6 ms·

On the subject of toasters, if you want one that lasts then grab an old toastmaster or Sunbeam (the kind with the chrome sides) and spend a weekend doing a deep

On the subject of toasters, if you want one that lasts then grab an old toastmaster or Sunbeam (the kind with the chrome sides) and spend a weekend doing a deep clean. They are held together with screws, not bent over tabs. You might be up against decades of baked on grease, so you'll have to break out the sodium hydroxide. You should probably replace the asbestos cord with a rubber one too. The toaster will then last the remainder of your life. The main downside is that the slots are usually to narrow for bagels. There aren't any infinite number of old toasters out there, but there's enough out there for everyone who wants to do the above.

hondo77 2y ago
I bought one from 1965 last year. Got it cheap on eBay. Seller said it didn't work. Seller just didn't know how to turn the knob on the side. I have to buy bread that isn't as wide as I was getting but it's totally worth it. Perfect toast every time.
convolvatron 2y ago
got a 1930s toastmaster single slice for $30 on eBay. new carbon switch contacts, new nichrome wire, new cord. functions great and really looks nice. there are a lot of broken toasters in the world.
- jkestner 2y ago
  Even other more complex appliances get tossed too easily. My spouse’s desire to get rid of our 15yo microwave was replaced a while ago by the satisfaction of being able to keep it going. I’ve fixed it twice with a few bucks of parts (waveguide cover, door switch).
cogman10 2y ago
Have you ever had one fail? Mine is the $10 plastic special from 20 years ago still toasting it's heart out. The simpler a toaster is, the more likely it is to have eternal life. If you can buy a modern toaster that's just the knob and levers (no digital controls or whatever) then there's really no reason it won't last decades.
- midnightclubbed 2y ago
  Tempting fate here but I don’t see any reason why my cheapo spring loaded toaster won’t give me another 10 years of life. There’s nothing to go wrong if used correctly. Back when I was a kid in the 80s toasters would break because we shoved in hacked up pieces of bread or bagels where the food touched the elements and caught fire. And knives were poked inside to extract burnt remains from the heating elements. I was shocked to see there are toasters with motorized lifting mechanisms. Is there any practical reason why this is better than a spring?
  - AyyEye 2y ago
    > Is there any practical reason why this is better than a spring? People are propagandized to pay more money for them, then do it again when they break.
  - qiqitori 2y ago
    Actually toasters need to be able to switch off a huge current, which causes arcing. This arcing may slowly burn the PCB and desolder the metal contact mounted on the PCB. At least that's what happened with my last toaster after >5 years. Repaired it once, then after a year it broke again, but this time the PCB through hole was severely burned and it wasn't trivially fixable anymore. Motorized mechanisms... hmm. Well, sometimes toasters pop up toasts too hard making them land on the floor.
    - alwayslikethis 2y ago
      > switch off a huge current, which causes arcing This isn't really true. The heating elements are pretty much entirely a resistive load, which do not cause arcing when switched off. What desoldered your PCB might be the heat itself.
      - qiqitori 2y ago
        There was visible arcing every time the toaster popped up the toasts though. Now that you mention it, I'm kinda curious what exactly was causing it. (Too late of course.) It's not the first toaster I've seen that produced a flash of light every time it was done though. Here's a pic BTW: https://imgur.com/tZadj6N https://imgur.com/tZadj6N
thangalin 2y ago
Technology Connections' review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OfxlSG6q5Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OfxlSG6q5Y
- hobs 2y ago
  If you want that specific toaster (not a generic one, but the automatic one) its going to cost you north of 250 bucks last time I checked.
  - Washuu 2y ago
    I bought my Sunbeam in 2022 for $44, brand new. The secret is to buy them in Japan off the flea market sites. Apparently in my case the owner bought it have around as a piece of Americana. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
    - randomcarbloke 2y ago
      please help me with good Japanese flea-market sites so I can get one of my own.
  - thangalin 2y ago
    > cost you north of 250 bucks Shop around? eBay had at least five automatic ones for sale for less than $250 CAD: https://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_nkw=sunbeam+automatic+toaster https://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_nkw=sunbeam+automatic+toaste... Kijiji had one for $35 CAD: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-toasters-toaster-oven/winnipeg/sunbeam-model-t20a-radiant-control-toaster/1711986266 https://www.kijiji.ca/v-toasters-toaster-oven/winnipeg/sunbe... Shopping for vintage automatic Sunbeams lists dozens more, well below $250 USD: https://www.google.com/search?num=10&q=sunbeam+automatic+toaster+for+sale+vintage+under+%24150&udm=28&ved=1t:220175&ictx=111&biw=1024&bih=683&dpr=1 https://www.google.com/search?num=10&q=sunbeam+automatic+toa...

