What Brand of Kitchen Appliances Do You Depend On?

[TheIntruder]

Smart fridges are overhyped, especially if there is a large price tag associated with that feature. Bottom line, I don’t feel a need to communicate with my fridge via my phone.

But a smart fridge saved Pied Piper!

But seriously…

Once Sears finally succumbs, somebody will pick up the Kenmore brand, which still has value, and perhaps their only remaining asset that does. Craftsman and Die Hard have already found new owners.

Buying appliances has long been a game of sleuthing to determine who the true manufacturer is, and if anything, that has gotten easier with industry consolidation.

Except in terms of company stability, and support, I'd hesitate to draw absolute comparisons between the appliances of the past, and those made today, based on brand reputations. Narrowing the time frame will provide a better picture of how the current product actually performs.

There are exceptions, of course. A front-loading Whirlpool dryer, which is an inherently simple machine to begin with, is basically the same today as it was 50 years ago (down to the major stampings), aside from the look of the control panel, and the trim parts. The design of their top loading washers with agitators dates from the mid-80s ("Design 2000"). Tried and true (though the washers have a reputation for being hard on clothes, with the Sears versions nicknamed "Shredmores").

 

[dogslobber]

LG make trash fridges. Ours went 3 months before 5 years old so we won't buy their trash again.
Got a Bosch dishwasher and a Samsung gas stove. Wouldn't by a Samsung TV for sure as ours died too after 3 years. Buy cheap so you don't feel bad when they die. Today's appliances are just pieces of trash. The pipes into the Bosch dishwasher are plastic.

 

[Huntn]

I noticed on the bottom freezer units, that there is this little ice cube maker up in the refrigerator area that is narrow and all closed in. I don’t like the look of that. On our current fridge the ice maker is an open unit that flips the ice out into a large tub with an auger that despenses the ice out through the door.

I saw the same thing in several brands. Do they have issues as compared to my older version?

Also, the more I think about “smart fridges” and those glass doors, the more I dislike them. It seems primarily like a way to jack up the price.

 

[konqerror]

I saw the same thing in several brands. Do they have issues as compared to my older version?

You have to have the ice maker at freezing temperatures, which you can't do in the fridge compartment. You need to mount it high for the models that have door dispensers.

I'm pretty sure there's also energy requirements because the ice mold has to be heated to allow the ice to be released. Ice makers actually have a non-trivial energy impact.

 

[D.T.]

I noticed on the bottom freezer units, that there is this little ice cube maker up in the refrigerator area that is narrow and all closed in. I don’t like the look of that. On our current fridge the ice maker is an open unit that flips the ice out into a large tub with an auger that despenses the ice out through the door.

Right, @konqerror posted the engineering reasons, it's cool (*rimshot*), because it doesn't reduce the interior space (and I found some appliance sites where a few people mentioned that's total interior space, even if it's partially taken up by an ice maker).

However, if you're a high volume ice consumer like us, many of the mid-upper end products have an option for a second (woo!) ice maker in the bottom freezer, like a decent 3lb/day type unit, which of course is just a big bucket of ice

Here's the one for that GE unit I linked to:

GE 3 lbs. Optional Second Ice Maker Kit in White for GE Bottom Freezers IM5D - The Home Depot

Quickly install a second icemaker in freezer section with all-inclusive IM5D icemaker kit. Includes ice bucket, fill tube, water valve, installation materials and hardware. For use in select French-door

www.homedepot.com

 

[jtara]

I don’t understand why most people buy a complete “Suite” of appliances from the same brand/manufacturer. Each one has something they are best at!

Nor why they feel they have to have matched finishes. I mean, don’t go Crazy with 4 different colors but I think two is acceptable on opposite sides of room.

I have a Kenmore Elite Microwave and GE convection range in white, purchased from the local (California) Sears Outlet.

A Bosch dishwasher in white, and a Fisher & Paykel fridge in (fingerprint resistant) stainless. Purchased from J&R and shipped from New Jersey. Well worth shipping to avoid California sales tax and way cheaper than any store here anyway.

Really happy with all except the microwave which is only 900 watts so I have to adjust instructions. But it’s a size thing. The 1100 watt model would have just look stupid - too tall and too deep for the space.

The Bosch is from their “entry level” line frankly anything more costly is just status. 46dBa and cleans better than any dishwasher I’ve had before. I do need to order a plastic handle strip that cracked!

