Two and a half weeks ago we bought a new Whirlpool stove/range. Took a week to get it, then two days later discovered the fan for the air fryer and convection options didn’t work. We called the place we bought it from, set up an appointment for a repairman. Another week later they show up, not a repairman but delivery guy’s!

I’m fit to be tied! My wife is even madder if that’s possible. My GE refrigerator is working fine, go figure.

Whirlpool used to be good, doesn't appear so anymore.

My GE washer and dryer are about 4 years old. The washer has some issues, something with the electronic board and the machine won't work sometimes. I reset it and it'll work. Never again will I buy GE appliances.

Whirpool/Maytag/KitchenAid/et. al. appear to have decided to reduce the quality of their appliance lines in an effort to stay price competitive. Our recently-purchased Whirlpool fridge came with serious issues, and is still not perfect after multiple warranty visits.

I think it has come down to either paying 2 or 3 times as much for a "luxury" brand or suffering from design and manufacturing compromises made by the mainstays of American appliance manufacturers after decades of brutal price competition from Asian suppliers.

What are the luxury brands that maintain high quality and reliability?

Whirlpool was my go to for fridges. What should it be now? I prefer to pay for quality / buy once, cry once than repeatedly buying crap.

Perhaps their is in upper brand level for whirlpool that is still okay?

None of the venders are what I would consider good. Some are just less worse than others. The good old days of a Whirlpool, Maytag or X (name your brand) lasting decades with only minor upkeep seems to be just pipe a dream.

That said, I've got a 12 YO Maytag drier which runs 5+ cycles a day, and a 8 YO Maytag washer that get's a lot of use given only two of us in the household (wife washes three pair of socks) and is running without issue. I don't like how the washer washes with that low water deal, so I put it on "Bulk" which fills the drum half way and makes me feel like its washing like the older machines. Maybe I'm not on the science of washing these days, but it makes me feel better when I see them sloshing around completely submerged in soapy water.

One faulty appliance doesn't mean the brand is now bad.

I've got Whirlpool and they work great.

My Maytag dryer is over 25 years old. Replaced one bearing for the drum and put
a new belt on while I was at it.
Kenmore washer is at least 15 years old, no problems. Maybe I just got lucky.

Is this a "what's your deal" thread?

Yea, I had a Whirlpool "Gold" refrigerator that was a nightmare the moment it was out of warranty. Couldn't get rid of that POS fast enough.

I will buy a Speed Queen next when it comes to a washer/dryer but I dont know anymore when it comes to other appliances like refrigerators.

Wish the Japanese had appliances in the US market.

.

quote:

Wish the Japanese had appliances in the US market.

I know that some companies like Toshiba make them but maybe only for their domestic market.

That being said, I had to use a Japanese washer/dryer while living in Japan briefly a number of years ago. The washer seemed okay (but small). The dryer completely sucked. As in, I could wash and then dry clothes in the sun faster than the dryer could dry a load. Perplexing. Perhaps limited by electricity distribution limitations at the time - only so much current or wattage available?

In any case, I just really fail to understand why it's so hard to make a fridge, washer, dryer, dishwasher that's decent quality and reliable (and will last for 15 years). It's not like it's new or complex technologies.

quote:

In any case, I just really fail to understand why it's so hard to make a fridge, washer, dryer, dishwasher that's decent quality and reliable (and will last for 15 years). It's not like it's new or complex technologies.

I struggle to understand this as well.

Is it similar to the automobile market where these manufacturers have their hands forced into engineering these products for minimal energy/water consumption vs reliability and longevity?

Are all these manufacturers just trying to one up each other for the most technologically advanced product (e.g. wifi connectivity, touch screens, etc) which ends up with cost cutting measures in other areas?

.

My whirlpool microwave just died after 3 years. The dishwasher which was bought as the same time is also having issues. It stopped pumping water and the heating element stopped working.

I am also not impressed with my whirlpool washing machine.

quote:

In any case, I just really fail to understand why it's so hard to make a fridge, washer, dryer, dishwasher that's decent quality and reliable (and will last for 15 years). It's not like it's new or complex technologies.

Simple, government mandates for lower energy and water consumption.

Hard to wash clothes/dishes with a limited amount of water per load.

Then throw in the rise in material costs, so companies use less materials per item.
As in, don't sneeze on anything or your liable to dent it.

Lastly, let's make them safer.
New design, which raises the overall costs and lowers the techs ability to diagnose properly (because they lack the knowledge of how they actually function).

Oh, did I mention, it's a throw-a-way world?

Planned obsolescence. God Bless

quote:

Originally posted by Excam_Man:
Oh, did I mention, it's a throw-a-way world?

Remember when you could actually get rotors resurfaced?

Now you just change them out when you change the brake pads.

1 
Our 20 year old Whirlpool dryer just quit working (again). It has never just stopped before, but I have made a couple of repairs in the past (heat on high all the time, simple part replacement). I checked the door switch, and after taking off the back found the thermal fuse blown. Replacing that probably would not solve the problem of some other component producing over current, so the wife ordered a Speed Queen dryer to replace the the old war horse.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: henryaz,

Here’s one thing nobody considers…

EVERYTHING has a logic board now. In the past, everything had analog controls. We want the benefits and sophistication of modernity, but a certain fragility comes with it.

80% of power surges originate within your home, particularly when an inductive load, especially your AC compressor, cycles off. One surge alone may not immediately damage your appliances, but they do cause cumulative damage. For this reason, the 2020 NEC now requires a whole-house SPD (surge protective device) be installed on new installations or updated services.

A type one SPD works on the utility side of your service to mainly arrest lightning events and surges caused by the utility’s load switching. I’m unsure how they work, perhaps some type of spark gap?? A type two SPD usually uses a MOV (metal oxide varistor) to shunt excess voltage to ground, and is used on the load side (within your home after your service disconnect). While this will help limit outside surges, it is also useful to limit those surges originating within your home.

My point is that you could do yourself some good by installing a SPD in your home. They are less that $100, and will provide some protection to all those expensive appliances. I don’t believe that all these manufacturers want to have faulty products. I believe some of it is in our modern environment. Think about it. Grandma’s house had nothing but incandescent lights, motors, and resistive loads controlled by simple switches. Her appliances lasted forever because those loads are very forgiving of surge events. Our modern stuff full of miniaturized electronics, not so much.

A residential SPD isn’t that expensive and is an easy install. Using one might be easier than searching for the perfect appliance.

We have Kenmore Elite appliances in the kitchen. Fridge, stove, oven and dish washer, been there 15 years now and all of them have worked perfectly. I don't know if they are even made nowadays though. Our washer and dryer are Maytag front loaders and they have also worked perfectly for over 10 years now.

quote:

Planned obsolescence

Sadly, this seems to be the route manufacturers of a lot of electronics seem to like. The missus wanted to replace our nearly 20 year old dish washer a few years back, just because. Every single source she checked for advice on the subject said not to let go of the older model under any circumstance other than complete break down.

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:
Remember when you could actually get rotors resurfaced?

Yes, and wheel cylinder rebuild kits.