Need Help Choosing kitchen Appliances

15 years ago

Hi WeÂre working with a budget of 6K for a refrigerator, dishwasher, 30 in. smooth-top range, micowave & 24-inch dishwasher in stainless. Any suggestions will be much appreciated; I've been looking at Bosch, itchenaid & Kenmore. I've read good things about the Bosch dishwashers but IÂm concerned about the lack of drying element & food disposal. I've also looked at Samsung & LG appliances but not sure of their Quality. IÂve also checked with different repair folks & they pretty much prefer the Whirlpool line of products. A cabinet depth refrigerator would also be nice too

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Comments (8)

alicia58801
15 years ago
I am also in the process of choosing appliances and have found the Appliance forum to be a great help. You may get help here, but you should also post you question over there, or search past threads.
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mountainbasketmaker
15 years ago
I have a Bosch dishwasher and am pleased with its performance.... but what I love most is how quiet it is. It can barely be heard and does a nice job, using much less water than my old dishwasher. It also has a quick wash cycle that only lasts 30 minutes. We rinse our dishes real well before loading them so the quick wash works fine for us. Hope this helps.
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Well, I live in Toronto so I may not have all the same choices as you . But I just bought a Thermador 30" dual fuel range- do not have it yet. Have to get a new hood too, Getting the Zepher Typhoon as it is the only product that ftis my needs and budget. So, anyways, let me give you an outline of my thinking and how I got here (and the 'facts on the ground'): Helpful hint - google search the products and download the owners manual Facts: restricted by cabinets which are not being played with, must have under cabinet installation of range hood Wolf was, more or less the archetype that I used to measure all other ranges by. 1, Looked at Fisher Paykel- was moments away from buying- they are throwing in a wall chimney vent hood or a real-deal over the range microwave for the 30" dual fuel stove- s comes with 2 double stacked burners, at 17K btu each. Brilliant design in many ways. But, the add on ventilation until would have had to be a forced fit, due to my cabinets. Microwave would have been in ingenious , but does not fit at all.In any event, at or about $4,500 all in, or so, very attractive price. Has stainless steel, and not porcelain enamel top - but it also has warming drawer that looks 'real deal ' and not flimsy. But instructions were not clear or obvious- seemed translated into English etc. 2, Looked at an Electrolux Icon- super value at under $3,000.. looks like a Wolf, has porcelain enamel top, 2 double burners at 18K btu, but, sadly, the grates were not even, and the product has already been discontinued. (Have an Electrolux central vac, and my estimation of Electrolux has gone up since that purchase 3, Looked at Jenn Air, top end Kitchen Aid, before I looked at Thermador; but the Thermador was surprisingly competitively priced And 2 power burners are a must for me. 4, I have a very nice and new Kitchen Aid countertop oven- amazing, and my estimation of Kitchen Aid has gone up (I have very good KA food processor, blender, and dishwasher too - all fine) So I looked at the brand new entry level dual fuel Kitchen Aid- outrageously low price of $2,250 had me thinking about it- but it has electronic controls/ touch pad thingy, and a flimsy looking warming drawer, and gimmicky steam bake. 5, looked at Wolf, salesmen were horrible and snotty (part of the problem) 6, Then I looked at Thermador. At or about the same price as Jenn Air and Kitchen Aid, but has much fewer electronics (I understand they fake not having electronics and they still have a panel, but they do have dials instead of push buttons, which is important to me for various reasons) Thermador also has all 4 burners at 18K BTU. The business end for me is the stovetop more than the oven, and the star shaped thing that thermador has on offer , all burners at 18K btu, along with the 'easy clean' top pushed me over to Thermador, along with a price I was comfortable with ). I want to shop like a millionaire: fist and foremost, get good value for money. The Thermador was cost competitive with Jenn Air, Kitchen Aid (high end) and Fisher Paykel. I needed to get a new hood too- Zepher Typhoon is the only product that fit my needs. All in, all taxes, all delivery etc. with the Thermador and the range hood is still less than the equivalent Wolf. Further, Thermador has a promotion on now (bit of an odd one for good reasons however - buy a range get deal on dishwasher, not ven hood etc) ) that enables you to save money the more you buy. (Are you saving money if you are spending it??) So the purchase of the stove enables me to get an entry level dishwasher for $500 . (Thermador's are rebranded Bosch) I might still go for it, but the $500 one is basic and has less features than the one I have now (which I may take to the office as the one there is done for) Still thinking about it, but will cost me $1,000. Still, I could get the dual fuel range, the range hood, and the dishwasher, all in, for the less than the price of the Wolf. So Wolf is out.. Anyways, I am not as excited about having everything match as having everything good quality and a good value for money. Buy a good design so you are not sick of it later. Watch out for buyer's remorse and think about it in advance. ( I think buyers remorse is the cause of 1/2 of the complaints on line.) Sorry about the essay.
