Re-making these toasters is probably a great idea for a kickstarter.
Yeah, my question after reading this is why can't I buy a modern version of this toaster? Would it be too expensive? Just seems odd.
A toaster from 1949 is still smarter than any sold today
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Re: A toaster from 1949 is still smarter than any sold today
#22There is definitely a market for the resurgence of some of high quality old-timey products, especially those with some novelty. Sunbeam should literally do a Kickstarter to get the marketing going.
It would be great to have something last so long.
But then the marketing team wouldn't be able to come up with a new redesign every 6 months.
And there would be less overall profit than building cheaper versions to fill our landfills with.
Which unfortunately means that this won't be realistic.
Re: A toaster from 1949 is still smarter than any sold today
#23Shitty blogspam article that just copies the original video by Technology Connections
Re: A toaster from 1949 is still smarter than any sold today
#24But...does it run on Linux?
https://www.embeddedarm.com/blog/netbsd-toaster-powered-by-t...
Re: A toaster from 1949 is still smarter than any sold today
#25I wish I could still get a toaster that let me toast one slice at a time. If making toast, I usually just want one slice. It is wasteful to have to heat up both sides for one slice of toast. I remember one model from a few decades ago where you could just put one slice in and push down one button to toast that. If you put in 2 slices, the other button would push both sides down to toast. I haven’t seen that feature i…
Mine's a Dualit.
It's repairable (it's held together with simple screws, and you can order all the parts), it has a mechanical timer, and a simple lever to raise/lower the toast. There's also a knob to switch between left slot/both slots. No electronics, no indicator lights.
I think these things are targeted at commercial outlets (hotels, cafes and so on). I bought it because I imagined it would be ultra-reliable, and five years in I've had no problems. They cost about 3x as much as cheap toasters.
Re: A toaster from 1949 is still smarter than any sold today
#26There is definitely a market for the resurgence of some of high quality old-timey products, especially those with some novelty. Sunbeam should literally do a Kickstarter to get the marketing going.
I've thought about this for a while. Imagine a line of "dumb" dishwashers, toasters, ovens, stoves, microwaves, etc., all well-designed and made with sturdy materials. Unfortunately, I think they'd cost 6-10x going rate as modern "smart" appliances, and also the market for them would be restricted to HN commenters.
In washing machine land, Miele and a few others make these. They are indeed very, very expensive. Mind you, adjusted for inflation, so were the old ones; there has never really been an era of cheap top-quality appliances.
Re: A toaster from 1949 is still smarter than any sold today
#27Shitty blogspam article that just copies the original video by Technology Connections
Sure but I imagine it has resulted in a lot of exposure for Technology Connections.
Re: A toaster from 1949 is still smarter than any sold today
#28If anyone is looking to buy one, I recently bought a restored Sunbeam T-20 from timstoasters.com and love it. He even replaced the plug with a polarized one.
Re: A toaster from 1949 is still smarter than any sold today
#29There is definitely a market for the resurgence of some of high quality old-timey products, especially those with some novelty. Sunbeam should literally do a Kickstarter to get the marketing going.
I've thought about this for a while. Imagine a line of "dumb" dishwashers, toasters, ovens, stoves, microwaves, etc., all well-designed and made with sturdy materials. Unfortunately, I think they'd cost 6-10x going rate as modern "smart" appliances, and also the market for them would be restricted to HN commenters.
Washing machines were one of the first applications for microcontrollers.
If you have an electric motor that's supposed to speed up, slow down, reverse, spin fast etc., all on a schedule, it's a no-brainer (pun intended). It's usually the pump that fails, but the controller-cards often fail too. Pumps and controller cards are, of course, outrageously expensive.
These things are supposed to fail. Back in the day, they were much more reliable. I don't think it's "smart" tech that has made them less reliable; I think they've optimised their designs over the years, so that they nowadays fail just after the warranty ends.
So what I want is kitchen equipment that is designed to last. For example, I bet they could build a washing machine that works perfectly for 30 years, for under £1,000. If they wanted to. It might not have 24 different program settings, but I only ever use one setting.
Yeah, reliable equipment probably is a bit of a nerdy preoccupation; but you'd think at least someone would have a product to appeal to that niche. But nobody seems to want to compete on reliability. That makes me wonder if there is a cartel at work.
[Edit] I actually don't mean to include Bosch in my comments about manufacturers; Bosch equipment I've had has been more reliable than other brands. But they still fail and need repairs much too often.
Re. 30 years: that's how long my mother's Hoover twin-tub continued to provide service.
Re: A toaster from 1949 is still smarter than any sold today
#30I wish I could still get a toaster that let me toast one slice at a time. If making toast, I usually just want one slice. It is wasteful to have to heat up both sides for one slice of toast. I remember one model from a few decades ago where you could just put one slice in and push down one button to toast that. If you put in 2 slices, the other button would push both sides down to toast. I haven’t seen that feature i…
Mine's a Dualit. It's repairable (it's held together with simple screws, and you can order all the parts), it has a mechanical timer, and a simple lever to raise/lower the toast. There's also a knob to switch between left slot/both slots. No electronics, no indicator lights. I think these things are targeted at commercial outlets (hotels, cafes and so on). I bought it because I imagined it would be ultra-reliable, an…
My Dualit is from 2004. It still looks and works like new.
It's a design classic. 4 slots. A wonderfully boring device that just works with no fuss.