Spec me some Kitchen Appliances

Zid_

Zid_

Zid_

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8 Dec 2010
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653
So I need to buy a Washing Machine, Dryer and Dishwasher.

Should I pay a premium and buy something with a reputation of built to last. Or should I go for stuff cheaper than the parts would be in the former?

Where's best to get them from? Any specific recommendations? Thought it wouldn't hurt to ask the opinion of regular bargain hunters.

Cheers!
 
If you can afford it then get either Miele, Siemens or Bosch. In that order.

Siemens and Bosch are actually under the same umbrella but Siemens is the top brand under it.

As for where to buy from, shop around and use comparison sites. we got our dishwasher (Siemens), tumble (Bosch) and washer (Miele) from three different companies, one was John Lewis and the other two were tin pot online companies I'd never heard of.

Also try and get a Quidco discount if you can, saved £50 on the tumble through that.

Another key thing to remember is that the top end model uses the SAME quality parts and construction as the low end model. You are paying for features, styling and spin speed. The few exceptions are on some of the really high end Miele machines that have a different motor. A £700 Miele machine will last just as long as the £1500 one. Also 1400 spin speed gets about 2% less water out than a 1600. 1400 is plenty.

We went with Miele for the washer as I have heard too many people buy them and love them, and seen too many people buy cheap crap that fails after a few years that it was worth the money. Their machines are built to last like things used to be and as a result you have to pay the cost for that. ours came with a 10 year parts and labour warranty just in case. They also use Stainless Steel outer drums instead of plastic which means you're less likely to get a hole in it and they also use cast iron in the construction of the cradle which stops the machine dancing around while most others use a lump of concrete. They then pack the thing out with sound proofing to keep it quiet.

Our tumble was (possibly is still) the top Bosch model with a self cleaning condenser etc etc blaa blaa. It works perfectly and I saved £50 through quidco and also got another £50 back through a Bosch offer to give you back the running costs for a year.

As always you are going to get people who have owned the expensive ones saying they are brilliant and that they wouldn't use anything else, and those that haven't saying that they are overpriced and not worth it.

Try checking out Which.co.uk which has plenty of their tests on machines from all brands. There is a reason Miele win so many awards.
 
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Zid_ said:
So I need to buy a Washing Machine, Dryer and Dishwasher.

Should I pay a premium and buy something with a reputation of built to last. Or should I go for stuff cheaper than the parts would be in the former?

Where's best to get them from? Any specific recommendations? Thought it wouldn't hurt to ask the opinion of regular bargain hunters.

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Did you get yourself a new washing machine? Mine's making a right racket now when spinning (10 years old now) so it's time for a new one. I am looking at the ones mentioned here but not sure which model to go for.
 
Miele et al are good but if you buy a machine at a quarter of the price and replace it in 3 or 4 years, the 'built to last' thing doesn't quite work, as you'll have a brand new, up to date machine as opposed to an obsolete old good one.

Pays your money and takes your chance, as they say.
 
singist said:
Miele et al are good but if you buy a machine at a quarter of the price and replace it in 3 or 4 years, the 'built to last' thing doesn't quite work, as you'll have a brand new, up to date machine as opposed to an obsolete old good one.

Pays your money and takes your chance, as they say.
Click to expand...

I agree with the washing machine however for the oven, microwave..... Miele is worth every penny.
 
I'm looking at a Bosch applicance but the main problem now is that the wife wants a silver one and there doesn't seem to be much choice in that colour.
 
I wouldn't bother with the high end stuff unless you're feeling ultra-flush. Low to mid-range appliances are reliable and do the job perfectly well, just avoid the absolute bargain basement stuff.
 
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