[nheather]

I've always kind of wanted one - expensive but I think they look cool and imagined them to be engineered like a Rolls Royce.

On the last toaster purchase I was over-ruled and we had a nice looking DiLonghi for about £60 - still expensive but less than half the price of the Dualit.

The DiLonghi packed up yesterday - I thought about repairing it, but even getting it apart is a nightmare - so the Dulit is back on the agenda.

But looking around today I was surprised by two things.

(i) On the Amazon review section the opinions are really polarised. You always get one or two complaints but this seems to be a significant number about the same complaint - the timer jams, which means that the heating elements don't turn off - which means that the toast burns or catches fire if not attended.

(ii) The warranty is just a bulk standard 1 year. I imagined that at that price you were buying into the sort of service you get when you buy a Brabantia bin (3 years after buying the lid breaks, you ring Brabantia and two days later a replacement turns up. But the Dualit appears to have the same sort of service and warranty that you would get with a £12 toaster from Tesco.

So anyone here have one - what do you think of it?

Cheers,

Nigel

[t72bogie]

have had one a few years ....didnt realise they were that expensive (just had a look) as I didnt buy it

cant say it does anything different to a regular cheaper toaster to be honest...im afraid its just a 2 slot toaster

if it were me shopping for one Id be more interested in if its an easy to clean finish and spend about £20 - they are a disposable product to me

[Maki]

We have had one for ten years or more. Before that we had toasters last a couple of years. They are very good, we have the four slot. We also use them at work and they run for a long time before dying.

Stay away from the kettles though, good while they work but you cannot replace elements when they go!

[Educated Guess]

On my second four slot and I wouldn't buy anything else. If a part breaks or the elements burn out then you just replace them.
Having a background in catering Dualit is standard equipment in most kitchens.

[dejongj]

Have a 4 slot one with settings for 4,2,1 piece of bread to toast...Love it, it is consistent in how it toast, the bread gets toasted evenly and most importantly through out....Never a soggy piece of toast and no stodge either....Highly recommended...

[nheather]

Well went for another DiLonghi in the end.

I was all set to buy a 2 slot dualit from John Lewis (price matched to argos who sell for £13 cheaper) and enjoying a JL 5 year warranty.

But when we got there my wife noticed that they sold the DiLonghi toaster that matches the kettle, and went for that, but a 4-slot this time.

I might have still preferred the Dualit but happy that she got what she wanted as she uses it more than me and it was less than half the price of the dualit.

Cheers,

Nigel

[dejongj]

Too late now, but mind how long most dualit owners have had theirs, then compare the price again and you'll see it is actually not more expensive to own!

[nheather]

Too late now, but mind how long most dualit owners have had theirs, then compare the price again and you'll see it is actually not more expensive to own!

I know, I would have gone for the Dualit (not based on economy but because of the snob factor, owning an icon brand etc.) but my wife preffered the look of the DiLonghi, especially as it matches the kettle.

The last DiLonghi lasted just over 3 years. It is a third of the price of the Dualit so economy wise, I've got 9 years before the Dualit would become cheaper.

But as I said price wasn't the deciding factor for us.

Cheers,

Nigel

[RMCF]

Its a toaster, its slightly burns bread.

Can one toaster do that better than another?

Or is it the fashion/desirability side of things you are talking about?

[dejongj]

Originally Posted by RMCF

Its a toaster, its slightly burns bread.

Can one toaster do that better than another?

Or is it the fashion/desirability side of things you are talking about?

Most definitely one toaster does it a lot better than another...

[RMCF]

Originally Posted by dejongj

Most definitely one toaster does it a lot better than another...

How?

[dejongj]

I'm not an engineer, but just eat the toast and youll notice....

Heck a kia and a bmw both have four wheels and engine, yet they drive differently...Look inside a toaster and you'll see they both have electrics but that's about where the similarities end....

[RMCF]

Originally Posted by dejongj

I'm not an engineer, but just eat the toast and youll notice....

Heck a kia and a bmw both have four wheels and engine, yet they drive differently...Look inside a toaster and you'll see they both have electrics but that's about where the similarities end....

I'm no engineer either, but comparing a toaster to a car is quite silly, even if it is a Kia.

Think the engineering involved in building a car might be slightly more complicated.

Surely a toaster has an element that gets red hot, which is then placed a few mms away from bread, which then causes it to burn and hence 'toast'. Trying to figure out how exactly one element can make 'toast' taste far nicer than another?

