Toaster Lust Whine

[akirlu]

Deep in my heart, in the place where my felt-tip stained, finger-painted, crayon-hoarding inner toddler lives, I want red appliances. Red, retro appliances that match our 1940s post-war house. I'm completely torn on whether to go full retro with the overall kitchen -- we already have vintage cabinetry, and I do like the "cracked-ice" formica and chrome dinettes with their matching chrome and vinyl chairs, but also I'm fond of my existing pine, and have visions of taking it in a Gustavian direction with a bit of paint, bead board, striped linen chair pads, and maybe pine-look pergo floors-- but whatever I do with the overall kitchen, I know I want red appliances.

Which is why I want a Dualit toaster. A bright shiny red one, with that very curvy Deco detailing on it. It's totally not practical. I mean, it's supposed to be great at making toast and all, but really, how practical can a $300 toaster be? Also, the Dualit toaster is all stainless steel, so the body gets hot, and it doesn't have a timer and it doesn't have a bagel setting, and, and, and... But I want it. And now it's on sale for "only" $179 on Amazon. Aaaaugh. Worse, I suspect the price drop may be a close-out price because Dualit is discontinuing red. Crap. $179 is still too much to spend on a toaster, especially just now. But I want it.

Yes, I know about the Dualit Lite line, that has the ballistic plastic body and is a lot less expensive and less likely to burn your unwary knuckles. But it isn't Shiny or Retro like the all-steel model. It's just a toaster. I already have a just-a-toaster.

I guess my life isn't too bad, on the whole. I mean talk about first world problems: not being able to justify spending the money on replacing a working appliance you already have.

And at least it isn't a Smeg refrigerator. I want one of those, too, but man, the name.

Comments

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Lordy, and it says SMEG across it in large letters. I would not be able to enter my kitchen ever again without dissolving into giggles and muttering, "smegging fridge," or something of that sort.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it is just insurmountable, isn't it? I have given serious thought to whether it would be possible to dismount the letters and rearrange them.

Then again, there might be something to be said for having a fridge that makes you laugh. And I'm sure it would be a lot of fun at parties.

[marypcb.livejournal.com]

it gets better. SMEG once flew a load of UK tech journalists out for a launch. the new line of SMEG fridges, which they planned to call the MA series. Ahem...

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

NO!

[gerisullivan.livejournal.com]

Have you Googled "red toaster"? None of the models I saw were as Deco-licious as the Dualit, but they offer the wide slots and cool body that you like, and they are red.

So the question is, are any of them rounded and reminiscent enough to fit into a retro kitchen, or a kitchen with retro accents, which may well be the direction you end up going in given that you're torn about going full retro compared to other options you like.

You can have a red toaster with functional features you like for the usual $25-35 toaster price. And if you want to trade off the cool-touch feature, you can even find a shiny one.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

You are a genius. There are several models there that might just scratch my red appliance itch without breaking three figures. Heck, one of the more attractive models goes for $19. I can afford that. Or I can after payday, anyway.

[gerisullivan.livejournal.com]

Glad to help.

After I moved to Toad Woods, I went shopping and bought a new lawnmower and a new vacuum cleaner the same week. They're both shiny red.

Huh. I just took my own suggestion the logical step further. Googling "red refrigerator" turned up this SMEG-free if expensive retro model. Now $300 off if you buy a retro red range, too. There's even a red panel for a dishwasher. Another site turned up the red Big Chill.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. I had successfully forgotten about Elmira Stoveworks Northstar designs -- I originally found them when I first started hunting for vintage-style appliances. My god they are gorgeous. And I don't think they had a freezer-on-the-bottom model when last I looked. But the stoves. Man, the stoves. I simply must have one.

I guess I'll go out and buy a lotto ticket.

[greenshadows.livejournal.com]

The appliances are gorgeous and it's not such a stretch, justifying them...but holy crap. SMEG? Just...no.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Maybe I could pry off the letters and rearrange them? GEMS seems innocuous enough...

