Bosch Appliance - RUMOR MILL!

I caught word in the wind this week of a pretty big change for Bosch appliances.  To keep it short and simple, Bosch is doing away with their large capacity front load washers and dryers (currently called 'Vision').  They will, however, keep making their smaller Axxis lineup.

I guess this shouldn't come as a big surprise, due to their competition coming out with bigger or the close to the same size for considerably less.  A great example of this is the Frigidaire set - FAFS4272LW and FASE7073LW.  I've seen this around for as little as $1099 - and then Frigidaire has a $100-$300 mail in rebate available.  The Frigidaire measure .2 cubic feet smaller then the Bosch, but comes with steam on both the washer and dryer.

I think I would be exiting the market myself...

Samsung Appliance President's Day Sale

For those of you who are unaware, Samsung picks several holidays a year and runs promotions around them.  If you are in the market it is always a good idea to wait for and then take advantage of these deals when they run them, as you can save a pretty penny.

The current example of such is Samsung's President's Day Promo.  On 2/20/2011 you can save up to 20% on all of their appliances.  One great example is the stainless steel french door refrigerator - model RFG297AARS.  This refrigerator usually is advertised for $2,699.  The President's Day special promotion puts the advertised price at $2159, but I wouldn't settle for that price - you can find these models (even today - no waiting for President's Day) for the $1899 - $1999 price on the internet (specifically EBAY).  From the listings I saw, that INCLUDES shipping.

The New DCS

I've always been a fan of DCS. The only issue I've had with it is the nitty-gritty aesthetics. The fit and finish was just too commercial on the ranges. I mean it had exposed screws, exposed elements, etc. It seems with their new launch they've addressed this appearance issue, as is evidenced in the following images:

No exposed screws!!!

Hidden Element

In Response to Colleen

Question

Hi Guru-

I am overwhelmed with choices and trying to compare features and reviews. I am working with a more basic budget--i.e., under 1800 for my range. I need to select an electric range (no gas at my house), an over the range microwave and a dishwasher. I'd like all stainless steel. I think I am pretty set on a Sharp convection/micro and a Bosch dishwasher. I know you have spoken well of Bosch. Need to figure out the range. I'd like a slide in (no backsplash--forward controls). I don't think I need convection in my main oven but would like a simmer burner and a warming drawer ideally. It is hard to figure out what to get and what represents the best quality/price ratio. Thanks for any insights.

Colleen



Answer

Colleen,

As you've noticed, I've said you can't go wrong with a Bosch dishwasher. Make sure you use a rinse-aid product and you'll love it. Which model are you looking at?

As far as the range goes, to fit your requirements I'd go with the Kitchenaid KESS907SSS. This range is feature loaded and looks good. You have the glass touch controls up front, the simmer feature on each eye, a warming drawer, and a convection oven (I know you said you weren't particularly interested in this, but to get a model with a warming drawer you'll be getting the convection no matter which brand you go with). Best of all, you should be able to find this range in the $1650-1700 range which should bring you in under or at your budget (depending on your tax rate).

Which microwave model were you looking at?

The Guru has Spoken

Questions

Leave your question in the comment section here and I'll get you an answer.

The Guru has Spoken

Guide - Buying a Refrigerator

What Size Can You Fit?
The most important thing to determine when buying a refrigerator is the maximum space you have available for it. One of the worst things that can happen is to get the refrigerator home and it not fit. Important measurements to take note of are:

• Height – Take the measurement from the floor to the top of the cabinets. Something to keep in mind while looking at refrigerators is the spacing you’ll need for the hinges.
• Width – You will want to measure from one side of the cabinets to the other. If one side happens to be a wall you will want to keep in mind the clearance you’ll need to open the door
• Depth – The last measurement you will need to take is from the back wall to the face of the cabinets. You will also want to measure to make sure the refrigerator you pick out won’t protrude and block a doorway if there is one on the wall to the side of the refrigerator.
  

What Type of Refrigerators are there?
After you determine what size refrigerator you can fit in the allocated area, the next question to answer is what style do you want? There are several different styles of refrigerators, each with its own unique benefits and drawbacks.

Top Freezer
This is where you are going to find your smallest capacity and sized refrigerators. The cubic foot sizes vary from a small 12 cubic feet to a robust 24.6. An ice maker is an upgrade in top freezer refrigerators and very few have the internal water dispenser (like G.E.’s PTS22SHSS). You can no longer find the option of water and ice in the door on top freezer refrigerators. This style refrigerator makes accessing your freezer compartment easy, but you have to bend over and dig for your fresh food products.

Side by Side
The side by side refrigerator offers you the refrigerator and freezer, as you can probably guess, side by side. The functionality on the side by side is reasonably good for everyday use, but you run into a problem when you have larger items such as pizza boxes or party trays. Water and ice in the door are a norm for this style of refrigerator.

Bottom Freezer
The bottom freezer refrigerator is the direct opposite of the top freezer refrigerator. As it says, you get the freezer on the bottom – giving it a chest-freezer like feel with either a slide out drawer or swing open door. The refrigerator up top has a single large door and an opening that helps make the fresh food easily accessible. Water and ice are not available in the door. Ice makers are fairly standard and the internal water dispenser is generally only found in upgraded models.

French Door
This is the fastest growing segment in refrigeration today. The french door refrigerator offers a wide refrigerator space which can accommodate party platters and more. It also brings the fresh food compartment up to where it can be easily accessed. Unlike the bottom freezer refrigerator which has one big door, the french door refrigerator has two smaller doors, making it more accommodating in tighter areas. Like the bottom freezer, the freezer compartment is the down side of this style of refrigerator, giving you a chest-like freezer area.

