Oven F&P or Smeg?

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networkn

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#180537 12-Sep-2015 23:02

Hi.

Our Ariston Oven which has been a fantastic bit of Kit seems to behaving a little improperly, it almost seems like half it's elements aren't really working. When we do a roast the bottom tray doesn't seem to cook very well.

I am unsure what usually goes wrong, or how expensive a fix is likely to be, but we were at the home show and came across two ovens we were very impressed with. Both were the top of the range models, Fisher and Paykel and a touchscreen model
from Smeg.

On Paper the F&P looks better I think. It doesn't have touchscreen or the guided and customizable cooking functions of the Smeg, but has a built in meat thermometer, smart vent technology for moisture management, a free rotisserie attachment, bigger usable internal area, and better visibility throughout the door.

Smeg is a better brand from my own experience, and F&P was a brand I swore I'd never buy a again after a bad run with their appliance reliability about 12 years ago.

Anyone purchase either brand oven recently who can comment? Both are on excellent specials for the home show, and the Smeg is particularly good as it's while stocks last as they are clearing this model out for the new model. I believe I could probably get the F&P around that price within a few weeks if I pushed.

Specials end tomorrow officially, and I won't have time to ascertain what is wrong with the current oven.

Anyone able to shed light on what might be wrong with the current one or make a recommendation between the two others I am considering?

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#1386420 13-Sep-2015 00:05

I wouldn't buy either. Bosch and Miele (is pricey), are what I would go for. But depends to how long you want it to last for. If I had to go for either of the other two, probably F&P as parts should be easier to get, and wouldn't trust a the reliability of a touchscreen long terms, especially as ovens get hot..

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#1386422 13-Sep-2015 00:10

mattwnz: I wouldn't buy either. Bosch and Miele (is pricey), are what I would go for. But depends to how long you want it to last for. If I had to go for either of the other two, probably F&P as parts should be easier to get, and wouldn't trust a the reliability of a touchscreen long terms, especially as ovens get hot..

I like Bosch, I didn't see any of their models at the home show.

Meiele I have found to be very overpriced for what they are. I have had a vacuum, drier and washing machine, none of which were reliable or in any way better than the Bosch that replaced them. It's been a while since the Miele of old was present in much
of what they make now, yet they still charge 25% more than Bosch or similar brands.

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#1386423 13-Sep-2015 00:10

Bottom element has probably failed. And the top bake assist element is the only one working.

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#1386424 13-Sep-2015 00:12

Aredwood: Bottom element has probably failed. And the top bake assist element is the only one working.

Hmm, I don't suppose you would have even a ball park figure on what that might cost to get fixed? The oven is 9 years old, unsure if it's worth repairing for fear of another thing breaking.

mattwnz

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#1386426 13-Sep-2015 00:13

networkn:
mattwnz: I wouldn't buy either. Bosch and Miele (is pricey), are what I would go for. But depends to how long you want it to last for. If I had to go for either of the other two, probably F&P as parts should be easier to get, and wouldn't trust a the reliability of a touchscreen long terms, especially as ovens get hot..

I like Bosch, I didn't see any of their models at the home show.

Meiele I have found to be very overpriced for what they are. I have had a vacuum, drier and washing machine, none of which were reliable or in any way better than the Bosch that replaced them. It's been a while since the Miele of old was present in much
of what they make now, yet they still charge 25% more than Bosch or similar brands.

Harvey Norman do Bosch, and I have found they will better the price of other retailers, including the kitchen stores. But Bosch seem to be sold by most retailers. They also look really stylish.

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#1386485 13-Sep-2015 08:52

Bosh are great quality, we have one of their dishwashers. We got a Beko oven recently, $1899 from LV Martin for a freestanding oven with induction hob, RRP $2599, the Bosch was $1000 more. I wouldn't buy anything other than induction now, even though we had to replace all our pots. There's one model above that one we got. It has nothing fancy, no attachments, nothing revolving other than the fan, no strange modes, but it cooks food and looks decent. I was feeling a bit more flush next time I'd go for a Bosch, but the Beko is a good option if you can get it on sale.

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#1386489 13-Sep-2015 08:58

timmmay: Bosh are great quality, we have one of their dishwashers. We got a Beko oven recently, $1899 from LV Martin for a freestanding oven with induction hob, RRP $2599, the Bosch was $1000 more. I wouldn't buy anything other than induction now, even though we had to replace all our pots. There's one model above that one we got. It has nothing fancy, no attachments, nothing revolving other than the fan, no strange modes, but it cooks food and looks decent. I was feeling a bit more flush next time I'd go for a Bosch, but the Beko is a good option if you can get it on sale.

I'd have to so we are pretty disappointed with our second Bosch Dishwasher compared to our first. Pretty badly designed. With the addition of the cutlery draw the internal space for trays and stuff is less and as such we have trouble fitting tall glasses and full sized plates in the washer at the same time even though the baskets are height adjustable. I see similar complaints online for it. We also have an issue where the soap dispenser doesn't open always leaving dishes dirty or the soap half wet but not used. Bosch have been difficult in dealing with it.

We have a washer and dryer which are awesome.

