Revolution Cooking 2-Slice Smart Toaster - Brushed Stainless Steel

The Revolution Cooking R180 High Speed Smart Toaster is a kitchen appliance that will add both functionality and high-tech style to any kitchen. This stainless steel beauty is compact but contains a very sophisticated capability for toasting a wide variety of tasty items. Revolution Cooking was founded in Potomac, Maryland in 2016. It designs innovative household products with the latest technology in key areas to differentiate them from their competitors. The R180 High Speed Smart Toaster is their first major consumer product. Manufacturing is conducted in China. Here is a summary of the key features of this superb appliance: • Model: Revolution Cooking 2 Slice High Speed Smart Toaster (Model R180) • Color: Polished chrome and brushed stainless steel • 3.3” x 5.8” color LCD touch screen controls all functions • Capacity: Two items up to 4.5 inches by 5 inches in size by 1.2 inch thick • Automatic lowering/raising of food item • Diamond coil heating elements with smart sensors to speed toasting and insure uniformity • Five built-in smart presets for food item types (bread, English muffin, pastry, waffle, bagel) • Three presets for food status (fresh, frozen, reheat) • Seven toasting/browning shade settings • Selection for large or small bagel • Three chime volume settings plus mute • Three screen brightness settings • Idle display: Two-color analog clock or digital clock (both with date) or logo (no clock) • Analog timing display during operation with 10 second digital countdown and chime at end • Pop-out crumb tray with on-screen reminder notice • Dimensions: 6.1 inches wide, 11.5 inches deep, 8.4 inches tall • Weight: 3.6 pounds • Input power: 1440 watts • 120v/60hz, cord length: 29 inches • One year replacement warranty for defects in parts and labor I bought my first kitchen appliance more than forty years ago and in all of the years since I have never owned a stand-alone toaster. When I set up my first kitchen the “toaster-oven” has just been introduced. This multi-purpose appliance took the place of a toaster and a small oven and over the years the capabilities of toaster ovens have expanded. My current device has convection baking, steam oven, broiler and toaster functions. But somehow, the basic toasting function of toaster ovens has never matched the output you would expect from a simple toaster. The shelf has to be positioned just right, the unit takes quite a bit of time to complete the toasting cycle and you have to play hit or miss on the timing. It gets the job done, but always with a compromise in quality. The solution is to go retro and return to a single purpose appliance – the toaster. But Revolution Cooking has refined that basic appliance, expanded and optimized its functions and wrapped the final product in a remarkable package. When I opened the new Revolution Cooking High Speed Smart Toaster I was immediately impressed by the beauty and elegance of this device. The brushed stainless steel sides are elegant and easy to wipe clean. The heavily chromed front and back framing provide a look of real quality while minimizing the area which might show fingerprints. The large (3.3” x 5.8”) color LCD touch screen not only controls all functions but also provides a nice clock with date (in either analog or digital format) when the toaster is idle. One subtle but effective design element is that the LCD screen is set about 20 degrees back of vertical. This adds a contemporary accent but more importantly, aids in viewing the screen. Setup of the R180 is very easy. The touchpad is responsive and all settings are accessible at the standard “gear” icon: Set the date and time, choose the default bagel size (bakery or standard), select the sound and screen brightness level. At the toasting control screen you select the type of item to be toasted (bread, English muffin, pastry, waffle, bagel) then indicate whether the item is “fresh” (which also means refrigerated), frozen or is simply being reheated. Finally, you choose the degree of toasting (“brownness level”) on a seven point scale. One level left or right of the center position will typically be right for most items, but you may have your own preferences. Tap “start” and the food item is lowered automatically and the screen changes to an analog timer with a clockwise change in the surrounding dots. At the final ten seconds a digital timer appears and a chime sounds as the food item is lifted up. The Revolution Cooking High Speed Smart Toaster is - as the name implies - Fast! It took approximately one-third as much time to toast two pieces of bread as my big multi-function toaster oven. And the result was uniform brownness. A second benefit of the speed was that the toast was not dried out. I believe that the outer surface of the bread is seared, like a steak on a grill, by the high temperature of the massive array of diamond coil heating elements and sensors. Unlike conventional toasters which have a heating element wire laced across the sides to heat the toast, the R180 has an almost continuous set of diamond coil heating elements on all of the lateral interior surfaces. This gives very uniform heating and browning. I have toasted a wide variety of items in the R180 and each was nicely and quickly browned to my taste (after a bit of experimenting on the correct shade selection. In particular I toasted some sourdough crumpets - essentially a thick English muffin (which had given me trouble in my toaster oven) – and they were delicious. One nice feature is the crumb tray system. After a certain number of items have been toasted you will receive a reminder to empty the crumb tray. It slides out the front and is very easy to clean. The toasting slot is about 5 inches long by 4.5 inches deep by about 1.2 inches thick. This allows sufficient room for most items. However, if you are a fan of wide bakery bread (Italian, sourdough, rye) you will find that you need to cut each piece in half before toasting it. Not a big problem, but I thought it should be mentioned for those (like me) who are used to the unlimited size capacity of toaster ovens. You will appreciate how little space it takes on your counter, but if you only make toast occasionally it is lightweight and could be stored inside a cabinet between uses. Is this toaster worth its substantial price? Every top kitchen appliance brand offers a toaster in this price range, so the price is not that unusual for those who demand the best. The Revolution Cooking R180 toaster is definitely a premier product and offers unique features not found on other toasters in its price category. So by that criteria it is fairly priced. Once you accept that pricing rationale you can focus on the delight of having a beautiful, compact device that does exactly what you want it to do, and does it very well! Given the number of positive aspects and the fact that I really can’t find a significant flaw, I really have no qualms about giving the Revolution Cooking R180 Two Slice High Speed Smart Toaster a full five stars and a “well-done” commendation!

