Dualit Toasters

[Mike Hunt]

uh...$120...for a toaster...to toast bread...wow...wow...and wow.  And that's the sale price...wow.  I don't care how rich I get, I will never spend that much money to toast a bagle.

Now I'm no Elwood Blues making my toast on a wire hanger over a burner on his stove but is there a decent toaster for under a much more reasonable $40?

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Would you like the short answer ?

[Terrasanct]

The last toaster I bought, about five years ago, was around $20. Never had a single problem with it.

I have a lot of cool things in my kitchen, but I never really thought of making toast as something that required too much complexity. Or money, for that matter.

[andiesenji]

Ah, but you are not a collector. Would you like to guess how much I have paid for a toaster?

scroll to the bottom of this page. click on 1920/1940 and scroll to the bottom of that page.

I have both of the bottom two.

here is the art deco one:

And this is the new one.

Edited March 29, 2006 by andiesenji (log)

[Terrasanct]

I'm definitely not a toaster collector! I would say that I didn't know there was such a thing, but I know an artist here in Montana who has a wonderful toaster collection. And a jukebox collection, and an old car collection--he even has an old railroad bridge. But some people like stuff more than others.

I couldn't find a photo of his toasters, but this will give you an idea:

http://www.charlesringer.com/Studio/studio6.html

Okay, for those people who are paying over $100 for toasters to toast with, what special things do they do to justify the price?

[Mike Hunt]

Okay, for those people who are paying over $100 for toasters to toast with, what special things do they do to justify the price?

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They generally make better toast and they last a lot longer.

That's about it really.

[andiesenji]

Okay, for those people who are paying over $100 for toasters to toast with, what special things do they do to justify the price?

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They generally make better toast and they last a lot longer.

That's about it really.

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I bought my old Dualit 4-slice toaster with two sandwich cages in 1979 (when few people in the US had ever seen one) and it has worked beautifully for 26 years. I paid 155.00 for it so if you pro-rate it, it has cost me less than $6.00 a year.

In a discussion with a couple of friends, one had bought a new toaster about every 5 years, paying an average of 35.00 so they actually paid more than I did. (Their prices ranged from 20.00 to 69.00.) This is similar to my old Russell Hobbs electric tea kettle for which I paid $55.00 in 1975. That was a lot of money because at the time the Sunbeam, which did not have an automatic shut-off switch and could boil dry, was 19.95. The automatic shut-off was the thing that did it for me. I consider it a bargain.

I want a toaster that will toast evenly and reliably every time and can toast a wide range of items without a lot of fiddling. I am rather picky about how my toast, bagels and English muffins are toasted and I don't mind paying for a toaster that does what I want and as I mentioned in an earlier post, I wanted one of the long slot toasters. There aren't that many on offer right now.

As regards collectible toasters, I have bought new toasters and never used them.

In this photo, you can see a toaster that has a picture of a springbok on it. That was a limited edition toaster, sold only for a brief period. I purchased it new and never used it and I still have the original box. The value on a piece such as this is far greater if it is unused.

Edited March 29, 2006 by andiesenji (log)

[Mike Hunt]

Okay, for those people who are paying over $100 for toasters to toast with, what special things do they do to justify the price?

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They generally make better toast and they last a lot longer.

That's about it really.

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I bought my old Dualit 4-slice toaster with two sandwich cages in 1979 (when few people in the US had ever seen one) and it has worked beautifully for 26 years. I paid 155.00 for it so if you pro-rate it, it has cost me less than $6.00 a year.

In a discussion with a couple of friends, one had bought a new toaster about every 5 years, paying an average of 35.00 so they actually paid more than I did. (Their prices ranged from 20.00 to 69.00.) This is similar to my old Russell Hobbs electric tea kettle for which I paid $55.00 in 1975. That was a lot of money because at the time the Sunbeam, which did not have an automatic shut-off switch and could boil dry, was 19.95. The automatic shut-off was the thing that did it for me. I consider it a bargain.

I want a toaster that will toast evenly and reliably every time and can toast a wide range of items without a lot of fiddling. I am rather picky about how my toast, bagels and English muffins are toasted and I don't mind paying for a toaster that does what I want and as I mentioned in an earlier post, I wanted one of the long slot toasters. There aren't that many on offer right now.

As regards collectible toasters, I have bought new toasters and never used them.

In this photo, you can see a toaster that has a picture of a springbok on it. That was a limited edition toaster, sold only for a brief period. I purchased it new and never used it and I still have the original box. The value on a piece such as this is far greater if it is unused.

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Respect.

[tsure]

A few months back I retired my old Dualit and bought a new DeLonghi toaster, this model because of the unusual design/shape.

Considering the cost, this thing is a disaster. 

So I bought this Dualit 4-slice Lite, Soft touch toaster In the red, as shown.

I am very pleased with this toaster.  I wanted one with longer slots so I can toast a full slice of sourdough or sheepherder bread without cutting it in half.  The slots also hold the two halves of an 8-inch round, home-made waffle (frozen).

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Slate On-line magazine had a Toaster test article today. Click here for the test results. and I just noticed that I'm not the only one who happened to read that article. Oh well....

