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March 13, 2009
Kitchen Appliances Rec's?
We're thinking of redoing our kitchen this spring, and I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions for chic, efficient, non-bank-breaking kitchen appliances? (Not springing for a Viking range, thank you.) I've been eyeing a) bottom-of-the-line Bosch dishwasher; b) Bosch gas range; and c) Fisher Paykel fridge. Any thoughts? Thanks!
Comments
Can't say yeah or nay on your choices but we bought a Liebherr refrig and am very happy with it
Posted by: denton at March 13, 2009 10:26 PM
Just get whatever's on sale at the local appliance center. I've had good luck with GE.
Don't feel pressured into buying expensive commercial stainless steel stuff just because your showoff neighbor did. Be smart and save your money for something worthwhile, like a vacation!
Posted by: IronBalls at March 14, 2009 3:24 AM
The GardenWeb forums are generally quite a bit better for getting appliance recommendations than Brownstoner.
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/appl/
I think it's fair to say that Liebherr for refrigerators and Blue Star for ranges are some of the most popular picks, and Bosch dishwashers are legendary. But almost every brand is discussed in detail there.
Once you decide what you want, you can come back and start a discussion about whether people prefer Drimmer or Gringer, or you can look in the archives about a month ago :-)
Posted by: josh59x at March 14, 2009 3:39 AM
I have all three of these items. I'm not sure if my dishwasher is not quite bottom of the range - it is the stainless one with no buttons or anything on the front. That is the only appliance I'm not entirely pleased with. It seems to leave bits encrusted in the stuff on the top shelf quite regularly. I can only compare it to a Miele dw I use at work and that thing is incredible. My Bosch gas range was around $1500 and I chose it because I wanted the all-one level cooking surface (it's 2 big iron things on top of the rings, so you can move the pans around easily). Convection oven. I would have preferred a less computer-controlled oven, but that isn't something I managed to think about before purchasing. I am very happy with its performance, and when - just after the warranty had expired - the computer thingy went doolally and started beeping and showing me FAIL messages, Bosch came out and replaced it for free. No other problems (2.5 years later). The FP is lovely, really enjoy it. Easy to use, looks great, love the freezer drawer (bottom) and its storage. It was around $1500 as well. If you want me to be a bit more specific and give you the model numbers, let me know, I can dig them out. I ordered the dishwasher from A JMadison on line and it was a bit cheaper, and came very quickly with no problems. Fridge from PC Richards. Range from Lowes, timely and non-damaging delivery a nightmare....
Posted by: mshook at March 14, 2009 7:15 AM
I have always been happy with the GE Profile line
Posted by: SenatorStreet at March 14, 2009 9:13 AM
If you're concerned about energy efficiency, be aware many Bosch d/w cannot turn off the heated dry, a total waste, as is heating the water (which can usually be turned off)...may have changed now, this is from 4 years ago. Consumer reports says practically any d/w cleans the same, so it's a good place to save money (cheaper ones are noisier, which may not be an issue.)
GE ranges are good middle end; I so glad there's *someone* out there who doesn't what that poj Viking!
I'd get a bottom freezer frig for energy and ease reasons as well (not side-by-side); there are several models in the $1000-1300 bracket.
Posted by: cmu at March 14, 2009 10:33 AM
Liebherr refrigerator and miele cooktop and oven.
Miele dishwasher.
Viking and subzero have a rotten repair history.
The 2 products mentioned are from germany and well engineered for a lifetime of use.
Their u.s. customer service is outstanding and so is their technical assistance.
Both companies are competent and polite.
Liebherr refrigerator is 1/2 the price of subzeroo.
When it comes time to sell it should help you get a higher
price.
Fisher paykiel might be filing bankrupcy and a lo end miele is superior to a bosch lo end price dishwasher.
Posted by: Ysabelle at March 14, 2009 11:44 AM
Another rec here for the GE Profile products.
I'm very happy with My GE Profile french door fridge. I did get the water dispenser but kept the ice maker in the freezer. The ice dispenser in the door takes away too much room from the fridge. They now make one with two bottom draws instead of just the one. I'd probably get this if I were buying it now. Another good thing about this fridge is it's energy efficiency rating, just phenomenal.
I also have the GE Profile double oven range the top oven is convection the bottom regular (both gas). It has 4 varying size round burners and one long center burner which can hold 2 pots so it's equivalent to 6 burners. This also has the all one level cooktop for ease of movement between burners. The center grate come off so you can put a griddle over the long center burner. (godsend for grilled cheese and pancakes!). The oven has a internal temperature sensor. That is basically a thermometer you stick in the meat and then plug into the oven wall. You tell the oven what the internal temperature of the roast should be and it will cook until it's done, beeps to alerts you and turns the oven off. This has got to be my most favorite feature ever! Insanely perfect roasts every time. It's only a few dollars more but SO worth it.
Also have the GE profile microwave. It's a really good microwave and it's nice that it matches everything else but there's nothing outstanding about it.
