Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)[Update July 10, 2010: Rating downgraded to 3 stars and sinking: broken under warranty. Using their customer service webpage kicks back an email saying to email them, and then emailing them got an email couple of days later to call their 800 number. Haven't had a moment to call them yet but will report back.
As much as I like this thing, the controls have quit functioning, after only 7 months of use (initially stuck on high Grill, then wouldn't turn on). And, for those of us who do not live close to Toronto, warranty service is next to useless, because it costs $37.50 for me to mail it from my location internationally to Toronto, plus $9.95 that they request for return shipping and handling, plus the uncertainty that they will actually repair/replace the thing "if it is found ... to be defective in material or workmanship". I contacted customer service for a better solution (e.g. send me some replacement knob modules), but I don't know if that is possible or feasible -- stay tuned for updates. For the moment I am lowering my rating of this toaster to 3 stars because this is too soon to break, but I really like using it and want to give their customer service a chance, though they haven't yet bothered to respond to me (On June 26 I used their website contact page, and on June 30 I sent them email; and I have been checking my spam folder). I hope we can work out a more reasonable way to repair it. For the moment I've moved my old kenmore back into the kitchen -- it has lasted several years and counting, and was replaced only for cosmetic reasons.]
Original review (4 stars):
I bought this from Sears to replace my dirty ugly (but functional) old Kenmore toaster oven. I am pretty happy with it, but there are a few things about it that are not perfect.
I think this toaster oven is the same as many others out there. If you are shopping for toaster ovens, you will see that there are lots of different models and brands offering pretty much the same configuration of controls and features as this one. I suspect that they are all made in the same factory and just have different body styles and name brands slapped on to them.
Anyway, here are some of the features that I like about it:
- It has a "Stay On" setting, so if I am baking something that will take more than 60 minutes I don't have to keep turning up the timer to keep the oven on.
- It offers different cooking combinations of top heat, bottom heat, both, convection on and off.
- It has a bulge in the back ("pizza bump") so that I can put a 12 inch diameter pizza pan in it (one was in the box, but I prefer a pizza screen). Not counting the bulge, the interior is about 9" x 12". It is 4.75 inches from the rack in lowest position to the top heating elements.
- It came with a second rack so I can heat things on two racks at the same time if I want to.
- The stainless steel body means that I can scrub the body without having to worry about removing color (and it looks good)
A few flaws that made me contemplate returning it:
- The outside gets hotter than my older (Kenmore) toaster oven. I put a grill thermometer on the top, when baking at full temp, the top surface reaches 220, about 20 degrees warmer than my old Kenmore. I looked and there appears to be an air gap between the roof of the oven and the outside top surface, but I could not tell if there is any insulation in there. But that means it gets the kitchen hotter, and it provides a hotter warming shelf (plates now get too hot if left too long). [I have moved my ugly old toaster oven out to my patio, and if it is too hot to bake inside, I will bake out there instead.]
- The temperature dial goes down to 150 degrees, but when I have tested it with various cooking modes, the actual oven temperature didn't go lower than 200 in one cooking mode, and 180 in another one. I had been hoping to use this for things like slow roasting and food drying, but that is too hot.
- At the corners of the glass door, there are little cushions that probably protect the glass door from shock, but they also prevent the glass door from closing the whole way, so there is a gap of about 2.5mm to let the heat out (using more electricity and making the kitchen hotter). I haven't decided if this is a feature (perhaps it was felt that some air flow was needed) or a bug.
- If you pull the rack out more than one inch, the back is no longer supported so the back of the rack falls down, and what you are baking slides down to the back. This is a real design flaw, but I have just gotten used to the annoyance and hardly pull the rack out now.
However, in spite of these flaws, I find that I am really happy with the purchase and have enjoyed using its many functions.
Also, note that the ridiculously huge dimensions given in the Amazon listing (at the time of this writing) are the size of the box, not the toaster oven itself. The toaster oven is 17.75 wide x 10.25 tall x 13.5 deep, not counting little bumpers which stick out of the side and back about a half inch to prevent it being pushed too close to walls.
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Perfect as a second oven or as an energy-efficient alternative to turning on the full-size oven, this countertop appliance offers an extra-large 3/5-cubic-foot capacity and can toast up to six slices of bread at a time. The toaster oven provides three user-friendly control knobs for selecting the function, temperature, and time. Choose from keep warm, broil, bake, toast, or grill--its convection heating delivers fast, even cooking with no hot spots. In addition, the toaster oven's full-range temperature-control knob can be set from 150 to 450 degrees F, while its 60-minute timer offers a variety of toast settings, a "stay on" function, and automatic shut-off with a "ready" signal. Use the handy appliance for anything from breakfast toast and English muffins to appetizers and side dishes. It can even accommodate a 12-inch pizza. Accessories include two wire racks, one bake pan, a pan/rack remover, a pizza pan, and an easy-to-empty pull-out crumb tray for quick cleanup. With its brushed stainless-steel exterior, the attractive 1380-watt convection toaster oven measures approximately 21 by 15-4/5 by 11-4/5 inches and carries a one-year limited warranty.
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