# who makes the best appliances



## ugabulldog

I need all appliances (kitchen) for new home and want to stay w/ one brand. Looking for mid-grade as far as price (unfortunately no Bosch) so what are your opinions on the best major brands/and or lines? thanks in advance for advice.


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## Mike Swearingen

There will be some other replies, but for this type of information, I have always consulted Consumer Reports (I subscribe). They are, by far, the best overall source.
Mike


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## Kyle

My vote is for Whirlpool...


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## Sammy

I prefer GE... Good bang for the buck and their service is pretty good when needed.


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## End Grain

Mike Swearingen said:


> There will be some other replies, but for this type of information, I have always consulted Consumer Reports (I subscribe). They are, by far, the best overall source.
> Mike


Could NOT have made a better suggestion. :thumbsup: 

And, CR won't recommend the brand across the board. Each appliance will be evaluated, tested and rated on its own merits or shortfalls and it's not inconceivable to end up with four or five manufacturers' products in your home as a result. Over the years, I've come to realize that some manufacturers do dishwashers much better than they do stoves and some do refrigerators much better than they do washing machines, etc.


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## s0lidgr0und

Sammy said:


> I prefer GE... Good bang for the buck and their service is pretty good when needed.


I work for GE and we get discounts on all of their products. Most people at work won't touch GE appliances.

There's better out there.


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## LawnGuyLandSparky

Any appliance brand you get, stay away from the LCD displays and the electronic touch-pad controls. These are the "weak links" that cost a lot of money but do nothing to enhance the purpose for the product.


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## Sammy

Solidground,

What part of GE do ya work for?


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## mtm

Solid,

Thats too funny. My brother in law works for them also. He gets a huge discount on the appliances but still wont buy them for his house.


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## Irishking23

s0lidgr0und said:


> I work for GE and we get discounts on all of their products. Most people at work won't touch GE appliances.
> 
> There's better out there.


 
what? Soldier, state your full name, rank and serial number. :thumbup:


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## superiorbuilt4u

s0lidgr0und said:


> I work for GE and we get discounts on all of their products. Most people at work won't touch GE appliances.
> 
> There's better out there.


Stay away from GE . In the last year, the dishwasher has been repaired due to a recall, my refrigerator never worked right from day one, my GE microwave had a small fire because the protective coating on the clips failed, and just last night my GE washing machine has a hell off a loud noise coming from underneath the drum. 
STAY AWAY FROM GE APPLIANCES IS MY ADVICE


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## ugabulldog

thanks for all the help..... no G.E. Also, I have decided that I don't necessarily have to have the same name/line for all appliances. I also found a good appliance store, much better than the big box stores :thumbup:


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## Oldhouseowner

We bought a brand new condo some 5 and a half years ago and it was fully set up with Whirlpool appliances. Within the first year we had a dishwasher leak, recalled microwave, Pilot light malfunction on the stove and the dryer stopped working. In the same complex a unit down from us the washing machine didn't shut off the water and flooded the whole unit. Not sure my vote would be for Whirlpool but maybe we were unlucky.

The Fridge worked fine the whole year and a half we lived there!!!:laughing:

When we bought our house we went for GE washer and seperate dryer. Frigidaire Stove, OTR and fridge and an ASKO dishwasher. No problem for the last 4 years (Don't know what that means in terms of appliance life expectancy these days). 

Asko doesn't make much else than washers and dryers as fas as I know which is a shame because that seems like a damn good dishwasher.

Good luck - let us know what you're going for.


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## Irishking23

I would stay clear of a Whirlpool Duet front load clothes washer. we bought one a few years back from HH Greg and have had nothing but woes, smelly stench in laundered towels, terrible noise, service calls, major parts replacements and ongoing headaches. Under our maintenance/service agreement with HH GReg, we thought for sure that it would declare the Duet a 'lemon' and replace it with a new one. HH Greg wouldn't. Instead it spent hundreds of dollars servicing, tearing apart and rebuilding the original Whirlpool Duet.