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It looks like you've already chosen the appliances that have the features that suit you. You have to take the reviews with a critical eye. There's a lot of operator error out there, where the machine gets the blame. It's also true that satisfied customers rarely bother to post in depth reviews, so balance is less likely. The appliances you've chosen are fairly inexpensive with a lot of gizmos. The more gizmos, the more likely it is to break. The weakest part of any fridge is the ice maker, which gets even moreso when it's through the door, and more yet when there's also a water dispenser. Ad to that that the dispenser is above the freezer, and there's even more to go wrong. BUT, they sell an awful lot of these units. If they were really horrible there'd be a class action lawsuit and a big government consumer protection investigation. So the question is more how soon will something go wrong, how much time, effort and money will it take to get it fixed, how soon before it makes sense to buy a new fridge rather than replacing it, etc. It should keep your food cold. They all do. The one part that I've heard about is that door in door thing, which is supposed to be a bother and a waste of potential storage space. But again, should keep your food cold. Similarly, the range is gizmoed out. There's a LOT about even the best ovens on the market that could be better, because the top considerations for all but the very most expensive are energy efficiency and marginal cost, rather than consumer level performance. OTOH, presuming it gets hot and holds temperature pretty well, you should be able to make it work. My house came with a gas wall oven that didn't work right and could not hold temperature, but I still managed to make roasts and casseroles, broil, and bake bread and cakes. Basically, the kinds of things that they made in the ovens next to the fireplaces in the old days, where precision wasn't necessary. With that to compare with, the range has to be better, and you'll learn its quirks, it's hot and cold spots, etc., and adapt the way you use it to make it work. When you're having appliances shipped from Korea--or Michigan--there's likely something going to break loose. There are also faults that can't be tested for in a factory setting which you may find a few months in. As Greg alluded, that's why they usually give you a year's warranty. To make good on anything that isn't quite right. Make sure that those kinds of warranties are included. Just keep in mind that the more of a mass market price point, and the higher the number of gizmos, the more likely the appliances are to fail within the standard prediction time. Currently the rule of thumb average is about 7 years. It's possible that both will keep going for 30, but don't bet on it.
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To what homechef said, I would add four points. One is to check the already available Black Friday deals. For example, Lowe's (I think) is advertising some very substantial discounts if you purchase two large appliances together. Second, the dimensions for your microwave sound like you have an over-the range (OTR) unit. For further research, use "OTR" in your search strings. If the present OTR vents to the outside (as opposed to being set for recirculating), then you might consider replacing it with with a canopy style range hood and a separate countertop microwave (assuming your kitchen space is not so small as to make that infeasible.) Even an inexpensive externally venting canopy range hood can do a noticeably better venting job than an OTR. (The canopy makes the difference in collecting vapors and etc.) The combined price for an inexpensive hood and a countertop MW will likely be less than a replacement OTR. Third, a counterdepth (CD) fridge going to be far and away the most expensive replacement especially because you apparently want external ice and water dispensers. Frankly, it is likely to be the budget buster for you. Even with Black Friday deals, the least expensive CD models with external ice and water are likely to be more than $2k, which is more than 2/3 of your budget. I say this from my helping a friend shop for a fridge several months ago. That said, I kind of recall that there might possibly be a sale priced Frigidaire Gallery or Samsung CD/Dispenser model in the $1700 to $1800 price range. I'd search sites such as AJMadison.com, sears.com and Lowes.com for those models. Before buying one, I also would research user reviews for any recurring problems/complaints and longevity issues. Fourth, have you considered outlet/clearance (aka "ding-n-bing") departments such as Searsoutlet.com? That might help with the stove and a CD-fridge, the two most expensive items on your list.
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caryscott
15 years ago
We were told the same thing by a friend of the family who is an appliance repairman vis a vis Whirlpool. I also think Whirlpool has owned Maytag long enough that it may be safer to buy Maytag than it was a couple of years ago.I recommend looking at Consumer Reports as at least a starting point. I would worry less about their rankings and concentrate on how products score on the specific criteria they set out.

