Choosing a retro-style toaster is no day in the park. Sure, you can go out and buy the first toaster with an appealing design and later regret the purchase, but why waste money and time when a bit of research helps find a toaster that not only compliments your kitchen and style requirements but also offers the toast-making capabilities you want and need?
Now, you might think that all this research is overwhelming and not worth the effort. And while this can sometimes hold true when buying appliances, that is not a concern for you today. The biggest problem shoppers encounter when researching a product is that they aren’t really sure what makes a great product. How can you ever choose ‘the best’ if you do not understand what ‘the best’ entails? Frustration sets in quickly in such a case.
See Also:
- The Best Electric Roaster Oven - Consumer Reports
- The Best Milk Steamer/Frother - Take Your Coffee to the Next Level
- The Best Copper Core Cookware of 2020
- The Best Food Warmer for Car – Portable Food Warmer Reviews
- The Best Grill Press – A Must-Have in a Kitchen
With the information below, all your worries subside. Not only will we provide information about retro-style toasters and how to find a model suitable for your household’s needs, but you’ll also get inside access to the top retro-style toasters you can buy. This valuable information saves shoppers an abundance of time while ensuring they find the perfect toaster for their kitchen.
A retro-style toaster brings life to any kitchen and any breakfast meal. Every family needs this appliance sitting on the counter in their kitchen. Improve your buying power with help from information found in this buying guide. We’ve taken the hard work out of choosing the best toaster for your household.
Best Retro Toaster: Our Top 8 Choices
Which retro-style toasters meet the qualities above and exceed customer expectations? Shop for any of the toasters on the list below to ease purchase hassles. Forget endless hours of searching now that you have access to this list.
No matter which toaster from this list you buy, you’ll love its features, functions, and great toast!
1. Nostalgia 2-Slice Bagel Toaster
Everything about this toaster screams ‘Buy me!’ from its appealing retro-style to its impressive features and low cost. Nostalgia earned a name for itself in the appliances industry many years ago. The respected brand carries quality products for every lifestyle, including this amazing toaster.
Known for perfectly crisping bagels on the outside while maintaining a soft, fluffy texture inside, the toaster has five browning settings. Be careful choosing the fifth setting since many users say it burns toast. Each colorful slice of toast wonderfully compliments the tastebuds of each family member.
Although small and spacious, the toaster boasts 900 watts of toasting power. And, with extra-wide slot openings, you can toast bagels and a host of other items. More features this toaster brings to the kitchen include:
- Easy-to-clean, slide-out crumb tray
- Dishwasher safe crumb tray
- Available in a choice of two retro colors
This toaster brings fun style and amazing functionality into any kitchen.
- Bottom cord storage unit
- Lighted control buttons
- Cool-touch sides
- Warranty costs extra
This retro-style toaster has all the features one could possibly want or need to prepare perfect toast every time. Just call yourself the toast master! Russell Hobbs is a leading name in kitchen appliances, first starting in 1952. Since then, Russell Hobbs appliances have earned a name in kitchens around the world.
This retro-style toaster looks great in the kitchen, offering a blast from the past to your kitchen décor. Made from stainless steel, the durable toaster fits in any tiny space, preparing two-slices of toast at once. With a toast timer, you choose how long your toast stays inside the warmer, ensuring perfectly browned toast every time.
Choose from several different colors, including cream and red. No matter what your current kitchen style or the look you want to create, the stylish toaster makes an impression.
This toaster offers incredible features like:
- Removable bun warmer attaches to the top of the toaster. Say hasta la vista to cold buns and pastries!
- Six-shade settings for the perfect light or dark toast for each family member
- 3-functions, including bagel, frozen, and cancel
- Life and look function allows you to monitor the toast’s progress without disrupting the heat cycle.
- Great price
- Makes toast, bagels, muffins, and more
- Includes tons of extras
- Made in China
- No warranty
3. Revolution Cooking R180 High-Speed Smart Toaster
Maintain the ‘smart’ home with the Revolution Cooking R180 smart toaster in your kitchen. The retro-style 2-slice toaster delivers modern features and functions, resulting in perfectly toasted bread time after time. Plus, using this toaster is so easy!
Featuring InstaGlo technology, the Revolution toaster has a large, color touchscreen that helps you toast the perfect slice of bread no matter your preferred toasty shade. Say goodbye to burnt toast forever.
With five food settings, three toasting modes, and seven browning levels, you can expect perfection no matter what you are toasting. Easy-to-use, simple, and fast, this toaster creates toast that looks and tastes great!
Features include:
- Auto glide feature prevents food from getting stuck inside the toaster
- High-tech features
Not only does the Revolution smart toaster make almost toast, but it’s also great for English muffins, bagels, pastries, and waffles, too. We think it is the best retro toaster of them all!
