Toaster time: Dualit or… ?

We got one of these https://www.dualit.com/products/architect-2-slot-toaster quite a few years ago. Can't remember exactly how long ago but it's easily more than 8+ years and gets used daily. Still seems to be going strong not had to replace anything on it yet.

A BIG downside to a Dualit is any toast you have elsewhere is inferior to what you have at home. First world problem.

Happy with our 4-slice classic with the two dials and lever-to-lift (which is great and not an issue in the slightest - timer dial makes a loud enough click when it finishes so you know the toast is done).

Cheaper Dualit "architect"? was crap & didn't last for us.

Edit - can't remember how long but less than 4yrs

Our Dualit is now about 20 years old and still works exactly as it did when it was new.  There's not many things that are a no-brainer but this one really is.

Personally I think the sweet spot is 4 slice but with the ability to select 1, 2, 3, or 4 slices (we also have one that 'only' offers 1, 2 or 4 as options)

Edit: the only one to consider is the Classic and yes, you want a cage or two for teacakes muffins, etc.

Costco were doing the 4 slice with cage for 170, usually c200 to 240.

I like them, cage allows you to toast banana bread, pancakes etc.  I replaced elements after 20 years.

My Dualit Classic is 20 yrs old - works perfectly as it always has.
Get one.

Having had a several other toasters over the years, we finally invested in a Dualit this autumn.  Only a 2 slot trad version but it's nice and shiny.

+ves - Shiny, feels good to buy a classic, well made, locally produced product with an almost guaranteed longevity and the timer is quite a nice way to do toast.  Single slot function allows you to only do 1 slice without over cooking one side

-ves:- How ****ing much! Tiny slots, in all directions - it struggles with large slices of any description be it height, width or thickness and it has no ability to centre a thin slice as the guide wires are fixed. We just chop down large slices to fit. Timer takes a bit of getting used to and you may burn drier/staler bread using the same "normal" setting you get used to (2 mins for us) This would be true of any toaster though.  Single slot setting is easy to forget so you may only do 1.25 slices when you want 2.  I now check every time - most of the time.

I like it and would recommend with the above reservations.  If you're used to something with more features or do bigger bread i suspect it's not for you.

G

6 slice dualit here - works fine. It does slightly over do side one of the first slice - I keep meaning to investigate how to fine tune that feature out but thus far have not got around to it

Just had a look at the dualit reviews on which? They’re actually a mixed bag. They give the newgen models a pasting, but the “lite” model is their best buy toaster for 2024.

More info from which?:
Dualit is their 3rd most reliable brand.
Haden, an English company I’ve never heard of, are rated 1st.

Got our Dualit as a wedding present in 1995. Still going strong.

I got a two-slice Dualit Classic cheap from eBay because it was dirty and had a broken timing nob. I did a nut-and-bolt disassembly and clean which was quite satisfying, and it looks great now.

Don't get a Smeg one. Well, I'm unsure about their toasters, but I got a very expensive Smeg kettle which crapped out after less than a year.

we've had a 4 slice dualit for a decade. The timer dial stopped winding last year, I think a new one was £5 and about 5 minutes to replace.

I personally find the "having to set the time every time you make toast" thing a bit annoying, but there are some advantages (ie the second slice of toast taking less time, means you can put it on for a shorter time), also the 2/4 slice switch on the 4 slice toaster is annoying because you'll inevitably put 4 bits of bread in when its switched to 2 and have 2-and-a-half bits of toast.

I'd be tempted by one of the magimixes with see-through sides, but I'm waiting for a toaster that actually monitors the colour of the toast inside and stops it when its the right amount of brown for you

I wanted to buy a classic for £30 off FB Marketplace but it was "the wrong colour" (cream) apparently so we ad to spend £170 on a new polished one!!

#women

Tiny slots, in all directions – it struggles with large slices of any description be it height, width or thickness and it has no ability to centre a thin slice as the guide wires are fixed.

Some models allow a thicker slice (the Combi for example) and thin bread is dealt with by using the cage.

