Black+Decker 2-Slice T2569B Review

The Black Decker 2-Slice is a modest toaster with a simple interface and functions. It doesn't boast the bells and whistles of pricey competitors, but it excels at making toast. We wouldn't trust this model to consistently make a stand out bagel, but it otherwise offers decent results at a budget-friendly price.

Performance Comparison

Bread Toasting Quality

First, we checked out how the Black 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. The slots of the toaster measure in at 5.4 by 4.75 inches. This is fairly standard for a normal slice of toast. If you prefer specialty slices or fluffy bread, this might not be large enough. Likewise, this model only toasts two slices at a time.

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. We enjoy how simple the interface is, with basic buttons and the classic press down lever to begin the toasting process.

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 front access. The cord is also on the shorter side, which further complicates this process. However, once turned around and unplugged, the slot easily slides out and isn't too much of a hassle. 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. We measured the external temperature at an average of about 101 degrees Fahrenheit.

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. The toaster weighs just 2.6 pounds and has dimensions of 7.3" x 12" x 8". This is among the smallest and lightest in the lineup. If you don't want to keep your toaster on your countertop, this model could easily be stored in a cabinet between uses.

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. We wouldn't recommend this unit if you are a bagel connoisseur, as you'll likely be let down time and time again. Once we finally got great results we were unable to repeat it with the same settings.

Frozen Food

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. It offers great value and excels at the basics of toasting bread and waffles. However, it isn't necessarily the best at reheating frozen bread. Still, it gets the job done, but likely won't be the most impressive. We think this option is great for occasional toasting. It is lightweight and has a small footprint. It can easily work in a tight kitchen or be stored between uses.

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 Cuisinart CPT-122. It offers great value and solid all-around performance. If you're toasting for a party or a family, a four-slice option might be better. We liked the Cuisinart 4 Slice Classic CPT-180 when toasting more than two slices. This also works well for big, fluffy specialty breads. The Black+Decker does a great job toasting bread, but the slots are on the average side. If you prefer large slices of sourdough, the Cuisinart 4 Slice is a better option.