I had Jenair in my last house and hated it all! It all broke down and had little quirks. It looked really good though. Oddly enough, I have never been unhappy with a Kenmore product--Never. I would look at Consumer Reports (on-line) for the information you seek. Various brands have different fortes, so there is not one answer, but Consumer Reports will be able to narrow down your search and thier test are on units most of us can afford. You will have to pay a membership fee ($4.95 for one month--but make sure to cancel or they will keep charging you) Good luck and don't get suckered by a good looking unit, it will get ungly quick if the insides don't work.

Thanks. I've actually signed up with consumer reports, but a lot of the information is related to last years models. I've been researching a lot, and found that several companies now make appliances for Kenmore, depending on the type of appliance. I just think that the quality of large appliances has gone done hill. But I have seen a lot of complaints about Jennaire, and not as many about Kitchenaid, so maybe I'll look into that further. If I knew how to mix the brands to get the best of each, I'd probably do that.

Most people on this forum mix and match rather than getting one "suite" of appliances from one mfr. Do your research based on your budget and family's needs. For example, I believe that KA DWs are highly regarded here.

In our last house we gave a year old JennAir range back to JennAir because of too many problems. Replaced it with a GE Profile which was MUCH better. Not a single problem in th 8 or 9 years we lived there with it. It was an electric smoothtop...but I don't know if you're having electric or gas. (I would recommend against Maytag, too, based on our experience with a fridge and a top of the line dishwasher we had from them.)

Bosch (DWs, ovens, ranges) and Electrolux (ovens, ranges) are other brands to check that might be more mid-range in price.

In my experience, it depends on what appliance you're talking about. Over the last 5 years, we've had to replace virtually every appliance in our kitchen. After extensive research online at ConsumerReports, epinions, etc, we opted for:

Sears Kenmore Ultra Wash Tall Tub dishwasher (made by Whirlpool) - extraordinary buy. Cost a bit less than $400, works like a dream. We've had it for 3 1/2 years, no problems at all.

Sears Kenmore above-the-range microwave - I have a small kitchen, not much counter space, and this has been BY FAR the best microwave I've ever had. Dear hubby got it for a great price, too. We've had it 2 1/2 years.

GE side-by-side fridge - wow! I love the slide-out shelves, the water filter, the ease of use, the look (we got black), and BEST of all, it has saved us a LOT of money on electricity as compared to our 30+-year-old Kenmore (which DID last a long time). We got it on sale last year at Home Depot, got several rebates, ended up paying about $700 for it.

Maytag smooth-top range - LOVE IT. I'd always had GE ranges, and they just weren't lasting long at all. This one has all the features I wanted, burners heat up instantly, cooks like a dream, oven is great. We got a great deal on it because we bought it in May during the Maytag days - bought it at Home Depot, too. Because we also bought a Maytag Bravos washer/dryer, we are getting mega rebates from both Home Depot and Maytag.

All of these appliances are black and they are easy to keep clean. Though they were made by different manufacturers, the kitchen has a totally coordinated look. Most importantly (to me), they are all Energy Star appliances, and our electric bill is way down! HTH

Marley,

It takes a little more time to research but you will be better off reading up on the recommended brands for each appliance category and mixing your appliance brands in order to get optimal performance in each category. Two years ago, when we were building our home, I studied the archived posts on this forum and went out to look at the various brands in person. I wanted optimal performance but, like you, wanted to stick to budget. It is doable! I was hesitant to mix the appliance brands but ended up with great appliances in every category. I didn't like the handle on my KA DW (didn't match the pro style of my other appliances) so I ordered a pro-style handle from KA and DH replaced it for me so everything would blend well.

Also, someone on this forum (I think it was Cpovey) suggested splurging on the range/cooktop/oven as there are major differences in performance while not so much with refrigerators, microwaves, dishwashers.

