Customer Reviews

Black & Decker TRO390W Toast-R-Oven Classic Countertop Oven/Broiler

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

Pros: looks nice; big enough to toast four pieces at once

Cons: doesn't work well: gets really hot on the outside glass (melts things that touch it); toast feature works sometimes and sometimes does not (cheap wiring?)

Conclusion: I have had this toaster for about six monts and I regret buying it. I thought B&D meant quality, but this thing clearly is poor quality.

This toaster oven, which is made in China and "commercialized"/warranted by a Mexican company named Applica de Mexico and sold under the B&D name, is a fire hazard. The toaster feature has a timer incorporated in the knob which is supposed to shut the toaster off after it reaches the desired doneness. Unfortunately, the timer shuts off before the knob is able to arrive to the off position, and thus the toaster never gets to shut off, burning anything you have in the toaster and your kitchen along with it. I returned one malfunctioning unit to the store and within 30 days the second unit malfunctioned. These toaster ovens should be taken off the market and B&D should be ashamed for putting their brand on this defective and shabby product. I will never buy another B&D product after this and I hope the company CEO, wherever he is sunning and tanning with our hard earned dollars in his pocket, gets what he deserves for this consumer rip off and hazardous product. The company has simply abandoned any idea of quality control and safety testing. By the way, this product is not UL listed. A third world product for a third world economy and a third world government which permits imports of these hazardous products which harm people. Shame on B&D.

Just got this yesterday. It was unbelievably inexpensive at the local mart. Like, half ;o) hint hint

Seems to toast just fine. The "medium" toast setting did a good job on two slices of bread. I set it to "max" to toast a bagel, and I had to stop it early! Unlike my old B&D toaster, which took two cycles to toast a bagel... Probay not the most even of toasting (it has one quartz element on top and one on the bottom) but, again, it's not like you're spending $150 here.

The toaster function has a timer that tick-tocks down to zero, and it's kind of loud, but that's the only bad feature. Well, except for the stupid crumb-tray. When is Black & Decker going to figure out that a slide-out crumb tray is a good thing? The way B&D does it, removing crumbs takes two people and needs to be done outside, lest you fling crumbs everywhere and drop the toaster to boot....

But hey, for dirt cheap, what'd you expect?

Controls are simple. I think the unit's lines are clean and attractive. Oven works well; 450 really is about 450, and "broil" gets it up above 500. (I measured it with an oven thermometer.)

Obviously I can't speak to durability. My old cheap B&D toaster oven (similar bottom-end model) absolutely refused to die. After 20 years I finally got tired of looking at it, so I got this one. If the new one only lasts 5 or 10 years, I'll be thrilled.

The product came in a timely fashion. No problems there. It works. Seems to run very......very hot in terms of the outside case heating up. I am a little concerned this thing is a fire hazard if placed close to anything else. Seems to be a little slower in doing some of the basics than my old one (toast for instance). The most annoying feature are the knobs which are these spring-loaded wind-up timers that count down the cooking sequence and then turn the the unit off. They don't manually "unwind" that easily, so if you decide to abort your setting (let's say you put it on medium toast and 1/2 way through the wind down you decide to stop) you basically need to open the door (which turns off the unit) and then just leave it open until the clock stops (otherwise the unit is still on when you close the door). Other than those quirks....it's a basic toaster. It works. What do you expect for under 30 bucks? I wouldn't leave the room while it's running. Like I said, it really-really gets hot on the outside and I could just see a bag or towel you left setting on the counter catching fire from this thing. I suppose that's the good part about the wind-down timers. Hopefully they reach bottom before the fire starts. Leave it out in the middle of the counter - only do basic short heating - toasting - functions and it should be just fine.

The toaster dial didn't click down. Instead of returning to nicely toasted bread, the bread was on fire with smoke billowing out of the unit. Several weeks after I replaced the toaster with a different model, Applica sent me a new one.

The timer for toasting did not work. That was the first thing I tried to do. The bread would toast but since the timer did not work, the toast would burn unless shut off the toaster.

My toaster just died after a year and a half of use. We had another Black and Decker toaster oven for over 10 years. This one just stopped toasting the top of the bread.

Mine is white and quickly tarneshed even after repeated cleanings. It looks like it old and at a year and a half its Toast.

Hope this review will save you money and aggrevation.

This toaster oven is the worst I have ever bought! No matter the price being low. I burned my finger on the glass during first use just closing the cover due to poor design...I prefer my $7 Toastmaster Cool Touch Toaster! I am returning product immediately.

I received this as a gift two Christmases ago. I picked it because it was smaller and more attractive than other similar products. From the beginning it toasted unevenly. Burning in the middle and undertoasting on the outside. There is no way to toast 4 slices of bread evenly. You have to be really careful that you don't overtoast. If you have used the toaster setting once and then go for a second round you have to turn the time down significantly. Works OK as an oven. Also, the handle slips off easily and can be difficult to slip back on when the glass front is hot. With some time you can learn to use this toaster oven...if you learn how it will behave. Not nearly as nice as the previous toaster I owned from the same company...it was no worries. I wish I had gotten over the old look of it and kept it.

I received this unit as a replacement for a defective Toastmaster unit under warranty and based solely on price, it is an upgrade. This far, the unit is working appropriately but I will keep an eye on a potential malfunctioning timer.

The lack of a UL listing on this unit as well as my Toastmaster is definitely a concern. I agree with previous comments about declining quality of Black and Decker items as I had a similar experience with a poorly designed and manufactured B&D coffee maker. It's almost as if B&D has given up trying to create a reliable or desirable product.