Dualit 3 Slice Combi Toaster Polished Stainless Steel 31213

So after a first failed attempt to obtain this toaster with Amazon sending me the wrong model and colour I received the actual toaster toaster that was ordered.First thing of note is this is just a normal three slice toaster, despite the combi title don't be fooled all three slots are exactly the same. I assume the combi just comes from the fact they include a toastie holder so that ostensibly you can make both toast and toasties. So the only reason to buy this over a 2 slice toaster is if you often have a need to toast three slices of bread at the same time. As it happens I often do make myself three slices so all good.First thing I toasted were some crumpets, set the timer to the 2 setting and waited. Result 2 slightly blackened but ultimately mostly untoasted and not fully warmed crumpets. This thing compared to my previous toaster heats up quickly and pumps out much more heat, in theory you'd think this would be a good thing, but no what you get is the crumpet equivalent of throwing a burger on the BBQ whilst the flames are still hitting you in the face, cremated outside and barely warm inside.Next I decided to try making a toastie in the 'extra wide' slots. Now it does say not to overfill and gives you the max. thickness so maybe I only have myself to blame for not measuring the thickness of the average toastie, or maybe Dualit should have done so before trying to make it a selling point. Again the results were not great. I took two perfectly normal slices of bread, put in between said slices, a thin slice of cheese of the prepackaged supermarket variety, I placed this culinary masterpiece in to the toastie basket and tried to slot it into the toaster... Nope, not going to fit. After squashing the sides together with the bread bulging through the bars of the toastie basket I was able to force the basket down into the toaster. Timer again set to 2 and ensured the heating element was set to one slot only. Result this time one burnt side of toast, one OKish toasted slice of toast with a slice of cheese between that had just about melted around the edges but was still completely solid inside.So to its core function making toast. Sadly another underwhelming experience. Despite setting the number of slots selector appropriately and loading each used slot the result was still unevenly toasted bread. I have no idea what is so award winning about their proheat elements, which are supposedly better than your average elements, but the result is one side toasted more than the other and neither side toasted particularly evenly. Part of the problem is probably that unlike most toasters there is no spring loaded mechanism to grip the bread and hold it straight in the slot, so one side will lean closer to the elements than the other. As with the crumpets the toaster browns the outside of the bread so quickly it's still extremely soft inside, but I guess that's down to personal preference. Lastly whilst the slots might be wider than average the other dimensions are OK at best with my basic supermarket slice poking out of the top of the toaster slightly.Frankly I miss my trusty cheap Bosch Village toaster that provided 7 trouble free years of evenly toasted bread. The elements were still going strong and it was only the failure of the spring loaded mechanism that put paid to it. Whilst the Dualit may market itself on being repairable I hope that the elements will last longer than their 2 year warranty. Depending on the cost of replacement parts I'd be inclined to not bother and just return to a cheaper disposable item, which is a real shame as I'm loathe to be wasteful and would not do so if the Dualit was any good at its job.The things I do like about this toaster and that attracted me to it are it is undoubtedly a handsome bit of kit, it looks great and feels sturdy and well built. The simplicity of the manual lever to raise and lower the toast is great as you can check how the process is going without having to stop and restart the timer and of course there is no spring loaded mechanism to break which is what did for my old Bosch toaster. The timer is mechanical and so you can both see and hear when the toaster is running and how long it has to run. The slots are wider than you average toaster so whilst it's really no good for toastie making it does accommodate bulkier items.TLDR:1) Blackened not toasted crumpets2) Rubbish at toasties3) Nothing to write home about toast, despite the bold claims of their proheat elements toasting is uneven.4) Not worth 6x the cost of a standard toaster5) Looks great, simple mechanics

Had to buy this to replace previous toaster. It is great. Previous was a 2 slot - on this the slots are a little bit wider so unevenly cut bread fits a little better. Haven’t used cradle accessory.Price & delivery was good.

You can buy cheaper toasters, but we like this one

She loves it. I love it. Robust and well made. A family friend.