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## Cancer Researcher

So I see that we should stay away from GE and whirlpool so far. What are your concensus on maytag and kenmore/


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## DepotDweller

Cancer Researcher said:


> So I see that we should stay away from GE and whirlpool so far. What are your concensus on maytag and kenmore/


 
I have to disagree. We moved into this house 13 years ago and are still using the existing GE refrigerator that was here when we moved in. The only reason I want a new one is because I've replaced the oven and dishwasher in black, and the fridge is cream. The oven is also a GE glass top which i love. I messed up buying a Kenmore dishwasher. It sucks big time.


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## Irishking23

You can have all of our black GE appliances starting with the black GE dishwasher. Ugh!!! It's a real bomb.


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## DepotDweller

Irishking23 said:


> You can have all of our black GE appliances starting with the black GE dishwasher. Ugh!!! It's a real bomb.


I'm to the point I'd rather wash them by hand........I don't know much about appliances except that this one has worked for over 13 yrs with only one problem, the ice maker dispenser on the freezer door needs adjusting now and then.


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## ugabulldog

well I ended up getting a Maytag dishwasher w/ stainless tub and frigidaire professional series slide-in range, micro, and fridge. better price and service thru an appliance store than big box. Thanks for all the replies.


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## nhart

*Maytag is the best imo*

I've had a Maytag Washer & Dryer for over 20 years. They both look good and work better. 

That said I don't know if China has bought Maytag since then or not. LOL


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## wrv369

According to 2008 Consumer Reports...(note: I just flipped through and looked at which brands were near the top of the ratings. Sometimes this also means the most expensive. I have no brand loyalty, just whatever seems like the best at the time I need one. Probably worth the $10 to buy the 2008 Consumer Reports Buying Guide.)

*Dishwashers*: Kenmore

*Dryers*: GE, Kenmore, Maytag

*Microwaves, Ranges*: GE, Kenmore

*Refrigerators*: GE, Kenmore, Whirlpool, Amana

*Washer*: GE, Kenmore, Whirlpool


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## nhart

I thought subscribing to Consumer Reports was a good idea also and did so just a few days ago. On several different products I've been looking to buy, the ones top rated by consumer reports seem to get very negative reviews online by people who purchased them. I'm disillusioned with CR.


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## nhart

I had a GE side by side refrigerator purchased new. Got rid of it 1 1/2 yrs later. The Ice Dispenser kept filling up with frost and ice causing no ice to drop through and when you open the door all the crushed ice dispensed fell out. I will never buy GE fridge again nor from the local appliance dealer who sold it and couldn't get it fixed.


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## ugabulldog

nhart, I have heard more than one member say that consumer reports in pretty worthless because most of the reviews are from people who just bought a brand new shiny appliance and report "loving it" before it has a chance to fail. On the same token, one bad review can ruin it for another. I researched several forums before buying and it seems like GE and whirlpool have the most trouble even though they are the highest rated. I really couln't find an semi-conclusive answer to my "who makes the best" question, so I kinda ruled out the brands I found with the most negativity and went with what I wanted as far as looks with the best price. Even if I have to fix, I paid less to begin with so I am already better off to begin with. Why pay more when there is no certainty you are getting more. P.S. I didn't have the $$ to consider Viking, Sub-Zero etc... Also, the reason I bought the Maytag dishwasher was because it looked the way I wanted and had a stainless steel tub and that is a good quality feature. I wish there was something concrete like this to look for in other appliances but I couldn't find anything.


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## girltech

It is very hard to say what is the best appliance brand to buy now.

The Sears brand Kenmore is made by all different manufactures.

Some are made by GE,Frigidaire,and Whirlpool.

Kenmore does not make anything that Sears sells it is just a name that sears put on all their appliances.The only way to tell who made is by the first three digit of the model number. eg. 110 is Whirlpool in washers and dryers. 

Maytag is now owned by Whirlpool.

The thing to consider when you buy your appliances are the features that you want and will use.

The more bells and whistle the higher the price and the higher the repair bill if they breakdown.

I don't thing there is any appliance out there now that doesn't have electronic controls.

Good luck on your appliance purchases.


