When it comes to shopping for luxury and reliable appliances, who does better?
In light of all of the issues with the chip shortages and appliance delays, we wanted to also delay our yearly appliance shopping comparison. This year your blogger is going to be taking a look at appliance brands known for being reliable while still being some of the best. We've chosen one option for every appliance after looking closely at the features offered and how well they reflect the lives of our clients. Even if you'd rather repair than replace, take a look with us at some of the options for a new kitchen, if only to ogle the new features.
Dishwasher- Dacor - 24" in Stainless Steel
Model : DDW24M999US
Price: $1,199
Photo Courtesy of Dacor
"With the capacity to hold up to fourteen place settings and the largest cleaning zone available, innovations like WaterWall™ and ZoneBooster™ technologies ensure that when the AutoRelease door opens, every pot, pan, plate, and glass will be ready for the spotlight."
The Dacor dishwasher focuses on making sure that your appliances are clean. Which sounds pointless, since isn't that the goal of all dishwashers? Yes, but if you're looking for who is going to be the best option, you want the one that is going to do the job best. We think that that is the Dacor. Their Waterwall technology combines with with a 'zone booster' to ensure not only do you have a wall of high pressure water going back and forth washing your dishes, but you also have a phase that makes use of high power jets to attack stuck on bits of food or other debris. To us that is the best part of the Dacor dishwasher.
Although we also enjoy the autorelease door to release steam at the end of a cycle as well as reducing the need for a dry cycle, as well as the flush design that allows the Dacor to fit seamlessly into your kitchen
Range - Dacor 48" Range Top with Griddle with Natural Gas in Stainless Steel
Model: $4,999
Price: DTT48M976LS
Photo Courtesy of Dacor
"Refined looks and visionary performance in perfect harmony. With a lineup of features that ignite your imagination, our Pro Rangetops turn up the heat on what’s possible."
We chose the Dacor range for two reasons. The first is that it's still available with gas, despite many companies offering fewer models with it. And because of the reliability and precision of that gas. Their range is built from the burners and their function up. Instead of engineering from the space or style limits, Dacor starts with how they wanted to do best, offer a consistent, fast burner, that would last a lifetime. That's why all of their burners are brass, with a dual valve system. It's also why although there are six different burners on this stove, they all have different sizes and specialties. To us, that's focus and very impressive.
We won't lie, we also greatly appreciate the built-in cast-aluminum griddle, because heck yes easy omelets every morning, as well as the Auto connected hood. We've talked about vent hoods several times before, but one of the most important posts we tackled has been the dangers of not using your hood while you're cooking. The Dacor range turns on the ventilation at the same time as the cooktop and monitors it based on temperature, ramping up the speed of the fans as it becomes needed. To us, that's a very useful bit of technology as it protects your health.
Oven - Wolf 30" M Series Contemporary Stainless Steel Built-In Double Oven
Model: DO30CM/S
Price: $9,830
"Wolf ovens are precisely engineered with chef-tested modes that, once mastered, practically guarantee delicious results. "
This time we're looking at a Wolf double oven that's meant to be a built in and we have to admit, your blogger drooled. This set of ovens has 11 different modes with three of them making it possible to ditch other appliances in place of this one. It's also Wolf's largest capacity oven so that if you need to make three different sets of cookies at the same time, or a large amount of a recipe, you can do just that. (We would suggest that you can make multiple different recipes, but it's a pain to try and select ones that all work at the same temperature, and your blogger knows it.)
Photo Courtesy of Wolf
Refrigerator - Gaggenau 36" Vario Refrigerator 400 Series
Model: RC492705
Price: $15,499
We looked at a brand we haven't reviewed for the blog before for both the refrigerator and the freezer, Gaggenau. They're a German company that was established in 1683. If you're looking for reliability and history, this is the brand you're looking at.
