This toaster replaced a competitive 4 slice toaster we used for about 10 years. The old toaster worked well enough, although it was very slow and uneven. The very first thing I noted about the Cuisinart toaster was how quickly and evenly it toasts. The Cuisinart toaster toasts so quickly that the inside of the toast remains soft, with only the surface toasted. This is very different than the old toaster, which yielded dried out toast. What an improvement.