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I just purchased a (new construction) home and have the opportunity to pick all of my appliances. I know that I want stainless, but I'm not sure about brands. I need to pick a fridge, microwave, dishwasher and stove. I'm not looking to break the bank, but I want something brandwise with a good reputation and something that will last. Anyone have any suggestions?
I think your best bet is to sign up for Consumer Reports online and see the recommendations and read the owner reviews.
Also, you might look for a Sears outlet near you, if you're purchasing the appliances yourself. They sell Kenmore and other brands, alll the appliances. Their outlet stores have appliances that might have picked up scratches in delivery and been rejected or might have been floor models in the store. I've gotten never-used, barely-dinged refrigerators there twice and been absolutely thrilled. You never know what will be in stock until you get there though!
We bought GE appliances this past weekend. Why? Because we liked the features, looks, and the price. We wanted a dual standalone oven and only a few manufactures made it (GE, Whirlpool, and Maytag). Of course we wanted matching everything, so GE is what we went with.
The more basic an appliance is, the less there is to go wrong! On the corollary, the "builder's grade" stuff don't perform that well either, so aim for the mid-market products (aka the ~$1000 fridge, the $4-500 dishwasher, the +/- $5-700 range, and the $2-300 OTR microwave) and you'll be alright.
Of the major 3 manufacturers, Whirlpool made products (Whirlpool, Roper, Kitchenaid, Maytag, Amana, Magic Chef, Ikea, some Kenmore) has tended to be more reliable than Electrolux (Frigidaire) and GE. Bosch is decent, but typically costlier than the major 3.
High end brands, and you'll usually get superior looks and performance, but not necessarily superior reliability.
I think your best bet is to sign up for Consumer Reports online and see the recommendations and read the owner reviews.
I agree with Jenlion. You can subscribe to Consumers Reports online for just a month. I paid $5.95 for the month and have found the information priceless.
I am replacing a 2 year old top of the line LG dishwasher that has been problematic since day one. The latest thing that it has done is that it has been spraying water on my kitchen cabinets without my knowledge. I decided to go with a KitchenAid since the store does not carry Bosch and I have a store credit to spend. Cross your fingers, it is being delivered today. I decided on the KitchenAid as it has a quick wash cycle that only lasts 30 minutes. Many of the new dishwasher since they use such little water have very long wash cycles. I have noticed some normal wash cycle being around 2 hours
I have an older model of this refrigerator: LFX28977ST Refrigerators Appliances They have redesigned the water dispenser in the door to accommodate larger glasses. I love the French doors as I can place big platters in the refrigerator. The only negative comment that I have is that the ice bin is small.
I also have a LG over the range microwave oven. I especially like it because it has a carousel that goes back and forth rather than round and round. You can put a casserole dish in there. I wish I would have sprung for the convection microwave. I can see that there are times that I would like to fire up a smaller oven rather than the big range.
I have a less expensive version of this gas range KitchenAid®: Welcome to KitchenAid.com I know I only spent around $1500 rather than the $2K plus that they are advertising. I like it for the following reasons: one gas burner is huge - it puts out 15,000 BTU's of gas. It has a convection oven and a bread proofing button which is great when you are baking bread in the winter. It also has a warming drawer.
I too like Consumer Reports but unfortunately I do not think there is any one brand that is reliable for all the appliances in a kitchen. Another good source of information is this site which someone on this board kindly posted a few months ago (again thank you).
Overall if I were to be buying all new appliances, I would go with Amana right now. It has the look I like and is fairly well regarded on all its appliances. Next would be Kitchenaid.
George - I have the same dishwasher. I do really like it too. Jay
I can't wait to take her out for a spin No more dishpan hands for me
Is yours brand new? Ours is about six months. We were without a dishwasher for a couple of months while we planned some improvements to the sink/garbage disposal and tried to decide which dishwasher to buy (I like to research things to death). So far so good.
To the Op, I would also recommend doing Consumer Reports.com. Not only do they give you their reviews of products, there are great discussion threads on appliances that convinced me to go with Kitchenaid for our dishwasher. Jay
JayCT made a good point that there isn't any one brand that is best for all the appliances in a kitchen. I also used Consumer Reports as well as consumer reviews on sites like epinions. I bought four stainless appliances and each is a different brand.
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No more dishpan hands for me
