AVAILABILITIES: The display of menus and modes is convenient, modern and beautiful. This toaster has the best and most user-friendly control panel of all participants in the test. All functions are very good, and safety is excellent: the risk of burns is very low, unless you are totally careless.
FAILS: Uniformity cannot be achieved in defrosting mode.
Technical parameters
Toaster
MANUFACTURING: Holland/China assembly.
POWER: 1000-1200 Watt.
NUMBER OF CASES: one for two toasts, 40 mm wide.
FUNCTIONS: 7 cooking levels defrosting, browning on one side, reheating, croissant and croissant heating. Digital control for achieving evenly crispy crust. Standby mode.
ACCESSORIES: bread and roll holder, removable crumb tray. Cord length – 0.95m.
CONTROL: automatic shutoff, cancel program the “stop” button , mode button, toasting degree button. LCD display shows selected mode and time. Audible signal to end operation. Centering system.
COLOR: stainless steel.
DIMENSIONS: 454h189h234 mm.
WARRANTY: 2 years.
PRICE: 3790 Dollars.
Test results
DESIGN: Toaster is big and wide enough. The heat-insulated, anodized aluminum housing stays clean, even after extended use. Control panel with large display in the center, t.e. Toaster must always face you. This is understandable, because during its work the display and buttons light up the space with steady blue light, and why hide such a beauty?!
Stop button on the side also has a blue light which lights up when the toaster lever is lowered. Crumb tray can be easily removed from the side for cleaning. On the bottom there is a strap for winding the excess cord.
Plastic levers: toast lowering and bun warmer support – located on the sides. Even details are clever: The toaster body is cool and the handles are warm and “soft” and pleasant to touch.
CONTROL PANEL: Everything is very simple and switches on with just three buttons, which is totally in keeping with the spirit of minimalism. A circular display shows the exact degree of browning. Above display has “+” and “-” buttons to increase or decrease toaster time.
Topmost menu item is used to select the modes of operation. The selected mode is also shown on the display. Just remember the symbols, you can find their description in the user manual.
A timer starts to function during operation with a one-second countdown in the last minute. A gentle and melodic beep sounds when the work is finished.
FIRST TOAST: 2.5 minutes for making two pieces of toast in the main step. Toasts are evenly crisped.
RETURN MODE: To turn the toaster ON, select the required mode by pressing the upper button, adjust the degree of browning and push the toaster lever down.
At first we reduced the time setting to 4 minutes and the edges of the toast, which were closer to the center, became slightly browned, while the outer edges remained slightly pale. With a shorter time interval the toast does not burn, but we could not achieve even color crust: the outer edge always turned out paler.
HEATING: there is a special mode that allows you to automatically set the time for the best result. However, it is possible to adjust the process – to reduce or increase the time. The toast is drier than the fresh toast, but that’s ok.
REHEATING BUNS: protrudes from the case and is a long narrow stand that fits 2 to 3 buns.
ONE SIDE COOKING: this mode is suitable for long French bread and bagels cut lengthways. Since the body of the device has an elongated shape, it is really convenient to fry a cut baguette to build a “royal” sandwich.
To select this mode it is necessary to use the “menu” button and then omit toast or bread, thus turning on the toaster. We were browning our toast. The result is a very evenly fried one side and a slightly golden other side – perfect!
DETAILS: during the test the body heated up a little, became warm, but not hot – it is safe to touch it – it warms, not burns. It is easy to get the toast out, at no time did not burn your fingers when doughing, because the edge of the toast is higher than the edge of the device, and in addition, the lever can be lifted and it will be even easier to get the toast.
INSTRUCTIONS: thick book in 16 languages. Convenient that the pictures with conventions are located on the cover-folding: no need to turn the pages, they are always at hand – such care for consumers is very nice.
Good American translation of the instruction manual shows that a professional translator was at work on it. The text is clear, with important points highlighted in bold.
Can anyone provide their personal experience or review of the Philips HD 2618 toaster? I’m considering purchasing one and would love to hear some feedback on its performance, durability, and overall satisfaction. Thank you in advance!
Can anyone share their experience with the Philips HD 2618 toaster? How does it perform in terms of toasting efficiency, even browning, and durability? Any specific pros or cons? Would you recommend it as a reliable option?