I think I have managed to accumulate a lot of knowledge over the years in regards to appliances. Not to say that I am an expert, as I am sure there are some who know a lot more than me. But I think I know more than most. So I thought a series of posts about what I know, generally speaking, would be good.
Following, then, is what I have learned about appliances (in general). I’m sure this list will grow as time goes on.
1) Higher price does not equal longevity. It is unfortunate to say this, especially since I used to sell appliances for a living, but spending more money on an appliance will not necessarily equate to a longer life.
People do not like spending money on appliances. I know I don’t make much money, and I’d sure as hell rather spend it on beer. (Well, that and the outrageously stupid payments on my 2004 Chevy Monte Carlo SS. Oops!) As such, when people buy an appliance, they want the damn thing to last so they’re not buying another one in five years (or less, if it’s a Frigidaire/Electrolux refrigerator).
In the past, I’ve had people (usually older folks, in the fifties and beyond) mention to me that they wanted the appliances they were purchasing to be their last. When I first got into the biz, those statements elicited a blank look. After a while, that blank look turned into a nervous chuckle. Before long, it was an all-out cringe. Finally, towards the end of my time in the biz, I just told people “Look, unless you have some terminal illness you’re not telling me about, or you die unexpectedly in a fiery car crash, that’s not going to happen.”
And it’s not. Appliances simply are not made to last 20 years anymore, and buying a high-end appliance will not guarantee the kind of longevity people enjoyed from appliances decades ago.
Asko says their dishwashers are engineered to last twenty years. Now, Asko is a great dishwasher, and they are built very well, but I have no confidence that an Asko purchased today will still be in operation twenty years from now.
So what do you get with a higher price tag? Features (some useful, some just for whatever), styling, capability, efficiency, capacity, finish, brand. That’s it. You need to understand this going in. Yes, the premium brands may last longer, but it is not a given.
Many people will naively attribute the reduced lifespans to corporate greed. It’s not that simple. Twenty years-ago, a good washing machine cost about $400. In today’s numbers, adjusted for inflation, a $400 washing machine would cost over $1400. Granted, that’s not exactly a fair comparison as manufacturing and distribution systems are far more efficient, but the overall cost of doing business has skyrocketed in 30 years, and you can’t save that kind of money in efficient processes.
2) Appliances can be sexy. Never in a million years, despite my deep (obsessive?) love of appliances, would I have ever considered an appliance sexy. Stylish? Sure. Beautiful? Absolutely. Sexy? Uhm… well, I was going to post a link to what I consider “sexy”, but I don’t want to freak out the men.
I was convinced otherwise by a wonderful, eccentric woman who came in shopping for a new cooktop. She loved to cook. She told me her criteria: 36” wide, gas, and premium performance.
I immediately showed her the Dacor PGM365. We kept the cooktop in a display that featured drawers, so we could display several cooktops in a single area. When I pulled out the drawer that held the PGM365, I heard a sharp intake of breath.
“My God,” she breathed, “it’s so sexy.” I swear I am not making this up.
Since I had to bend over to pull out the drawer, I at first thought she was complimenting me on my ass. I was quickly proved wrong when I turned around to find her ogling the cooktop. I feared for a moment that she would make a scene (we were a family business, after all, not like the heretics at Best Buy) but she quickly composed herself.
After she pulled a handkerchief from her purse to blot her brow (okay, I’m making that part up), I asked her, “You think it’s sexy? Why?”
She explained the curves of the matte grates, and the softness of the bead-blasted top against the shine of the stainless steel. I told her about the 18,000-btu burner that reduced to a sultry 750-btu, then she threw me down and… eh, who am I kidding?
Anyway, she convinced me that, yes, appliances could be sexy. So I looked at the other appliances we had on the floor. The LG French Door refrigerator? Hmm, maybe so. The Jenn-Air floating glass French Door?? Well… yeah, I could see it. The LG stacked washer and dryer in black and chrome? Oh yeah, baby…
3) Kenmore is vastly overrated. It’s nothing but a brand, really. Other manufacturers make it, and Sears slaps their Kenmore brand label on it. That’s it. Kenmore is not the Holy Grail of the appliance world. And oh yeah, Sears service sucks.
