Built like a tank

I had been looking at these toasters for a while. But I always thought: Do I really need to spend $379 for a toaster? The answer, until recently, had been "no". But if you consider how much you use an appliance like this, how well it is designed and built, how long it will last, etc. then I suppose it gets easier to justify making a purchase like this. And I found there are some ways to getting around paying the full price (see below).

I too purchased the 2+1 Combi with the two slots for toasting bread and the one slot with the basket for making sandwiches. This latter feature is really great. You lightly butter the bread, insert the sandwich meat and cheese, squeeze it in the basket and a few minutes later you have a wonderful toasted sandwich.

Dualit toasters produce wonderfully golden toasting, the likes I have never before seen. And they toast evenly all over. The heating elements are made of clear mica. I haven't had any experience with the "black heat" models which claim to heat up faster and keep the toast warm longer. The lack of a pop-up device (replaced by a handy knob) allows you to keep the toast warm inside the toaster. The toasters themselves are built like tanks. And there is not much to them inside. It sort of reminds me of looking inside the hood of a simple old car: No electronics and excessive tubes and hoses...just simple, thick wires and a few parts. In an American era when so many consumer products are calamitously under-designed, these toasters speak of a build level and quality that is somewhat rare.

It is a pity that Williams Sonoma seems to have a monopoly on these toasters in the US and contrives to keep the price so high. They ARE handbuilt, but that hardly justifies the high price domestically. If you do have the opportunity to travel abroad, you can purchase them in the UK and in mainland Europe for much cheaper. However then you need to deal with the power conversion. I was lucky enough to find a source for these toasters in the UK which special ordered 110 volt (North American) toasters. But Williams Sonoma got wind of it and compelled Dualit to put an end to that.

A good number of these toasters have been turning up on eBay. Almost all of those have been purchased at Williams Sonoma factory outlet stores. If you want one of these toasters but simply cannot justify paying full price, your best bet is to get one at one of these factory outlet stores. Check out the Williams Sonoma website for locations. I know of outlets in Atlanta, Memphis, and Upstate New York. You can call these places and order toasters by phone. Prices vary from $99 for two-slice models to $150 or more for the Combis and four slice models. Stainless steel seems to be the most popular but I find the stores to have various colors in stock. Make sure you ask for a toaster that is cosmetically clean as some of these refurbs are scratched and dented.

I have bought and sold (on eBay) a good number of the refurbs. Aside from the cosmetic defects, the refurbs all seem to work perfectly and are guaranteed for a year. I received one stainless combi from one of the outlets that had some serious pitting on the stainless ends and a bunch of dents on the center section. But I found the toaster to respond well to a cleaning with stainless steel cleaner. And I found a place in New Jersey that sells replacement parts, so I replaced the center section.

The only drawbacks, besides the obvious subject of price, is a bit of British quirkiness (which you may or may not find charming). The toaster does get hot, despite the claims that it is sufficiently insulated. It would not be fair to say that the outside gets hot enough to burn you, but it would be unpleasant to hold your hands on it for too long. I have not evaluated the claim that these toasters can handle 195 slices of toast per hour but, needless to say, you would not want to touch the outside of this all metal toaster after a marathon toasting session like that. Before you use a new Dualit for the first time, they recommend that you "season" the heating elements by turning it on (empty) and letting it rip. There is a bit of a smell and some crackling and then you are ready to go. However, there are additional instructions on toasting that may not really be practical. For instance, they recommend that when you are using the toaster side (as opposed to the sandwich basket side which has an independent power switch) you must put bread in both slots as the heating elements may damage each other (in the empty slot) if there is no bread in between them to absorb the heat. In other words, you cannot simply make one slice of toast. But the manual also incongruously recommends that, before toasting the first slice of the day, that you warm up the toaster by turning the timer on for a minute or too. Who knows....maybe I'm just daft. Good luck with yours.