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Ask HN: Should I try to manufacture toasters?

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Re: Ask HN: Should I try to manufacture toasters?

#451

Post by bigfudge »

atoav wrote: post #263
bigfudge wrote: post #226

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But the issue isn’t that they couldn’t clear that bar, necessarily. It’s that they may not have the capital to prove it. We have created an uneven playing field against OLLLOO devices, and against large home grown corps which can indirectly inflate the prices for certification because the incumbency means the cost is not an issue for them.

That depends on your area of operations I guess. If you want to go into aviation, medical devices, trains, cars or anything involving big industrial processes, sure. If you want to build a toaster not so much. You could just slap a CE sign on and probably get away with selling it via online platforms. That however means you guarantee for the compliance. You also need a manual in the language of the nation where you w…

I'm not implying it's regulatory capture in the sense of a conspiracy of Big Toaster. It was more an observation that, generally, increasing complexity in regulation does have down sides in that it gives advantages to scale. Small and even medium sizes businesses are less viable than they were 30 or 50 years ago. Maybe we see the effects of that in the concentration of capital?

Re: Ask HN: Should I try to manufacture toasters?

#452

Post by lazide »

PaulHoule wrote: post #447
cavisne wrote: post #420

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Starbucks coffee has a Prop 65 label. It's likely that any domestic toaster would also put one on. The reason for this is the onus is on the company to prove it doesn't have any risky chemicals. The USA is the land of the frivolous lawsuit so its just not worth it.

I'd say yes and no. The last Prop 65 label that I thought a lot about was on a bag of Asian fried snacks that had high levels of acrylamide which is a real cancer concern but on the other hand there acrylamide in all kinds of traditionally prepared foods as well as "ultra processed" foods. Before that there was the garden hose nozzle that had brass with about 10% lead because lead makes machining brass dramatically e…

Unless you’re microwaving your food in direct contact with the inside surfaces of the microwave - which is nearly impossible and would make an incredible mess - how could BPA in your microwave ever matter at all?

Oh, and unless you’re drinking directly from your garden hose (which is a terrible idea and will likely make you very sick), it really doesn’t matter if your garden hose nozzle is ‘lead free’ (which still has lead btw!) or not.

Re: Ask HN: Should I try to manufacture toasters?

#453

Post by dzhiurgis »

masto wrote: post #324
jws wrote: post #60

I married into toaster moguls. When they sold out in '97, domestic toasters had been infeasible for years already. And this was for a company where all the knowledge, equipment, and facilities had beed paid for many decades before. (They invented the electric pop-up toaster for certain definitions of electric pop-up toaster.) Toasters are refined brilliance, if done right. The concept of "done" is computed using an a…

They don't all have nothing that isn't required. My toaster runs Android, has a touch screen, WiFi and an app, and a camera for the AI to identify what you put in it and so you can watch a live stream of your toast or play back recordings from the cloud. It was a pre-order in 2015 that didn't ship for two years. Unfortunately they sold out to Weber a couple of years ago and the product has been discontinued, much to…

I've just played around with dalle and discord on toaster designs and tbh I wouldn't mind something that can store bread and automatically toast it by voice command (also remembers my preference via profile). And it shouldn't cost more than $150.

Re: Ask HN: Should I try to manufacture toasters?

#454

Post by 20after4 »

sgarland wrote: post #354
lorax wrote: post #341

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The bagel button makes only one side of the slot get hot (or at least makes one side hotter than the other). Your toaster probably has a bagel icon on the top showing you which way to put the bagel in (cut side towards the center in every toaster I have seen). Source: I'm not married to toaster moguls but I do peer into operating toasters to see which wires turn red. Feel free to replicate my research and post your o…

Mine doesn’t have a bagel icon, but I do put them cut-side towards the center. Looking closely during operation, the elements facing out from the center didn’t appear to change color with the bagel button depressed. It toasts the bagel just fine (as well as bread), though. I should get a wattmeter and see if power draw changes.

My theory is that the bagel button does one thing only - it illuminates the bagel button when you press it. I've seen toasters with functional bagel mode but my latest cheap crap toaster does precisely nothing different when the bagel button is activated.

Re: Ask HN: Should I try to manufacture toasters?

#455

Post by devilbunny »

ornornor wrote: post #428
devilbunny wrote: post #318

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Note for other readers: due to old licensing deals for names, the brand sold as Breville in Europe is not the same as the one in US, CA, and AU. The one being talked about here is known as Sage in Europe. And they really are superior-quality devices.

I have trouble understanding your last sentence. Is Breville EU/Sage appliances the high quality one, or is Breville US/AU/CA the high quality one?