All Refrigerator
All refrigerator units offer 17 cubic feet of refrigerator-only space. These are particularly nice if you have limited space in the kitchen, but you have room in the pantry or garage for a freezer. These do not come with ice or water.

Built-ins
Built-ins are your premium refrigerators. They generally run two to four times as much as you standard refrigerators. I’ll be writing a buying specifically for these in the future.

Finish
The next question you have to answer is what finish do you want. The most common are stainless steel, ‘smudge proof’ fake stainless, black, white, bisque, and panel ready. There are a few brands,such as Dacor and Aga, that offer more extreme colored finishes.

Energy Efficiency
Make sure you purchase an energy efficient refrigerator. A question I hear often is “how much do I really save with an energy star refrigerator?”. The answer to that question varies depending on how old the refrigerator is you are replacing. A lot of people like to brag about their 30+ year old refrigerator still running, which I admit is a cool thing, but you may be surprised at how much it costs you to run it. Let’s take a look at a thirty year old, full size side by side (26 cubic feet) refrigerator– you’re looking at a savings of $300 a year versus the new refrigerators today. Even though it still runs, think of the money you can save by putting it on the curb and replacing it with a new one. Check out http://www.frigidaireenergysavings.com to run different variations to see exactly how much you’ll be saving.

In response to Howard

Question :
This is just the blog I've been looking for!

We're replacing some of our appliances as part of a kitchen refresh/remodel. The ones we're replacing are 19 years old. One of the main requirements is that they either be panel-ready (for the fridges) or black. We have no stainless steel, nor do we want any.

For the oven, we're looking at the Electrolux double in either 27" (if we don't move a wall) or 30" if we do.

For the cooktop on the island, we'll likely replace our KitchenAid glass-top gas cooktop with their current model, although it looks like cooktops from Bosch, GE, JennAir and Miele would work, too (we have a drawer 4" below the countertop that we want to keep).

We currently have a KA downdraft (no popup) that doesn't do much. We thought about replacing it with an overhead island hood, but between the expense (remember - no stainless), and the view blocking, we don't think we'd like it. We're looking at the Dacor PRV36B downdraft with the 600 CFM external blower for this replacement.

We currently have a 36" SubZero with the freezer underneath. We have an additional old side by side in the pantry. We're thinking of replacing the SZ with a 36" all-fridge, and the pantry fridge with an all-freezer. The SZ replacement needs to be a panel-ready built in. The SZ BI36 is currently at the top of the list, but have Northland, Viking and Miele on the list. We'd like the freezer to be a built-in panel ready as well (looking at Northland, Bosch, others) around 15 cu ft, but if budget demands, we may drop back to a free standing (it will take up more space, however).

We're also looking for the largest, most-powerfull microwave that can be built into a 24" cabinet.

Our dishwasher is only a few years old, and we're keeping that.That's our full list unless you're doing plumbing fixtures too - we're looking for faucets, sinks, and undercounter water filtration plus hot and cold.Would love to get your advice on any or all of the above.
Thanks!
HG

Answer :
HG, Thanks for the question. We'll start at the top and work our way down.

First of all, you can't go wrong with the Electrolux wall oven. I'd definitely try and get the 30" in there if possible - you'll appreciate the extra space it provides versus the 27". A quick story : ever since we married, my wife had problems making cake, and for each of my birthdays I'd insist she'd make me one (they always came out dry, despite what she tried). To get straight to the point, once we put in the electrolux oven they came out near perfection - now she makes cakes without an excuse of a birthday and persistent husband, and they're great. The oven holds a tight temperature, with little fluctuation. We've used the meat probe several times and love the 'perfect turkey' feature and you can't overlook the nice blue inside and the easy-glide racks (I've seen people buy these ovens just for the racks - not the smartest consumer, but they are an attractive feature). The lighting is bright and the wave touch controls always seem to make the friends ohhh and ahhh.

I'm going to have to pull my stick out on this one. I'd find a way to make the overhead hood work, if not for one simple reason - smoke, steam, etc... rises. It is natural for it to go up. You run into a lot of inefficiencies when you try to downdraft, and I don't think that you'll find much more luck with the Dacor than you did the Kitchenaid. I'm a true believer in the Vent-a-Hood line. They are the only fire safe hood on the market, they are quieter than any other hood, they last forever, and you can get what you want. They can do ANY color hood you are wanting. I'd spend a little more money here, and when Thanksgiving rolls around and you're cooking up a storm you'll thank me when there's no smoke filling your kitchen.

On to refrigerators, Sub Zero makes great machines, as you probably know, and the Miele is a good machine, but I like the Thermador (it's practically the same thing as the Miele - the Miele is just a little easier to put panels on). Northland is a little less expensive and the idea that you can unplug the cooling guts of the refrigerator and plug new ones up if you ever need to is intriguing. One of the main reasons I'd go with a Thermador over the others is the warranty they have backing it. It's a 2 year full parts and labor on anything, 3-6 years covers the sealed system (these are all the parts that go into cooling) full parts and labor and the 7-12 years cover the sealed system parts - you'll just have to worry about the labor. Sub Zero is a 2, 3-5, 6-12 and the Miele is a 1, 2-5, 6-10. Northland has a little different setup - the first year they cover the whole unit parts and labor, the second year they cover just the parts on the whole unit UNLESS it has to do with the sealed system, which is covered (full parts and labor) until the 6th year. They also have an 'inner liner' warranty that covers the inner liner if the paint chips or rusts until the 10th year.

All in all, I'd look at the Thermador units in your case.

On the microwave, do you have a 24" cabinet opening or 24" overall cabinet?

The Guru has Spoken