Black & Decker TRO480BS Toast-R-Oven 4-Slice Toaster Oven

Great value (2010-07-30) : 5/5
This replaces my last B&D, which lasted many years and was a work horse. I really like the features - timer, slide out crumb tray for easy cleaning, roomy, open door/slide out tray, etc. For this sale price, with no shipping or tax, I really couldn't ask for a nicer product.
Not So Hot (So to speak) (2010-07-30) : 2/5
As a basic toaster over, it's barely adequate. The good and the bad from my experience using it:

Good
- It gets hot and heats things up
- Fairly easy to use - no computer programming degree required

Not Good
- Basic toasting is very slow and uneven - one side gets done, the other doesn't. Takes twice as long to toast as an actual dedicated toaster (or my previous toaster oven).
- The power light on my unit was dead on arrival, and has not lit once.
- The timer ticks. And ticks. And ticks. Make it stop.
- You have to turn the timer dial past 10 minutes and turn it back down to the time you want (if it's less than 10 min.) They keep stressing how important this is. Will it self-destruct if I don't? Will it injure my dog? How hard is it to design a timer that doesn't need you to do this?
- If you turn the timer off yourself by manually turning it to Off, it's very easy to accidentally turn it too far, which puts it in the ALWAYS ON position. I did this once and found it still on 20 minutes later. Now I'm paranoid and very careful about it.
- Cheaply made of lightweight metal, not all straight.
- Cooking tray warps when it gets hot (my previous toaster oven did not have this problem).

Probably going to get a new model/brand and give this one to some unsuspecting unpleasant relative.


huge disappointment (2010-07-29) : 1/5
I've had B&D toaster ovens for more years than I can remember and they have always been fine. This is a complete waste of money and space. It takes about 10 minutes to make a piece of toast. It's hard to open the door without pulling the whole appliance off of the counter. It ticks like a time bomb. I wish I had one good thing to say about this item, but I can't think of a single one!
Decent toaster, customer service/warranty sucks big time. (2010-07-28) : 2/5
It is an average toaster. It looks nice with the stainless steel but function not as well as my older toaster. First, the toaster will burn if you don't watch it. Second, you have to twist the dial pass ten and then back to toast your bread. That's too much. Why can't you set it to toast? I called customer service because I though that my machine was broken. Well, that's not the case. It is just the way the toaster is made. If I knew this, I would have never bought it.

As for the 2- year warranty, it is useless because there is no repair centers anymore. Before, if I had a problem with any of their products, I could get item fixed or replacement right there. Instead they want you to call them, cut the plug and set it back to them. The best part is that will cost you $X.XX as administrative fee to process your request.

After this experience, I will never purchase any black and decker products. Not worth the hassle or the price. Not a value for the money. Sad...it is an end of wonderful era. RIP.
Happy with the purchase so far (2010-07-27) : 4/5
Compact, but plenty of room to do the basic tasks you buy a toaster oven to do. Looks great on the counter top next to my other stainless steel appliances. One thing I read that was untrue in some of these listings was that "it didn't have a bell" on the timer, which it does. Important if you are a multi-tasker and can't sit and watch your items. I'll update my review if I run into any problems, but pretty happy with the purchase and it could be a 5 star. Delivery was much faster then expected.