Breville Mini Smart Oven BOV450XL, Brushed Stainess Steel

This is the second Breville Mini Smart Oven I've purchased. The cord on my first wore out after eight years of nearly daily use so I didn't feel badly about retiring it. It's one of the most versatile appliances in my kitchen. It doesn't just toast; it bakes. roasts and broils--often eliminating the use of the larger oven in my stove, saving considerable energy costs. The Breville Mini Smart Oven heats quickly so there's only a few minutes wait time for it to preheat. It has easy to use digital controls including an accurate timer and an automatic shutoff. It takes up a it more space than a typical toaster oven but it does so much more.

Over the last 50 years, I have owned multiple toaster ovens. There just simply handy for small baking/broiling without heating your large oven. Especially great for kids toasting small baked goods. Having purchased many of these in the past, I've noted that they really don't last that long and have poor heating elements and are hard to clean. I began an extensive Google search to identify the best small counter top oven and this item consistently appeared as the number one recommendation. I realize its more expensive than most of the others but I liked the fact that it had four heating elements and a ceramic lining for easy cleaning.

My research paid off and this is the best, easiest to use oven I've ever owned. The heating, timer and ease of use is just perfect. Now I have never used this type of oven for simple toast as I believe a regular toaster is best for that, but I do toast sandwiches in it and its great. I'm glad I spent a little more as this appears to be of such good quality that it will likely outlast two or three of the cheapy ovens.

This convection, toaster oven is perfect. Its foot print is small, smaller than our previous one, but the inside is roomy, more space than our previous one. Love the size.
It fits 4 medium, 6 small, pieces of bread. It's very user friendly. Perfect for roasting veggies for 2-3 people, baking and reheating. Made cookies from the same dough, same time, in the oven and in this and they turned out identical. Toasts bagels perfectly. Easy instructions, as well.
I recommend this to anyone and it would be especially practical for a single person or couple-home to cook, broil and reheat, to avoid using the standard oven and heating up the whole kitchen. Everyone in our family uses it daily and it's easy to clean.

I had to replace a Braun toaster oven that was horrid. This has been such a nice surprise to buy something that has a good design and works well. I'm so happy with this. It's small but just the right size for my needs. It toasts well and quickly, also roasts and bakes my potatoes without having to use the large gas oven. It has a quiet beep when it's through, and I love the "bit more" feature. Also the tray to clean the bottom comes out beneath the door - super easy to remove clean, and insert. Very satisfied.

I just received my toaster oven yesterday. The packaging was sturdy and the oven unpacked in perfect condition. I ran it through the “start-up cycle”, let it cool down, and then baked a chicken pot pie. It was perfectly golden and flaky. Also, the controls on the front of the oven are simple and easy to understand. How many appliances or electronics do we own that are so complex we never use half of the features? It’s also lightweight, which makes it easy to move.

We have a minuscule kitchen, so the size is probably about as large as I would want. I think I can bake, broil, or roast about anything for everyday meals, since it’s just my husband and I. Obviously, I’d be using the regular oven for a Thanksgiving turkey! I tried my 9”x9” Longaberger baking dish in the oven, and it fits. So, it’s great thus far… I’m trying a pizza tonight.

As I spent hours reading reviews on this oven over the past several weeks, I had these observations regarding complaints from negative reviewers, some of which seem to be from “glass half empty” folks:

1. “It gets hot on the outside”… yes, and so does your slow cooker, your coffee pot, or a pan on the stove. The instructions tell you that you need to leave room around the oven.

2. “The crumb tray doesn’t slide all the way into the oven”. I think most of these reviewers have it upside down. When I was putting in the crumb tray, it extended out the front of the oven and I thought these reviews were right. Then I turned it over and it fit perfectly.

3. “It clicks”. Yes, it does click when the heating rods turn on and off, but not loudly. That’s how it works to keep the temperature correct.

4. “It beeps loudly”. It beeps three times when the oven comes to temp, to let you know it’s ready for the food. My dryer buzzes when the cycle is done, and the tv has a chime when you turn it on or off. That’s life.

5. “The labels on the door showing where to place the rack for the various functions clutter the look of the oven”. Really? They’re small and on the side of the door by the controls anyway. I am glad I don’t have to continually refer to the manual.

6. “There is no interior light”. I think that’s probably because the oven is small. You can just open the door and check your food if necessary.