Three hundred dollars for a toaster…hmmmmmm. For years, no, decades, I have longed for a toaster that will brown bread and Eggos (I’m a simple man) evenly and to the same degree on both sides without my having to flip over the item. I had HIGH hopes for this toaster. I have to admit, this is the first toaster where I have sat down and read the instruction manual that came with it. The Quick Start Guide tells you everything you really need to know and there is probably only one thing unintuitive that you need to know to use the Revolution Cooking R180 High-Speed Smart Toaster. That one thing is the sequence of touches that need to be made for the toaster to activate the “Start” button. Some initial observations are that the toaster’s cord is flat and quite stiff which complicates cord management a bit since a toaster is usually left on the kitchen counter to be used every day and the cord is readily visible. To the design team - a round cord that is more flexible would be appreciated, maybe even where you could store the excess on the bottom of the toaster. Also a 90-degree plug would make for a neater appearance on a kitchen counter - in my instance the toaster sits on a 12 inch wide section of counter and has to be backed up against the electrical receptacle when not in use. The instructions state there is a clear protective covering on the touchscreen that is to be removed, but I could not find an edge to easily peel it up - adding a nice big tab to it would make it easier to remove. I still haven’t been able to get it off - but maybe my sample didn’t even have one to begin with, I can’t tell. This toaster is roughly the same size as what I have been using and is noticeably heavier, but that shouldn’t really be a concern. The touchscreen is approximately 3” by 6” and easy to use. It responds well and fairly quickly to commands. However I did find that I had to make a fairly decisive stab at the screen with my finger to “wake” it up from the resting clock screen sometimes. It would have been nice if the date was a little larger on the clock screen so you could read it from across the room. If you don’t have either the digital or analog clock showing at rest, the display shows a Revolution Cooking logo. The toaster does not have Wi-Fi built in which at this price point surprises me as so many things have this capability and who knows, once it gets in wide release and the company receives more feedback they may want to change some of the programming algorithms. The overall design of the R180 is modern and stylish and will go well with any kitchen decor. I had one guest over in the week since I received the toaster and she did notice and comment on the analog clock appearing on the toaster. My testing was done with a quality white bread (to easier see the browning) that is available in the Midwest, national-brand frozen waffles, a national-brand frozen pastry, and a regional refrigerator case bagel brand. The toaster has programs for “bread”, “waffle”, “English muffin”, “bagel”, and “pastry” (these appear as little pictures of the products on the touchscreen). There are also additional settings for “fresh”, “frozen”, and “reheat” - the reheat setting appears to just run the heating elements for 15 seconds to put a little warmth back into the food rather than browning it any further. And then there are seven levels of “toasting”. The little pictures actually change appearance when you choose a toasting level and they are pretty accurate when compared to what you will see come out of the toaster - at least with bread. When in use, the screen displays “Heating”, “Browning”, and “Crisping” functions during some of the cycles. I could discern no visual difference in the intensity of the heating elements, but that doesn’t mean that they weren’t varying their heat output, I just couldn’t tell. The elements going on and off did not seem to coincide with any of the on-screen messages, but this comes into play when obtaining the same level of browning to both sides of toast. I also noticed that when a product is lowered into the toaster, that the grates that move in from either side will usually center the product between the heating elements, but for some products such as bagels, they position it off center and farther away from the center heating elements so that the cut face isn’t as prone to burn. There is more going on in this toaster than what meets the eye. For the bread, I made toast using each of the seven darkness settings starting with room temperature bread and letting the toaster cool down in between uses. I made one piece of toast at a time using the same slot on the toaster. I then took a group photo of all seven slices, first showing the side facing the center heating element and then I flipped them over showing the side that faced the outer heating element. At all seven settings, the side of the bread facing the center heating element was