Jronman Posted January 31 Report Share Posted January 31 I was wondering how everyone goes about finding a decent appliance? Tonight I was researching countertop microwaves. The one I use is taking longer than it used to. I felt like whether it was Menards, Lowes, Amazon, Home Depot, or maybe others that half the brands listed I have never even heard of. It seems harder and harder to find quality brands of basically anything whether it is an appliance or something else. There are so many price points too. I could buy a countertop microwave for $59 or I could spend nearly $1000 for one. Is there a price point that is too low to consider for an appliance or a price point too high to consider? I doubt I would buy a microwave for $1000 but if it was a larger appliance would $1000 be acceptable? I'm not sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric - TIA Posted January 31 Report Share Posted January 31 Great question. This is such a frustrating topic because it's not an easy answer or decision. Back in the day, it seemed like everything lasted for a long time so no big deal spending a little extra money. Now with everything designed to be thrown away quickly, it's hard to say if you are getting more with a $100 microwave or a $1000 microwave, will one last longer or are you just paying for the look or design? The only thing I could think to be a determining factor would be watts as far as the price difference. We bought a washer and dryer about 6 months ago and went through the same headache. There is such a big price difference between a lower-end model and a higher-end model. Couldn't figure out if we were paying for the name, the features, or actual better hardware where it will last longer. If it were me, I would want a higher-watt microwave (around 1,000) so it's a little quicker to warm things up and I would just find something in the middle. I think the higher-priced ones will have the same watts of 1,000 or 1,200 but will have features you may never use. Sorry wish I could give you a more precise answer but it's just so frustrating how the appliance world works. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jronman Posted February 1 Author Report Share Posted February 1 Yeah my thinking was in the 1000-1200 range. I saw one listing that was something like 1600 watt at $50. It seemed kinda suspicious. I think microwaves are also rated at multiple wattages per unit depending on the task the microwave is doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric - TIA Posted February 1 Report Share Posted February 1 That is weird for $50. Good luck and let us know what you find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Altan Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 On 1/31/2024 at 4:29 PM, Eric - TIA said: Great question. This is such a frustrating topic because it's not an easy answer or decision. Back in the day, it seemed like everything lasted for a long time so no big deal spending a little extra money. Now with everything designed to be thrown away quickly, it's hard to say if you are getting more with a $100 microwave or a $1000 microwave, will one last longer or are you just paying for the look or design? The only thing I could think to be a determining factor would be watts as far as the price difference. We bought a washer and dryer about 6 months ago and went through the same headache. There is such a big price difference between a lower-end model and a higher-end model. Couldn't figure out if we were paying for the name, the features, or actual better hardware where it will last longer. If it were me, I would want a higher-watt microwave (around 1,000) so it's a little quicker to warm things up and I would just find something in the middle. I think the higher-priced ones will have the same watts of 1,000 or 1,200 but will have features you may never use. Sorry wish I could give you a more precise answer but it's just so frustrating how the appliance world works. I like anti brand comments looool. Not all reviewers would do that this way. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Altan Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 On 1/31/2024 at 3:17 AM, Jronman said: I was wondering how everyone goes about finding a decent appliance? Tonight I was researching countertop microwaves. The one I use is taking longer than it used to. I felt like whether it was Menards, Lowes, Amazon, Home Depot, or maybe others that half the brands listed I have never even heard of. It seems harder and harder to find quality brands of basically anything whether it is an appliance or something else. There are so many price points too. I could buy a countertop microwave for $59 or I could spend nearly $1000 for one. Is there a price point that is too low to consider for an appliance or a price point too high to consider? I doubt I would buy a microwave for $1000 but if it was a larger appliance would $1000 be acceptable? I'm not sure. One of the problems with modern appliances is that they are too digitalised, too much electronics! an those things do not last long time and you need to be gentle with these. Apart from that the body is the thing you can consider. For example if you check some Gaggenau fridge freezers you will see the interior is stainless steel and not plastic. This is one thing to consider, then in some fridges the glass shelf has plastic frame and in some stainless steel, the plastic ones break after a few years. A lot of Miele fridges do have plastic ones and spares are so