For instance my Mom bought the 40th ranked dishwasher which scores an excellent for cleaning (same as CR's #1 dishwasher) but lower on things like energy efficiency, quietness and it has fewer features. On average my Mom runs hers' once or twice a week so her primary concern was how clean it gets her dishes. As it turns out it is dramatically quieter than the 20 year old model it replaced and it is Energy Star qualified (just barely) so she is very happy (her dishwasher suits her requirements if not CR's). I think you get more from Consumer Reports when you focus on the information they provide and less on their rankings. I also recommend popping over to Amazon to see what the buzz is on specific models you are considering.
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socalusa
15 years ago
We have an older Maytag that does an excellent job of cleaning, but quiet is not it's best feature by any means. I was at a friend's house and her Bosch DW was running while we were talking and it in no manner got in the way of our conversation.

We're getting new appliances also (except the DW) and I'm leaning toward a bottom mount SS Kitchen Aid fridge and an Electrolux slide in range. Oh, and not an appliance, but will get a Silgranit sink.

Good luck!
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gaylemh
15 years ago
I just ordered mine, Jenn air FD counter depth refrigerator, Jenn air slide in convection oven, and Jenn Air OTR microhood with convection and speed cook. This will give me a small second oven in a very small condo kitchen (8 X 8 U-shaped) I'm not getting a dish washer. They are coming in right about $5,000 including tax and there is a $300.00 rebate on three appliances going on right now. So they are actually costing 4700.00 (The rebate is higher depending on how many appliances you buy)

I wanted a stainless cooktop on the range and there aren't too many out there.
I was going to get Electrolux range (they are also having a rebate now) but three different dealers said they weren't worth the price. (Jenn Air was about $300.00 cheaper) I didn't like the GE cafe. Every model I looked at had a problem with the oven racks sticking.

I just hope I made good choices.
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boxerpups
15 years ago
How exciting to think about new appliances. Have fun shopping. I just purchased Bosch for my entire kitchen.

It took me 4 months to really find what I wanted. I am slow at this sort of thing. I thought GE Cafe would be the one, then LG, Viking Stove, JennAir, KitchenAid (Whirlpool) but the best for what I wanted was Bosch. However it is not for everyone. This is a European appliance company so there will be some differences.

People complain about the tub having mositure but this is the drying process. There is no steam that is elminated into the kitchen so the tub can be wet. There is no grinder. But this is part of their green friendly direction. It rarely has to be cleaned out. The heating element is not out in the open so a dropped plastic spoon will not melt onto the heating element. I love that.
My husband loves that there is a an overflow tub and auto shut off to stop water overflow.

I have read on this site that some people do not want to use JET dry which is recommended. However when I contacted Bocsh they said you do not have to use Jet dry. It just makes the dishes spotless and flatware sparkle. Otherwise there could be some water spots because of their eco friendly drying process.

I used Epinions.com a site that gives opinions on appliances and 100s of other things. They helped me research. I would also get on line to see each appliance company. I love that JENNair has a new copper color. And while I did not choose this, I wish we had the right kitchen for it. The on line sources offer literature and ideas that might help.

I would also recommend going to an Appliance store, Lowes, Home Depot, Sears .. and really look at the different dishwashers, ranges, refrigerators, .... When my husband and I did this we discovered things we loved about JennAir, but disliked abotu GE. We found so many new options.

At one point we wanted a French door ref. However seeing it in person, realizing we would have a cumbersome drawer that could not fit what we wanted we gave up that idea.
I suggest, really look the appliances over. Open the doors, slam the doors, take racks out, putter about as though it were in your house and imagine where you would put the dishes to be washed, or food to be stored or cooking your favorite past. Check every thing from the buttons to the knobs, to the shelves, lighting... Do this so that you know what you want and what you like or don't like.

I hope this helps.
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Buehl
15 years ago
As others have said, you might want to check on the Appliances Forum.

In the meantime, about the Bosch. Bosch DWs, like European DWs, use the residual heat to dry the dishes. No, not everything dries 100%, but then again, neither does everything dry 100% in my KitchenAid DW. Most people are happy w/them. However, I have heard that loading Bosch DWs can be an issue, so take samples of your commonly used dishes (plate, bowl, pot/pan, etc.) with you and see how well they load in the Bosch you're considering.

KitchenAid...most people who have a KA DW seem pretty happy w/them...I, OTOH, am not particularly happy with ours (KA KUDS03STSS). We have to clean everything on Heavy Duty wash; Normal does not clean our dishes very well.

I had very bad experiences w/GE DWs, so I cannot recommend them. OTOH, our Maytag was great! It worked well and was still going strong when we gave it away when we demo'd our kitchen last year. It was around 8 years old.

Ranges....GE actually makes pretty good ranges, cooktops, & ovens. I was so pleased w/the GE Profile smoothtop range (w/convection oven) that I bought in 1995 that I bought a GE Profile cooktop, ovens, & warming drawer. One caution...make sure the glass/ceramic top is not a solid color (usually black or white)...a speckled top is ideal! BTW...our range was also still going strong at demo time so it was also given away.

We have a GE Profile refrigerator (counter-depth, bottom freeze, french door) as well and so far so good...no problems w/the icemaker, water dispenser, or anything else. It did take some getting used to the reduced depth & size from our old refrigerator....but we've adjusted. Our old refrigerator is in the basement and we use it for overflow.

HTH!
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chloe_s_mom
15 years ago
I have, all in stainless, all new:

LG dishwasher (hmmm, it is okay, but I'm not in love with it. I do like that the heating element is hidden - no more melting plastic items that have gotten loose - but I don't like the lack of options, such as cool vs heated dry. No delay timer either)

Kitchenaid counterdepth, French door, bottom freezer (like it so far. Have had Maytag French door, bottom freezer, full depth, and after a get-to-know-you period, got along fine. Inside of the Kitchenaid looks similar to the Maytag)

I also have a slide in Kitchenaid gas range.
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Need Help Choosing kitchen Appliances

Comments (8)

alicia58801

mountainbasketmaker

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caryscott

socalusa

gaylemh

boxerpups

Buehl

chloe_s_mom

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