Breville Bit More Toaster 4 Slice BTA730XL, Brushed Stainless Steel
| Asin | B00COMHBT0 |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 8.1"D x 16.1"W x 7.6"H |
| Weight | 4.2 Pounds |
| Manufacturer | HWI/Breville USA |
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Breville Bit More Toaster 4 Slice BTA730XL, Brushed Stainless Steel
| Asin | B00COMHBT0 |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 8.1"D x 16.1"W x 7.6"H |
| Weight | 4.2 Pounds |
| Manufacturer | HWI/Breville USA |
Tango –
We had a cheap $15 toaster for many years, and I got sick the same toaster setting both under-toasting and burning bread, so we decided to try this one out (Consumer reports ranked it highly).
We’ve only had it for 2mo, but we love this toaster so far. We use it almost daily for store-bought bread (Alfaro’s Artesano Style Bread) and waffles (Eggo Thick and Fluffy). With the toast setting at ~50%, the bread comes out nicely toasted. Even when we toast several slices in a row, the “toast quality” is roughly the same from batch to batch. With our old toaster, we’d have to double toast the first slices, and then cancel the later batches early to avoid burning; this toaster seems to do a decent job of controlling the temperature and/or time in a way that keeps the toasting consistent. For the frozen waffles, I push the “frozen” button and bump the temperature setting a little higher to ~60%. Usually, that gives a respectably toasted waffle. Occasionally, I want my waffle extra crispy so I’ll double toast it at the 50~60% setting and I’m pleased that it doesn’t burn. Maybe I should just bump up the heat or try the “bit more” button…
Some reviews have complained about uneven toasting or that the inner heating elements do not heat up. On our unit, it looks like the inner heating elements are off or low by design, when toasting bread, but we haven’t noticed any issues with uneven toasting. The inner heating elements are on a shared wall between the two toasting chambers, so I’d guess that wall could turn into a real hot-spot (-> burnt bread) if the inner elements were on full blast. I think the inner elements turn on higher for the bagel setting, but we haven’t tried that yet.
Some additional PRO’s:
– Looks great: all stainless steel with LED lights on the buttons and temperature settings when in use (i.e.- the lights turn off after it is idle for a few minutes.
– Lift (and look) feature is awesome: I can check things without canceling the cycle, and when the toasting is done, lifting the handle lifts the toast/waffle an extra 3/4 inch to make it easier to grab without burning your fingers. I caught my wife looking for chopsticks to fish some hot toast out of the toaster, so I showed her how to lift the handle… viola! problem solved 🙂
On the CON side:
– It is a bit pricey (~$80 from Amazon), compared to our dirt cheap old toaster.
– It’s a bit bigger than I expected (wider than our cheap old toaster). But that’s not really a problem, probably helps keep the outside relatively cool to the touch.
I’m hoping it will last more than a few years. And if the toasting remains this consistent, I’d say it was a great buy.
Maybe I’ll update this in a year or two…
cguglomo –
We have had this Breville Bit More Toaster since about 1 June 2024. Our Cuisinart Long Slot toaster of 20 years shot flames out of the slot while my wife was toasting her bagel in late May 2024. I researched toasters and our older model Cuisinart was no longer for sale. My review is brutally honest and includes our experience and suggestions for modifications for an upgrade release.
Pros (recap from Toaster specifications):
1. Double slot that is long enough to toast Artisan Round Loaf sliced from the center.
2. Adjustable shade.
3. Bagel setting that toasts from the center heating elements only.
4. Frozen setting.
5. A Bit More setting that increases the toasting time by a few more seconds. Could not time how much longer this adds.
Cons:
1. Our primary use of the toaster is to toast bagels. The toaster only toasts the inside cut surface of a bagel which requires the bagel to be turned to the center divider. The toaster was designed to provide no heat source to the outside of the bagel. If you toast two bagels (4 halves), trying to butter four halves and have the butter melt, is difficult. The toaster does not heat the bagel all the way through unless you increase the toast cycle and then it comes out as a cracker. OK, if you like bagels crackers. So, we only toast one bagel at a time and quickly butter each half when toasted. We put the one with un-melted butter on the bottom of the pile and put the other first buttered half side on top to provide added heat to melt the butter on the lower piece. We do not use Schmears, just salted butter and/or Adams Peanut Butter. We apologize to you purists, no cream cheese.
