Which kitchen appliances actually last?
Discussion
LeadFarmer said:
Ive scrapped the idea that the big branded appliances are better quality. They certainly used to be, but I don't think they are anymore. People who say 'my Bosch washing machine is 15yrs old', simply means that 15yrs ago Bosch made a good washing machine, but it doesn't mean they do nowadays.
All my appliances used to be Bosch, but recently they have all started to fail at about 7yrs old. It can be uneconomical to get them repaired, even a £50 part will mean a £100 bill with labour, and it may fail again. With new appliances costing under £200 it make sense to replace. But that means we continue to be a throw away society.
Ive gradually replaced them with the cheapest I can find, with brands like Beko etc. My Beko washing machine was £200, if it only lasts two years then its about as economical as its £600 Bosch predecessor.
Thats exactly the thinking we had when purchasing appliances. My parents always bought Neff or Miele and Neff and Miele of the 90's was worth the extra money. Much the same as with cars.All my appliances used to be Bosch, but recently they have all started to fail at about 7yrs old. It can be uneconomical to get them repaired, even a £50 part will mean a £100 bill with labour, and it may fail again. With new appliances costing under £200 it make sense to replace. But that means we continue to be a throw away society.
Ive gradually replaced them with the cheapest I can find, with brands like Beko etc. My Beko washing machine was £200, if it only lasts two years then its about as economical as its £600 Bosch predecessor.
Edited by LeadFarmer on Sunday 5th May 21:41
Unfortunately we live in a throwaway society so we went with budget brands for most things. Indesit oven (Not too complicated and feels reasonable quality) Whirlpool microwave, Hotpoint dishwasher and a Bosch cooktop.
All come with a 3 year warranty and came in at just under 600 quid for the lot. If they last their warranty period thats 200 quid a year for kitchen appliances. If they last anything over that then its a bonus.
It all looks pretty decent. Seems to work well for now (Except the Bosch cooktop which is an utter PITA)
We did go for a decent fridge though LG with the door in door thing and a plumbed in ice maker. That comes with 7 years warranty although I would expect a fridge to last closer to 20 years.
Cheap and cheerful is the way forward for several reasons
1 - the initial price is cheap
2 - if they fail and you replace it will likely be cheaper than a first expensive purchase
3 - the new appliance that you replace it with are generally more efficient, so will save you money
If you look at the tech of a 25 year old dryer, you will be spending a fortune running it, a brand new 200 job will be cheaper to run
It's the hidden cost of appliances, much like depreciation on cars, people just dont consider it.
For this reason companies like Beko are the way forward. For the record Meile after sales service is appalling, limited repair network and largely franchise engineers.
Companies like hotpoint and beko have employed engineers and genuine spares. Also they offer fixed price repairs.
Quick reference for the energy saving statement - have a read, you may be surprised.
https://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/blog/dryer-co...
1 - the initial price is cheap
2 - if they fail and you replace it will likely be cheaper than a first expensive purchase
3 - the new appliance that you replace it with are generally more efficient, so will save you money
If you look at the tech of a 25 year old dryer, you will be spending a fortune running it, a brand new 200 job will be cheaper to run
It's the hidden cost of appliances, much like depreciation on cars, people just dont consider it.
For this reason companies like Beko are the way forward. For the record Meile after sales service is appalling, limited repair network and largely franchise engineers.
Companies like hotpoint and beko have employed engineers and genuine spares. Also they offer fixed price repairs.
Quick reference for the energy saving statement - have a read, you may be surprised.
https://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/blog/dryer-co...
Edited by Swampy1982 on Monday 6th May 08:58
Swampy1982 said:
Cheap and cheerful is the way forward for several reasons
1 - the initial price is cheap
2 - if they fail and you replace it will likely be cheaper than a first expensive purchase
3 - the new appliance that you replace it with are generally more efficient, so will save you money
If you look at the tech of a 25 year old dryer, you will be spending a fortune running it, a brand new 200 job will be cheaper to run
It's the hidden cost of appliances, much like depreciation on cars, people just dont consider it.
For this reason companies like Beko are the way forward. For the record Meile after sales service is appalling, limited repair network and largely franchise engineers.
Companies like hotpoint and beko have employed engineers and genuine spares. Also they offer fixed price repairs.
Quick reference for the energy saving statement - have a read, you may be surprised.
https://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/blog/dryer-co...
