I support the idea that less complicated is more reliable. Most people I have spoken to tend to use the same cycle on their washing machine and their dishwasher most of the time, so lots of choices can be unnecessary. When I bought my refrigerator 22 years ago I ordered one without an icemaker or water dispenser, since I have no real need for either. (Ice trays in the freezer work just fine.) Also, when the complex machines have problems with the electronics, they are very expensive to repair.
Competition in the market drives companies to make better products; Chasing fiat currency drives companies to make the the cheaper value. Rare be the company that seeks to sell a higher quality product for a better price.
My Inglis/Whirlpool top load washer is ~35 years old. I repaired it ONCE for $12 (tranny to motor coupler). My new Maytag stove needed a new top surface element in 2 years cost in Canada is $175, luckily they'll send me a new one free under the 10yr warranty. Governments should mandate minimum 10 yr warranties so reduce the environmental cost of disposable appliances.
LG ranges and Samsung washer/dryer are the worst. Mine have both failed in less than 1 yr with both having major issues that needed replacement because they became completely unsafe to use. I would never buy that garbage ever again.
Don't buy Kitchenaid! Cheap knobs on an expensive stove! I called them and they transferred me to the "safety team" because I had cut my finger on the knob with the metal paint that was coming off. They are sending me new knobs, but I wasn't firm in mentioning the ring around the knobs is a big part of the problem too. They went into detail about a heat vent being located near the knobs. So when the new knobs arrive I doubt the problem will be solved. At one time I was a loyal fan of Kitchenaid, but no more. Pro-mixer, coffee maker, measuring cups, etc. all with issues. However, an expensive stove/range is takes my dislike/distrust of Kitchenaid to a whole new level!
A lot of the problems come from moisture affecting the electronic circuit boards. Because of the environments they are exposed to, you would think the manufacturers would encapsulate them with a conformal coating moisture barrier spray, but they do not. Moisture eventually corrodes the trace or bridges sensitive components on the boards and they fail, resulting in expensive repair costs. All in the name of saving $5 worth of conformal coating spray. Lame.
Another stimulating and challenging video covering so much data that it's hard to keep up. But thanks for the latest 'cause change happens and keeping up is even harder.
I have had bad experiences with two Samsung washers. They are not reliable. Videos covering Samsung's refigerators all point to them being poorly engineered. I just looked at a new LG fridge at home depot, and inside was a sticker saying that buying the product was agreeing to never sue the company, and all disputes will be handled by arbitration. Sorry, but if an appliance company resorts to that cheap tactic because they were sued for multiple failures of their compressors, I don't want to buy any of their products.
Maytag washers manufactured in Newton, Iowa used to last 20 + years !! Modern Speed Queen washers last 25 + years! Amana refrigerators that were manufactured in Amana, Iowa used to last 25-30 years! The modern-day plastic JUNK appliances last a fraction of that! Just the FACTS from decades ago!!
Regarding complexity, I’d be interested in your experience with service rates on induction cooktops compared to gas and resistive electric since induction is the most mechanically/electronically complex of the three. Or is the manufacturing good enough that the added complexity isn’t an issue.
Hey Bill, The few brands I work on, I was shocked at the price for the control boards for those induction cooktops. The price tag was a bitter pill to swallow for the customer. We have one customer that had her induction cooktop replaced FOUR times. Sorry if I sound old school but I miss cal-rod burners with infinite switches LOL. I liked Steve's formula for price of repair vs cost of the product.
Theoretically, an induction cooktop should be relatively reliable. Compared to gas- Induction cooktops have relatively few moving parts; which, all else being equal, will be the first things to go in any appliance. Unfortunately, this means practically nothing if the manufacturer cheaps out on the electronics which many do. My advice- If you go induction, try to get something well built that will last: you will pay more up front and repair will still be somewhat pricy if something goes wrong- but the chance of that happening is far smaller than with a cheaper induction (or electric) unit.