2. I would rather have the ability to select whether or not to have heat on both sides of the item being toasted, bread slice or a bagel half. Frustrating.
3. If you look inside at the heating elements, there are several small width metal supports for the heating elements and one large one right in the middle of the of the heating slots. When toasting a piece of bread, this causes a portion of the bread slice to not be toasted. Since the bagel is smaller than a bread slice, it can bel placed away from the center support. This toaster is built well built. Reducing the width of the center support size to a smaller size seems adequate support.
4. Some reviewers indicate that the outside of the toaster does not get hot. Not true. We toast four bagels in series each morning and the toaster gets very hot. You must wait a few minutes to move the toaster to a stored position for the temperature to drop. I only tried to move it once and the temperature caused me to quickly remove my hands. Takes about 10 minutes for the temperature to drop for easy handling. Test it as you first use it to determine if it gets too hot for you.
5. There should be an additional button on the toaster. It should shave test saying, One Slice. Pressing it will turn off the back slot. When the current cycle is completed, it features should return to two slots as the other buttons do. It will save on energy costs. Especially when electric rates increase because EV cars and trucks become more prevalent. I agree this is trivial now, but what does the future look like?
6. My last criticism is that the depth of the slot should be ½ to ¾ inch deeper. We have never had a toaster that was deep enough to totally toast a slice of bread. Most commercial bakeries’ bread slices have lengths that exceed the depth of this toaster.
I spent my working life (53 years) as a Professional Engineer. One thing that I learned is that it is imperative to talk to the users of a new facility about what they do and do-not like about their existing facilities. Once we learned that, implementing startup always went smoothly because the operators were committed to making it work. That was the miracle that was never taught while in college.
I did significant research to find our next toaster. None of them met all our requirements. This is the only toaster that came close. I give it 3.5 stars out of 5 stars. This toaster was made in China. It is not evident that the toaster was designed in Australia with plans sent to China for fabrication.
Angus –
Solidly built and it works well. The “bit more” button is handy as is the feature to lift up the toast during toasting to check it. I don’t find the bagel setting that useful but that all depends on how you like them done. The slots are 1″ shorter than the ones on my old toaster – it would have been nice if they were longer but that is pretty typical on current toasters and the only other choice with Breville is the 4-slice version which is a monster that is too big for my counter.
Amazon Customer –
It pains me to write this because I have a Breville pro/ air fry over than I absolutely love. I was planning on buying more of their appliances because of that. THEN I BOUGHT THIS TOASTER. It has been a disappointment since day 1 and I should have returned it but thought it was me having to get use to all the functions buttons and settings . It wasn’t, it’s the toaster. Read all the 1 star reviews, I too had inner elements only work in bagel mode. I would use frozen & the little more button and would get 1 side soggy waffles on one side /dark on the other even after hitting a little extra time. Also the outer elements don’t all heat evenly or even stick out to heat up uniformly so it toasts the one side unevenly. What really bothers me is that this is a Breville that costs $100. As opposed to a $35-$60 toaster. Breville now has lost me as a future customer. I discovered the element issue 1 yr+ 2 wks. So 2wks out of warranty. I’m not even going to put myself what others went through after reading their stories to contact them. I’m just going to buy a different toaster and throw this in the garbage where it belongs . Obviously they have electrical, sensor? And can’t even toast correctly. I mean my God this isn’t rocket science, it’s a toaster- and a Breville. Shame on this company for selling a product that has a proven record of similar issues with a lot of customers. Oh and when I went to fill out a ticket for assistance/ or help with these issues, I couldn’t even submit it because it didn’t give a a drop down menu to select my appliance so I could not get the form completed . Red flag right there. DO NO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS. YOU CAN BUY 3 toasters that work for the price of this piece of garbage. Disgusted and sad at the same time. I really wanted a complete kitchen of matching BREVILLE appliances ( espresso etc) and now they list those sales. And those other appliances are expensive machines. I hope they read this and take action. They really dropped the ball with this.
