What appliance brands?

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gjm

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Topic # 94783 19-Dec-2011 09:27

So I just bought my first house and need some advice on appliance brands - specifically what to get and what to avoid. I need to buy a dishwasher, a free standing oven and a heat pump (for a small single level 3 bedroom 1990's house) at the very least. Heat pump doesnt need to do whole house, I just need a place where I can hide from the humidity which I hate with a vengeance. Spent the real hot days last summer sitting in my car parked outside house with the AC running.

Am thinking I will go out in the madness that is boxing day sales but would like to be prepared so I can get in and out as quickly as poss.

Any guidance appreciated.

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Reply # 559456 19-Dec-2011 09:37

Get an online membership to consumer, it's $25 for 3 months access. They have extensive tests of appliances.

http://www.consumer.org.nz/

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trig42

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Reply # 559486 19-Dec-2011 11:16

I like Mitsubishi for heat pumps, but I think all the big brands are fine, Daikin, Panasonic etc.
I have had a couple of Mitsi heat pumps and they are quiet and energy efficient.
As far as appliances go, whatever brand you choose you will find good things and bad things written about them.
Bosch for Dishwashers seem to be good. I have an F&P double dishdrawer and it has been great (it is the second one I have bought - different houses) and I never had any problems with the first one either (had it for about 3 years before we sold that house). They are pretty quiet and good on water and power usage.

As for FS ovens, there are a lot of choices too - do you want Gas hobs or electric, and if electric, normal elements or ceramic top? Stainless or white?

timmmay

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Reply # 559488 19-Dec-2011 11:21

I much prefer my Daikin heat pump to a friends Mitsubishi, the M can't really direct the air very well which I want to do sometimes. The Daikin I have is a little louder though, even on low, but mine's a few years old now. You should use a firm that will supply and install it, as well as recommend the size you need. I kindof wish i'd gone one size bigger than they recommended, it'd help on really cold days when it runs full time, but modern houses with better insulation would probably be fine.

My F&P fridge and washing machine have been fine. The drier had a few problems, and now at 4 years old is starting to squeek.

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Jaxson

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Reply # 559490 19-Dec-2011 11:28

Daikin have a really good record.

As with all things though, there are different price point models, and often it's not immediately clear as to what the difference is etc. Sometimes it pays to check out why something is $100 more.

jeffnz

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Reply # 559495 19-Dec-2011 11:33

agree about humidity may try sitting in my car :).

Also agree with getting on consumer I'm a member and use it a lot to check out products I'm thinking of buying.

Fujitsu rates top 2 places for heat pumps in medium range.

Bosch is number 1 on dishwashers

Westinghouse and F&P top 2 for FS ovens

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Hammerer

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Reply # 559503 19-Dec-2011 11:46

gjm: I need to buy a dishwasher, a free standing oven and a heat pump (for a small single level 3 bedroom 1990's house) at the very least.

I agree that Consumer is a great place to go. Have a look at the category reviews but also checkout the brand reliability for each product type. For example, F&P DishDrawer dishwashers were great to use provided they didn't break down. They were very unreliable in the first few versions but may be much better now.

Find out what the key product features are that you need/want - you don't need to use Consumer for that. That will make all the difference when confronted with heaps of products. For example, I'd always look for a fan-forced oven because it cooks many things better and faster. The positioning of power points on the stove will also affect how you can work with it - I want them on the side but that's no good if you don't have clear space on both sides. Cleaning depends upon the lining design and the placement of the elements (above or below the floor). Etc.

Re heatpump, if you expect it to heat/cool more than one room then you will usually have to force the air into the other rooms with extra fans or you will have to have it on full-time so all the rooms eventually equalise.

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Reply # 559510 19-Dec-2011 11:54

My Panasonic blows me away, cheap, efficient. QUIET Can't complain at all.

Jaxson

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Reply # 559515 19-Dec-2011 12:07

Hammerer:
Re heatpump, if you expect it to heat/cool more than one room then you will usually have to force the air into the other rooms with extra fans or you will have to have it on full-time so all the rooms eventually equalise.

Yeah a heat pump/air con unit is just a fan heater. There is very little motivation for cool/warm air to just want to travel off all around your home by itself.

gjm

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Reply # 559516 19-Dec-2011 12:08

thanks for all the replies guys....very very helpful. I see that most places sell Westinghouse ovens (eg Noels, HarveyN, BondnBond etc) so was wondering about how good they are. Lots of things Ive been reading say F&P arent very good anymore.

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Reply # 559521 19-Dec-2011 12:16

I bought my first home at the start of the year. I bought a Bosch FS oven, with an electric oven and gas hob. Very happy with it, though my sister has recently bought an induction cooktop, which looks very cool (literally!). She also bought a Bosch dishwasher, and her impressions reflect those of others around here, that they are very good, quiet too.

I went with a Westinghouse Fridge/Freezer, and it's been good. With fridges, only time will really tell how good they are. So far, it hasn't missed a beat. Nice in stainless steel too.

Re: Consumer, if you want to avoid the subscription cost and go old school, most libraries will have a back catalogue of Consumer magazines. Ours has an index to articles by subject matter, so it's a piece of cake to look up the issues relevant to the appliances you're interested in.

kingjj

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Reply # 559535 19-Dec-2011 13:00

Not that you can buy them anymore, but don't get a Blue Dolphin heat pump. Piece of %#@! came with our house which we're gonna have to replace soon. We were quite happy with our Toshiba at our old house, really efficient.

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Reply # 559537 19-Dec-2011 13:01

Bosch ovens, dishwashers and fridges are all good. Just don't go for the bottom of the range models.
I have tried F&P fridges and dishwashers and they are both cheaply made and don't perform well. The dishwasher is less than a year old, and doesn't dry stuff insdide it properly, and was the second to top of the range model. The Bosch performs much better. But it was cheaper than the Bosch so it was a case of getting what you pay for. Asko also make good dishwasers and are larger.

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Reply # 559551 19-Dec-2011 13:24

Top brands Miele, Asko, Bosch.

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timmmay

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Reply # 559554 19-Dec-2011 13:28

Jaxson: Yeah a heat pump/air con unit is just a fan heater. There is very little motivation for cool/warm air to just want to travel off all around your home by itself.

Not sure what you mean by that. Yes it blows air around to heat the house, but it's not like a fan heater that just runs wire through a coil, it has a much more efficient way of generating heat - it doesn't actually generate it, it just moves it from outside to inside, or vice versa for cooling. I think you know that though...

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martyyn

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Reply # 559564 19-Dec-2011 13:43

I wouldnt go near F&P if you paid me.

We bought a fridge, dishwasher and washing machine new for our house. The washing machine required major repairs after two years and died completely after four. The dishwasher blew up six months later with blue sparks and flames like Guy Fawkes and although the fridge is still going all the plastic buckets and shelves are all shattered and broken.

F&P said they would replace the 'top of the line' washing machine with a 'bottom of the line' one if we contributed $200 ourselves.

We replaced with Bosch and couldnt be happier.

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