Why is it impossible to find a decent toaster ?

Why is it impossible to find a decent toaster ?

Author
Discussion

rsbmw

3,464 posts

104 months

Tuesday 2nd February 2016
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My point was... oh never mind.

Silent1

19,761 posts

234 months

Tuesday 2nd February 2016
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knk said:
Toast done on the simmering plate of the Aga with the top cover down is sublime.
This and using an egg cup to stop crushing the tennis racket makes it even better.

dazco

4,280 posts

188 months

Tuesday 2nd February 2016
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rsbmw said:
I don't know, I've managed to insert the bread, set the dial correctly and press down the lever(?) quite successfully for many years now, across various toasters. Many of which were £149 or less.

ETA: My wife manages to fail quite miserably with the same devices - proof, I feel, that skill is involved.
So in answer to the OP's question, you have found a good toaster. :thumb:

Would you tell hi which one it is?

rsbmw

3,464 posts

104 months

Tuesday 2nd February 2016
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I think this is the one we have

http://www.argos.co.uk/beta/static/Product/partNum...

Now that I realise the wife spent £50 on it, I'm less cocky.

RizzoTheRat

25,085 posts

191 months

Tuesday 2nd February 2016
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Pints said:
I wouldn't mind waiting a bit longer but finding a 4-slice toaster which toasts the whole slice is like looking for a unicorn. They all seem to leave the top of the slice undone.
I've never yet seen a 4 slice toaster that you can even put 4 slices in let alone get them toasted evenly. Probably fine if you buy sliced white crap but real bread isn't square.

The best I've come across are the conveyer belt ones you get in messes and some hotels, they at least toast evenly but there's usually some idiot who's messed up the settings.

However the best toast was when my parents had a rayburn and a proper extendable toasting fork.

dazco

4,280 posts

188 months

Tuesday 2nd February 2016
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rsbmw said:
I think this is the one we have

http://www.argos.co.uk/beta/static/Product/partNum...

Now that I realise the wife spent £50 on it, I'm less cocky.
biglaughbiglaughbiglaugh

zbc

849 posts

150 months

Wednesday 3rd February 2016
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2ono said:
zbc said:
We have one of these. I just wish you had said something earlier....
Why???
The slots are too small.
It toasts unevenly.
The pinging when it goes up and down gets really annoying when trying to do toast for 2 adults and three children.
but fortunately the ping has almost given up after only a year of usage.

I got ours through airmiles but I would never buy one.

It does look pretty in the kitchen though

WCZ

10,492 posts

193 months

Wednesday 3rd February 2016
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thelittleegg said:
Yep, awesome toaster.

And an utterly fantastic idea to have a button for "a quick look" and another for " a bit more" biggrin
+1
can vouch for this toaster (and the kettle too)

ambuletz

10,690 posts

180 months

Wednesday 3rd February 2016
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Pints said:
AB said:
More annoying is most toasters that won't fit a slice of Warburtons in due to it being longer than 'normal'.
yes

See my previous post.
turn the slice of bread sideways? It's what I do.

Eversleigh

574 posts

184 months

Wednesday 3rd February 2016
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I saw this and thought of this thread: https://juneoven.com/

davek_964

8,796 posts

174 months

Wednesday 3rd February 2016
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I decided to try the Sage / Heston Smart toaster - ordered it yesterday and it arrived today.

It looks great - definitely looks better on the side than the DeLonghi. The motorised loading is a definite plus just for the cool factor. It makes the crispiest toast I've had, with a lovely soft centre.

But...

Maybe I got a duff one, but it has exactly the same problem as the toaster it's supposed to replace. Half the elements don't heat properly - most of the elements on the divider between the left side two slices work and similarly, most of them on the divider between the right side two slices are OK. But most of the elements on the centre divider and the far left / far right do not get hot enough to glow orange. So to get lovely even crispy toast I have to turn it over half way through.

Shouldn't really have to do that for a £150 toaster. It is a lovely thing, and - if the elements all got properly hot - it clearly makes excellent toast. But mine is likely to be sent back to Amazon.

technodup

7,576 posts

129 months

Wednesday 3rd February 2016
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I had an incident with my toaster of ten years on new years day. Having lost my only lighter the night before, and with the shops being shut it was called into emergency cigarette lighter mode. After a few goes it decided it wasn't cut out for lighting fags and blew up.

