Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster  Toaster Review

Reviewed Dec 15, 2023 at 08:23am
Writing modified Jul 13, 2026 at 10:55am
Tested using Methodology v1.2 
Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster

Track

8.0
Everyday Use 
7.5
Toast 
8.7
Bagels 
7.0
Crumb Management 
6.0
Size 

Track

 0
  1. Recommended in:
  2. Best Toasters
  3. Best 4-Slice

The Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster is a high-end toaster with quite a few extra features, including buttons instead of levers for pushing the bread down and countdown indicators so you can tell when your toast will be ready. As a four-slice toaster, it's on the bulkier side, and its aluminum design makes it quite heavy.

Our Verdict

8.0
Everyday Use 

The Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster offers impressive performance for everyday use. It toasts decently fast and very evenly, and while it dries out your baked goods a bit, the center stays pretty soft. The slots are long, wide, and deep, giving you room to toast anything from a longer slice of artisan bread to a chunky bagel. It offers plenty of features: you'll find a countdown indicator along with buttons that raise the slots mid-cycle, add extra toasting time, and enable one-sided toasting. It offers decent crumb containment, too, so you won't have to clean your counter every time you want a sesame seed bagel.

Pros
  • Toasts evenly.

  • Toasting speed is satisfactory.

  • Feature-rich, with plenty of quality-of-life upgrades.

  • Requires somewhat frequent cleaning of countertops after use.

Cons
  • Some models toast faster, resulting in less dry toast.

7.5
Toast 

The Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster provides good toasting performance. It evenly browns the surface of each slice and leaves both sides just about the same shade. However, you get different results depending on which slot you use. It also dries out your bread somewhat during toasting, though the center of each slice stays decently soft. It toasts reasonably quickly, but most models can make golden brown toast faster.

Pros
  • Toasts evenly on both sides.

  • Toasting speed is satisfactory.

Cons
  • Leaves toast a little dry.

  • Inconsistent results between slots.

8.7
Bagels 

The Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster is an excellent choice for toasting bagels. It features a 'Bagel' button that enables one-sided toasting, so you can brown the inside of a bagel or English muffin while the outside stays mostly untoasted. It toasts evenly, though the slots don't perform consistently, so your bagel may come out more or less toasted depending on which slot you use. Getting a bagel to a golden-brown shade takes a little extra time compared to other models, and by the time it's finished toasting, your bagel is a bit too dry.

Pros
  • 'Bagel' button enables one-sided toasting.

  • Toasts evenly.

  • Toasting speed is satisfactory.

Cons
  • Inconsistent results between slots.

  • Leaves bagels a bit dry.

7.0
Crumb Management 

The Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster contains a decent amount of crumbs, though some still fall past the crumb tray. It doesn't make too much of a mess, but you still have to sweep crumbs off your counter pretty regularly.

Pros
  • Requires somewhat frequent cleaning of countertops after use.

Cons
6.0
Size 

The Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster is pretty bulky. It has an average depth, so it doesn't stick out very far on your counter, but as a four-slot toaster, it's very wide.

Pros
Cons
  • Bulky design.

  • 8.0
    Everyday Use

  • Performance Usages

  • 7.5
    Toast
  • 8.7
    Bagels
  • 7.0
    Crumb Management
  • 6.0
    Size
  • Changelog

    1.  Updated Jul 13, 2026: 

      We've updated the text in this review to align with Test Bench 1.2.

    2.  Updated Jul 13, 2026: We've updated this review to Test Bench 1.2, which adds three new test boxes: Size, One-Sided Toasting, and Moisture Retention. We also updated the Usage and Performance Usages at the top of the review to reflect the new tests and provide clearer buying guidance for users. You can read more in the Changelog.
    3.  Updated Apr 24, 2026: We've updated this review to Test Bench 1.1, which includes several new tests, including Capacity, Features, Crumb Management, and Toasting Speed. You can read more in the Changelog.
    4.  Updated Mar 19, 2026: 

      Compared its toasting range to the Dualit Design Series 4 Slice's in the Popular Comparisons box.

    Check Price

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    Differences Between Sizes And Variants

    The Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster comes in one aluminum style. See the label for our unit. The manufacturer also makes the Breville Die-Cast Smart Toaster, which is a long-slot toaster that we've tested separately. There's also the Breville Die-Cast 2-Slice Smart Toaster, which we'll be testing separately in the future.

    If you encounter another variant, let us know in the comments, and we'll update our review.

