The Best Toast Maker in Australia

You want a hot sandwich for lunch, but choosing between a flat press and a sealed jaffle maker makes a simple purchase surprisingly fiddly. If you’re looking for the best toast maker for everyday sandwiches, we’d buy the Sunbeam Cafe Style 2 Slice GRM2000SS: adjustable height for thick toasties, a sensible price and a 4.8 out of 5 owner score from 364 reviews at The Good Guys.

Prefer sealed triangles? Consider the Breville Original 74, with the caveat that we found no independent owner rating. Feeding several people at once? The four-sandwich Sunbeam is worth the small extra spend. All seven picks were in stock at Amazon Australia when checked.

The short answer

The best toastie makers in Australia

• Best overall: Sunbeam Cafe Style 2 Slice GRM2000SS
• Best for family lunches: Sunbeam Cafe Style 4 Slice SPM4000SS
• Best for open melts: Breville Toast & Melt BSG220BSS
• Best for toasties and waffles: Philips 5000 Series HD2350/80
• Best for broader meal preparation: Tefal Inicio GC27B8
• Best for sealed jaffles: Breville Original 74 BSG1974PSS
• Best budget sandwich press: Russell Hobbs RHSP801RED

Product		Price
	Sunbeam Cafe Style 2 Slice Sandwich Maker and Press (GRM2000SS)	from $59.46	$59.46 at Amazon
	Sunbeam Cafe Style Sandwich Maker 4 Slice (SPM4000SS)	from $78.00	$78.00 at Amazon
	Breville The Toast/Melt Sandwich Press (BSG220BSS)	from $78.00	$78.00 at Amazon
	Philips 5000 Series Sandwich Maker (HD2350/80)	from $64.00	$64.00 at Amazon
	Tefal Inicio 4 Slice Sandwich Press (GC27B8)	from $89.00	$89.00 at Amazon
	Breville The Original 74 Sandwich Maker	from $118.00	$118.00 at Amazon
	Russell Hobbs RHSP801RED Sandwich Press	from $55.00	$55.00 at Amazon

1. Best overall: Sunbeam Cafe Style 2 Slice GRM2000SS

If your sandwich gets taller every time you add a filling, the Sunbeam Cafe Style 2 Slice is where we’d start. Its adjustable top plate gives you room for thick sandwiches, rather than making you flatten lunch to close the lid.

Our take is that two sandwiches is a useful starting point for everyday lunches. The height adjustment earns its place because it addresses a problem you’ll actually notice. And upright storage makes it easier to put the press away when the benchtop is needed for something else.

The Good Guys owner score is 4.8 out of 5 from 364 reviews. Women’s Weekly Food also recommends it for compact kitchens and café-style toasties, with adjustable height for thick sandwiches and versatile grilling.

The catch is capacity. If you’re regularly making lunch for several people, the four-sandwich Sunbeam below costs only a little more at the checked Amazon prices. Don’t buy the smaller one just because it’s first on the list.

Our verdict: Buy this for everyday café-style toasties for one or two people. Choose the four-sandwich version if extra batches would become a regular nuisance.

2. Best for family lunches: Sunbeam Cafe Style 4 Slice SPM4000SS

Making sandwiches in batches is annoying when everyone wants lunch together. The Sunbeam Cafe Style 4 Slice answers that with room for four sandwiches and a modest price increase over our top pick.

It keeps the adjustable height that makes the smaller Sunbeam appealing, so choosing extra capacity doesn’t mean giving up room for thick fillings.

Its 4.8 out of 5 score comes from 281 reviews at The Good Guys. That’s a strong reason to choose it when capacity matters, rather than paying extra for functions you won’t use.

For occasional solo lunches, though, the smaller Sunbeam costs less and already covers the job. We’d spend the difference here for more sandwiches, not simply because the model number is bigger.

Our verdict: This is our choice for regular family toastie lunches. The extra capacity is worth paying for when it saves you making a second batch.

3. Best for open melts: Breville Toast & Melt BSG220BSS

Sometimes you want cheese melted over the top, rather than another slice of bread pressed onto it. The Breville Toast & Melt is our recommendation for that job, with four adjustable height positions for toasted sandwiches and open melts.

Being able to set the lid height is the reason to spend more here. It gives you a stated way to make open melts, instead of choosing a press solely for closed sandwiches.

Its 4.6 out of 5 score at The Good Guys rests on 499 reviews, more than either Sunbeam, Philips or Tefal has in the supplied retailer data. But the capacity wording matters: Breville specifies two small sandwiches. If substantial lunches for several people are the priority, we’d choose the four-sandwich Sunbeam.

Our verdict: Buy it if open melts are a regular lunch choice. For bigger batches of closed toasties, the four-sandwich Sunbeam makes better use of your money.

4. Best for toasties and waffles: Philips 5000 Series HD2350/80

If a toastie maker would sit unused between occasional lunches, extra functions may help justify the cupboard space. The Philips 5000 Series includes plate sets for sandwiches, paninis and waffles.

The removable plates are as persuasive as the waffle function. They let you take the cooking surfaces out for cleaning, which is worth considering if wiping around an appliance puts you off using it.

It scores 4.5 out of 5 from 58 reviews at The Good Guys. That’s fewer reviews than those supplied for the two Sunbeams and Breville Toast & Melt, so we’d choose it for the interchangeable plates rather than its owner rating alone.