I think the old Maytags were the most reliable appliance ever...However, they used a ton of water, energy, and detergent. I do agree appliance need more service, but the industry had to change the designs due to tougher energy standards
You are right. having lived in different countries overseas, I have always wondered, why manufacturers in US so not make appliances easy to install. Just compare Bosch with GE, Maytag, whirlpool and others. Same goes with ease of common sense maintenance. Why do I have to call technician to replace a knob?
The only appliance which ever caught fire in my home was a Samsung refrigerator. No more Samsung for me! Then, our LG refrigerator was part of the settled lawsuit; however, we weren't notified until after the compensation period ended. It cools poorly, but we're limping along with it until we remodel the kitchen. My LG washer/dryer are fine, so I have mixed feelings about the brand.
What a load. We are still using a 42 year old Kenmore washer / dryer set and a 30 year old Gibson fridge. Only things we had to do to the washer was replace the water solenoid valve ($28 ) and the drive belt ($14 ). With the dryer, we had to replace the drum belt ( $18 ) and the timer. That was kind of pricey at $62. The fridge has been bullet proof. There IS a lot of truth in the old saying "They just don't build 'em like they used to".
@@YaleAppliance1 Draws 4.15 amps. Annual usage @85% cycling runtime is about 2200Kwh x $0.15/Kw ,at our rate, is about $338 a year. I don't think that's too out of line, power consumption wise.
@@appleimacdude You haven't dealt with LG, have you? _Lots of Grief_ ! Yeah, couldn't even get the correct repair part for my highly rated by _Consumer Reports_ top-load washer with the model number AND the serial number. At that point, I looked for a dealer and bought the Speed Queen TC5000. There will never be any other LG device in my home.
Have an LG TV, after the hardware update on his model the wifi breaks, allowing only a hard line connection with no possibility of reverting to he old working software. Every one with this model who took the update experienced this. I would avoid buying Samsung anything.
Yeah, I made the mistake of buying, at the time, a relative expensive ($1400) Samsung 43" 4K "Smart" TV, with the 9000 series processor. It uses Samsung "Tizen" software, which is Linux based, but coded and customized by Samsung. Three years later they stopped doing updates for my model. Now the web browser won't load anything at all and is unusable. The "Extra" button on the remote used to call up ALL the details of whatever show or movie you were watching, I mean ALL. The list of actors, year, series, episode and on and on. Now that feature is unsupported and calls up "Today in History" which never loads anything. I called customer service to find out what was going on and the response was , "We're sorry sir, we don't provide support for that model anymore". I'll never buy a Samsung anything again, I'm voting with my wallet.
My electric utility mailed me a blurb sheet claiming I could save $13 a year (just rechecked the claim, didn't want to pass misquoted information from Georgia Power) if I replaced a fifteen-year-old fridge with a brand-new one. With new refrigerators' projected life span of seven to ten years (let's be charitable and go with the higher figure) and new units costing anywhere from $1200 and $3500 (home center grade machines) that $13 a year sort of disappears into the mist when compared to the $120 to $350 per year cost of a new one.
@@YaleAppliance1 That was the assertion from the electric power assessment of my home electrical use. The same assessment said that my power usage was lower than the green line theoretical comparable size "efficient" home in my region month by month for the past year-and-a-half, every month except for the hottest June on record. Georgia Power claimed $13 per year saving for a new energy-star fridge over a fifteen-year-old unit.
@@YaleAppliance1 It depends on how far back you go. The older units from the 70s I would agree with you. The early frost free I would agree with you. If you go back to the 1940s and 50s without frost free they are even less power hungry then today’s units. Of course they are smaller. And they don’t have fancy features. But they do keep food nicely cold.
Analog appliances are absolutely more reliable. Having all those motherboards causes problems. All the major brand appliances have a catestrophic failure in 10 years. I have a 1977 refrigerator in my garage where I store my beer. It's never had a single problem, even the seals are original. I'm on my 2nd frig in the kitchen in 10 years, each time its cost me nearly $4000. My Bosch dishwasher has been bulletproof over the last 13 years, but this has been an exception, not the rule.
