First, I was shopping by price! I was pleasantly surprised to see the Cuisinart name in this price range. Admittedly, near the top of the range, but still... The toaster feels sturdy and well built. I love the feature that allows you to set specifically for bagels and English muffins. My wife loves the "toast/defrost" feature, as she keeps her bread in the freezer. The benefit of the "lift" ability really helps when toasting smaller items. All in all, great toaster; for almost any price, ALMOST!
Does everything we need except toast only one side of a bagel during defrost. When trying to defrost a bagel it actually toasts both sides even though only one side is desired. Haven't figured out the timing to just defrost the bage without toasting.
Every website consistently ranked this as the best toaster, even over high end appliances such as WOLF. I was skeptical but now I am just pleasantly surprised. Works fantastic and the price made it a steal.
Attractive, great toasting options. I love the reheat feature. Smells slightly of plastic when I cook with it, but it's diminishing with time and not a big issue.