Okay, I bought for the price. And it is effective enough. But it is very clumsy and unergonomic, so that after a couple minutes of use it is difficult to handle any longer. The main problems are: Balance of weight, and the switch.
First, the switch: Because it is a cheap push-in button, which must be constantly depressed to keep the knife on, you lose optimum control quickly. The handle is badly placed for this, as your thumb must always be on TOP of the handle and forward toward the front of it, but you can't hold your hand up there because your wrist angle will be completely wrong for cutting. In addition, keeping that button depressed is difficult not only because it does require a constant application of pressure at a different direction from both the grasp and the application of the knife, but because the button sinks deep into the handle, so your thumb is inside the handle as you're trying to hold and control the knife: Quick cramp. Moreover, as you're pushing it in, if the food you're cutting is moist (like a turkey), juices may run onto the handle, your thumb--and into the hole into which you're pressing the button. NOT safe. A couple times I've wondered whether that shooting pain in my thumb was from nerve torture or electric shock; either way, it wasn't good.
Then the weight distribution of the knife is not very good. Look at the huge bulk of the motor--and then look at where the handle is located, and how it is designed. There's no way to hold this at a proper angle with the handle shaped as it is. Add in the need to be depressing the power button as you're holding it awkwardly, and...
2 stars for effectiveness; minus 3 for bad functional design.
This knife was purchased for us as a wedding gift and we've used it for 10 years. Not all the time, mind you, but for special occasions like Thanksgiving. It's always worked well, never jammed, and it just slices through a turkey like it was butter. We've had nothing but good to say about this knife and for the money, well, it's hard to go wrong! But, if you are looking for something to use more consistently, I would definitely recommend a better brand because I honestly don't think this one would hold up well under a lot of use.
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Price was a factor in buying, but I wanted mostly for slicing bread machine bread. The bit at the end of the blades get hung up in my Presto slicing guide as the blades are too short; further, the switch is extremely temperamental and only works if you move your thumb around a lot. I'd return it, if the postage, packaging and trip to post office were worth it + trying to dig up original cash receipt! These people do NOT want return business! (They've been bought by Salton, so they use this brand for junk)
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The Toastmaster electric knife is great, especially for adults with small hands. Most of the current models of other electric knives don't have a handle to grasp; and because the outside of the knife is smooth, it is quite slippery. Thus, it is difficult to grasp the knife. The Toastmaster's handle makes for easy holding during use.
However, all the manufacturers would be wise to lengthen the knives to the size they were decades ago and charge a few more bucks.
This is the biggest drawback of the Toastmaster -it's blades are shorter than other models.
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I received my shipment in record speed timing! Brand new, still in the wrapper. Works beautifully! Although I must confess, I'm using it to cut foam wedges (up to 8 " thick) for upholstery cushions. It works perfectly, doesn't get hot after long non-stop cutting. Excellent clean cuts.
... Not exactly what it's made for... but then again, I'm a vegetarian.
I'm kind of surprised that this set carries the Wusthof name. For the price I paid I wasn't expecting much, but figured if it was a Wusthof set it had to be decent. I have a couple other lower-end Wusthof knives and these knives are several notches below my other Wusthof's. The blades seem to be sharp but the handles are really flimsy and made out of rough plastic. There isn't much "heft" to these knives at all and they don't balance well in my opinion. I have a feeling that the blades will stay sharp for a long time because these knives won't be getting much use in my kitchen.
