Sunbeam Cafe Series

Good Toaster Turned Bad – Firstly, this has been a great toaster - hence the 5 stars. Always reliable, toasted bread evenly, capable of very thick slices and always behaved itself. That is, until today. Husband made himself a quick snack. Two slices of bread were placed in the toaster, the handle clicked down, toast popped up... job done. He did what he had to with his… Read more ·  1

snack and walked away, not giving the toaster a second thought. It was still plugged in, power point was left switched on, but handle was up in the "toaster not cooking" position. Ten minutes later I walked into the room, and could smell a strong burning. We soon realized it was coming from the toaster. It was almost red hot by this time. I switched off at the power point and unplugged it. It was another good ten minutes until I could even touch it. After some time we checked all was clear inside, plugged it back in and attempted again by clicking down and waiting for it to pop up again. Sure it clicked down ok and cooked, but once again when it popped up after a minute the elements stayed on. The elements do not glow red, so the only way to determine they are on is to hold your hand over. Alas I think the lovely girl has died. I just thought I'd warn others about this potentially disastrous problem.

Disappointed - Sunbeam is not what it used to be! – Sunbeam have been really outstanding on my matter below. They couldn't have been more helpful. Thank you, Sunbeam, you are ace in my books. They listened and replaced.... can't ask for more and were really quick. "Our first Sunbeam Cafe Series 4 slice toaster was purchased back in Nov 2005 and was good for just over 10 years although the… Read more ·  1

lift mechanism did become difficult towards the end and it could be temperamental on the settings, varying toast quality at times. However when it did finally turned its toes up and we looked around at the very unimpressive competition, we decided to go with Sunbeam Cafe Series, 4 slice toaster again. That was just under 3 years ago and today both lift levers have just failed. Not too impressed given the high price tag which should have said better quality. Your quality has gone down hill. My father sold Sunbeam appliances for many years and always raved about how good they were. We always only ever purchased Sunbeam."

This toaster is not "toast" – I bought my TA9200 (type 621) way back in early 2006. I chose this (2 slot) model after purchasing innumerable toasters over many years, from bargain store 'cheapies' to premium department store products, only to find they all would work fine for a couple of months before either toasting performance (ie usually the lightness/darkness control)… Read more ·  3

deteriorated or they failed completely. The 'Cafe', although expensive, big and bulky, is still going strong after all those years - pretty impressive for an appliance that is not generally known for longevity. It has always been used most every day for a range of toasting applications from English muffins, crumpets and breads of many different types and thicknesses. So, you'd think I'd give it 5 stars! Well, no actually. Although it is robust and reliable, it is not without its issues. The (painted on) numbers on the darkness control knob have worn off over the years, leading to guesswork, and the lever now needs a strong push to lock it down. For several years, for regular toast, the control has to be set to the darker end or the toast under cooks. Large slices of 'rustic' homestyle loaves (usually round) are either too long for or catch in, the slots. However, given its age and considerable use, I would certainly recommend this toaster. Given my experience, I'm surprised at the number of people who have had such poor experiences with the Sunbeam "Cafe Series" toasters. I can honestly say that this toaster is the best one I've ever owned.

Yes I love it too...although? – Bought in the early 2000s (2003) from David Jones. It's finally stopped working on one side, won't stay down and I would like to replace the element in the hope that it fixes the issue as I don't want to let it go. I may just buy a new one and hope that the quality is still the same as the 2000's model. Anyone have any clues on good toasters? Show details

BEST TOASTER EVER!!!! – This is the BEST toaster ever! I’ve had my toaster for 16 years, and only now, the element on one side has gone, leaving me with only 2 toast at a time rather than 4... But Woohoo.... The old girl is still kicking! lol Cooks evenly every time, looks great, I can’t fault it. 2 at a time is a little slow for a family of 5, so I’ve just purchased… Read more

the same one in the newer model. Sunbeam cafe TA9400. Expensive, yes, but the quality is worth it. Why change something that I love so much... I can’t speak highly enough of it!

Lasted over 12 years – Great toaster that has lasted 12 years! Has always worked well but I have just decided to replace this toaster after it not holding the toast down on one side. I’m feeling sad now. Show details

Second one in 5 years – Current version of this toaster is starting to become difficult to depress on one side. This happened to the first one I had and to their credit Sunbeam replaced it. It was only 4 years old and I told them that they should last longer than that....they agreed. I don't think they will replace the replacement but I might try. The current one is… Read more

about the same age as the other and so it must be built in redundancy or some such that make them give up the ghost around 4 years. My problem is that for $200 I expect something like a toaster that is only used lightly should last for many years.

