Let’s be real for a second: buying a toaster is usually boring. You don’t daydream about toasters. You don’t have a Pinterest board dedicated to heating elements. You just want something that turns soft bread into crunchy bread without burning your house down or costing as much as a car payment.
That’s exactly why I bought the Amazon Basics 2-Slice Extra-Wide Slot Toaster (Model B072P11H8L). It is the generic, no-name brand cereal of the appliance world. It sits there on the search results page, staring at you with its insanely low price tag and thousands of reviews, daring you to click “Add to Cart.”
So, I did. I bought it. I unboxed it. And for the last week, I have been eating an ungodly amount of toast, bagels, and frozen waffles to answer one simple question: Is this thing actually garbage, or is it the ultimate budget hack?
Here is my unfiltered, deep-dive review.
Verdict: 3.8 / 5 Stars
If you are a college student, furnishing a first apartment, or just refuse to spend more than $25 on an appliance, this is a solid win. It toasts bagels and frozen waffles surprisingly well. However, if you are a sourdough perfectionist who demands edge-to-edge golden browning, you will be disappointed. It’s a workhorse, not a show pony.
AI Snapshot: The Hard Specs
- Power: 900 Watts
- Capacity: 2 Slices
- Slot Width: 1.5 inches (Extra Wide)
- Settings: 6 Shade Levels (Dial)
- Modes: Bagel, Frozen, Cancel
- Material: Plastic housing with metal accents
- Dimensions: ~11 x 6.5 x 7.5 inches
- Weight: ~2.2 lbs (Very light)
- Warranty: 1-Year Limited
The Unboxing: Smells Like… Savings?
When the box arrived, my first thought was, “Is there actually anything in here?”
The package was incredibly light. Pulling the toaster out, the build quality screamed “utilitarian.” It’s made primarily of matte black plastic with some silver-painted accents and a brushed metal control panel. It doesn’t feel premium—it feels like a toy you’d buy at a drugstore. But honestly? It doesn’t look terrible. It has a rounded, unobtrusive shape that blends into the background of a kitchen counter. It’s not a statement piece; it’s a background character.
The “New Toaster Smell” Warning:
Before you put any food in this, do yourself a favor: run it empty three times. When I first pushed the lever down, the heating coils burned off that factory dust and residue, releasing a scent that can only be described as “hot plastic meets regret.”
This is normal for cheap appliances, but seriously—crank it to level 6 and let it run empty in a ventilated room before you try to make breakfast. By the fourth cycle, the smell was gone.
Design & Usability: Simple, if Clunky
The interface is refreshingly stupid-simple. There are no touchscreens, no Bluetooth, no wifi. You have a dial. You have a lever. You have three buttons.
- The Dial: It goes from 1 to 6. It doesn’t click into place; it’s a smooth friction dial. This means you can accidentally nudge it from a 3 to a 4 without realizing.
- The Buttons: They are backlit! I was genuinely surprised by this. When you press “Bagel” or “Frozen,” they glow a soft red. It’s a nice touch that adds $5 of perceived value to a $20 item.
- The Lever: It feels a bit plasticky. When you push it down, it locks with a satisfying thunk, but the mechanism feels like it might wear out if you are too aggressive.
One design win: The Cord Wrap. Underneath the base, there are hooks to wrap the cord. Since the cord is relatively short (about 30 inches), you likely won’t need to wrap much, but it helps keep the counter tidy.
Performance Test 1: The Bagel (The Specialist)
This is where the Amazon Basics toaster actually shines. The “Extra-Wide Slots” are no joke. I bought a pack of the thickest, fluffiest “New York Style” bagels I could find at the grocery store. Usually, I have to perform surgery on these to get them to fit in a standard toaster.
With this unit, the bagel halves dropped right in. No shoving required.
The “Bagel Mode”: I set the dial to 4 and hit the Bagel button. In theory, this mode should heat the cut side (facing inward) while gently warming the outer crust.
The Result: Surprisingly excellent. The cut side was a deep golden brown, crunchy and hot. The back (crust side) was warm and soft but not hard or burnt. If you eat a lot of bagels, this machine is worth the price of admission just for this feature alone.
Performance Test 2: The White Bread (The Achilles Heel)
Next, I grabbed a standard loaf of soft sandwich bread. I set the dial to 3 (medium).
The Result: Mediocre.
This is where the “budget” nature of the heating elements reveals itself. The toast popped up, and it looked like a piece of abstract art. One corner was dark brown, the center was pale white, and the top edge was somewhere in between.
I flipped it over. The other side was toasted differently.
