Customer Reviews

Black & Decker TRO490W Toast-R-Oven Classic 4-Slice Countertop Oven, White

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(26)

 

 

Looks well constructed, nice design and backed by what I thought was a good brand name. I unpacked the first one and the handle fell off (glued to glass door with a heat resistant glue.) I exchanged it for another one. The timer would not turn off. Regardless of the setting, the timer would tick down to the "light" toast setting and stop. It could not automatically turn off. The case of the toaster also gets extremely hot, and the entire unit emits a chemical/plastic smell, which may go away with time. Further research indicated that the unit did not appear to be UL listed. I returned it to the store within 24 hours. The customer service department indicated they get many returned. Avoid.

I take toast very, very seriously. It is my favorite food. I have been looking for a toaster oven that can toast exotic items like bread. Turns out, the people at Black & Decker do not want me to make or eat toast.

This toaster oven toasts incredibly well. Incredibly. Well. In fact, it will toast your entire kitchen. With fire. This toaster oven actually takes bread and turns it into fire. It is a magical machine, full of mystery and wonder. If you love fire and toast, then this is the appliance for you. If you like to stay warm by the glow of a fire, then this is the appliance for you.

How to use:

1. Get fire insurance.

2. Put bread in toaster.

3. Extinguish. (Not with water though, that causes other problems, including, but not limited to, your toast being soggy)

It's pretty easy to use, except for step 1 which requires the use of a phone, which Black & Decker does not make, which is probably good because I don't like fire to be too close to my ears.

The con of this toaster oven is that it catches on fire.

The pro of this toaster oven is that it catches on fire.*

*Note this is a benefit only if you are a fire enthusiast. Otherwise, this toaster only has cons.

This toaster is not suitable for children or pets.

This toaster is not suitable if your kitchen contains anything flammable, such as furniture.

This toaster only comes in white but will turn black or brown after a few uses, so don't worry about the lack of color choices. Black matches everything.

The oven door does not close very easily.

It has a blue light, I guess that's cool.

The timer ticks. It sounds like this: tick, tick, tick, tick, tick. Ding. WOOOOOSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

And then EEEEEKKKKK FIIIRREEEE!!!! PUT IT OUT PUT IT OUT BUT WAIT FIRST LET ME TAKE A PICTURE SO I CAN POST IT TO MY FACEBOOK.

We purchased this toaster for the name of Black and Decker,and its solid reputation!

This toaster oven was purchased almost 2 years ago.

The knob fell off, and the rubber feet on the underside also fell out. We simply replaced it for the same model.

No problems whatsoever with the new one, except the rubber feet kept falling off.

About 6 months ago, the top heating element stopped working. We have been using it as is, but once again we are in the market for a new toaster oven.

I would like to mention we have been using B & D toaster ovens for over 20 years; the very first one lasted over 11 years.I expect Black and Decker products to be faultless,and to last a lifetime. Over time, I have seen B & D using cheaper parts ie, the knobs will be poorly made, handle not as sturdy, something else falling off, poor construction.

I was disappointed that it already began to break down after 1 year of use. The indicator light fell out and the knob is loose.
It also is anoying that the crumb tray does not come out - it just swings down on hinges so you have to pick up the entire oven to empty it. I expected better from Black & Decker, which I had thought was a reputable brand.

I had a B&D toaster oven for years and therefore decided to stay with the brand. WHAT A MISTAKE. Purchased from Target. This is the worst thing I have ever purchased. I've used it twice and it's going back today. Baked fine but the toast is an issue. I first set the bagel to "Stay Warm" at 150 degrees. Because the knob is evenly shaped at both ends I was set at 450 degrees. Almost a fire. My second attempt was toast at medium and the entire glass clouded over and the inside white metal is now brown. It looks like I've had it for years. Back it goes! Took it back to Target and they graciously refunded my money. Ironically, sitting on the floor behind the counter was another one.

Purchased the product based on previous B & D product experience, liked the design,size,functionality and price. Timer wouldn't turn off, ticker would stop, but unit would continue to heat, in my opinion this is an extreme fire hazard and product should be recalled. However, mine proved to be defective before a recall could happen. The bottom heating element just broke in half and fell to the bottom of the crumb tray after being used for less than 6 months. Contacted B & D for warranty service, and got the monumental run around. However, after about 6 weeks, numerous phone calls, emails etc. and being very persistent the unit was replaced, but with a cheaper model. I am not pleased with the bait and switch tactics from B & D, and this story isn't over yet. B & D is on a downhill slide with its "No Customer Service" policy and its low quality products. What used to be a very good company and a very dependable line of products, has become just another company with crappy stuff to sell to unsuspecting consumers. Don't be fooled by the company name, do your homework.

