I love the look of black stainless, but in the end decided against them because the color is very different between brands and because one item I needed didn't come in the black stainless. But my sister is in the midst of a kitchen remodel, and she went with black stainless fridge and dishwasher, but a regular stainless range. Something I wouldn't have done, but it actually looks fine together, so maybe it's really ok to mix and match.

There are tons of cons to black SS. A few of the most common issues

-They're dark

-They don't reflect light or act as a neutral like SS

-They peel/scratch easily

-The colors aren't consistent across brands

-Very good chance that brands won't make in a few years making replacement hard

IMO the best appliance color is still plain old stainless it allows you to purchase appliances for how you cook not because the color matches. Down the road when one appliance fails a replacement is easy . Colored appliances come and go but stainless has stood the test of time. Cleaning stainless is just as simple as clening any other color. The only thing you need is a good microfiber cloth only used for stainless and wipe the stainless in the direction of the grain not in circles.Use hot water with a bit of vinegar. Never use stainless cleaners all they are is oil that attracts dust .The cloth never gets washed with anything else (Ido mine by hand ) and never use fabric softener to dry it

Because darker colors recede appliances look smaller - not so in your face - in black.

OP...you are referring to plain black, not black stainless correct? Bri Bosh... I have a black galaxy center island that we match our appliances to, thanks for the picture..that is just black correct, not black stainless? We are starting to replace ours and finding the black is a special order in the latest appliances

no, she's explicitly asking about black stainless.

I would never get all my appliances from one manufacturer -- they each have strengths in different areas, and you want the ones that work with how you in particular live. That means getting finishes that look fine together, which generally means stainless. (My 2-year-old appliances come from three different companies, all rated the best in class.)

I would be very hesitant for all the reasons Sina mentioned.

acm..I see that now in the title! thanks! I keep on eye on these posts since we have a Bosch on order. We need one appliance and don't want to replace our whole kitchen in stainless but it seems to be the verdict in a lot of these postings

One of my problems with black stainless appliances is they can often look like black holes in a kitchen. Bri Bosh, you have dark counters and flooring that help provide some balance. I think that's really key when it comes to both black stainless and black appliances.

Bri Bosh, I see that in the next picture! Thanks!

If you're not planning on selling any time soon don't replace all of them at once. It's fine to replace them as they break with upgraded SS. Your kitchen is already kind of dark, so I think you could really benefit from SS.

What do you mean by upgraded SS? I am not really of fan of the stainless with the fingerprint issues and the industrial look but replacing one by one over say, a 5 year period and having a 1/2 black and 1/2 stainless kitchen may make me batty.

SS is an upgrade from black for most people. Most models don't look industrial, and finger prints are easy enough to manage, they even make smudge proof appliances now. Lots of people upgrade one at a time, the mismatch is only really an issue at resale or if you're personally offended by it.

You've heard all the pros and cons about black SS so now it's up to you if you want to take the gamble or not. Good luck.

Thanks! Can I ask if the smudgeproof stainless is more stratchable thank stainless?