I splurged a bit on the fridge. It was mainly about size again. I have a smaller than normal space (but not “compact”) for the fridge. Wider than old-school standard but narrower than double-wide. And I wanted counter depth. The F&P fits the space perfectly.

The bonus I was not initially aware of is their unique single-compressor dual-condenser design. It allows fully separate fridge and freezer compartments without using excessive internal space for machinery.

Really, the standard refrigerator/freezer design is a ridiculous kluge. A freezer with an internal passage with a stupid little solenoid operated damper operated by thermostat. Providing the worst possible environment for both compartments. Sucks the moisture from your fruits and vegetables, and deposits it on the walls of the freezer! Belongs in the Museum of Stupid Inventions.

I would never go back!

 

[HDFan]

The Bosch is from their “entry level” line frankly anything more costly is just status.

Not really. I am a heavy dishwasher user. I just purchased their top of the line unit and found it well worth the investment.

1. All of the tines are foldable except for a small section on the bottom rack. All you need to worry about is height. Higher things on lower rack, less high on middle, not high on top. I can now put pots and pans and other large items just about anywhere.

2. 3rd Top rack is awesome. Put those things that were in odd places or deep down in the silverware rack just on top. Silverware nests in special place on top rack.

3. LCD warns me when rinse agent and salt (for water conditioner) are low. Had to check levels manually on previous dishwashers and always forgot to do.

4. Unloading is so much faster. You just grab the odd things from the top rack all at once. Previously they would be scattered all around the racks. Smaller items would have to be dug out of silverware basket.

5. Knives forks and spoons are already grouped together in the silverware insert on top right of top rack. Just grab all of the spoons, forks, knives together to put away. The silverware trays on previous dishwashers required you to pull them out individually to put them away. Totally hated doing that. Now it is done in 10% of the time.

6. With my hard water I had residue problems such as on glasses that had been used with Alka-Seltzer. With the built in water conditioner those residues are gone! Lemi-Shine just didn't do it.

7. Love the lights. Psychologically makes it fun versus pulling things from a dark hole.

All in all I would say that loading/unloading as well as capacity improved by at least 30%. I used to dread it, now I rather enjoy it.

According to Consumer Reports 25% of dishwashers die within 5 years. This is my 3rd high end dishwasher in 5 years. A Kenmore died within 2 years. The replacement Kitchenaid had a broken bracket ($10 part) that was not fixable as the part was out of stock with no replacement ETA. I had learned my lesson from the Kenmore and purchased a service contract. Home Depot did a great job and refunded my purchase price within just a couple of days.
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Do you really need a rapid cool section?

My Freezer is either full or has no flat space available for quick cooling items. Cooling drawer is much larger and has greater capacity than any freezer shelf. (side by side freezer). Can put warmer items to be frozen there for initial quick cool without having to worry about raising freezer temperatures.

when I go shopping and put items in the freezer they're already frozen

If you are batch cooking items, such as with sous vide, for food safety you want to cool them down as quickly as possible. Start off by cooling in the quick cool drawer, then put in freezer when cool enough to preserver freezer temperature. Use quick freeze to minimize temperature variation.

because I don’t like replacing expensive water filters on our current fridge.

With my hard water I have an RO filter which is connected to the ice/water dispensers. Never have to replace the filters.

 

[jtara]

There are various racking options for the Bosch’s even at the low end. (Oh, to give this thing a name, it’s the Ascenta line.) They offer the racking options to distributors as “private” options that they can use to entice a buyer on the fence, as you won’t be able to get the racking options at the mass market big box stores. J&R upgraded me. I got everything that yours has except the third rack. I can raise/lower the upper rack, tines flip over, etc.

I have The “split” silverware box, but never break it apart. I actually prefer this, as I have a small kitchen with NO drawers, so silverware is stored in a rolly cart in adjacent room. I’d rather carry the “box” over to the cart than to roll the cart into the kitchen.

The third rack though would be nice for larger items, tongs, etc.

Anyway, I think ANY Bosch is far superior to most other brands, and they do have more affordable options that would make me never buy a Maytag or GE or LG or whatever. I highly recommend a stainless interior. (Does Bosch even make a plastic one?) Plastic interiors will eventually crack and leak.

I’ve always used Bosch’s recommendation of Finish Quantum pods and then Jet Dry in the rinse aid dispenser. I tried powder and liquids they don’t compare to the pods. The biggest thing is they end-around human psychology. it’s pre-measured. Prevents you from using too much, which is Not Good.