hondo77 2y ago

I bought one from 1965 last year. Got it cheap on eBay. Seller said it didn't work. Seller just didn't know how to turn the knob on the side. I have to buy bread that isn't as wide as I was getting but it's totally worth it. Perfect toast every time.

convolvatron 2y ago

got a 1930s toastmaster single slice for $30 on eBay. new carbon switch contacts, new nichrome wire, new cord. functions great and really looks nice. there are a lot of broken toasters in the world.

jkestner 2y ago
Even other more complex appliances get tossed too easily. My spouse’s desire to get rid of our 15yo microwave was replaced a while ago by the satisfaction of being able to keep it going. I’ve fixed it twice with a few bucks of parts (waveguide cover, door switch).

cogman10 2y ago

Have you ever had one fail? Mine is the $10 plastic special from 20 years ago still toasting it's heart out. The simpler a toaster is, the more likely it is to have eternal life. If you can buy a modern toaster that's just the knob and levers (no digital controls or whatever) then there's really no reason it won't last decades.

midnightclubbed 2y ago
Tempting fate here but I don’t see any reason why my cheapo spring loaded toaster won’t give me another 10 years of life. There’s nothing to go wrong if used correctly. Back when I was a kid in the 80s toasters would break because we shoved in hacked up pieces of bread or bagels where the food touched the elements and caught fire. And knives were poked inside to extract burnt remains from the heating elements. I was shocked to see there are toasters with motorized lifting mechanisms. Is there any practical reason why this is better than a spring?
- AyyEye 2y ago
  > Is there any practical reason why this is better than a spring? People are propagandized to pay more money for them, then do it again when they break.
- qiqitori 2y ago
  Actually toasters need to be able to switch off a huge current, which causes arcing. This arcing may slowly burn the PCB and desolder the metal contact mounted on the PCB. At least that's what happened with my last toaster after >5 years. Repaired it once, then after a year it broke again, but this time the PCB through hole was severely burned and it wasn't trivially fixable anymore. Motorized mechanisms... hmm. Well, sometimes toasters pop up toasts too hard making them land on the floor.
  - alwayslikethis 2y ago
    > switch off a huge current, which causes arcing This isn't really true. The heating elements are pretty much entirely a resistive load, which do not cause arcing when switched off. What desoldered your PCB might be the heat itself.
    - qiqitori 2y ago
      There was visible arcing every time the toaster popped up the toasts though. Now that you mention it, I'm kinda curious what exactly was causing it. (Too late of course.) It's not the first toaster I've seen that produced a flash of light every time it was done though. Here's a pic BTW: https://imgur.com/tZadj6N https://imgur.com/tZadj6N

thangalin 2y ago

Technology Connections' review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OfxlSG6q5Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OfxlSG6q5Y

hobs 2y ago
If you want that specific toaster (not a generic one, but the automatic one) its going to cost you north of 250 bucks last time I checked.
- Washuu 2y ago
  I bought my Sunbeam in 2022 for $44, brand new. The secret is to buy them in Japan off the flea market sites. Apparently in my case the owner bought it have around as a piece of Americana. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  - randomcarbloke 2y ago
    please help me with good Japanese flea-market sites so I can get one of my own.
- thangalin 2y ago
  > cost you north of 250 bucks Shop around? eBay had at least five automatic ones for sale for less than $250 CAD: https://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_nkw=sunbeam+automatic+toaster https://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_nkw=sunbeam+automatic+toaste... Kijiji had one for $35 CAD: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-toasters-toaster-oven/winnipeg/sunbeam-model-t20a-radiant-control-toaster/1711986266 https://www.kijiji.ca/v-toasters-toaster-oven/winnipeg/sunbe... Shopping for vintage automatic Sunbeams lists dozens more, well below $250 USD: https://www.google.com/search?num=10&q=sunbeam+automatic+toaster+for+sale+vintage+under+%24150&udm=28&ved=1t:220175&ictx=111&biw=1024&bih=683&dpr=1 https://www.google.com/search?num=10&q=sunbeam+automatic+toa...