REASONS TO BUY
Sleek appearance
Available in a variety of colors
Good bread and frozen food
REASONS TO AVOID
Poor bagel performance
Redmond 2 Slice Retro Review
An aesthetically pleasing toaster that performs well across the board except for toasting bagels
Credit: Redmond
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Our Verdict
The Redmond 2 Slice does a decent job of most toasting tasks overall. It has a sleek, retro appearance and isn't much more expensive than more stylish models. Like many standard toasters, it could do a better job at toasting bagels, and there wasn't anything stand out in the Redmonds performance. However, we found that it was quite easy to use, as a toaster should be, but overall we would not recommend this product. We suggest skipping over the Redmond and looking at some of the other top performing toasters we tested.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Redmond 2 Slice Retro | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  | | |||
| Price | $34 List $33.99 at Amazon | $30 List $29.95 at Amazon | $70 List $34.99 at Amazon | $25 List $29.99 at Amazon | $40 List $37.67 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | Sleek, retro styling, that performs well overall, but not the best for bagels | 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 | At the lower end of quality, but a budget-friendly option that works | Not a bad budget option, but certainly not the best budget toaster |
| Rating Categories | Redmond 2 Slice Retro | Cuisinart CPT-122 | Elite Gourmet ECT-3100 | Black+Decker 2-Slic... | Black+Decker TR3500SD |
| Bread Toasting Quality (35%) | |||||
| Ease of Use (35%) | |||||
| Bagel Toasting Quality (15%) | |||||
| Frozen Food (15%) | |||||
| Specs | Redmond 2 Slice Retro | Cuisinart CPT-122 | Elite Gourmet ECT-3100 | Black+Decker 2-Slic... | Black+Decker TR3500SD |
| Model Number | WT330A | CPT-122 | KT-3680 | T2569B | TR3500SD |
| Weight | 4.2Ibs | 3.7Ibs | 6.4 lbs. | 2.5Ibs | 2.7Ibs |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 11.4" x 7.1" x 7.3" | 6.5" x 11" x 7.2" | 14.7" x 7.1" x 7.7" | 7.3" x 12" x 8" | 10" x 6.5" x 7.4" |
| Standard/Long Slot | Standard | Standard | Long | Standard | Standard |
| Available with Long Slot? | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Available in 4 slot? | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Color/Finish Options | White, Light Green, Cream, Light Pink, Dark Green, Red, Yellow, Blue, Violet, Black | White, Red, Black | Black Plastic/Stainless | Black | Stainless Steel |
| Exterior Housing Material | Stainless Steel | Plastic | Stainless Steel | Plastic | Stainless Steel |
| End of Cycle Indicator | None | None | None | None | None |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
The Redmond 2 Slice is another appliance we tested that does a decent job of most toasting tasks overall. It has a sleek appearance, is only slightly more expensive than less stylish models, but could do a better job on bagels.
Performance Comparison
The Redmond 2 Slice Retro is attractive and easy to use with a modern touch to enhance a classic design.
Credit: Chris McNamara
Bread Toasting Quality
The Redmond 2 Slice performed decently in our bread toasting tests. The toast it made was evenly colored on both sides and was pretty consistent across the faces.
We started our tests on the low setting, which resulted in a crisp texture, but only a slight color change. This model did not toast the bread as evenly as we would have liked and left more to be desired.
Higher heat settings resulted in a better slice of toast. Medium heat settings resulted in a golden color and an even and desirable crunchy texture. The highest heat setting performed just as well, producing consistent results with dark and crunchy textures.
Whether you like softer, less toasted bread slices, or a darker toast with a crunchier texture, the Redmond 2 Slice will satisfy you with its performance.
Redmond 2 Slice Retro bread toasting result comparison.
Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw
Ease of Use
The Redmond continued to perform well in our ease of use series of tests.
The crumb tray located at the rear of the Redmond 2 Slice Retro is a bit finicky to remove.
Credit: Chris McNamara
The Redmond 2 Slice uses a removable crumb tray, although the poor access to the crumb tray at the back of the toaster, which was fussy to remove from the toaster body, made this model more difficult to use.
During use, the body of the Redmond 2 Slice would become warm to the touch but never hot, so it adequately passed our surface temperature test.
The interface is where the Redmond made up for an annoying and finicky crumb tray. Like many other products we tested, heat settings are controlled by a dial, and activation is controlled by pulling down on a lever. This model has an attractive and shiny knob at the end of the lever and backlit buttons. Buttons control options for bagels, defrosting, and canceling. These are simple and straightforward controls that helped this model's performance when it came to ease of use.
Bagel Toasting Quality
The Redmond 2 Slice did a dismal job in our bagel tests. Its performance was well below average and scored one of the lowest scores that our testers have ever awarded for the test metric.
Left: Cuisinart CPT-122 Round two bagel test. Right: Redmond 2 Slice Retro bagel round two test.
Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw
Across all of our tests, the Redmond failed to toast bagels, create any desirable coloration or texture, and barely warmed the bagel. Perhaps you enjoy a soft, lukewarm bagel with a minimal crunchy texture. If that's the case, this is the perfect bagel warmer.
However, you will be sorely disappointed if you expect bagels with a nice golden coloration, uniformly warmed center, and delectable texture.
Frozen Food/Defrosting Quality
After those terrible bagel performance tests, we moved on to frozen food tests. The Redmond 2 Slice did surprisingly well across our series of tests after its disappointing bagel performance.
In our waffle tests, waffles ended up with a crunchy texture throughout. However, coloration and heat distribution was uneven, resulting in waffles with one darker gold side and a lighter, less cooked light gold side.
Left: Cuisinart CPT-122, frozen waffle test on medium heat. Right: Redmond 2 Slice Retro, frozen waffle test on medium heat.
Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw
The Redmond performed similarly when it came to frozen bread. The resulting bread in our tests had a toasty texture and was generally enjoyable. However, the toaster heated the slice unevenly, producing slices with one darker, more cooked side than the other.
Left: Cuisinart CPT-122 frozen bread test. Right: Redmond 2 Slice Retro frozen bread test.
Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw
While the Redmond 2 Slice did well across the other frozen food tests, it did exceptionally well when cooking strudel and was just shy of a rare perfect score. Strudels were warm at the center, fillings had a nice gooey consistency, the edges were properly warmed, and strudels ended up with an attractive golden color.
Should You Buy the Redmond 2 Slice?
If you are looking for a retro-style toaster, and don't care much for toasted bagels, then the Redmond 2 Slice is a good choice for you. Its overall performance and ease of use were above average, with its overall performance mostly negatively affected by poor bagel toasting. Although this model isn't noted as the best bang for your buck, it does provide good value at the price point, and you won't pay a premium for the retro styling.
The Redmond 2 Slice Retro looks good on a lot of kitchen counters, additional color options give consumers an opportunity to blend in and stand out at the same time.
Credit: Chris McNamara
What Other Toaster Should You Consider?
While you won't get the Retro styling, it would be a good idea to consider either the Cuisinart CPT 122 or the Oster 2 Slice. Both are slightly cheaper, and both provide better overall performance.
—
Genaveve Bradshaw and Benjamin Hickok
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