Damn....even Cafe series has abandoned quality – 18 months old....and the release on one side is broken. Of course just past the warantee period. We have Cafe Series food processor and espresso machine, which are many years old and going strong. We tried a couple of other supposedly high quality brands for toasters, but they didn't last, So we came back to our trusted brand. Sadly it seems Sunbeam have gone the way of the other manufacturers Show details

Simply the worst toaster such a disappointment – I had my previous Sunbeam Toaster for 30 + years and it finally died. I of course purchased another Sunbeam toaster. This new Cafe Series toaster firstly is a replacement under warranty as the element stopped working it is so slow - takes forever to cook toast to a medium brown. On crumpet selection you have to do the crumpets twice for them to… Read more

brown I have tried doing them on a higher setting but they just burn. The toast is also not cooked all over it is uncooked at the top and bottom. I guess I am so disappointed after having such a good run with my old sunbeam. I do not recommend and advise to a purchaser look at other brands.

Lasted for 10 years! – We have had this toaster for 10 years. It blew up this morning with a flame shooting out of it. Most reliable toaster I have ever owned and has always maintained its stylish looks. Show details ·  5

Has worked well – My TA9400 has now worked very well for 15 years. I prefer thick toast and find the slow cook other comments condemn is perfect for ensuring the thick slices are warmed through. Hot cross buns for example are not too toasted yet very hot. Whilst the unit has a crumb tray it is quite tricky to clean deep inside but I persevere carefully to keep it in good condition because it works well for my family. Fortunately no faults as yet. Show details ·  1

It's been perfect for well over 10 years – Now it is very difficult to press the bread down to lock for toasting, i would rather try to free it up than replace the toaster, can't find instructions online to dismantle it, the TA 9400 is a great toaster Show details

Best Toaster ever. Even after 10 years – I'm fussy about how my toast is toasted and rate this as the best ever. Evenly toasted bead, crumpets and also handles the impossible GF breads well. Its survived four hungry teenagers, and was purchased in approx 2009 and is still going strong. Now researching to downsize to a 2 slice toaster as the teenagers have grown and moved out, you… Read more ·  2

guessed it, our eldest wants the toaster once we downsize...... (PS: I'm an electrical tradie so also fussy about build quality, its passed every test)

Lasted almost 10 years! – Browned toast, crumpets, muffins and bread rolls perfectly every time. Bought from David Jones for about $100+ We have several Sunbeam kitchen appliances and they never let us down. Highly recommend Sunbeam. Show details ·  1

Broke after just 2 years – Very disappointed, had the cafe toaster for just over 2 years and the lever broke- very poor and flimsy design, the plastic part that houses the lever is just not robust enough! Show details

faulty lever – this toaster became unusable after the guarantee ended. The lever to lower the bread was loose, so that it could not be pushed down. I disassembled the toaster and found that this metal lever goes in to a small plastic sleeve, which had broken. I think the plastic sleeve seemed too flimsy to support the pressure of multiple uses of the lever. [uncertain about exact purchase date]  Show details

Very disappointed – Bought this thing because it appeared to be well made and looked good - after all - it's a toaster; what can go wrong. Added benefit (still advertised) is that the heating elements are replaceable. Sounds good. Worked fine for about 6 months and then it started to take longer and longer to toast bread. In the end it was dialed up to 6 and… Read more

still would not toast properly.

Went to replace the heating elements. Can't buy them. Only sold to authorised repairers and only if the repairer installs them. Cost more than a new one.

What a waste of money.

Smell of burning plastic emitted when first used - thinking to return? – I purchased the Cafe Series - second one - first one lasted about ten years. I set it up and made sure all packaging was removed. I engaged the lever to test it out and there was a really strong smell of burning plastic. I tried again about an hour later and same thing. Not keen on using it now. Have no idea what it could be and nothing in instruction manual. ??  Show details

expensive for such a slow toaster – i've had duralits but thought i'd give this make a go. solidly made but the slowest toaster i've ever come across.for the price you would think sumbeam would have the best elements. obviously not so.going back to my duralits.they are miles in front of sunbeam.really sorry i wasted my money thinking i was getting something similar to a duralit.  Show details

Electrically dangerous toaster – This is a good toaster... but a dangerous toaster. The first time I loaded a slice of toast, the elevator jumped off its rails toward the bottom of its stroke causing the elevator to lean over and touch the heater element. Zap!! I believe that poor packaging can lead to the knobs at the front buckling the elevator.  Show details

Best toaster so far – So far have owned a Breville BTA845 and a Dualit architect and we have found this toaster toasts more evenly and consistently. The only negatives is the lack of a lift and look feature and it is marginally slower than the others, this may be due to its ability to accommodate thick slices (therefore a normal toast slice sits further from the elements)  Show details

good..... BUT SLOW – I purchaed this thinking it would be great, as the other sunbeam items I own are great ( the coffee maker rocks ). This toaster cooks evenly and well. But, it is so slow, Id like it if it were twice as fast as what it is. I wouldnt buy this toaster again.  Show details

Waiting for my dualit toaster to die to buy cafe series toaster – I purchased the cafe series four slot toaster for my daughter around ten years ago and love making toast at her house...best ever, so hot and evenly toasted, and fluffy inside. Don't understand the comments that complain about the time it takes to toast..sometimes a little more time will result in a much better outcome. A family of six and used every day, often more than just breakfast time. Hasn't missed a beat. This will be my next toaster.  Show details

