I purchased one of these heavy duty toasters from the Kitchen Aid website about a year ago and I had to exchange it right away because it would only toast one side of the bread at a time. Another pain is once you put the bread in it, and push the slide down you still have to turn a switch to turn the toaster on. I can honestly say that this toaster works just as good as any other $10.00 dollar toaster that I have bought. (I think I paid over $125.00 for it, ouch!) If you want a nice looking toaster buy it, if you want a toaster that makes great toast, shop around..