ppliances

[mac]

Well it's that time to remodel the kitchen and get all new appliances. There are sales galore out there this time of year, but just how do you decide which items hit that sweet point of price, quality, and friendliness? Finding a good appliance salesman is like trying to find a knowledgeable car wash salesman. Do any of you know of a good web site that independently rates and talks about these things the way you guys talk about our stuff? Have gone to consumer reports but get conflicting views between the editors and the posters.

 

[Washmee]

I have found the best deals are at Lowes and Sears. I really like Kenmore appliances because they are usually a good combination of all the other brands. Sears specs them from Whirlpool and they have been very reliable in my experience. Consumer Reports agrees.

 

[Whale of a Wash]

I sold appliances thru college, and currently i buy about 15 a year for apartments. The kenmore and whirlpool, are the same, and maytag was almost bankrupt because of the front load washers they started making 10 years ago with leaking seals-very moldy seals and electronic problems.They were then bought out by whirlpool. New appliances have a life of 8-14 yrs, so not much to brag about. Generally the middle of the road appliances are the best priced, or those they need to clear stock of. The whirlpool line seems to be most peoples favorite. The new refrigerators use so much less electricity than one that is 20 yrs old. The glass cooktops can be really frustrating to keep clean.
Dishwashers used to wash dishes in an hour, but cleaned poorly, now they can take alot longer to clean, but are quieter and do a better job.--better dwell times i guess.



http://www.quietestdishwashers.com/

 

[pitzerwm]

Whatever you do don't buy a GE washer or dryer, I wouldn't take one if it were free. Poor design, expensive to repair.

 

[Waxman]

Whale:

What should one pay for a new residential dryer? $250? $500?

BTW, I keep my glass cooktop fairly clean using general purpose cleaner regularly along with heavy cleanings less frequently with soft scrub cleanser.

 

[ted mcmeekin]

WE have a GM refrigerator at our camp. It has to be 50+ yrs old. We did replace the door seal last year--bought by the foot based on profile of seal. It works great!! Put a couple cases of beer in and a few hours later the beer is ice cold. If we have any room left we put in some soft drinks for our 8 grandaugthers. The motor hangs upside down with 4 rubber mounts--very quiet.

Ted

 

[Whale of a Wash]

Dave, what you pay depends on if you buy it or the wife. We are redoing our laundry to stackables, and i think the Maytag 6000 in gas and in grey color for main floor laundry is around $800. " Just do not buy GE Junk/RCA/Hotpoint"-- all the same brand.
The savings one sees on washers these days is amazing --Top loaders use or 50gallons on water, and the newest front loaders use about 13g. So you save alot of heated water on each load, along with better cleaning, and less wear on clothes. I probably would not have bought another maytag if whirpool wasn't making them. Appliances can be a crap shoot on quality- the best can be troublesome, and the cheapest can work forever. So i have very little advice, except get what the wife wants.

 

[seattleguy]

So i have very little advice, except get what the wife wants.

HAHA Great Advice! I did convince my wife to get induction cooktop. Very cool technology.

 

[MEP001]

GE used to make good washers. We had one when I was growing up that lasted 30 years, at least 20 of which averaging 2 loads a day.

 

[mac]

I lived in the Minneapolis area for a time and the old house I was in had a refrigerator made by International Harvestor. It was about 50 years old at the time. Our current washer and dryer are about 20 years old and made by Maytag. Had a repairman do something on the washer and when I asked about replacing them, he said to keep them as they would outlast most of the newer ones. Sure can plop some dough into these things.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

My brother has a 1954 International Harvester refrigerator in his basement. That's the newer one, still working. He also has a 1937 monitor top, GE I believe, also still working. Yeah, that GE stuff is crap.

 

[Greg Pack]

I bought all nice shiny stainless kitchenaid appliances for my home in 2001. I will not buy any more. They have performed poorly and break much more than older, cheaper appliance I have had. The last time my dishwasher went on the fritz the repair bill for a new control board would have been more than $300. It didn't clean worth a crap anyway. I bought a new stainless tub dishwasher for $399. It is noisier but it cleans much better than the kitchenaid ever did.