- State-of-the-art features
- Awesome style
- Very expensive
4. Redmond 2-Slice Retro Toaster
Available in your choice of colors including pink, green, and cream, this fun and funky 2-slice toaster features 18/8 stainless steel casing for a sleek, stylish appearance. It’s non-toxic and safe with an anti-rust and anti-overheat function that keeps the toaster functioning beautifully for years to come.
The toaster has six bake settings to choose from giving you from 70 seconds to 220-seconds of toasting power. Adjust the settings for each person’s toast preference! It cools quickly as well.
The multiple toasting modes give you control. Choose from cancel, bagel, and defrost. Use cancel to stop heating immediately. Use the bagel setting to perfect your bagels. And use defrost to warn frozen bread.
The simple, user-friendly design makes toasting easy while the awesome retro-style takes your kitchen design back to a special place and time.
More features:
- ETL certified
- Easy-to-clean
- Removable, detachable pallets
- Easy-collect cords
- Multiple-toast modes
- User-friendly design
- Not as durable as other toaster models
5. Haden Heritage 4-Slice Retro Toaster
This British-inspired retro toaster stands out in the kitchen, despite the minimal design. On the outside of the toaster, the Haden badge stands out, drawing attention to the appliance. The cream color with stainless steel buttons and push down lever mesh well with most retro-style kitchens, giving it added fun appeal.
With 1500 watts of power, the Heritage toaster is powerful, making toast quickly without burning the bread. Not only can you toast bread, but also bagels and muffins. The extra-wide slots prevent food from getting stuck inside.
The three pre-set modes: Cancel, Bagel, and Defrost, ensure the perfect toast whether you start with a fresh or frozen product. Choose your favorite type of bread and in seconds, the Haden toaster prepares it your way using simple, easy-to-operate indicator lights and an adjustable browning control feature.
More of the great Haden Heritage features users like:
- Self-centering feature
- Removable crumb tray
- Easy-to-clean
- Economy mode setting
- 32″ cord
Quality craftsmanship makes this toaster an appealing, durable addition to any kitchen. The fact that it is feature-filled, lightweight, and needs little counter space are certainly bonuses!
- Fun style
- Long cord with cord storage
- Easy operation
- Costlier than some toasters
The KEEMO 2-slice toaster reinforces retro-style with their fun square design, just like the toaster in your childhood kitchen! The toaster has stainless steel knobs for added appeal in your kitchen. The small, compact size ensures this toaster has space on even the smallest countertops. Take your pick of three colors; turquoise, cream, or black. The turquoise color has the most retro-appeal!
Despite the minimalist design, this toaster prepares toast, bagels, and muffins to your desired style with three basic functions: cancel, bagel, and defrost. If you prepare frozen bread of bagels, the defrost feature works great for your needs. The toaster also offers six browning functions for perfectly browned toats no matter what your preference.
- ETL-certified for added safety
- LED-indicators
- Rust-proof
- High-lift lever
- Removable crumb tray
Prefer thick bread, like Rye? Some toasters do not accommodate larger bread sizes but the KEEMO toasts them evenly on both sides every time.
- Cord storage underneath the toaster
- Affordable
- Awesome retro-style
- Easy-to-clean
- Basic; lacks a lot of extra features
Stylish, space-saving design attracts many people to this 4-slice toaster. It not only brings beauty to the kitchen but also saves time and hassle. The easy-to-use toaster is great for larger families with busy schedules. The low price ensures you get a great deal on a lovely retro-style toaster.
The 4-slice toaster slots measure 1.5″ each. They easily hold bagels or larger, thick-sliced bread-like sourdough and rye. Since each slot has a timer that works independently, you can make four different shades of toast at once if you would like. It’s great for couples and families.
The easy to see LED timer displays the time the toast has left before it is finished. You can view the toast and prevent it from burning with this cool display. And, with four removable crumb slots, you can easily clean any mess from this toaster in seconds. The crumb trays are dishwasher safe as a bonus!
- Constructed from stainless steel materials
- Sleek retro design
- Two crumb trays
- Trays are dishwasher safe
- Bagel, defrost, cancel settings
- 6-shade settings
Although Keenstone is a less-known brand, this product exceeds expectations. Users rave about the long-lasting durability that it brings to their kitchen. It could very well be the last toaster you ever need to purchase!
- Independent settings for each slot
- Affordably priced
- Easy to read LED display
- Lesser-known brand
Dream of a 50s style kitchen? Love this era and want to go back in style? This toaster has your needs covered.