UPDATE November 2020Now over 11 years on from when I made my original purchase, this Dualit toaster continues to provide service, used almost every day and making excellent toast, with no further faults since my 2011 update.UPDATE November 20112 years and 3 months after I bought my toaster, It has had its first repair, to replace one of the toasting elements. It is disappointing that the element failed so soon after Dualit's 2 year warranty on the elements expired. On the plus side, the replacement element was less than the price of the cheapest toaster, arrived within a week of me placing the order for it, and took no more than half-an-hour to fit. The instructions provided by Dualit with the element were sufficient and clear. Some of the nuts and bolts were difficult to get at, but still a relatively easy task for someone with some electrical competence. Definitely more complex than wiring a 13 amp plug, but not greatly so.And after one week having to use my old 'normal' toaster, it's very nice to have the Dualit operational again. The ability to slightly raise the toast and have a peek at a corner to see how it's doing, was something I greatly missed.The original timer on my Dualit is still functioning fine with no problems, despite almost daily use.ORIGINAL REVIEW:I've had this toaster for almost a week and am very impressed so far. Although it's clearly far too early for me to know whether it'll last long enough for the very high price to be worthwhile, my initial experience has been good.Having read the many varying reviews already for Dualit toasters, e.g. for  Dualit 2 slice toaster  and  Dualit 4 slice toaster , and noted the numerous concerns, I felt the benefits outweighed the concerns. I've had three conventional (i.e. cheaper) toasters over the last 15 years. On the last two, the thing that broke was the electronic control. Although each one has lasted longer than it's predecessor, the simplicity of the Dualit (no fancy electronics, just a switch and a clockwork timer) appealed.Whether this toaster is for you will very much depend on what sort of toast you want. If you like slow cooked toast that's crunchy all the way through, as produced by most toasters, then the Dualit is not for you. The Dualit toasts very quickly, so a thickish slice will be well toasted on the outside whilst the centre is not totally crunchy. For me, this gives a nice slice of toast that doesn't shatter into tens of pieces. It also means that I can make thinner toast than I could with a conventional toaster. My last toaster couldn't cope with thin slices and would consistently burn some patches whilst other parts of the slice were barely brown. Again the speed of the Dualit seems to help here, toasting the outside without burning all the way through.The timer took a bit of trial-and-error to get the right setting for my bread (just like it does with a cheaper toaster with an electronic control), but now I am getting nice evenly done toast every time. As the instructions say, it needs a slightly higher setting if being used from cold, but that's not much to remember.I have used the sandwich attachment that comes with this toaster and again that worked quite well, giving an evenly toasted sandwich, following the manufacturer's instructions of lightly buttering the outside of the sandwich. It does have to be quite a thin sandwich to fit in the slots.Of the concerns raised by some of the other reviewers of Dualit toasters, my experience so far has been different:1) "You can't leave the toaster unattended and it's a fire hazard." The instructions do say you should not leave it unattended but, given how fast it is (2 minutes for the average slice, compared to 5 minutes with my old toaster), there's really not enough time to walk away.2) "A timer rather than a browning control gives inconsistent results." So far, it's been more consistent than my old toaster with electronic browning control. That toaster seemed incapable of handling any inconsistencies in the bread (I make my own) and would far too often interpret 'browned' as 'burnt black in patches'. As I've said, you need a slightly longer setting for the first batch of toast made when the toaster is starting from cold, but in all other respects it toasts consistently. There is also the advantage with the Dualit that, because the timer is not connected to popping up the toast, you can raise the toast up to see how it is doing without resetting the timer if you are not sure of the setting.3) "It toasts unevenly." I've had no problems, even though I'm toasting homemade bread which is itself uneven in consistency.4) "The slots aren't big enough." The slots do seem to have been designed to be an exact fit (in width and depth) for a factory produced sliced white loaf. Having said that, the slots are slightly deeper than on my old toaster.The only criticism I have is of the crumb tray. It is rather flimsy in comparison with the rest of the toaster and leaks at the corners (which matters if you're making a sandwich where the filling might drip).