In addition to being supremely well made, the biggest thing your blogger was impressed by was the attention to the little details. The fridge is engineered to be a quiet close so that it doesn't disturb you or your household. Each of the compartments is adjustable separately to ensure the best freshness and separation for your different foods, and the door is completely customizable. This is a refrigerator that is meant to fit into your home and life, not the other way around.
Photo Courtesy of Gaggenau
Freezer - Gaggenau 24” Vario Freezer 400 series
Model: RF461705
Photo Courtesy of Gaggenau
Price: 6,999.00
We separated out the freezer for two reasons. One, you don't always want to compromise when it comes to space. If you have a large family, or you cook a lot, it's very useful to have your freezer and refrigerator separate. We also wanted the same precise attention to cooling zones that Gaggenau brings to their refrigerators, so the choice was a no-brainer for your blogger.
Two features that stood out were the automatic defrost and the the swift freeze. The Gaggenau will regularly cycle into a defrost mode, but instead of melting everything and leaving you with a block of ice at the bottom, it has defrost water evaporation. The freezer is also capable of getting down to -22 without accumulating frost because of how swiftly it drops down to that temperature. So all around it's an amazing freezer that does what it does very well.
Washing Machine - Miele TDos & IntenseWash front-loading washing machine
Model: WXR860 WCS
Price: $2,299.00
Photo Courtesy of MieleUsa
Where do we even start with this one? For our washer and dryer we wanted to make sure that they were compatible, and would both have the same level of attention to them. So your blogger went with a brand that has been recommended several times on the blog, Miele. Like the others in this list, their attention to detail is one of the reasons we love them. With this model they've offered several new styles of wash programs that your blogger hadn't actually seen previously. You have the usual modes like delicates, normal and towels. Then you have ones like darks and denims, meant to keep them from losing color, sneakers and a mode just for baby clothes. Or if you have linens that you want washed, there's a mode for that, and one for your high-tech outerwear as well. All of that has been considered and separated out as something that needed special consideration.
This model also really focuses on efficiency and being friendly to the economy. From making sure that you can see and control exactly how much energy and water the machine uses on any given cycle, to being able to wash just one item if the need calls for it. They've also made it so that every load is weighed and considered so that only the exact amount of water and detergent is used for each wash. To your blogger, that was fantastic.
And did we mention that it has a soft steam feature? To make ironing easier for those of you that have to iron regularly.
Dryer - Miele Eco & Steam Heat Pump Dryer
Model: TXR860WP
Photo Courtesy of MieleUsa
Price: 2,299.00
Matching our washer choice, the Miele Eco & Steam Heat Pump dryer was an easy pick for your ever curious blogger. It's ventless, it has several easy to access filters which cut down on the frequency of needing to clean different areas, and it has a hose to drain the water into a sink or outside depending on your preference. Plus, it' s a heat pump dryer which we've talked about previously, along with their gentleness on both your clothes, your wallet, and the temperature in your home. (All benefits for Texas as far as your blogger is concerned.)
The biggest point of interest though wasn't any of the features. It's the amount of testing they put their dryer through. "Tested for 20 years of perfect laundry care. Some car engines are tested over 3,000 hours – but we test [our dryers for] constant performance over as much as 10,000 hours." How many other companies do that?
So what do you think? Did you like the appliances we chose this year? Or are you more curious to see what our owner comes up with? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. As always we're eager to hear what you think. Check back soon for part two when our owner makes her call on what she thinks are the best options for new appliances.
We understand that not everyone wants to replace their appliances, and honestly, we'd be out of business if you did. We offer posts like this to keep you, our readers and our clients, aware of some of the new technologies in the field, and how they can be worked into your home in the event that you do have to replace an appliance. Our technicians will work with you until you're satisfied that we've tried everything to fix your appliance, whether that means one visit or many. At the end of the day, we want the same thing you do, to get your home running smoothly again.
If you are in need of someone to look at your appliances, whether that's a maintenance check or fixing a specific issue, you can reach out to us through our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055). We'll work with you to find a time that fits your schedule so we can get your home running again.