I m making a separate reply because I understand my answer was unclear.

Sage EU is Breville US/CA/AU/NZ. Those are high quality. It’s an Aussie company.

Breville EU and possibly UK (old agreements that may well predate the EEC, so don’t know any details) not the same; have never used and cannot comment.

Re: Ask HN: Should I try to manufacture toasters?

#456

Post by tonyedgecombe »

dtnewman wrote: post #326
jws wrote: post #60

I married into toaster moguls. When they sold out in '97, domestic toasters had been infeasible for years already. And this was for a company where all the knowledge, equipment, and facilities had beed paid for many decades before. (They invented the electric pop-up toaster for certain definitions of electric pop-up toaster.) Toasters are refined brilliance, if done right. The concept of "done" is computed using an a…

> * When they sold out in '97, domestic toasters had been infeasible for years already. * I’m not gonna claim to know anything about toasters or manufacturing, but I’d hypothesize that selling American made toasters to the masses is no longer feasible. Most people just want to buy a cheap toaster and don’t care where it is made. So if you were a large company selling to the masses, that business model doesn’t work. B…

We have one manufacturer in the UK that still makes toasters here.

https://www.dualit.com/products/4-slice-newgen

Not their whole range though, the cheaper products come from China.

Re: Ask HN: Should I try to manufacture toasters?

#457

Post by RockCoach »

crazygringo wrote: post #340
masto wrote: post #324

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They don't all have nothing that isn't required. My toaster runs Android, has a touch screen, WiFi and an app, and a camera for the AI to identify what you put in it and so you can watch a live stream of your toast or play back recordings from the cloud. It was a pre-order in 2015 that didn't ship for two years. Unfortunately they sold out to Weber a couple of years ago and the product has been discontinued, much to…

I really thought you were joking until I just looked up "smart toasters". I can't find any that have a camera inside though, and I can't imagine how there would even be room for a field of view for one. Unless you mean a toaster oven which is different? Turns out Breville makes one with a camera, much to my surprise.

>and I can't imagine how there would even be room for a field of view for one.

By making the walls transparent?

Re: Ask HN: Should I try to manufacture toasters?

#458

Post by airbreather »

years ago I went to the local fete in a town of some 200 people about an hour from the main city in our state (Australia) and I bought what I think is the best toaster I have ever seen, no moving parts.

It was sort of like a little metal toast cave with a single rod like element running along the back. It used reflectance from that heating element to toast - you put the toast in horizontally and it was like a very small toaster oven with no door, but more stylish.

And I wish I could fully remember but there may have been some kind of auto off device and some nuances for toasting one side more than the other, but because it was like a frog mouth opening you could fit fat bread, buns, rolls, you could do toasted cheese and so on.

I could see why maybe some safety factors could be a problem in a modern world, but there were grills and guards to protect against accidental contact, it was double skinned to prevent external temps getting to hot to touch or ignite things, and it was about 50 years old when I got it and still working perfectly.

If I ever see another one I am buying it regardless of price.

I feel that success would only be likely if you presented a new (or old) paradigm on what a toaster is.

I mean, you can always just break out the heat gun, it's loud, inefficient, maybe a little dangerous, but you can get your toast exactly how you want it.

Second last toaster I bought I decided to lash out on a fancy $150 one - it lasted no longer than the $20 and toasted no better, so now I just go with low end ones.\

Re: Ask HN: Should I try to manufacture toasters?

#459

Post by em-bee »

randmeerkat wrote: post #380
psc wrote: post #353

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> recreating something like the Sunbeam T-20 I got a vintage Sunbeam toaster recently, and in the process I found this guy who restores vintage Sunbeam toasters for almost $300! https://www.timstoasters.com/ That's not including the toaster itself, which generally runs somewhere around $100 on eBay. It makes me wonder if it's a better business to restore old toasters (and even other kitchen gear) rather than to make…

> I got a vintage Sunbeam toaster recently, and in the process I found this guy who restores vintage Sunbeam toasters for almost $300! This is great!

i am just going to drop this here:

How to design an actually good toaster with lessons from the 1940's

From Technology Connections:

https://youtu.be/bLk1cjZ4ll0

Re: Ask HN: Should I try to manufacture toasters?

#460

Post by DanHulton »

martypitt wrote: post #317
monkeycantype wrote: post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really like this comment, and am now trawling DanHulton.com for more

I went hunting on DanHulton.com for some more gold. I was fascinated by the "I Paid The Most" site, and was disappointed it wasn't a real thing (anymore). @DanHulton - tell us all the tale.

Not sure what you mean by not a real thing anymore - it's still up at https://ipaidthemost.com/

Do I have a broken link somewhere?

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