[dejongj]

The point of the analogy was not the subjects used but the mechanism.

Anyway have a think yourself, the densities of this metal can vary a large amount. The can be horizontal, vertical, crossed etc the distance apart and how far to the edges. All has an effect on uniformity and whether you end up with stripes or toast. The as you say yourself, how far away from the bread. And what about the strength utilised and the material to gnerate the heat and more importantly to disperse the heat.

Or have you ever noticed how many of the cheap toaster you have to adjust the timing since after two times of use they retain the heat. And then when we are on the subject what about when the toast needs to come out, some spring up with the bottom half still cooling due to residual heat others don't but don't cool down quick enough.

Many are just not powerful enough to toast through to the middle so let alone what happens when you toast from frozen so yet another design consideration.

As I said I am no designer nor engineers but just because they look simple it is by no means a simple device.

[nheather]

I must admit that I have seen a big difference between toasters.

The DiLonghi (£50-£70) that we have has a very accurate timer\heat adjustment and once set the toast comes out the same every time.

It also has a very good automatic width adjustment so handles doorsteps, bagels, teacakes very well.

I would expect the Dualit (£130-£18) to be at least as good.

Cheap toasters (£20-£30) that I have owned in the past have been very hit and miss with irregular toasting patterns and unreliable timer\heating (same bread perfect one day, burnt the next on the same settings).

I still have 3 dislikes with the Dualit though

(i) Bulk standard warranty - if the product lasts for many many years why doesn't the company have faith in it.

(ii) Significant number of stories about jamming clockwork timers - too many to dismiss as non-representative

(iii) I contacted Dualit about these concerns and they never bothered to respond - so my personal experience of their customer service is indifferent.

However, I was still prepared to buy one because of the iconic design and the 'snob value' but only because John Lewis are prepared to do Dualit's job of providing a decent warranty.

Cheers,

Nigel

[dejongj]

I can't help with the warranty bit since I couldn't care less about things like that as generally it is not worth the paper it is written on and one need to know their consumer rights to overcome such things. But as I say, not important to me doesn't mean it isn't to someone else.

I've never heard about the jamming clockwork timers, but then again I don't have this problem, nor know anyone else who has it...Like with most things you only hear of the people who do have a problem, whether that is representative as a general problem well one need to know a lot more facts before that statement can be made...

[nheather]

I can't help with the warranty bit since I couldn't care less about things like that as generally it is not worth the paper it is written on and one need to know their consumer rights to overcome such things.

Agreed, but there is a big difference in having a stated warranty and the SOGA.

My Brabantia bin has a 10 year guarantee, when the catch on lid broke after about 4 years, I rang them, got straight through, no quibbles at all, sent a replacement lid out which arrived within 2 days - ZERO hassle.

Talk to a retailer or manufacturer about a product with a stated 1 year warranty and you will be told it is out of warranty. You will then bring up the SOGA. The person you are talking to will say it doesn't apply or deny or knowledge of it. You'll ask to speak to someone more senior. You'll be given the run-around. You will send recorded letters quoting the SOGA act, starting out politely. They will take ages to respond and may still give you the run around. You may have to send further letters threatening small claims court. You might even have to start a small claims court case. I agree that eventually you will win - the SOGA will find in favour of the buyer for upto 6 years. But the process will be stressful and long, involve expenses (that may not be recovered - telephone, letters etc.) and all that time you will be without that product.

I agree about the timer problem though - squeaky wheel gets the oil.

But even so it was a little off-putting and if it weren't for the JL warranty I would not have even considered taking the risk.

Cheers,

Nigel

[custodian]

I've had a Dualit 4 slot toaster for around 12 years. One element went two years ago. Replacement element was around £10 on the web and was a doddle to fit.

Tought, reliable piece of equipment which does exactly what its supposed to do.

[majnu]

Originally Posted by nheather

I've always kind of wanted one - expensive but I think they look cool and imagined them to be engineered like a Rolls Royce.

On the last toaster purchase I was over-ruled and we had a nice looking DiLonghi for about £60 - still expensive but less than half the price of the Dualit.

The DiLonghi packed up yesterday - I thought about repairing it, but even getting it apart is a nightmare - so the Dulit is back on the agenda.

But looking around today I was surprised by two things.