Brand suggestions (mid to high mid price range) for each category that seem to be well-received on this forum:

Ovens: GE Profile, Bosch, Electrolux, Fisher-Paykel, GE Monogram
Ranges/cooktops: Frigidaire, Kenmore, GE Profile, Bosch, Electrolux Bertazzoni, GE Monogram, Bluestar RCS/RPB
Dishwashers: Kenmore, Whirlpool, Kitchenaid, Bosch
Refrigerators: GE, Kitchenaid, Samsung

This isn't an exhaustive list; I'm sure I've left some good ones off but it will get you started.

I'm in the process of buying new appliances for our beach place. Like you, I want good performance but don't want to break the bank for a vacation home that we don't use on a daily basis. I bought a Samsung french-door model on clearance at Lowe's (it has a door ding but that's okay for the beach) which we love. I'm replacing the DW with Kitchenaid's entry-level model (it has stainless interior but less bells and whistles - I figure it will clean dishes as well as my more expensive model at home), a cheap countertop microwave, a range hood bought on Ebay, and a DCS range bought at an overstock price online. I know the pro-style range will really make for an enjoyable cooking experience so that's our splurge.

As you read these posts, it's easy to start thinking you won't be happy unless you buy the most expensive, top-of-the-line brands and models but that can be a costly trap, especially with current economic uncertainty. There are plenty of people who did their homework and are very happy with their mid and low price range appliance choices.

We bought a top of the line Bosch dishwasher about 2 years ago, which we selected on recommendations from several friends and because it is rated as the quietest machine on the market. We're very pleased with it in every respect, especially how quiet it is. We can talk on the phone, listen to the radio, whatever, while it's on.

We also bought a Bosch gas range about a year ago, one notch below the top of the line. Again, we're very pleased. It has a convection option for the oven, which is nice for roasted meats.

I'm sure there are others out there that are good, but that's been our recent experience.

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. It really does become easy to think that you can't get anything good unless it's top of the line. Sometimes top of the line is best, but other times it's just paying extra for a tag on the appliance. I have two other questions. First, does anyone have opinions regarding a cooktop and built in oven vs. a free standing range - either price wise or performance wise. And second, this probably seems like a really stupid question, but I can't see how to research past topics by going the the bottom of the page. I don't see anywhere to type in a question or keyword. Can anyone help me with that?

Range vs. cooktop and ovens has been discussed at length in other threads - do a search :-).

You can't do a search from THIS page. Go back to the previous page with all the threads listed - there's a search field at the bottom of that page.

Marley - Check this link out - I think it will help you in terms of brand experience. IMO this is a better resource than Consumer Reports because as you noted, CR is outdated when they post their reviews and they have their own inherent bias. JD Powers is based on actual consumer feedback and while they don't point out specific models - they do identify top brands in each category. The only drawback is they don't focus on heigh end appliances - but that is not what you are looking at

As you will see, your best best is to mix and match brands based on what is best in each category - so KA is good in dishwshers but lousy in wall ovens

Here is a link that might be useful: JD Powers Appliance Survey

berryberry, what 'inherent bias' does CR have? I know they've never taken advertising in their mags. Do you mean their leaning toward lower- or mid-cost appliances that perform well?

Thanks for the link you posted; I've saved it. Much of it mirrors my experience; some of it is very contradictory to what I've experienced. I guess that's about par for the course. ;-)

Consumer Reports is a good place to start. Don't worry so much about the model numbers, look for the incidents of repairs for each manufacturer. That will give you a better idea of the manufacturers who have good records.

When we moved over three years ago, our new house needed all new appliances. We purchased a Bosch dishwasher, electric range/ oven (convection type) and OTR microwave. Our refrig is a Maytag. We have been very pleased with all of them. On the refrig side, this is our second Maytag. Our first one lasted 17 years and was going strong when we sold that house. We expect the same from our present one.

All of our purchases were mid-range in price and all were stainless steel.

Enjoy the journey.
eal51 in western CT