Our Proctor Silex basic toaster died recently after several years of good service. I'd bought that because many reviewers found that it toasted evenly and consistently, unlike many more expensive and complicated models.
In my quest for a replacement, I tried several products of various brands. I found, like many reviewers, that most were deficient one way or another: cords too short; revolting stink from factory residue when heating; uneven toasting; too-small slots; metal sides that became painfully hot; and some just plain broken right out of the box.
Most new toasters seem to have rather short cords (perhaps a safety regulation), but this one is at least tolerable.
Good features: Cool-to-touch plastic body, bagel button, defrost button. Also, wires inside are covered with a shield to make them shock resistance -- useful in homes with kids.
Best thing: It actually works as promised. Toast may be uneven, especially on thinner slices, or when toasting only one slice. But that seems common on current toasters, especially with bagel feature. At least in this case, the product manual admits that that can happen, which I appreciated. The solution, simple enough, is to toast on a lighter setting, remove and rotate slice, and toast some more.
I can't comment on durability, since we've had it about one month. But Hamilton Beach is made by same co. that makes Proctor Silex (also Sunbeam I think) so I am hopeful it may last as long as our old toaster.
We have a black and chrome, deco style Sunbeam coffee maker, and this toaster matches it well. I do wish that the 'Cancel' button had a light to show when the toaster is on, like on our old toaster, but that's a minor complaint. It's sad that there are so many poorly made appliances on the market today, but I am very pleased with this product.