The King of the toasters (Dualit 4 Slice Toaster)

Member Name: Cirrus

Product:	Dualit 4 Slice Toaster
Date:	28/05/03 (6135 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The best toaster in the world, Quick hassel free perfect toast, Fantastic build and looks

Disadvantages: Eating nothing but toast for a few days after purchase!!

Product:
Dualit Vario 4 slice toaster (model No 40349)

Purchase Price and Date:
£139.00 from Argos, Spring 2002

Other contending products:
None!

Why did I want a toaster / product requirements.
Just before our young son was born we realised that normal meal times may become a bit ?haphazard? and we may not have time to do all the normal cooking stuff. Toast is a quick, filling and easy meal and with a variety of spread able ?toppings? not at all boring and ideal for those rapid ?pit stop? meals! OK so we have the primary requirements, making toast needs to be hassle free experience. The toaster must look the part in the kitchen, as getting equipment out of cupboards is a pain. No constant checking to ensure the toast has not burnt, so a good timer and no taking ages to transform the bread into toast so a good heating element. And how about no or limited cleaning after use!!

Why did I choose this product?
Many years ago I was at college, and one of my daily highlights was placing bread onto a conveyor belt and watching it disappear into a huge, shiny very industrial looking piece of equipment. With just enough time to pour the milk onto my ?snap crackle and pop? the now nicely browned toast would slip off the conveyor belt onto my plate ready for a union with some real butter and a perfect taste sensation. A great experience for a young chap whose next highlight would be performing aerobatics over the Scottish coastline!! On the corner of the commercial toaster was the name Duralit and so began a toast making fantasy!
Now Dualit is a British company, which may surprise many people who thought this kind of design and engineering had left our shores for other places like Germany! Their head office is in Crawley and these wonderful toasters are created in a London factory. They have been producing toasters for over fifty years and claim that these are probably the best toasters in the world.

On the su
rface the toaster I selected seemed to meet my requirements and as I drove back from Argos with the big box on the seat beside me I was looking forward to finding out whether or not this was true.

Unpacking, Instructions and Initial Visual impressions
No problems unpacking and in the box was a set of multi language instructions which I briefly viewed, enough to realise that most of it was common sense like making sure there is space around and above the toaster for the heat to dissipate and not using the heater elements without bread in the slot as it may damage them. There was also a very smart little brochure make you feel good about buying this product, (I guess just in case the other half was about to lose it over the price paid!) nice design photo and company comment etc.
The first thing you will notice about the toaster is its weight; it is heavy for a toaster, though no problems moving it onto the sideboard. Now for its looks, which are fantastic. With its warm, gentle curves it reminds me of a big loaf of bread. I can imagine the design team drawing it again and again until it was all just perfect. Mine has a shiny steel middle section with matt silver ends. Good looks now, and despite future changes in appliance fashion, will still look cool in years to come. That?s a relief, as I don?t expect to buy another toaster for a long time, if ever!! The ends do come in a variety of different colours (Full list later); Utility cream would look nice in a farmhouse kitchen next to the Aga.

Build Quality:
In this day and age of ?throw away products? it is just so refreshing to touch a button or switch that feels like it is not about to fall off. The Dualit Vario toaster that now graces my kitchen fulfils this. The metal feels solid, the buttons firm. No cheap and nasty gimmicky stuff hear, it is pure beautifully crafted functionality.

The Product In action:
It is complete chaos and only a few minutes remain to grab a snack a
nd crack on with life. No problems with a Dualit Vario toaster. Just place the bread in the wide 28mm slots, select two or four of the elements with the push of a switch set the timer and you are in action. While you make the tea the timer whirrs industrially away, announcing the end of toasting with a little click. The timer deserves a little more detail. It is a rotating knob graduated in 1, 2 and for really black toast 3 minute marks. A little triangle on mine at just over 2 minutes is the suggested optimum and for the first round is about right. I normally use 2 minutes for further rounds. The timing against a stopwatch is pretty accurate and as you can use the timer without plugging the toaster in it makes a great egg timer.

Traditionally we see toasters ejecting the toast into the air, but the Duralit family have a manual raise / lower handle. This means the toast stays nice and warm next to the warm elements, but usefully getting no browner. It also means that you can have a sneaky look at the browning state without interrupting the timing.

Producing a slice of golden brown toast at the rate of one slice per thirty seconds (assuming your pretty quick with the reloading!) means about 120 slices of perfect toast per hour! Now I think that would meet the demands of event the biggest families around breakfast time! In case it doesn?t there is a six-slot toaster available.
One of the features of the Vario range of Dualit toasters is the option of making toasted sandwiches. This may appeal to some, but it does need a sandwich cage (available as a separate accessory at £12.95 including VAT/P&P at electricshop.com) As I have a specialist sandwich maker, which I do not use much as it is a real hassle, I haven?t tried this facility as yet. It looks a lot simpler and less messy. The Duralit Combi range is smaller in slot options but comes with the sandwich cage.

Cleaning the product, well it is a good idea to pull out the little crumb tr
ay from time to time, and I just wipe down the surface of my toaster with a damp cloth to keep it looking brand new.

My Vario has been in service over a year now and any problems? Well doorstep size home cut bread still requires the grill, but that is about it.

Value For Money
I am lucky enough to drive a rather nice car, which gives me great pleasure as I smoothly caress the curves and corners on my way to work. My Dualit Vario provides me with the same kind of satisfaction and enjoyment but for many hundreds of pounds less. In terms of £ / happy point it does extremely well compared to my car. However for a toaster it is expensive, you could get return flight for two to Paris for less! If you want the best and are more concerned with the build, looks and endless perfectly cooked, golden toast, then price is probably a little lower on your priority. At the end of the day you do get what you pay for and this toaster will be a happy servant for many years to come.

Availability
Dualit products are widely available in department stores, Argos and on the web. (Kelcoo.co.uk has a huge selectio) Prices do vary so it is worth having a hunt around. The Dualit web site is going to have a shopping facility soon (you can phone and talk to sales) and this may be the best way to obtain some of the more specialist colours or models.

Technical Stuff and Other Features.
The heart of this range of Duralit toasters are the XXXX heating elements, which are designed for lots of use, quick toasting and a long life. They use 2200 watts of power and can be connected your electricity by a 93cm flex with a moulded 13 Amp plug.
Measured dimensions are L/W/H 360x210x220 mm
Weight: 4.25kg
Colours, I telephoned Dualit sales to check the current colours of the 4 slot Vario and was amazed at just how many are available: the list is
Glacier Blue, Amande Gr
een, Black, Can
ary Yellow, Lav
ender Blue, Metallic Blu
e, Me
tallic Charcoal, Metallic Silver, Mint Green, Petal Pink, Polished stainless steel, Red, Utility Cream and White.
Conclusions
Dualit say this gleaming, sturdy, hard working product is designed to a standard that surpasses others, and I believe they are right. If you are looking for a toaster, which is the best, your search is over.

Uesful Contacts.
Web: www.dualit.com
email: info@dualit.com
Tel: +44(0) 1293 652500

Web: www.kelcoo.co.uk

Thanks for Reading
Cirrus June 2003

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