Review of Russell Hobbs Swarovski toaster

GH Institute

Toasters

Features

1 slot design. Frozen setting. Mid cycle cancel. Left hand slide out crumb tray. Extra lift. Cord storage. Front facing controls.

Comments

Good points: Indicator lights countdown toasting time. Good bagel browning. Frozen bread toasted evenly only if not followed quickly with another two slices.

Drawbacks: The embedded crystals make it hard to wipe down. Batch toasting starts well but slices become progressively pale and untoasted, the same result for frozen. Indicator lights could be larger. Disappointing for the high price tag.

Rating: 82/100

Price: £149.99

Stockist: 0845 658 9700 - http://www.russellhobbs.co.uk

GHI Test Report - February 2010

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Other products in Toasters

Review of Dualit NEwGen 4 slice toaster

Features
4 slot design. Frozen bread setting. Mid cycle cancel by manual lever. Bagel option. Front slide out crumb tray. Front facing controls
Comments
Good points: Coverage was good for batch toasting. Bagels toasted evenly, the backs staying soft. The front facing crumb tray is easy to pull out and empty. The lever means you can pop up toast at any time and return without resetting the timer.
Drawbacks: Colour was slightly uneven between slices when batch toasting. Thick sliced bread had to be turned around to fit in the slots and it poked up above the top of the toaster, this edge remaining un-toasted. Finding the correct browning setting is trial and error and you need to keep an eye on progress until you get used to the controls.

Rating: 91/100

Price: £175

Stockist: 01293 652 500 - http://www.dualit.com

GHI Test Report - February 2010
Review of Cuisinart 4 slice toaster

Features
4 slot design. Reheat. Frozen bread setting. Mid cycle cancel. Bagel option. Two rear slide out crumb trays. Extra lift. Cord storage. Front facing controls.
Comments
Good points: Digital countdown timers let you see how much time is left for browning. The controls are reassuringly solid. It produced very even browning for batch and frozen tests.
Drawbacks: Thick sliced farmhouse bread sticks up slightly above toaster edge so the top remains un-toasted and some edges were paler. The bread was unevenly browned when a single slice was toasted. The rear positioned crumb trays make emptying crumbs a little awkward.

Rating: 90/100

Price: £60

Stockist: 0870 240 6902 - http://www.cuisinart.co.uk

GHI Test Report - February 2010
Review of Philips HD2648 toaster

Features
4 slot design. Reheat. Frozen bread setting. Mid cycle cancel. Two rear slide out crumb trays. Extra lift. Cord storage. Front facing controls.
Comments
Good points: The batch and frozen tests produced very evenly browned toast right up to the edges. Thick sliced bread fitted in easily. Bagels browned evenly.
Drawbacks: The top edge of thick sliced bread poked up above the elements and remained un-toasted. The rear positioned crumb trays make emptying them a little awkward and the shiny finish shows finger-marks easily.

Rating: 85/100

Price: £40

Stockist: 0845 601 0354 - http://www.philips.co.uk

GHI Test Report - February 2010
Review of John Lewis CPT180U toaster

Features
4 slot design. Reheat. Frozen bread setting. Mid cycle cancel. Two rear slide out crumb trays. Extra lift. Front facing controls.
Comments
Good points: Coverage good when toasting bagels. Front crumb tray is easy to empty.
Drawbacks: Uneven coverage on frozen bread test and thick bread only toasted in the centre of the slices. Instructions do not state how to position bagels for one sided toasting. Uneven coverage when toasting a single slice.

Rating: 85/100

Price: £45

Stockist: 08456 049 049 - http://www.johnlewis.com

GHI Test Report - February 2010
Review of DeLonghi Icona toaster

Features
4 slot design. Reheat. Frozen bread setting. Mid cycle cancel. Bagel option. Left hand slide out crumb tray. Extra lift. Cord storage. Front facing controls.
Comments
Good points: Very good coverage on batch and frozen bread tests. Thick, large slices fit in easily. Good coverage and browning on bagels, backs staying soft.
Drawbacks: Quite a large, bulky machine. Browning differs between sides on batch and frozen bread and considerably darker during single slice test.

Rating: 84/100

Price: £69.99

Stockist: 0845 600 6845 - http://www.delonghi.co.uk

GHI Test Report - February 2010
Review of M&S 4 slice toaster

Features
4 slot design. Reheat. Frozen bread setting. Mid cycle cancel. Two rear slide out crumb trays. Cord storage. Front facing controls.
Comments
Good points: Very good coverage and colour when toasting frozen bread and bagels. Fairly even colour when toasting consecutive batches of bread.
Drawbacks: The left hand carriage takes longer to pop up. Thick bread sticks up above the level of the toaster.

Rating: 83/100

Price: £39.5

Stockist: 0845 609 0200 - http://www.marksandspencer.co.uk

GHI Test Report - February 2010
Review of Russell Hobbs Atlantic 13974 toaster

Features
4 slot design. Reheat. Frozen bread setting. Mid cycle cancel. Bagel option. Two rear slide out crumb trays. Extra lift. Cord storage. Front and side facing controls.
Comments
Good points: Good coverage on frozen bread and batch toasting test.
Drawbacks: The left hand lever needs a couple of attempts to press down. Insides darker on batch toasting test. Thick slices had to be turned to fit inside and still poked up above edge of toaster. Instructions are unclear about how to position bagels. Slightly uneven browning on all tests and sides differ in colour when a single slice is toasted.

Rating: 81/10

Price: £39.99

Stockist: 0845 658 9700 - http://www.russellhobbs.co.uk

GHI Test Report - February 2010
Review of Gordon Ramsay 4 slice toaster

Features
2 slot design. Reheat. Frozen bread setting. Mid cycle cancel. Front slide out crumb tray. Extra lift. Single slice option. Cord storage. Bun warmer. Front facing controls
Comments
Good points: Sturdy, commercial style toaster. Bagels toasted satisfactorily, backs remaining soft.
Drawbacks: It does not toast to the very top of standard sized bread and thick bread pokes up above the edge of the toaster so the top edge remains pale. Only two slices of large farmhouse bread will fit in at once. Browning uneven when comparing sides.

Rating: 77/100

Price: £85

Stockist: 0845 467 6743 - http://www.sensioinc.com

GHI Test Report - February 2010
Review of Morphy Richards Accents 44039 toaster

Features
4 slot design. Reheat. Frozen bread setting. Mid cycle cancel. Two rear slide out crumb trays. Extra lift. Cord storage. Front facing controls.
Comments
Good points: Good, even colour on batch toasting. Bagels toasted evenly with good colour even though there is no dedicated bagel setting.
Drawbacks: Patchy coverage on batch toasting. Frozen bread coverage was poor and colour uneven. Farmhouse bread was too large for the toaster and browning rather patchy. The indicator lights could be brighter. Single slice toasted unevenly.

Rating: 79/100

Price: £49.95

Stockist: 0844 871 0957 - http://www.morphyrichards.co.uk

GHI Test Report - February 2010