Black & Decker 4-Slice Toaster (Extra-wide, Black)

Why I tried this toaster

I wanted a basic four-slot toaster that could handle thick bread and bagels without hogging counter space. The Black & Decker 4-slice toaster looked like a straightforward choice: extra-wide slots, independent controls for each side, and simple functions for bagels and frozen items. After several weeks of daily use—everything from standard sandwich bread and multigrain slices to bagels, English muffins, waffles, and “Texas toast”–style bread—I have a clear sense of where this toaster shines and where it struggles.

Design and build

The footprint is friendly to smaller kitchens: about 11 by 11.5 inches on the counter and under 8 inches tall. At roughly 5 pounds, it’s easy to move for cleaning or to tuck away, yet it doesn’t feel flimsy when you press the levers. The all-black finish looks tidy but shows crumbs and fingerprints more than brushed metal would. I appreciate the simple aesthetic; it blends in, which is what a toaster should do.

The high-lift levers are effective. I can fish out English muffins without tongs, and the mechanism pops up reliably with an assertive, not jarring, action. The extra-wide slots genuinely fit bagels and thicker artisan slices, and the self-centering guides generally keep slices upright. That said, very small pieces—think halved English muffins—can sit a bit off-center unless you guide them.

Capacity and slot design

Functionally, the toaster is split into two independent halves, each with its own browning knob and function buttons. That’s great for a household where one person likes pale toast and another prefers deep brown. Using all four slots at once is the real test for a 4-slice toaster, and this is where the unit’s limits show: heating consistency drops when all four slots are loaded. I had the best results running two slices per side, but if you pack all four, expect some variance in color—often a shade or two—especially on thicker bread.

Controls and functions

There are two shade knobs labeled 1–7. In practice, on standard white bread, I found 3.5–4 to be a light-to-medium toast, and 5–6 veers toward dark. The knobs turn smoothly, but the indicator marks are small and black-on-black; in low light, it’s easy to set them off by half a notch. If multiple people use the toaster, you’ll want to double-check the setting before each run.

The Bagel and Frozen buttons are straightforward in concept, but there are a couple of usability quirks. First, there’s no indicator light or latch—just a momentary push—so you don’t get persistent visual feedback that the function is active. Second, the adjustments these modes make feel modest. Frozen extends the cycle some, but not quite enough for dense frozen waffles on low shade settings; I needed to bump the browning level one step higher or run a second short cycle. Bagel mode should prioritize the cut side; sometimes it did, sometimes it felt like a standard cycle with slightly uneven results. The Cancel button works instantly and is helpful when experimenting.

There’s no audible chime at the end of a cycle. That’s common in this price bracket, but if you multitask, you’ll want to stay within earshot.

Toasting performance

With two slices in one side, the toaster is capable of even, predictable browning. Once the unit is warmed up (after the first cycle of the morning), it’s more consistent. Residual heat also means the second batch tends to brown faster, so I’d recommend dropping the shade one notch for back-to-back cycles.

Where it struggles is uniformity across all four slots when fully loaded. On thick, moist bread or very wide bagels, I often saw the outer faces run lighter than the inner faces. Turning the slices and running a brief second cycle evens that out, but it defeats the “one-and-done” promise many people expect from a 4-slice toaster. Thin, consistent slices fare better; multigrain with seeds and cut-to-size artisan bread can be more unpredictable.

Small items like English muffins and toaster pastries brown acceptably, though you’ll need a mid-range shade to avoid pale centers. Frozen waffles need either a higher shade plus Frozen mode, or a short second cycle, to avoid that soft middle.

Bagels and frozen items

Bagels are the main reason to buy a wide-slot toaster, and this model fits them comfortably without snagging. The self-centering guides hold them well, but even with Bagel mode, I found the cut side didn’t always get the preferential browning I expected. My workaround: set the shade to 4–5, press Bagel, and place the bagel with the cut side inward. If the first run is lightly uneven, a 15–20 second second pass gives a spot-on finish without tipping into burnt.

For frozen bread, Frozen mode does extend the cycle, but it’s conservative. On 3–4 shade for frozen slices, I typically needed to nudge to 4–5 or let it run a quick second pass. Frozen waffles were the fussiest: they benefit from pre-warming the toaster with a brief empty cycle, then using Frozen at shade 4. That combination was the most reliable in my testing.

Cleaning and maintenance

Dual slide-out crumb trays are a genuine convenience. They remove easily and catch the obvious debris. However, the trays are shallow and, in my unit, one didn’t seat quite as positively as I’d like. If you pick up the toaster without checking, the tray can slide a bit and shed crumbs. Also, some crumbs collect on internal ledges that the trays don’t reach. A quick upside-down shake over the sink every week or two keeps things tidy, but it would be nice if the trays captured more.

On day one, I ran the toaster empty on a mid setting to burn off manufacturing residue. There was a faint “new appliance” odor during the first couple of sessions; it dissipated after a handful of cycles. Since then, no ongoing smell and no abnormal smoke unless something sugary drips.

Heat, noise, and day-to-day use

Exterior surfaces get warm but not dangerously hot. The levers and knobs stay comfortable to touch. Operation noise is minimal—a spring pop at the end of the cycle and a soft hum from heating. There’s no cord wrap on the base, but at this size and weight, moving it to wipe the counter is easy.

My day-to-day routine settled into a rhythm: pre-warm with a quick low-cycle if I care about uniformity, use two slots for the most consistent results, and rely on the Cancel button plus a short second pass to nail precision browning for finicky items. It’s not a set-and-forget toaster if you’re particular, but it’s manageable.

Who it’s for

• Households that often toast two slices at a time and only occasionally fill all four slots.
• Bagel lovers who don’t mind a quick second pass for perfect browning.
• Anyone who values independent controls on a budget-friendly, compact footprint.
• Users comfortable with hands-on tweaking rather than exact one-touch precision.

If you routinely toast four slices at once and expect identical outcomes across all slots, or if you want clear, lit function indicators and highly legible dials, this may not match your expectations.

The bottom line

This Black & Decker 4-slice toaster gets the basics mostly right: wide slots, high-lift levers, independent controls, and a compact, uncomplicated design. It can produce very good toast—especially in two-slot use—once you learn its tendencies. The trade-offs are real, though: inconsistent uniformity across all four slots, modest adjustments from the Bagel and Frozen modes, subtle markings on the knobs, and crumb trays that could be better designed.

Recommendation: Conditional. I would recommend this toaster to budget-minded users who primarily toast two slices at a time and are willing to make small adjustments (pre-warm, tweak shade, occasional second pass) for best results. If perfectly even four-at-once toasting and clear, lit controls are must-haves, I’d look for a higher-end model with stronger heating uniformity and more polished ergonomics.