[athenais.livejournal.com]

It is hard to walk away from a "bargain" when you want it so much, but maybe it'll be worth it because something even more perfect will come along.

Or maybe you'll always regret not buying it. I have those experiences, too. But I try to remind myself the tech lust, it burns, but it is not the boss of me.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

No, it is not the boss of me. I have resisted the siren call of the Dualit toaster, the Kitchenaid mixer, and the SMEG fridge for over a year now, and I can continue to resist. I may take Geri's suggestion and buy myself a *different* red toaster, because it will still be red, and some of them are pretty shiny, even if they aren't quite as retro.

[voidampersand.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to have to tell you, but your user icon is not a toaster. Not only will it fail to make your bread warm and crispy, it will smash the bread and insert little bent pieces of wire which could get stuck in your teeth.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Not a toaster, but it is red, though, and iconically so.

[haloumi.livejournal.com]

Sometimes aesthetics and function combine too well to ignore.

Does it toast? From my experiences, timers are unreliable, thermostats vary between raw and burnt based on a 5C shift in kitchen temperature and plastic toasters die.

Is it beautiful? Does it toast? Will it make you happy?

The last question is important - mindless purchasing to stave off the feeling of emptiness is very different from the happiness you can take in having something that you really like. My wife bought me my first Moleskine notebook the other day and its presence in the house makes me happy. I love notebooks and, eventually, once I've worked out what will be recorded in the Moleskine, I will start writing in that.

Could I have bought something (or had something bought for me) that was cheaper? Yes. Would it be as appealing as the simple and elegant lines of the Moleskine? No. Can I afford it (as an occasional or highly infrequent indulgence, rather than a daily one)? Yes, I can. I'll wait longer to buy something else that I fancy.

More importantly, if you never buy this, will you regret it when it goes away - and think about over time?

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Get thee behind me. I mean, I agree with all that, and the question is, will it make me happy? Very possibly. I continue to be happy with the Hunter Rockefeller fan I bought for the house when we first bought it last spring, and that's not even red. (Just as well, since we mostly keep it in the living room where red would clash with the couch.)

Must ponder.

[marypcb.livejournal.com]

Dualit isn't going anywhere and their Web site shows no signs of discontinuing red; it's probably just Amazon getting a good deal. Not only are they a style icon here, but they're a catering brand with a huge market. On the other hand, the sooner you buy a Dualit, the sooner you get the toaster that lasts you for ever ;-)

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

No, I expect I can always get a plain chrome model any time, and it may be that they'll continue with red in home-market UK plug styles, but I do wonder if they might be discontinuing red in the American-plug models. Red was wildly popular here a year or so ago for all sorts of kitchen items, and now I'm seeing a lot of that red stuff hit discount.

[marypcb.livejournal.com]

Dualit toasters are pricey but they are built like tanks and they last forever. You'd better like it, because you will never need to buy another toaster; we've had ours 12 years and it's going to last as long as we do. and it makes wonderful, perfect toast. But you don't want a two-slot one; you want the three slot model. the third slot is wider, and comes with a basket for putting toasted sandwiches or fiddly half scones in - this also makes it wide enough for even the thickest bagel. Twin switches let you run one or both slots, so you never heat two slots for one slice of toast. The dial works as both a timer and a darkness control - for darker toast, just give it a little longer than the optimum time. It doesn't autodetect frozen bread or fuzzy logic the temperature or anything irritating and likely to go wrong. it's the Morgan of toasters - because really, Rolls Royce is declasse compared to Dualit.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the personal testimony! Also the suggestion of a three slot model, though I don't know if I've seen those marketed for the US. I do know that the Dualit toaster is reputed to be the gold standard for toasters, and I do lust for one, I just may have to wait until the household budget recovers from our vacation and some recent vet bills before I even think of spending any money.

[marypcb.livejournal.com]

hmmm - sites like www.decor66.com only show 2 and 4 slot models for the US market; some two-slot models can take a sandwich basket in the standard slots

vet bills - oh, I know the feeling...

[marypcb.livejournal.com]

golden-brown standard ;-)