I’m inclined to agree. It’s an industry that has worked hard a well to remove the easy ability to repair and I think the concept of buying the cheapest product with the longest guarantee is a sensible approach. 1 - the initial price is cheap
2 - if they fail and you replace it will likely be cheaper than a first expensive purchase
3 - the new appliance that you replace it with are generally more efficient, so will save you money
If you look at the tech of a 25 year old dryer, you will be spending a fortune running it, a brand new 200 job will be cheaper to run
It's the hidden cost of appliances, much like depreciation on cars, people just dont consider it.
For this reason companies like Beko are the way forward. For the record Meile after sales service is appalling, limited repair network and largely franchise engineers.
Companies like hotpoint and beko have employed engineers and genuine spares. Also they offer fixed price repairs.
Quick reference for the energy saving statement - have a read, you may be surprised.
https://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/blog/dryer-co...
Edited by Swampy1982 on Monday 6th May 08:58
We have a 30 year old Aga with a companion electric oven. I’ve had a few niggles with the gas Aga over the years but it’s never been anything that I’ve not been able to buy a replacement part for and fix myself. That keeps me happy.
We don’t have a microwave or any fancy gadgets. My view on fancy gadgets is that they lock you in to a lifetime of ongoing rollover costs. The fanciest thing is a Delonghi kettle.
We have a Hotpoint dishwasher that is 15-20 years old and investing in keeping it properly clean seems to be the key to eeking our it’s life.
The fridge/freezer is a stupid American thing that was inherited so owes nothing but I do find myself looking forward to the day it dies.
The one consumable that I can do nothing about is washing machines. This is because my wife is a leading authority on washing and always completely overloads them and then whinges that they become very noisy and then need replacing. Replacing the washing machine every 5 years is cheaper than replacing the operator.
But generally I think preventative care will extend the life of even the cheapest appliance considerably.
Another vote for Miele stuff. It's not cheap but neither is it shockingly expensive and they do seem to be both reliable and built to be serviceable.
I also agree with the above though, that the cheapest solution is often to buy cheaply and just replace the whole unit when it breaks. Not a very environmentally friendly approach though.
I also agree with the above though, that the cheapest solution is often to buy cheaply and just replace the whole unit when it breaks. Not a very environmentally friendly approach though.
Alucidnation said:
talksthetorque said:
Tumble driers are for fools. A clothes airer ( £12.99 from Home Bargains) dries a full wash in 24 hours for free.
Where do you position the airer?Anyone drying a full wash on a clothes airer in the house on a regular basis without additional dehumidifier/forced air ventilation is asking for a damp problem.
If it's outside, how do you get clothes dry in the middle of winter?
We have a mix of stuff -
Meile washing machine - came with 10 year guarantee and still ok 13 years on.
ISE Tumble Dryer - came with 10 year guarantee. ISE went bust in 2014. Fortunately machine still ok - 12 years old.
Beko frost free fridge freezer. Survived 1 house move. Still working fine - 15 years old.
Cooker/oven - Parkinson Cowan old style gas with high level grill. Came with the house. Must have been 15-20 years old when we moved in, so now must be at least 30 years old. Apart from the numbers on the dials almost being worn off and the oven runs slightly hotter than indicated, still working. Also can't beat the old style high level grill for toasting stuff, making cheese on toast etc..
..of course now I've mentioned the above, everything is going to break down this month!!
We moved into a 12 year old house that had Zanussi goods in the kitchen from the original build - Fridge/Freezer, cooker, hob & dishwasher.
Cooker went the week we moved in (was probably duff already), the dishwasher about a year after, although could probably have been repaired and then the FF went a few weeks ago - so they appeared to last around 12 years or so.
We replaced them all with newer Zanussi models.
We also have a Meile washing machine - now 15 years old. Never missed a beat, despite been badly balanced for its first 5 years and moved locations three times, incl to this home.
Cooker went the week we moved in (was probably duff already), the dishwasher about a year after, although could probably have been repaired and then the FF went a few weeks ago - so they appeared to last around 12 years or so.
We replaced them all with newer Zanussi models.
We also have a Meile washing machine - now 15 years old. Never missed a beat, despite been badly balanced for its first 5 years and moved locations three times, incl to this home.
