Is was finally time to say goodbye to our well-used De'Longhi 4-slice toaster I purchased in the late-'90s. Too many repeated toasting cycles told us to upgrade.That said, the amount of research and owner reviews I digested in my 2-year search was exhaustive! Such inconsistency, poor quality, feature-deficient, as well as reasonable -- and UNreasonable -- consumer comments shared delayed our eventual purchase. Here's why we finally chose the Mueller RetroToast 4-Slice (Pink)...FUNCTIONALITYFull Disclosure: There are no kids in our home, so we were not very concerned about abusive treatment of a lighter-weight toaster that had some plastic components.Having slots that were wide enough for bagels was key. Reviewers who complained that their Mueller toasters' slots were too narrow were almost all 2-SLICE models. The 4-slice version is quite sufficient for "normal-size" bagels. Also, the adjustable dials do not turn so easily as to be constantly corrected B4 use. And all the heating elements worked very, very well. Also important is the adequate cord length-- long enough to pull the toaster out from under a low cabinet for use and protect the underside of your cabinet from burn marks.STYLINGThe 4-slice model is just a little wider than our De'Longhi 4-slice. But because it's tapered at the top, it's hard to tell and very stylish. I'm a sucker for "retro", so this model's design checked a lot of boxes with a 1960's vibe, with its smaller push-down buttons and stylish frenched bezels. And its Soft Pink hue offers a slight color compliment to our particular granite counters. And I can see their color choices as a great accent to consumers' own countertops. I do need to cover a couple shortcomings, and they will be shared at the end of my review.USER GUIDEA sometimes overlooked element of these purchases is how helpful are the manuals. In addition to instructing the buyer to properly PRE-heat their new toaster (i.e. "First Use"), Mueller also surprised us with a section that goes the distance by taking the guesswork out of heat levels- what they call "Browning Control" when toasting. Many other brands leave that experimentation up to the consumer - trial & error. This was a nice detail they included. These days, even the little things matter to consumers.PRICINGIf you've done your own research, you know how toaster pricing just runs the spectrum. Unfortunately, you see truly disappointing, disgruntled reviews for the high-end brands, as well as the usual teeth-gnashing over how crappy the cheaper models performed. We paid $45 US for our 4-slice Mueller, and I consider that a freakin' bargain compared to what's out there and the quality of those other brands.A U.S. COMPANYWhile I have no illusions as to where their product(s) are actually made, Mueller is still a U.S.-owned company, and the toaster comes with a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Plus, they make it known that they donate a portion of our purchase dollars to a .org that supports troubled youth here in the U.S.. Now, I'm no "bleeding heart", but that kind of "giving back" is nice to see.CONSNow comes the "misses" for this product, but there are only a couple for this 4-slice model:> If both heaters are on at a high browning level, be aware that the sides of this toaster get hot! If only 1 side is being used, it's not much of an issue, but both on a high setting would have benefitted by a little thicker toaster body.> The crumb trays are quite shallow. Since they're discreetly located in the rear, it would've been smarter to make them a little deeper, so they won't need emptying so frequently, and still not had a negative impact on this toaster's overall design.