6 ms·

The Classic Sunbeam Radiant Control Toaster (2006)

53 points by CraneWorm 6y ago

Jaepa 6y ago
I’d technology connections did a 20 minute long episode on the mechanical design of this toaster. I’d recommend it if you haven’t see it. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1OfxlSG6q5Y https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1OfxlSG6q5Y
- JadeNB 6y ago
  Every video in that channel is pure gold. If you think you don't want to spend 20 minutes on a video about toasters, give it two, and you'll be hooked.
  - WrtCdEvrydy 6y ago
    The klaxxon one is pretty good.
  - goldenkey 6y ago
    The recent dock video is inane and absurdly long, ~ 30 minutes. He shits all over Linux in it. Not the brightest bulb, treading on his audience and FOSS because he prefers convenience over conscience. Also, he never once mentions that most laptops can be plugged into all the same peripherals, including the monitor, without a dock. Most OS are configured to set the external monitor to primary once the laptop lid closes. For someone whose job is to inform the viewer, he failed despite having nearly 30 minutes to tell the viewer that their laptop can become a desktop without a dock! All it might need is a display adapter like HDMI-to-Displayport, but most modern monitors and laptops won't need anything! Docks are cute but mostly unnecessary unless you plan to switch from desktop use to on-the-go use often enough to make it worth the extra cost, latency, and bandwidth/throughout issues with USB/ethernet/etc. After the prosaic, needlessly long dock video, chock full of Linux and FOSS hate, I see him entirely in a different light. His videos are entirely scripted and honestly just filled with a lot of empty conversation. Sure, entertaining, something to watch - but really not very packed with knowledge. Sparse would be the right word.
- milofeynman 6y ago
  This video made me aware of his channel a few months back and I've been hooked. I really enjoyed the multi-part one where he explained the inner workings of a jukebox[0] [0] https://youtu.be/NmGaXEmfTIo https://youtu.be/NmGaXEmfTIo
donw 6y ago
It does seem that truly quality design has fallen on hard times in the consumer market. For example, I'm looking for a kettle with temperature control. All I want is a kettle with a dial on it, that I can turn to set the appropriate temperature. Maybe a button to control whether or not my kettle will maintain that temperature once it has been reached. No lights, no Star Trek control panel, just a kettle with a dial and a switch. Has been impossible to find. Appliances without needless lights are also very hard to come by. The modern aesthetic seems to lie somewhere between "70's sci-fi spaceship" and "plastic Christmas tree" Doubly so for WiFi routers. Ugh.
- perl4ever 6y ago
  I don't understand the concept of a kettle with a dial on it, although I've gathered it is common in some places other than the US. Is this mainly for people who don't have an electric burner? I think I've encountered claims it is faster, but heating water on the stove seems very quick to me and I don't quite understand how the heat transfer could be much greater.
  - zrail 6y ago
    Standalone kettles are usually induction plates. They’re more efficient and less dangerous than a typical stove.
    - perl4ever 6y ago
      I am not clear that they are significantly more efficient. Note the bit below "that varies widely depending on the type of pot or kettle you use". http://insideenergy.org/2016/02/23/boiling-water-ieq/ http://insideenergy.org/2016/02/23/boiling-water-ieq/ "An electric stovetop is about 70 percent efficient, although that varies widely depending on the type of pot or kettle you use. Most of the energy is lost heating the air around the stove. An electric teakettle is about 80 percent efficient, although again this varies from kettle to kettle. Electric kettles are generally very well insulated, and the heating coils sit directly in the water, so less heat is lost to the air. An induction stove or hot plate is about 85 percent efficient. It creates an electromagnetic current directly in a pot to generate heat, losing very little to the air." [as a footnote, the above apparently implies that kettles are not necessarily induction, and of course there are stovetops that are induction]
pengstrom 6y ago
Why has no Chinese company made a clone? All the patents are expired.
- WrtCdEvrydy 6y ago
  It's expensive probably.
  - adrusi 6y ago
    There are very expensive toasters on the market that do less than this.
maxerickson 6y ago
I bought a toaster recently. It's hard to relate exactly how I felt when I used it the first time and it beeped at me.
yborg 6y ago
Why is this not made anymore? I would buy it in a heartbeat!
- krapht 6y ago
  It's built with old-fashioned materials and technology that are expensive to duplicate and toxic to manufacture. For some reason, vinyl records and safety razors have come back into fashion, but your toaster hasn't.
  - kuzimoto 6y ago
    Safety razors are great, and actually much cheaper and gives better shaves than cartridges. Plus it's just fun to use.
  - yborg 6y ago
    It is mostly constructed of stamped sheet metal and toasters to this day primarily use nichrome heating elements. The lever arm mechanism is probably the most difficult part, but I saw nothing in this construction that would be toxic. The original design is ungrounded and wouldn't pass safety certification, but there is even a linked video for how to modify the old Sunbeams to use a 3-prong cord. To me, the beauty of this design is that these toasters apparently work for decades because they were well-designed to accommodate the tolerances of the materials and construction methods and they are essentially purely mechanical. There are a number of expensive automatic toasters available that utilize some combination of sensor and motor to raise and lower bread. They all seem to have mediocre reviews. I don't think these are necessarily inferior in design to the 1950s Sunbeam, but unlike the appliances of that era they are built to be disposable. A Chinese clone of a Sunbeam Automatic Toaster would also probably be a failure because it would be built to maximize profit on a 2 year lifespan...
- askvictor 6y ago
  I've had two over the years at share houses, both found on the side of the road. Worked generally OK, but sometimes burnt the toast. I'm wondering if they were tuned to a specific type of bread, and didn't really handle sourdough. Still see them from time to time in second-hand shops.
foobar1962 6y ago
My family had one of these, and they works as magically as the article suggests. It died after a decade of use when a glass of water was accidentally tipped into it, causing earth leaks. I threw it out and went to buy another only to find they were nla. Alternatives, even expensive models, are primitive in comparison. I too wonder why all toasters aren’t made this way.
- foobar1962 6y ago
  Now I think about it, I was given this toaster when I moved out of home in 1981 -- it was already a couple of years old then. It lasted until the mid 2000s which was over 20 years. No wonder they don't make them any more.
dang 6y ago
Two related threads from the past year: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21164014 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21164014 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23363646 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23363646
fmakunbound 6y ago
I have this thing. It’s wonderful and has worked for decades
etaioinshrdlu 6y ago
> Inside, the Radiant Control thermostat monitors the heat radiated (not conducted) from the outer surface of the bread, which is directly proportional to its color change. There are no timers. The toast is raised only when it is properly toasted; no sooner and no later. Does it work on darker bread? Is the toaster biased?
rswail 6y ago
My father has one of these. Received as a wedding present in 1962, used daily since. Aside from emptying crumbs, is in robust health (as is my father I'm happy to say).

