141–150 of 191 posts
We have a Whirlpool and it seems to have started having issues within 3 years.
However I bought LG appliances (Fridge/Washer/Dryer/Dishwasher) that have been in service since 2018 (6 yrs) even as a rental home.
I regret buying anything Whirlpool, they're ROYAL crap! All my appliances have failed to some extent within/before their upcoming 3 yrs mark (MAR/2024).
I mean that it seems if I bought an LG 30" Range Model ABC in NYC and you bought one in LA, your model is ABC-D.
Manufacturers seem to be constantly changing parts, models, BOMs.
Is this because of just in time production? Different parts at difficult times means different variations?
It makes it IMPOSSIBLE to know which you'll get and which one is being reviewed online.
Our 20 year old fridge gave up the ghost. First thing I did was get a month of Consumer Reports and read through their Fridge section. Something I noticed, same with Vacuums ... there is no clear winner. They gave top scores to LG fridges people vehemently disliked in the comments. Almost everything got low scores in owner satisfaction. Their #2 pick had an owner satisfaction of 1/5! We decided to get a $700 Whirlpoo…
I'm not sure what to make of Consumer Reports. The last time or to I used them, their conclusions seemed at odds with popular opinion.
Rtings is expanding pretty rapidly to things not screens, and they bring a much more scientific and modern approach to consumer device testing.
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Nobody seems to make a good toaster at all anymore.
Partially because the "home toaster" is simply not used in commercial settings; they use a toaster over or one of those things that looks like a miniature pizza oven: https://www.webstaurantstore.com/14603/commercial-conveyor-t... - the only place is at a buffet or similar in a hotel. But I bet that $500 toaster would last awhile. Would it last long enough to justify the price compared to whatever Walmart has?
The thing is, though, that just a few decades ago even inexpensive consumer toasters were able to make decent toast. That no longer being the case is just weird and sad to me, and emblematic of a larger systemic problem.
It's not just fridges. Most appliances (most things in general?) I've seen at any price point are fairly awful. I've taken to, when at all possible, buying machines that are older (20 years or more) because those tend to work well, can be reasonably repaired, and lack those crazy undesirable features that seem to be implemented instead of implementing quality.
Is it even realistic for a company to sell $1000 appliances that last 20 years? I know we can build such an appliance, because they did in the 80s, but can a public company survive selling them?
I don't think I could bring myself to buy an expensive or "luxury" appliance. I've had the same white 2-door fridge for 5 years and it's probably 15 years old at this point. Never once had an issue with it, not even a burnt-out light bulb. If you want reliability, buy appliances like you're a landlord.
Heh. Our house came with a fancy IoT piezoshit dishwasher that had three pumps in it; one died within a year, the second died a year later, and after $800 spent fixing it we were quoted another $800 to fix the control panel on top of the door once it got steamed to death. I replaced it with the cheapest washer Lowe's had for $425 and it's been painless for years. It's what a landlord would have done. Tech for domesti…
I think tech for domestic life has clearly regressed since the 1970s.
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It's hard to cook when you're not in the kitchen, so it's not surprising that an excellent oven like JennAir skimps on what is at best a marginally useful marketing ploy.
There are two separate "remote start" philosophies - one is "put item in oven before leaving, remotely turn on at X time, done when home" which is pretty clearly what the JennAir is aiming towards. The other is "I want to preheat the oven" which is what the other leans towards. Both honestly skeeve me out; I wouldn't want to use it unless I had remote cameras and could confirm the oven was empty/only had what I wante…
Almost all ovens have been able to do that since at least the '60s. You don't turn on the oven remotely, you set a clock that tells the oven when to turn on.
It's not just fridges. Most appliances (most things in general?) I've seen at any price point are fairly awful. I've taken to, when at all possible, buying machines that are older (20 years or more) because those tend to work well, can be reasonably repaired, and lack those crazy undesirable features that seem to be implemented instead of implementing quality.
I remember a guys essay about buying a new toaster. Turned out all the toasters he looked at had the exact same commodity mechanism. $15 toaster, $80 toaster they're the same inside.
If it were up to me any appliance that's under 10 years old that gets dropped off at the dump would be shipped to the manufacturer at their expense to dispose of. Bonus the dump charges them a handling fee.