# Any QUALITY appliances anymore?



## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

I'm thinking you did a poor job of research.....

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2011/04/which-appliances-are-still-american-made/index.htm



> Some quintessential American names like GE, Walmart, Oracle and Caterpillar have been adding more jobs abroad while shedding them in the U.S., according this report in today’s Wall Street Journal. But Consumer Reports has found at least a few U.S. and foreign manufacturers that are still building fridges, stoves, and other home appliances right here.
> 
> *Viking, Dacor, Thermador, Sub-Zero, and Wolf (which was acquired by Sub-Zero in 2000) are among the companies that produce most of their appliances in U.S. factories.* “We’ve just bought a 400,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Arizona,” Sub-Zero spokesman Paul Leuthe told Consumer Reports. “It’s a matter of keeping production here where our quality standards can be more closely monitored.”
> 
> While those brands also carry premium price tags, Whirlpool, Maytag (which is owned by Whirlpool) and GE are among the more-mainstream names that build appliances both stateside and overseas. And foreign-based manufacturers like Bosch and Electrolux also maintain factories in the U.S.


The reality is people want the most for the least. By the time you tack on high union based labor costs....most people don't want to pay the prices.

I remember many years ago "Made In Japan" meant cheap. Then it was Taiwan....now it's China....a few years from now it's going to be either India or Brazil.


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## jklingel (Dec 21, 2008)

ddawg16 said:


> I'm thinking you did a poor job of research.....


How so? I did not see any reference in your link to evaluations that we have not already looked at. CR, and others, don't rate many real well, regardless of the cost. There are a few, but most are Chitina. If you have links to unbiased reviews of GOOD appliances, pls post. For ex: Here is a top rated, $1400 refrig in Cons Reports. GE Profile PTS22LHS. Read the user reviews: Does anyone call 1.6 stars w/ eleven reviews good? I sure don't.


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## yuri (Nov 29, 2008)

Not sure what you can do. It really is not the country of origin/China but the engineering specs that GE or whoever they build it for gives them. If they spec it out thin and lightweight and cheap then that is what you get. Chinese are smart people and will build any quality you want if you pay for it.

People want cheap appliances as when they buy a new house and are maxed out on their credit they just want 5-6 appliances that do the job. All got started with the housing boom years ago and people using credit for everything

My Aunt works for Sears and gets employee discount and buys high end Bosch and has just as many problems. I buy Sears Kenmore whatever is on sale and hope for the best as sometimes they contract it out high grade and other times it is the who knows who builds it company according to the repair guys.


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## mnp13 (Jan 16, 2007)

Depends on what you consider "quality" and your price range.

My stove is just about 80 years old and out performs every residential stove I've ever seen. Sure, it has some flaws, but it's a workhorse, and I seriously doubt you'll find any stoves made now that will still be around in 2030, let alone 2080.

My little fridge is even older than my stove and runs like a top. And if I hadn't snapped off the temperature adjustment (my error, not a fault of the unit) it would still be in daily use.


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## concretemasonry (Oct 10, 2006)

If you want good appliances, just go to there and buy what is not controlled by the U.S. retailer, marketer or importer. All retailer sell appliances also make a high domestic quality and and a U.S. quality versions, the the U.S. versions are just cheaper to make. - Both India and China are many times larger.

India is different and does not want to export materials and products, although they export technology in the form of the technology that was bailed out by the huge buildings in Bangalore, with thousands of India software engineers before the 2000 crisis. It is just a different society and even the women toting bags of dirt for construction were14 to 24 k gold necklaces at all times because they buy good in clubs and the problems of buying land are great. I lost 2 doctors with 20 years experience in the U.S. when they went back to India to practice where they were trained.

Would anyone refuse to be treated for major illnesses with hospital equipment manufactured in China or India?

Dick


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

I'm not sure I want an electrical appliance to last 50 years. 

Case in point....fridges. 

The ones today use a lot less electricity than those from 15 years ago. 

With each generation of appliances comes enhancements. I like the enhancements. 

Btw....have a look at LG


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## mnp13 (Jan 16, 2007)

My 80+ year old fridge uses less energy than my modern one. However, it's also only 4 cubic feet, the freezer holds four ice trays, and it's far from "frost free."

The difference is modern vs. antique. You don't want an older modern appliance, but vintage appliances often out perform modern ones. But yes, in the case of electric appliances, that can vary. And most people don't want a four cubic foot refrigerator!


