Customer Reviews

VillaWare V5850 UNO S/S Classic 4-Slice Toaster

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

The 4-slice VillaWare toaster is a real winner. The industrial retro-look is what first caught my eye. It looks even better on the counter than it does in the picture. If counter space is tight, this may not be the toaster or you. The trade-off is that the large size accomodates a good amount of insulation which keep the metal surfaces from getting hot (no more bread bags melted onto to the toaster). The separate controls for the two halves have proved to be a real benefit as one person is able to put their toast down while another's is already toasting. Also, separate controls allow for different settings for each half of the toaster. It's essentially two 2-slot toasters combined into a single unit. The trade-off for having 4 short slots versus 2 long slots is that anything other than a standard-size piece of bread must be cut in half to fit in the toaster. The toasting slots are, however, plenty wide for bagels, etc. and adjust to keep the toast centered. In addition to separate control knobs, each half has its own ON/OFF switch which must be turned on before that half can be used. There is no harm in leaving the switches in the ON position except that the switches are lighted so it is a little unsettling leaving the kitchen with the lights left on. On the other hand, these switches are a great added safety feature in the event young children are in the house. Each half also includes a crumb drawer that is easily removed to dispose of crumbs. The only real negative aspect of this toaster is that the power output is not real high. Even at the highest setting, it sometimes takes more than one cycle to get the desired level of toasting and it takes longer to toast than most toasters. It is, however, worth the wait as the toast seems to be toasted more evenly and deeper than with past toasters that I've owned.

I looked and looked and looked, and eventually settled on this. For a while I was thinking about getting the DeLonghi 4-slice toaster, but I saw one and decided it looked kind of cheap.

I almost went for a Dualit, but the manual ejection thing was a bit off-putting, plus the crumb trays have easily-broken plastic handles (I checked the Williams-Sonoma store at Lenox Mall - broken tray handles on a couple of the toasters).

So, I went with this. It's not as solid or heavy as the Dualit, but it's light years ahead of the DeLonghi, and a pretty solid toaster in its own right.


UPDATE (4/7/2009): The toaster continues to work. The only problem with it is the levers you push to lower/raise the toast. These have bent inwards, and the plastic knob has fallen off one of them. Probably a testimony to my gorilla arms, and the toaster is getting on in years. I may try straightening the levers and brazing on some sort of support.

A while ago, I received this toaster in the mail from a friend who goes to a college too far away for me to ever see him in person. A toaster seemed to be an uncanny present: something that noone knew you needed but you did. This thing makes good use of the phrase "Out with the old and in with the new". The Villaware 5850 Classic 4-Slice Toaster seems to be complient with the 21st century with it's updatings. It is very fast and not very much in the way. It fits what people need in the kitchen: it matches with everything, and it seems to be strong as an ox. I have spilled coffee in it several times, but nothing ever gets damaged, unlike my past toasters. I never thought that I toaster could be so convenient. Any microwave out there is second to this toaster. It's just head and shoulders, the best thing that I have seen for my kitchen. It's expensive, but it'll last you a lifetime.

This toaster offers the best combination of style, price and performance. Much nicer than the DeLonghi and less expensive than Dualit (I also think it's better looking than the Dualit). It appears to be well made, is a beautiful addition to the kitchen and makes fine toast (of course, you can get a 4-slice toaster for much less, but nothing that looks this good). The fact that it operates as two 2-slice toasters is very convenient (different heat settings for each side, and saves energy when only using one side). Based on the stated dimensions I thought it may be too large, but it fits nicely on the counter. I am very happy with this purchase.

I had recently written a scathing review of the Villaware Uno as it was underpowered and then broke after less than two years of use. I decided to contatct Villaware to inquire about replacement parts after one of the toasting wires snapped. To my amazement, they immediately offered to send a brand new unit with no questions asked. Two weeks after I dropped the old unit off at the Post Office, I had a new one at my front door. The unit has also been redesigned and now has more than sufficient power for all toasting applications. It is now a great toaster backed by great customer service.

This is the Rolls Royce of toasters: large, shiny, and effective.

The dimensions of the toaster, however, are not for the faint of chrome.

The object monopolizes my counter space, dwarfing all my other kitchen applicances but it's stylish enough and looks great against my wood counters. So it's worth it.

Dual, independent toasters are a great concept and you'll often try toasting variations (super light on one side, crispy on the other) just because you now can.

Only caveat with the unit is that it came with a few scratches out of the box. But overall a great purchase even with the steep price tag.

Paul Erdos

Great looking toaster. Matches our other appliances very well. We have been very disappointed with the quality. The knobs fell off within a week. The slide bars do not stay down and there is no adjustment for this. No customer service department for help. Buyers beware!

Folks, I received this as a Christmas gift and marveled it's appearance. It's price tag was also an eye catcher and no doubt quality comes with price? Remember now, it's only a toaster and this is not some new rocket science here. Toasters have been around for decades so with all the added gadgets and gizmos, it's main design is to turn bread into toast. Well, I'll give this a star for looks, but making toast was something my 7-year-old [...] department store special outperformed hands down. There was no consistency between the four slots with the same setting. Subsequent attempts had encore performances of being inconsistent; leading me to believe this may be the "lemon" of the crop. I sent it back expecting a one for one swap. Well, the person who bought it for me took it the merchant and was told they had "others" in the back with similar problems and has since stopped carrying this model. So, lesson learned, high price and high glamour does not always give you high quality. I'm now armed with a gift certificate and free to choose.

When I received it and took it out of the box my first response was that it was "huge." I struggled with whether to keep it or get a smaller one, but it has such a presence in my kitchen, that I leave it out for all to see. It is well built, very retro looking, and works wonderfully. I can't wait for a family gathering to fire up both sides. It is definately the best toaster I have ever owned.

I had never even heard of Villaware, but noticed their products are very highly regarded by insiders. So, instead of going the traditional route and getting a well know name brand, I opted for the Villaware. The toaster is a little larger then others, however it's not too heavy. In fact I was surprised by how light it was.

The engineering on this toaster is excellent, with noted exceptions at the end. It automatically holds the bread in the center. It is also almost impossible to burn anything in this toaster, it has a very gentle heating cycle.

The toaster had no problem on room temperature bread, however; it may require more then one toasing cycle for frozen items. I put the toaster to the challenge with frozen english muffins, an item that most toasters can't handle well. It took one cycle to defrost. Then I sliced it in half and toasted it again. The result however was perfection. Not, burn on the outside, but evenly toasted with light browning on each side. The mother of all toasters.

I was surprised by how wide the top was on each opening. The english muffin fit no problem, however; a bagel may require slicing in half first. The mechanics seem very stable, and even allows you to slightly lift the item above the metal so you don't burn yourself (yes, it can get hot). It's nice to have crisp lightly and evenly toasted bread.

This product could have gotten a 5, however; I have some design concerns: staples are used with thin ceramic type paper to hold the thin heating elements and did it have to be so wide? I hope that this item lasts, only time will tell.