7. “It has an odd plug with a finger hole that sticks out too far”. I think Breville modified the plug sometime over the years, because my oven has a flat round plug.

8. The rack doesn’t auto-slide out when you open the door. I purchased a silicone push/pull tool very inexpensively on Amazon. It works perfectly with this oven. Or just use an oven mitt.

I also purchased the cutting board for the top of the oven, the pizza pan, and the broiling pan. Just make sure you get the ones for the 450XL.

This Breville oven seems just right for us. I will do an update if anything changes.

I have only owned the Breville Mini Smart Toaster Oven, Brushed Stainless Steel, BOV450XL for roughly a month but so far I'm very happy with the function and ease of operation. Several reviews that I read prior to purchase noted an annoying elongated plug, which seemed a useful design with a finger hole to help remove the plug from the wall rather than simply yanking via the wire. The new plug (see photo) is a much better design with a flange for easy gripping and a flush mount configuration. Nice improvement. The control knob works well and is a continuous turn that lets you change functions in either direction or continue all the way around. Each setting seems to remember the last setting which is very handy. Some reviews noted that the power would seem to come on randomly when not in use so I simply leave it unplugged at night or when I am not at home - no problems there. It is a perfect countertop size and I do not use it as a replacement for my full size oven, but it toasts and broils and reheat very well and very quickly. And predictably! NOTE: If the crumb tray does not fit then you are trying to put it in upside down (like I did). It looks nice and the controls work well, and as noted in the instructions, it lights up and quietly beeps when first powered up and then goes to sleep. It is 3 times the price of the simple toaster oven (that failed) that it replaced but I hope that I can get as much life out of it. So far very pleased and will likely up to 5 stars after using for a while.

