dont go with a krups, i just tried one saturday , it was really bad and i took it back

I have a Cuisinart that I like a lot. There are only two slots (wide enough for bagels), but each slot holds two pieces of bread. So the unit is not chunky wide, but rather longer than usual. It toasts to my specifications with no problems.

I also have a cuisinart with 2 long slots. It's long but I like it because you can toast those large sour dough slices or 2-4 regular slices of bread. Also good for bagels, etc. It doesn't seem too bulky and it stays cool on the outside. Got it pretty cheap at Costco a couple of years ago. I can't say it's super fast but at least you can do 4 slices at once.