Kitchen Appliances- What brands do you love/hate?

[notasize10yetbutoneday]

Hi

We are about to re-do the kitchen and I need to get a feel for what we will be spending on appliances. We've always moved into houses with existing appliances before so I've never had to go out and buy new ones before so I'm not sure whether one brand is much better quality than others, are they all much of a muchness?


Please could you tell me what:
Hob
Oven
Cooker Hood
Fridge Freezer
Dishwasher

you have and whether you are pleased with them,feel they were value for money, etc?

TIA

[notasize10yetbutoneday]

I forgot to add- we don't have Dcs yet but are TTC at the moment- so are there any safety issues we should be aware of? Eg is it worth getting a hob with a child saftey lock?

[lalalonglegs]

I have to be honest, I've bought several kitchens over the past decade and the only thing I would invest a lot of money in is a decent electric, fan-assisted oven (cheap ones don't cook evenly and need to be turned on with a timer for some reason). The rest is much of a muchness so it's a question of price/efficiency/appearance. I've got three children and have never child-proofed any kitchen equipment or even thought about doing it really.

[PositiveAttitude]

In the past I have had to buy with minimal money and went for BEKO. These were brilliant appliances and lasted years and years. As they have been replaced I went for BOSCH, but to be honest have gone back to BEKO. So reliable, I got fed up with my fridge and freezer years before they gave a hint of giving up the ghost!

My BOSCH dishwasher lasted about 5 years, which is supposed to be average. BEKO fridge and freezer lasted 15 years, then chucked cos I wanted an American style one.

I do like the look of Samsung appliances.

[ElsieMc]

I have had real problems with Bosch dishwasher and fridge freezer. The fridge freezer handles dropped off, it is actually rusting outside and interior light had never worked properly. The dishwasher used to back up and flood the kitchen, despite numerous repairs. Many companies who fit and sell kitchens actually recommend these products.

Zanussi are meant to be good but seem to have a limited life span also and we are repairing our washer dryer every three months or so.

Sorry - can't recommend anything particularly good. Perhaps I'm just unlucky.

[TheReturnoftheSmartArse]

I currently have Miele appliances which were £££££££ but are wonderful. Having said that I previously had Bosch and was more than happy with them and if I were to do another kitchen I would save the money and not get Miele.

I cannot, however, recommend Smeg. At all! They were a disaster on the fridge, oven and dishwasher front!

I have a John Lewis washing machine I'm thrilled with and they do other kitchen appliances and might be worth a look? They have excellent guarantees, I believe.

My cooker hood is this one: www.johnlewis.com/230412056/Product.aspx. Expensive but really eye-catching. I didn't choose it, DH did, and I didn't think I was going to like it, but I do!

[Hersetta]

Hi,

I'm in the same position as you as our kitchen refit starts the week before Christmas.

I have gone for

Double electric oven - Neff
Induction Hobb - Neff
Built in microwave - Neff
Curved Chimney Hood - Luxair
Dishwasher - Bosch
Fridge Freezer - Beko

We currently have a Bosch fridge freezer which is 13 yrs old which had never ever had a problem. Neither has our 9 yr old Miele Dishwasher. Would have gone for these makes again but the bosch FF wouldn't fit the new kitchen design and the Meile integrated dishwashers were really expensive.

Have fun picking.

[Ponders]

I have an LG American style fridge-freezer which I lurve \link{http://www.appliancesonline.co.uk/product/gwb207fsqa-lg-american-fridge-freezer-stainless-steel-19693.aspx\this one} (didn't get the ice maker as it takes up too much room inside) although mine was the previous model & I think it must have been discontinued when I got it as it was a lot cheaper than that.

Have basic Bosch dishwasher, my second Bosch one, v pleased with that too (first one lasted about 10 years I think). Had an expensive Hoover one once, the worst appliance I've ever owned!

Hob (gas) & cooker hood are Siemens, fairly basic, not particularly good. Oven was Siemens but died, have replaced with Neff, also fairly basic but works well; I would get a more expensive one now with self-cleaning facility.