I agree that some of what is considered "planned obsolescence" is cost reduction and improvement in technology which negative affect durability. However, "planned obsolescence" is certainly a thing. Here is the Wikipedia article on .wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_obsolescence Every company is not Yale.
@@YaleAppliance1 You absolutely can plan obsolescence outside of the warranty period. Even Apple, considered an exceptional brand, was caught degrading the battery performance of their older phones through software updates. No one that has owned an appliance before 1995 would agree that appliances today are as reliable as they were prior to the overly electronic dependent appliances today. No one needs all the electronics for instance in a refrigerator. All that is needed is a mechanical knob to control the temperature, that's it. I can't think of anything more useless than WiFi on a refrigerator as an example. All these electronics make the appliances very susceptible to "dirty" energy spikes in your power to break these circuit boards. However, they have 0 effect on older appliances that have no circuit boards.
I support the idea that less complicated is more reliable. Most people I have spoken to tend to use the same cycle on their washing machine and their dishwasher most of the time, so lots of choices can be unnecessary. When I bought my refrigerator 22 years ago I ordered one without an icemaker or water dispenser, since I have no real need for either. (Ice trays in the freezer work just fine.) Also, when the complex machines have problems with the electronics, they are very expensive to repair.
Most products today are made and priced to support the "disposable" marketplace.
And it's really good for the environment.
I've been a service technician for 48 years. EVERYTHING today is much, much worse than 30 years ago.
except energy efficiency.....
Competition in the market drives companies to make better products;
Chasing fiat currency drives companies to make the the cheaper value.
Rare be the company that seeks to sell a higher quality product for a better price.
@@YaleAppliance1 Yeah, save $75 a year in energy costs, but it costs $600 to fix it every time it breaks down every year or two.
I also like Speed Queen because its American made
My Inglis/Whirlpool top load washer is ~35 years old. I repaired it ONCE for $12 (tranny to motor coupler). My new Maytag stove needed a new top surface element in 2 years cost in Canada is $175, luckily they'll send me a new one free under the 10yr warranty. Governments should mandate minimum 10 yr warranties so reduce the environmental cost of disposable appliances.
LG ranges and Samsung washer/dryer are the worst. Mine have both failed in less than 1 yr with both having major issues that needed replacement because they became completely unsafe to use. I would never buy that garbage ever again.
Don't buy Kitchenaid! Cheap knobs on an expensive stove! I called them and they transferred me to the "safety team" because I had cut my finger on the knob with the metal paint that was coming off. They are sending me new knobs, but I wasn't firm in mentioning the ring around the knobs is a big part of the problem too. They went into detail about a heat vent being located near the knobs. So when the new knobs arrive I doubt the problem will be solved. At one time I was a loyal fan of Kitchenaid, but no more. Pro-mixer, coffee maker, measuring cups, etc. all with issues. However, an expensive stove/range is takes my dislike/distrust of Kitchenaid to a whole new level!
Their most reliable appliance is their stand mixer. Everything else is rebadged whirlpool appliances
They are all crap.
A lot of the problems come from moisture affecting the electronic circuit boards. Because of the environments they are exposed to, you would think the manufacturers would encapsulate them with a conformal coating moisture barrier spray, but they do not. Moisture eventually corrodes the trace or bridges sensitive components on the boards and they fail, resulting in expensive repair costs. All in the name of saving $5 worth of conformal coating spray. Lame.
I love the repair rate information as an appliance salesperson. Thanks for all the information.
Another stimulating and challenging video covering so much data that it's hard to keep up. But thanks for the latest 'cause change happens and keeping up is even harder.
:)
I have had bad experiences with two Samsung washers. They are not reliable. Videos covering Samsung's refigerators all point to them being poorly engineered.