Available in four color choices including pastel green, pastel blue, and pink, the Smeg 4-slice toaster delivers elegance to your kitchen. It’s simple but sometimes, that is what we want and need. The aesthetically pleasing design is met with equally beautiful slices of toast, making breakfast better.
That simplicity also makes the toaster a space-saver. The compact size doesn’t take a lot of counter space so it is suitable for small and large kitchens alike. This toaster is made from quality stainless steel material for added durability.
Two wide mouth toast slots have self-centering racks. These racks ensure perfect browning on each side of the toast or bagel. The toast pops up automatically when it is finished. Although the toaster includes a crumb tray, it is made from quality stainless steel material and should not be cleaned in the dishwasher.
Three pre-set programs on the toaster include bagel, defrost, and cancel. These features make it simple to toast the perfect bread every time. You can also take your pick from six browning levels. Everyone in the home can prepare toast just the way they like it with the Smeg toaster.
- Well-respected brand
- Expensive
- Basic features
What to Look for in a Retro-Style Toaster
Never shop for a retro-style toaster before you know what to look for in that toaster. Without this information, you’ll likely waste money on a toaster that disappoints you terribly very shortly. It takes little time to research toasters to find a product that offers the qualities and features that you want at a price you can afford, especially when you keep the following details in mind during the search.
Size
Most retro-style toasters come with your choice of 2-slice or 4-slice toasting capacity. Decide the number of slices of toast you typically prepare at a time to decide which size toaster best suits your kitchen needs. Consider the counter space available for the toaster as well. The 4-slice toasters tend to take up more space than a smaller 2-slice toaster.
Uses
Do you prepare bagels, muffins, and other pastries? Many toasters serve double-duty functions so you can easily toast these items in addition to toast. If you are more of a toast-only type of person, obviously this feature isn’t needed and you can stick to a traditional size retro toaster model.
Cost
Set a budget for your toaster purchase well before you start searching for an appliance. Without an in-place budget, spending considerably more money on the toaster than intended can happen. Toaster prices range from $20 - $300 (yes, $300) depending on factors like the brand, features, and size.
Although cheaper retro-style toasters sometimes offer comparable features to the more expensive models, they tend to lack warranties and often do not provide a long lifetime. Investing in a pricier toaster ensures a longer lifetime and yes, many do offer features that cannot be found on cheaper models.
Warranty
Most retro-style toasters include some type of warranty, although cheaper models may not include this extra coverage and more expensive models may offer the warranty as an additional purchase only. That’s whyh it is important that you select a durable toaster from the start.
Toasting Modes
Basic retro style toasters include settings for light, medium, and dark, eliminating a lot of toast personalization. However, many toasters offer settings that give more control over your toast style. When the household has different toast preferences, choose a toaster that gives you more control over the toasting style. If you freeze breed or bagels, choose a toaster offering a defrost function for even cooking.
Durability
A good toaster should last a few years. Some people use the same toaster for a decade or more before it wears out. Take time to learn more about any toaster you are considering if you want a product that offers outstanding durability. A lot of the higher-priced toasters offer the extra durability that ensures they last for the long haul.
Ease of Use
Most toasters are straightforward and simple to use after you determine the settings you like most for your toast. Usually, a little trial and error help you find the right settings, then the toaster becomes practical and easy to use for everyone in the household. Choose the right size toaster with the right features for the simplest ease-of-use. Read the instruction manual accompanying the toaster, especially if you intend to purchase a smart appliance or something with modernized features.
Cleaning and Care
Toasters with crumb trays make cleaning the appliance a little easier. Toasters with non-stick features further simplify cleaning. Choose a BPA-free toaster tray for extra safety and protection.
Reputation
Customers post reviews for the benefit of other shoppers. Learn more about the product you are interested in buying by reading a handful of reviews. Reviews give great insight into the toaster and what you can expect as its owner. Reviews can save you from wasting money on a toaster that isn’t worth the price or ensure that you find the perfect toaster for your family. Word-of-mouth also serves beneficial for product information. Don’t hesitate to ask friends, family, and coworkers for their toaster recommendations.
Features
For shoppers that want toasters that offer more than basic toasting capabilities, search for an appliance that offers features such as:
- Self-Adjusting Guides: Helps ensure perfectly toasted toast every time.
- Cancel Button: A cancel button allows you to instantly stop toasting at any time.
- Crumb Tray: Crumb trays simplify cleaning.
Usually, all the product information is listed on the side or back of the box. Shopping online? Look for the features above in the description information. Buying a retro-style toaster on a whim simply because you like the style without reading this information is a bad idea! Research saves money, time, and may even help you find a toaster you like more than you thought possible. Now that you know exactly what to look for when buying a retro-style toaster, you regain shopping pleasure!
