Customer Reviews

Cuisinart CPT-170 Brushed Stainless Steel 2-Slice Toaster with Countdown Timer

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

Bought the Cuisinart CPT-170 2 slice toaster after reading many dozens of reviews of all types/brands of toasters online. Came to the realization that every product has negative reviews for one reason or another, so decided that the Cuisinart had the fewest and those were not a concern to me. Since I have received it, it has been a terrific toaster for me. It suits my tastes and looks good, too. Stainless steel and a blue LED count-down timer. I have toasted bread and english muffins without a problem. Browns evenly on both sides of the bread. Thanks for the pushup lever (for small items). It's easy to keep clean, also. Enjoy!

Unlike the below reviewer, I've had a horrible experience with a Hamilton toaster model recently. As a replacement, bought this brand model after doing quite a bit of research, and my husband and I couldn't be happier so far. We've used it for about 2 months now, so this review may be premature as far as the potential reliability is concerned, but the toaster is absolutely beautiful and it seems to do what it's supposed to do well - toast breads. I think a lot of people are disappointed by today's toasters that have wider slots that accommodate thicker breads/bagels, and mistakenly assume that it doesn't toast thinner breads evenly; I could be wrong, but this toaster was a definitely satisfying purchase, and I'll update if it proves otherwise in the future.

I saw some good reviews for this toaster so I guess I was expecting more than the toaster was capable of delivering. I purchased this toaster to replace a 20 year old Oster toaster which worked just fine and now I don't know why I spent the extra $80.00. The old toaster had one long slot in which to toast, compared with two smaller slots for this toaster. The Oster toaster outside was cool to the touch, allowing you to move it around while (or just after) toasting. This new toaster is very hot to the touch - a factor to consider with small children in the house. The stainless steel is hard to keep clean, compared with the white finish on the old Oster. The only two good things about the Cuisinart is that it does toast evenly (I guess that's the real purpose, after all) and the timer lets you know exactly how many seconds remain before the toast is ready, a factor which is interesting, but not essential. I wouldn't spend the money if I had it to do over again.

I puchased one because of the glowing reviews. Countdown feature inoperative as received. The important defect is that it doesn't toast the entire slice, as much as a measured 3/4" is left untoasted at sides and bottom. I tried toasting "better" white (i.e. not the "Wonderbread"-style varieties), whole wheat,wheat; the results were always the same, nicely done middle--the color selector seems to work well--with white borders. I didn't try any of the features, as it failed at its primary purpose of plain old toasting. I went for $75 because it seems virtually every toaster has a problem with toasting evenly, this one's comments didn't reflect that. By actual observation, a borrowed $10 toaster was much better at toasting evenly.
Update: For those to whom a fully-toasted slice matters, the Hamilton Beach 22201--also sold as other brands--toasts top-to-bottom and side-to-side with no missed spots. Color control is good. I paid $16 at BB&Beyond.
Tip: It is a good idea to know vendors' return policy for units defective as received. I had to pay return shipping and a 10% "Restocking charge." (Do they return defective units to stock?)

I bought this because it was rated the best on Consumer Reports. Very dissappointed in this pricy toaster.

Does not toast evenly on both sides. I have it set at 1 which is the lowest setting & it still over toasts on one side to the point I would say burned while the other side is white or just the slightest sign of toasting.

I have replaced it with my old toaster & will probably give it to Goodwill

Never did understand why a countdown timer is a benefit.

Must say though that after I complained they told me they would ship a replacement... Hope it is not a dud

OK thought this would be my ultimate toaster... The coundown timer is so cool and a great idea for a premium toaster. The bummer part is the one side of the bread toasts up significantly darker that the other side. This happens in both of the toaster slots. I can see the elements on one side are much brighter than the other. Would like know if others have experinced similar results and found soulution...

I've owned a Cuisinart for years. It was beautiful, but never toasted evenly. The time always had to be adjusted down quite a bit if I toasted a second batch or it would burn it. My husband finally shorted it out, so I shopped for a new one. I saw this model and loved the looks and timer. It toasts one side of the bread much darker than the other. I gave it 2 stars because it looks great, but it will be going back. After reading all the glowing reviews, it's hard to believe we have the same toaster model! Very frustrating for such an expensive product to perform so poorly.

I am sorry to say that the toaster is a big dissapointment to me. I ordered it based on the good reviews, however in my opionion it is far from a 4-star product. The toaster toasts very unevenly - one side can be burnt, wheras the other side barely toasted. I tried to toast bagels and bread and the result was the same. It has been very frustrating and disappointing, given the price.

The pros: the look
The cons: toasts unevenly, burns easily even on lower settings, attracts fingerprints and gets really warm on the outside.

Verdict: I am returning it. Definitely not worth the money or the frustration!

After reviewing other toasters I could not find one with a good review, so I did the best next thing and bought the one with the best of the average reviews. It does not seem that there is a great toaster on the market at this time, but the Cuisinart CPT-170 so far has done a good job of making toast. I only owned it for about one month I am waiting to see how long it last. Most toasters I've owned lasted about 1 to 2 years before something would go wrong with it. Again so far the toaster worked just fine with making toast, bagels and english muffins. As for the quility of this toaster I would recommand the toaster no questions asked. I will let you know after one year if I still feel the same.

We've owned two Dualits in the past 16 years. The first one lasted 12 years. The second one barely made it to four years before a widely reported flaw (the mechanical timer gets stuck) caused a thankfully contained fire in our kitchen. So we've been hunting for an affordable toaster that we don't hate the look of and that, well, makes good toast!

After weeks of reviewing, Consumer Reports finally tipped us over the edge in favor of this unit. It was highly rated and it doesn't look entirely awful. While most appliance companies seem to be squeezing Design with a capital D over their entire product ranges (silly lights, ridiculous shapes, too many controls), the Cuisinart exercises some restraint by being a) mostly rectangular, b) brushed stainless and c) simple to control.

PROS:

Only one. It makes fantastic toast. Even on both sides. MUCH better than our last Dualit which was uneven and unpredictable. Toast in this toaster is consistent between toastings.

CONS:

- Stainless is a fingerprint magnet
- Blue countdown timer light cannot be turned off! (Why not have it activate only when the toast control is depressed?)
- Ugly setting dial
- With some types of bread (notably Spelt Grain), the toasting dial needs to be set to maximum for just modest toasting

it's not the cheapest mid-range toaster out there, but it's good.