50s Retro Style Two-Slice Toaster

Read the other negative reviews but thought I'd give it a try anyway. It looks so cool. Bought it in the red which went great with the dark wood in my kitchen. I love the style. Italian made! Well, not so much. On the box I saw Made In PRC. Peoples Republic of CHINA. Even on the lowest setting, one side of bread was dark and the other barely done. On the bagel setting, it had to be watched to keep from burning. Another problem, which I consider to be a design flaw, is that, on the top of the unit, where the chrome top meets the body of the toaster, there is an indentation around the entire perimeter and it catches tiny crumbs which are very difficult to remove. It requires a brush to get them out. I kept it for a few weeks, testing it to see if things changed. I returned it yesterday. Considering the price, it is definitely a No Go.

Oh for Pete's Sake - If you can afford to buy this SMEG retro toaster, you MUST do so posthaste. It's a work of art, it's like the Picasso in my kitchen...worth every last penny, no regrets. I'll forgo cable TV in order to have this. I tossed my other, perfectly fine, four slice plain Jane toaster in the garbage. I felt bad. Just for a minute. I preferred that my new pet SMEG be one of the super cool vintage colors offered, however, silver was really the best choice for moi. I went back to a two slice toaster because my kids are grown and I only like two slices of toast with my morning mimosa(s).

I love the style of SMEG and their toaster was on my wish list for a long time. When my old toaster broke, I was excited to purchase this. Unfortunately, it did not meet my expectations and I will be returning it. Many of the "chrome" parts are plastic with a finish that looks similar to chrome. It is obvious that the bottom, dial, plunger and top are made of different materials with different looking chrome finishes and only believe one part to be made of a chrome covered metal. The cord is non-retractable and it and the plug are eyesores. This is an expensive toaster, but the quality is similar to the $20 dollar toaster I am replacing. I rate this 4 stars for style and 1 star for quality. Luckily, Nordstom has a wonderful return policy.

Outstanding appearance, fit, and finish. High quality and sturdy materials throughout, definitely superior to the Krups toaster it replaces. Uses chrome around slots where most use stainless, and stainless for the crumb tray where most use aluminum. Nordstrom price is better than Amazon and W-S. In regards to operation, it gives considerably better results than the Krups but not as good as our old Dualit which, by the way, my wife hated.

This sturdy beauty not only is a stunning addition to the kitchen, but has some nice features our previous toaster lacked. We have all toasted something and popped it up, only to discover it could use a bit more browning. Then in the past, bread would go down again and come out waaaay too dark. Well this toaster has a feature I love. If your toast is not quite dark enough, swivel the dial to “reheat” and put the bread down again. In a short while it comes up just right. I bake all my own bread. So I’m never quite sure which toasting number would go with each recipe. Most consumers will quickly figure out the number on the SMEG that goes with their usual bread. Also the bagel setting is helpful. It’s a very nice machine and brings a smile to my face every time I see it. I got the cream color after trying the adorable pink which clashed with my rose colored paint. The pink is so cute but think pepto bismol:)

This is such a beautiful addition to our kitchen! When you pick it up it has a little weight to it so it doesn’t feel cheap. You can dial in the exact amount of toasting once you figure out your taste and it’s very consistent. Really simple to use with very straight forward controls. I can’t say enough about the style as it can’t get any better.