Does it fit hand sawn artisan sourdough?

Thanks for the advice everyone.

apparently so we ad to spend £170 on a new polished one!!

#women

I too would rather spend the money on one that looks decent as I’ll look at it every day #sexism

We just got a 2 slice 'new gen classic' in black/ silver.  From John Lewis (yeah I know very middle class).

Had it about a month.  

Very happy so far.  Took a few goes to gauge the right setting and remember to use the lever to drop the toast (actually I really like that function) and also that if doing 1 slice it's not necessary to waste energy heating the 2nd slot.

I very much support the principle of buying something made by a adults in Britian paying income tax and NI in Britain that subsequently helps pay for the NHS and schools rather than being made by kids or Uyghur slaves under a regime of opresssion in China.

And repairable rather than throw away into landfill in 2 years.

Note the classic and vario are made in Britain, but not necessarily the cheaper ones like the 'architect'.  

stevious<br />I too would rather spend the money on one that looks decent as I’ll look at it every day #sexism

it was tongue in cheek as I acceded without a fight as I too prefer the shiny one.   It's not like we've got anything in the kitchen to match to but it's just nicer on it's own.

We had a Dualit in holiday accommodation over Christmas. it had a bloody stupid timer that was separate from the lever - people either forgot to set the timer at all (just plunged the lever) or got the timing wrong - most mornings there was a strong smell of burned toast.

I certainly wouldn't buy one on the back of that experience and others seemed equally unimpressed.

When we did our kitchen out, we ended up spending silly money on a KitchenAid one (it matched the colour scheme). I like it as it has a cool 'soft' open/close operation rather than a pop-up but, inexplicably, although it toasts bread, it doesn't seem to get it hot so butter doesn't melt much which my wife doesn't like.

Have had a newgen 2-slot for 12 years or so. They win for simplicity, repairability and snob value but aren't the best at making toast, which given the price you'd hope they would be. Treated it to a full strip down, clean/polish and new elements a few months back and it's all shiny again but still toasts darker on one side than the other.

The lite/studio/architect isn't the same at all, as far as I know all made in China.

My father has a Dualit classic double. It is the one thing I will fight with my sister about when he passes - 'tis a thing of goodness.

We got one of these but at a reduced cost which made it more palatable. It has been faultless so far and the features get used unlike sometimes where you wonder why a designer bothered.

https://www.johnlewis.com/sage-the-smart-toast-4-slice-toaster-stainless-steel/p2065166?s_ppc=2dx_mixed_technology_BAU&tmad=c&tmcampid=2&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAy9msBhD0ARIsANbk0A-uWzt-7zwgcgDdlnjo5qswBZm7WOi_KO2P11UZMocN3grMIv7WYOMaAl6JEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds  

Why does a toaster need LED's??  Sorry but there's more stuff on [that to go wrong] than is needed in my view.

Great idea buying a broken one, they clean up perfectly and parts are very cheap.

Personally I never got the fuss about Dualit. We had a long slot one as a wedding gift in 2008, died about 18 months ago. It was fine, but I only ever valued it as a toaster, not a piece of art. The thing that bugged me is that it wasn't deep enough

We've moved to a random brand one and, to be honest, it's better than the Dualit. Does everything the Dualit did plus more, like the croissant rack is built in and there's an actual digital timer so you know how long to go before your maillarded bread is ready

Theres one that needs an element for £35 on faceache mktp, looks clean as well

Meh really. Late 90s I stayed in a backpackers in Fiji that had one - owner said it was the only toaster he'd had that didn't break immediately. So I had my eye out for one after that - ended up with a second hand 3 slice classic which is now 20+ years old. As others have said - looks cool, toast is fine, although mine is a bit uneven like others. Perhaps I could fix that by replacing an element, which is of course the upside - I've replaced the timer thingy once.

That said, if I came to replace it I'd look elsewhere too. Of the other options above I have a Sage coffee maker which is amazing (and was an upgrade on another good Sage), so I'd be interested in that Sage toaster - it's the closest to the unicorn toaster which pops up when your toast is the right shade of brown. Hadens look OK too don't they?

