KitchenAid KMT223OB 2-Slice Toaster with One-Touch Lift/Lower and Digital Display - Onyx Black

THIS APPLIANCE IS WELL DESIGNED AND WELL MADE. IT DOES ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING A TOASTER SHOULD DO, AND IT DOES IT ALL AMAZINGLY WELL. YOU CAN'T GO WRONG WITH THE PROFESSIONAL QUALITY OF KITCHENAID, AND THIS TOASTER CONFIRMS THE VALIDITY OF THAT STATEMENT. CLEAR DIGITAL READOUT OF DARKNESS SETTING AND THE PROGRESS OF EACH TOASTING, SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO KEEP CHECKING YOUR TOAST TO SEE HOW MUCH MORE TIME IT NEEDS. AN AUDIBLE CHIME LETS YOU KNOW WHEN TOAST IS DONE, AND THE TOAST AUTOMATICALLY POPS UP--IT ALSO AUTOMATICALLY LOWERS THE BREAD SLICE TO BE TOASTED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROCESS. GREAT FOR THE COOK WHO IS MULTI-TASKING (AND WHO ISN'T?) DURING MEAL PREPARATION. SURE IT COSTS A BIT MORE, BUT WHO WANTS TO KEEP BUYING CHEAP JUNK TOASTERS AND LIVING WITH THE SAME LOUSY (LESS SATISFACTORY) RESULTS TOASTER AFTER CRUMMY TOASTER? BUY ONE GREAT TOASTER (THIS ONE), AND MOVE ON WITH YOUR LIFE. THIS PRODUCT TAKES CARE OF BUSINESS IN A PROFESSIONAL MANNER, AND IT'S BUILT FOR YEARS OF SERVICE. NOW THAT I'VE TRIED IT, I WOULDN'T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE. THIS IS THE BEST! YOU DON'T KNOW ME, BUT I DO NOT LIE. GREAT PRICE AND TIMELY DELIVERY TOO, ( GOT IT ON "PRIME") WITH AMAZON.

After purchasing a brand name I've never heard of and then a Sunbeam, both were returned, I ended up buying this. I had 1 main complaint about the other 2-the toast wouldn't pop up very far and I had to dig the toast out with a utensil. I guess you get what you pay for. I have had Kitchenaid toasters for about 20 years now. I am a little disappointed in them due to the fact that they are lot of money, and do a great job, but don't last very long. My average is about 5 years. Although the last one only lasted about 3. You can always tell when a Kitchenaid toaster is dying-they start toasting very unevenly-meaning one part of the item is burnt, the other not toasted at all. I didn't want to spend this much $ for such a simple appliance. Having said all this-I like this toaster quite a bit. Weighty, but not too heavy. Unlike the other reviewers, I don't mind the beeping at all. Seems to toast evenly. Does take longer, but must be a new trend, because I've noticed that with the last 2 (above mentioned) brands as well, and have never noticed that before with any toaster. This is also attractive on the counter and I love the lcd display, and the progress bars, very high tech! Just hope this one lasts a little longer, very pricey for a toaster.

This a toaster that works as expected. Yes, it is worth the money. Buy it. I regret that I did not follow my instinct and originally purchase this KitchenAid toaster to replace the KitchenAid I bought in 2005. Unfortunately, I was swayed by reviews but after much frustration going through reviews of other toasters, I decided why not buy the KitchenAid since my old one was fantastic. This KitchenAid toaster is so much better than the Krups #732D I returned. Setting this toaster on the counter I noticed it was a better quality product than the Krups. It was heavier, had a more solid construction and nothing jiggled. The crumbs: I ran 4 test cycles at various heat levels and was surprised the new toaster did not give off an obnoxious smell. Next, I toasted a couple of pieces of bread to see if they came out evenly toasted. On level 5, I found the toast to be way too dark, almost burnt. On level 3, it was good. The quality of the toasting was fine. Play around with it and find your sweet spot. Comments made by other reviewers regarding the loud annoying beep are overstated. The toaster emits a beep at both the beginning and end of the toasting cycle. It's no big deal. Finally, the KitchenAid was cool to the touch on the sides of the toaster. I didn't touch the top of the toaster as it is metal and I would expect it to be hot. I did test out a Cuisinart toaster purchased at Target for $39. Black plastic little number that was just as bad as the Krups. AVOID.

