Indeed, and in some cases the experiences have gotten worse. There's a Youtube channel named Technology Connections and he has several videos on this topic that I recommend. This one about Sunbeam toasters from 50+ years ago is particularly great: [this video]
One of the YouTube channels that I watch from time to time is a guy who is ranting/passionate about technology. The Antique Toaster that's Better than Yours - [link] and How to design an actually good toaster with lessons from the 1940's - [this video] It's not a fridge... but similar design thoughts. There is a recent video about a fridge... This goofy fridge has a really clever design. It's also kinda terrible. - [link]
Try doing a Kickstarter. Over the years, I've spent way more money than I should have on Kickstarter projects that are highly specific and non-refundable. Both of these characteristics will likely be important to leverage as you are starting out this venture. Kickstarter targeted advertising through Facebook and Instagram seem to be very good at getting your product in front of people willing to buy it - even if it's an expensive American-made toaster. Once you have a prototype, you may want to consider getting a review by Technology Connections. He's done multiple on toaster design novelty: [link] [link] [link] [this video]
One of several toaster design videos by the reviewer
Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.
4 Hacker News comments
From the HN archive; up to 20 kept per video, favoring different commenters. Recommendations first.
Citations, criticism and jokes
Read more