Being slightly disappointed with a ten year lifespan rather than replace with something which might last longer I decided to buy the cheapest and nastiest one I could find, on the basis none of them do toast the way I like it anyway. £7 later I am the 'proud' owner of a lime green (has to be seen to be believed) 'Signature' toaster. Predictably it doesn't fit Warburton's but it actually toasts the part it can reach not bad. Can't see it lasting more than a year but we'll see.

That's my kettle and toaster now gone 10 years or so into their lives. Not impressed, I don't drink tea or coffee so the kettle had no excuse.

smn159

12,448 posts

216 months

Wednesday 3rd February 2016
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I had a old style Dualit and I didn't really get on with it. I bought one of these second hand for a fiver on eBay as it was 'broken'. When I got it it turned out to be absolutely fine and, after a clean, It's been in regular service ever since. Sold the previous Dualit as this one is miles better.

http://www.johnlewis.com/dualit-lite-4-slice-toast...

Toasts evenly every time, perfect size for bagels and crumpets when required.

davek_964

8,796 posts

174 months

Thursday 4th February 2016
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My Sage one is back in its box with a return label on it, and I'll drop it off today. Shame really - when I compared last night it definitely did make nicer crispier toast than my existing toaster, as long as there is some manual intervention. But that's primarily just because it's a 2kw toaster - it seems like a lot of the cost is going on the shiny bits rather than things that would actually make the toaster better. It needs elements that all heat up properly - and given that it clearly does have some level of software in it - it wouldn't really be rocket science to figure out that a toaster that is already hot will toast bread much faster than a toaster that is starting from cold. But it doesn't manage that either.

For the cost, it needs to be better than it is.

dazco

4,280 posts

188 months

Thursday 4th February 2016
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davek_964 said:
My Sage one is back in its box with a return label on it, and I'll drop it off today. Shame really - when I compared last night it definitely did make nicer crispier toast than my existing toaster, as long as there is some manual intervention. But that's primarily just because it's a 2kw toaster - it seems like a lot of the cost is going on the shiny bits rather than things that would actually make the toaster better. It needs elements that all heat up properly - and given that it clearly does have some level of software in it - it wouldn't really be rocket science to figure out that a toaster that is already hot will toast bread much faster than a toaster that is starting from cold. But it doesn't manage that either.

For the cost, it needs to be better than it is.
Can you not ask for another? Mine definitely toasts equally on both sides

Turn7

23,502 posts

220 months

Thursday 4th February 2016
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ambuletz said:
Pints said:
AB said:
More annoying is most toasters that won't fit a slice of Warburtons in due to it being longer than 'normal'.
yes

See my previous post.
turn the slice of bread sideways? It's what I do.
And the the top of the slice sticks out and doesn't get toasted.

davek_964

8,796 posts

174 months

Thursday 4th February 2016
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dazco said:
Can you not ask for another? Mine definitely toasts equally on both sides
They've already refunded me, so I have to send it back now. I may try again at some point - tempted to see if John Lewis can plug them in and make sure they work properly before buying.

Pints

18,444 posts

193 months

Thursday 4th February 2016
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ambuletz said:
turn the slice of bread sideways? It's what I do.
And then it bends the bread and overdoes the one side, while the other is underdone.

stevensdrs

3,208 posts

199 months

Thursday 4th February 2016
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I have a £10.00 supermarket special in cool wall white which does 2 slices. The 2 slots are thick enough to take bagels and anything bigger than a small loaf doesn't fit height wise so has to be cut in half. That said it makes brilliant even toast and is well into it's 5th year of life. I could never justify spending £150 on a toaster that really would not perform any better than the cheapest ones do.

davek_964

8,796 posts

174 months

Thursday 4th February 2016
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Technically, the £150 one does / did produce better toast than a cheap toaster does due to it's higher power. It was definitely a different level of crispiness.

It was just the quality of the elements that let it down for me. I may yet try another one to see if I was just unlucky.