A good, plain ol’ electric toaster from an established company is one of the most reliable gizmos that you can buy. I’ve only lived with two in my 62-year-old life.
I remember once when our family went on vacation to Chesapeake Beach; in the cottage that we rented there was one of those old-fashioned toasters that have the sides that come down, and you had to flip the toast halfway through. I fell in love with that thing - until it almost started a fire from bad wiring! This was in the ‘sixties, and the toaster must have been decades old even then. But they made very beautiful ones back then, and the one at the cottage looked like the second one here:
I really love the old waffle-makers, too.
-JT
Those are cool, mini works of art!