4) There’s no money in appliances. When I say this, I am speaking relatively. When you compare major appliances to other categories (home electronics, flooring, furniture, accessories, clothing), margins on appliances are at the bottom. I’m not going to give away any trade secrets here, but I will say if you get 20% off a new appliance, in a factory-sealed box, you’re getting a deal and the dealer isn’t making jack.
5) “Consumer Reports” is full of crap. I already mentioned this in another post so I’ll leave it at that.
6) The acquisition of Maytag by Whirlpool is bad for consumers. When Whirlpool made the offer for Maytag, and was subsequently approved by Maytag shareholders, I never thought the deal would be approved by the Department of Justice. Of course, I was proved wrong and Whirlpool made a huge consolidation of its power in the appliance world.
So what of Whirlpool? They make decent stuff. Not the best, but certainly not the worst. They have a large network of local service providers. They can be very difficult to deal with though, and have seen many times when they have purposely dragged out repairs made under warranty, or simply authorized a patch-job to last until the warranty expired to save their pocketbook.
7) There is nothing wrong with buying inexpensive appliances. If you go the value route, you can outfit your kitchen with new appliances for well under $1500. (Contrast that with some people who buy top of the line and pay that much just for a small refrigerator to store their wine.)
The last appliance dealer I worked for specialized in high-end appliances, but we sold from the entire spectrum of prices. We had Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Viking on the sales floor, but we also had GE and Amana. People would come in and be in awe of the high-end stuff, but they were shopping for more value-oriented appliances. Sometimes it took some persuading to convince them I could fill their needs.
I liked those customers, the ones who were looking for the basic stuff. And I liked that they bought from me because they got better attention than they would get in Lowes or Sears.
8) Never buy an extended warranty from the manufacturer, or from Sears. They’re just too stinking expensive.
This list will undoubtedly grow as time goes by, so I will add to it as ideas come to me.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Things I’ve Learned: About Appliances in General
Thursday, July 5, 2007
The dangers of buying online
I hate to sound like an alarmist in regards to making major purchases online. Fact is, I am a huge proponent of buying locally. And in the interest of full disclosure, I vehemently believe that in the interests of a level playing field, Internet purchases should be subject to some form of taxation, assuming state sales tax does not already apply. So obviously, I have a bit of a bias. But hey, this is my blog so I’m entitled to a bias.
There is a great thread at GardenWeb about the dangers of making major purchases online. As it is not my intention to throw any person or company under the bus, I am not going to name the company which is the subject of the post. Plus, technically the company is a local independent dealer (in Massachusetts), so it’s not like I’m talking about Amazon.com
Summary: the poster purchased thousands of dollars in high-end appliances from the dealer online. Customer is now having issues with a $6,000+ built-in refrigerator. The issues have been ongoing for a couple months now, and the issue still has not been resolved.
So if she would have made her purchase locally, would she have avoided the situation? Not necessarily. Issues can still arise regardless of how the purchase was made. However, there is a lot to be said for having the ability to make a physical appearance in a showroom when you are having issues. E-mails and telephone messages can be ignored; you, in the flesh, cannot be.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Pricing and the Supreme Court
“Consumer advocates” across the country are freaking out about the recent Supreme Court decision making it easier for manufacturers to enforce minimum retail pricing policies for their products. The decision is especially relevant to the appliance industry as many manufacturers and distributors, particularly those which cater to the high-end market, utilize minimum pricing strategies (also called Unilateral Minimum Retail Pricing, or UMRP) in order to protect their brand.
First, let me explain exactly what UMRP does, and why it exists. (Note: having worked in the appliance biz, and specifically for a full-service, high-end dealer, you will notice an obvious bias in what I say.)
Let’s say you’re shopping for new kitchen appliances. You are building a new home with a nice kitchen, and you want Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances. You go to your local independent dealer (because Wolf and Sub-Zero will never be in Sears or Best Buy.Pfft, as if!) and get a quote for the items you want. You proceed to another dealer, receive a quote on the same items, and find the prices are almost identical. Hmm, what a coincidence! You proceed to yet another dealer, receive another quote, and once again the prices are almost identical.
“WTF!” you screech to yourself, the phrase “price-fixing” bounding around in your mind.
You have fallen “victim” to (gasp!) UMRP. The prices you are seeing are set by the distributor that supplies the appliances to the dealer.
I’ve read a lot of different descriptions of price-fixing (I’m not a lawyer, dammit), and have found the descriptions to be extremely broad. The main component of price-fixing seems to be collusion between two or more parties to artificially inflate prices. I’ve never understood whether that included policies set by distributors and manufacturers, but the recent decision by the Supreme Court helps to make it a moot point.