slightly darker than the side facing the outside heating element, even though the center heating elements of the toaster turn off at least 15 seconds before the outer elements do. I then made a slice of toast with my old toaster and compared it to the closest result from the Revolution. The R180 was much more consistent at browning the toast evenly on both sides than my old toaster, so it appears turning off the inner heating elements does indeed accomplish what is intended of this feature. I timed each of the seven settings from the moment I pressed the start button until the bread was fully raised by the automatic mechanism. The times ranged from 1 minute and 20 seconds for the “1” setting, to 2 minutes and 32 seconds for the “7” setting. I also timed my old toaster. The Revolution was indeed faster, but not by a whole lot. At setting “4” it took 1 minute and 45 seconds to make toast and a comparable browning using my old toaster took 1 minute and 58 seconds from the time I pushed down the manual lever until the toast popped up. I’m not so sure I would consider this slightly faster performance (11% faster) to be significant in anyone’s morning routine. Both slots of the toaster were consistent with each other for the amount of browning of the bread. Running the toaster in quick succession with no downtime between heatings resulted in shorter and shorter run times which implies that the programming is more than a simple timer and takes into account the body of the appliance heating up and resulting in it needing less time to toast bread to the same darkness. On the sixth cycle, the toaster stopped much short of the previous time and the display showed “recalibrating” and the touchscreen would not respond. The User Manual makes no mention of this situation, but things started working normally after the toaster cooled down for a bit. The bread was very consistently browned during these rapid-fire toasting cycles. The time for these cycles while getting shorter were not consistent in length which surprised me. If the heating cycle was based solely on time, it should have had the same toasting time with each use, so maybe there is some other factor at play. The prompts for emptying the crumb tray appear to be related to the number of cycles rather than a sensor that detects debris on the tray as it prompted for emptying in the middle of my running multiple cycles with no food items in the toaster. The browning and heating of the Revolution R180 proved to be superior to my traditional-style, less sophisticated toaster, but do these improvements make any difference in the enjoyment of the food? I found the toast it produced from fresh, room-temperature bread to be noticeably dry and crunchier compared to that made in the old toaster which was slightly crunchy on the outside and tender in the middle. The round, frozen waffles were overly browned in the center and slightly soggy around their perimeter on some settings - but this might be due to the “cupping” of the frozen product as it came out of the package. Again, I preferred the texture of what came out of my old toaster. Even after multiple tries with the frozen waffles, I was not able to replicate the combination of brownness, texture, and mouth-feel to what my old toaster produced. Bagels did work quite nicely. You insert the bagel half with the cut side facing the inside heating element which heats during the whole cycle. The outside element runs for only the first part of the heating cycle to put some warmth into the opposite side of the bagel without browning that side. I had mixed results with the frozen pastry. I usually make these by running them through two cycles in my old toaster at a lower darkness setting so that the gooey interior of the pastry gets warmed sufficiently without overly browning the flaky outside of the product. I had trouble obtaining the same result with the Revolution toaster when having it run a particular algorithm for just one cycle. Some of these observations are entirely subjective and of personal preference. I only mention it so that a new purchaser is aware that results might not be to their usual expectations and that they will likely have to run some trials to find what works best for the particular food product they use and having it made to their liking. I’m having a hard time deciding on a star rating for this appliance. Yes, it does what a toaster is supposed to do, it heats and browns food, the minimum you would expect any toaster to do. It does so in style and with the novel feature of a touchscreen AND most importantly, it is superiorly capable of browning both sides of bread more consistently than traditional toasters, and it has a clock - now up to four stars. It does cost $300 and that puts it way out of reach of many shoppers, so that keeps it at four stars. As much as I would like to give it five stars, the high price prevents me from doing so.