53 points by CraneWorm 6y ago

I’d technology connections did a 20 minute long episode on the mechanical design of this toaster. I’d recommend it if you haven’t see it. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1OfxlSG6q5Y https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1OfxlSG6q5Y

JadeNB 6y ago
Every video in that channel is pure gold. If you think you don't want to spend 20 minutes on a video about toasters, give it two, and you'll be hooked.
- WrtCdEvrydy 6y ago
  The klaxxon one is pretty good.
- goldenkey 6y ago
  The recent dock video is inane and absurdly long, ~ 30 minutes. He shits all over Linux in it. Not the brightest bulb, treading on his audience and FOSS because he prefers convenience over conscience. Also, he never once mentions that most laptops can be plugged into all the same peripherals, including the monitor, without a dock. Most OS are configured to set the external monitor to primary once the laptop lid closes. For someone whose job is to inform the viewer, he failed despite having nearly 30 minutes to tell the viewer that their laptop can become a desktop without a dock! All it might need is a display adapter like HDMI-to-Displayport, but most modern monitors and laptops won't need anything! Docks are cute but mostly unnecessary unless you plan to switch from desktop use to on-the-go use often enough to make it worth the extra cost, latency, and bandwidth/throughout issues with USB/ethernet/etc. After the prosaic, needlessly long dock video, chock full of Linux and FOSS hate, I see him entirely in a different light. His videos are entirely scripted and honestly just filled with a lot of empty conversation. Sure, entertaining, something to watch - but really not very packed with knowledge. Sparse would be the right word.
milofeynman 6y ago
This video made me aware of his channel a few months back and I've been hooked. I really enjoyed the multi-part one where he explained the inner workings of a jukebox[0] [0] https://youtu.be/NmGaXEmfTIo https://youtu.be/NmGaXEmfTIo

donw 6y ago

It does seem that truly quality design has fallen on hard times in the consumer market. For example, I'm looking for a kettle with temperature control. All I want is a kettle with a dial on it, that I can turn to set the appropriate temperature. Maybe a button to control whether or not my kettle will maintain that temperature once it has been reached. No lights, no Star Trek control panel, just a kettle with a dial and a switch. Has been impossible to find. Appliances without needless lights are also very hard to come by. The modern aesthetic seems to lie somewhere between "70's sci-fi spaceship" and "plastic Christmas tree" Doubly so for WiFi routers. Ugh.