Good to see another sous vidé enthusiast! And a direct-to-freezer “batcher” to boot. Actually, I let it rest, then ice, then freeze. Gentle! The future of home cooking. Hmmm, what do I want to make tonight? Chicken breast? Short ribs? Picañha? Pop a bag out of the freezer, 1/2 hour at 130, bust-out the trusty torch... (Or sear in pan and make a nice sauce with the drippings). Great way to take advantage of whatever meat Ralph’s is practically giving away for free this week to get em’ in the door. (Obviously I don’t get the picañha from Ralph’s - I have a special place!)

Decide on what matters to you for each individual appliance. Figure out what brand does that best in the price range you are willing to pay.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Bosch or Neff. Our 18 year old Bosch fridge is about to be replaced as we need a bigger freezer. But other than a broken bottom drawer (probably me being heavy handed!) it’s never had any issues.

 

[robbieduncan]

We "inherited" 4 Bosch ovens (2 convection/grill, 1 microwave, 1 steam) when we bough this house. They seem very functional and solid. And a Bosch induction hob (similarly good). We have since purchased a Bosch washer and Bosch dryer. Both are performing well.

On the bad side we had the integrated Beko dishwasher fail so badly at under 3 years old their own service technician could not repair so they gave us another. I am basically waiting for it to fail so I can replace it with a Bosch one!

 

[Ruggy]

It's a bit different in Europe and there have been huge problems with Electrolux and Hoover products catching fire.
Miéle for washing machines. Bosch for dishwashers. Lacanche for ovens. Leibherr for fridges.

 

[jeyf]

i have not looked into it but been seeing new houses being built to be able to use several different types of fuel. Peeps are saying natural gas may not be sustainable medium term.

 

[Huntn]

i have not looked into it but been seeing new houses being built to be able to use several different types of fuel. Peeps are saying natural gas may not be sustainable medium term.

What does this mean?

 

[okieoutwest]

@Huntn, @jeyf is referring to the shutdown of natural gas in everything but industrial applications in order to comply with greenhouse gas/climate change regulations. I think - realistically - the phase out of fossil fuel gas / "natural gas" from our homes is 10-20 years from reality and being complete, however prices will likely become much more volatile and expensive towards the back end of that period.

This is leading new construction in some places to be all-electric rather than having both electric and gas connections. For appliances, this obviously would impact primarily your stove/range and potentially water heater, depending on where you are in the U.S. As you asked originally about refrigerators, this may not be very relevant to your question at hand, but if you end up replacing your stove soon you might find a whole new marketplace emerging.

 

[robbieduncan]

@Huntn, @jeyf is referring to the shutdown of natural gas in everything but industrial applications in order to comply with greenhouse gas/climate change regulations. I think - realistically - the phase out of fossil fuel gas / "natural gas" from our homes is 10-20 years from reality and being complete, however prices will likely become much more volatile and expensive towards the back end of that period.

This is leading new construction in some places to be all-electric rather than having both electric and gas connections. For appliances, this obviously would impact primarily your stove/range and potentially water heater, depending on where you are in the U.S. As you asked originally about refrigerators, this may not be very relevant to your question at hand, but if you end up replacing your stove soon you might find a whole new marketplace emerging.

Here in the UK the vast majority of houses use gas boilers for heating and hot water. The government is talking about banning these from all new builds and then working on some solution to replace the millions of existing ones in use. Problem is all the alternatives look more expensive to run and the government won't want to put even more people in fuel poverty

 

[JagdTiger]

read the on-line reviews at abt.com. These days all appliances are a great value.
ABT has in the past had good local delivery service. All the delivery peeps call the day and day before but abt is the most professional.

I priced an appliance set from abt vs homeDepot in December19 and the depot was the best of.
-The home depot delivery is not professional. Drivers got lost and almost gave up.
-homeDepot; dont buy online, visit the store you intend to do business with. you will get a different story from each store too. Homedepo's web site is junk.
-ABT; you can call them and they will match anybody's price. I was just in a hurry and didnt want to haggle. abt's online experience is very good. Now that ABT and homeDepot both have to charge sales tax its a wash which one I will use
-measure very very carefully so the new appliance will fit



your looking for a good appliance read the online reviews on ABT.COM

I would not buy from Lowes, Sears and i buy at least a few appliances per year
LG looks interesting.
I dont usually buy gas appliances. If you buy a gas range buy a gas-electric unit
for my home usage i would buy an induction cook top these days
I do not buy stackable washer dryers as if one goes totally dead you have to replace both
appliances are easy to DIY install your self.
for example i believe all dish washers are made in the same hut in viet-nam, just rebranded.

for my home an ice maker is an absolute must; go figure !

