Appliances - The good, The bad, The ugly?

I'm looking to upgrade/purchase some new appliances in the future. I feel like the newer models have more failure rates than those of the past. I draw that conclusion based on my own experiences and from word of mouth. I have been advised to try to stay with electromagnetic (analog) controlled units vs electronic when possible. So...Fridge, Freezers, Washers, Dryers, Dishwashers, A/C, Microwaves....let's hear it...The good, bad or ugly on them. What ya got? What you've had? Problems? Regrets? Brand preferences?

Some of my current likes/dislikes of my own appliances:

TV: Sharp Aquos LED 40" - Love it. No complaints whatsoever 4 years on.

Refrigerator: Whirlpool side by side - Ice maker died 2 months out of warranty, clunky doors, would not buy again.

Washer: Maytag super capacity analog timer, not HE - agitator coupling went bad after ~8 years, still working 12-13 years on. Satisfied.

Drier: GE electric w/analog timer, not HE - Never had a single problem with it in 14-15 years

Dish washer: Whirlpool w/analog timer - No problems 7-8 years on. Satisfied thus-far.

Stove: GE electric low end flat top - Does what it's supposed to, no problems 10 years on.

 

I don't known what you may have available to you in your area, but I found Phenomenal deals at the Sears appliance outlet. They have nothing but overstocks, previous year models and scratch n' dent.
I bought a Kenmore Elite front load washer and electric dryer for 60% off, and 75% off for the raised stands.
Double ovens, Kenmore Elite electric at 50% off.
Didn't need a refrigerator, but I got a commercial stand up freezer for the garage- 65% off because of a small dent on the back corner that touches the wall.
Again, don't know what you have nearby but if you do have a big appliance outlet, it's definitely worth a look-see.

 

Bought our first LED TV in '07, and it's been flawless. It's a Philips.
Son bought us a Frigidaire fridge a few years ago, and the door sucks. Well actually, it sags, and has almost since it got delivered. Handle side rubs at the bottom of the opening. I hate it, but the wife unit says it still works so it stays.
In order to fully close the door requires Hulk-like strength (ok, I'm exaggerating to make a point).
Um, Frigidaire electric stove was here when we moved in and still works. One of the burners went haywire and fried the contacts. That burner has been decommissioned. Not sure wife knows it, but I want an induction cooktop and a convection oven next time around.
Washer and dryer were here when we moved in too. We replaced the dryer with a GE bare bones (another elec.) and it's still running after about 10 years. The washer got replaced with a front loader that we stopped liking almost immediately. Clothes always smelled bad no matter what we did (lots of research on that issue), so it got replaced last year with the biggest one HD could order.........top loader this time and HE too. It's an LG. Works great, but I've leveled it about 10 times and it still isn't quite right.
No dishwasher.

 

I've heard horror stories about new appliances! Our stove and fridge are 23 years old and I dread replacing them!

 

15 years ago when shopping ffor a new frig, we were told there is only one company that makes the ice makers built in to refrig/freezers. It doesn't matter if you buy a high end unit or not, the ice maker will be short lived. Be sure to check dimensions of the new units out there today because for some reason they are making frig's taller than they used to. We just bought a new one in the past year and couldn't get the brand we wanted because they didn't make one that would fit in the space we had.
New and improved strikes again

 

umm I have a slanted perception due to being a landlord and tenants have killed so many.... IMHO they are not worth fixing anything anymore... black Friday get standard size fridge stove etc etc.. local appliance store gives me 4 years interest free and under complete warranty til paid off., meaning they come pick up old dispose of it and put comparable model in.. not worth headache

LG french door bottom freezer in my home 12 years replaced icemaker yeR 4 and 8.. needs new door gaskets bought new for 900 on sale complete gasket kit is $279 soon when it dies a new one will replace it


my grandmother had same electric stove with orginal burners and element from 1945 til she passed in 2009 They do not make them like that anymore

 

My 2 cents for what It's worth. A big percentage of the appliances are made by the same company with different names. Cousin worked for several years as an appliance repairman and his feelings are most all are not worth a hoot. On the other side of the ticket in a lot of the common little things that go bad on the newer ones, if you shop eBay and the such you can get the parts cheap. I do think it is good to not get too many bells and whistles and as MasterMech mentioned, some of the commercial grade is a bit better.

 

Kenmore has always treated me well. First stove lasted 25 years Moved it from KS to NH when we moved here in '87. Bought another Kenmore and it is still going in the old house (as far as I know). House I moved into 4 years ago also has a Kenmore stove. Don't know how old it is but it had to have been about 5 (or more) years old when I moved in.

Samsung FL washer and dryer are holding up beautifully (bought 4 yrs ago and zero issues - KOW). I had 3 front loaders previously and none of them lasted more than 5 years and started having glitches only a couple of years int. Cheaper to replace entire unit as to replace the computer.

Fridges - I only get basic models (no ice or anything), so I haven't had any complaints. Will say I expected the Frigid Air from the old house to last longer, but it was 10+ years old when it died (3 days before Thanksgiving ). Replaced it with a Kenmore and it was still going when I left my last house. This place also has a Kenmore that matches the cook stove and I haven't had any issues with it. It is the first I've had with the freezer on the bottom and I will admit I like it.

TV - Got one of the first Samsung LED flatscreen TV's back in 2008 or 2009. One of the few things I brought from my last house. Great picture from all angles and shows no sign of pixilation.

 

Lots of good reading in here. I was doing some reading on the new electronic controls and found out that the companies can keep the rights to the software for 125 years, creating a monopoly for themselves on replacement parts. It costs them less to make the circuit boards than it does a magnetic timer or thermostat, but the replacement cost for a circuit board is much higher than that of a mechanical unit. Sounds to me like they have planned to sell replacement electronics and make some nice profit.

