I purchased this in May 2025. People with issues of "not heating evenly" is not because of a defective product run or they are using it incorrectly. The machine's inner heating element channels (between 2 slices of bread) do not heat up to a red glow, though they do heat up somewhat. That leads to my next point - this is still using some metal coils to generally heat up. There's no precision in the heating, which normally is fine, but not for the current price point. It jumped 50 bucks after these great tariffs of 2025. Anyways you are better off finding one of these at homegoods at least. It DOES look very slick with the auto rise and LED lights.

This has been the best toaster we have ever owned. If you have family members who lack mechanical ability, (which results in them breaking the mechanism that holds the toast down), this will absolutely solve your problem! The toaster has worked great for 5 years now. It notifies you, when your toast is complete, (which helps when your focused on your eggs!). It's segmented LED display, gives you a continuous indication of how long before your toast will be finished. As a retired engineer I am so pleased with the design features and the durability, that I cannot see me ever owning a toaster from another manufacture than Breville. Buy one even if your old one is still working, and you'll be amazed that something simple like this toaster can make your cooking experience easier and better.

Good solid toaster, well built