[MrsJohnDeere]

Hob and oven - Bosch, came with house, not impressed
Fridge - bosch, shite and flimsy
Dishwasher - Miele, fab!
Washing machine - Miele, fab!

[ArcticRoll]

Smeg -style over substance and very pricey so would not recommend.
Miele-brilliant.

[herhonesty]

dont dont DONT buy any john lewis own brand appliances. they are shit and when something goes wrong their customer service re replacemetn is terrible. not at all what you expect.

[notasize10yetbutoneday]

Thanks al- Neff are getting very good reports. I wish I wasn't so indecisive!xxx

[notasize10yetbutoneday]

oh god I did not mean to add kisses.

[ttalloo]

Lucky you to be able to redo your kitchen - I dream of doing mine up!

If you're having a freestanding dishwasher get one with the settings inside rather than outside. My boys love resetting the dishwasher, which we bought before we had them (and therefore any idea about childproofing). Same goes for the washing machine - get one with a childlock so that your load isn't reprogrammed by busy little fingers.

As for makes -
Cooker - Smeg, very stylish and just brilliant - well worth the money
Fridge - Zanussi, 11 years old and still going strong
Dishwasher - Bosch, can't fault it, other than I wish the settings were hidden inside
Washing machine - was Bosch and very good (apart from the lack of a childlock), until DS1 broke the door off; now have a Siemens, which I'm very happy with.
Cooker hood - came with the house, is brandless, and is absolutely rubbish.

[CerealOffender]

i have a siemens fridge freezer - it keeps things appropriately cold and doesn't break.
i love bosch dishwashers.
washing machine is zanussi and is about a million years old.

[Hersetta]

Notasize10yet, if you let me know what type of oven you are looking at I'll have a look at which online and give you their best buys for that type. Do you want gas or electric, single or double, built in or built under?

We have even more in common now than a new Kitchen - I got a BFP yesterday. Will by our 2nd. We already have a 3yr old DD.

[notasize10yetbutoneday]

Hersetta, congratulations!

I know i would like a double oven, at eye level- is that built in? Also I am leaning towards induction hob after hearing such good things about them. I'm not a 'brands' person s I'm really not bothered aboutt he make as long as it does a good job- I would say we are very mid-range- we wouldn't want the cheapest nor could we afford something very expensive. Would you say £700 is realistic for a built in double oven and £300 for a hob or should I dream on?! We are in the North east if that makes a difference.

[Hersetta]

Yes eye level is built in.

Give me 5 mins to have a look and I'll be back !

[Hersetta]

Ok, had a look and the top 2 rates ones are really expensive (a bosch and a Stoves). they have scores of 82% and 81% but are £970 and £850.

However in 3rd and 4th place with scores of 81% and 77% is the Stoves Genus Double at £626 followed by the New World NW90DOSS at only £330 and looks really smart too.

For induction hobs the top 4 rated are:-

Indisit VIA640C £316
John Lewis own Brand LLBIIH603 £499
Neff T42D20 £479
Hotpoint £CIC642C £389

If you need anything else let me know.

[notasize10yetbutoneday]

hanks Hersetta, thats much appreciated. Is it the Which guide you are using? I think it might be worth gettign a subscription with us buying so many new things for the house.

[notasize10yetbutoneday]

Thanks, even!

[midnightexpress]

With hobs, I don't think you need a safety lock but I have always chosen hobs with the controls at the side rather than the front. By the time the DCs are big enough to reach the controls they should be sensible enough to use them properly.

Miele, if you can afford it, always seems to get a good press on MN. We recently replaced our tumble dryer and got a Bosch in the end, which is good so far, but I'd have gone for a Miele if i could afford one.

Am v happy with my Bosch dishwasher.

Agree with lalalonglegs about ovens.

[Hersetta]

Yep - it is the which guide. You can get a month free and can then cancel at any time so it has been really useful.