Dualit Classic 4 Slice NewGen Toaster - Stainless Steel - Hand Built in the UK - Replaceable ProHeat elements - Defrost Bread - Mechanical Timer - Polished Classic Toaster

If the ridiculously bad reviews scare you, like they did me, check out the PDF linked instructions here on Amazons product page. You can read for yourself how easy this is to use and how wrong most of the bad reviewers were on first their use and then the various flaming reviews posted.I purchased this toaster to replace a 40 plus years-old Mary Proctor toaster (very nice in its heyday). I was actually just looking for toasters that had an optional heating rack, since that option seems really good for defrosting buns and heating this really awful cheap pastry that my Dad loves. This toaster, kept coming up in my searches, but the horrid reviews foolishly keep me from delving further. I bought it and this is what I experienced.This toaster has two simple knobs; the upper dial for the number and/or type of bread to be toasted and a lower dial for the time setting. Between the two knobs is an indicator light (an LED) showing if the heating elements are on or off. That's it. That is all it takes to use this toaster, but you need to SET BOTH EVERY time you use it.If your interested in more details, these are the "quirks" I noted:First, set how many toasts you are making; I have never had to do this before. For a two slicer it is 2, 1, or 0-like thingy for a bagel or English muffin. Of course, four slot toasters have up to 4 toast selections and a choice between 1 or 2 bagels). From reading the critical posts, I think this step is most often not known or missed by people. (If you set it for more or less toast, you get real uneven heating and toast.)Second, the first slot to use/load is on the LEFT, so you need to load from there; again I never had to do this before either, it was always from the right. (Please, please do not argue why; just go with it.)Then to "start" with a cold toaster, it might help to preheat, this really only takes a moment; but you have three options here:1)Start it with empty slots and run the toaster for a one minute, or2)Add one minute, of toasting time, to your first toast run, or3)You can actually choose to follow the manufacturer's instructions and set the timing dial to just past the 2 (minute), where they printed a black dot for you; set it there and for most breads and you will have a perfect first toast and a toaster that is now warmed up for subsequent loads. (They have actually tried to dummy-proof this toaster, the numbers are gone and my knob is labeled light, medium and dark; see they do listen.)For subsequent toasting just chose the setting you desire, (as with any toaster, different breads take different times and fresher bread will take a bit longer etc.; I have one Portuguese sweat bread that toasts very, very quickly). Once the first set of toast is made, this 2 slot-unit, can toast 55 per hour. Now that's a lot of toast.More "quirks" if you will:The bagel setting(s) is a little different, the two center elements do the toasting, so face the cut slices that way; but also the outer elements also gently heat the underside of the bagel. (I also have the rack and you can place humongous bagels (cut side down) and they will toast perfectly.)The toast does not pop-up. There is a simple mechanical lever and knob that is the fundamental design and it is both brilliant and WONDERFUL. There are two benefits for me. One, it is easy-peasy to check my toast without disrupting the toasting cycle. Two, it keeps the toast (or sandwich) warm until I am ready to retrieve it. There is no major shifting or squishing of bread, I can easily grasp very small raisin toast without the bamboo tongs (I always needed tongs for all my other toasters).Defrost setting: There used to be a snowflake on the dial to indicate it was to defrost, but I guess it was too complicated for some. Now you just put it on the 1 minute timer. After that, WAIT 20 seconds, then use or toast. This is very handy. Reviving bread this way is much, much better than microwaving.The timer: Similar to old wind up alarm clocks (my mother has one that is probably 50 years old and still wakes her every morning), is mechanical. It ticks while it is on. So there are two indicators you are toasting; one, the pleasant ticking and two, the LED light.The crumb tray: It seems really simple and it is. But there are NO MORE CRUMBS under the toaster, ever. I love that.The accessories:Bread Cage: If you have a lot of "small" items to toast, you might want to consider the bread cage. This is excellent for normal-sized toasted sandwiches, like cheese and such, or small bagels, or whatever crumpets or tea cakes are? They recommend letting the toasted sandwich sit for an additional minute for more thorough heating throughout; it really helps the cheese melt.The Warming Rack: If you have a lot of "larger" items to heat/toast, you might get this add-on. This fits above the toaster. It has various uses, like to warm or defrost muffins, buns (hot dog, hamburger etc.). Some people actually use this for toasting big bagels. Others put a piece of foil/parchment paper and reheat pizza here; it does do a great job for it, no more soggy crusts. Still others use it to heat tortillas. Whatever you use it for, it is great; it is much faster and gives better results than using a toaster oven. When re-heating pastries with icing I put a piece of parchment paper (pre-cut and in the cupboard above the toaster) down on the rack to protect from drips. (I am very biased on this option, for this is the actual reason why I finally researched Dualit and bought it; few toasters seem have this option.)Clean-up is a breeze. The most mess comes from drips from reheating pastry and such with the warming rack. This too is easy-peasy. First let it cool then lightly wipe with a damp towel with a touch of a type non-abrasive cleaner (baking soda, Bon Ami or Barkeepers Friend); looks brand new again.Other features:Serviceability: All parts are easily purchased and replaceable. If you ever need to replace a heating element the user's manual shows you how to do it!It is just simple, wonderful and incredibly functional product. The bottom line is this machine, no matter the age, rocks.