expensive from that brand (Miele fridges are made in Germany but not by Miele itself, another brand makes the fridges for them as Miele's main job is the vacuums and washing machines). Free standing Miele fridge freezers have a much better door handle and doors are made with curved edges as one piece of metal, not like other brands that they attach another piece to them, this makes them easy to clean if you are fussy like me! Ex Miele vacuums were powered by 2000 - 2500 Watt motor, now new EU regulations do not allow over 900W, that is why they are 899W. If you think that is something to consider then do not buy the Miele vacs from the EU loool, maybe Australia can be a good source. When it comes to ovens, I would go for the brands like Miele or higher brands as they have ovens that is connected to water source and you can wash the interiors automatically over night. A lot of commercial ovens do have this option. Cleaning a dirty oven is pain in the a.. It can save a lot of time, if you are a green person it might not be a good option as the detergents for this purpose can be so chemical. Dish washers have to be Miele or higher as they mostly do not wash properly or leave some oily chemical on the dishes, and I rerinse them most of the time. There are some commercial ones that they wash with steam only and no detergent is used, hope one day we can have similar ones for home use as well. For me washing machine has to be fully adjustable. I should be able to choose how many rinse I want. The temperature should be adjustable fully, most of the brands offer 30, 40, 60 and 90 and rarely 70, and 50 and 80 degree Celsius almost always is missed. Spin has to be over 1600, specially if you live in a damp city like London and you don't wish to wear smelly clothes because they don't dry on time! looooool Microwave is something I do not consider as healthy so I would never buy one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jronman Posted February 6 Author Report Share Posted February 6 On 2/3/2024 at 5:44 AM, Altan said: One of the problems with modern appliances is that they are too digitalised, too much electronics! an those things do not last long time and you need to be gentle with these. Apart from that the body is the thing you can consider. For example if you check some Gaggenau fridge freezers you will see the interior is stainless steel and not plastic. This is one thing to consider, then in some fridges the glass shelf has plastic frame and in some stainless steel, the plastic ones break after a few years. A lot of Miele fridges do have plastic ones and spares are so expensive from that brand (Miele fridges are made in Germany but not by Miele itself, another brand makes the fridges for them as Miele's main job is the vacuums and washing machines). Free standing Miele fridge freezers have a much better door handle and doors are made with curved edges as one piece of metal, not like other brands that they attach another piece to them, this makes them easy to clean if you are fussy like me! Ex Miele vacuums were powered by 2000 - 2500 Watt motor, now new EU regulations do not allow over 900W, that is why they are 899W. If you think that is something to consider then do not buy the Miele vacs from the EU loool, maybe Australia can be a good source. When it comes to ovens, I would go for the brands like Miele or higher brands as they have ovens that is connected to water source and you can wash the interiors automatically over night. A lot of commercial ovens do have this option. Cleaning a dirty oven is pain in the a.. It can save a lot of time, if you are a green person it might not be a good option as the detergents for this purpose can be so chemical. Dish washers have to be Miele or higher as they mostly do not wash properly or leave some oily chemical on the dishes, and I rerinse them most of the time. There are some commercial ones that they wash with steam only and no detergent is used, hope one day we can have similar ones for home use as well. For me washing machine has to be fully adjustable. I should be able to choose how many rinse I want. The temperature should be adjustable fully, most of the brands offer 30, 40, 60 and 90 and rarely 70, and 50 and 80 degree Celsius almost always is missed. Spin has to be over 1600, specially if you live in a damp city like London and you don't wish to wear smelly clothes because they don't dry on time! looooool Microwave is something I do not consider as healthy so I would never buy one. I don't know about the EU but in the states our Microwaves have to have protection against the waves escaping now which is one of the reasons it is so hard to see inside of them. I am unaware of other health concerns of a Microwave but I wouldn't be surprised if there were more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Altan Posted February 6 Report Share Posted February 6 17 hours ago, Jronman said: I don't know about the EU but in the states our Microwaves have to have protection against the waves escaping now which is one of the reasons it is so hard to see inside of them. I am unaware of other health concerns of a Microwave but I wouldn't be surprised if there were more. My ex had masters degree in biology from Kent University (killing thousands of mice of course) and she was against microwave so for a decade I have not had microwave, too. I don't think it is that essential in our lives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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