The Hamilton Beach 2 Slice Toaster with Extra-Wide Slots is a simple, budget-friendly toaster. Even though its slots aren't particularly wide, they can fit thicker slices of bread and lift high enough for you to grab smaller items like English muffins without burning yourself. It has a dial with seven preset settings but no bagel setting to help prevent burning the bottom of your bagel.
Our Verdict
- Quick.
- Toasts both sides very evenly in both slots.
- Toasts lightly.
Changelog
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Updated May 14, 2026:
We mentioned the BELLA 4-Slice Slim in the Features box for users who want a toaster with more convenience features.
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Updated May 11, 2026:
We added a link to the BELLA 2-Slice Slim in the Toasting Speed box for users who want a faster toaster.
- 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.
- Updated Dec 15, 2023: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Hamilton Beach 2 Slice Toaster comes in 'Black' or 'White'. We tested it in 'Black' and you can see the label for the unit we tested here.
There's also a four-slice variant with the same features and design, but it may perform differently.
Popular Toaster Comparisons
The Hamilton Beach 2-Slice Toaster with Extra-Wide Slots is a simple 2-slot toaster. Most of its settings toast bread pretty lightly, so if your chosen bread takes longer to toast, you'll probably have to push it down again after the first cycle. If you usually toast multi-grain bread or bagels, you might prefer a better toasting range, like the KitchenAid 2-Slice Toaster with manual lift lever or the Oster 2-Slice Toaster with Quick-Check Lever.
If you want to see which toasters we recommend, check out the best 2-slice toasters, the best 4-slice toasters, and the best toasters.
The Hamilton Beach 2 Slice Toaster with Extra-Wide Slots 22217 is a better toaster for most people than the BELLA 2-Slice Slim. Both toasters are budget-friendly options with simple controls, but the Hamilton Beach toasts more evenly, leaving your toast more evenly browned on both sides. It also leaves fewer crumbs on your counter. That said, the BELLA offers a better toasting range, so you can get dark brown or charred toast in a single toasting cycle. As a long slot toaster, it also gives you more room for longer slices, and because it only has one slot, it can fit into narrow spaces that the Hamilton Beach is too wide for.
Test Results
If you're looking for a budget-friendly toaster with additional features, consider the BELLA 4-Slice Slim, which has buttons for bagels and frozen items.
The photo above shows the results for slot 1, but you can see a full montage showing all the bread toasted here.
It offers a decent toasting speed, but if you want something that toasts a little faster, consider the BELLA 2-Slice Slim.
The photo above shows the results for slot 1, but you can see a montage showing all the bread toasted here.
