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Just for fun poll

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Comments

  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,592
    I believe companies are quite happy with making short lived junk, they sell far more that way and the general public is convinced new is always better and that it's ok.
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
    EBEBRATT-EdSolid_Fuel_Man
  • MikefromMn
    MikefromMn Member Posts: 9
    Bosch dishwasher for sure, can't even tell it's running - it's so quiet. Our Samsung fridge was crap - just gave up & threw it away. I will never will buy a Viking again, tons of issues with our range. Undersized wiring melting, undersized relays failing, temp on oven is off by 150 degrees, ignitors won't work, just an overpriced piece of crap.
    I used to think Whirlpool was the way to go - I don't think they're made as good as they used to be. Comparing side by side to an LG fridge - the Whirlpool looks cheaply built. I think we're going LG .
  • aperson
    aperson Member Posts: 66
    The only way for me to know what brand(s) of appliances I would buy would be for me to do research, cost comparisons, and availability checks. All of which are totally not fun. Thanks.
  • aperson
    aperson Member Posts: 66
    And, my chimney is in the middle of my house which seems right.
    Voyager
  • aperson
    aperson Member Posts: 66
    If I put all that cumbersome stuff aside. I guess I like very ergodynamic, highly efficient, maybe a little retro. In fashionable colors of course.
  • HomerJSmith
    HomerJSmith Member Posts: 2,426
    Why not go with Consumer Reports?
  • Voyager
    Voyager Member Posts: 393
    I have found their reliability ratings to be suspect as they are based on surveys rather than actual testing. They aren’t bad at features and functions that they can do in short-term tests, but they don’t generally do long-term tests on things other than paints and stains.
    mattmia2
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,592
    Voyager said:

    I have found their reliability ratings to be suspect as they are based on surveys rather than actual testing. They aren’t bad at features and functions that they can do in short-term tests, but they don’t generally do long-term tests on things other than paints and stains.

    The weird thing with that was, at least a few years back they always said BEHR was the best paint and yet I've never known a professional painter to agree.

    I've never understood that....
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
    Solid_Fuel_Man
  • Stuart Rogers
    Stuart Rogers Member Posts: 49
    Our Bosch dishwasher needed a new drain motor after about 12 years, and developed a leak after almost 15 years. I decided to buy new rather than put more money into it. But bought another Bosch and really love it. Almost silent, and the v-shaped third rack at the top for silverware is genius -- leaves so much more room in the bottom rack. We bought a Liebherr fridge 15 years ago; it needed a circulating fan replaced a couple of years ago, but otherwise works beautifully. We still remark on how amazingly long fresh fruit and veg keep in the crisper (lettuce stays fresh for 3 weeks or more). Can't recommend our Diva induction cooktop -- they no longer make them -- but I recommend induction to everyone. As responsive as gas, but far, far quicker and the most energy-efficient you can get. Easy to keep clean, nothing can ever get burned on. (You can put a tea towel over the whole surface under the pans if you're cooking something splattery, then just toss it in the laundry :smile: )
    Solid_Fuel_Man
  • aperson
    aperson Member Posts: 66
    edited April 2021
    Consumer's seems sold out. Maybe it is reliable for very general criteria. And can help identify what criteria to look for. I was researching chainsaws last winter and Consumer's website said the October issue had chainsaws as a topic. So I checked out the October issue at the library. I think it was October and it was the only issue that referenced chainsaws. All it said is October is a good time to buy chainsaws. If you need a chainsaw in January what is the point of that dumb advice. Also, I buy lot's of organic, it (October issue)had an article on pesticide residue on/ in produce. It said organic broccoli grown in the U.S. has a substantialy higher percent of pesticide residue than conventional grown in the U.S. That was it. Was it a miss print. I want to know how that could happen. It was not enough info for me to view it as credible and just enough to view as propaganda against organic.
    Voyager
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,455
    It's tough to know where to go to get any decent impartial reviews.

    I think most of them are paid off
    Voyager
  • Harbru
    Harbru Member Posts: 1
    Really, I didn't think so. Many reviews are original. Few people might pay for some of the reviews, but most are original.
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 23,170
    Harbru said:

    Really, I didn't think so. Many reviews are original. Few people might pay for some of the reviews, but most are original.