The Revolution R180 is shockingly expensive, but it does produce softer and more fluffy toast in a fraction of the time required by a traditional toaster. Because the R180 has a more robust heating element - the temperature is applied more evenly and at a higher intensity. This results in an ability to quickly crisp the surface of the bread while leaving the inside moist & fluffy. While comparing the R180 to my traditional Hamilton Beach toaster, I discovered that most standard toasters cook at a lower temperature for a longer period of time. Toast may look the same as bread cooked in the R180, but standard toast is more dry and is crunchy all the way through - more like a crouton. Even on the darker settings, the R180 leaves the inside of the toast soft. Though the Revolution Toaster looks incredible and does (eventually) make better toast (after settings are adjusted), I simply do not believe it is able to justify its high price. My most basic expectation is that the R180 would produce toast that matches the image displayed on its screen and, unfortunately, it does not (see images attached). I also do not agree that the R180 should be advertised as a “Smart Toaster”. While they advertise that the toaster features “smart sensors that optimize the toasting process based on food type” - it appears as though each cooking option is nothing more than a standard pre-set which moves through a cycle of Heating, Browning, then Crisping. Here is what each toaster setting actually does: Bagel Mode: Heats both sides of the Bagel for 30 seconds, then Browns and Crisps only the inside of the bagel. English Muffin Mode: The toaster moves through the standard cycle of Heating, Browning, & Crisping - but, both inner & outer heating coils stay on the entire time. Customer service states both heating elements stay on because English Muffins are commonly a more doughy texture. Their intention is for the 4 coils to cook the English Muffin more thoroughly. Pastry Mode: Does not offer the option to select crispness level (although you can select between Fresh, Frozen, or Reheat). Customer Service states that Pastry cook level is pre-set so that Pop-tarts do not get hot enough to burn children. The toaster stays in Heating mode and both inner & outer coils stay on during the entire cooking process. Toast Mode: The toaster moves through the standard cycle of Heating, Browning, and Crisping, The inner coils turn off for the past 20 seconds. Customer service explains this is because the inner portion of the toaster gets to a higher temperature than the outer side. NOTE: The length of time that the outer coils remain heated can be adjusted within the “SERVICE WINDOW”. Waffle Mode: Heats, Browns, then Crisps. The inner coils turn off for the last 25 seconds. Reheat: Warms the contents of the toaster for 15 seconds (without adding to the level of crispness). I honestly feel as though Revolution dropped the ball by not utilizing the touch screen to provide any “smart”, creative, or innovative features. Example 1: I would have liked to see the option to set user profiles that would allow each family member to store their individual preferences. When Dad makes his toast he would choose his icon and the toaster would automatically cook to a level 6. When Daughter selects her profile, it automatically cooks to a 4, etc. Example 2: Delayed cooking could be a neat feature. I frequently make toast for my wife, but she may take longer to come downstairs to join me for breakfast. It would be cool if I could set a timer. I could drop in her Bagel (etc) and set a timer for 3 minutes. When the 3 minutes is up, she’d hear the toaster chime and it would start cooking her Bagel. Or, if the Toaster had actually been web enabled, we could sync to an app that would allow my wife to start the toasting process from her phone. The toaster costs SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS - these options are not far fetched at this price point - and most of them would not cost any extra. AND, if they had built in a way to update the software, these features could be added. Example 3: The screen would be especially useful if it displayed a video image of your bread as it is being toasted. This would allow the user to eject the toast at the exact moment it reaches the desired texture. This function would also allow users to adjust the darkness that each pre-set produces. I simply don’t agree with marketing the R180 as a “Smart Device”. The toaster is not connected to the web, it does not have a smart assistant built in, cannot connect to a smartphone, the software cannot be upgraded, the user cannot adjust the visual image to match the actual toasting results, the toaster is not able to sense when only one slot is being used - which would allow energy savings by only heating the coils that are truly being used, the toaster cannot actually detect the darkness level in order to match the expected results, and the screen doesn’t even time out when the toaster is not being used - the entire screen stays on wasting electricity 24/7/365. There are no true smart features - just a wider assortment of pre-set programmed options. The company simply elected to use a screen instead of multiple physical buttons (which would have certainly cost much less). I have tested multiple kinds of bread, bagels, English Muffins, Waffles, Pop-Tarts, and Toaster Strudels. I learned to access and adjust secret settings (see instructions below). Revolution even replaced my R180 when it wasn’t performing to their standards. And after using two R180 Toasters for quite some time - I still have a love hate relationship with it. I cannot get past how drastic the difference is between the image on the screen and the toast that is produced. And the crispness level is not consistent between different brands of bread, or different food items. Toast gets soggy if cooked at a 5 or less, but if I cook an English Muffin on a 5 it flat out burns. Revolution has a long way to go before their toaster is truly worth several hundred dollars. I hope they continue to innovate and improve, but I simply cannot justify the price and therefore cannot recommend the R180. PROS: + Completes the toasting process significantly faster than a standard toaster. (Literally a whole minute faster) + The outside of the toaster stays significantly cooler during the cooking process. + Easy to use + The screen shows you a visual representation of how long it will take to complete the toasting process (although only the last 10 seconds are counted down in an actual timer) + Looks much nicer / classier than a standard toaster. + The Warranty lasts for 12 months. + If you do process a warranty, the replacement Toaster comes with a brand new 12 month Warranty (confirmed with Customer Service) + The toaster plays an audible chime when toast is done cooking + The chime volume and the screen’s brightness can be adjusted + Occasionally displays a reminder that the crumb tray needs cleaning + Customer Support is extremely helpful and knowledgeable. Revolution