 

I've had a fairly new Samsung tv and dishwasher that failed right after warranty. Would not recommend...

 

Washer/dryers - Kenmore HE3 front-loader washer dryer set, bought new in 2002 or 2003. Washer died four years ago, replaced with used one, same model, off craigslist. Still running. No major issues but the washing machine has a loose connection that affects the door locking mechanism. Every so often I need to remove the top and wiggle the connector. Will probably replace these with a Maytag set when they finally die.

Dishwasher - after one Kitchenaid (crap) and two Bosch (even more crap), we bought a Maytag and it has been great. I bought the Bosch units at Sears and milked every dime and then some out of the extended warranty for service calls and parts. Finally they just gave up and gave us store credit for the original purchase price and we got the Maytag. It's pretty bulletproof.

Refrigerator - we have three. The older basement fridge was purchased new in the 1980's, is a GE, and is simple to operate. Not energy efficient, and only 15 cf, it was way too small for our family. It's going to become my "beer fridge" when my garage is finished. The newer basement fridge (yes I have two, you'll see why) is a Frigidaire side-by-side that was gifted to us by my brother when he moved to Colorado. We replaced the little GE with this. It has always worked perfectly. The current kitchen fridge is an LG french door model, a worthless piece of chit masquerading as a Kenmore Elite beauty queen. It's like the good-looking cheerleader-type who's secretly a crack addict and a high-school dropout. This thing was bought at a Sears Outlet Store (mistake #1) solely on the basis of "features" and appearance, and my wife's input (mistake #2). It also seemed to have a larger capacity than our old fridge (the Frigidaire). Well, this unreliable heap of junk started off with a bad compressor, a bad fan, and a leaking icemaker line. That was in the first 48 hours. Since then it's had at least two circuit boards and a fan motor replaced and it eats filters like a fat kid at the ice cream buffet. We've had it just over a year and it's ready for it's next service call, no matter what I do I cannot get the fridge temp below 36 degrees. It will only go down to 33 anyway, but still, it's not meeting expectations. The french-door design is good for only one thing - dumping all the cold air out onto your feet when you open the doors. The interior design is also incredibly inefficient, as the fridge is extra-deep and you have to be 6' tall to reach anything on the top in the back. I can actually fit more food in the smaller Frigidaire. This hulking pile of garbage is the reason I have two extra refrigerators in my basement - because without fail, something happens that I have to move all of our cold and frozen food to the old refrigerators in order to repair the new one. If I had the choice and the money, I would put a commercial refrigerator in the kitchen and a commercial upright reach-in freezer in the basement. Trays or removable bins could handle compartmentalizing the food items. The only thing we would miss is the icemaker, and they make stand-alone units for that.

Stove - I have a Capital 6-burner "commercial" (not really, it's insulated for home use) stainless range. It was one of the first 12 they made, the serial number is 12. This was when a bunch of DCS employees formed their own company in the late 90's I think, and started making ranges, grills and ovens. The same ranges that you see on Food Network on shows like Chopped and Cutthroat Kitchen. It's been pretty reliable, one service call in twelve years. Parts are tough to get and expensive because it is a first-generation unit, but it is dead simple with no electronic controls. Cooking equipment is very important to me, so none of the fancy induction stoves with weak performance. I want a basic, super-heavy-duty, stainless steel gas range with big BTU's. I would put a true commercial range in my house if building codes and insurance allowed it, but I would replace this one with a Blue Star or Wolf if I had to do it over again.

TV - Samsung all the way. This is something that they haven't managed to screw up yet. They have a dismal track record on home appliances (don't ever buy a Samsung refrigerator) but the home electronics are a win. Second choice would be either Vizio or Sony.

 

Old GE fridge in basement a few door gaskets over the years - dang thing still runs fine after 70 years. Various others over the years none made past 10 years. Washers had an old Norge long time finally had to give up no parts Kenmore after that got destroyed by lightning( along with just about everything else. so Lg He top load 6 years old no problems Trom gas dryer 10 years had to switch to electric at new home - haven't found a propane kit for it yet- used electric dryer don't even know brand lots of bells and whistles- works fine $50 from the Appliance store. Sharp aquos 40" idoit box -no problems big old 36" Toshiba still working also- when dies it will get the sledge hammer treatment dang thing is almost impossible to move in one piece ( it was free a number of years ago.) Goodman heat and ac, issues with the Freon valves- Only 2 mfg world wide both were having issues in that vintage (2009) period. Other than that rest of the assembly has been fine. ( Goodman gets rebranded to about 7 or more other big names. ). Had a Roper gas range went south about 4 years in. New house has an old flat top electric works - that's all I know about it so far. Gas hot water heaters as I get older they fail more quickly avg life span now about 10 years or less. New place has a propane water heater going on 20 years - expect to replace that soon. Water softener systems heads last about ten years usually can't get parts anymore after that. ( note : somewhere I heard that MFG are only required to supply parts for 7 years- good luck after that on anything)

 

Bought a whole new set of appliances for our new kitchen two years ago. Bought all Whirlpool SS. Gas stove. Microwave, dishwasher and Frigerator. the only things that gives us problems is the dishwasher. The new one upstairs broke also. Heating elements in both of them went. I bought the 5 yr warranty, Lowes came and fixed. Bought Samsung washer and dryers, front loading. Love them. need to keep the washer cleaned with white vinegar or it starts to stink. No warranty, toss them out and get another one. Not worth the headaches.

 

I just leave the door open after taking the clothes out of the washer. Never had a problem with odors. Of course I don't have kids and always check to make sure a cat hasn't climbed in (never seen one in it, but you never know).