Sunbeam 4-Slice Toaster Oven Product Review

A little over a year ago I needed a new toaster oven to replace the Black & Decker one I had. I didn't need anything fancy, just a basic appliance that would be occasionally used to make toast and heat up food items. When I visited Wal-Mart and made my selection, I decided to switch over to another well-known brand of appliances. Read this Sunbeam 4-Slice Toaster Oven product review and find out all about it!

Price and Availability
I purchased my Sunbeam 4-Slice Toaster Oven at Wal-Mart for around 20 dollars. I didn't shop anywhere else, but I recently found this product at Kohl's too.

Product Description
The Sunbeam 4-Slice Toaster Oven is a basic appliance. It doesn't have any bells or whistles, and that suits me fine. It measures about 15 inches long, is 8 inches wide, and 9 inches deep. Since I don't have a lot of counter space, I was looking for a compact toaster oven.

This Sunbeam product comes in basic white. It has a 4-slice toast capacity. It also bakes, broils, and warms. It's easy to operate because one dial controls everything. The top dial controls the temperatures, as well as the toast and broil settings. The bottom dial timer has a 15-minute maximum with a "Stay On" setting. A loud "ding" lets you know when your food is done.

This Sunbeam 4-Slice Toaster Oven has upper and lower heating elements. It also has a hinged crumb tray for easy cleaning. It also has a red power indicator light. A baking pan and an instruction manual comes with it.

Test Results
When I first brought this appliance home and started using it a little over a year ago, I was reasonably happy with it. One glitch it had- and still has- is with the glass door on the front being attached to the metal rack. It opens easily. But, when you try to close it, the rack sometimes hangs up. So you have to jiggle the door a little before the rack slides back in like it's supposed to. Not a big deal because it doesn't affect the actual operation of the toaster oven. Still, it's an annoyance.

My biggest gripe, is, that my Sunbeam 4-Slice Toaster Oven worked fine for the first year. After that- probably when the warranty ran out- the top heating element became "weak" on the left side. Now, when I put in two slices of bread to make toast, the slice on the left isn't done when the right one is. So, to remedy the situation, I open the door in the middle of the toasting cycle. I then quickly switch the places of the bread slices so both toast evenly. This is a huge annoyance.
And, who knows how much longer the top heating element will last before it completely quits working?

Conclusion
I can remember my mother having a Sunbeam mixer, as well as several other Sunbeam appliances. She trusted the Sunbeam name. In a way, I'm disillusioned with this brand. But, as I remember, the Black & Decker Toaster Oven I had for years cost twice as much as this Sunbeam 4-Slice Toaster Oven did. So, I think I bought a cheap, "bottom of the barrel" appliance that wasn't built to last. When I replace this toaster oven, I'm skipping over any Sunbeams on the market. I'm going to look for a better quality appliance that I don't have to replace every year. I'll probably buy another Black & Decker Toaster Oven. I certainly learned a lesson here.