In search of a reliable or repairable toaster

Parkhall

So I always buy the cheapest toaster I can find. The problem is that they last several months until the slider won't stay down. Probably something sticking on the contacts. I would happily fix it but they always have weird security screws on the bottom.

So advice please on a more reliable or a fixable toaster. I know about Dualit but shelling out 140 quid or more for a toaster is just too much.

oldagetraveller1

Yes, but how many cheap rubbish toasters have you bought over the years that a Dualit toaster will last? Does that add up to £140? Buy cheap, buy "x" times.

Unless their quality has dropped, Dualit are simple, reliable and very long lasting.

I've had the same Dualit toaster for about 15 years and it's still using the same heating elements, which are easy to replace. There's a manual "eject" lever, a mechanical timer and a 2/4 slice selector switch - keep it simple.

Rodders53

https://www.toolstation.com/draper-security-bit-set/p52910
one of many examples that might allow you to open for repair.  (Assuming you are competent to do so, which I'm guessing not as you are unaware of security screwdriver bits availability...)

Alternatively look at a repairable Dualit (NB not all are!) as saving the repeated cost of new toasters as an investment. 
Or use the grill on your oven instead.

sheramber

I buy toasters  from with a known makers name. My current one is a Russel Hobbs and must be at least 8 years old.

Murphybear

I’ve just had a look  at Which. 

 Their top recommendation is the Dualit 2 Slot 26205 DLT2Pa.  It’s the smaller 2 slot version of the Dualit.  It is £71.95 on Amazon.  

If you’d rather spend less then the Breville Flow VTT995 is a recommended buy.   It’s not so good if you have very large slices of bread but other than that has good reviews.  It’s £23.49 on Amazon Marketplace

We’ve got a larger 4 slice Breville.  We’ve had it over 10 years and it’s pretty good.  

Hope this helps 

 

MattMattMattUK

I have a Breville toaster at home, six years old, I have a no name one at work, five years old but it gets used by 5-6 people a day, the Dualit one my sister has is 10+ years old. 

It would seem the old adage "buy cheap, buy twice" is relevant here, although perhaps with the latter half multiplied significantly. 

[Deleted User]

My 13 year old Breville still works perfectly fine. It was inexpensive, though not the lowest priced. I think it was around £30, at the time. Whether Breville have upheld their 2010 manufacturing standards into 2023, I would hope so.

If I was buying a Dualit, I’d skip past their ‘affordable’ options in favour of the repairable versions. I’d rather spend £140 on something that can be fully serviced instead of £70 on something that cannot. My head works in a way that says it’d be £70 wasted that could have gone towards the £140. That said, I don’t presently have £140 for buying a toaster!

How much toast are you making? If it’s a bit every now and then, Breville; if it’s a loaf per day, Dualit.

DigForVictory

Take the leap. Buy a second hand and bust Dualit on eBay (change from £30 and get the bits to fix it. Not only do you pick up a handy new skill, you now have a potential side hustle fixing Dualit toasters as the universe is full of people who can't be 'arrised to do their own repairs.
Plus you can now afford to contemplate upgrading to the six slice toaster depending on appetite & family size.
There are even YouTiube videos.
Go on, treat yourself. You might even start gifting those you love with refurbished toasters with a custom paint job. (The "go faster" stripe is alas decorative only, but they won't know that.)

Albermarle

So I always buy the cheapest toaster I can find. The problem is that they last several months until the slider won't stay down.

You must be either buying the very cheapest you can find on Amazon, and/or be a serial toaster abuser.

In my experience a standard model with a known brand name that costs about £30, will normally last for years.

carly

My toaster is a Russell Hobbs , bought in 1999 for around £20, so not cheap.    " Millenium edition ".  Used every day since for a family of four.  Hasn't needed any repairs and still works as new.  It's old and ugly but I'm not replacing it as long as it works.

letsbehonest

Over the years we have had various toasters not the cheapest but certainly not the dearest, we then bought a Dualit 4 slice architect model. Dualit quite expensive well built ect ect, what I have noticed it is that it does not toast each side of the bread evenly and I have to take the bread out and turn around the slices, not what I expect from a company like Dualit. When I complained to them they were quite indifferent about it and didn't seem all that bothered, you do not always get what you pay for.