This is a review and comparison of the 1800-watt Breville Mini Smart Oven, model BOV450XL/A, and the 1300-watt Panasonic Toaster Oven, model NB-G110P. We have had both less than one month, so no comments on reliability, though the Breville seems more robustly built.
Our primary goal for replacing our 20-year-old Panasonic toaster oven is to make toast that is dark enough. For the tests, I set both toasters on Dark. The bread we prefer is from When Pigs Fly bakery in Maine, which are generally substantial whole-grain slices about 3/8” thick. For these tests we used Honey Wheat Soft Sourdough. The Panasonic begins toasting with the timer starting at 3:00 minutes, but there is a computation going on. Initially the timer is flashing, when apparently the “smart” toaster is deciding just how long to actually toast. After about 30 seconds, the timer stops flashing, and the timer counts down in real time as one would expect a timer to do, but the result is that it skips ahead during the flashing period, so the final toasting time is only about 2 1/2 minutes. The result is a lightly browned toast, with roughly equal browning to both sides. See attached photo.
The Breville oven takes a different approach. You can set darkness in 7 levels and the number of pieces of toast that you are toasting from 1 to 4. To get the greatest darkness available on one slice of bread, I set the darkness at 7 and the number of slices at 4, even though only one slice was being toasted. At this setting, the timer starts at 4:20, and counts down in real time. The result is toast lightly browned on top similar to the result of the Panasonic, but lighter browning on the bottom. These are also shown in the attached photos.
There is a difference in the taste of these single toast slices from each of the toaster ovens set at maximum darkness. Because of the time difference to achieve roughly equivalent browning, the shorter more intense heat from the Panasonic leaves a center that tastes more like untoasted bread. Toast from the longer time of the Breville tastes more fully toasted, which we prefer. If you prefer darker toast, the Breville has two ways to do that: When beginning toasting, you can push the Frozen button, which adds 30 seconds to the toasting time. After toasting is done, you can push the “A bit more” button for an additional 30 seconds. With all this flexibility, the Breville won the toast competition.
I should mention that the Panasonic also has a Frozen Waffle cycle that starts at 5 minutes on the dark setting. This is probably able to produce darker toast, but I have not explored it further. In place of the “A bit more” button on the Breville, on the Panasonic you can hit Toast again, but you have to watch to see when the level of darkness is achieved and manually stop the process. Watching the toast darkness is easier with the Panasonic because it has a light that is on when heating. The intermittent nature of this light can be annoying when cooking foods that do not require the heaters to be constantly on, as other reviewers have mentioned.
With the toast competition out of the way, there are other features worth mentioning. In general, the Breville seems to be the more flexible small toaster oven. The Panasonic has six special-purpose options (Toast, Frozen Waffle, Reheat Roll/Bread, Frozen Pizza, Quick Reheat, Frozen Hash Brown) plus timed baking up to 25 minutes at a temperature between 250 and 500 F. It does not have a Broil feature as far as I can tell, but the Breville does. The Breville has 8 functions on its dial, Toast, Bake, Broil, Roast, Cookies, Reheat, Pizza, and Bagel. On all these except Roast, Broil, and Reheat, there is the option to press the Frozen button. So, for example, you have presets for fresh and frozen pizza, but on the Panasonic Frozen Pizza is the only pizza preset. Also, the Breville has a preheat function before a frozen pizza is added.
Both of these toasters get pretty hot while cooking, and their walls and top are thin. The Panasonic specifies 4” clearance on both sides and the back, and 6” above it. The Breville specifies only side clearance of 4”. Not having a top clearance is an important omission, since these ovens are likely to be place on a counter under cabinets above. The Panasonic is higher, so clearance from cabinets a standard 18” above the counter would be 7 3/4 inches. That for the Breville would be 9 1/4 inches. Long baking times at high temperatures would require these clearances, but a few runs of the toaster may not.
Another difference is the grill that holds the food. On the Panasonic the grill is attached to the door and slides in to cook and out when the door is opened. This is convenient and avoids reaching into a hot oven, but the position of the grill is fixed relative to the top and bottom heaters. The heavier Breville grill can be slid out by hand (using a pot hold after cooking). It can also be placed at 3 different levels, depending on the cooking function.
Both units come with a cooking tray. The one with the Breville is slightly larger (just large enough for the one frozen pizza we’ve cooked) than the Panasonic one (9.75 vs 9.0” square, inside at bottom) and is more sturdily built of enameled steel with a flat bottom; the Panasonic is made of aluminum alloy with a ridged bottom that could be harder to clean (covering with aluminum foil is recommended). The ridged bottom may allow for a crisper pizza crust, though we haven’t tried it. An optional grill is available to put in the bottom of the Breville tray for a crisper pizza.
Both units come with a 1-year warrantee. They both say to unplug the unit when not in use, which I hope is being overly cautious. The Panasonic seems to have a mechanical on/off switch, which when off should keep microprocessor errors from turning the unit on unintentionally. This is less clear for the Breville unit. The Breville manual is somewhat easier to understand and to search for what you want to know.
As is obvious by now, on balance we are keeping the Breville toaster oven. In spite of a slight difference in toast browning between top and bottom, its extra flexibility made the difference. I’ll update this review as we learn more about the Breville.

I just purchased this toaster, so I can't speak to the longevity, however, my first impressions are very favorable. My previous toaster oven was a larger model & different brand that had convection and other fancy add-ons. Trouble was it took 6:30 min (390 sec) to get toast brown to my liking. I had a suspicion that larger toaster ovens with multiple features may be trying to do too much and fail more on individual tasks. After reading lots of reviews, I decided on Breville, but purposefully chose the smallest option (BOV450XL Mini Smart Oven with Element IQ) with the fewest features. I predominately use this appliance to toast pre-buttered bread, keep plates warm, broil individual servings of food and bake dinner sides (roasted baby potatoes etc.). If you are looking for an oven replacement, this review may not be as helpful. That caveat aside, I ran some tests and have been impressed with the efficiency and consistency of this toaster.

One of the best features of this toaster is that it remembers your last setting for a given function. If you always want #2 toast, you don't have to hit the down arrow every time. You turn the dial to toast and hit the start button. Nice. If you like to warm plates for dinner, you can dedicate the ROAST setting to 120°F and have the bake setting default to something like 350°F. Nice! The dial makes changing between settings efficient and the buttons all have a positive feel but will little travel giving good tactile feedback that the input has been registered with a sense of durability.

Because the unit is small, the 1800W coils are able to heat it rapidly. The toasting color is consistent across the piece of bread and was consistent from test to test for the same setting assuming the toaster had a chance to cool fully (more on this later). The outside is well toasted and the center is warmed and steaming but not even with the outside. This is in contrast to my last toaster that seemed to desiccate the bread as it slowly came up to temperature (again, I suspect the large toaster ovens sacrifice toasting ability to include other features).