My dad worked for GE, and in 1957 brought home the first "Toast-R-Oven". Unlike modern toaster-ovens, in which the toasting and baking are performed in the same cavity, it was a conventional toaster with a tray underneath where items could be inserted for cooking or light grilling. (You can see a picture of it in the 12/2009 or 1/2010 issue of Consumer Reports -- I don't remember which.)

When I moved away from home, one of the first things I bought was a GE toaster oven -- the model that has become /the/ "classic" toaster oven, with the pull-down door and chrome finish. It lasted about 10 years, and I replaced it with the exact B&D equivalent (which was white, but otherwise identical), which lasted 20 years. Had the power solenoid not jammed, I would still be using it.

Looking for a replacement, I studied Web reviews. The conclusion I drew was that /all/ toaster-ovens, regardless of make, model, or price, were utter JUNK. But I needed one, so after a bit of shopping, I picked up this model for an attractive price at Targét.

It appears that most (if not all) toaster-ovens have abandoned the 70-year-old double-thermostat system. Instead, you turn a timer for the degree of darkness. On this model, there are only two markings (pale and black), with nothing in-between to make it easy to repeat your favorite setting. Is it asking too much to add markings?

Worse, this oven takes quite a while to warm up. So, as there is no thermostatic control of the toasting cycle, the setting that's right for the first batch of toast will overtoast -- possibly even burn -- subsequent batches. This is the oven's major flaw, which is probably common among timer-controlled toaster-ovens, B&D or otherwise.

There are safety issues. One poster has pointed out that the timer doesn't always shut off for "light" settings. The user manual says that, for short settings, you should turn the timer all the way up, then back. This has /always/ been a problem with mechanical spring-driven timers, but it shouldn't be necessary. And as another pointed out, the knobs aren't sufficiently asymmetrical to make it clear which end is pointing which way.

The most-significant safety issue is the lack of a door interlock. Opening the door doesn't shut off the elements, or stop the toast cycle, as it did in earlier toaster-ovens. This is something the Consumer Product Saftey Commission should look into.

As toaster-ovens go, this isn't a /bad/ one. There's room for six English muffin slices, and the glass door is big enough to reveal everything going on inside. Multi-slice toasting evenness is okay, but the toast is decidedly "stripéd", not unlike steaks or chicken breasts on a grill.

I've had mine almost a year, and have had no problems. The TRO490W therefore gets a grudging recommendation, even though it's not up to the quality one expects from GE/B&D.

Complete waste of money.

I bought this at my local Target, having been attracted to it by the relatively small design, clean looks and simplicity of function. I just wanted a basic toaster oven without the bells and whistles that might otherwise go haywire. Figured I'd keep it simple and avoid disappointment.

Fat chance. Even the door doesn't open right. Hooks on the door are supposed to pull out the toasting grate as you open; instead the overlong grill fits too snugly in the grooves and won't budge, tipping the light toaster dangerously forward. My fiancee has already burned herself by instinctively trying to catch the toaster as the little booger rolled. The only way to alleviate this was to bend the grill into a deep V shape, but even this didn't cure the rub.

To add insult to injury, the thing doesn't even toast well. It only has 2 narrow heating elements -- one top, one bottom, both at center -- resulting in uneven toasting. Our bread & bagels have come out cinders on one end and barely browned on the other end of the same side.

To summarize: It's dangerous, shoddy, and can't even toast. A real turd.

Just bought one. Nice size, nice looks, has what I am looking for. Crumb tray pulls out from the bottom. Tray hooks worked fine to pull out tray a bit... other reviewer must have gotten a defective one. Toasting seemed to take a while, warm-up of leftovers was fine. Seems to have plenty of heat for baking. Small outward curve in the back seems to be designed to accomodate small pizza or round pan. Clever!

However, I will probably be returning the unit because the amount of heat pouring from the oven was more than a space-heater... it could heat my apartment... or at least the kitchen. Maybe this is normal, my other toaster oven was a 2 slicer small one. But I don't want to heat my kitchen and I worry about it getting too hot, plus increase in electricty costs. I will probably pass on this one. Or buy some hot pads... too bad because it looks like a good unit and it seems to be working fine. Got it for good price at target. If you don't mind a hot unit, it looks good.

We thought this was a great toaster oven until the top knob stripped out. Now it only functions as a toaster, the oven does not heat up. Bought just one year ago, this is unacceptable performance.