I consider good toast one of life's simple, but deeply satisfying, joys. Whether a chewy bagel spread with cream cheese or a slice of whole wheat topped with mayo, sliced tomatoes, and lemon-pepper, I am often happier eating good toast in my own kitchen than the overhyped but mediocre concoctions of mainstream suburban eateries (and even some supposedly amazing high-end restaurants that disappoint). After several years of limping along with an old and cheaply made toaster picked up in a thrift store (an appliance which seemed to be losing the ability to properly time the end of the toasting cycle between "barely warm" and "burned"), I began shopping seriously for a proper toaster to prepare one of my favorite daily staples. When I was a kid, my parents had what I think was a Sunbeam toaster with a single long slot. It was designed to sit along the back edge of a kitchen counter or table, with its controls on the long edge. But what I remembered most about the toaster, and didn't realize the rarity of until I had my own home, was how technologically advanced it was for the early 1970s. Namely, it dispensed with the push-to-drop-the-toast lever for a single pushbutton in the center of a degree-of-toasting control knob. Press the button, and the toast quietly lowered into the toasting chamber, and elegantly rose without an annoying "clunk" when the toast was done. I waited many years for some small-appliance manufacturer to rediscover and revive this cool toaster feature, and was delighted to find an Australian maker, Breville, which had done so, in coordination with an electronic count-down display that visually indicates how much of the toasting cycle remains. I almost bought the Breville, but decided against it at the last minute due to what I felt was its boxy styling. Soon thereafter, I was browsing the site of a big-box electronics retailer, known for its big yellow tag logo, and discovered that KitchenAid had a toaster with similar features and superior styling. Being a long-time fan of the KitchenAid brand, but deterred by their existing commodity-grade toaster products, I immediately headed over to Amazon where I found the same model in stock. (Please be aware that there's a similar-looking model with the electronic display but a normal up/down toaster handle rather than the motorized up/down control of this model.) I ordered immediately and received it only days later. What I found: Pros: Attractive styling; wide slots; accurate centering of toast; reliable operation; ultra-cool auto-lower and auto-lift feature; controls for defrost, bagel (toasts just one side), warm (holds toast in toasting chamber for additional minute without over-toasting it), and reheat; digital toasting "shade" control ("1-7") and remaining-length-of-toast-cycle progress bar on display; loud triple-beep alert when toast is done; a one-year warranty with a KitchenAid customer service number you can call for possible repair/replacement issues Cons: No way to disable beeping or control its loudness (a no-brainer feature, and electronically trivial to add); stainless steel portion of appliance casing is (like all stainless steel) easy to smudge and hard to clean; unevenness of toasting side to side (the sides of bread in each slot facing the center of the toaster get a bit darker than the sides of bread facing the outer edges of the toaster, even when bagel button is not engaged--I may have to call KitchenAid about this) One more thing that's not necessarily a pro or a con--just something to be aware of: The existence of a clear transparent ring around each of the four small buttons on the display (like "Defrost") might give some buyers (like me) the impression that they light up when pressed. In reality, only the main button really has a meaningful glow around its perimeter, a pleasing blue color that appears whenever toasting is actually occurring. There is a little "spillover" of this light, behind the control panel, to the rings around the other buttons, but the "engaged" status of the other buttons is actually indicated by an appropriate word on the digital display. Overall, I would consider this the ultimate toaster if the "cons" listed above were fixed. As it is, I'll say it's pretty good and step up from the ancient piece-of-crud toaster I was using before.

One thing to note is on Bagel setting it toasts more in one side. But other than that, good toaster.

Extremely pleased with KitchenAid toaster. For the price, it can't be beat.