Black+Decker 2-Slice T2569B Review
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
This Product
Black+Decker 2-Slice T2569B | |||||
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Awards | |||||
Price | $25 List $24.99 at Amazon | $30 List $29.95 at Amazon | $70 List $34.99 at Amazon | $34 List $33.99 at Amazon | $28 List $24.07 at Amazon |
Overall Score | |||||
Star Rating | |||||
Bottom Line | At the lower end of quality, but a budget-friendly option that works | Overall this toaster brings to the table a strong performance, is compact, and budget-friendly | Impressive performance at a low prices makes this a compelling 4-slice model | Sleek, retro styling, that performs well overall, but not the best for bagels | Impressive toast and bagels at a bargain price |
Rating Categories | Black+Decker 2-Slic... | Cuisinart CPT-122 | Elite Gourmet ECT-3100 | Redmond 2 Slice Retro | Amazon Basics KT-3680 |
Bread Toasting Quality (35%) | |||||
Ease of Use (35%) | |||||
Bagel Toasting Quality (15%) | |||||
Frozen Food (15%) | |||||
Specs | Black+Decker 2-Slic... | Cuisinart CPT-122 | Elite Gourmet ECT-3100 | Redmond 2 Slice Retro | Amazon Basics KT-3680 |
Model Number | T2569B | CPT-122 | KT-3680 | WT330A | KT-3680 |
Weight | 2.5Ibs | 3.7Ibs | 6.4 lbs. | 4.2Ibs | 2.5 lbs |
Dimensions (L x W x H) | 7.3" x 12" x 8" | 6.5" x 11" x 7.2" | 14.7" x 7.1" x 7.7" | 11.4" x 7.1" x 7.3" | 10.7" x 6.4" x 7.6" |
Standard/Long Slot | Standard | Standard | Long | Standard | Standard |
Available with Long Slot? | No | No | Yes | No | No |
Available in 4 slot? | No | No | No | Yes | No |
Color/Finish Options | Black | White, Red, Black | Black Plastic/Stainless | White, Light Green, Cream, Light Pink, Dark Green, Red, Yellow, Blue, Violet, Black | Black Plastic/Stainless |
Exterior Housing Material | Plastic | Plastic | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel | Plastic |
End of Cycle Indicator | None | None | None | None | None |
Our Analysis and Test Results
Performance Comparison
Bread Toasting Quality
Our first test metric evaluated how well the Back Decker 2-Slice prepared toast on each of the three available settings. We made toast in multiple rounds of low, medium, and high setting tests to get an average result for each setting and confirm the consistency of those results. The 2-Slice did well in these tests.
On the low heat setting, the Black Decker 2-Slice consistently produced toast with light golden coloring. On the medium heat setting, the toast produced is a nearly textbook dark gold toast with a crispy texture that was never over-toasted, but could be slightly improved by being just a little more even.
The highest heat setting made dark brown toast that was uniform in color and never blackened, which is a feat that eludes many toasters, including much more expensive ones.
Ease of Use
The Back Decker 2-Slice is a fairly average toaster when it comes down to ease of use, and offers basic features.
A crumb tray for cleaning is located on the back of the toaster, and is less convenient to clean than other models we've tested with convenient front access. As far as how much heat the toaster produces externally, it's on the warmer end of the spectrum compared to its peers, but it never got too hot to touch, nor would it cause burns.
The user interface and heating options are fairly standard, but a little less robust than some of the more technically advanced models we've tested. Three push buttons, Bagel, Frozen, and Cancel light up when selected, and a browning dial has six heat settings. The lever, browning dial, and buttons are all on the same face of the toaster and are easy to access.
Bagel Toasting Quality
After our ease-of-use test metric, we moved on to testing each model's ability to toast bagels. Bagels are often a challenge for many units we've tested, and they proved to be challenging for the Back Decker 2-Slice as well. The bagels produced were inconsistent between tests, and adjusting heat settings did not improve consistency. Bagels were toasted, but unevenly so, resulting in a range of lighter and darker colored patches.
Frozen Food/Defrosting Quality
Across our frozen foods metric, the Black Decker 2-Slice did an average job overall but performed unevenly across our individual waffle, frozen bread, and strudelsub-metrics.
It consistently produced enjoyable waffles with a mostly even golden color, crispy outer texture, and a warmed interior. In stark contrast, the 2-Slice struggled to properly toast frozen bread, resulting in unevenly heated and toasted bread. If you like strudel, you'd be happy with this model as it produces a crispy exterior and warm interior, but a few sections of the flaky crust were almost burnt, keeping our testers from awarding it a perfect score.
Should You Buy the Black Decker 2-Slice?
The Black Decker 2-Slice is a good toaster overall, and it is especially budget-friendly but not exceptional. While it performed almost as well as products we recognized as being great values, we couldn't recommend buying it over those other models that offered slightly better performance at a similar price point.
What Other Toaster Should You Consider?
Yeah, it is budget-friendly, but at a similar price point to the Black Decker, we suggest seeking just a little more performance with the Oster 2 Slice or the Cuisinart CPT-122. Both offer great value and solid all-around performance.