I read a lot of mixed reviews and finally took a chance on this HB 4-slice rolltop toaster oven to replace my nicer Oster. I've had the Oster about 10 years and it still works, except about a month ago the timer broke. Now it doesn't turn itself off so I've been having to plug and unplug it every time. I like this little rolltop toaster oven so far, but I rarely use one for anything other than toast or cheese toast so I think it will work for me. I'll try to give a detailed review for those who are undecided as I was. Pros (for me): small size and footprint (slightly smaller than stated); door rolls up out of the way and removes for cleaning; inside is very visible; like most it has a slide out crumb tray; looks good; large knobs; timer for up to 30 minutes and a stay-on setting; makes a slice of cheese toast just fine. Cons: no function control-- both upper and lower elements are always used; has only one heating element on bottom and one on top; bottom heating element and its cover are in the middle so crumbs will fall on it; all of inside is very visible (shows if it's not spotless!); 4-slice size might be smaller than you need. I'm not sure how good a job this will do if used for baking because the top element heats too. Usually for baking only the bottom heats, for broiling only the top element heats, and both for toasting. This one always uses both the top and bottom elements so there are no differing functions. The broil and toast symbols are with the 450 temperature mark and there is no difference; no click or stops. (See photo for "pretend" functions; it's simply a temperature control.) The knob just freely turns and both elements heat. The instruction booklet says to preheat if "baking" but do not preheat if "broiling." This may be an issue if you plan to actually cook in this little thing. I've only made toast so far. What makes me like it is that it doesn't take up much of my limited counter space, I like the rolltop, and it was relatively inexpensive. My Oster had function controls, four elements, and a convection fan and was slightly larger, but similar ovens were more expensive and I don't need the fan. Although most of my appliances are stainless steel and black, this oven looks good. The trim around the door looks like stainless steel, but the rest is a dark metallic gray color (see photo), if that matters to you. There is a gap between the door and the control area, but I don't know that it's a real problem on such a small oven. I heated the oven at 450 for about 15 minutes before I used it, and there was no smoke and very little odor. Maybe those problems have been fixed. Like most toaster ovens, the outside gets hot. I have it sitting on a rectangular glass cutting board although that's probably not necessary. The instructions are a little quirky, but I'm not following some of them. On almost every page it says to unplug the oven when it's not in use, but I could just keep my old Oster if I was willing to do that. I'm hoping that is just a paranoid legal dept. talking. (My washer's instructions said to turn the water off at the source every time, but who does that?) I am turning the temp control down all the way after each use, though, although I just left my Oster's on the toast settings, and I always unplug my small appliances if I'm away overnight. Also, for some reason it says not to heat taco shells in it-- ??. It also says to not use any metal foil on anything, but I've always used foil on the crumb tray, dull side up, without any problems. There are two positions for the rack, but the upper one says for broiling only. The rack can suspend the included baking pan under it (intended for broiling), but which can catch crumbs so they don't fall on the element cover, so I like that feature. So far I've not had the problem of the pan warping when used. EDIT: Yesterday I put a flour tortilla covered with cheese on the baking pan and the pan did suddenly warp. It made a loud noise and would have probably slung liquid had there been any. Not a problem for my uses. I'm saving the packaging in case there is a problem within the return period, but so far I like it for my purposes. I'm sure there are better ones, but the rolltop door is a great feature, and the 4-slice size is very compact. I'll edit my review if any major problems happen.
