a fire hazard to leave a cutting board on top to block the heat.

Second, the browning is awful. The first attempt was on medium, and the toast was thoroughly charred on top and bottom. The photos are for that first attempt on medium. The next attempt (the following day) resulting in strikingly uneven browning. It was set halfway between light and medium. Half of the slice (top and bottom) was completely charred, the other half was what I would call more than medium toasting. (I didn't take a photo of the unevenly toasted slice.) If I have to use the thing on light every time, or if I have to watch it during each cycle and stop it early, that defeats the whole point of having a browning setting and auto-off. And the uneven toasting- well if I wanted to settle for that I could buy a $20 toaster.

I don't know if I just got a dud or not. Trying to decide if I should exchange for another one or just return for a refund.

UPDATE: I've now used it once or twice a day for several days. On Light, there is zero browning. On Medium, the edges of the bread get charred (literally the texture of charcoal ash) while there's very little browning in the middle. I don't even know how that's possible for a toaster to achieve. But my conclusion is that this toaster is completely awful. I'll be going back to a cheapo toaster oven since buying a more expensive one was worse. Adding a photo of the strange burned edge phenomenon.
4233702
The toaster is defective. Burns one side of the bread, the other side is barely toasted. Have to keep flipping the bread and standing over the toaster to manually eject or the bread gets burned to a black piece of charcoal. I cannot find any warranty information. No paperwork came in the box. No instruction manual, no warranty card, NOTHING but a crappy toaster. I bought this as a gift for my wife. She hates the thing.
1194416
We got this toaster to match our black appliances - not from rave reviews - and we've regretted it since day one.

The bread has never toasted evenly.  There is a slot to toast one piece of bread only, but when used, it slightly browns one side of the bread and does nothing to the other.

I would not recommend this toaster to anyone!
749214
Man, f*** this toaster. This is the first toaster that I have ever bothered to send back. A real POS. Barely warmed a bagel, didn't leave a lick of color on it. I ordered a Krups KH732D instead.
128597
I was shocked when I unpacked my toaster. It appears to have been defective because one side was unable to go down to the resting position instead it stayed lifted like it was toasting even when there were NO toast. It refused to turn off. Then it caused a burning smell. I used this thing twice and threw out for fear of burning down my house. Not worth the price, just horrible!