The IKEA appliances also might be worth considering seem to come with a five year warranty and are cheap enough.
https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/kitchen-produc...
https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/kitchen-produc...
kambites said:
Another vote for Miele stuff. It's not cheap but neither is it shockingly expensive and they do seem to be both reliable and built to be serviceable.
Only by their own engineers, and using extremely expensive parts. Miele don't release any technical information to independent repairers and actively restrict the development of pattern parts. For any of the computerised control components they will only supply them unprogrammed requiring Miele engineer with Miele kit to put them into service.Of course, all of the above would matter little if they rarely broke down but from what I can gather it seems they're quite as good as they used to be in this regard.
Whenever these 'which should I buy?' discussions come above it seems that with white goods in particular they never reach anything remotely conclusive. I think in this thread alone we've covered most makes with some saying how good theirs has been and others saying the opposite! A complete minefield!
DonkeyApple said:
We don’t have a microwave or any fancy gadgets. My view on fancy gadgets is that they lock you in to a lifetime of ongoing rollover costs.
I guesss if you're used to an Aga then everything happens at a different pace, but I can't imagine not being able to give things (whatever they are) a quick blast as needed. As said earlier though, the last couple we've had have been so unreliable I''m glad we kept our old slightly tatty one in the garage so it can be immediately pressed into service when required.DonkeyApple said:
The fridge/freezer is a stupid American thing that was inherited so owes nothing but I do find myself looking forward to the day it dies.
We've got a 'proper' old fashioned side-by-side American one, by Maytag. My wife loves it and would kill me if it went away. The narrowness of the freezer can be a bit of an issue but you can put long things vertically - if they're already frozen! When it dies we'll get one with full width freezer drawers.frisbee said:
Any appliance you hate and want to replace when it breaks will last for ever.
Any appliance you love will break the next day.
For once it happened the other way for me. The previous owner left me a fridge freezer, which I started to hate due to missing storage bins, and being noisy, so already had decided to replace it later in the year once I had sorted out more important things needed doing at my new place. I died last week, just after I had filled it after a Costco shop, and guests about to stay with me - great timing. I've ordered a Liebherr unit as they make Miele units, and the same unit with the different badge is much cheaper (as I found on here when doing research on what brands to look at).Any appliance you love will break the next day.
The fridge I replaced is a failed overpriced Kitchen companies own brand (online I see a load of complaints about them going back years) - even though some of the stuff is German made, the oven and dishwasher is both rubbish, and also on the hit list to get replaced, and I probably go with Miele, buy once, cry once (fingers crossed). My parents and friends units all have been very reliable and going on 10-20 years.
I've pretty much all Miele stuff in both my houses and it's pretty reliable. I have nothing less than seven years old and quite a lot is ten or eleven. I've had to replace the odd bit but no breakdowns.
My last house I bought with a Poggenpohl kitchen with Gaggenau appliances (and a Miele washing machine). They were five years old when I moved in and had never broken down (bar the dishwasher which required a new logic board) and were going strong when I moved out 22 years later.
I wish Gaggenau built cars...
My last house I bought with a Poggenpohl kitchen with Gaggenau appliances (and a Miele washing machine). They were five years old when I moved in and had never broken down (bar the dishwasher which required a new logic board) and were going strong when I moved out 22 years later.
I wish Gaggenau built cars...
Sheepshanks said:
DonkeyApple said:
We don’t have a microwave or any fancy gadgets. My view on fancy gadgets is that they lock you in to a lifetime of ongoing rollover costs.
I guesss if you're used to an Aga then everything happens at a different pace, but I can't imagine not being able to give things (whatever they are) a quick blast as needed. As said earlier though, the last couple we've had have been so unreliable I''m glad we kept our old slightly tatty one in the garage so it can be immediately pressed into service when required.DonkeyApple said:
The fridge/freezer is a stupid American thing that was inherited so owes nothing but I do find myself looking forward to the day it dies.
We've got a 'proper' old fashioned side-by-side American one, by Maytag. My wife loves it and would kill me if it went away. The narrowness of the freezer can be a bit of an issue but you can put long things vertically - if they're already frozen! When it dies we'll get one with full width freezer drawers.The thing we have is a Maytag. I find the freezer size useless, all the fancy bits in the fridge just seem desperate to break and it sticks out screaming look at me I’m a big fat, ugly Septic larging it in the middle of your kitchen.
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