Ref. : ER/Toaster/GH-dG

Toasters Tested : Are They Safe?

The independent, in-house comparative testing laboratory on the Consumer Education and Research Centre (CERC) campus, Ahmedabad, tested ten brands of two-slice automatic pop-up toasters but none of them conformed to all the safety parameters as specified by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The test findings have been published in the May-June 2004 issue of INSIGHT — The Consumer Magazine, published by Consumer Education and Research Society (CERS), an allied unit of CERC.

The organisation tested Bajaj, Birla, Black & Decker, Inalsa, Kenstar, Morphy Richards, Orpat, Philips, Spherehot and Usha Lexus. As pop-up toasters are covered under the Quality Control Order, 1981, they have to conform to the standards published by BIS. The regulatory authority for the Quality Control for each state is the chief electrical inspector. The tests for safety included parameters like abnormal operation, temperature rise, internal wiring and components, etc., which are of paramount importance to ensure safety for the electrical appliance user. Overall, the brands were tested for safety as per IS 302-2-9 (1993), and IS302-1 (1979), for performance as per IS 1287 (1993) and for energy consumption as per IEC 60442.

In a situation when the ejector mechanism (plunger) does not work and the toaster continues working in an abnormal condition, it may result in a fire and the toaster may deform. The laboratory operated toasters with two slices of bread inside at the rated input and ensured that the ejector mechanism was prevented from releasing as per the Standard.

At the end of this test for abnormal operation, the ejector mechanism did not work in Bajaj and Philips. Also, in Philips, the crumb tray — the tray that collects crumbs, making it easy to clean — got stuck and could not be slid out. Bajaj was distorted and the outer body of Inalsa was deformed slightly although it was in working condition.

Observing the dismal performance, the laboratory aborted the test and wrote to the BIS about the seriousness of the issue. The BIS informed CERC that toasters should be provided with a non-self resetting thermal cut-out, an additional safety device, which would automatically switch off the toaster when such abnormal condition happens during operation and ensure safety. But none of the ten brands provided for this non-self resetting thermal cut-out and, therefore, none conformed to the parameter for the abnormal operation test.

However, toasters will continue to sell, primarily for the sake of convenience. Therefore, even though none of the brands could conform to all the safety parameters, all the same, the laboratory evaluated, rated and ranked them and even suggested ‘the best buy’ to equip consumers with an informed choice. Accordingly, Birla scored the highest at 74, followed by Black & Decker with 71. Orpat and Usha stood third with a score of 70. But taking a reasonable price also into consideration, besides a good score, INSIGHT recommends Orpat as the ‘Best buy’.

Other Safety Tests

The other tests conducted for safety, performance, etc. revealed mixed results as cited below.

Since all the brands could individually conform to only some of the safety tests, it is best to remain careful during the operation of toasters — any toaster. As per the Standards, its different parts like the metal grip or body, knob, power cord, etc. should not heat beyond the value given in the standard. Spherehot did not conform to this parameter and its temperature rise may cause burns on the hand.

In electrical appliances, the current carrying parts and the metal parts should not corrode, leading to hazardous sparks. In Spherehot the terminals where the supply cord was connected were corroded.

Poor internal wiring, unprotected electrical connections between the parts may lead to electrocution if the toaster is opened for repairs while the curent is on. Electrical connections between different parts were not adequately protected in Bajaj, Birla, Kenstar, Morphy Richards, Orpat, Philips and Spherehot. Black & Decker, Inalsa and Usha Lexus conformed to the test.

Plugs, an important component of any electrical appliance, should not only be heat resistant, but also conform to standard size specifications and material. If they aren’t heat resistant and do not conform to the specifications, they may soften and expose the live parts, causing accidents. None of the brands conformed to this test except Philips and Spherehot.

Against the given standard length of 2 metres for the external flexible cable and cord, only Bajaj, Morphy Richards and Spherehot conformed to the requirement.

Performance Tests

The overall dimensions, damping system, bread carriage and marking fall under the tests for performance. When the bread carriage is released automatically, the damping system should work well. Otherwise, the toaster will not eject properly. In Spherehot the carriage did not come up softly and the bread slice popped out with a force that was not user-friendly. In the long run, this may damage the appliance too. None of the brands conformed to the Standards for marking, while lack of information of overall dimension, etc., hampered our findings.

Value for Money

The energy consumption of each of the ten brands was tested from consumers’ point of view, and Spherehot was found to have consumed the maximum energy at 28.99 watt hour. Black & Decker consumed the least at 17.34 watt hour, and Bajaj consumed 23.51 watt hour. When converted into rupee-value the energy consumption of Black & Decker would cost the least at Rs. 29.13 per month for a family of 4 with an average of 4 slices per member. With Spherehot, you would spend the highest at Rs. 48.70. BIS does not specify any test for energy consumption of toaster. We have urged the BIS also to include energy consumption test in the Standards.

Price

Bajaj was the most expensive at Rs. 1699. However, Bajaj was the only toaster which provided a disabled-friendly feature. Orpat was the least expensive at Rs. 695.

As a policy, before publishing the results, CERC conveys the test findings to all the manufacturers for their views and comments. They receive only the results of their own products. There was no response from the manufacturers of Inalsa and Spherehot. The details of rating and ranking, the ‘Best Buy’ and excerpts of the correspondence with the manufacturers have been published in the the magazine INSIGHT.

 

Date : 27/07/2004
Place : Ahmedabad

Pritee Shah
Editor
INSIGHT - The Consumer Magazine

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Opinions, test results and research findings issued through this Press Release cannot be used in any form directly or indirectly for advertising, promotional or commercial purpose.

CONSUMER EDUCATION AND RESEARCH SOCIETY
“Suraksha Sankool”, Thaltej, Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway, Ahmedabad- 380 054 (INDIA)
Phone: 079-27489945-46 Fax: 079-27489947
E-mail: cerc@wilnetonline.net
Web Site: http://www.cercindia.org
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