UMRP exists, at least in the appliance world, to protect manufacturers and dealers. A manufacturer such as Sub-Zero has spent decades and millions of dollars building their brand, and they want to do everything they can to protect their investment. Major appliances have become commodities, in a sense, and UMRP protects the manufacturers from having the value of their brand diminished in the marketplace.
UMRP policies also protect dealers. For some reason, a lot of stupid people hold the idiotic belief that appliances are very profitable. Of course, a lot of stupid people also hold the idiotic belief that appliance dealers should be making cost + 5%, and nothing more. Sorry, but an appliance dealership cannot survive on cost + 5%.
I’m not going to give away any trade secrets, but I will tell you that of everything you purchase for your home, appliances are among the least profitable. Furniture, electronics, flooring, accessories, clothing, jewelry… all of these are far more profitable than major appliances. You would be appalled at the profit margins in these categories.
UMRP policies allow dealers to operate at a moderately profitable level without fear of having their prices undercut by a local competitor (although the possibility is not eliminated). The policies also allow the smaller, independent dealers to operate on a level playing field with larger operators. This also allows dealers to operate in a service-oriented manner, which in the high-end appliance business is crucial.
And that provides a direct benefit to consumers.
The gist of the recent Supreme Court decision is this: it is no longer automatic (that’s the key word) that a company has violated the Sherman Act by utilizing a minimum pricing standard. That’s it.
The ruling is not going to result in an across-the-board escalation of prices. Think about it for a minute. The competitive environment of today’s market is no less competitive, and that will not change with the ruling. The ruling will have absolutely no effect on the vast majority of consumers. Common sense dictates the ruling will only affect those manufacturers which cater to a higher-end clientele. Do you really think that $299 topload washer is going to jump to $349? Of course not, because the market would not allow it. And suppose XYZ company does set a minimum selling price of $349 on a topload washer which formerly sold for $299. What would happen? Consumers would probably buy a $299 topload washer manufactured by ABC company and tell XYZ to go screw themselves.
Isn’t capitalism great?!
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Spotlight: GE Trivection
Roast a 22 lb turkey in two hours, baked potatoes in 17 minutes, lasagna in 15 minutes, or beef tenderloin in 20. With the Trivection series of ovens from GE, you can do all of the above.
Speed cooking is not new, although GE was the first company to do it and make it a success. (I had to be reminded of the Maytag Accelis, a freestanding range Maytag unsuccessfully put to market a few years ago. Reports indicate the range did exactly as advertised, but was difficult to learn and not marketed properly.)
GE introduced the Trivection wall ovens about five years ago. In 2002, Popular Science editors selected the Trivection ovens for their “Best of What’s New” award. The Trivection is the real deal, unlike of some of the other “innovative” products that have come to market in order to create PR for manufacturers. (Anyone remember the Polara?)
The Trivection combines three sources of energy (thermal, convection, and microwave) in order to speed the cooking process. And it sure does speed it, and the results are very good.
When I visited GE HQ in Louisville, which I mentioned in another entry, the instructors demonstrated the Trivection oven for us. I didn’t doubt the thing could cook a casserole or lasagna in one-fourth the time of a regular oven. I was curious as to the quality of the finished product.
I wasn’t disappointed. We were served lasagna and turkey Tetrazzini, and both came out of the oven almost perfect. I expected the edges of the dishes to be a bit over-browned, yet the browning across the top and along the edges was mostly uniform. I also expected the insides to be a sloppy mess, a result of the microwave assist in the oven. Again, I was proven wrong. The texture was almost perfect, the noodles not soggy or very firm. The tastes were somewhat bland, but I attributed that to the fact that the dishes were prepared by corporate instructors, not the oven itself. (If you suck as a cook, no expensive appliance will turn you into friggin’ Emeril… or Alton Brown, GE’s pitchman.)
I sold quite a few of these awesome ovens while still in the biz, although this was a product I really had to go into detail with. As soon as the word “microwave” is mentioned, people start shaking their heads, saying “No, I don’t cook in the microwave.” Well duh, who does?
The microwave function only serves to assist in the cooking process. That’s where it gets the speed from. You’ll notice the speed benefit on items that have very high moisture content, such as casseroles and lasagna. But you can still get fast results from meats, and also bakery items such as cookies and cakes.