I have included pictures of toasted bread for reference as I was frustrated in my own search that this was very hard to find. The bread is Kroger brand white bread. In the first series, I have displayed all settings on plain bread from un-toasted to #7 setting (360 sec). The toaster was allowed to cool fully between each piece of bread. The default setting is #4 (160 sec), but my personal preference is a bit darker (#5, 180 sec). The underside of the bread does not get as toasted as can be seen in the photos but this is understandable given the rack.

The second set of photos is for bread that had been pre-buttered with about 1/2 tsp of butter per slice on one side only. Here, my decided preference is #5 again. It is interesting to note that adding butter slows the browning of the top side without affecting the underside making the overall toast more even.

Following are pictures of my one gripe about the unit. The Element IQ (mislabeled SmartIQ in the picture) does not work perfectly. I toasted three pieces of bread on #5 (180 sec) consecutively, taking the first out, immediately putting a second in and hitting start again. The toaster is programed to account for the fact that it is already warmed. As a result, the duration of toasting for the second slice on #5 was 152 sec and for the third, 146 sec. As you can see, the second and third are consistent with each other but lighter than the first slice, matching closer to #3 from earlier tests. Again, I found that if the unit cools fully and resets to the full time duration, the color is consistent from round to round. Therefore, if you are only using it once every morning, you will consistently have the same toast each time, if you have one day where you are feeding a crowd, maybe up the toasting on the following slices to keep color consistent. This is a small deficiency.

The final set of pictures shows what happens when the #4 setting is used and the "a bit more" button is pressed at the end of the toast cycle (brings it closer to a #5). Also shown is what happens if you "forget about the toast" and leave it in the oven after the cycle is complete until the unit cools down (Does not appreciably darken the bread).

Hopefully this review is helpful. If I gain more insights regarding baking/broiling ability or consistency or if I have any mechanical issues I will update the review. (current version May 2020)

This is my first Breville product of any kind. I don’t have anything against the brand, it seems the vast majority of people who own them like them or even love them. And the few negatives I’ve read never really explain in detail any fault of the product itself, it’s usually something to do with user error or not choosing the right product for their needs. My only issue with the brand is that sometimes it costs far more than it should and I don’t see enough of an advantage in it to pay that much more. This time though I could see a few advantages to this model which took it to the top as my first choice (after several weeks of extensive shopping and comparing numerous other toaster ovens).

SIZE

Topping the list of why I chose this model is size. I have a wonderful Cuisinart TOB-100 which to me is the ideal size for a toaster oven. It’s served me well for over five years and still works fine except, as happens, the heating elements are getting old and everything takes longer to cook. These days the popular trend is for manufacturers to be pushing extra-large toaster ovens as a replacement for a full size oven. I don’t agree, my stove works better as an oven than any toaster can possibly do and between it and a microwave and an air fryer (not to mention hotpot, steamer, slow cooker and other small appliances) using a toaster oven is nothing but a compromise and not a good one at that. The Breville Mini is the right size to toast bread, bagels, English muffins and similar things and occasionally heat up a leftover single slice of pizza. I mean, really, who really gets one of these things to bake pizzas, especially tiny eleven-inch ones?

CONVENIENCE

When I want to toast a bagel or something I just want to be able to walk over to my appliance, put the thing in, and push one button. This model does that, it remembers my last setting and if I want to make a slight one-time adjustment I don’t have to read a service manual and push and turn a bunch of knobs to do so. The button layout on this model in my opinion is far easier to use than the next model up, the Compact, which requires you to push and turn a knob and have to think about which mode it is in every time.

SPEED

The Breville line of toaster ovens use quartz tubes for heat. That is not my preferred choice. I’ve had plenty of ones that use this technology and while it is definitely faster than the metal rod elements my Cuisinart uses the quartz tubes have several downsides. First off, in reality they are nothing more than a high power light bulb and like most bulbs the more powerful they are the more heat they give off. Being a glass tube they are fragile and delicate and like most bulbs they have a relatively short life then they burn out (they are replaceable if you’re handy with such things). Metal heating element rods usually don’t get quite as hot and they take a lot longer to heat up to temperature than quartz tubes which are instant on. But metal rods can last far longer than a glass tube, especially if they get splashed with grease, which is a common event in a toaster oven. A metal rod can simply burn the grease off but a glass tube can shatter or instantly burn out. So I only consider ovens of this type conditionally acceptable if you use a lot of care to protect the tubes from getting splashed.