has 10 specially trained Customer Support Representatives who take calls Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST. CONS: - High Price - Can only toast two slices of bread at a time - The Image of the Toast displayed on the screen does not match the results. (See photos for examples.) - The packaging states that the R180 includes smart sensors that optimize the toasting process based on food type, but this does not seem to be true. Each toasting option appears to simply be a preset that follows a specified cooking pattern. - Because the toaster automatically lowers and lifts the bread, if bread gets stuck - there is no lever to help manually lift the contents. - The bread slots are no wider or thicker than a standard toaster. - The English Muffin mode cooks much darker than either toast or bagel modes. As the image on the screen doesn’t match the results, the user is left with burnt English Muffins when using the same cook level they are accustomed to using for Toast, Bagels, and/or Waffles. - The Screen is always on and does not dim or time out. This is a much larger waste of energy compared to nearly all other toasters & kitchen gadgets. - Pastry Mode does not allow the user to select the cooking level. This results in the toaster not being able to warm the inside of a frozen pastry. Toaster Strudels are left nearly frozen in the middle. - The Toaster requires that you select your bread type every time you use the device. So even though you may only eat toast every morning, you must always select “Toast” before you have the option of pressing the “Start” button. (You do not have to select “Fresh/Frozen/Reheat” or the crispness level every time you use the device.) This may seem like a small issue, but it is annoying to have to press multiple options instead of dropping in your bread and simply pressing start (which is all that is required by a standard toaster). - Toaster is made in China - NOT in the USA (Confirmed with Customer Service) - There is no way to update the software (confirmed by customer service). - The touchscreen cannot be replaced. If the screen breaks or malfunctions, the Warranty will replace the entire toaster within 12 months of the purchase date. - The only piece of the toaster that can be replaced is the crumb tray. - The Revolution Toaster leaves toast softer inside (even on darker settings), but at the same time struggles to produce the same level of crunch as a standard toaster. Once butter (or toppings) are added to the Revolution Toast, they soften and often feel closer to warm bread vs actual toast. HOW TO ACCESS SERVICE WINDOW: Press the Settings Icon Tap the Bagel Icon 5 times Tap the Brightness Icon 5 times Service menu will appear

I can't say enough fantastic things about this toaster! First off, it looks like a toaster with an iPhone attached to the front. How cool is that? This Revolution Cooking R180 toaster begs to remain on display. The screen shows the time and date, in both digital and analog formats when it is off. That in itself has forced me to leave the toaster on the countertop and plugged in. And with it being there, and plugged in, I actually use it! My previous toaster was cheap, not very aesthetic, so lived it's life in a cabinet, until we really wanted to toast something. With this new toaster, it's begging to be used, to the point (I know its still new and a novelty) that we're looking for things to toast. I bought English Muffins (Blueberry) for the first time in forever, and also some bagels, and finally some toaster pastries. We've toasted each of these products and had a perfect success every single time! Once putting your desired toastable product in the slots, you choose the type of product that it is on screen (an image of bread/pastries/english muffin/waffles/bagels are options), you determine if it's fresh/frozen/reheating, then you choose the desired toasting color you'd like (1-7) with 1 being barely held near a heat source, to 7 which is charred beyond recognition! The screen also shows how scorched your food is with a little graphic, which is neat! And once your settings are selected, press the 'START' button. An image of the bread for example is shown in the center of the screen while toasting, with dots around it. The dots light up in 5 sec increments as the bread is toasted. The toaster heats up within a couple of seconds, the bread it gently grabbed by the toasting cage and lowered to the optimal area in the toasting grid. When all but the last two dots have illuminated, the display shows that the bread is now 'Crisping' and a 10 sec countdown timer shows at the top of the screen. When done, a pleasing tone is played, and the cage gently raises the bread up and releases it for consumption. No more flinging your bread across the room like my old one used to do. If you need to cancel at any time, the 'START' button changes to a 'CANCEL' button, and resets itself to the home screen, with the cage up and open in the toaster. When toasting bagels, I was pleasantly surprised that choosing that setting, only turns on the inside heating elements of the toaster. Theres a little icon on top to tell you to face bagels in particular to face the cut sides together, this toasts only the inside, leaving the outside of the bagel nice and warm, but soft. It was delicious. The toaster comes from the factory preset to toast regular bagels, however in the setting menu (press the gear in the top right corner) there is an option for Large Bagels. That switches up some of the parameters of the toaster to accommodate the larger bagel. The algorithms of the toaster change, dependent on the type of food being toasted, the duration and even the voltage from the outlet, to give you a perfect toasting every time. The design of the toaster is very pleasing in brushed aluminum and chrome, with a black LCD screen when off, with the time and date displayed, and a vivid white screen when you are using it. Within the settings, you can change the time and date, the volume of the alert when your toasting is done, or even mute it if you want to. You can choose the brightness of the screen, and also you'll find the large bagel setting there as well. The toaster will also remind you to clean out the crumb tray! To release it, push in just below the Revolution logo and the tray will pop out. Empty it and slide it back into place, pressing the logo again to lock it. The rubber feet do a great job of stopping it sliding around on my granite countertops. The toaster is well built, looks like it will last a long time, and very aesthetically pleasing. The only negative I can see would be the price point. It's a smart toaster, but not a 'smart' toaster, so it doesn't connect with any smart assistants, therefore you can't operate it remotely (not that I think that is necessary for a toaster). Its smartness comes from how it completes the heating process. And that smartness comes at a price. I would wholeheartedly recommend this toaster to my friends and family, it's a really nice addition to my kitchen!

