Smeg Toaster is one of the most stunning toaster. They bring back the retro vibe with its wide variety of color and stunning curve. This Italian designed toaster is a chance to spruce up your kitchen. However, the main issue is the price of it. It seems like most if not all of smeg product calls for a price premium. The question is it worth it? From what I can see, the answer is no. From the lack of durability to power, it does not hold a candle to the real vintage toaster.

Smeg Toaster Review Quick Summary

Categories	Smeg Toaster 2 Slice
Performance	Acceptable
Colors	Various Color
Brand Awareness	USA and Europe
Settings	6 browning levels and 3 pre-set programs: reheat, defrost, bagel
Power	950 Watts
Thoughts	A beautiful toaster. However, it has durability issue and for the price, its kind of expensive for a table piece. When it does work, its great.
Reviewed Cookware	Smeg TSF01PGUS 50’s Retro Style Aesthetic 2 Slice Toaster

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History of Smeg

Smeg was founded in 1948 by Vittorio Betazzoni. They produced a range of kitchen appliance most notably the Elisabeth. It was a gas range that had an automatic fire ignition and safety valves. As time went on, the company expanded to other products such as dishwasher. Today, they are most known for their retro style appliance. From toaster to fridge, they follow the same curves and design of kitchen appliances of the 50’s. They are considered to be a luxury brand due to its high prices.

Smeg Toaster Design

This section will discuss how smeg designed their toaster. However, to get a good understanding, you should know how a toaster work. At its core, a heating element is attached electricity. As you power it on, it generates heat. Based on the setting, it will either work via a thermostat or timer. Once it hits the set temperature, it finish toasting. The basic principle has the been the same since the early 1900’s.

Power and Wattage

The power of strength of the power is correlated to the power output of the toaster. The real vintage toaster usually have wattage rating of 1200 plus. Higher than 950 watts from a smeg toaster.

Having a stronger toaster does one very important thing. It toast the exterior without drying out the interior. This way you get a toast of varying texture. While 950 watts isn’t bad, its not as good as vintage toasters.

Colors and Construction

The wide variety of color available is one of the reason why smeg is so successful. Much like le creuset, having a option to customize draws in customer. You can even get a toaster with the British flag. You pair that with a vintage like exterior and you have a winner.

What is great about their toaster is that they use a steel body. A lot of toaster these day go the way of plastic. They give an off smell which permeate when you toast it. Luckily, Smeg has none of that issue.

Durability

Durability is the biggest issue that plague these toaster. Numerous accounts from users on amazon state that they have issues with it breaking down. If that is not the issue, the heating pattern is uneven. For the price that you pay, you would expect something that last a bit longer.

I have some toaster that is actually from the 1950’s and those still work. Literally 70 year later and its still working. These days, you cant expect product to last, at most you should expect them to last for a year or two at most.

Are Smeg Toaster Worth the Money?

If you want it just for an art piece, then yes. It is quite pretty and goes wit a vintage house decor. You can match it to just about anything. Given that, it is also quite expensive with a questionable durability. If you plan on actually toasting toast for a while, then I do not think its worth it. Then again, I just like things that are built to last.

Why is Smeg so Popular?

To be fair to smeg, they did win a few awards for their toaster design. When it does work, it works. So there isn’t much issue there. You pair that with their snazzy design and color, and you have a winning choice. They also charge quite a high price, people associate cost with quality. When that can be further from the truth. Smeg is a luxury brand without the quality.

Smeg Toaster Thoughts

While Smeg Toaster are beautiful to look at. The main issue is the durability and price. For something on the lower end of the price spectrum, its worth it. But if you want something reliable for good toast, then I recommend you look elsewhere. The black and decker toaster are a good option because they are affordable. If they are going to break anyways, why not get the cheap one? So you might want to consider that.

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