SMART

They use the word smart loosely, this oven doesn’t really sense the doneness of your food like some toasters I have owned. It simply determines how much heat to use for how long depending on what you tell it to do, so you are really the one doing the smarts. To me the word smart really goes back to the word convenience – being able to choose a setting with one simple dial, adjust time and temperature with simple push buttons, having a large clearly marked on/off button, having the display change color to tell you it’s cooking, and having a convenient button to add a little more cooking time if you need it without resetting everything from scratch.

WISH THEY DIDN’T

I mentioned that the size of the oven was my most important factor is choosing this model. The layout of the controls was second and the speed was the third. None of the other models I considered had all three. There are a few minor things that I don’t care for though. One is the etched on writing on the door reminding me which shelf position to use to cook various things, I think it is useless and the painted on labels detract from the look of the device and of my kitchen. I also don’t like that there is no hook to slide the wire shelf out when I open the door. This used to be standard on every toaster oven. I think it’s inconvenient and dangerous not to have it. The last thing isn’t a negative, it’s an observation – I cannot understand why anyone would complain about this or any toaster product because “it gets hot”. What are they expecting, on what planet does an appliance meant to toast something not get hot? For the record this model doesn’t get much hotter or stay any cooler than any other toaster I’ve owned, in fact using professional grade thermography test equipment I measured the outer cabinet to be slightly cooler than the Cuisinart. The simple answer is that your mom should have taught you a long time ago not to touch a hot stove. There is one review I read suggesting to use an extension cord so you can push this toaster right up to the wall in your kitchen. DON’T! You will burn your house down. If the little pull tab on the power cord bothers you, simply plug it in to another outlet that’s not located right behind the toaster. But never use any extension cord on any toaster and never push it any closer to the wall than the manufacturer tells you to.

MORE ABOUT IT BEING TOO HOT

Since there are several one star reviews that dismiss it for the sole reason that it “gets hot”, here are some extra facts about that topic. If you set your oven for 400 degrees its temperature is going to be 400 degrees. It doesn’t matter if you have a Breville, an Oster, a Cuisinart or a no-name brand they will all be the same temperature inside. If it’s not getting hot and your oven is cold it’s not doing its job and that’s what someone should be complaining about, not that it gets hot. A toaster isn’t a toaster if it doesn’t get hot. The more powerful it is, the higher the wattage will be and the faster it will toast – and the result of that is heat. It’s simple science. A hot toaster is a good thing and people who buy it should be adult enough not to touch it, place it close to a wall, put anything on it that can melt or burn, or allow children to play with it like a toy. I don’t know how anyone can expect any stove or toaster to cook and not get hot, and I’m even more baffled why they would complain about it and consider it a defect or a reason to give it a negative review. I attached those professional thermal imaging photos showing my highly rated Cuisinart next to the Mini to directly compare the amount of heat created by both of them. See for yourself.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Based on user comments there are most commonly misunderstood concerns about this product’s reliability. Here is some info that may be helpful in determining the true cause for a perceived issue.

1. It gets hot – as discussed earlier that is not a fault but rather simply how a toaster works

2. It smokes – that’s steam, a normal byproduct of what food does when it heat it. If it’s real smoke then your food is burning, that would be a user error

3. It’s too small – they make other sizes, if this model is too small don’t buy it

4. The dial is hard to read – choose another model or brand, after using it 2-3 times you will learn where your favorite settings are without having to even look at the dial

5. The weird plug – keep complaining, maybe they will eventually listen. That hook doesn’t make much sense but if it’s in the way just plug it in to a different outlet

6. It “broke” – I have yet to read any review giving details what they mean by broke. As I have explained earlier this model (as well as many other brands) use glass tubes that are essentially light bulbs. Those are delicate and can break and they will absolutely burn out. That’s not a defect, it’s the trade off for an oven that gets hot fast. If that concerns you buy an oven with metal heating rods

7. That clicking sound – again, not a defect. Quartz tube ovens work by turning the light bulb on and off, the temperature of the bulb itself can’t actually be controlled. What you are hearing is the relay that powers the bulb on and off, it’s normal and it has to do that. If it really bothers you get an oven that uses metal heating rods, they don’t click. Oh, and I really can’t even hear the clicking unless I’m standing right in front of it.