The Trivection function is also an option; you can choose to utilize it, or just convection or even just thermal.
So who is it for? If you are the type of family that is always on the go, then the Trivection oven would be of benefit. Or even if you do not have a family, but perhaps are on the go a lot and would like to be able to enjoy a home-cooked meal, you may benefit from the speed of the Trivection. (Hell, I’m single and I would love a Trivection oven. Digiorno in five minutes? Hell, yeah!)
GE has a nice site set-up that gives a lot of information about the Trivection oven. Also, I came across this video on that site featuring Alton Brown. I was very impressed with this vid and urge you to watch it if you are considering the Advantium or the Trivection. Hell, just watch it if you are curious. Finally, you can find a lot of good information in this thread at GardenWeb.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Holy $&@! that fridge is huge!
When shopping for a new refrigerator, it can be difficult to understand just how big modern refrigerators are by viewing them in neat rows on a showroom floor. So you make your selection, plunk down your hard-earned dollars, and await your scheduled delivery. (Unless you are, or are married to, a wanna-be Alpha Male. If that's the case, then the process involves loading of said appliance onto a precarious position in the back of a pick-up truck, much grunting as the unit is unloaded upon arrival at the cave -- I mean house -- followed by more grunting along with much swearing as the massive appliance is maneuvered through the narrow doorways and into the house while unsuccessfully trying to avoid causing damage to the appliance or structure. But hey... you saved fifty bucks! Now to figure out what to do with the old one...)
Anyway, you finally get your brand-spanking new refrigerator installed. It's then you realize: this friggin' thing is HUGE!
By huge, I mean it sticks out so far into your kitchen it looks like the store mistakenly grabbed a walk-in cooler instead of a refrigerator. Your nice new refrigerator has single-handedly destroyed the nice flow you had going on in your kitchen.
Take a look at the pictures above. Notice how the refrigerator in the top picture sticks out into the kitchen. It looks out of place, an afterthought. This is especially bad in such a small kitchen as the one pictured. (On a side note, take note of the electric range with the over the range microwave installed above it. If that isn't friggin' ugly, then I must have extremely poor taste.)
Back to the refrigerators, take a look at the second picture. Notice how the refrigerator does not stick out a foot into the kitchen. In fact, the only part of the refrigerator sticking out are the doors. This provides a much cleaner look than the kitchen in the first picture. (Also note the range in the second picture... no over the range microwave. Looks nice, si?)
One of the best-selling refrigerators on the market is the Whirlpool Gold Conquest. Great fridge, looks beautiful, awesome features and great capacity. The overall depth of this refrigerator, including handles, is 35 1/4". When you add in the needed space at the back of the fridge, we'll say 3/4", the overall depth is 36". Most standard base cabinets are 24" deep. Do the math, and you see that refrigerator sticks out a full 12" beyond the adjacent cabinets. That's just crappy.
With a cabinet-depth refrigerator, the case is only 24" deep. That means the only part of the refrigerator sticking out will be the doors, and maybe 3/4" of the refrigerator case. That may not sound like a big difference, but once the refrigerator is installed, the difference is huge.
Granted, a cabinet-depth refrigerator is not for everyone. Yes, they are more expensive than equivalent standard-depth models. This is due to the fact that manufacturers make fewer cabinet-depth models, so the production costs are higher. This is also due to the fact that you will pay a premium for a nicer look. Also, cabinet-depth models offer less capacity. I don't really see this as a bad thing, since you will have much less food get lost at the back of the thing and rot. But if you are the type of person that likes to keep 500 pounds of food at hand in the event of a nuclear holocaust, then a cabinet-depth model may not be right for you.
Depth is an important factor when shopping for a refrigerator. Of course, we live in an age where bigger is always better, but you should seriously consider going smaller in the case of a new refrigerator.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
OTR microwaves: ugly, stupid, problematic
I’m not sure exactly who came up with the idea to install a microwave directly over a range, but whoever is responsible needs to be dragged out into the street and shot. I never understood the logic behind the move.
To be fair, a microwave built fifteen or twenty years ago is a far more robust appliance than the crap littering the appliance landscape today. In that regard, microwave ovens have gone the way of the VCR and DVD player: disposable. Like everything else in today’s world, they are cheap and fragile. So why would you hang one above your range, a source of heat and humidity?