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## thefixer56 (Feb 23, 2014)

For washer and dryer I would recommend Speed Queen. High quality, made in the U.S.A., built to last, great warranty (5 years on cabinet and motor, 15 years on transmission (top loader), lifetime on stainless steel tub). They are a little pricey but well worth it. They make the only decent top loader left on the market. Great customer service.

Hardly a day goes by that I don't say "Hmm...must be made in China", in reference to yet another substandard part or device, and then I look..."yep, made in China, piece of junk". Even Speed Queen had trouble with timer's that they sourced from China. That has been taken care of. Whirlpool started sourcing drive motors for their direct drive washers (30 year workhorses) in some of the last ones they made and they turned out to be very problematic. Whirlpool's replacement to the direct drive machines that came out in 2010 are a total piece of junk. It's pathetic the way things are made today. I think they do it on purpose because it's usually more cost effective to just replace it than repair it so it's more profit for them. And the landfills just keep filling up with their junk.


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## Cattman (Sep 1, 2009)

*Bosch DW*

We purchase the Bosch high end dishwasher with the utinsel tray in hte top. You can't even tell it's running without looking at the red lite that shines on the floor in front of it. Best we've ever had. :thumbsup:


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## jklingel (Dec 21, 2008)

Thanks, all for the input, and I need to clarify something. I sometimes forget that I am talking to the world here, and not just Alaska. "Chitina" is a small town near where a large number of Alaskans go to dipnet king and red salmon; I forget, and use the term, or "Chit", in place of sh#t. People, naturally, assume it is a reference to China. My apologies to China; some of their stuff is good, and, yes, it probably often depends on the specs sent to them. Cheers. john


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## Bob Sanders (Nov 10, 2013)

thefixer56 said:


> For washer and dryer I would recommend Speed Queen. High quality, made in the U.S.A., built to last,


I dunno, man....

"American made" just isn't what it used to be. Picked up a Bosch dishwasher... incredible machine. Then to the other extreme, just bought high end GE profile range and although it looks nice, the build quality is not what you would expect for a high end machine. Even American made cars are struggling these days when compared to the imports.

What has become very noticeable to me is that imports better differentiate between cheap and high end. If you buy a cheap import... it's CHEAP in all aspects, but a high end import is pretty much high end from the bottom up.

The line on the other hand with American made products has become quite blurred between 'cheap' and 'high end'. A high end American product seems to be a bit shinier on the outside but is the same 'cheap' on the inside and on build.

I've lost a lot of faith in American made products over the last 10 years or so and I find myself buying American less and less. Nothing American can touch the bosch dishwasher we have now. Even the way it was packed and the extras it comes with, beats American made. This thing even came with its own supply line all hooked up. I remember installing the whirlpool 6 years ago (that this bosch is replacing). It cost a pretty penny and it was all stainless steal....I was shocked at how flimsy it was when it came out of the box. If it didn't go in perfectly level you could EASILY tork the casing enough so that the door wouldn't close properly... unbelievable.

We now have a Samsung side by side fridge.... love it. 

I have driven a GM for as long as I can remember, but we have maybe another 2 years of life left in our present GM.... sadly, I will be looking at the imports asI pass up on GM this time around.


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## jklingel (Dec 21, 2008)

Not to diverge too much, but SCREW GM. I've been running GM's since the 60's, and still have a GM truck. I will never guy another GM product. This last round of incompetence and criminal negligence has burned me out. I hope they go bankrupt again and the gov't does not bail them out (tell your Congress people to drop them like a bad habit!). Let a competent company fill the void.


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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

Bob and JK....

Hate to hear of your experience/opinion...

Unfortuneately, my experiece reflects the same.


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## Rango (Dec 13, 2013)

I swore off GM when my engine went out in Canada in a Jimmy 10 years ago. The motor was too small for the body. I went with a high end Samsung washer/dryer set and will never make that mistake again. The washer developed a problem and the main board is no longer made and it took about three months to find out. I got the run around from their parts outlet and learned that LG and Samsung are notorious for parts availability. 

From now on I'm buying near the bottom and considering the appliance disposable.


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## cj133 (May 16, 2011)

mnp13 said:


> My 80+ year old fridge uses less energy than my modern one. However, it's also only 4 cubic feet, the freezer holds four ice trays, and it's far from "frost free."
> 
> The difference is modern vs. antique. You don't want an older modern appliance, but vintage appliances often out perform modern ones. But yes, in the case of electric appliances, that can vary. And most people don't want a four cubic foot refrigerator!


It's a shame,
If you're 80 year old fridge was a Monitor Top it would still be in normal use.

