When we moved into our house a little over three years ago, we needed pretty much everything for the kitchen. We were keen to buy things as cheaply as possible but, at the same time, were wary of buying anything too cheap and having to replace it very quickly. When it came to the toaster and kettle, Russell Hobbs was a brand that I was familiar with and had previous good experience of, so that is what we opted for. We went for a 4 slice toaster and this cost us around £30.

The toaster is stainless steel with four slots visible from above. Each slot is big enough for one slice of bread. The base of the toaster is a black plastic and there are two crumb trays that can be pulled out and empties. On the side there is a round black button that can be pushed to select the defrost function and one to pop the toaster up. There is also a black dial to select a heat setting from 1 to 6. On the sides of the toaster there are four black handles. On the right hand side these pop the toaster down (controlling two slots each) and the left hand side ones do not move - I assume these are for aesthetic reasons, to ensure the toaster has a balanced, symmetrical appearance. The wire attached to the toaster to the plug is a reasonable length, but not too long so as that it will get in the way.

The toaster is easy to use and there are a good variety of heat settings so you can select one that suits you. It heats up really quickly from off, with the elements becoming visibly red within about 5 seconds. The toast can be done in a very short time (depending on how well done you like it!).

The look of the toaster is, for me, quite bulky. This is largely due to the four slots meaning a lot of space is required. This is not something that is easily overcome but, nonetheless, is worth bearing in mind when considering how much room this will take up on your work surface. I also find the stainless steel outer quite hard to keep clean - finger prints show up dreadfully on this and the top of the toaster has browned slightly from the heat too. The crumb trays are pretty inadequate - I still find a lot of crumbs on my worktop after use. They are also quite stiff to remove and messy to empty, with a lot of crumbs lost from the tray by removing it.

We use the toaster most days and have never had any issues with it. After more than three years, this is still working perfectly and, for the price paid, I think that this is great value. A good, reliable toaster by a well known brand for a decent price - and one that I would definitely recommend.