photo from reddit
Sunbeam Radiant Control Toaster
by Sunbeam
12 endorsements on r/BuyItForLife first recommended in Jan 2025
A vintage mid-century Sunbeam automatic toaster that senses toast doneness and lowers/raises the bread itself, no lever needed.
Added Jul 5, 2026, Updated Jul 6, 2026
Why it's buy-it-for-life
Redditors describe decades of continuous use from these chrome Sunbeam toasters, some inherited from the 1940s-60s and still making great toast today; one commenter's family only replaced a working unit because they felt 'it was time.' One owner fully rewired a 1953 T20-B from 120V to 230V and expects it to run for another 71 years, and another found a 1956 unit still working perfectly after a simple cord swap - a testament to how repairable and durable the design is.
What redditors say
Recommended on reddit as recently as May 2026
Show 8 more mentions
- 3r/BuyItForLife comment
Wanted to get one myself but saw the unfortunate (but well deserved!) price on them
- 2r/BuyItForLife comment
I opened it up to clean crumbs and was astonished to find a date of Feb. 1956... I replaced the old cord with a polarized one. Still works just fine.
- 2r/BuyItForLife comment
I had one of these in the 80's. When it would break I could take it to a Fix-it shop to have it repaired.
- 2r/BuyItForLife comment
The early ones were probably more robust since the one I bought only lasted a couple of years.
- 1r/BuyItForLife comment
We had one of those Sunbeam toasters when I was growing up. Made great toast and were amazingly long-lived.
- 1r/BuyItForLife comment
Tim's Toasters has replacement cords for Sunbeam toasters made to spec with the original colors and everything!
- 1r/BuyItForLife comment
this toaster is FAR BETTER QUALITY than the current one I own!! Technology was far better then than now!
- 1r/BuyItForLife comment
I have 2 of these and they toast so fast! I plugged one in and it made a horrid arc sound so I packed them both up
Enjoying my collection of post war Sunbeam appliances. Toaster modified with 14g NEMA 5-15p from my old computer.
71 year old Sunbeam T20-B Toaster - Made in 1953
I decided to properly re-wire the toaster... The toaster can now live its 2nd life in Continental Europe connected to 230V. On to the next 71 years.
My mom got that Sunbeam toaster as a wedding gift in 1944. She bought a new one in the early 2000s not because it didn't work, but because "I thought it was time."
I am envious of the toaster. If NASA was going to design a toaster, it would be the Sunbeam.
I just bought one of these from the 80s on eBay last month "for parts or repair"... it works fine. Then Dad goes "oh, that's like Grandma's old toaster"