But we recommend spending only what you think is reasonable for something that may last you roughly five years (and knowing that yours could last for longer or shorter than that). There are a number of variables that can cause a toaster to fail, and it’s hard to predict an exact lifespan. The big takeaway isn’t a huge surprise: The delicate electronics and cheaper components found in most modern toasters leave a lot of room for things to go wrong over time. A group of dedicated students disassembled two of our recommended toasters, as well as some vintage toasters, to run analyses on them.
To understand why most toasters seem prone to failure, we reached out to the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at The Ohio State University. But we do think you’ll get your money’s worth. We can’t guarantee it will toast evenly over time or last for decades (few modern toasters do).
After toasting mountains of carbs in 23 toasters over the years, we think the Cuisinart offers the best balance of performance, quality, and features without asking you to overspend. That’s why we recommend the relatively inexpensive Cuisinart CPT-122 2-Slice Compact Plastic Toaster. Unfortunately, no matter how much you spend, toasters aren’t made to last like they once were. This is frustrating and downright discouraging. But after a few years, the machine starts getting spotty-or goes kaput. You finally splurge on an expensive toaster in the hope that it will make the toast of your dreams every day without fail.