Electronics + humidity (steam) + heat = failure, and that is precisely why I tell people to expect no more than five years from an over the range microwave. That is also why I try to convince people to not install them over the range.
1) The appliance will not last. These are not made like they were “back in the day”, yo. The operational life is already cut short by the fact that manufacturers (at the demand of consumers) are making their products as cheap as possible. So right out of the box, the thing is already going to last half as long as one made fifteen years ago.
2) They are heavy on electronics. Electronic control panel, electronic circuit boards, sensors… and all of these components are prone to damage caused by steam and heat. Think about it for a moment. You are hanging this contraption directly above a major source of heat and steam. You boil water for spaghetti, and where does all that steam go? Part of it will go up the fan at the bottom (assuming the user even runs it), but most of it will gather right across the face of the microwave, directly on the control panel. The heat from the cooktop and oven further damage the workings of the microwave. So you’ve got a cheap appliance banged out by a bunch of children in China, using the cheapest components possible, and then expose the appliance to large amounts of heat and steam. Think about that.
3) The ventilation sucks. These appliances are meant to be dual-purpose; ventilation and microwave in one unit. For one, most people don’t even run the vent fans on these things. And two, even when they are ran, they do a crappy job of ventilating the cooktop since the front edge extends only part of the way over the cooktop. Couple this with the fact that the fans have no capture area to hold the smoke, grease and steam before it is evacuated, and you see these things are useless for ventilation.
4) They’re just plain ugly. Manufacturers can try and dress them up as much as they want with softer edges and cool electronics, but they cannot hide the fact that it is just a huge, ugly box hanging from your cabinet.
I understand that an over the range microwave can be difficult to avoid. Low-end builders across the country include them as part of their basic appliance package. But if you can avoid having the microwave over the range, then do it. Put the damn microwave on the counter, or on a cart, or put it on a shelf, but do not put the damn thing over the range.
The Easy Bake Oven: not just for kids!
Say what you want about GE (shoddy product quality, terrible service, expensive repair parts), they employ some brilliant engineers and marketers. What other multi-national corporation could take a favorite childhood toy (the Easy Bake Oven), and turn it into a $1,000+ major appliance that so precisely catered to the mindset of today’s busy American.
“WTF, twenty minutes to bake chicken nuggets? Dammit, I need them in five!”
If you are not familiar with the Advantium, basically the appliance contains a couple halogen light bulbs that help to cook food faster. When I say faster, I mean really fast. The 240-volt model claims cooking times eight times faster than a conventional oven, the 120-volt model four times faster.
And the thing produces some amazing results. I was at GE HQ, in Louisville, a couple years ago for some product training. The instructor threw some filets into the Advantium and fired the thing up. It was cool to watch the intense lights brown and cook the filets, and they came out looking like they came off a grill. Tasted just as good, too. And they were done so much faster.
Oh yeah, the Advantium doubles as a microwave, too.
If I were building or remodeling a house today, I would give serious consideration to the 120-volt model. One, you get the benefits of the speed cooking. Two, the unit doubles as a microwave. Three, the unit triples as a smaller oven. Four, the unit quadruples as a friggin’ warming drawer. So you basically get four appliances in one. And it’s cheaper than the 240-volt model!
You can find more information from actual users in this thread at GardenWeb, and also directly from GE.
And do yourself a favor and stay away from the over the range models. Please.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Freestanding Double Oven Ranges
I have felt for a long time that the double oven freestanding range is one of the greatest innovations to come to the kitchen in years. These were introduced several years ago by Maytag, and now double oven ranges are offered by several manufacturers. The reason I love these ranges is their practicality.
Maytag introduced the first modern freestanding range with double ovens several years ago as the Maytag Gemini. The Gemini, available in both gas and electric models, featured a standard-sized oven, with the addition of a smaller oven above the larger oven. The gained the space for the smaller oven by eliminiating the storage drawer, a feature most consumers do not even use.
This is one of the few instances where Maytag successfully identified a legitimate need among consumers, and responded with an appropriate product. The smaller oven is great in that it offers a faster preheat, and can accommodate smaller items such as frozen pizzas or casserole dishes. The smaller oven can even double as an effective warmer. Users could also operate both ovens at different temperatures, a feature that came in handy around the holidays, or for the rare family that sits down to a real meal every night, or at least occasionally.
