Oster is a bread machine manufacturer and maker of small appliances, originally called the John Oster Manufacturing Company. They were acquired by Sunbeam in 1960 and still manufacture their range under the Oster brand. In this article I am going to do an oster bread machine review, meaning the Sunbeam branded machines are not included, but the Sunbeam machines are reviewed elsewhere on the site.

The two machines we will be talking about are the Oster 5838 2-pound Expressbake Breadmaker and the Oster CKSTBRTW20 2-Pound Expressbake Breadmaker – the main Osters currently on the market. The range offers great quality at a great price, as these are some of the cheapest machines on the market, but do they stand the test of the consumer? How do these machines stack up when it comes to loaf quality, and is the rich history of the Oster bread machine still going today?

Oster CKSTBRTW20 review

I’m going to start with the CKSTBRTW20 (that’s a bit of a mouthful, especially compared to the 5838) which is a sub $100 machine, which is the very cheap end of the market, but is it a cheap loaf?

Features of the  CKSTBRTW20

• 9 baking settings with three crust setting.
• Up to a 2 lb loaf, suitable for gatherings and large families.
• Programmable for up to 13 hours meaning you can return from work or wake up in the morning to a loaf of your favorite bread.
• Expressbake setting for a loaf under an hour.
• LCD display for ease of use.

The machine is exceptionally reviewed on Amazon, and considering the price tag has a great range of features. Quotes from the reviews section include “exceptional loaf for the price” and “would purchase again in a heartbeat”. Currently selling for just $70, this machine is punching well above its weight at a rating of around 4.5 out of 5 – you’ll struggle to find a better or more reliable machine even if you spend double the price, more features perhaps but a better loaf? You’ll struggle.

Oster 5838 Review

This is another machine you can buy for mere double figures, in fact available as cheaply as $50 on the Amazon marketplace at the time of writing this. Still a great bread machine in spite of its tiny price tag.

• 13 hour delay timer with an amazing 1 hour ‘keep warm’ feature for a nice hot loaf  even after the cooking has finished.
• 8 settings including doughs and jams as wello as breads
• Nonstick aluminum bread pan and kneading paddle included
• 2 lb loaf in under an hour

This machine falls a little short of its predecessor with an average customer rating of 3.5, however don’t let that make you think this is a poor machine, as it is available for such a reasonable price and will still make a solid loaf of bread, though for higher quality I would recommend the CKSTBRTW20.

Conclusion

The Oster bread machines available are an exceptional range, even though there are just two of them currently available, Oster know what they’re doing when it comes to the kitchen appliance market and bread machines are no different, if you’re looking for a great, quick bread machine at an affordable price, Oster is your answer.