perl4ever 6y ago
I don't understand the concept of a kettle with a dial on it, although I've gathered it is common in some places other than the US. Is this mainly for people who don't have an electric burner? I think I've encountered claims it is faster, but heating water on the stove seems very quick to me and I don't quite understand how the heat transfer could be much greater.
- zrail 6y ago
  Standalone kettles are usually induction plates. They’re more efficient and less dangerous than a typical stove.
  - perl4ever 6y ago
    I am not clear that they are significantly more efficient. Note the bit below "that varies widely depending on the type of pot or kettle you use". http://insideenergy.org/2016/02/23/boiling-water-ieq/ http://insideenergy.org/2016/02/23/boiling-water-ieq/ "An electric stovetop is about 70 percent efficient, although that varies widely depending on the type of pot or kettle you use. Most of the energy is lost heating the air around the stove. An electric teakettle is about 80 percent efficient, although again this varies from kettle to kettle. Electric kettles are generally very well insulated, and the heating coils sit directly in the water, so less heat is lost to the air. An induction stove or hot plate is about 85 percent efficient. It creates an electromagnetic current directly in a pot to generate heat, losing very little to the air." [as a footnote, the above apparently implies that kettles are not necessarily induction, and of course there are stovetops that are induction]

pengstrom 6y ago

Why has no Chinese company made a clone? All the patents are expired.

WrtCdEvrydy 6y ago
It's expensive probably.
- adrusi 6y ago
  There are very expensive toasters on the market that do less than this.

maxerickson 6y ago

I bought a toaster recently. It's hard to relate exactly how I felt when I used it the first time and it beeped at me.

yborg 6y ago

Why is this not made anymore? I would buy it in a heartbeat!

krapht 6y ago
It's built with old-fashioned materials and technology that are expensive to duplicate and toxic to manufacture. For some reason, vinyl records and safety razors have come back into fashion, but your toaster hasn't.
- kuzimoto 6y ago
  Safety razors are great, and actually much cheaper and gives better shaves than cartridges. Plus it's just fun to use.
- yborg 6y ago
  It is mostly constructed of stamped sheet metal and toasters to this day primarily use nichrome heating elements. The lever arm mechanism is probably the most difficult part, but I saw nothing in this construction that would be toxic. The original design is ungrounded and wouldn't pass safety certification, but there is even a linked video for how to modify the old Sunbeams to use a 3-prong cord. To me, the beauty of this design is that these toasters apparently work for decades because they were well-designed to accommodate the tolerances of the materials and construction methods and they are essentially purely mechanical. There are a number of expensive automatic toasters available that utilize some combination of sensor and motor to raise and lower bread. They all seem to have mediocre reviews. I don't think these are necessarily inferior in design to the 1950s Sunbeam, but unlike the appliances of that era they are built to be disposable. A Chinese clone of a Sunbeam Automatic Toaster would also probably be a failure because it would be built to maximize profit on a 2 year lifespan...
askvictor 6y ago
I've had two over the years at share houses, both found on the side of the road. Worked generally OK, but sometimes burnt the toast. I'm wondering if they were tuned to a specific type of bread, and didn't really handle sourdough. Still see them from time to time in second-hand shops.

foobar1962 6y ago

My family had one of these, and they works as magically as the article suggests. It died after a decade of use when a glass of water was accidentally tipped into it, causing earth leaks. I threw it out and went to buy another only to find they were nla. Alternatives, even expensive models, are primitive in comparison. I too wonder why all toasters aren’t made this way.

foobar1962 6y ago
Now I think about it, I was given this toaster when I moved out of home in 1981 -- it was already a couple of years old then. It lasted until the mid 2000s which was over 20 years. No wonder they don't make them any more.

dang 6y ago

Two related threads from the past year: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21164014 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21164014 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23363646 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23363646

fmakunbound 6y ago

I have this thing. It’s wonderful and has worked for decades

etaioinshrdlu 6y ago

> Inside, the Radiant Control thermostat monitors the heat radiated (not conducted) from the outer surface of the bread, which is directly proportional to its color change. There are no timers. The toast is raised only when it is properly toasted; no sooner and no later. Does it work on darker bread? Is the toaster biased?

rswail 6y ago

My father has one of these. Received as a wedding present in 1962, used daily since. Aside from emptying crumbs, is in robust health (as is my father I'm happy to say).