Edited March 29, 2006 by tsure (log)

[andiesenji]

The Dualit in the Slate test is not the same as the one I have. That one has different controls and is totally different in design and the way the internal components are arranged.

[aprilmei]

That Art Deco one is beautiful... Do you use it, or just admire it (not that there's anything wrong with just admiring it).

[butterscotch]

wow, that's a lot of toasters! i have an old hot plate/ toaster combo called the breakfaster. it does not make the best toast though. i find it hard to get rid off because i love the name. the breakfaster.

[Octaveman]

Now, collecting is different and as a collector, I can see how you'd be very picky about your working toaster. Still, a lot of money for an everyday toaster. I personally wouldn't mind if 9/10 of the bread was toasted marginally even and paying less than half what you paid for yours. Anyway, nice collection and I bow northward in your general direction. Do you have any toasters that toast a picture into the bread?

Seriously, my current toaster is crap. I thnk I got it free when I opened a bank account with the old Crocker Bank back in the 80's. I was just telling my wife this past Sunday that I wanted to get a new one. So please make some recommendations for reasonably priced toasters so I can have nicely toasted Thompson's.

Appreciate it,

Bob

Edited March 29, 2006 by Octaveman (log)

[andiesenji]

That Art Deco one is beautiful... Do you use it, or just admire it (not that there's anything wrong with just admiring it).

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I have tested it by toasting a slice of bread because I wanted to make sure it was in working condition. However I wouldn't use it on a regular basis because it is valuable as it is.

The evolution of the toaster (and other kitchen appliances) is fascinating to me.

We had a discussion a year or so ago, regarding the sandwich toaster - they fell out of favor for a number of years, only to reappear as a panini grill.

[andiesenji]

Now, collecting is different and as a collector, I can see how you'd be very picky about your working toaster.  Still, a lot of money for an everyday toaster.  I personally wouldn't mind if 9/10 of the bread was toasted marginally even and paying less than half what you paid for yours.  Anyway, nice collection and I bow northward in your general direction.  Do you have any toasters that toast a picture into the bread?

Seriously, my current toaster is crap.  I thnk I got it free when I opened a bank account with the old Crocker Bank back in the 80's.  I was just telling my wife this past Sunday that I wanted to get a new one.  So please make some recommendations for reasonably priced toasters so I can have nicely toasted Thompson's.

Appreciate it,

Bob

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The Hamilton Beach cool touch toaster has been sold in many stores, as well as on line and has an excellent rating and is certainly inexpensive. It has also been in production for some time, although recently issued in new colors, so it has been well tested.

I know they had it at Target before Christmas because they had a large display with a very low price listed.

[andiesenji]

wow, that's a lot of toasters! i have an old hot plate/ toaster combo called the breakfaster. it does not make the best toast though. i find it hard to get rid off because i love the name. the breakfaster.

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The Breakfaster appliances are very popular with some collectors. There were several models, some fairly rare.

Breakfaster by Calkins

I have one like this, however mine has the ivory colored bakelite handles and trim.

[Rebecca263]

Andiesenji, as usual, I drool over your collections.

[Octaveman]

Andie...any four slice toasters that are reasonably priced with quality?

[andiesenji]

This Hamilton Beach 4-slice

has had good reviews but the chrome model has some problems. Note these model numbers.

Target has the "cool-touch" exterior ones for $29.99.

The "All-Metal" HB toasters, which are more expensive, do not perform well - a case of stylish but overpriced.

also the Sunbeam #6278

has been selling very well. One of my neighbors has one that she found at Kohl's for 29.99 - the 2-slot was 24.99 so she decided she might as well get the 4-slot. I know it does bagels beautifully, because I have had them at her home. She fixes frozen waffles, pancakes, French toast and toaster strudel for her grandkids in it and says it works great for those things.

She said she had an old Sunbeam toaster for many years and still has her old Mixmaster and decided to stick with the familiar name.

Edited March 30, 2006 by andiesenji (log)

[andiesenji]

I want to make a comment about testing and ratings. Some testing labs that do these ratings are very subjective. They ask for applliances to test from the manufacturer or distributor and sometimes their results are skewed for one reason or another. Often the appliances they test have been pre-tested and even enhanced to improve the test rating.

On the other hand, Consumer Reports sends people out to buy appliances blind, that is from retail outlets without identifying where they are going, and from multiple outlets. You can depend that their findings are totally unbiased.

Ratings can vary between appliances in the same line or brand name because one model might be made at one factory and another might be made in another factory, even in another country.

On more than one occasion I have purchased an appliance that failed to work well, exchanged it for another of the same model and had that one operate flawlessly. There can be glitches in anything.

I had a bread maker that had controls that went berserk. I returned it, demonstrated the problem to the sales clerk and she brought out a new one and we tested it together and it worked fine and I still have it, no problems. (She broke the hinges on the lid of the original one so there was no way it could be resold).

At least these items are portable and can be returned if not up to specs. I spend a lot more time on anything that is going to be built-in because that is much more difficult to exchange.