A DOSE OF REALITY

I am constantly amused about comments about how some users either love or hate the way a toaster oven cooks, as if they could really tell a difference. This appliance is one of the most basic things in a kitchen, a technology that goes back to the stone age. In the simplest terms, it's a metal box with a wire rack that heats food to a certain temperature and cooks it for a certain time. There's nothing magic about that, it can't make food taste better. In theory every model sold does the identical thing the same way, the only difference is how it looks and whether you manually choose the time and temperature or a built in program does that for you. But the process of the heating elements getting hot and cooking your food never changes no matter how much or how little you paid for the thing. If it burns your food it’s not the toaster's fault, it has no idea what you put in the oven and what you consider "properly done". So, sorry to rain on any parades but no, this gadget won’t and can’t make your food taste any better nor will it make you the next Julia Child.

YES OR NO

This product met all of my needs as expected and I think it is in fact designed and made to a higher quality standard than cheaper ones. And the reality is that if you are looking for one that takes up a minimal amount of counter space you probably know that most of the more deluxe ones aren’t this small. It fits a niche, it may not be for everyone, but for the reasons listed above I chose this one and I’m satisfied.

I’m neither here to defend nor condemn this product, I paid a lot of my hard earned money to buy it which entitles me to my opinions. I simply believe in facts versus baseless accusations. I hope this information has been useful to you and if so please feel free to comment.

**Update**
Will be 2 years owning this in just a few months and we still use it multiple times a day and have had no issues at all with it! Set up remains the same, too, with the board and mats! We actually keep our bread box on top now :)

We have had this for about 9 months now and have been very happy with it! We've had no issues, clean up is a breeze and it's simple enough that my two daughters (8 and 11) can both use it with no issues. The pan that came with it is fine but I bought a set of pans separately that I like much better that included a sheet tray, rack, muffin pan, pizza stone, and roasting pan. We have toasted, baked, reheated, broiled and roasted all with great success. I love not having to run the "big oven" for small things and what a help at Thanksgiving!

I personally do not find the beep overly annoying or too loud as other reviewers have stated and I am actually sensitive to loud or high pitched noises (I have retracted eardrums making some sounds painful). In my opinion it's better to be loud than too quiet for this application anyway. Maybe it's because I have two young girls or a barky chihuahua...but it's better to hear it than not...and really, it's not like it beeps for a long time...a second or two and it's over...not worth complaining about it in my opinion.

I also don't have an issue with the handle sticking out too far. It certainly doesn't stick out past the edge of the counter or get snagged on anything and I'd rather there be room enough that my children (or me) don't accidentally hit the door with our fingers and get burned. There is room enough that that is not a concern.

The rack not coming out automatically when you open the door is actually a feature I prefer. I am not incapable or lazy enough that I can't slide the rack out on my own when necessary and it only takes a second to accomplish. I find it annoying when you just want to pop the oven open to check what you are cooking that the whole thing slides out...and in my experience in the past it would sometimes catch and the door wouldn't close nicely when you wanted to close it back up...esp with a pan of food on it. You'd have to wiggle and jiggle it to get the process started....granted that was a long time ago, maybe they make em differently now, but either way I prefer my rack to stay in place until I pull it out. I actually bought a little red silicone tool made to push and pull the hot oven rack in and out with and I store it in a small metal magnetic basket that is stuck to the side of the oven. Handy and ready whenever I need it.

The only thing I would want to make this better would be that Breville made one of their bamboo boards that fit the top of this oven. Since they don't I found my own solution. I bought a board that fits PERFECTLY on top of this little oven...the Architec Gripperwood Gourmet Sheesham Cutting Board, 10 by 15-Inch (http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007ZGN8Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and a set of 2 Silicone Baking Sheet Mat Liners 8½" X 11" (http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F2LRL3Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1) that I placed underneath the board for heat protection. Works WONDERFULLY....adds counter space, looks great, and it prevents the problems involved with my children turning the oven on when they've left something on the top of the oven...like the book my oldest was reading while making herself some toast a while back!

Overall, I am happy we chose this unit. We are a family of four and it's a great size for us! I do wish the price were lower but I wish that about lots of things, LOL.