Much of the time, you get what you pay for. I found this toaster to be a notable exception. While it looks pretty good in my kitchen, its actual ability to toast is very poor. The two slots on the left can be set for bagels. However, they also do not toast regular slices of toast very much. The two slots on the right side are merely passable. The toasting cycles take a long time and sometimes you need more than 1 cycle to get good medium-done toast. I am shopping for a new toaster within 6 months of buying this one. However, if you want a pretty prop for your kitchen, this is the toaster for you.