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## troubleseeker

Cancer Researcher said:


> So I see that we should stay away from GE and whirlpool so far. What are your concensus on maytag and kenmore/


We put lots of GE Profile series stuff in and don't hear complaints from customers. If you are using the bottom end lines from anyone, you cannot expect much.

By the way, Kenmore (Sears) manufactures nothing, everything is just private labeled for them by someone else. Some of their products are GE, some Maytag, some White-Westinghouse, etc, all the way up through their Kenmore Elite and Kenmore Pro series which are Jennair, DCM or some other higher end appliance producer.


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## jmmv08

I prefer GE....


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## Big Bob

Interesting thread...

When I needed a new dishwasher, clothes washer & dryer, I got a divorce and married a new one....:jester:

PS wasn't cheap either.

their were other side benefits...


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## Winchester

I'm very pleased with our Frigidaire Professional Series dishwasher & dual fuel oven.

I rarely buy the extended warranty for anything but I did for our Kenmore Trio refrigerator. That model was new to the market and something told me to purchase it. The warranty was around $300 but we had to use it this past summer (just before the 3 year warranty was up...whew). Some defrosting unit was bad and they didn't have the part in stock. (Repair man said that the Kenmore was made by LG and they rarely have problems with them.) So he makes a second trip to install the part. Each trip consists of about an hour of his time. $186 for each visit with an $18 part that came right to my door.

The upsetting part was that when I called the warranty service, I told them of the code that was displayed on the door. They should have had an idea as to what was the problem and brought parts with them IMHO!!


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## handyman78

"By the way, Kenmore (Sears) manufactures nothing, everything is just private labeled for them by someone else."

I don't think Sears EVER manufactured any appliances. In my youth (35+ years ago) I think you could count on Kenmore being a Whirlpool product for most of the major appliances but that has since changed as the whole appliance market has. One thing I do enjoy about Sears is that they have outlet stores where you can buy appliances such as scratch & dents or discontinueds for significant savings over the original price. This has worked well for me for all my major kitchen appliances.


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## rjordan392

I have a "Amana" 21 cu. ft. refridgerator that is at least 10 years old and the only problem I had was with a momentary leak that was fixed by a serviceman. As another mentioned, I would check with Consumer Reports on which models have the least amount of service calls.
I think if you stay away from appliances that have "bells and whistles", ( led controls via touch button ) other then low cost items such as microwave ovens, you have a better chance of coming out ahead of those who do and have to put up with expensive service calls after warranty.
Appliance parts are way to expensive. One example is when I had to replace an oven temperature control knob on my GE gas range at a cost of $40.00. I would have had to pay more if I called for service. The knob was not broke, but the numbers wore off from cleaning it. The one size fits all replacement knobs at the local home centers did not fit my range.
In the old days, the numbers were stamped on and lasted until the appliance died. 
I don't know if you can find an appliance today with stamped on numbers on control knobs. Last time I checked, they were all painted on.


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## Robert131

Personally I like to look at consumer sites like Best Buy, or Amazon, or others where people will add their opinions on their purchases. Consumer Reports is just OK. We have an LG refrig that is great, but when I started researching LG dishwashers and ranges, I wasn't impressed by the consumer reviews. So I found one model of KitchenAid for the Dishwasher, and one Electrolux for the range. Takes a lot of searching, but consumer reviews are more valuable to me.


