Sometimes it takes 2 or more tries to lock down the lever to start toasting. The cord is very stiff. The toaster does make great toast when you can lock the lever down.
For purposes of toasting it does that. The side that faces the middle toasts much darker than the side that faces the outside. Very hard to get a brown toast on the outside without almost burning the side facing inside. The bagel function makes no sense as that should shut off the heaters on one side, usually the middle but that is not the case. The “bagel” function is essentially useless. If you have a bagel with cheese on th stop you are about to have a mess. But it is a toaster and it works. The other functions we have not used.
We have a new Cuisinart Two Slice toaster. We always wonder why it toasts mainly on one side.We keep wondering are we doing something wrong. I don't think so.