Michael V. Henry –
Like most households, we’ve always had some type of toaster. I’ve never invested much money in a toaster, because even though it gets used regularly–if not daily–it was just one of the minor appliances, used for one specific job. We replaced them periodically, as they failed every few years. When the units came out with the wider bagel slots and the better adjustment on toasting, we stepped up to those features, but still just bought “cheap toasters”.
When our most recent toaster died after several years, I looked over options on Amazon to see what new features, if any, may have evolved since my last purchase. We had updated our kitchen and although our needs hadn’t changed, I thought that springing for a little nicer model might be worthwhile. I was captured by the appearance and the ratings of this Breville unit, so decided to up the ante and give it a try. So far, I’ve been happy with the decision.
The only possible negative that I’ve found is that this unit is physically larger than the cheaper models. It’s not monstrous, but it will take up more counter space than a basic unit. The appearance and the performance, however, is great. This is a nice-looking toaster and looks well-built. It performs in the standard manner, but I’ve been impressed with the very even and effective toasting of anything I put in the slots. I’ve used regular-sliced bought bread, thick-sliced homemade bread, bagels and biscuits, and everything comes out well-toasted. The toasting control works well, and the “Lift and Look” feature, combined with the “A Bit More” feature, provides extra control over the finished product. I haven’t tried the “Frozen” setting, but the “Fruit Bread” setting works very well with the fruit bread that my daughter makes. The “Cancel” button works instantly, and is easier to use than trying to force up the toast lever on a conventional unit. I don’t know whether the longevity will prove to be better than the average 4-5 years of the cheap units–probably not, since it’s still the same basic design. Even so, I really like this toaster and as of now think our extra dollars for it were well-spent.
Trusted Reviewer –
Obviously, this toaster is expensive, not the most expensive, but still expensive (for a toaster). It’s probably more than most people are willing to spend on a toaster or at least at the top of most budgets. So why should you spend $100 (that’s what I paid) on this toaster?
For one… consumer reports rates this as the number one (#1) 4-slice toaster out of 37 4-slice toasters they tested, some of which are much more expensive than this one (if you can believe that). It received a 5 out of 5 in most categories (color range, one slice, ease of cleaning, full batch, and ease of use), and received a 4 out of 5 in toasting time.
Also, it offers a couple of unique features you won’t find in other brands. The “A Bit More” feature adds just “a bit more” time to whatever you are toasting and the “Lift & Look” feature allows you to check your toast without interrupting the toasting cycle.
If that’s not enough, it also has features commonly found in other highly rated toasters such as a bagel option, which adjusts the heat elements to concentrate the toasting to the inside halves of the bagel. The frozen feature that defrosts and toasts frozen items, and an LED progress indicator to let you know the progress of the toasting cycle. Plus, the extra-long slots allow you to toast up to 4 slices of bread simultaneously or can accommodate larger artisanal bread slices.
In addition, it’s a high quality, well-built toaster that looks great and is very easy to use. Your family members and house guests won’t have to read a manual or take a lesson to make toast, because it is very intuitive and feels familiar.
While it does a great job with toast, bagels, and frozen items alike, it’s certainly not perfect… Even on the regular toasting cycle (not bagel) it toasts one side of the bread darker than the other (at least mine does). This isn’t a big deal to me because the toast still comes out great, but some may take issue with that. Another area it falls short (pun intended) is with the lift lever. It doesn’t lift the bread high enough to remove it comfortably without having to reach into the slots.
Overall, it’s a great toaster and I’m generally happy with it, but there’s certainly room for improvement.
Grayranch –
We like artisan bread toast. We’ve had 3 different toaster over the past couple of years. Some required the bread to be cut in half to fit. Some fit just fine, but gave inconsistent toasting results. Finally decided to try the Breville A bit More toaster, and so far have been very pleased with the results both for artisan bread and for bagels. Gives a visual readout of its progress and allows lifting up the toast while toasting to check on it and also to press a button to add another 15 secs if you think it might need it. Just a fine toaster!!