For those in those in search of the perfect slice of toast this is definitely worth a look. Overall, it does a very good job and I recommend. It has a nice clean stainless-steel design that looked good on our counter. Its pretty light weight with about a 24-inch cord. Using the gear icon gives you access to settings to personalize the toaster. Here you can set time/date (which seems to stay set even if unplugged), bagel setting with large option, volume of chime when toast cycle has completed and brightness of screen. Large front color touch screen display. The selection options are: bread, bagels, pastry (Pop Tart pictured), English muffin and waffle. The degree of toast goes from one to seven (didn’t go higher than 4 – but assume 7 would pretty much result in a lump of coal). You also select fresh, frozen or reheat. Place your item in the toaster slot – then touch the screen to start – selecting your bread type, frozen/fresh/reheat and darkness – then press start. Your item descends into the toaster automatically and is perfectly centered between the heating elements. A display comes up with picture of your bread type with a series of little dots encircling it. The dots go darker in a clock-wise motion to indicate where you are in the heating process, allowing you to gage when it will be done. At 10 seconds a timer shows as a countdown. When zero a chine is sounded and food magically emerges from the toaster. I found using fresh (unfrozen or just out of the refrigerator) items the toaster did a very good job of toasting. Bread (especially French bread), bagels and English muffins and waffles all were heated through with a nice crunch. 1-year warranty My main quibbles are; Frozen items were a tad hit and miss but pretty consistently toasted around 50% more on the inner side than the outer side. If you toast a small item it may be very difficult to get out after toasting as you cannot “force” item up as you can with manual toaster slot. If only toasting one item both sides heat up. Given that the items are automatically lowered/centered in slot it would have been nice to heat only side being used. Only 2 slots. Not truly a “smart” device as does not connect but not really sure what the benefit would be if it was? Due to cost I wonder if it would only appeal to someone really toast-focused.

My old toaster was something of an enigma. Setting it to 1 resulted in warm bread while 3 provided charred slices of rock. Naturally, setting it to 2 would provide results on both ends of the spectrum depending on astral alignment. Needless to say, I was in need of new toaster. The R180 promised a revolution at a price point that would make even the most seasoned salesman blush. Is it worth the price of admission? The Revolution Cooking R180 2-Slice High-Speed Smart Toaster is a modern take on the often over looked appliance. With an intuitive large touch screen, the R180 provides a visual indicator of how your food will be toasted eliminating the guess work. This alone makes it so even I can manage to toast food to perfection. The cooking selection features a carousel of foods including Bread, Bagel, Waffle, Pastry, and English Muffin. All but the pastry have the option to select your toasting level with visual feedback on how the food will come out. Additional smart features include auto adjusting which internal elements run during the cook and crisping cycles, resulting in toast perfection. The heating elements have more surface area than most toasters, delivering a fast cook time with consistent results. The automatic lift mechanism raises and lowers your toasted delicacies with a smooth motion. No jarring jack-in-the-box spring action here, your toasted bagels will rise up slowly with sophistication. As impressive as the mechanism is, hopefully the longevity of the motor out lasts the mere 1 year warranty. For the price, a longer warranty would be appreciated. One other short coming is the clock. This smart toaster only tracks time while plugged in, apparently adding an internal battery would have made it a genius and Revolution Cooking is thwarting the machines taking over humanity one toaster at a time. The toaster is clearly a luxury at the price, but for something I use so often it is nice to have an appliance that is easy, fast, and consistent. Just don’t ask it for the time.

