Dualit Toaster

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Dualit Toaster

Post by PanBiker »

I love my Dualit Toaster, designed from innovation of the 1940's my 2+1 Combi has served us well for the last 17 years. It's a 3 slot job, two normal and one wider slot with a sandwich cage. I think this particular model was developed in the 1970's but like all Dualit stuff they are so well designed that there is no reason to change them. There are no frills on a Dualit toaster, no thermostat or bi-metal pop up nonsense to go wrong. You have a lever to raise and lower the bread, a rotary mechanical timer and two switches to control which elements are heated. The whole job lot wrapped in a nice retro chrome and stainless steel housing.

I have noticed that my toast is coming out a bit underdone on one side and I have to move the slices around to get them even. Dualit do a full range of spares, the new style elements fit every model of toaster, you can get the knobs, switches and the timer so no matter what it is repairable. It goes without saying that it's screwed together rather than many of the one way trip throw away designed riveted competitors.

I'm going to treat it to a complete new set of elements, that's two inners and two outers so four in total. £7.80 each, it's a £180.00 toaster so well worth giving it probably another 20 years or more life which will do us.

I have ordered the elements and will post the refurbishment when I set about it.

In the meantime, here's the history and a YouTube time lapse on how they are made.

Dualit - History





Ian
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Re: Dualit Toaster

Post by Stanley »

I've seen them Ian but didn't know the story. Have a look in the Calf Hall Shed Minute Books for the number of small firms that started up in Butts Mill after the war when it was de-requisitioned. It was a fertile time for new businesses. Think of Silentnight......
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Re: Dualit Toaster

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They make the big motorised conveyor belt toasters for hotel breakfast bars as well Stanley. All their products use KISS design so are designed to last, they are not looking to sell you a replacement every few years.

I think I have said before that Morphy Richards toasters were one of the indicators for me to get out of the TV trade and change career. Along with Swan kettles, and MR Irons and toasters, they were the first appliances I was let loose on when I was first apprenticed. We used to stock a full range of spares for them, elements and thermostats, sole plates for the irons. They were repairable as most stuff was and it was economically sound to do it. By the late 80's kettles were made of plastic and cost £10.00, toasters were riveted together and were a one way trip to the tip. Over in TV and video repair land, reliability was so good that we used to draw lots for who would get to go to the outside job of the week! VCR service manuals went from a 600 page workshop manual to a single sheet of A4, the insides of a VCR had morphed from an electro mechanical wonder into a plastic gear fest that required no adjustment. The writing was on the wall and I made the move rather than turn into a box shifter.

£180.00, and a lot more for the bigger ones sounds a lot for a toaster but it's not as you are actually buying an appliance for life. I wish I could have afforded one when we first set up house. This one actually stands us at nothing, Sally won it in a competition in one of her magazines. In the 20 odd years we had been married before we got it I reckon we had gone through three or four lesser products so buying into a good un is a no brainer really.

I wish I could have afforded a Kirby Vacuum as well, I have had the demo though which is recommended if only for spectacle and entertainment value. :smile:
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Re: Dualit Toaster

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Demonstrations..... You've reminded me of a story from me memoirs.... I've posted it before but I think it's worth a re-run....

I have a story about Sidney which demonstrates his sense of humour. I used to deal with any commercial travellers who were in any way technical. One day we had a caller who was selling a miracle cure for blocked drains. He asked if he could demonstrate how his product worked so I agreed and he swung into what was quite clearly a very well rehearsed performance. He took a Pyrex beaker out of his case, poured some soil into it and added a lump of grease. He then reached into his bag and produced the biggest sanitary towel I have ever seen in my life, wiped his hands on it and, saying, “There’s always one of these!” stuffed it into the beaker. He held it up and said, “There you are, that’s a blockage!” He then added some water and poured in his ‘miracle cure’, the whole lot fizzed up alarmingly and finally settled into half a beaker of dirty water, the chemical was some sort of very concentrated acid judging by the smell. “Blockage dispersed! It can now be flushed away with water!”
I knew that there was no way I was going to buy any of this drain destroyer from him but I knew Sidney wasn’t very busy so I told the representative he should repeat this demo for our Mr Nutter who was in charge of purchases. I called Sidney up and we went up to the office where Sidney sat at his desk, pipe in mouth, awaiting our arrival. The bloke went through his demo again but when he got to the sanitary towel Sidney took his pipe out of his mouth and said “What is it lad, a blindfold?” This stopped the rep dead, he had never been asked that question before! He went into a long explanation of exactly what it was he was holding in his hand. When he had finished Sidney took his pipe out again and said “Eh, isn’t it wonderful, whatever will they think of next!” At this point the rep lost the will to live, packed his bag and departed Bancroft for ever. I’ll bet he never forgot Sidney! I told Sidney he was very naughty, he had probably shattered the man’s life, all he did was grin.
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Re: Dualit Toaster

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Good story Stanley. When we had the Kirby demo I knew we were in for a treat when the sales lads tipped up in a mid 1950's pink open topped Dodge Cadillac. One had the machine and the other one the tools. Pair of them were scouser lads and were dressed in full immaculate drapes, one powder blue and the other in purple, perfectly Brylcreemed quiffs and both with the gift of the gab.

Anyway, I digress, the Dualit elements turned up the other day so I set about the swap last night.

Here is the target for tonight, Dualit 2 + 1 Combo Toaster, 17 years old.

Image

It has served us well but has one duff element, I ordered a complete set of replacement elements as experience tells me that if you mess about with one you will end up doing the rest anyway. Two inner and one for each end.

Image

Bottom off and lets see the nature of the job. The element are held in place by a simple sliding plate on one side of the cage. It's a bit gungy in there after 17 years of work, particularly in the sandwich toasting slot. You can't see it on the photo but I now know where our resident kitchen house spider lives. The side of the toaster with the timer and switching on is a separate cavity to the rest, warm on occasion and dry, what more do you need. I think in actuality, successive generations of arachnid friends have probably been living in there.

Image

I did a quick fag packet sketch of the wiring and strapping layout as I have to remove all the elements at once.

Image

With the cage empty of elements it gave me an opportunity to clean up the insides the best I could. I would have liked to have been able to get the individual dividing wire cages out but the complete unit is riveted into the chassis. I took the entire job to the sink and got the sink brush and a wire scrubbing pad which allowed me to get in, I ran boiling water from the kettle through that side and then dried the cage and lifters out with a hair dryer. Here it is ready for the new elements, not perfect but an improvement, seasoned would be a good description a bit like a well used Wok.

Image

I popped the new elements in and laced them all up starting from one end and working to the other. I did them all finger tight first then went round with a 4BA box spanner and a screwdriver to tighten them all off. Observant ones will notice that I have fixed one of the feeds to the opposite side of one of the centre elements, it just seemed to lay better on that side when I came to refit it.

Image

Bottom back on and then a clean up of the outside casings. I went over the whole lot with a very fine wire wool cleaning pad, finer than a Brillo. Followed that with a quick once over with Duraglit on the chrome bits. I reckon it's scrubbed up pretty nice. A complete set of new innards should see it right for another 20 years or so.

Image

Its back in situ now and our kitchen spider can move back in when he or probably she likes. :extrawink: :smile:
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Re: Dualit Toaster

Post by Stanley »

Proper job, nice......
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Re: Dualit Toaster

Post by BillHowcroft »

I love my two-slot Dualit too.
Even more now I know it's properly engineered repairable equipment.

I remember my daughter complaining :
"Why can't we throw it away and buy a new one like normal people!"
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Re: Dualit Toaster

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Ah, the naivete of the young...... She'll learn Bill!
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