Can't help with the dishwasher we're still using the one that came with the house (it matched) it's an older GE model and works just fine but I don't think they even make this kind anymore.
Posted by: TownhouseLady at March 14, 2009 12:59 PM
GE is great until you need repairs. A complete nightmare. They won't give you even a half day block. A whole day, then around 5 pm some guy calls and says he can't make it today or tomorrow, you'll have to reschedule. That happened twice. Also rumor has it that a lot of the machines sold at HD and Lowes are refurbs, maybe I'm just prejudice.
Posted by: modsquad at March 14, 2009 3:39 PM
As far as the HD and Lowes machines: prob not rerurbished just a lower quality manufactured for HD and Lowes. This is the case with Casablanca fans and I know that Fredrich also manufactures a low end.
As with many other things in life "you get what you pay for."
Posted by: SenatorStreet at March 14, 2009 4:42 PM
Bob Tamer at Hampton Appliance in Garden City was a great find, suggested by a friend, for sharing real knowledge on appliances and his prices were comparable to any big box store. That said, my architect had drawn in a true cabinet depth fridge and a 36 inch range and i hadn't paid much attention to that (things you learn), not knowing that it put me in the upper stratus of products, which I wasn't otherwise planning to buy. So I found a two year old Sub Zero fridge on Craigslist and paid 2500 for it. I bought a Delonghi range from Bob that he had as a floor model. Even not a floor a model, it was a cool looking higher end range that isn't nearly as pricey as the Viking or Wolf. Not in the same caliber but also pretty well reviewed. For Dishwashers, a few friends have Boschs and hate them. The Kitchen Aid got good reviews and was on sale at a few places, we got that and love it. I'm happy with all the products and other than Bob and Craigslist, my only advice is to make sure the sizes you pick don't limit your choices.
Posted by: Colonel at March 14, 2009 5:49 PM
I have a VSA dishwasher - it's 10 years old & has never given me any problems. They're made in Australia & I had been concerned about repair but it was highly recommended - very like a Miele but half the price.
A friend of mine has a GE Profile high-end fridge & it's been nothing but trouble for 7 years &, yes, getting repairs is a true pain.
Posted by: Arkady at March 14, 2009 10:11 PM
Bought the bottom of the line Bosch dishwasher and it's quiet, just doesn't do a good job of cleaning the dishes. Would definitely not recommend it.
Posted by: flmann at March 15, 2009 9:12 AM
I have a Bosch dishwasher w/o cutlery rack bought for ~$850 about four years ago and have never had any problems with it mechanically or in terms of food particles, except in cases where the dishes are not properly loaded.
That being said I would second mshook's recommendation of the Miele.
Posted by: SJ at March 15, 2009 2:06 PM
I have had GE Profile as well and have never had a serious problem. I have had GE for 20+ years and only had one problem -- the oven ignition burned out after 8 years. My stove was discontinued (had the iron thing that covered the entire top -- best feature in a stove ever). Service was great -- the guy said not to use the self-cleaning feature more often than needed (causes the burn out).
Posted by: BH76 at March 16, 2009 8:46 AM
We also had a GE Profile for more than 15 years, and it was completely reliable, even after the kids stole all the knobs off of it. We did look at the new Bosch range, and it appears to be a nice range.
We've had a Bosch DW for nearly four years, and a GE Profile fridge, with no complaints.
We've dealt with AJ Madison (in Boro Pk) a few times and they've been great.
Posted by: buttermilk channel at March 16, 2009 10:41 AM
I've had a Conserv refrigerator since 2001 - bought it used from a neighbor so it's even older. It works great and I love, love, love it! (Who would have thought that I would ever feel this way about an appliance!) When I moved here, I gave away the 36" Jenn-Air side-by-side in the apartment and worth over $2,000 because I wanted my Conserv ($1,100+/-). I had a pantry built in the extra space and it's much more useful than a larger frige! It must be a popular size (2' x 2' x 79") because several other manufacturers have started making similar sized units (except most aren't as tall). I even noticed that GE has one (shorter, though). It will hold more than you think because shelves and food can be arranged more efficiently and conveniently than in a regular frige. You can see a photo here or google "conserv refrigerator":
http://www.equatorappliance.com/products/ConServ_Refrigerator.asp
Also, you may want to consider a magnetic induction cooktop. If I ever save up enough to have the kitchen done the way I want, I'll get a two-burner cooktop and use the single burner countertop one that I have when I need more. The countertop one (110v) works great for everything I need but doesn't have the power of an "installed" cooktop (220v).
Good luck with the renovations. Please post photos of what you end up doing and let us know what appliances you choose.
Posted by: the_why at March 16, 2009 11:56 PM
You pick the model numbers. Find your lowest price and I promise I will beat their prices.
FREE ESTIMATES AND NO MONEY DOWN
Don Perrone
Perrone Maintenance & Construction
88 9th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215
http://www.PerroneMaintenance.com
1-800-761-7847
Posted by: Perrone at March 17, 2009 7:16 PM
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