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## comp

yep I think you have to mix them


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## mtp_m

*not ge*

i work for ge placing service calls and i hear the same thing everyday "i've had my old appliance for 20yrs and had no problem and i only had this one for a year and this is broke..." give or take a year or two. as far as microwaves stay away from the spacemakers no matter what model they usually start out with a jvm165 or something close to that, stay away from fridges with ice makers no matter what grade even if its the top of the line (profile), stay away from self cleaning oven, stay away from dishwashers altogether if you dont have a problem washing it yourself, stay away from most new washers i get occasional calls about dryers, my suggestion is if you can find appliances made in the 90's or even better the 80's or even... you get my point by those. the only trouble with that is if you do happen to need service they will replace your old part with a new part. if you do buy a new appliance which usually just have a one year full warranty make sure and this is almost a must BUY THE SERVICE CONTRACT or else service could cost from $65 to $99 just for them to come to your home and in some cases you have to pay that plus the part and labor (from what i hear is anywhere from $60 to $150 and thats even if they are just there for 10min). DONT MAKE ME SAY I TOLD YOU SO. this is just my opinion based on my experience, i'm sure that there are a few exceptions, but when a person tells you that they just bought something last month and "i can't get it to start" or " i only use it to warm up my husbands coffee in the morning" or "its only a year old and i think the compressor is bad", all i'm saying is be aware and spend wisely.


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## MagicalHome

s0lidgr0und said:


> I work for GE and we get discounts on all of their products. Most people at work won't touch GE appliances.
> 
> There's better out there.


I agree. They used to be good, but IMHO, not anymore.

I prefer Whirpool and Samsung. Sony still the best for TV.


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## rocklock

*others...*

What about subzero, vulcan or wolf stoves, KITCHEN AID, VIKING Gas Range, BERTAZZONI RANGE.

These are just some names from Craig's list Seattle...


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## hyunelan2

I haven't read this whole thread, but here is my take on GE.

My last house was built with "builder-special" GE appliances. They were so-so. We also had a GE washer and dryer, standard run-of-the-mill stuff. I have no real complaints about any of it, but none of them were amazing. My washer did start making a clunking noise after about 5 years. I have had 2 Kenmore fridges that I also have no complaints about. 

When we moved and bought new appliances, we started with GE, though the "GE Profile" line of appliances. Their higher end stuff is a completely different category than the cheaper variety of appliances. I would recommend GE Profile, but probably also look at other things for lower-priced appliances. I like LG and currently have an LG washer and dryer. The appliances that came with this house were crap, however - Amana stove, Samsung Microwave, GE (from the Flintsones era) Fridge.

Finding a consensus on "Best brand" would be like asking what is the "best brand" of car and expecting to get a universal response.

By the way, all of the following are Whirlpool brands:


Whirlpool
Maytag
KitchenAid
Jenn-Air
Amana
Roper
Acros
Estate
Inglis
Bauknecht
Brastemp
Consul
Gladiator GarageWorks


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## kenmac

I wouldn't have a GE anything in my home:no:


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## MagicalHome

rocklock said:


> What about subzero, vulcan or wolf stoves, KITCHEN AID, VIKING Gas Range, BERTAZZONI RANGE.
> 
> These are just some names from Craig's list Seattle...


I also prefer Kitchen Aid. La Germania for stove.


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## househugger

The first post said, 'unfortunately no Bosch.' 
That's what we are considering for our kitchen makeover. Does anyone have anything to say about Bosch appliances -ref, range & DW?


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## Jacques

Bosch=overrated/overpriced. their d/w' are quiet though..there is nothing out there, at any price point, that's superior. best advice-buy what you like and has the features you want.. to the GE calltakers point; at any given time a manf may be having a problem with something ie;that Spacemaker m/o-it's fine now, Bosch had major control problems, etc. so that's what does or doesn't show up on Consumer Reports or complaint blogs. .as to the extended warranty; you have at least a year from manf. after that they dump all these contracts to third partys [TPA'S] who use lowest bidder. read the complaint blogs..better for your sanity to pay a good servicer if it breaks..


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## gurung57

In the same complex a unit down from us the washing machine didn't shut off the water and flooded the whole unit. it would declare the Duet a 'lemon' and replace it with a new one. so If you want to used or i advice you used black and Decker used.


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## gurung57

I have one web site to use for appliance. Each appliance will be evaluated, tested and rated on its own merits or shortfalls and it's not inconceivable to end up with four or five manufacturers' products in your home as a result.


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## moopey

About a year and a half ago my wife and I bought a house and needed appliances for the entire kitchen. We went to lowes and they had an awesome deal on Whirlpool Gold appliances. After sales, and rebates we got about $3600 in appliances for $2200. 

everything has worked great except for the dishwasher. even if we pre-rinse, the only thing that will be clean are the plates. silverware and cups always come out nasty wish crap stuck to them. its an energy star washer, so i don't know if that means it uses less water. but it a cycle runs for like 3 hours.


