Hamilton Beach 22450 Cool Touch 2-Slice Toaster

Pros: easy to use cool sides inexpensive
Cons: shade selector button slides freely

I just purchased The Hamilton Beach Two slice Toaster and after a few mornings of not getting burned when my hand touches the side of the toaster it is a success. Size and Design This toaster is White and approximately 10 inches by 9 inches. It ...

Pros: Wide slots; Auto shutoff; Slide out crumb tray
Cons: Durability issues; Inconsistent toasting

Toasters are a mainstay of most kitchens. Even the smallest, most cost- efficient home usually has a toaster and they can range in price from the cheaper than dirt varieties that brown your bread and do little more, all the way to the industrial toasters ...

Pros: It's white (I like white appliances)! It does a great job and it's COOL!
Cons: not a one.

to the touch that is. There is only one place on this toaster that you need to worry about burning you and that is the area around the slots where you put the bread in. I almost said "where you put the toast in" but we all know that toast comes out of ...

Pros: Makes great toast! Highly consistent performer. Toasting lever helps eject short pieces of toast.
Cons: S-L-O-W performer. Somewhat clunky styling. Two hands needed to extract short pieces of toast.

I bought a Hamilton Beach (also known as a Procter-Silex) 22450 toaster as a replacement for an old toaster. I picked this one because the November 2004 issue of Consumer Reports rated it highly as a basic toaster that outperforms some models that cost ...

Pros: Great looks, good idea all around, good price!
Cons: Right around bread slots will still be hot

When I moved out of my house to a college apartment, my parents bought me the cutest toaster I have ever seen. Living with six other girls, this toaster is used a lot, and it is really durable. Experience: My mom bakes bread for me and her loaves are ...

Pros: Compact size, great prize, even toasting, nice appearance.
Cons: Poor toast colour adjustment range.

This model is also sold under the Proctor Silex name with the same model number and was rated by Consumer Reports as excellent and a CR best buy. My experience with this model seems to indicate that it should not have such a good rating.

To be fair I want to point out that I have only used this toaster with Dempsters Stone Ground whole wheat bread (a grainer version of whole wheat) and that the bread is normally kept in the refrigerator - not the freezer. I have not tried toasting anything else. My previous Proctor Silex toaster handled this same bread very nicely.

I found that even with the browning control turned up to the maximum position (5 I think), the bread was only lightly toasted and required a second round. I returned the unit and purchased a Sears Stainless Steel model which by the way costs more yet preformed even worse than this model using the same bread.

That would seem to suggest that the bread is an real issue however as I mentioned earlier my old toaster handled the same bread just fine. So I'm on the prowl again to find the perfect un-toastable-bread toaster

Pros: Cheap, nice looking.
Cons: Hard to use.

I bought this toaster for less than ten bucks at Walmart, so I shouldn't complain...but I will.

My kids eat pop-tarts alot as snacks, and they were always getting stuck in the toaster. Even bread was very hard for my kids to get out. The toaster doesn't pop up high enough.

I caught my kid trying to stick a fork down there to get his toast out, and that's when I tossed this toaster in the trash.

Next time, I won't be so cheap. :)

Pros: Toasts evenly, reliable, looks nice, no complicated settings. Also a great value.
Cons: None, none and none

I had been on the elusive quest for a "decent toaster" for some months now. After doing some homework I came across this Proctor Silex Cool Touch and have owned it for about 2 weeks. It works....time after time....toast....bagels...no problems. Toasts evenly, pops up when it is suppose to and "clamps" the bread so it does not get stuck. Like any toaster I never take my eyes off it when using it but this little baby is  real winner. My quest has been fulfilled. To top it all off, it was on sale at my local Drug Store.

Pros: Cool touch, cancel button, lift-up lever, crumb tray, simple design, inexpensive, quiet.
Cons: none.

This is a great little toaster that does exactly what it's meant to do, give you two pieces of nice, predictable toast every time.

The slots are big enough for bagels but still handle thinner bread-like treats as well (although Pop-Tarts must be entered with caution, at an angle, so they don't slip too deep). The "cool touch" outside is a feature that every toaster should have and it really does work - I have yet to burn myself or anything next to the toaster. The darkness dial operates predictably; turning it slightly causes only slight changes in toastedness and leaving it at one setting produces consistent results every use.

The cancel button is lit when in use and a simple press causes the toast to pop immediately. One other nice feature is that the toaster is not loud either when starting the toast or when the toast pops up. Particularly important if you have people in the same house on different schedules. Pressing the toast lever also requires very little pressure, so those with less hand strength (e.g. arthritis sufferers, etc.) should be able to use this toaster with ease.

NOTE: Also sold under the name "Proctor Silex" (same model number).