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#1386498 13-Sep-2015 09:28

networkn: I'd have to so we are pretty disappointed with our second Bosch Dishwasher compared to our first. Pretty badly designed. With the addition of the cutlery draw the internal space for trays and stuff is less and as such we have trouble fitting tall glasses and full sized plates in the washer at the same time even though the baskets are height adjustable. I see similar complaints online for it. We also have an issue where the soap dispenser doesn't open always leaving dishes dirty or the soap half wet but not used. Bosch have been difficult in dealing with it.

We have a washer and dryer which are awesome.

What model do you have? We have this one. The cutlery draw up to is great, and we fit standard sized dinner plates in fine. Tall glasses don't fit great so we wash them by hand or put them down the bottom with plates. Soap dispenser on ours doesn't open about 1 time in 40, most of the time I don't even notice.

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#1386533 13-Sep-2015 10:41

We have Bosch in the kitchen at the moment, Miele in the laundry. The new Miele laundry range is a MASSIVE step above Bosch now - the Duo Dose is spot on.
Our Bosch oven isn't top of the line, but the older models were certainly tricky to use... the new ones are a lot better.
I would recommend F&P for three reasons...
1: Useable cooking space.
2: It is simply effective and simple to use.
The UI is really well thought out, many others need to take a long look at their control panel and then at what F&P have done. Sure they've 'found' some venting technology in recent years... that is... um... similar to Bosch, at least to my eyes. But it works!
3: You will see F&P in almost every retailer, meaning you'll be able to get a deal on it (competition rules)... whereas SMEG is brought into NZ by the same group who own the retail chain Kitchen Things. So their 'specials' are really just the importer accepting slightly less margin than normal.

Fred99

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#1386627 13-Sep-2015 13:54

I have a Smeg dishwasher - for about 4 years now. I am not impressed by several aspects of build and finish quality:

The lacquer finish over the SS has worn off around the handle.
The top rotor arm bearing failed/wore out after a couple of years - the local part price was silly. (I had the part mailed out from the UK - at about 1/4 local part price, including postage)
There's a plastic assembly behind the front panel buttons which was a defective design and broke under normal use, the replacement part I got had been redesigned to correct the defect - so at least Smeg got that aspect right, but as it seemed to be a very common issue and defective design, they should have supplied replacement parts for free. IIRC it was $20 or so - not a huge deal, but if you needed a service person to fit it, then you'd probably be up for callout and 1/2 hour minimum labour charge.
One of the wheels on the top tray runner has worn - it comes loose/drops off.

So that's not an oven, but if indicative of Smeg quality (or lack thereof) in general - then I'm not impressed.
I do hear good things about Bosch in general as well as F&P ovens and fridges.
Or last dishwasher was an Asko. Made with really top-notch materials and build quality and lasted over 15 years, but they are quite expensive.

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#1386629 13-Sep-2015 14:01

I went and had a look at Bosch, I was pretty impressed, however one aspect of it, was a deal breaker for me, and that was the new control wheel. It's horrible to use and worse if you are in a hurry or have wet hands. It's now between the Smeg and F&P with the F&P leading the race for the reasons outlined in my first post.

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#1386640 13-Sep-2015 14:27

Don't know what your budget is, but if it stretches to a pyrolytic self-cleaning oven, then go for it. Aside from the self-cleaning function, they are better insulated (triple/qudruple glazed windows, etc) the enameled liners much heavier duty, the elements are much gruntier so they heat up to bake temperature very quickly, the door seals are ceramic fibre rather than silicon rubber. The insulation means that at high bake temps, the door and sides of the oven stay much cooler. Some have removable SS side racks which need to be removed as they won't withstand the temperature of the cleaning cycle, others have moulded tracks for the trays on the liner.

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#1386641 13-Sep-2015 14:37

Fred99: Don't know what your budget is, but if it stretches to a pyrolytic self-cleaning oven, then go for it. Aside from the self-cleaning function, they are better insulated (triple/qudruple glazed windows, etc) the enameled liners much heavier duty, the elements are much gruntier so they heat up to bake temperature very quickly, the door seals are ceramic fibre rather than silicon rubber. The insulation means that at high bake temps, the door and sides of the oven stay much cooler. Some have removable SS side racks which need to be removed as they won't withstand the temperature of the cleaning cycle, others have moulded tracks for the trays on the liner.

Our current is pyroltyic and has rails that extend, so we wouldn't buy anything less than that. the F&P and Smeg are both @ ~2500.

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#1386648 13-Sep-2015 15:17

I replaced an ancient Kelvinator with a Belling free standing oven and that has been pretty good so far plus I also like the styling of it as well:

http://www.belling.co.nz/products/freestanding-ovens-red-electric-oven-electric-grill-with-ceramic-cook-top-60cm

In terms of performance I haven't noticed any issues and it is pretty easy to clean and the oven is able to hold a consistent heat level - from baking through to roast.

"When the people are being beaten with a stick, they are not much happier if it is called 'the People's Stick'"

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#1386649 13-Sep-2015 15:24

I'd be temped to go to free standing if we had to consider redoing our cabinetry.

I'd love a unit that did GAS/Induction on the top and a 60cm oven with a warming drawer. I imagine that would cost billions!

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