Yeah, abt is out of Chicago and they sell just about everything.
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Little appliances: I like Kitchen Aid for a stand mixer, and love my Krups coffee and spice grinders. I use a Rowenta steam iron in my studio for fancy work while piecing quilts or wallhangings, and a Sunbeam for regular clothing items. Happy with both, got another Sunbeam for use in the upstairs hallway where I sometimes work on fabrics that have already been washed and just need a quick press before getting cut. Oster smoothie blender, Hamilton Beach blender, Cuisinart food processor, Sunbeam portable mixer for quickbreads etc. I should get an electric can opener against the day I can't manage a manual one, but haven't shopped around for that yet.

My GE washer and elec dryer have been great, they're from the late 90s. They haven't had hard use from mostly just me over that timeframe, even with my quilting fabrics obsession, so I can't speak to the brand's longevity if had been used by a large family for that long.

My Amana refrigerator with a freezer unit in the top is from 1997; I have liked it very much despite having been warned off the brand at the time I bought it -- I discounted the warning because the bad-mouther was talking about one that was ten years old at the time-- and so far it's still well behaved. I do try to keep up w/ latest impressions of newer refrigerator brands, since that Amana should have thrown down a winning hand a long time ago and sent me shopping. It's not fancy, doesn't even have ice/water dispensers and I won't care about that on a new fridge either. I will be looking for something that caters better to fans of a lot of fresh produce on hand at one time. My old Amana's veggie bins strike me as just ludicrously small for my food preferences nowadays, and I have to improvise with rack adjustments and assorted containers to store what I use weekly.

As far as "depend on"... I'm not exactly depending on my range because it's a very well built Kalamazoo but from God knows when, probably the 50s. I began using it in the 80s. Kalamazoo as a brand is long gone, probably because when you bought one, you were pretty much set for life.

I've been starting to shop around for a gas range like any sensible person who used to cook w/ gas in NYC would do, even though I did learn how to cook rice on an electric range after about two years up here. Lotta rice went out back for the birds the first three months though. No brand preference on a gas appliance yet. I'll be happy to do more baking, nothing fancy, just simple table breads I might be inclined to start making again. The Kalamazoo most often gets relegated to warming plates or getting stuff run under the broiler for a couple minutes; I don't want to trust that it can maintain even temperatures for fussier items like cakes, even muffins. So it's casserole duty and that's about it for the K.

You may consider when you get a new fridge one which has a reverse osmosis or water filter for drinking purposes, btw, rice is bad fo birds.

 

[D.T.]

Not in the base models.

... and not to mention, the models compared were 19 vs. a 31 cu/ft storage, I get that the example was meant to be extreme, but capacity costs too.

ABT has in the past had good local delivery service. All the delivery peeps call the day and day before but abt is the most professional.

-homeDepot; dont buy online, visit the store you intend to do business with. you will get a different story from each store too. Homedepo's web site is junk.

for my home an ice maker is an absolute must; go figure !

I scored our little G's AirPods (for Xmas) from ABT, sold out everywhere else (and from ABT a few hours after I ordered), solid experience, great price too.

However, I've done a number of transactions through the HD website in the last several months (into the deep $Ks), and with the exception of one mid-hurricane, they've all been fine, including a couple of materials orders that included special delivery (flatbed + forklift), never had any issues (and by my assessment as a developer for ~30 years, it's pretty decent ...)

Yes, we use so much ice, we even had an external for a while - but nothing beats our friend/neighbor across the street, commercial grade ice maker in the garage, does 150 lbs/day (He keeps bags out for folks to help themselves).

But a smart fridge saved Pied Piper!

So good

Not really. I am a heavy dishwasher user. I just purchased their top of the line unit and found it well worth the investment.

We've been super happy with our Bosch, the 3rd rack is awesome, the foldable/adaptable racks / storage is impressive, and yes, you do need the on-floor indicator it's so darn quiet

 

[okieoutwest]

Here in the UK the vast majority of houses use gas boilers for heating and hot water. The government is talking about banning these from all new builds and then working on some solution to replace the millions of existing ones in use. Problem is all the alternatives look more expensive to run and the government won't want to put even more people in fuel poverty

Yes, the ambition of these policies has not quite been tackled realistically, especially for the majority of people with limited incomes. I predict we will see some attempts to transition to a model of universal service for energy in the future as the only pragmatic solution that's not hilariously convoluted.