I also bought a maytag washer/dryer in the same time frame. they were very basic models. The appliance guy said I got "the last of the good maytags", so I plan on keeping those as long as possible.

As seen in this thread "they don't make it like they used to" seems to be a common thought about appliances, so right now I'm thinking I will buy the cheaper end of the scale and plan to scrap early when a repair gets cost prohibitive.

 

[rph9168]

I agree with cfcw. The life span of most appliances today is usually not more than 6 to 8 years. I recently replaced a side by side refrigerator that I had for over 30 years that I was using as a backup. I bought a cheap refrigerator and a cheap freezer to replace it. I had a similar experience with my dishwasher. Spending more for an appliance today does not mean you are getting a better unit. They all seem to be the same basic unit. The more expensive ones just have more gadgets on them. I plan to stick to basics from now on and replace rather than repair when I have problems.

 

[sparkey]

I have to admit up front I am biased as I do work for whirlpool. Not all kenmore appliances are from whirlpool. The last couple years Kenmore has been buying appliances from other companys. A lot of the high end Kenmore washers and dryers are now made by LG, not whirlpool. Whirlpool makes Maytag, amana, some kenmore, and kitchenaid. I have always had good luck with Whirlpool built appliances and they cost a fortune.

 

[Greg Pack]

I have to admit up front I am biased as I do work for whirlpool. Not all kenmore appliances are from whirlpool. The last couple years Kenmore has been buying appliances from other companys. A lot of the high end Kenmore washers and dryers are now made by LG, not whirlpool. Whirlpool makes Maytag, amana, some kenmore, and kitchenaid. I have always had good luck with Whirlpool built appliances and they cost a fortune.

I am pretty ignorant about appliances in general, but my expensive Kitchenaid crap was delivered on a whirlpool factory truck and they are the least reliable appliances I ever owned. I'm not sure when whirlpool started making maytag but as even the repairmen told me they don't make the new maytags like they used to. I am beginning to see something in common here about the whirlpool name, and it ain't necessarily good.

Next time, I may take my chances with LG.

 

[Waxman]

My friend Randy says check the fuseable link, thermoststs and coil. That's what I'm a gonna do later today. Will update later...

 

[mac]

Unfortunately the common thought here about poorer recent quality applies to most everything built today. American craftsmanship and pride of construction are history. Doeasn't matter if it's a refrigerator, drill, toaster, or waffle maker. So much is made in Mexico or another third world country. Even my local fab shop was complaining about the quality of the basic steel. We had them weld one piece three times before it held, and this shop has been around for 50 years. Thanks for all your input.

 

[Waxman]

Update:

I found a broken wire and a nearly chafed-through wire going to (I think) the thermostat. They were rubbing on the belt that turns the drum.

I stripped them back, twisted and wire-nutted them then zip tied them out of the path of the belt. Tested and voila! Dryer heats up!

Thanks all for the advice. And for bearing with me for hijacking the thread somewhat.

Please continue.

 

[seattleguy]

Unfortunately the common thought here about poorer recent quality applies to most everything built today. American craftsmanship and pride of construction are history. Doeasn't matter if it's a refrigerator, drill, toaster, or waffle maker. So much is made in Mexico or another third world country. Even my local fab shop was complaining about the quality of the basic steel. We had them weld one piece three times before it held, and this shop has been around for 50 years. Thanks for all your input.

I wouldn't blame the 3rd world countries for making crappy products. Blame should be placed on whoever outsources the product to the cheapest manufacturer and you end up getting cheapest - crap product. If you paid the chinese outfit the same as a 1st world company you would get the same quality product.

 

[Eric H]

For future reference I've bought repair parts here:
www.repairlinic.com
They have a pretty good troubleshooting guide. Parts arrive usps in a week. If I need them sooner there is a local place that has a great stock but is about 1/3 more expensive.