The Awesome Design Thread

I thought it would be great to have a thread showcasing awesome design.

We're mostly here (I'd guess) because we've at some point bought gadgets or computers that cost us a bit more, but gave us a superior experience through better design. I'm sure our great taste extends to other things (not necessarily technology) that we've bought and we use on a daily basis.

So - here's an opportunity to share those fantastically designed objects, and tell us why they're so great!



My (first) choice is my Dualit toaster.

Dualit have been making toasters for years, and this classic design is at least 50 years old. Handbuilt in England, it's entirely mechanical - the three controls are a timer (0 to 4 minutes, it just cuts the power when it's done), a switch for 1 or 2 slices and a lever to push the toast up for retrieval (no springs to wear out).

The slots are wide enough to take a 'cage' - which lets you butter and toast up something like a grilled-cheese-sandwich. Any melted cheese or crumbs falls right down into a removable collection tray.

In an age of plastic disposable hi-tech toasters that try to compute grilling time (and mostly fail) it's a joy to be able to just select a time and have done with it (crumpets 3 minutes, brown bread 2, white bread 1.5). The toasters cost around 6x more than a regular one - but everything can be replaced and fixed if it wears out, and the grill elements (which are covered with a sort of plastic layer to stop melted cheese and butter from sticking to them) are compatible with any model in the last 50 years.

A fantastic item!

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