PelhamToday received the following letter regarding the search for a reliable toaster:
The recent column about toasters made me laugh. I too went through the toaster shopping experience. Before Sears went bust I would go there to check out stuff as the need arose. I was trying to find a toaster that would do the job for more than a couple of years. There they all were, lined up from cheapest, $19.99, to luxury, $230.00. The names were equally lined up, from cheap brand to high-end Ferrari equivalent.
I looked at them carefully because I remembered to bring my glasses. I closely examined the elements, attached to a card-like material inside, and what do you know. They were all the same, right down to the part serial number. I think they all roll off the same line and they send them to the various factories to encase and label them. Frustrated with this deception I started to investigate non-off-shore toasters. I found one on Kijiji. It was and still is a 1982 Sunbeam Automatic, tagged Automatic Beyond Belief. I went to buy it but the guy couldn't get it to work. Armed with my research knowledge I offered him $5 for it and he agreed. Told him I was a tinkerer.
I took it home, cleaned it out, carefully adjusted a small screw on the bottom, plugged it in and, toast.
They had been building these toasters since the 1940s with a type of mechanism that is remarkable in its simplicity. Even more remarkable, the one I got was built in Toronto. Today you might find one on eBay for less than $200 US. You might even find one from someone on Kijiji, unaware of the treasure they possess. Grab it, clean it up, adjust the screw on the bottom, maybe put a new cord on it and toast your good fortune.
Jim Pitt
Fonthill
Editor’s Note: There is indeed an entire market out there for genuine vintage toasters, particularly the Sunbeam line, a design that dates back to the 1940s. While you may not be keen to leave a 60-to-70-year-old appliance plugged in 24/7, apparently there are plenty who are. Have a spare $300-plus? Check out these eBay listings. What we’ll do to get a decent slice of toast, eh?
