New appliance bundles

[bucketmouth64]

Moving into a house that we will need to replace kitchen appliances eventually. We talked to Sears and guy was telling us Kenmore puts their name on all manufacturers. No one company makes all good appliances so with Kenmore we could get appliances that each specializes in so we could get the "best" and have one brand for all. Seems like we would pay more than if we went with another brand like GE, Maytag, etc. Looking for information what brands to stick with in a bundle, or would the Kenmore route be best. 

[brian6715]

I have been in your exact shoes and we ended up purchasing at Lowes and getting Samsung appliances (not sure I would recommend them, though). Anyway, I can't really speak to Kenmore or other brands, but being I have experience pricing appliances from many different stores I think you NEED to look at the black friday ads for appliances, there seemed to be some really really good prices on things for this year. If you haven't got the black Friday ads yet, they are readily available on the internet by just googling "black friday adscans."

It may be sooner than you want to buy, but you could save yourself a ton of money! 

One more thing, we got an electric convection oven, and I will never go back to a gas oven again. It is just awesome. The glass top isn't as hard to keep clean as some people may say. Good luck! 

[delcecchi]

Moving into a house that we will need to replace kitchen appliances eventually. We talked to Sears and guy was telling us Kenmore puts their name on all manufacturers. No one company makes all good appliances so with Kenmore we could get appliances that each specializes in so we could get the "best" and have one brand for all. Seems like we would pay more than if we went with another brand like GE, Maytag, etc. Looking for information what brands to stick with in a bundle, or would the Kenmore route be best. 

I think that what he said is mostly hot air.  Kenmore sells decent stuff, at least some of the time.  But when the time comes, do your research and also check your local appliance place.

Or there are some close out and scratch and dent places that can have some good buys. One such chain is ApplianceSmart. 

[cavalierowner]

Here is a link to who makes what in appliances http://www.appliance411.com/purchase/make.shtml 

FWIW, when I had service done a couple months ago on a washing machine, I got to talking to the service guy about what I perceive to be marginal quality from all manufacturers. He said that it was his opinion that since manufacturers started filling up appliances with all kinds of electronic bells and whistles, things just don't last like they used to; and it's mostly the electronics that go bad. I tend to agree with his observation. He strongly recommends purchasing the extended warranty on any somewhat expensive appliance. 

[Tom7227]

Seems as if this should lead folks to buy the more basic models.  How many bells and whistles do you need?  When we outfitted the kitchen 4 years ago what I learned was that trying to find the optimal price takes a lot of time.  What it really boiled down to for us was the quality of the info/expertise of the sales person as a major factor.  We finally found a place that would match anyone's price and were able to get the three things we were buying from one dealer.  Worked out well.  It was at Karls in North Branch.

[bucketmouth64]

Thanks for the information. It's all helpful. We are leaning towards a convection oven and a smooth top cooking surface. We want french door with pull out freezer with drinking water dispenser. I've read reviews and it seems like all brands have bad reviews on certain products. We've also thought about extended warranties. Would like to stick with American made product, even though nothing these days isn't 100% American made.  When we're in the twin cities we'll have to look at places like an appliance smart and scratch/dent places. 

[delcecchi]

Most ranges these days are smooth top and convection except for the bottom of the product lines.  (we just bought one).    It isn't labeled with country of mfg anywhere obvious, like the sticker with the serial and model number. 

When reading reviews, take with a grain of salt and also look at the date.  For example, Kitchen Aid dishwashers had a problem with some sort of plastic part.  Got them many bad reviews.  They redesigned the rack and fixed the problem.   A good appliance store will know about all this stuff. 

[h8go4s]

We remodeled 3-4 years ago and got all Whirlpool appliances. Range, refrigerator-freezer, dishwasher and microwave. We're very happy with them. Got the whole package from Home Depot, delivery, removal and installation.

[Cicada]

There is a difference between what costs less and what is a better value for your dollar.