The Revolution R180 is shockingly expensive, but it does produce softer and more fluffy toast in a fraction of the time required by a traditional toaster. Because the R180 has a more robust heating element - the temperature is applied more evenly and at a higher intensity. This results in an ability to quickly crisp the surface of the bread while leaving the inside uncooked. While comparing the R180 to my traditional Hamilton Beach toaster I discovered that most standard toasters cook at a lower temperature for a longer period of time. Typical toast may look the same as that made by the R180, but an average toaster typically makes toast crunchy all the way through - While even on the darkest settings, the R180 leaves the inside of the bread soft. Though the Revolution Toaster looks incredible and does make softer toast, I simply do not believe it is able to justify its high price. My most basic expectation is that the R180 would produce toast that matches the image displayed on its screen and it does not (see images attached). I also do not agree that the R180 should be advertised as a “Smart Toaster”. While they advertise that the toaster features “smart sensors that optimize the toasting process based on food type” - it appears as though each cooking option is nothing more than a standard pre-set which moves through a cycle of Heating, Browning, then Crisping. Here is what each toaster setting actually does: Begal Mode: Heats both sides of the Begal for 30 seconds, then Browns and Crisps only the inside of the begal. English Muffin Mode: The toaster moves through the standard cycle of Heating, Browning, & Crisping - but, both inner & outer heating coils stay on the entire time. Customer service states both heating elements stay on because English Muffins are commonly a more doughy texture. Their intention is for the 4 coils to cook the English Muffin more thoroughly. Pastry Mode: Does not offer the option to select any cooking level (although you can select between Fresh, Frozen, or Reheat). Customer Service states that pastry cook level is pre-set so that Pop-tarts do not get hot enough to burn children. The toaster stays in Heating mode and both inner & outer coils stay on during the entire cooking process. Toast Mode: The toaster moves through the standard cycle of Heating, Browning, and Crisping, The inner coils turn off for the past 20 seconds. Customer service explains this is because the inner portion of the toaster gets to a higher temperature than the outer side. NOTE: The length of time that the outer coils remain heated can be adjusted within the “SERVICE WINDOW”. Waffle Mode: Heats, Browns, then Crisps. The inner coils turn off for the last 25 seconds. Reheat: Warms the contents of the toaster for 15 seconds (without adding to the level of crispness). I honestly feel as though Revolution dropped the ball by not utilizing the touch screen to provide any “smart”, creative, or innovative features. Example 1: I would have liked to see the option to set user profiles that would allow each family member to store their individual preferences. When Dad makes his toast he would choose his icon and the toaster would automatically cook to a level 6. When Daughter selects her profile, it automatically cooks to a 4, etc. Example 2: Delayed cooking could be a neat feature. I frequently make toast for my wife, but she may take longer to come downstairs to join me for breakfast. It would be cool if I could set a timer. I could drop in her Bagel (etc) and set a timer for 3 minutes. When the 3 minutes is up, she’d hear the toaster chime and it would start cooking her Bagel. Or, if the Toaster has actually been web enabled, we could sync to an app that would allow her to start the toasting process from her phone. The toaster costs SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS - these options are not far fetched at this price point - and most of them would not cost any extra. AND, if they had built in a way to update the software, these features could be added. Example 3: The screen would be especially useful if it displayed a video image of your bread as it is being toasted. This would allow the user to eject the toast at the exact moment it reaches the desired texture. This function would also allow users to adjust the darkness that each pre-set produces. I simply don’t agree with marketing the R180 as a “Smart Device”. The toaster is not connected to the web, it does not have a smart assistant built in, cannot connect to a smartphone, the software cannot be upgraded, the user cannot adjust the visual image to match the actual toasting results, the toaster is not able to sense when only one slot is being used - which would allow energy savings by only heating the coils that are truly being used, the toaster cannot actually detect the darkness level in order to match the expected results, and the screen doesn’t even time out when the toaster is not being used - the entire screen stays on wasting electricity 24/7/365. There are no true smart features - just a wider assortment of pre-set programmed options. The company simply elected to use a screen instead of multiple physical buttons (which would have certainly cost much less). I have tested multiple kinds of bread, bagels, English Muffins, Waffles, Pop-Tarts, and Toaster Strudels. I learned to access and adjust secret settings. Revolution even replaced my R180 when it wasn’t performing to their standards. And after using two R180 Toasters for quite some time - I still have a love hate relationship with it. I cannot get past how drastic the difference is between the image on the screen and the toast that is produced. And the crispness level is not consistent between different brands of bread, or different food items. Toast gets soggy if cooked at a 5 or less, but if I cook an English Muffin on a 5 it flat out burns. Revolution has a long way to go before their toaster is truly worth several hundred dollars. I hope they continue to innovate and improve, but I simply cannot justify the price and therefore cannot recommend the R180. PROS: + Completes