BAD BLACK AND DECKER TOASTER OVEN

Black and Decker is another example of the decline of venerable brands.  My wife bought a toaster oven at Fry’s, a Black and Decker unit similar to one that had served us well for several years before it finally burned out.  The new unit is without several of the safety features and usability of the previous, similar model.  This unit has a sleek black paint job and a fancily curved front glass plate.
     To begin with, the markings of the controls are unreadable without a lighted magnifying glass.  The numerals are a pastel gray against a black chassis, and they are quite small.  The unit is without a shut off feature when the door is opened, something which the old model had.  When the timer knob is twisted counterclockwise to manually shut off the unit, you had better be careful—if you twist it a bit too far it goes into the “stay on” mode.  The previous unit had very visible markings, had a door switch that shut the unit off when opened, and had controls that made much more sense.  The only improvement in the new unit is an easily removable crumb tray.  However, the problem with this is that the unit can still be turned on when the crumb tray is completely out.
     This is an unsafe unit for numerous reasons and ought to be recalled.