sailorbenjamin

The hottest thing since sliced bread. Not a rare British 3 speed or a small car with fins and a big engine but the best toaster ever made. The Sturmey Archer AW of kitchen appliances. The Toaster Museum Foundation has a page about them;
https://www.toaster.org/t20.html
There are even several videos of the "Automatic beyond beleif" lever free raising and lowering system;
https://www.toaster.org/t20.html
And the Radiant Control System ensures that the last batch of toast is cooked just the same as the first.
Dad bought this one for Grandma for Mother's Day in 1963. When I first brought my wife home to meet the folks she noticed it and said that it was just like the one her parents got for their wedding in '67. I've picked up a half a dozen toasters over the years and none of them would satisfy so this year I decided to get her a Sunbeam. I mentioned my quest to Mom and Dad and he said he picked up a spare at a yard sale years ago in case there were ever any problems with the first. I could have that one if I wanted. Then he changed his mind and said it would be nice to pass Grandma's along to us, so here it is.
Behold;

auchencrow

That's a stunner, Ben.

Gravity Aided

Buy a good toaster, and you only cry once. Ours achieved an iconic status on the kitchen counter.

sailorbenjamin

Now that I see the pictures all big, I realize I should have dusted it better.

Cougrrcj

When I was a kid 50 years ago, we had an old '50s Toastmaster three-slice toaster. When we 'upgraded' to a four-slice in the late '70s, the max power to the appliance stayed the same, so the bread just dried out instead of getting 'toasted' on the outer surface.

Newer is NOT always better!

sailorbenjamin

We have a generic 4 slicer. The problem is that we eat 6 slices (one for each of the girls and 2 for me). The second batch comes out pale. I guess it gets itself up to a certain hotness and then shuts down. Batch 2 it's already there and just shuts down as soon as you sink them so someone turns it all the way up just to get it warm enough to melt the butter. Then next day it's all the way up (cause no one remembers to turn it back down) and it burns batch one and you can't go up from there so batch two comes out pale again.

Velognome 

Your toaster reminds me of the star of this little diddy...... by far my favorite feature length Appliance movie to date.

PatrickZ

Nice portrait. Even the mixer seems happy.

Sixty Fiver

I think I got a bread crumb in my eye... just beautiful man.

Vefer

I own 2 of these! Wonderful toaster! Nice Sunbeam Mixmaster too! Take care of them and they will work until the next ice age, and look good the entire time. No more nasty popping noise when your toast is done, it gently lowers and raises the bread for you. Absolutely the pinnacle of toaster design.
Good find.

unworthy1

fork looks bent....

First it was vacuum cleaners, now toasters. We C&Vers are a strange lot, but...I too have a soft spot for a fine toaster, and this sure is one.
My fave is the Toastmaster that's got directions on the base for hooking up 12V wet cell batteries and/or 110 or 220AC, it's good to know you'll have toast no matter where you go on this green Earth!

I suggest for our next appliance tangent: electric kettles...
nice hot cuppa.

Lascauxcaveman 

Oh, man. You guys are gonna LOVE my minty 1972 Amana RadarRange. Top. Of. The. Line.

Now, where's my camera?

mkeller234

Right Velognome, my thoughts went straight to the brave little toaster too! I like it. I've never used one, so i'll have to take your word that it works better. It certainly does look better than a lot of new toasters, stylish.

Whats that about vaccuum cleaners?? I trash picked this old Eureka about one month ago. After a bath and some wax, I replaced the bag and belt. It beats the pants off of my POS bagless modern hoover!


DSC02310 by mkeller234, on Flickr

Wooden beaters, how cool is that?

DSC02301 by mkeller234, on Flickr

ftwelder

I found one of those extremely fancy vacuum cleaners a few years ago. It was fully polished aluminum and had many woven cloth and wooden "bits" and looked like a turbocharger on wheels. It came with a massive box of accessories that could perform any task. I don't know where it is now.

Velognome 

Sounds like a "Kirby" ft. If it is....a hot collectable, useful and worth some cash!

Gravity Aided

Or an Electrolux.

My uncle lugged those door-to door for years. Personal marketing. Gosh awful expensive. Got a picture from the web, but ours was like this.

Cougrrcj

I threw my grandma's Kirby into the trash - didn't work for crap. We had an Electrolux when I was a kid... Great vacuum! Now I use a shop vac on the smooth floors and a Hoover Wind Tunnel for the carpet-- Old school - with a bag! Those bagless things are useless - Tried one and it put too much fine dust/dirt back into the air.

Our old Electrolux looked more like this one - but cream colored with silver 'ends', two tiny wheels under the unit at one end, and a wider track set of bigger wheels at the other.

Bianchigirll 

I thought we were going to see one of these

23skidoo

You all are going to force me to take photos of my 30 year-old Hoover Porta-Power, hands-down the single greatest appliance I've owned. It's been through a complete gut and two subsequent remodels, two kids, five cats and still works like a champ. I've replaced the inner bag at least five times, three new replacement wands, a new crevice tool and upholstery tool and one replacement cord; I'm dithering around trying to decide whether to spend $39.95--more than I paid for it in 1983--to replace the floor tool.

mkeller234

That Hoover would have been manufactured just ten minutes up the road from my house. Then production moved over seas after the company was bought out. The factory is nice looking, right on the main intersection downtown. They have some small things taking up space there now, but most is probably unused. It's unfortunate.... but I guess we still have Timken at least.

Dazzler

If my garage was big enough and not full of other junk,....I would probably sack the bike(s) and have a go at one of these. (Although that's a Tiger and we have more Alpines in the UK, they had the smaller engines) They are still going at very reasonable prices here, not a popular 'classic' here,...well not as popular as old MG's and Triumphs etc,.. but I think they are prettier, better built and more practical as a usable classic.

Italuminium

Really pretty cars.

But vintage household stuff can be cool as well. I ditched my Nespresso the other week - austerity measures - for a classic Bialetti moka pot. Much better coffee.

Gravity Aided

I live right up the road from the old Eureka Plant, made great vacuums too, until Electrolux bought them out, and moved the jobs too. Timken's a darned fine company. Roller bearings for planes and trains, that I know of.

mkeller234

Definitely a good company. I realize that they are a global company now, but they have also strengthened their roots in Canton. They have installed a new forge and are expanding their research facilities. Canton would be in really sad shape if we lost them.

David Newton

My wife & I had that exact toaster, given to us by her sister when she moved across the country.
It did actually end up shorting out, but it was pretty old.

You know what is really cool? A early 30's Sunbeam motorcycle! Top of the line.