However, I should add that the operating expense will be lower over the lifetime, I think, as electricity generation is only forecasted to get cheaper. Renewables will eventually mean nearly zero fuel price making all-electric very attractive.

 

[robbieduncan]

Yes, the ambition of these policies has not quite been tackled realistically, especially for the majority of people with limited incomes. I predict we will see some attempts to transition to a model of universal service for energy in the future as the only pragmatic solution that's not hilariously convoluted.

For those with the cash and a relatively well insulated home there is a scheme in place already but it's only for the upper-middle classes really. Basically you can pay to have a green heating system installed (a heat pump most likely) and they government guarantee payments for the next 7 years. I talked to someone about it and they suggested you'd basically get your installation cost back in 7 years making the installation free eventually. But you are still left using electricity instead of gas to heat the house which is more expensive and heat pumps have the issue that they won't heat up radiators to the same sort of temperature as gas so you need to run it all the time. Only really makes sense with solar PV too

 

[LizKat]

You may consider when you get a new fridge one which has a reverse osmosis or water filter for drinking purposes, btw, rice is bad fo birds.

Thanks! I doubt the birds actually bothered sampling the rice experiments, more likely always focused on what's in the bird feeders, except when the cherry trees might be worth inspecting. The possums are who really like failed cookery... and the fallen apples.

On the fridge: I'm mostly interested in storage of more fresh produce. I guess it's the thing that bugs me the most about the otherwise highly satisfactory ol' Amana. I had to change up the rack placement on the old one, to let me store excess veggies just above the provided veggie storage bins at the low end of the compartment. Putting the produce higher didn't really work for me and putting the overflow produce right above those bins meant changing up the rack spacing to hold some fairly tall plastic containers, so then altering how the rest of the rack space all worked out.

Oh well. First world problem and I've got used to it -- and picked up a few tricks like wrapping a spare bunch of celery very well in a single sheet of aluminum foil before tucking it just somewhere in there-- but it has rather affected how I look at the interiors of refrigerators now when I window shop for what must inevitably be a new refrigerator not that long from now. Think I'd like to make an already belated pre-emptive strike pretty soon, rather than come home from grocery shopping sometime and realize that the time to get a new fridge was the day before that.

 

[okieoutwest]

For those with the cash and a relatively well insulated home there is a scheme in place already but it's only for the upper-middle classes really. Basically you can pay to have a green heating system installed (a heat pump most likely) and they government guarantee payments for the next 7 years. I talked to someone about it and they suggested you'd basically get your installation cost back in 7 years making the installation free eventually. But you are still left using electricity instead of gas to heat the house which is more expensive and heat pumps have the issue that they won't heat up radiators to the same sort of temperature as gas so you need to run it all the time. Only really makes sense with solar PV too

Very interesting, thanks for sharing the details!

 

[compwiz1202]

I don't depend on any brand, especially when there's so few brand that actually make their own products. Take Kenmore as mentioned above. Sears does not make them but rather whirlpool, the same goes for Amana.

My fairly recent goal is to buy appliances that are devoid of technology, i.e., why in the world do I need a frig that uses a camera and display to show me the insides of the frig when a simple opening of the door reveals that. More when that added tech adds complexity and the price to something that really doesn't need it

For instance, I get get a frig from ikea for 600 (made by whirlpool)
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Or I can get an LG for 6,300 dollars
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Both do the same thing, keep my produce cool and frozen

Nice to have choices, but $6300 for a FRIDGE!??!!?

 

[maflynn]

Nice to have choices, but $6300 for a FRIDGE!??!!?

I guess if you have that much discretionary income why not - that sort of extravagant purchasing doesn't fit with my lifestyle

 

[D.T.]

Nice to have choices, but $6300 for a FRIDGE!??!!?

Well, that's getting up into really boutique brand pricing for a mid-market consumer brand like LG ... and even into commercial territory (like Turbo Air). If you can spend $6300, you can spend $12-15K and get fully built in Subzero, Jenn-air, higher end Viking, etc.

You can get an extremely nice, large (28-32 cu/ft), lots of features (stuff like rapid cool, multiple ice makers, etc.), stainless finish, for under $3K.

 

[Huntn]

Nice to have choices, but $6300 for a FRIDGE!??!!?

Not me, lol! ?