HN Explorer

Ask HN: What Toaster Are You Using?

19 points by brudgers ↗ HN
We eat toast regularly. Our toaster just died…it was a quick cheap purchase after downsizing.

Looking for a new toaster that will last or even a good value in the used toaster market.

Two slices is good enough…I already probably eat more toast than I should.

34 comments

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allears
We rock a Breville toaster, as well as a Breville toaster oven. They both perform really well, plus we like their customer service -- at one point, we had a problem with the toaster. We called their customer service line, they sent us a brand new one, and asked us to send the old one back in the same box. Few questions asked, postage paid both ways, no charge!

A little pricier than some brands, but well worth it in our opinion.

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m0zg
Sanyo Bagel Best Super Toasty Oven: https://www.neweggbusiness.com/product/product.aspx?item=9b-... except mine has white knobs. I frankly do not think this thing can even be improved upon, which is probably why they don't make it anymore - it's made to last, so there's no "recurring" revenue. I'm going to have to procure a spare. Didn't know it was discontinued until now.
mydogtigga
I am old school. I bought a Chromed Dualit 4 slice (2 thick & 2 thin) toaster in 1992. You can take it apart and replace anything. It's 30 years old next year, I've replaced most of the innards. It works like a dream, an indestructible dream. But at GBP 200 you'll have to be sold on its aesthetics as well as it's engineering.
harrydehal
No kidding. That puppy looks like the Humvy or Land Cruiser of toasters!
logotype
+1 on the Dualit Original. Built like a tank!
jacknews
LOL, you've had to replace most of the innards, on a $300 toaster? I'll pass.

My cheap 'panasonic' (yeah, right) toaster is still going after nearly 20 years. I'm not a fan of disposable, but I am a fan of cheap.

mydogtigga
The consumables are engineered to be replaced. The heating elements last 10 years. They are replaceable at USD10 each. The mechanical timer only lasts 20 years. Replaceable. USD 15. There's nothing else to fail. The design, brushed aluminium, is timeless. Cost of ownership less than 10USD per annum and GREEN.
harrydehal
The Cuisinart and the Breville seem to be the front-runners: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-toaster/
rwilson4
Working in marketing has made me (sadly) realize these articles are meaningless. Articles like this don't mean the recommended brands are the best. It just means those brands paid to be recommended.
pieno
Wirecutter is owned by the New York Times Company and explicitly says they don’t get paid by manufacturers (except through affiliate links to Amazon) and recommendations are purely based on editorial testing. NYTCo really can’t afford to lie about editorial independence, particularly for something that’s not even their core business.

Quote from their site: > We work with total editorial independence. That means nothing appears on the site as a recommendation unless our writers and editors have deemed it the best through our rigorous reporting and testing.

systemvoltage
NYT Wirecutter is a terrible site. Lazy, uninformed and mostly Chinese recommendations. They never try to seek for better alternatives.
vaughan
We had the cheapest 2 slice. Now it started occasionally tripping a fuse.

I use it everyday and feel I underinvested greatly. I would like a 4 slice but a good brand like Breville. I want speed, toasting accuracy, easy to remove slices, easy to clean crumbs.

eb0la
I've got a Moulinex Grill-pain ( https://www.amazon.fr/Moulinex-Multipan-A15453-empu%C3%B1ado... )

Simple.

The bread does not 'jump' when it is done.

You must be near because it has no timer ann will burn the bread if left alone, but can toast just one side of any kind of bread.

I love it. My SO hates it.

It is a matter of taste, I guess

(Edit. Link)

eurleif
I don't own a vintage Sunbeam Radiant Control toaster, but this video made me want one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OfxlSG6q5Y
lborsato
I do own one. It was a gift for my parents’ wedding in 1957. The cord has been replaced twice but everything else is original.

You put bread in. It goes down. About 20 seconds later it rises, toasted perfectly.

It seriously is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

LarryMade2
Probably one you don't want, an Oster long slot toaster, so I could toast those big sliced sourdough/sheep herders loaf bread slices (does a great job too). It died once so far (a few bits of crumbs on the electromagnet prevented the circuit from closing), had top open it and clean it out, works great again. Most toaster suffer from that over time.
spennant
I just got rid of my 7 year old Breville and replaced it with the Wirecutter recommended Cuisinart.
1123581321
We’ve been buttering bread and laying it in an iron pan or griddle since our toaster broke several years ago. Works great. Save the counter space.
HeyLaughingBoy
Cheapest Black & Decker toaster oven I could find at Walmart. I think it was $29.95? Or was it $19.95? The previous one lasted about 12 years before an element went out. Probably just a broken wire, but I didn't feel like bothering with it.
SAI_Peregrinus
Same, though not from Walmart. Toaster ovens are vastly more useful to me than plain toasters.
aldanor
Dualit NewGen - all as mechanical as possible including the timer, super sturdy.
gorgoiler
Dualit 4 slice, but it’s too big. The 2 slice would cover 90% of our needs without occupying 150% of the counter top :)
umvi
If you don't mind having to connect your toaster to the internet and having it collect a bit of telemetry, the ToasTech2 is pretty good. You can toast like 60 pieces of bread per month on the free tier which is plenty for us.
morninglight
A beautiful Sunbeam Model T-20C graces our kitchen with classic lines, ingenious simplicity and perfect toast.