For some, the one negative to the Gemini was the fact that the larger oven was lower to the floor, making it difficult to remove large items to the counter. They offered a full-extension rack that helped remove the item fully from the oven cavity, but users still had to heave it from four inches off the floor.
When Maytag's patent (or whatever gave them the exclusive on the concept) expired a couple years ago, other manufacturers had their models waiting in the wings. Frigidaire was the first to release their double oven range. The Frigidaire models featured the second oven within the drawer on the bottom, placing the larger oven up top. Of course, I can't stand Frigidaire, so I'll just stop now before I go on a rant.
GE rolled out their double oven range under the Profile label, and it proved to be a quick success. If I recall correctly, Consumer Reports made it a "Best Buy". That confused me, at first, since the Profile dual-fuel range retailed for more than $1500, but I always thought it offered a lot for the money. GE also released an electric model with the smaller oven on top.
But my favorite range has long been the Jenn-Air dual-fuel double oven range, pictured above. I got to cook on this one while I was visiting Maytag HQ in Newton, Iowa, a couple years ago. (Dreadful trip, but at least the food was good.) I really enjoyed using the range, and even though I lived in a dumpy rental house, I really wanted to buy one for myself.
Bottom line: if you are in the market for a range, and are willing to spend a little more money on a premium product, then seriously consider a double oven range. It will provide you with the most versatility for the money, and they are a joy to use.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Electrolux and Frigidaire refrigerators are crap
After I had been in the appliance biz a few months, I started to develop an annoyance with Frigidaire (owned by Electrolux). This was due to the various reliability problems I would hear every now and then. After a short while, my annoyance turned into dislike, followed by borderline hatred. Why the strong feelings?
Frigidaire and Electrolux refrigerators are crap.
Frigidaire and Electrolux are both venerable names in the major appliance category. Electrolux purchased the Frigidaire brand several years ago when the brand was circling the drain at the bottom of the appliance barrel. Frigidaire refrigerators were shit, their dishwashers were as well, and they had reduced their laundry to entry-level status.
Frigidaire brand appliances were always less expensive than other brands such as Maytag, Whirlpool, and GE. I asked the rep one day why this was, and he gave me an answer that I soon realized was corporate BS. To paraphrase, he told me that Frigidaire appliances are less expensive because Frigidaire does not "spend any money on marketing and advertising". That seemed legit, at the time.
When a shopper came in looking for a refrigerator, and they were replacing a unit that was less than five years-old, the vast majority of the time it was Frigidaire.
Customer: "I'm shopping for a refrigerator. Ours just died."
Me: "Really. How old is the unit you are replacing."
Customer (with much dismay and gnashing of teeth): "Only four mother $&%@#*^ years-old."
Me (with empathy and understanding): "Oh, a Frigidaire."
People were usually attracted to Frigidaire for one reason: price. Towards the end of my career, I refused to sell Frigidaire. I would do everything in my power to persuade the customer to purchase a more reliable brand. Sometimes I was successful, many times I was not, and in the cases I was not the customer no doubt purchased from an unscrupulous (or idiotic) salesperson who raved about the Frigidaire brand.
So Electrolux buys Frigidaire, and they decide to enter the high-end appliance market with a full suite of appliances. And boy, are they beautiful. Striking, even! Problem is, the appliances are nothing more than dressed-up Frigidaire appliances (except for a few items which are sourced from other manufacturers). If you put lipstick on a pig, it's still a friggin' pig. Same is true with Electrolux refrigerators, and they are absolute shit.
There are not many reviews on Epinions about Frigidaire and Electrolux, but the ones that are there are crap. There is also a thread at Gardenweb about problems with Electrolux refrigerators. As always, consider multiple sources of information before buying an appliance. And since Internet reviews represent an extremely small sampling of actual users, do not rely on them exclusively.
And that includes what you read here, even though I am telling you to never buy a Frigidaire or Electrolux refrigerator. They are worthless crap.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Now this is just freakin brilliant...
I have been reading The Appliance Advisor for many years. I think the Dacor rep (Johnny Dacor, we called him) pointed me out to him. For those not in the biz, it may not be very relevant, but I find it to be a great site.
The reason I like the site is because the guy (or guys? Is there a staff?) is a great writer, and funny as hell.
Here is a great post about dishwashers. I highly recommend you read the enitre post. Twice. And follow every letter of advice.
