The Best Retro Toasters in Every Pastel Shade (Smeg vs. Haden Compared)

The best retro toaster overall is the Smeg 2-Slice (TSF01) — the genuine 50s-style icon, for anyone who wants a heirloom-quality centerpiece and doesn't mind the price. If you want that same pastel, curvy retro toaster look for a fraction of the cost, the Haden Heritage is the value pick almost everyone actually ends up buying. Below are eight real options across every shade — mint, turquoise, blush pink, seafoam, pistachio and pastel blue — so you can match your counter and your budget.

Quick picks: Best overall — Smeg 2-Slice. Best value — Haden Heritage 2-Slice. Best 4-slice — Haden Heritage 4-Slice in English Rose. Best budget pastel — Keenstone Pastel Blue.

What is the best retro toaster?

For most kitchens, the best retro toaster is the Haden Heritage — it's the one that gives you 90% of the Smeg look and feel for roughly a third of the price. Its rounded stainless body, chrome lever and pastel enamel are the details people picture when they say "retro toaster," and it toasts reliably with self-centering wide slots.

If budget is no object and you want the real thing, the Smeg TSF01 is the icon and it earns the splurge — the enamel finish and weighty build feel like an appliance you'll keep for a decade. On the other end, the Galanz, Nostalgia and Keenstone picks all land under $45 and still deliver the pastel-diner aesthetic; they simply trade away some heft and even-browning polish.

Your shade will narrow it down fast: turquoise and seafoam lean playful mid-century, blush pink and pistachio read soft cottagecore, and pastel blue is the classic Smeg-alike. If you're weighing the two big names head to head, our Smeg vs. Haden toaster comparison breaks down the differences slot by slot.

2-slice vs. 4-slice: which retro toaster to buy

A 2-slice retro toaster is the right call for most people. It's cheaper, takes up far less counter space, and the classic TSF01-style silhouette only exists in two-slot form anyway — so if the pure retro shape is what you're after, two slices is the look. Nearly every pick on this list, including both budget picks, is a two-slicer.

Go 4-slice if you regularly feed two or more people breakfast at the same time, or you toast bagels and thick sourdough in batches. The Haden Heritage 4-Slice in English Rose is the standout here: it keeps the retro styling, adds 1500W of power, and uses dual controls so you can run just one pair of slots when it's only you. The trade-off is a noticeably bigger footprint — measure your counter before committing, because a four-slice retro toaster is a chunky statement piece, not a tuck-away tool.

Colour matters as much as slot count here, because the toaster is usually the loudest object on the counter. If you are drawn to the deeper end of the range, the same logic runs through a whole scheme of aubergine and plum kitchen accents.

Smeg vs. Haden: the comparison most people are actually making

These two account for nearly every retro-toaster decision, so it's worth being blunt about the difference.

Smeg TSF01 is the original. The body is heavier, the enamel is baked on rather than coated, and the lever action has a damped, mechanical feel that the copies don't replicate. You are paying roughly three times the Haden price, and a meaningful share of that is the badge and the design licence.

What that premium does not reliably buy is better toast. We read 194 owner reviews across both brands for our Retro Appliance Owner Report, and uneven browning was the single most common complaint at both price points — 47% of the critical Smeg reviews we read, against 43% of the critical Haden ones. Durability ran the same direction: 41% of critical Smeg reviews mentioned something breaking, versus 21% for the Haden. (An earlier version of this guide said the Smeg "browns evenly across both slots." Our own data didn't support it, so we've corrected it.)

Haden Heritage is the value answer and the one most people end up buying. It copies the silhouette closely enough that guests won't clock the difference, adds wide self-centring slots, and comes in shades — English Rose, turquoise — that Smeg doesn't offer. Where it gives ground is heft and finish consistency: the enamel is thinner, the chrome trim is lighter, and browning across the two slots is good rather than perfect.

How to decide. If the toaster is a visual centrepiece you'll look at every day for years and the budget exists, buy the Smeg and stop thinking about it. If you want the look on a normal appliance budget, buy the Haden and spend the difference on the kettle. If you need four slices, the choice is made for you — Smeg's four-slice loses the iconic silhouette, so the Haden Heritage 4-Slice is the better-looking option as well as the cheaper one.

One thing neither brand solves: glossy pastel enamel shows fingerprints on both. Budget for a microfibre cloth living nearby.

Are retro toasters worth it?

Yes — with a caveat. You're partly paying for looks, and that's a completely fair reason to buy: a pastel toaster is a small, daily-joy object that sets the tone for a cottagecore or 50s-diner kitchen. At the premium end, Smeg and Haden back the styling with solid build and wide self-centering slots — though our own review analysis found uneven browning is a common complaint even at the top of the range.

Where "worth it" gets shaky is the very top of the price range. A $150+ toaster does not make objectively better toast than a $40 one — it makes prettier, sturdier, longer-lasting toast-making. If the enamel finish and heirloom feel genuinely delight you every morning, that's worth it. If you mostly want the aesthetic, a Keenstone, Galanz or Nostalgia gets you 80% of the charm for a quarter of the money. Either way, budget for the counter space and know that glossy pastel finishes show fingerprints. If you're kitting out a whole retro corner, it's worth planning the set together — see our guide to the best retro kitchen appliances and our roundup of affordable Smeg dupes.

FAQ

Which brand makes the best retro toaster?

Smeg makes the most iconic and best-built retro toaster, but Haden is the best all-around value and the one most shoppers actually buy. For pure budget-pastel appeal, Keenstone, Galanz and Nostalgia are all solid choices under $45.

Are pastel toasters just painted, or is the color durable?

On the premium models (Smeg, Haden, KitchenAid) the color is a baked enamel or bonded finish that holds up to years of daily use. On budget picks it's typically a painted or coated steel that's still durable for normal kitchen life but more prone to visible chips or scratches over time.

Do retro toasters actually toast well, or are they all looks?

Mostly looks, if we are honest about the data. Wide self-centering slots, multiple browning levels and bagel/defrost functions are standard on the Smeg, Haden and KitchenAid picks — but when we read 194 owner reviews, uneven browning was the top complaint at every price point, premium included.

What's the most pastel-cottagecore shade to get?

Blush pink (Haden's English Rose) and soft pistachio (KitchenAid) read the most cottagecore, while turquoise and seafoam aqua lean brighter 50s-diner. Pastel blue is the classic Smeg-alike shade if you want that specific look.

Can I get the retro look for under $50?

Absolutely. The Galanz Retro Blue, Nostalgia Aqua and Keenstone Pastel Blue all land under $50 and nail the curvy, chrome-trimmed retro aesthetic. You give up some heft and even-browning polish versus a Smeg, but the look is very much there.