I need help with buying appliances!

[Desnik]

What I meant by getting less expensive appliances is let's say I went for the Viking or Wolf stove, then I would do the Kitchenaid french door counter depth frige, Kitchenaid S series dishwasher. These are still pricey, the DW is about $1200! But I would just skip the Sub Zero frige, and Miele DW. We really need to decide! I am also worried that the SS finishes won't match. Although non of the appliances are next to eachother or even on the same wall.

DH is now thinking we should get a Bosch DW, DCS or Viking range, and the Kitchenaid french door frige.

I still don't know.

 

[PlutoPony]

I am also worried that the SS finishes won't match. Although non of the appliances are next to eachother or even on the same wall.

I have a Bosch DW and the KA refrig you mentioned and the SS finishes are fine together. I also have GE wall ovens very close to the refrig and they're Ok together too. For the ovens and refrig I was concerned about matching the door handles as that really stands out to me.

 

[yearbook50]

Desnik - Check Consumer Reports. They give unbiased reviews of all top appliances including repair rates. You would be surprised at the high repair rates of those pricey upscale appliances. I swear by them. Another place to get good information is the discussion boards at hgtv.com. A lot of knowledgable people post there. Check it out.

The problem with Consumer Reports is that the data is a year old in most cases. Things could have changed and most of the time the exact model is not around anymore. Companies are also paying money towards Consumer Reports, so its no longer as unbiased as they use to be.

 

[JayCT]

Yearbook - I think you are wrong about Consumer Reports accepting money from companies. You might be mixing them up with Consumer Digest which does that.

You are correct that their report is not on products purchased last week, but how can you test 100's of different products for an extended period of time and report on them immediately? Manufacturers are always "updating" their products, most of the time by just changing model numbers. The products are still the same just with a different model number. I still think that CR is the best way to research a products features and reliability. What else do you have?

Desnik - The appliances you mentioned are upscale and would look great. If you can afford them with the professional range, then go for it. The range can be the focal point of the kitchen. As for the different stainless finishes, unless the appliances are right next to each other, you will probably not notice the difference.

One more thing. Bosch dishwashers rate high in CR, but I am not sure about the Kitchenaid refrigerators. I think LG and GE rated higher. We went with a 25 cf Amana stainless freezer-on-the-bottom refrigerator and just love it. To me the french door design is not as practical. I find opening one little door to be not wide enough for a lot of items. If you open both, then you have a door in your way on both sides of the refrigerator. But that is just me. Good luck. Jay

 

[Desnik]

Thank you all so much!!
We are going to go over to the appliance center not far from our house just to take another look. They have almost all the brands we are looking for.
You all gave me so much great advice and info!!

 

[PlutoPony]

One more thing. Bosch dishwashers rate high in CR, but I am not sure about the Kitchenaid refrigerators. I think LG and GE rated higher.

Don't know about the CR rating, but as of February GE didn't make a counter-depth French Door refrig. I do not hear good things about LG reliability, but that may be more because of Best Buy carrying them than the brand itself.

To me the french door design is not as practical. I find opening one little door to be not wide enough for a lot of items. If you open both, then you have a door in your way on both sides of the refrigerator. But that is just me.

Definitely a different strokes situation.... to me a French Door design is MUCH more practical than side-by-side. With both doors open, you can put things like pizza boxes, 9x13 pans, and big pots in the refrig - things that just won't go in the small doors available with side by side. I would think the door width/amount sticking out in the room with door open would be very similar for French Door and side by side designs (19 inches in our case).