After the great success we had with our GE 169055 Countertop Convection Oven, we decided to buy one for my 78-year-old mom who isn't comfortable using the regular stove oven any more.

Unable to locate the GE model (except at Walmart), we went to Target where we found the Black & Decker Convection Toaster Oven. We chose it for ease of understanding the controls, plus the compact size and apparent sturdiness of the unit. The Black & Decker name played a small part in our decision as (a) we do not have any past experience with B&D, and (b) we are a product-results driven, rather than brand-loyalty driven family since every company has both its stellar and its sorry products.

I must say I'm glad I didn't read any of the reviews before making the purchase. While I understand some folks have had problems with this oven, we have not. But perhaps that's because Mom's use isn't typical ...

1. The oven is only used 3-4 times a week. Definitely not daily.

2. It's not being used to cook huge meals; mainly to reheat food or cook a small item like a baked potato or one chicken breast.

3. It is used for making toast (which seems to be a big problem for some of the other reviewers) but we taught Mom to place her bread on the middle rack to toast evenly from both sides AND to change the setting to 'toast' first. The B&D does take a while to toast bread. But this is not untypical of convection ovens in my experience. The bonus with this model is that there is actually a toast dial with a range of light to dark. The range is subjective though, so you do have to experiment to find the point that meets with your expected results.

Bad news first
Although the unit is the same external size as comparable models, it is/feels much smaller inside. The racks seem VERY close together which requires the need to shift them more often, depending on what you are cooking.

The controls aren't as user-friendly as I'd like. But once you understand them, you sort of get used to them.

Externally, the unit seems to get a little warmer than other models. So we may replace it at some point if it becomes a matter of safety concern.

Now the good news
The oven is a good fit for my mom's needs. It's efficient in cost, size, cooking time and functionality.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 49.99