:thumbsup:


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## mnp13 (Jan 16, 2007)

My 80 year old fridge IS a monitor top. A GE X-4 Globe Top to be exact.


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## cj133 (May 16, 2011)

mnp13 said:


> My 80 year old fridge IS a monitor top. A GE X-4 Globe Top to be exact.



That's technically a ball top as per GE information from the time.
I believe one of our member's has converted another type of temperature control to work with one btw.


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## mnp13 (Jan 16, 2007)

Yes, the compressor and motor were encased in a welded closed ball to make cleaning easier. All globe tops are monitor tops, but not all monitor tops are globe tops!


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## 1995droptopz (Sep 14, 2010)

Cattman said:


> We purchase the Bosch high end dishwasher with the utinsel tray in hte top. You can't even tell it's running without looking at the red lite that shines on the floor in front of it. Best we've ever had. :thumbsup:


Came here to post the same thing!


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## 123pugsy (Oct 6, 2012)

My Profile side by side fridge has broken down twice in five years.

Junk!


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## mnp13 (Jan 16, 2007)

My basic Whirlpool fridge is 12 1/2 years old and still running great. Sometimes a basic, no frills appliance is the best choice.


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## jschaben (Mar 31, 2010)

I have a Maytag range and refrigerator pushing 20 years old now.. I have had to replace a couple of icemakers in the fridge and igniters on the range and they are going strong. Just replaced a Kenmore (read whirlpool) washer that was about 15 years old and Kenmore dryer that must have been pushing 30 with a new Maytag he washer and dryer. Hoping they are as good.
I do strongly agree about the China bashing... The Chinese make items to order, if one orders junk, they will deliver junk... If you want to point a finger look no further than the brand name.. Those are the MBA's that pencil whipped the quality out in favor of profits in...:furious:


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## oldrivers (May 2, 2009)

Just to go off topic very slightly , I was thinking about this China VS American made debate a while back , China has very strict very harsh punishment where as America has just the opposite . you hear stories about the car that was being assembled Friday at 3pm or the ones assembled by disgruntled workers , im willing to bet that doesn't happen twice in China .


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## zappa (Nov 25, 2011)

I'm having emotional fits letting go of my 1982 GE washer and dryer. The outer tub that holds the water has rusted out and it's too far gone to mess with again. I soldered up about 5 holes back around 1995 and it hasn't given me any problems since. The set still looks and runs like new other than the leak in the washer.

Been spending a lot of time online looking at all of the makes, models, and reviews, but there are so many that my brain just shuts down and I give up in frustration. I also can't get over how high the prices have become.


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## jklingel (Dec 21, 2008)

we just bought a new kenmore freezer; as plain jane as we could get, hoping that minimizes the carp that can/will go wrong. one thing i did not notice at sears that i did when i put some jugs of water in it to freeze; the shelves bend like wet noodles. completely disgusting. i hope i can get some old ones that span these to help them out. no, i ain't a happy camper.


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

If your still looking for a washer and dryer, I have a set for sell....

Maytag....front loaders...was given to us by the inlaws....they used them for 12 years. Only thing wrong with the washer was the bearing in the tub. I replaced the tub...we have used them for 6 years....work perfect. 

I'll give you a good deal.

BTW.....a gallon of water weights a little over 8.3lbs....

How about posting some pics.....

(I'm betting you don't)


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## jklingel (Dec 21, 2008)

ddawg16 said:


> BTW.....a gallon of water weights a little over 8.3lbs.... •• Yes. And a 17 lb turkey weighs 17 lbs.
> 
> How about posting some pics..... •• Building a house. No time. "Trust me". Have I lied to anyone yet?:laughing:
> 
> (I'm betting you don't)•• How much?


 "I haven't got time for the pain" (Carly Simon, and I hope I spelled her name right.....)


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## 123pugsy (Oct 6, 2012)

oldrivers said:


> Just to go off topic very slightly , I was thinking about this China VS American made debate a while back , China has very strict very harsh punishment where as America has just the opposite . you hear stories about the car that was being assembled Friday at 3pm or the ones assembled by disgruntled workers , im willing to bet that doesn't happen twice in China .



I'll bet you're correct.

Happens a heck of a lot more than twice. :whistling2:


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## NitrNate (May 27, 2010)

i have pretty basic sears kenmore appliances and they have been great for the most part.

i think a lot of it is technology, computers, gadgets and all kinds of other mumbo jumbo that tends to fail, especially those dreaded front load washer/dryer combos. too much stuff to go wrong. IMO, simple is better and i'll take that over gadgetry and super high energy efficiency any day.


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