This toaster is an anachronism in our kitchen. It has a mechanical timer, a lever to raise and lower the bread, and a style that looks like it belongs in the 1940s. Quite a contrast from our 21st Century appliances with glowing digital readouts, touchscreens and computerized controls. I love it simply because it makes the best toast and english muffins that I have had in a long time. The secret is simple. It is very powerful. 1250 Watts is uncommon for a 2-slice toaster, but that is what it takes to make good toast. I have not been able to find a toaster this powerful in almost 2 decades. Don't worry, I can hold my hand over the top of the toaster while it is on and feel just a slight amount of heat. It is all focused on the bread.As for the toaster, it is rock solid construction and attractive in its own retro way. My wife is adjusting to the manual features. To make toast requires two extra steps. First, drop in the bread, lower the bread into the toaster by raising the lever and then turn the timer dial to the desired setting. Once the toast is done, the toast must be manually raised by pushing the lever back down. I prefer the 2 minute setting. My english muffin comes out brown and crispy on the outside and still soft inside. Just perfect. Bread toasts evenly and quickly. As with a toaster with this much wattage, toast can range from slightly warm to completely black on the outside. And the bread inside will still be soft. I'll take perfect toast over blue lights and automated gimmicks any day.2024 UpdateI just used this toaster just now and it is still working great. It makes the best toast ever. I had to look it up- I bought my Dualit Toaster in March 2011. It shines up looking like new and still works like new after 13 1/2 years. Great investment.

This is a very nice toaster if you like well built and manual control. "John" built ours by hand. (If you like the automatic push down style, look at the Wolf toaster... the Wolf is traditional, well built, and has a 5 year warrantee.) The Dualit is timer based for controlling how toasted the bread is and YOU push a lever to bring the bread up when you are ready for your toast; the advantages are that the bread stays warm & this is a very reliable raising mechanism.The two slot toaster has 3 heating modes: Bagel, only the middle two elements heat and the outside elements do not heat; 1 Slot, both elements of the left slot heat up; 2 Slots, both elements of both slots heat up.The elements themselves are of an extremely high quality. They toast nicely. (At first use one must toast a full cycle or two - without bread- to condition the new elements - this burns off any debris from the new elements.)If you are toasting quite thin or small pieces of bread , get the sandwich accessory. I like thin German rye bread toast and this accessory helps.The slots are plenty big enough for bagels. The toaster overall is perhaps 20% bigger in volume than the equivalent traditional push down style toaster. The Dualit weighs about twice as much as our previous two slot push down toaster. The Dualit also has an adjustable leveling leg if you have an uneven counter surface. Dualit offers a warming rack accessory that looks perfect for heating fresh croissants.