Nothing brings beauty and style like a vintage retro toaster. While you can find some good quality vintage toaster, they carry some risk. Some of which are asbestos wiring or just electrical hazard. Luckily, today manufacturer makes toaster with the same mid century style that your parents use to have. There are quite a few options available on the market, things you should consider are style, durability, power and price.

Best Retro Toaster List

Below you will find a list of some of the best retro toaster on the market. They all have different power rating and size, find one that best suits your need.

Smeg Retro Toaster

Smeg is a Italian company that makes retro style kitchen appliance. They are one of the most sought after brand by interior designer junky. The best thing about the company, is their whole line of appliance follows one style theme. This means you can decorate your whole kitchen as one cohesive style.

The toaster itself features 950 watts of power. This ensure that you can get a quick and fast toast without drying out the bread. The controls are easy to use, all you need to do is select the power and push the lever. The slots are wide enough and long enough to fit bagel as well. It is a multi functional toaster.

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Nostalgia New and Improved Wide 2-Slice Toaster

For the 50’s diner look, look for nostalgia. They make a wide variety of kitchen appliances catered to the vintage theme. Plus they are quite a bit more affordable then smeg. Their new and improved toaster can now accommodate bigger bagels. It features a powerful 900 watt heating element to ensure quick and even toasting. Much like the smeg model, all you need to do is select the power level and toast. You can also buy their other appliances to match your kitchen decor.

Keenstone Retro Toaster

For a more affordable toaster that looks like smeg, Keenstone is a fantastic option. It has over 1000 review on amazon and its generally well liked. They have simple and easy to use control and it has a decent wattage rating of 825. You have a wide range of color to choose from so you can pretty much match any kitchen. Slot size is measured at 1.5 inch, plenty for most bread and bagel.

Vintage Toaster vs Modern Retro Toaster

Some might wonder why get a modern retro toaster when you you can just get a vintage toaster? The biggest reason is safety and durability. While vintage toaster are fantastic devices, they have quite a few downfall. The main thing being the uses of asbestos. In the past, asbestos is not known to be the cancer causing agent as it is today. They have fantastic thermal insulation and is quite affordable to manufacturer. As such, it was in many heating appliances where wires need to be insulated. If you ever open one up, you can see cloth like wire, those are asbestos.

Another consideration is that the wire can become frayed and damaged. When that happen, its possible for the body to become electrified. If you are not too lucky, you can accidentally shock yourself. The fact that the wires does not come with a ground is even worse. Most modern toaster will have a self grounding mechanism to protect the user.

What to Look for In a Retro Toaster

While looks are important, actually toasting toast is a good thing to have. Toaster with high wattage and easy to use control will help with the overall experience. Generally, the higher wattage that a toaster have, the better. These toaster will have more power to brown the exterior without drying the interior. They also perform faster overall. If the toaster takes forever, what you are left with is a overly dry piece of bread.

The size and width of the slot will also limit the type of toast you can make. If you have a lot of artisinal bread, a standard toaster might not be for you. For things like bagel, its best to get wider slots. This way it can accommodate both type of bread.

Style and color is totally dependent on your home kitchen. There are quite a few option here, from 50’s diner to mid century kitchen. Find one that best match your kitchen decor.

Best Retro Toaster Thoughts

Retro Toaster are a great way to add some flair to your kitchen. Whether you want to complete the vintage look or just want to spruce it up, there are many options available. The price range from affordable to pretty expensive. But you cant go wrong with any of them. They are a lot safer than the vintage toaster. Get one that best suits your need and style.