(i) On the Amazon review section the opinions are really polarised. You always get one or two complaints but this seems to be a significant number about the same complaint - the timer jams, which means that the heating elements don't turn off - which means that the toast burns or catches fire if not attended.

(ii) The warranty is just a bulk standard 1 year. I imagined that at that price you were buying into the sort of service you get when you buy a Brabantia bin (3 years after buying the lid breaks, you ring Brabantia and two days later a replacement turns up. But the Dualit appears to have the same sort of service and warranty that you would get with a £12 toaster from Tesco.

So anyone here have one - what do you think of it?

Cheers,

Nigel

I've had mid-range priced toasters and the best one I have bought and which is still going strong today is the one from Home Bargains for £5. I think it's called 'Prestige'. Best thing about it is that you can fit Warburtons toastie bread in it and it will fully toast the entire slice of bread where all over toasters I've had leaves some bread pretruding out the top not giving an even toast. I've not seen any toasters that can take long bread.

[vibesurfer]

This Dualit toaster looks truly classic but sadly is not built any more reliable than a basic $30.00 unit. How can they make a toaster that retails for over $200.00 that contains a totally unreliable mechanical timer device ready to fail and burn your kitchen down? It went out on my toaster after a year and it sounds like this is the case with many others. Just like the Toro Lawn Mower and the Vermont Castings stoves etc. this Dualit is marketed as a great looking premium product but the manufacturer has decided to have it made in China, cut the actual quality level and still charge a huge price. They hope the consumer won't notice in the short term. Aargh...

[dejongj]

Nice rant ;-) Dualit is used in hundreds of thousand professional catering environments. A British company in that created this toaster in 1952. Why not return it under warranty and get it fixed for free instead of moaning about it? Doesn't anything break in your life?

[studionorthuk]

i have had my dualit 6 slice toaster for over 6 years now, non of the elements or the timer have failed. the are quality made, and to be honest you pay for what you get. previous to this i was changing toasters every year or so.

would buy bothing else, well worth the money.

baz

[Ed Selley]

Originally Posted by RMCF

Its a toaster, its slightly burns bread.

Can one toaster do that better than another?

Or is it the fashion/desirability side of things you are talking about?

I'm well aware that this is an answer to a question posed eighteen months ago. In an absolute sense, Dualits don't do anything different to cheaper toasters but the heating of the element across the entire slice of bread is pretty much perfect- the bread toasts perfectly evenly without leaving part poking out the top and improperly toasted.

Then, there is this;

The "sandwich cage" is a Dualit party piece and because of the wide slots, it allows you to toast sandwiches in it. The sandwiches that result are absolutely perfect- I'd never go back to a seperate sandwich toaster that crushes the sandwich into a sort of "hot pocket." Whether this is useful is of course only something you can decide.

As others have said though, avoid the kettles. Absolute bobbins.

[Big_Si_Owen]

I've had my 6 slice dualit for 13 years now, never had any issue with timer or elements. super sturdy piece of kitchen porn

[lynx]

12 month guarantee Value 2 slice toaster

[ggrant]

Originally Posted by Ed Selley

As others have said though, avoid the kettles. Absolute bobbins.

I dunno, I own one and it's done superbly well. No limescale in the bottom of it int he 14 months I've owned it and my in-laws have had theirs for about 5 years!

[Calpolaholic]

Originally Posted by Big_Si_Owen

I've had my 6 slice dualit for 13 years now, never had any issue with timer or elements. super sturdy piece of kitchen porn

This^^
They are the mother of all toasters end of. True our timer failed after about 8 years but I bought a replacement from Ebay for 15 squid and fitted it no probs. Clean it every now and then with WD40. LIfes too short for ugly things

[dejongj]

Originally Posted by Ed Selley

As others have said though, avoid the kettles. Absolute bobbins.

Like ggrant we've had ours for donkey years now and no problems whatsoever. Likewise with the blender...

[Mr_Wistles]

Toaster, blender and kettle here. All 8 years old. All working perfectly. Never had any problems.

[blackanchorage]

Can't justify the cost of the Dualit. The DeLonghi Iconas get very good review ratings on Amazon, but I think the three year guarantee offered on a cheaper JL 4-slice toaster (recommended in a previous thread) makes it a better buy for me. Buy John Lewis CPT180CJLU Toaster, 4-Slice, Polished Stainless Steel online at JohnLewis.com

Thanks