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## simplynatural

Add my vote to stay away from GE. Over the years I've been disappointed by GE radio,light bulbs, wall switches, gas stove and now microwave. The latest: GE microwave oven JVM1331BW002 died prematurely. Also had to replace the handle on it. These over the range built in microwaves cost a heck of a lot more than the counter top variety...so you'd expect some quality..but NOT from GE. The handle is a very flimsy 2 piece plastic shell that looks like it was designed to fail. Moreover it is almost impossible to repair..and the replacement costs $61.15....should be <= $2....outrageous. And GE made it very difficult for the DIYSelfer...they hid 1 screw under a black plastic perimeter seal...the clips, on which, break very easily when it is removed. Nevertheless I repaired the handle by inserting steel wool filled with cement (Durabond 90 compound from Sheetrock) into the handle cavity so that a longer, thicker screw, I used, could have something to hold onto. Also the microwave schematic indicates that the fuse will blow when one of the door interlocks fails to work in conjunction with another door safety interlock. I wonder whether this was designed this way for safety or just to make a bigger repair bill for the customer...especially since replacing any of those parts requires:taking the microwave off the wall and taking off the machine cover. Years ago, I also had Hotpoint (made by GE) appliances, most of which worked fine. But I remember now, that the electric stove lower oven heating element failed. It broke, while making a cake, and the electrical conducting core of it made contact with the oven floor. The element then conducted electricity to the oven and sparks jumped twice between the oven and storage compartment doors (like in the movies). I turned off the oven bake switch. The house GE 50 Amp circuit breaker failed to trip open. However the stove internal temperature safety switch, whose NC contacts are in the circuit, did open. After I replaced the baking element I discovered that the temperature safety switch was also destroyed. Its NC contacts are permanently open. I spoke to the GE consumer relations person about the simultaneous 
failure of 3 GE parts, two of them, safety parts. She refused to 
reimburse for the safety switch ( $54.34 with tax). She said the 
stove was out of warranty (true) and she would have to have a GE 
serviceman inspect the safety part, at my expense, before making any 
commitment. To me that's a black eye for GE and their service.


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## orbius

I stay quite frequently at extended stay type hotels which have various brands of appliances so I have had experience with a lot of different brands.
GE is by far the worst. Their fridges despite looking newish are noisy and twice I've been staying in a room with a GE fridge and the fan has given out and made a horrendous grinding sound. What are the odds of that happening several times on a short hotel stay? 
Whereas I've stayed in rooms with Whirlpool fridges that looked quite old but are always quiet and in good working order. Also I've used a small Whirlpool microwave that cooked better than a full sized GE I used. 
At home my folks had a GE microwave and it cooked horribly and gave out within 5 years. They replaced it with a Samsung which cooked well but also died within 5 years. They gave up and got a cheap model Kenmore with a 5 year warranty.
The GE oven they have *caught fire* on Christmas day one year. You could look though the place where heat escapes and literally see flames flickering inside the oven. The guy who serviced the oven knew exactly what was the problem and what to replace and said it was a 'design flaw' GE knew about. Great thanks for warning us after a fire GE, I wonder how many peoples houses burned down because of their incompetence. 

So I will never ever buy a GE appliance for obvious reasons. Whirlpool and their brands seems to be the best to me overall. Though if a Kenmore struck my fancy I would buy that also.