Sharpshooter –
Who would guess that it is SOOOOO difficult to make a reasonably decent toaster that works? That actually makes: ‘toast’. When my clapped out, 10 y.o. toaster quit, I purchased a less expensive $35 toaster. Results were tragic (took forever, and half the slice was not toasted, while the other half was burned), so it was returned (Thank You Amazon for making returns so easy!). Next I went a little upscale and purchased a $65 toaster, figuring (Incorrectly) that if I spend more $$, I will get a better toaster. WRONG! Literally about a third of the heating elements did not glow orange, with predictably poor, uneven toasting results. So back it went also (Thanks again Amazon).
I went back to research mode, and read a LOT (a really lot) of toaster reviews. These reviews were all over the map. Some people loved the model they reviewed, but mostly I saw a lot of toaster hate. Who knew this country was so divided… over toasters? I then read the Consumer Reports ratings for toasters. This Breville was rated #1 or #2, and yes it was (is) a $100 toaster. $100! I ordered it anyway, figuring my kids wouldn’t miss the $100 from the estate, when I die… OR one of them will inherit a really nice toaster!
I have to tell you, this toaster is the greatest toaster since sliced bread! All the heating elements glow orange, This sounds like a no-brainer, but I can tell you from experience there are a lot of ‘toasters’ on the market, which should not be allowed to be called toasters, simply because not all of their heating elements work.
The toast and bagels are toasted evenly (no light spots or burned edges). It is FAST! I haven’t timed it yet, but it toasts at least 2X faster than my old toaster. I like the Lift & Look lever, which allows you to peek at the toast without stopping. That same lever is also the high lift lever, which allows you to lift shorter bread products higher for easy removal. The long slots accept the long sourdough slices we like.
The controls are intuitive and easy to use. The temp slider has a quality feel to it. Set it to ‘3’ (mid range) and toast comes out golden! I know this model is called a ‘Bit More, 4 slice Toaster’, but I never use the bit more button. Once I have toasted bread or bagels a few times and figured out which temp setting works best, the toaster repeats every time. It is awesome!
This Breville Toaster is also not racist or discriminatory. It toasted white, brown, or dark rye with equal enthusiasm, and speed. If everyone on both sides of the aisle would own a Breville, I am guessing we could end politically charged arguing. < Well, maybe that last statement is a bit of a stretch…
AND, lastly, this toaster has a Breville Assist™ plug. This electrical plug has a hole in it for your finger, and it is ergonomically shaped, which makes plugging and unplugging a breeze. It is fun to plug this toaster in, and I sincerely hope that a lot more kitchen appliances get a Breville Assist™ plug!
This toaster is highly recommended! I hope there is a Breville in every home in America. Think how much nicer this country would be!
This is not a paid advertisement. The views expressed are the sole opinion, and experiences of the reviewer.
Placeholder –
I was looking for a new toaster for my new home. This new place being a clean slate for me to furnish, I wanted something decent in terms of looks and performance. Breville’s The Bit More delivers on both those aspects, and I think it’s the best high-end toaster that fits my needs perfectly.
It’s not easy to innovate in the world of toasters. After all, there isn’t too much that a toaster needs to deliver on. I just wanted something that:
1. looked nice
2. toasted evenly
3. was compatible with bagels
4. had a simple interface (no frivolous features)
5. didn’t take up much room (I opted for the 2 slice variant)
My favorite lifestyle/home products review website, The Sweethome recommends The Bit More as their “Upgrade” pick. I honestly went with this one over the Oster Jelly Bean Toaster (which costs half as much) because I thought this one would look really nice in my new kitchen, which has an abundance of brushed metal appliances (and it does). The “Bit More” feature sounded really handy as well (and it is).
Since you already know that I really like this toaster, let me give you a quick rundown of what I like and dislike about this product in the form of readily digestible bullet points.
Pros:
– Beautiful industrial design. The brushed metal body blends in with my kitchen really well, and I think the texture in general is a pretty universal fit in most kitchens (unlike the solid colors Oster’s Jelly Bean comes in). The LED lights that indicate toasting time are absolutely delightful. The row of lights light up and down as you move the knob, and it’s a strange feeling to have such a simple little kitchen appliance behave this way. Even the power cable is designed to be unplugged effortlessly, with an actual hole for your finger to pass through when pulling.
