I agree with herring maven. I bought a floor model Miele Inspira dishwasher a few months ago and saved hundreds of dollars (yes, hundreds). It has the same warranty etc. as one that sat pristinely in the warehouse. And of course it works great.

Unfortunately, from an aesthetic point of view scratch and dent appliances look worse than they used to, because so many are stainless. A little mark on a white refrigerator is unnoticeable; the same little mark on the front of a stainless model sticks out like a neon sign.

Sears Outlet gives the same warranty as if you bought it directly from the store. I've some there that are still in the original packaging, %40 off. Others are returns or floor models. With them you need to check that all the 'stuff' is there, and that any scratches/dents are not going to be visible when the unit is in place.

Many do this to buy a higher priced appliance than they could afford new. I bought my double Wolf ovens from a floor display. I couldn't have afforded them new out of the box. Heck, I could barely afford them at the discounted price. I'm looking at floor model built-in fridges now to see if I can find a deal.

My Kenmore DW came from the sears outlet nearby. It was refurbished or something like that. No damage and new. We just needed one cheap and fast at the time.

A reputable applaince store can tell you about the warranty. My Wolf ovens' warranty starts the date of install in my kitchen. No loss by buying one a year or two old.

We bought a floor model Samsung induction range, and got a great deal plus full warranty. There was a small scratch on the side panel, but it doesn't show since it's next to the cabinets.

Sometimes floor models are missing manuals or other items. We didn't have a broiler pan, but we did have a manual. You can usually download a manual, and I got a broiler pan for $20 at BB&B.

OTOH, if you see the exact model of something you want, you have to go for it because the opportunity may not present itself again. Just make sure it's the appliance you want, and you are not caught up in the deal.

My sister got a floor model display Jenn-Air DW, and again, no problems. Her other appliances were great deals because they were overstocks.

yes. I saved a couple thousand off a S & D, GE Monogram 42 in. refrigerator. The warranty is the same as new. I noticed the compressor was bent and made a banging sound on start up. One year later the compressor couldn't hold even temps, replaced under warranty, and continues to work well now four years later.

Thanks to all for reassuring advices. I took the plunge and got a Jenn-Air from a Sears Outlet (it is really a KitchenAid). We got extended warranty (on top of 1 year manufacture warranty) . Some of us here may feel that extended warranty is something that salespeople pushed and it is waste of money. Based on what we read about fridge these days, we are nervous about reliability. It is a type of insurance helping us to sleep better at night :) So to the folks who had purchased scratch and dent, especially ones that gotten their appliances through Sears Outlet, did you feel the need to buy extended warranty?

No, never did.

I bought a vinotemp unit directly from the factory with some scratches and a dent -- huge discount for very slight cosmetic damage that's not even on the front of the unit (which sits in our basement in any case). I was able to see a picture of the unit before buying and I was assured, in writing, that the full warranty applied. Would I do it again? Sure.

Obviously it may be a bigger issue for you if the defects are conspicuous on a daily basis and you'll want to do your own checking on the warranty, with an assurance that there are no functional defects. How you evaluate the appearance or any uncertainties with a particular seller is something I cannot address, and there's always the question how big of a discount is on offer, but it's at least generally true that some very trivial (from a mechanical point of view) bumps or scrapes may cause a visual flaw that requires a discount (and, for that matter, also true that a unit with something seriously wrong with it may not have any such scrapes or dents). Sometimes, the discount is large and the problems end up being non-issues. YMMV.

This thread made me smile. I got several of our appliances from the scratch/dent/floor model list through a local appliance store. Miele master speed oven, Miele dishwasher. That allowed me to spend the big bucks on the Culinarian and the ModernAire hood. The smile comes from having ended up with a Culinarian with a scratch baked into the enamel even though I paid the big bucks. But I know the sales folks will make it right in the end.

The scratches and dents were to the sides of the oven but they will be unseen because it will be built in; and a scratch on the interior of the dishwasher or was it the exterior and it is a panel dishwasher anyway so the cabinet front covers. the discounts amounted to thousands of dollars.

I have to agree with the consensus: Scratch/dent models and/or floor models allow you to get some pretty amazing deals with the same warranty protection of pristine models!

This Spring, Best Buy had a 25% sale on all Samsung appliances. I found a washer and dryer I liked (25% off makes almost any appliance look good!), and on a whim I asked the salesperson if the floor models were for sale. They were, which slashed another 20% off the price. When I pointed out there were some (minor) scratches on one side of the dryer (the washer seemed fine), they knocked off another 10%.

All totaled and I was able to get both the washer and dryer on sale for the same price as the retail price of one of them.

Deals like this one make my frugal heart very happy.

I'm a fan of scratch and dent (experience with Sears outlet mainly) because you see what's dented before you buy.

Floor models I'm more leery of. Depending on what store they are from and how cool and unusual they are, they can get some serious abuse. An oven? Should be fine. Washer and dryer? What could happen to those on the floor? Built in refrigerator next to the cookie cart storing water for shoppers? Hmmmm...

Warranty shouldn't be an issue though.