I have decided on these appliances 1. Vent Hood: Zephyr AK2136BS Stainless Steel 850 CFM Under Cabinet Vent Hood 2. Cooktop: Bosch 800 Series NGM8056UC Stainless Steel 5-Burner Gas Cooktop 3. Dishwasher: Bosch 800 Series SHXM98W75N Stainless Steel Dishwasher 4. Wall Oven: Bosch 800 Series 30" Single Wall oven HBL8451UC, Stainless Steel 5. Microwave: Whirlpool unbranded 2.2 Cu Ft Countertop Microwave Oven 6. Microwave Trim Kit: Whirlpool Stainless Steel 30" trim Kit for the counter top microwave oven

I agree with plumby. Bosch seems more reliable than Samsung. I cannot speak about which machine is more attractive because, personally, I hide mine in a closet because I don't want to see any appliance if I don't have to. So the fact the Samsung looks slightly better seems as plumby said- to be secondary to its function. About the crawlspace/ vibration, etc. My laundry closet is probably less than 10 feet from my bed. It is on the other side of a lath and plaster wall and there is another closet on either side of it, but there are no vibrations. And we have an actual basement, which is open under the whole house- so raised foundation also. No vibration there either. I don't think Samsung has cornered the market on no vibrations with certain foundations, i just think Bosch doesn't bother to state it, even if it is true. If you level your machines properly, they are quite silent. I also had my Bosch machines in a open loft in a closet on a concrete floor. Not particularly loud either. Can't speak for Samsung but I am impressed with the noise level of Bosch. I bet they are even better on the new ones too.

Disclosure: I am a grandmother, consumer, non-techie, and considering a move into the Consumer Advocate arena. The sections of this post include: - About Bosch Benchmark - GE Ovens - How Swing Effects Roasted/Baked Food - How to Estimate Your Oven’s Swing (aka variance or range) About Bosch Benchmark I am in the process of replacing my second Bosch Benchmark double wall oven. The top ovens had a swing of 93* and 73*, respectfully. The first oven performed beautifully for 6 months, the second for a few weeks. Faulty electronics were evident in my experience. Note: the first oven was version /01 (installed 12/15) the second version /04 (installed 2/2018). Bosch uses average temperature to determine if an oven operates within spec. Within 28 months, my ovens were operable for 9 months, inoperable for 19 months. **How many households with kids could keep their family on track with inoperable ovens?** Bosch, on their part, offered me a buyback this month. But it took a tremendous amount time and bird-dogging on my part. GE Ovens GE states on their website the acceptable swing is +/- 30* using a 350* temperature setting. Hence, your oven meets spec if it’s temperature ranges from 320* to 380* within a 20 minute cycle time. (Check out the GE Appliances site and search for ‘oven temperature variance.’) How Swing Effects Roasted/Baked Food Here are a few examples of how a high oven temperature swing effects food roasted/baked from tried-and-true recipes: - prime rib (shooting for MR) is well on the outside, bloody red around the bone - a tried and true family fruit cake recipe, baked for at least 70 years on all types of ovens, took much longer to bake, passed the tooth pick test, was sticky on the top center, and crumbled when sliced - a chicken and rice casserole never got done; I used the rice cooker to finish cooking the rice and the chicken was too tough to eat - two cake mix cakes, in which I adhered *exactly* to all directions, were baked using the shortest time indicated; they were full of tunnels, extremely dry, and tasteless How To Estimate Your Oven’s Swing 1. Position an oven thermometer in the center of the oven. (Cooks Illustrated recommends a CDN Oven Thermometer... of course Amazon has them.) - - - do not open the oven door until the test finishes - - - 2. Set your oven to 350*, and let it heat up for an hour. 3. Choose a start time. 4. Every 5 minutes (4 times in 20 minutes) note or take a pix of the oven thermometer. 5. The highest and lowest temperatures registered represent the oven swing. Note: technicians use a special tool to measure oven swing that is much more accurate. Phew! Time to return to my research!

I too have been trying to purchase a refrigerator and a looking into Cafe and Bosch. When it comes to free standing like the B26FT50SNSand the Cafe CFE26KP2NS1, neither are made in the US. Bosch has been sold to a Chinese company Haier and most GE's are made in Korea. My concern is parts and services. My fridge today a side by side has lasted 19+ years but on the way out. All the sales folks tell me none of the fridges today are made to last more than 10 years. ( at 4xs the price I paid 19 years ago. My hope is that the consumer gets wiser and demands more commitment from both the manufacturer and the vendor to take on reliability issues.