With all the comments about the lack of reliability, would you buy from someone that has no repair service to offer?  What does "the best price" mean?  Spend less money on the machine, but get zapped when it comes to service?  Our local Sears has no service department.  When an appliance (even a refrigerator) goes down, they contract their service regionally.  That means they will get to you in three or four weeks.  We are no longer working on Kenmore products.  Once Sears puts their name on an appliance, Sears accepts all responsibility of technical support for that product.  Even though a Kenmore with a model number beginning with 110 (Whirlpool), 336 (Electrolux), or 911 (GE, which we think is funny) those manufacturers will not give you any help with "Sear's" products.  

Instead, look for the best value for your dollar.  That could mean the service department to help you if you have an issue, closer support between you and the manufacturer in the case of manufacturer rebates or recall notices, and maybe, most importantly, knowledgeable staff that not only knows what questions to ask you to find the appliances that fit your needs, but can also make recommendations on things like how much soap to use in your area in a dishwasher or washing machine so you don't damage it through misuse and help extend the already short life of that product.  Unless you are looking at stainless steel, most people will look far appliances that have the features they want in each appliance.  Go in with a laundry list of features you want in each and be prepared for some trade-offs.  There are many grades of stainless and you can get a different look from each manufacturer, so if you want stainless, you may be married to one company.

Here in Detroit Lakes, our normal delivery range is 15 miles and normal service range is 20 miles.  Your local store may very well do the same.  This allows them to take better care of YOU after the sale by not spreading themselves too thin.

[bucketmouth64]

Cicada, great information! My wife and I are rethinking what and where we buy. 

[Tom7227]

While shopping we learned that there are two types of convection ovens.  I honestly don't remember what the difference is but you should be aware and check it out.  I also sort of remember that the convection thing cost a decent amount of money.  I do know what my wife demanded one and we have used it twice in 3-4 years and I can't say that there was any noticeable difference in cooking time.  I wouldn't spend the money on it again if the need arose.

[rundrave]

i have a gas oven (propane) with convection that we bought 5 yrs ago. I would say that the convection does make a difference as the cook time is less with things like pizza etc. nothing significant but you can tell the fan circulates the air when it comes on and gives a nice even cook.

say cook time at 425 for 15 minutes, would be 11 minutes instead with the convection. I understand others results may vary but that's my experience with the convection.

[delcecchi]

While shopping we learned that there are two types of convection ovens.  I honestly don't remember what the difference is but you should be aware and check it out.  I also sort of remember that the convection thing cost a decent amount of money.  I do know what my wife demanded one and we have used it twice in 3-4 years and I can't say that there was any noticeable difference in cooking time.  I wouldn't spend the money on it again if the need arose.

One significant advantage of convection is that things bake much more evenly, so if baking cookies for example, you can put a couple sheets in and you don't have to switch and rotate to get them to bake evenly. 

I don't know that knocking half an hour off the roasting time for a turkey is a big deal to me. 

[cavalierowner]

While shopping we learned that there are two types of convection ovens.  I honestly don't remember what the difference is but you should be aware and check it out.  I also sort of remember that the convection thing cost a decent amount of money.  I do know what my wife demanded one and we have used it twice in 3-4 years and I can't say that there was any noticeable difference in cooking time.  I wouldn't spend the money on it again if the need arose.

About 15 years ago when I remodeled our kitchen, my wife HAD to have a double convection wall oven (electric). That sucker cost something like $3,200; it was a KitchenAid, made by Whirlpool. Twice we put a new mother board in it, the first time under warranty, the next time on our dime. When it went bad the third time at 12 years old, I took it out and put in a conventional double wall oven. The only real difference I see is that the convection oven did a better job of evenly cooking food when there was more than one thing in the oven. 

I had a similar experience with my clothes washer, range hood and dishwasher; all about the same lifespan. I'm done with all the high-priced, bells and whistles appliances. I now buy the basic stuff and consider it disposeable.