To wonder (toasters)

[PassingStranger]

Can toasters be repaired?

Our four slice toaster is now only a two slice, as the other section isn't working?

I know I could get a new toaster as we need a 4 slice, just wondered if it would be good to anyone else?
Are they repairable does anyone know? Possible to get the other side working again?

I took mine to a Repair Shop, the guy said no. Designed not to be repairable

They always break on one side IME! Although my current Dunelm one has lasted about three years so far with no problems!

Sadly these days small appliances are rarely fixable.

Most large recycling centres have a place for small electrics. It's the best you can do.

Some can. Our town holds an appliance clinic where you can take in appliances and an electrician will show you how to repair them. We rewired a lamp where the switch at broken (adding an in line switch), we also got a bread maker repaired.

This is why we have a Dualit toaster - it’s designed to be repaired. I think the bog standard ones aren’t easy to fix.

Yep Dualit can be repaired

DH has fixed plenty over the years

We've had our Dualit at least 20 years. No repairs needed but I'm sure it could be repaired if anything happened.

That's the kind of place where I took mine, and they said No.

Sorry, but i feel you have just jinxed yourself!!

I know what you'll be doing tomorrow haha!!

The real thing to wonder about toasters is why nearly a quarter of the way into the 21st century they are still all made so that the result of any setting from about halfway upwards ranges from inedibly burnt through incinerated to have-a-fire-extinguisher-handy. Who's turning theirs up that high?

How old is it?

Mine set on fire after a year

I sent it back and got a full refund

So true 😆

I'm constantly fiddling with that knob. I sweat there's just a 1mm leeway between -never toasts- and -immediately burnt-

DH put a new mechanism in our Dualit after 16 years. It’s another 6 years on now and still the best toaster I’ve ever owned. Cost a lot but compared to replacing one every couple of years, it’s been worth it. DM has a dodgy one from Tesco that does pale and interesting or carbon, nothing in between. For something we use every day, it’s worth spending more imo.
I don’t think the plastic style ones can be fixed, sorry.

Because as they get older their toasting power diminishes so you have to turn them up to ridiculous levels

Wonder why the one side always goes?
If they are always used equally they get the same use?

Half of each side of mine always goes! I have just keep flipping the bread round!
I honestly think even if it was repairable they'd charge you near enough the cost of a lower end brand new one. I don't even know how to dispose of one in the legit way? My council do 'bulkywaste' but you can only get three things and it's a tenner per item. And that's for much bigger stuff. I can't go to the dump easily. Not sure if anyone knows how to recycle them easily?

is it a dualit?
they're easy to replace the elements on, you can buy them on eBay.
I've done it a couple of times with mine, and also with my sisters one.
Mine is about 35 years old and going strong.

That's brilliant, wish my town had somthing like that

DH and I buy the cheapest toaster available. Less than a tenner. We keep the receipt and get a replacement every time it dies. About every eight months although the shortest was about two weeks. 🙄

That single tenner has bought 5 toasters.

We have a Dualit which can be repaired

We also bought our dualit from their refurbished section of their website, which makes it cheaper.

www.dualit.com/collections/refurbished

It's not viable to pay western rates of labour to a skilled person when it's cheaper to replace it with an item made by cheap overseas labour. Leaving aside the non-availability of spare parts.

Right to Repair was a step in the right direction. But didn't go far enough, or cover enough things. So we're down to repair cafes staffed by volunteers...

Think of the landfill

Got a new toaster, they aren't cheap but it's a nice one.

I expect the old one will.go.in the bin now.