– Toasting levels are REASONABLE. This one is huge. A lot of toasters usually come with a timing system that really doesn’t care about setting your bread on fire on the maximum setting. While I don’t set my The Bit More’s timing knob on the maximum setting ever, I don’t think it will burn your bread to charcoal levels of blackness (although you can use the “Bit More” feature to achieve that if you want!). No more worrying about overdoing your toast. You can feel free to turn up the timing and still not have to worry.
– The “Bit More” feature is more than a gimmick. I often change bread and bagel brands, because why not? The amount of toasting required for the perfect crispiness varies between them. It’s really nice to be able to hit that button, start toasting and walk away for a bit. Regardless of the timing knob’s current position, it automatically toasts for 30 extra seconds.
– Toasting is fairly uniform. I mostly use it for bagels, but it works really well for bread slices as well. It’s not extremely uniform, visually. But I can never tell if one part of my bagel has been toasted more than the other by taste. You can see an example of what my bagels look like after toasting in one of the attached images.
– It’s sufficiently easy to clean. Crumbs (and seeds from my everything bagels) go through several different gaps and holes throughout the body and collect at the bottom. It’s not perfect, but can be cleaned using the removable crumb tray and by shaking the entire device over a sink. So far, it seems there aren’t many corners where crumbs can get trapped.
Cons:
– The “Lift and Look” feature is only moderately useful. Maybe it’s just the size of my bread slices and bagels, but the lift doesn’t seem to make much of a difference. You can peek in just as well without lifting, although it may help slightly when picking the bread up and out of the slots.
– The toaster body gets hot. I never move mine off my kitchen counter, so it isn’t a big deal to me. But keep in mind that most of the metal body conducts heat and you may have to wait a bit if you like to put your toaster away after use.
If you don’t mind spending this much on a toaster, I think it really is worth purchasing. The “Bit More” feature is actually handy, and despite its mostly meaningless shortcomings, this is a very solid toaster. But hey, I’m not a toaster aficionado.
Rowen –
3/24/24 EDIT: Well, we’ve had it since October 2022 and it no longer toasts on both sides. It toasts like it’s set on “bagel” even when it’s not. Taking another star off.
…………………..
ORIGNAL REVIEW: Truth be told we’ve only had this toaster for 2 days but we LOVE THE WAY IT TOASTS! It toasts 2 slices of bread evenly on both sides which is something that couldn’t have ever be said about the toaster it replaced. If things change I’ll come back and edit.
THINGS WE LIKE:
* Even toasting
* Easy to see and use controls (they feel sturdy and accurate).
* The “bit more” feature is pretty cool, just hit the button and push the lever down and it will toast a “bit more”!
* The setting lights also indicate progress which is helpful.
* The feature that allows you to lift up the toast to check progress is also pretty cool.
* Not noisy…some people wrote that it is loud when it pops up. This has not been our experience. It does make a little electric-like buzzing noise as it it heats up but that ends pretty quickly once the coils are heated. I’m very sensitive to such noises and it isn’t bothering me.
THINGS WE DON’T LIKE:
* The plug…..it is a ridiculous 3 inches jutting out from the wall. If you have limited space this could be an issue. You can see the detail in Danny Pops’ video (above) entitled “The is an Incredible Toaster”. I disagree with Danny that having a large plug with a hole in the middle to hook a finger in is a positive. To me, it’s a negative because it takes up space that could be inhabited by something else. Personally, I wish the plug was one of those flat ones that take up less space.
* Registering this toaster was a real pain in the neck. First, there is no enclosed literature telling us where to go do so. I had to search out the website and navigate my way to a place where I could register it. Once there, I entered all the relevant information but the field meant for me to enter my state (address) the drop down menu didn’t offer any choices at all (other than “none”) and there was no way to work around that. Ultimately, I had to call the company, give my info to a recording so that I could have a person call me back (the wait was going to be over an hour), and when I finally got a call back it showed as coming from Utah (not Australia) and the person had a very thick foreign accent that I could hardly understand. I was able to register over the phone with her in what was a somewhat painful process.
* It arrived in only its direct packaging. There was no other box around it. The lid was partially opened because it wasn’t even taped entirely shut. The toaster was very slightly scratched upon arrival.
* These 3 reasons are why I am giving this toaster 3 stars instead of 5. The company needs to improve it’s customer service all the way around.