CONOR POPEreviews Toasters

Russell Hobbs €66.62

This is probably the coolest-looking of the toasters . With its frosted glass we thought we’d be able to see the toast toasting and the fact that we couldn’t was a bitter disappointment. It is very long but despite its size it still only holds two pieces of bread. It doesn’t toast particularly evenly and takes up too much space on a counter top. The controls are quite good but it comes at what we now realise is a ridiculous price. If you are paying over €60 for a toaster we reckon that you have too much money.

Verdict: A ridiculous price **

Tesco Value Toaster €8

This is the cheapest toaster by a long shot and is just one-tenth of the price of the dearest option we tried. It is fine. It may not have toasted very evenly but at this price we were thinking, who cares? It is a four-slice toaster which is either good or bad depending on how many people you are catering for. It is big and bulky and not the most attractive thing we have ever seen but at this price, again, who cares?

Verdict: Good value ****

Tefal €15.95

We bought this in Kildare Village so probably got it cheaper than it might be found elsewhere. It is perfect: functional and stylish.

It has a croissant warmer for all those croissants we never have and a plastic tongs to better protect our delicate fingers. There is no eject button and you have to turn the timer to zero if you want to get your toast out ahead of time, which means you lose your timer settings. And if that isn’t a first-world problem, we don’t know what is.

Verdict: Pretty good ***

Kenwood Metallics €49.95

There is an awful lot going for this toaster. It has a unique metallic finish which is more resistant to smearing. It has an “eco-slot toasting feature” which allows you to toast one slice at a time. This will undoubtedly save energy although, seriously, who is going to have just one slice of toast? It toasts very evenly and very quickly. The dials and buttons are pleasingly simple, it looks stylish and will not take up a whole lot of space on your countertop. It also has a “peek-n-view” to allow you look at your toast at any point in the process. It is pricey, but we reckon it is still value for money.

Verdict: Toaster with the most *****