Oster 4-Slice Long-Slot Toaster

Is there such a thing as a perfect toaster. After all the many reviews of many different brands I went with this one, mainly because of the brand name and visual appearance. Some commented “it doesn’t toast evenly”. Probably true within reason but I really don’t need a perfectly cooked piece of toast. I wanted a toaster for sour dough bread. Works brilliantly, one slice in each slot. It will fit 4 regular/standard slices of bread but not for example the Pepperidge Farm Rye bread which is a bit wider - it only fits one slice on each side. Overall I’m happy with my choice so far. Easy to use, toasts quickly, it’s slim line, sturdy and looks good. I’d give it 4-½ *

Purchased to replace our 1st Oster toaster when it stopped staying latched down upon pressing the lever. After mentioning it to my son he decided to open it up and fixed the issue but the new one arrived the following day so we tried it out and found it worked just as good as the original if not better! I'm encouraged by the fact he was able to disassemble, fix and clean our original in less than an hour so I believe I can expect a long service life from this brand and model.Pro: I like how the 2 slots are extra long and can accommodate the slices of "artisan" breads as well as our family favorite "Seattle Waterfront Sourdough" bread. Across the entire length it will leave the bread toasted perfectly even on both sides whether 1 slice or 2. Simple controls with excellent range of temp settings allowing for the perfect level of toasting. Unlike others which one number would barely toast but 1 higher would end burnt black this unit gives a wide range of brown across 2.5 numbers for larger pieces of toast and 2 for smaller.Con: The stainless steel look goes with the other appliances but is hard to keep clean and the rim around the case catches material when cleaning ... but this is just nit picking unless perfectly clean is your thing then you may find it requires more attention.*** Note: Before using the unit set it to 3 and run it without anything inside for 2-3 times increase temp to 4 and do another 2-3 times again w/o anything inside. This will break in the toaster and burns off the factory finish from the heating elements. It will smell terrible so open the window before hand. The smell will not last and is completely eliminated by the 3rd or 4th initial dry run.Final Thoughts: If you simply want a good slice of toast easily browned to your personal taste this will deliver.

Update, Jan 2022:I didn’t end up sending this toaster back because I couldn’t face the thought of more research and trial-and-error with buying a new one, and I’m glad I kept it.I take back my complaints about uneven toasting. It took another few weeks, but the toaster did, in fact, “settle down” and begin toasting evenly, and I’m 100% happy with it, so if you want a long-slice/4-slice toaster and are willing to be a little patient, I’d unequivocally recommend this one.Original review, from ~April 2021:My primary problem was toasting bagels. First off, it's supposed to only toast the cut side if you use the bagel setting (according to customer service), but both sets of elements heat up. That's not a big deal for me, but it's the first red flag that the toaster doesn't work as intended.The BIG problem, though, is that it toasts unevenly along the length of the slot. The edge of the bagel that is toward the middle gets burned, while the edge that is toward the end is under-toasted. I have scraped SO MANY burnt bagel edges over the sink in the last two weeks, y'all would not believe....I gave it a couple of weeks, but despite the experiences of some other commenters, it didn't "settle down" and toast properly for me, so back to Amazon it goes and I have to start the search for a reliable long-slot toaster all over again.

Good:1. fits those large sizes of sourdoughPotential problems:1. gets pretty hot when you place under cabinet- be careful2. doesn't toast all that even

So, we had this toaster and was really happy with it. A piece of toast with peanut butter fell into the toast by accident and killed it, no going back from that. We bought a Bella long slot because of all the EVEN toasting reviews. No! It was dark one one side light on the other and it felt like a Rubbermaid bin with a cage in the middle. Sent it back and bought this one again, WOW! Right out of the box really nice toasting. If not perfect very damn close. I also heard once you break this toaster in in about a month it perfects like fine wine. Besides that, everything else is sexy about this toaster, no beeps, looks sleek, shallow profile so you don't have to use the lever to dig your toast out, ALOT of heating elements that ALL light up. Amazing toaster honestly you won't be disappointed, despite the naysayers.