Like others ,I've a 20yr old 2-slot that looks and operates as well as it did on day 1.

But...It was £120 which is an outrageous amount for a toaster. I've a kettle that's merely 10 years old that I bought from Tesco for a tenner, the sales lady said to me, "Keep the receipt, these kettles either break immediately, or will go on forever" luckily for me, the latter.

We had one that my mother gave us for Xmas one year - it broke.

Can't see what the fuss is about.

We’ve moved to a random brand one and, to be honest, it’s better than the Dualit. Does everything the Dualit did plus more,

It's a toaster.... what else is it supposed to do?!

We had a long slot one as a wedding gift in 2008, died about 18 months ago.

You could have fixed it for not much - anyway, each to their own, come back in 14 years and give us an update on how the digital timer is working out.

Do you not have a grill built into your oven?

I've got a Dualit classic two slice. Up to now I've never thought about how old it is, but it's 14 years in and going strong.

Dualit: looks great but random toast quality due to the mechanical timer. And I’ve suffered two of the things because… Shiny. There are better toasting options.

I  got a Tefal toaster 35 years ago  still working well.

But would  one brought now be so long lived ?

Got one of these a few years back, got it on sale as it must have been the previous model.  Nice as it is there is no way we would have paid full price for it.

Despite the cost it has been excellent, but be warned it may make you do something really stupid like spend £150 on a matching kettle

It does slightly over do side one of the first slice 

Try turning it on for a few seconds before putting the bread in and setting the timer properly. I find that the single end elements take slightly longer to heat up than the double sided ones between slices.

Had our 4 slice classic since 2007 (shockingly that 17 years ago now). Had to replace the timer mechanism a couple of years ago. Parts cost £6 and it took 5 minutes with a screwdriver.

Dualit,Lite 4 slice here, at least four years old, no issues, cleans up like new easy enough too. Use the single side button all the time but not defrost. Matching tall jug kettle is fine too.

We got a 'posh' one as a wedding present and it broke after 2 years...the toaster that is...Mrs F still puts up with me! We've had the same one from Asda for the last 15 years now and its still going strong.

I was fed up of our cheapo one taking an age to toast stuff so went and bought the 2-Slice Long Lite Toaster a few months back. £100 ish

Perfect Toast every time

Doesnt drop crumbs every where

Stays clean (the metal just wipes clean where as previous ones appeared to get effected by the heat)

Mrs FD wasnt happy that I spent £100 on a toaster, but it just works like no other toaster we have had before

I'm with johnjn2000, the Sage 2 slice though. It was expensive, but the 'quick look' button and 'a bit nore' buttons are ace. It replaced a dualit with plastic on that toasted the bottom half of a slice more than the top and the plastic body had snapped too (despite never having an incident that warranted it).

It's about 4 years in with best enough daily use and it's been flawless to date. But yes, it has more on it to go wrong than it needs to.

Best toast & toaster is my mum's home made bread toasted on the "cool" plate of an Aga, but an Aga is what £10k ? & my mum's no longer of this world😢

One of those previous threads search threw up may have been mine.  I ended up with a 4 slice dualit errr.. errr   classic?  It works and still works a couple of years in,  which must be as long or longer than the previous toaster or two lasted.  I too often forget the 2/4 switch and hence do 2.5 of 4 slices.  Despite the 'set the time each time via a twisty knob' I seem to burn toast a bit more often than with previous toasters, not much though.  Overall I'd say the toast is no better or worse than from another toaster so let's hope it lasts 4 or 5 times as long.

Oh and now others have mentioned it mine also toasts a little uneven, not badly so but I've started to notice it recently.  Either I was previously blinded to this by the cost,  or its getting worse.

Classic Dualit 2 slot here. Wedding present, and now 22 years old and still going strong. Bugger, I've jinxed it!

Why does a toaster need LED’S

I Dunno, does it need LED's? It just delivers a service that I didn't know we neeeded.