    I would agree that most reviews are original -- including Consumer Reports or almost anything on the internet. "Original", unfortunately, does not necessarily mean well informed or honest. That said, if there are enough of them and some feature consistently turns up as particularly good -- or obnoxious -- that's useful. One really has to do one's own research, particularly for a major purchase, and perhaps find out the experience of a few friends or acquaintances whom one can trust.
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
    Voyager
  • Voyager
    Voyager Member Posts: 393
    And even then it is a crapshoot as manufacturers change things so often now that by the time a Consumer Reports review comes out the models are no longer available. I still see country of origin as the main determinant. America or Japan is still top tier. Korea is a close second and Taiwan a fairly close third now. Chinesium is still 90% crap, but a few things are getting fairly good from them.
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 9,576
    I've found bad reviews of this part of the product keeps breaking or doesn't do what it should in my situation to be much more useful than good reviews
    Voyager
  • Solid_Fuel_Man
    Solid_Fuel_Man Member Posts: 2,646
    I think YouTube has the most honest reviews of things. You can tell when people are just giving their honest experience with a product and when its sponsorship. 

    My experience with appliances is that there are only 4 real brands. Bosch, GE, LG, and Whirlpool. Everyone else is owned by them as far as I know. I know there are some European and Japanese brands which are too end, but they are not mainstream here in the US so we can kind of discount them. 

    I have a 1996 refrigerator (Whirlpool), a 1987 top load washer (Maytag), a 2005 hand me down discwasher (Bosch), a 2008 gas range(GE), and a 2000 gas clothes dryer (Estate....Whirlpool no frills line). 

    I've replaced a couple of seals in the Maytag, it just keeps going. The fridge was a yard sale find, side by side with icemaker, all works well. The range was bought new, and I replaced the gas valve at 1 year under warranty. GE gave it to me at no cost, I put it in. I replaced the gas valve in the dryer about 5 years ago, bought it on the web for $60. 

    From working on/maintaining them I can tell you that most of the components are genetic Honeywell erc. 

    Always get the simplest, least amount of electronics and enjoy life. I've repaired several appliances for people, and the high end 3 mother board and 10 fan refrigerators are just parts hogs. My simple old unit just keeps working... same is true for most consumer products. 
    Serving Northern Maine HVAC & Controls. I burn wood, it smells good!
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 9,576

    My experience with appliances is that there are only 4 real brands. Bosch, GE, LG, and Whirlpool. Everyone else is owned by them as far as I know. I know there are some European and Japanese brands which are too end, but they are not mainstream here in the US so we can kind of discount them.

    There is also electrolux/frigidaire and samsung. I wouldn't recommend either.

  • pecmsg
    pecmsg Member Posts: 4,776
    bad bad picture but When we redid the kitchen in this 100 year young farm house I went back to a 1938 Chambers. 
  • Voyager
    Voyager Member Posts: 393
    mattmia2 said:

    My experience with appliances is that there are only 4 real brands. Bosch, GE, LG, and Whirlpool. Everyone else is owned by them as far as I know. I know there are some European and Japanese brands which are too end, but they are not mainstream here in the US so we can kind of discount them.

    There is also electrolux/frigidaire and samsung. I wouldn't recommend either.

    I second that. We had used Sears appliances for decades as their washers and dryers were generally Whirlpool and their other appliances were made by good manufacturers. This changed somewhere around 2000 as we bought Kenmore appliances for our new house and the kitchen appliances were still pretty good (the overhead microwave was the first to fail after 17 years), but the front load washer and dryer were Electrolux and were both junk. The washer had a drum bearing fail during warranty and they replaced the entire drum. This was after less than 5 years. It broke the suspension springs and then the drum bearing went out again and the tripod was corroding which was also another known issue. The dryer used nylon glides to support the drum and they wear through in about 3 years. I replaced them 6 times before giving up this year and getting a Speed Queen, which is the last American made product as far as I know.

    I had the washer drum tripod nickel plated locally and replaced the drum bearings and seals with good Japanese bearings (Nachi if memory serves) and that was 8 years ago and it is still running, but next time it dies I am buying another Speed Queen to match the dryer. I am pretty impressed with the Speed Queen dryer.

    We replaced our kitchen appliances in 2017 with all new GE appliances because my wife liked the new exterior finish they had. What a mistake. Two of the four appliances either came in broken (range igniter) or broke on the first use (overhead microwave). So, before the installer had left, two of the four appliances did not work. It took GE two weeks to get the parts in to fix the microwave (magnetron) and range (ceramic igniters). Then last year, a year after the two year warranty expired, the refrigerator stopped making ice. The tech thought it was the defrost heater as the freezer was iced up blocking airflow to the ice maker. However, replacing that didn’t help and it turned out to be the electronic control board had died. So, after $500 it was back in service. I absolutely would not recommend GE to anyone and, sadly, I can no longer recommend Kenmore. I will use Speed Queen for laundry, but honestly not sure what I would buy again for kitchen appliances. I think almost everything is made in China now in one of a few factories so it is pretty much all junk. I would probably favor Korean appliances over anything made in China.
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 9,576
    Whirlpool still has stuff that is made in mexico that seems ok, I think they still have a few US plants too. I have a bosch dishwasher that is now 22 years old. i had some early problems with solder joints to the heater relay before swapping it with a relay with heavier contacts and I have replaced the inlet valve twice.
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,455
    @Solid_Fuel_Man said:

    Always get the simplest, least amount of electronics and enjoy life. I've repaired several appliances for people, and the high end 3 mother board and 10 fan refrigerators are just parts hogs. My simple old unit just keeps working... same is true for most consumer products.

    This is the secret. The more electronics and unneeded cycles the equipment has the more that can go wrong.

    My peeve is the 8-10 year old stuff taht the parts are no longer available. Parts should be made available for 20 years
    VoyagerSolid_Fuel_Man
  • The top of the line Miele dishwasher is WiFi enabled, but we opted for the next model down that opens the door automatically at the end of the cycle to help dry the dishes. It was expensive, but flawless over the last 7 years. You have to have it installed by their factory trained installers, otherwise they don't provide a warranty.

    I think I've always had GE ranges. The last one we got was the Cafe series which has a whopping 21,000 BTU tri-ring burner; handy for when we use our Wok. And the oven comes with a plug-in meat probe so you can monitor internal temperatures on the control.
    8.33 lbs./gal. x 60 min./hr. x 20°ΔT = 10,000 BTU's/hour

    Two btu per sq ft for degree difference for a slab
  • JakeCK
    JakeCK Member Posts: 1,356
    edited November 2021
    I had a small Frigidaire all in one combo washer and dryer that came with the house. It died with in 3 years. Transmission in the washer. POS. I ended up moving it back down to the basement where the washer and dryer used to be and bought a used ge washer from some used appliance dealer, and used the dryer on the combo. Then the wife got tired of her short @ $$ having to stand on her tippy toes to get into it because the the concrete pad is 6"+ tall. It found its way to a scrap heap and we got a used ge dryer off craigslist cheap(is that still a thing?) The blower on that kept breaking after about a year, so that found its way into a pile and we bought a shiney new whirlpool gas dryer, that was almost 5 years ago. No problems yet. Wife hated the ge washer for some reason even though it was a beast so we got a shiney new samsung she loves because it has a 'cute' jingle when it finishes and its all fancy and stuff. It's still under warranty, I'll let ya'll know how long that lasts...

    For the kitchen Frigidaire dish washer, tappan electric stove, Frigidaire over range micro all still kicking for at least a decade and a half. Kenmore fridge was replaced with a Frigidaire side by side about 4 years ago, and moved to the basement. It straight up died and spoiled a bunch of frozen food about 2 months ago. It was from 2002. Only other thing to fail since I've owned the house was the garbage disposal. rusted through. Microwave I think is on borrowed time.


  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 9,576
    Bet the whirlpool fridge just needs a new defrost timer.
    PC7060
  • JakeCK
    JakeCK Member Posts: 1,356
    edited November 2021
    mattmia2 said:
    Bet the whirlpool fridge just needs a new defrost timer.
    Are you talking about the fridge of mine that died? Even if it was a simple fix, the smell of the 2 frozen turkeys and a bunch of chicken that went a couple weeks defrosting wasn't coming out. We pulled that thing out of the basement full so i could clean it out in the driveway The neighbor two houses down smelled it. As well as every raccoon and fly in a 10 mile radius. Come n' get it! lol
  • PC7060
    PC7060 Member Posts: 1,155
    edited November 2021
    mattmia2 said:
    Bet the whirlpool fridge just needs a new defrost timer.
    My guess is the Whirlpool Refrigerator Defrost Bi-Metal Thermostat isn’t closing properly to allow the defrost cycle.  
    About 12 years ago my freezer in the side by side started freezing up at the coil.  I bought the timer and the thermostat listed above. Problem turned out to be the bimetal thermostat. 
    Last year it started again, fortunately I remembered I still had the spare timer so we ordered and picked just the bi-metal thermostat from local Tribles. They were good enough to email a link to the YouTube video on installation.  
    I was out of town so my wife picked up the parts and she and my son repaired it. They thought it was a very simple operation.

    https://youtu.be/-HHfw9BNKOQ

    That part works on several different refrigerators manufactured by whirlpool including Amana. Still have the spare timer for 12 years ago!