Sending out another toaster SOS: any new recommendations?

The question originally came from @JeSuisRickSpringfield in 2017, but my toaster drama pretty much took over the thread (sorry, Rick), complete with an update in 2021.

That second DeLonghi toaster was just as much of a lemon as its predecessor, in exactly the same ways. I’ve lived with the duplicate successor for four years, even though it boasted all the same character defects from day 1.

Last week I’d finally had enough of its uneven toasting and long wait time. I booted it out and installed my backup device, which I trusted for its esteemed name, Cuisinart.

It is a tinny piece of junk.

Not only does it sound and feel worthless, with its rattly hollow body so lightweight that it moves with a stammer on the counter when I push down the lever, but its impractical dial is a circle of silvery plastic so shiny bright that its markings are unreadable unless I use a flashlight.

And its toasting is wildly uneven. An English muffin requires a longer interval than its max setting, so I had to find a halfway point and run two cycles. But even when I rotate the muffin halves at the midpoint, they still come out dark to near burnt on one half and pale on the other.

So, Jellyfolk, please tell me once more about your satisfactory kitchen countertop devices. I’m ready to chance it again out there in the wicked world of electric toasters.