Don’t pay for waffle plates you already know you won’t use. The cheaper Russell Hobbs is worth considering for flat-pressed sandwiches, provided you’re comfortable buying without an independent owner score.

Our verdict: Choose the Philips if both waffles and toasties will get regular use. For sandwiches alone, the cheaper two-sandwich Sunbeam is our first choice.

5. Best for broader meal preparation: Tefal Inicio GC27B8

If you want to make loaded sandwiches, eggs and pancakes with the same appliance, the Tefal Inicio deserves a look. Tefal lists those uses, with three lid heights and a 29 × 26 cm cooking surface.

Women’s Weekly Food recommends it for fast heating and flexible toastie preparation, with three lid positions for pressed sandwiches and open melts.

But we’d put the owner score ahead of the sales pitch when deciding how much to spend. It has 3.5 out of 5 from just six reviews at JB Hi-Fi: the lowest of the five supplied owner scores, from a very small sample. That doesn’t settle how it will suit you, but it stops us recommending it over the Sunbeams for ordinary toasties.

Our verdict: Consider it if the broader meal functions are the reason you’re buying. For everyday toasties, we’d choose a Sunbeam with a stronger owner record and a lower price.

6. Best for sealed jaffles: Breville Original 74 BSG1974PSS

If a toastie means sealed edges and two triangles to you, buy for that result. The Breville Original 74 uses a cut-and-seal action, making it our choice for jaffles rather than flat-pressed sandwiches.

Breville says the wide sealing edges help minimise spillage. That’s a useful distinction if keeping the filling enclosed matters more to you than accommodating an open sandwich.

We found no independent owner rating at the retailers we check. It’s also the most expensive pick in this guide at the checked Amazon prices. Amazon Australia is the only retailer in the supplied data that stocks it, so check the warranty and returns terms before ordering.

Our take is straightforward: the price makes sense if you specifically want the jumbo cut-and-seal design. If you’re happy with a flat toastie, the cheaper Sunbeam is the better buy.

Our verdict: Choose the Original 74 for sealed, triangular jaffles. We’d only pay its higher price if that style of sandwich is what you want.

7. Best budget sandwich press: Russell Hobbs RHSP801RED

A straightforward toastie shouldn’t require a big appliance budget. The Russell Hobbs Sandwich Press has the lowest checked Amazon price here, with a floating hinge that accommodates different sandwich thicknesses.

We found no independent owner rating at the retailers we check, so this recommendation rests on its price and stated features. Amazon Australia is the only retailer in the supplied data that stocks it; check the warranty and returns terms before buying.

Be careful with the capacity description, too. Russell Hobbs says four slices, while the larger Sunbeam says four sandwiches. Those aren’t interchangeable claims. Our take is to consider this for affordable everyday pressing, rather than assume it will handle the same lunch batch as the Sunbeam.

Our verdict: Consider this if keeping the purchase price down matters most. We’d pay the small extra amount for the two-sandwich Sunbeam if you want a recommendation backed by hundreds of owner ratings.

How we chose

These reviews are based on retailer owner ratings and review counts, maker specifications, supplied independent recommendations, and price and stock checks. We prioritise strong scores backed by substantial review counts, then weigh features and price for each need; models with an owner rating or independent recommendation come before the unrated picks. Every pick was in stock at Amazon Australia when checked, with additional retailer data from The Good Guys and JB Hi-Fi.

Toastie maker buying guide

If you want sealed triangles, choose a jaffle maker

The best toasted sandwich maker for you starts with the sandwich you want to eat. Look for an explicit cut-and-seal function if you want enclosed fillings and divided jaffles, rather than assuming every sandwich press does the same job.

For thick, café-style sandwiches, look for a top plate that accommodates the height of your bread and filling.

If everyone eats together, check sandwiches rather than slices

Don’t treat every “four-slice” label as a promise of four sandwiches. Read the stated capacity before buying, including qualifications such as “small”.

Choose enough capacity for your usual lunch. Paying for extra room makes sense when it saves another batch, but less sense if you’re usually making one sandwich.

If you make open melts, look for a lid that holds its position

For cheese on top of bread, choose a model explicitly intended for open melts.

A hinge that accommodates thick sandwiches answers a different need. Don’t assume it also provides a set position for open melting.

If clean-up puts you off, consider removable plates

Being able to remove the cooking surfaces can make them easier to access for cleaning. That matters if awkward clean-up would stop you using the appliance.

Follow the manual. Removable doesn’t automatically mean dishwasher-safe, and permission to wash a juice tray in the dishwasher doesn’t extend to the cooking plates.

If cupboard space is tight, plan storage before buying

Upright storage is useful, but still check that the appliance will fit in the space you’ve set aside. Where dimensions are supplied, compare them with your cupboard and benchtop before ordering.

Keep storage locks and cooking controls separate in your decision. A clip described for storage isn’t a reason to assume it should be locked during cooking.

If you’re tempted to spend more, name the feature you’ll use

Our take is that a basic sandwich press is enough if all you want is a closed toastie. Spend more for a specific benefit: more sandwiches in one batch, sealed jaffles, open melts or interchangeable waffle plates.

A higher wattage isn’t a complete comparison of cooking speed. Maker heat-up claims shouldn’t be treated as sandwich cooking times.

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