    Popular Toaster Comparisons

    The Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster is a high-end model that offers impressive overall performance. It has a similar capacity to the Dualit Design Series 4 Slice, with slots that are long, wide, and deep enough for most types of bread, but it toasts more evenly, so each slice comes out uniformly browned on both sides. Like other toasters from the brand, this one offers a range of features that make toasting more convenient. It shares the 'Lift and Look' and 'A Bit More' functions of the Breville the 'A Bit More' 2 Slice, which allow you to check toasting progress or add a little more toasting time, respectively. They also include cycle countdown indicators and allow one-sided toasting for bagels, crumpets, and buns. Like the Smeg 2-Slice TSF01, the Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster is very good at preferentially toasting one side of a food, leaving the other completely untoasted, making it a fantastic choice for this use. Overall, while some cheaper toasters, like the Black+Decker 2-Slice T2569B, can toast faster and more evenly, the quality-of-life features and bagel performance make the additional cost of this model worth the upgrade.

    Check out our recommendations for the best 2-slice toasters, the best 4-slice toasters, and the best toasters.

    Dualit Design Series 4 Slice

    Track

    If you're looking for a 4-slot toaster and trying to decide between the Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster and the Dualit Design Series 4 Slice, go for the Breville. Although it takes longer to toast and dries your bread a little in the process, it toasts much more evenly than the Dualit, leaving each slice evenly browned on both sides. It's a better choice for bagels, too, since it toasts only the cut side more effectively, leaving the outside of your bagel soft. The Breville also includes a cycle countdown indicator, so you know approximately when it's time to start buttering. And while it leaves a few more crumbs behind than the Dualit, the crumb tray does a decent job catching them.

    Breville the 'A Bit More' 4 Slice

    Track

    The Breville the 'A Bit More' 4 Slice and the Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster are both very good options, but they have different strengths to consider. Get the 'A Bit More' 4 Slice if you like to toast longer items that don't fit in a regular toaster slot, like focaccia or sourdough slices. It toasts faster, leaves your toast slightly softer, and drops fewer crumbs on your counter. Go for the Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster if you prefer bagels to toast. While both options offer one-sided toasting, this model is better at toasting one side of a bagel while keeping the other side soft. It also toasts more evenly, and you can operate the slots independently, so it's a good choice for busy mornings when every family member wants their carbs toasted to a different shade.

    Test Results

    perceptual testing image
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    RATINGS
    Category:
    All
    Design
    6.0
    Size
    Width
    11.7" (29.6 cm)
    Depth
    11.2" (28.5 cm)
    Height
    7.6" (19.3 cm)
    Countertop Footprint
    131 in² (844 cm²)
    8.1
    Capacity
    Slice Capacity
    4-Slice
    Slot Length
    5.5" (14.0 cm)
    Slot Width
    1.4" (3.6 cm)
    Long Slot
    No
    Slot Depth When Toasting
    5.2" (13.3 cm)
    Slot Depth When Fully Raised
    2.4" (6.1 cm)
    10
    Features
    Bagel Mode
    One-Sided Toasting
    Frozen Mode
    Yes
    Stop Cycle Button
    Yes
    Cycle Countdown Indicator
    Yes

    Unlike a lot of toasters, it has cycle countdown indicators. The bars of LED lights above the sliders illuminate depending on your chosen setting, with one light on for the lowest setting and all the lights on for the highest. They switch off gradually during the cycle so you can tell approximately when your toast will be ready. You also get a button for the 'A Bit More' function, which you can press before, during, or after a toasting cycle to run an additional short cycle. Finally, the 'Lift and Look' feature lifts the slots so you can see if your toast is ready without interrupting the cycle.

    7.0
    Crumb Management
    Removable Crumb Tray
    Yes
    Body
    Housing Material
    Cast Aluminum
    Power Cord Length
    38.6" (98.0 cm)
    Weight
    9.0 lbs (4.1 kg)
    Performance
    8.2
    Toasting Evenness
    Evenly Browned Area
    88%
    Face-To-Face Difference
    43,205
    Slot-To-Slot Difference
    50,089
    10
    One-Sided Toasting
    Share Of Browning (Outer Faces)
    0%
    Share Of Browning (Inner Faces)
    100%
    7.0
    Moisture Retention
    Moisture Retained At Golden Brown Setting
    84.7%
    7.0
    Toasting Speed
    Toasting Time To Golden Brown
    200 s
    Measured Wattage
    1,700 W
    10
    Toasting Range
    Pale Toast
    Yes
    Light Brown Toast
    Yes
    Golden Brown Toast
    Yes
    Dark Brown Toast
    Yes
    Charred Toast
    Yes
    Golden Brown Toast Setting
    Setting 4