My toaster is utter garbage

[Merlin5]

It never toasts evenly, I'm frankly better off using the grill. It's a Breville Stye 2 with 5 blue lights that disappear one by one as the bread gets toasted and ready to pop up. Or I should say, as it gets burnt and ready to pop up.

Just found some rain forest reviews with the same comments:

"The toast remains brown at the top and pale at the bottom"

"The toaster does not toast evenly, in fact unless you keep turning the bread it will burn one side and just about be toasted the other."

"OK It's cheap, but if you don't like your toast burnt on one side and raw on the other, avoid its useless"

Glad it's not just me then.

Does a toaster need to be expensive to have good quality heating elements? Please can you spec me a 4 slice toaster that only needs pushing down once, and pops up evenly toasted bread with no charring? This one was a birthday present about 2 years ago I think, and since it's my birthday next month, I'll see if I can't get my mum to get me another one. A good one this time!

 

[fez]

I think that I have a cheap £10 plastic one that I have had for about 6 years now and it works fine. In my experience it is the bread that dictates how good the toast is in a lot of cases. The size difference between proper bakery bread and the pre sliced stuff is huge. I have to turn the bread over the toast the top and bottom evenly if I am using large slices but for the pre-sliced it seems fine without a turn.

 

[Merlin5]

I think that I have a cheap £10 plastic one that I have had for about 6 years now and it works fine. In my experience it is the bread that dictates how good the toast is in a lot of cases. The size difference between proper bakery bread and the pre sliced stuff is huge. I have to turn the bread over the toast the top and bottom evenly if I am using large slices but for the pre-sliced it seems fine without a turn.

I wouldn't mind turning the bread as that's what I do now. It's the burning around the edges and sometimes further into the bread that's so annoying.

 

[Universal]

Dualit ones are good.

 

[WesleyBurns]

Krups are really good too. Even toasting across the bread

 

[Siliconslave]

got one of these and have no complaints:


Would have preferred a NewGen (http://www.dualit.com/products/2-slice-newgen) but they are huge and wouldn't fit the kitchen

 

[monkeyspank]

can you fit warburtons slices in those?

 

[Siliconslave]

yup

 

[Ahleckz]

I have a £15 one that does exactly what that over priced thing Siliconslave posted. It's a toaster, the functions of it is simple. Don't get dragged into buying expensive, branded ****.

 

[arknor]

I have a £15 one that does exactly what that over priced thing Siliconslave posted. It's a toaster, the functions of it is simple. Don't get dragged into buying expensive, branded ****.

yea its not like toasters are complicated the majority of the money will be for brand/design
i remember basic toasters in the 90s that worked awesome even though they looked so basic compared to modern ones

 

[radderfire]

I recently bought a toaster, it's a Breville too, and although it works OK, I am slightly disappointed, as it leaves a little bit of bread at the top untoasted. So, I have been slightly disappointed with Breville as a brand.

As others have said, some toasters are very cheap, so either take pot luck, or if you want real quality it looks like Dualit.

Rgds

 

[sinister_stu]

I have a 2-slice version of the toaster in the OP and I've never had problems with it burning one side and leaving the other untoasted, or uneven toasting.

 

[monkeyspank]

yup

YAY
and there's a 4 slot one too!

happy days

 

[Siliconslave]

I have a £15 one that does exactly what that over priced thing Siliconslave posted. It's a toaster, the functions of it is simple. Don't get dragged into buying expensive, branded ****.

while the functionality is simple the OP proves the realisation and quality of cheaper toasters is not. I've had several cheap toasters over the years and the Dualit are by far the best made and longest lasting.
Granted some of the cost is the name but much more of it is the quality of the product.

 

[Merlin5]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I love the look of that Dualit posted by Siliconslave. Two problems though.

Damn, they're expensive and I don't think I'd get it as a birthday present.
Also, I need a 4 slice toaster ideally with the controls on the right because of space as I have my kettle to the left of my current toaster.

I'll have to take a look in the shop that sounds like something similar to an asteroid and check out the Dualits and Krups.

 

[Ahleckz]

while the functionality is simple the OP proves the realisation and quality of cheaper toasters is not. I've had several cheap toasters over the years and the Dualit are by far the best made and longest lasting.
Granted some of the cost is the name but much more of it is the quality of the product.

I've had my same toaster for over 5 years. It's used almost daily. I know of plenty other people with cheap toasters and they have also worked fine.

There's really not much in a toaster to go wrong. The difference between your Dualit (spelling) and my cheap one is in the name and the quality of the external, non-toasting bits.

Futhermore, you can't blame the toaster if it doesn't toast the top of your bread if the bread doesn't fit in. Take a look at the size of the element and compare to your choice of bread. I'm all for spending money on certain appliances (hoovers especially) but there is no reason to spend more than £30 on a toaster. Just select one that is of adequate size (by looking INSIDE the machine) and has the functions you require. Though, I've never used my bagel or defrosting feature.

 

[DirtyJester]

...don't mention it

 

[Merlin5]

...don't mention it

Heh, funny but I'm sure at least one or two of those toasters will do a nice, evenly browned, unburnt piece of toast.

 

[uv]

Y'know how you got to Richer Sounds with a CD to test amps/speakers before you buy? You need to go to John Lewis with a loaf of bread to test the toasters

We've got a basic toaster, and it does the job fine - our expensive previous toaster didn't actually fit warbies toastie slices in it :/

 

[Merlin5]

I must admit, whenever I buy the thick sliced warburtons toastie, it doesn't burn and toasts quite well. Still, I'd like a toaster that isn't so picky on what it does and doesn't toast evenly.