Slow – Was very happy with this toaster for several years. Toasted perfectly on setting 3 but over time I've had to gradually increase the time up to the point it now has to be on the highest setting and has to be pushed down for some additional time. The elements don't even glow red. Have checked supply voltage and it is normal 220 to 245. Has anyone else experienced this.  Show details

Typical Sunbeam Rubbish – Brought two of these (one for the batch) both developed fault within a couple of years, toast won't stay down, don't appear to be any service manuals available so spoke to a authorised sunbeam service guy who said throw it away, not worth repairing. Brought two king size Sunbeam Electric blankets at the same time (thought Sunbeam was a quality… Read more

brand) controllers died within 3 years. Service centre centre said buy new controllers but get the cheaper manual versions as the electronic versions (supplied with the blankets) were not designed correctly and fail regularly. Will never buy another Sunbeam product - ever.

Well made. Reliable. Very very slow – We've had a Sunbeam Cafe Series toaster for 12 years. And I've been looking for an excuse to replace it for the whole time we've had it. It was an expensive purchase originally. The toaster is seemingly very well made, with very robust construction. It's been unfailingly reliable with no faults or failures in the time we've had it. It even looks… Read more

good after all these years.

The only real problem is that it's not very good at making toast, which is kind of the whole point of a toaster. It's very very slow. Even with the selector dial set on maximum, it barely browns the bread. Trying to toast frozen bread will take you at least three goes. When making breakfast, I'll put the toast on before scrambling the eggs - toasting the bread takes longer.

My wife has now treated me to a Dualit. So much nicer...

Lever and repair issues – My toaster is out of warranty and yes it is quite slow, but it has given us many years of satisfactory performance and has never burnt the toast. My issue is the lever now refuses to stay down and after I went to a Sunbeam outlet they gave me a list of authorised repairers. They told me to even look at it would be $50 when I thought it might be a… Read more

simple lever connection issue. I hate the whole idea of throwaway products for what appears to probably be a minor problem in an otherwise good product.

Slowest Toaster Ever – Couldnt agree more with all the other reviews. This is without doubt the slowest toaster I have ever experienced. I find it baffling how a company like Sunbeam, with so many years of experience of making electrical appliances cant make a toaster that is consistant and quick. Your irons are good - get the iron R&D team to make a toaster - and… Read more

whoever has been in charge of development - fire them!!

It seems that the cheapest toasters (like you get at a motel) always work better than the most expensive and brand name models. I watched the elements in complete darkness and they dont glow at all. This was not a cheap toaster and we liked it because it made 4 slices at once. Absolute crap Sunbeam you must be able to do better.

SLOW!! – Bought about 6 years ago because it was beautiful looking and the name made it sound almost professional. It has unfortunately been very reliable; I say unfortunately because I've been waiting for an excuse to chuck it out since the day I bought it. Who knew it could do so long to toast a piece of bread?! I felt conned having thought I had bought a quality item but it all about the looks and not the functionality.  Show details

OK but have shower while it cooks your toast – Have had this fancy Sunbeam Cafe 4 slot $200 toaster for ten years but I wished it broke as soon as the warranty ran out. Have two kids that love toast and the morning rush is made heaps worse while you stand around waiting for this thing to do its job. Has been a good toaster but I would only recommend it to an old person who is looking to fill their day up waiting to pass onto that place in the sky where your toast cooks in under 5 minutes.

Very slow at toasting – Sunbeam should impose better quality control, the cooking of the toast is very slow, when the toaster breaks there's no possibility of repair. If wanting to purchase, then best you choose another brand.

toasts well but not repairable – we had 4 slot purchased in 2011 and was working fine till 12 months ago when two slots ceased to work. got round to seeing if possible to fix but when i rang repairer he said elements are not replaceable; in fact only toaster he said that did have parts replaceable was Dualit, but it costs over $500 as we have family of five we have bought another one, hope it lasts

The Damn Lever wont stay down – I purchased a Model TA9200 Cafe series Toaster about a year and a half ago, it lasted 9 months before the lever would not stay down to cook the toast. We went to the Sunbeam repair agent who swapped it out for another "like new" one and the same thing happened three months later. We have always trusted the Sunbeam brand and its not like it was a… Read more

$15 toaster, it was around $200. I would pay $300 for one that was made in Australia and made right. Chinese products should be priced as the rubbish most of them are.

Disappointing – I really wanted this toaster to be awesome for our family, but I was left utterly disappointed. The first toaster we picked up the breadcrumb tray wouldn't stay in place. The second toaster the lever didn't work. I was determined to find a good one, so the third toaster - and still unlucky, or is it just bad design? The third toaster we have had… Read more

for about 4 months and now the left lever gets stuck. The toaster toasts evenly, which is great, but it is just so slow and now defective AGAIN! I'm returning it today and am back on the hunt to find a reliable 4 slice toaster. I would have expected much more from Sunbeam especially for the price....disappointed!