the toasting process significantly faster than a standard toaster. (Literally a whole minute faster) + The outside of the toaster stays significantly cooler during the cooking process. + Easy to use + The screen shows you a visual representation of how long it will take to complete the toasting process (although only the last 10 seconds are counted down in an actual timer) + Looks much nicer / classier than a standard toaster. + The Warranty lasts for 12 months. + If you do process a warranty, the replacement Toaster comes with a brand new 12 month Warranty (confirmed with Customer Service) + The toaster plays an audible chime when toast is done cooking + The chime volume and the screen’s brightness can be adjusted + Occasionally displays a reminder that the crumb tray needs cleaning + Customer Support is extremely helpful and knowledgeable. Revolution has 10 specially trained Customer Support Representatives who take calls Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST. CONS: - High Price - Can only toast two slices of bread at a time - The Image of the Toast displayed on the screen does not match the results. (See photos for examples.) - The packaging states that the R180 includes smart sensors that optimize the toasting process based on food type, but this does not seem to be true. Each toasting option appears to simply be a preset that follows a specified cooking pattern. - Because the toaster automatically lowers and lifts the bread, if bread gets stuck - there is no lever to help manually lift the contents. - The bread slots are no wider or thicker than a standard toaster. - The English Muffin mode cooks much darker than either toast or bagel modes. As the image on the screen doesn’t match the results, the user is left with burnt English Muffins when using the same cook level they are accustomed to using for Toast, Bagels, and/or Waffles. - The Screen is always on and does not dim or time out. This is a much larger waste of energy compared to nearly all other toasters & kitchen gadgets. After years of remaining on for 24 hours a day, it is quite possible that certain images (like the “R” logo, or the bezel of the clock) will burn into the screen. - Pastry Mode does not allow the user to select the cooking level. This results in the toaster not being able to warm the inside of a frozen pastry. Toaster Strudels are left nearly frozen in the middle. - The Toaster requires that you select your bread type every time you use the device. So even though you may only eat toast every morning, you must always select “Toast” before you have the option of pressing the “Start” button. (You do not have to select “Fresh/Frozen/Reheat” or the crispness level every time you use the device.) This may seem like a small issue, but it is annoying to have to press multiple options instead of dropping in your bread and simply pressing start (which is all that is required by a standard toaster). - Toaster is made in China - NOT in the USA (Confirmed with Customer Service) - There is no way to update the software (confirmed by customer service). - The touchscreen cannot be replaced. If the screen breaks or malfunctions, the Warranty will replace the entire toaster within 12 months of the purchase date. - The only piece of the toaster that can be replaced is the crumb tray. - The Revolution Toaster leaves toast softer inside (even on darker settings), but at the same time struggles to produce the same level of crunch as a standard toaster. Once butter (or toppings) are added to the Revolution Toast, they soften and often feel closer to warm bread vs actual toast.

Inexpensive toasters simply apply constant heat for a period of time as determined by your browning setting. They’re not sophisticated and that’s why they’re so cheap. But Revolution R180 is in a league of its own. It controls both time and temperature. It’s as if the toaster warms up the food, then chars or broils the surface to create that perfect crisp/soft texture. It does this by 1) taking into account what you’re toasting: bread, English muffins, toaster pastries (aka Pop Tarts), bagels or waffles; 2) whether the food is fresh (or from the fridge), frozen, or just being reheated; and 3) your desired level of browning. Putting all these variables together, the R180 then pops up the perfect slice instead of being too dry or undercooked. Arguably toaster ovens let you control time and temperature as well, but it would be cumbersome and take a long time to achieve the same result. And, they won’t look as impressive with the slick touch screen. The screen has example images of browning levels. In actual usage, I never got the edge-to-edge browning that’s depicted in the images. But I was quite impressed with the quality and speed of the toasting. My first test was 2 slices of Orowheat Italian bread at the #4 setting. It took 1 min 32 sec. You can see from the photo that closer to the edge of the slices, browning stops. Certainly there will be variation due to type of bread, evenness of the slices, age, etc… For example, I also toasted Artesano brioche slices and they charred more than the Italian slices even though they cooked at level 2. That’s likely because brioche has more sugar. Next, I tried Orowheat Extra Crisp English muffins on a setting of 3, which took 2 min 21 sec. Prior to getting the R180, I would have to cycle the English muffins twice in my toaster oven. You can see from the photo the English muffins look burned. But the charring was limited to a thin top layer, and the rest of the bread was fine. I bought Extra Crisp because regular English muffins would not get as crispy as I like in my toaster oven. I may have to revert to the regular ones for the R180. Bottom line is you have to try different settings depending on your specific bread to see what works for you. The only real negative I have is the slots are standard length. I wish they were longer to accommodate some of the bakery bought loafs I sometimes get. The other downside is the price. It is certainly a splurge but if you toast food regularly, the results can’t be beat.