> most people would probably not want to deal with this toaster on a daily basis. I used this model of toaster every day from the age of about 5 until I joined

> most people would probably not want to deal with this toaster on a daily basis. I used this model of toaster every day from the age of about 5 until I joined the Air Force. I dispute your claim. Besides, any bad things about this toaster are not required in order to have the good things. Given that the video linked by this HN discussion is about designing a new toaster based on the technology used in the classic Sunbeam toaster, you seem dangerously close to claiming that "the bad things about this toaster model make any desire to use it's technology in a new toaster something of a bad idea" and I would strenuously argue against that, if that is indeed what you're saying. If a thing has problems, then fix the problems -- don't abandon the whole thing because it is imperfect as it is today. A toaster is a construct, and it can be constructed well.