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## Sandra20

Bosch


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## simplyme

*My awful GE profile story.*

I bought a GE profile Artica stainless steel side by side refrigerator in 2006 that retailed somewhere around $2,000 at the time, and the mother board went out just after our warranty expired. Everything was dead and all food lost. We bought from Sears and had a heck of a time getting service for it. It took over 3 weeks just to get the stinking thing fixed. With four kids that is NOT fast enough for Sears service or for GE to get a good rating in my book. I got nosey and asked the service repair guy lots of questions since I HAD to be home in order for them to come over. (meaning more money down the drain and days off work) Anyway here I am nearly 4 years later and still upset to be dealing with my AWFUL GE appliance issue! The Sears service man that works on GE told me that the motherboards (the computer component) only lasts about 2-3 years. He told me I'd save money in the long run if I bought two now (at $160 each) an watched him install the first so I could do it myself next time! $400+ later I have the frige working again but it has now been a few years so I am waiting for it to go out again! Apparently the service man knew what was wrong immediately before even seeing my frige, but he couldnt bring the stinking part with him and had to order it which took another week. And then Another week to schedule the 2nd appointment to get it fixed. As far as I'm concerned, GE are ALL crooks! The service guy even told me that some GE friges set thier thermostat 7 degrees different from what the real temperature is so they can qualify to be energy star efficient!!! He told me to test mine by using a REAL thermometer rather than trusting what the frige said. I have zero trust in GE appliances and I'm sure if GE is getting away with this crap, other companies must be cutting corners the same way to make an extra buck too! I am from Iowa, US and I often wonder if I am the only one who still wants QUALITY over the looks of an appliance? so many people are throwing out thier perfectly working appliances to get Stainless steel/prettier ones. Little do they know, these are tricks of the trade to get you to buy newer and less efficient models so they can take your $$ and run with it......of course this is only My opinion though:whistling2:


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## simplyme

As for those who have had fire/safety issues, it is your right to contact consumer product safety commission. They WILL take this problem into thier hands and follow through with the defects that appliance companies are so eager to cover up and hide/dismiss as consumer error. Use them, they are WONDERFUL! I had a faulty coffee maker from Walmart that was used in recalling the line that caused a few kitchen fires. I am so glad to be a part of this wonderful consumer commission and wish there were more places that looked out for us like this does! You can find other recalls on this website too and should be your first place to look before you shop. 
http://www.cpsc.gov/


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## Jacques

I'm not a GE appolgist but to stop urban legends from expanding; the Sears guy is full of soup. the original brds did have a high failure rate but the replacements[updated software/hardware]are fine. no reason to keep a spare. a local servicer would have given you far superior service-part on the truck,eg..if the refrig is working correctly the temp-actual and display-will be the same..they[all manf] play with E ratings by not counting aux htrs, mis- naming the actual cu feet or rating them under un- realistic conditions. since they all got caught i believe that's been corrected..7* off is huge and not true. if the refrig was set for 39* and it was actually 46*=ugh or 32*=frozen food.. i've found in a large %, Factory and contract servicers,to avoid agita and you yelling at them, want to be your buddy so they'll tell you what you want to hear instead of what the actual truth is, thus deflecting your anger..he should have said, "look Lady, i feel your pain but after i repair it it should perform well". you'd still be cranky-at the poor service and cost of repair, but as it is now, everytime you look at that refrig you're aggravated and waiting for it to break. he did a disservice to Sears, as the retailer you relied on to sell you a good product and to GE, which you would have assumed, wouldn't sell you an up-dated brd that they knew would fail again.......To the other OP who replaced the GE with a Samsung-they're the same unit..and the oven catching fire [electric oven?] it can happen to any of them-read the posts..so here again is an example of a servicer taking a bad situation and making it worse.. if you stayed at a motel with older GE, or any brand, you would have seen the same thing. for years the appl were all basicaly the same technology all the bugs were out of them.. Having said all this i agree the new stuff may look better but lots of techie problems and flimisy material..


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## piggynuts

*i love GE*

so ive had 2 whirlpool washers and one GE. both whirlpools are made to fail, and did. GE washer has a more compact agitator, a smoother spin cycle, and a magnet to close the washer instead of a lid switch. and it cleans just as good. 

ive had 3 fridges over the years in different apartments. 2 whirlpools, one leaked... constantly. other one was good. i just bought a ge profile used, and it's a stainless steel beauty. it works, and works well. yummy ice, well designed and thought out space, i love it so much i decided to post a review about how awesome GE is, and how crappy whirlpool has been in my experience. seems like GE's are more solid and simply built.


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