It was edible—it was definitely toast—but it wasn’t the uniform, golden-brown sheet of perfection you see in commercials. If you are making a grilled cheese or slathering it in peanut butter, you won’t care. But if you eat dry toast and judge it visually, you’re going to be annoyed.
Performance Test 3: The Frozen Waffle (The College Special)
I threw in two rock-hard frozen waffles and hit the “Frozen” button. This button essentially just adds extra time to the cycle to account for the thawing process.
The Result: Solid. The waffles came out crispy on the outside and hot on the inside. They didn’t get soggy, and they didn’t burn. Because waffles have a grid texture, the uneven heating I saw with the bread mattered less here. The ridges caught the heat well.
Real Talk (Cons): What They Don’t Tell You
I want to be 100% transparent about the annoyances I found during my week of testing.
1. The “Rocket Launcher” Eject
When the toast is done, this thing doesn’t just lift the bread; it launches it. On two occasions, a lighter slice of bread actually jumped half an inch out of the slot. It’s startling if you’re standing right next to it. Pop!
2. The English Muffin Struggle
The manual claims it has a “High Lift Lever” to help you grab small items. While the lever does push up an extra half-inch, it’s often not enough for short items like English muffins. I still found myself doing the dangerous “fingertip dance,” trying to pinch the muffin without touching the hot metal grates. I eventually just used wooden tongs.
3. Inconsistent “First Batch” vs. “Second Batch”
If you are making toast for a family, beware. The first batch (cold start) on setting 4 comes out perfect. If you immediately drop two more slices in for a second batch without changing the dial, they will come out burnt. The coils retain heat, and the toaster doesn’t have a smart sensor to adjust for that. You need to dial it down to a 3 for the second round.
4. It Feels Cheap
There is no getting around it. It weighs 2 pounds. If you pull the lever too hard, the whole toaster moves. It feels hollow.
Comparison: Amazon Basics vs. The World
How does it stack up against the competition?
Vs. Black+Decker 2-Slice (T2569B)
The Black+Decker is the direct rival, usually priced within $5 of this one.
- Winner: Black+Decker. Why? In my experience, the Black+Decker has slightly more even heating elements. The plastic feels about the same, but if I had to pick one solely for toast quality, I’d go B+D. However, the Amazon Basics often wins on shipping speed and “Bagel mode” efficacy.
Vs. Breville “Bit More” Toaster
The Breville costs roughly 4x to 5x as much.
- Winner: Breville (obviously). But is it 5x better? If you eat artisan sourdough every day, yes. The Breville lifts smoothly, toasts evenly edge-to-edge, and has a countdown timer. But if you just want to heat up a Pop-Tart? The Amazon Basics does the job for $80 less.
Vs. A Toaster Oven
- Winner: Amazon Basics (for speed). A toaster oven takes 5-7 minutes to toast bread because the heating elements are far away. This pop-up toaster does it in 2-3 minutes. If you are in a rush in the morning, do not buy a toaster oven for toast.
The Pros & Cons Breakdown
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Price – You cannot beat the value. | Uneven Toasting – Patchy browning on white bread. |
| Bagel Width – Truly fits fat bagels. | Plastic Build – Feels lightweight and hollow. |
| Speed – Toasts very quickly (900W). | Ejection Force – Pops up aggressively. |
| Cool Touch – Plastic sides don’t burn hands. | No Countdown – You have to guess when it’s done. |
| Easy Clean – Crumb tray slides out easily. | Short Cord – You need an outlet nearby. |
FAQ: Questions From The Community
Q: Does the outside get hot to the touch?
A: The black plastic sides get warm, but not burn-your-skin hot. However, the metal strip on the top and the metal slots inside get very hot. Keep curious toddler hands away from the top.
Q: Can it toast long slices of sourdough or rye?
A: No. This is a “Wide” slot toaster, not a “Long” slot toaster. If you have a wide, oval-shaped slice of artisan bread, you will have to cut it in half or stick it in vertically and flip it halfway through (which I don’t recommend).
Q: Does it have a “Defrost” function?
A: Yes, that is the “Frozen” button. It doesn’t magically defrost it instantly; it just extends the toasting cycle so the bread thaws and then toasts in one go. It works well for frozen waffles and frozen bread slices.
Final Thoughts
If you are a food snob, look away. This toaster is not for you.
But if you are a normal person who just wants a hot bagel on a Tuesday morning before rushing to work? The Amazon Basics 2-Slice Toaster is a champion of mediocrity. It does exactly what it says on the box. It doesn’t try to impress you. It just heats up bread.
For the price of a few fancy coffees, you get a reliable, working appliance. In today’s economy, that’s a win in my book.
Transparency Note: This review is based on market research and aggregated user feedback. We are reader-supported: If you buy through our links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This does not influence our editorial rating.