I just looked at a new LG fridge at home depot, and inside was a sticker saying that buying the product was agreeing to never sue the company, and all disputes will be handled by arbitration. Sorry, but if an appliance company resorts to that cheap tactic because they were sued for multiple failures of their compressors, I don't want to buy any of their products.
Well, Samsung has had a few recalls, but their front loads are pretty good.
Maytag washers manufactured in Newton, Iowa used to last 20 + years !! Modern Speed Queen washers last 25 + years! Amana refrigerators that were manufactured in Amana, Iowa used to last 25-30 years! The modern-day plastic JUNK appliances last a fraction of that! Just the FACTS from decades ago!!
agree on the old Maytag washers and Amana refrigerators.....
Regarding complexity, I’d be interested in your experience with service rates on induction cooktops compared to gas and resistive electric since induction is the most mechanically/electronically complex of the three. Or is the manufacturing good enough that the added complexity isn’t an issue.
We have published reliability videos..check em out
Hey Bill, The few brands I work on, I was shocked at the price for the control boards for those induction cooktops. The price tag was a bitter pill to swallow for the customer. We have one customer that had her induction cooktop replaced FOUR times. Sorry if I sound old school but I miss cal-rod burners with infinite switches LOL. I liked Steve's formula for price of repair vs cost of the product.
Theoretically, an induction cooktop should be relatively reliable. Compared to gas- Induction cooktops have relatively few moving parts; which, all else being equal, will be the first things to go in any appliance. Unfortunately, this means practically nothing if the manufacturer cheaps out on the electronics which many do. My advice- If you go induction, try to get something well built that will last: you will pay more up front and repair will still be somewhat pricy if something goes wrong- but the chance of that happening is far smaller than with a cheaper induction (or electric) unit.
This is exactly the video we needed to see, especially for someone that sells appliances as well!
and services them.......
Whatever how are you gonna deny across the board newer appliances use less robust materials and designs .?
I think the old Maytags were the most reliable appliance ever...However, they used a ton of water, energy, and detergent. I do agree appliance need more service, but the industry had to change the designs due to tougher energy standards
You are right. having lived in different countries overseas, I have always wondered, why manufacturers in US so not make appliances easy to install. Just compare Bosch with GE, Maytag, whirlpool and others. Same goes with ease of common sense maintenance. Why do I have to call technician to replace a knob?
The only appliance which ever caught fire in my home was a Samsung refrigerator. No more Samsung for me!
Then, our LG refrigerator was part of the settled lawsuit; however, we weren't notified until after the compensation period ended. It cools poorly, but we're limping along with it until we remodel the kitchen. My LG washer/dryer are fine, so I have mixed feelings about the brand.
What a load. We are still using a 42 year old Kenmore washer / dryer set and a 30 year old Gibson fridge. Only things we had to do to the washer was replace the water solenoid valve ($28 ) and the drive belt ($14 ). With the dryer, we had to replace the drum belt ( $18 ) and the timer. That was kind of pricey at $62. The fridge has been bullet proof.
There IS a lot of truth in the old saying "They just don't build 'em like they used to".
True, but the old ones cost a fortune to run. You are probably spending $500+ to rin that Gibson
@@YaleAppliance1 Draws 4.15 amps. Annual usage @85% cycling runtime is about 2200Kwh x $0.15/Kw ,at our rate, is about $338 a year. I don't think that's too out of line, power consumption wise.
You are only paying 15 cents per KW? Its double here.
Good video, busted some myths I believed in.
Still won't change my mind on Samsung fridges, back always freezes and stops cooling
Dont blame you there......
To me, Samsung should not be considered because they are bottom of the barrel when it comes to customer service -
@@appleimacdude You haven't dealt with LG, have you?
_Lots of Grief_ !
Yeah, couldn't even get the correct repair part for my highly rated by _Consumer Reports_ top-load washer with the model number AND the serial number.
At that point, I looked for a dealer and bought the Speed Queen TC5000.
There will never be any other LG device in my home.
The best ones to get are the 30 year old ones at a flea market.
Not for your electric bill
Have an LG TV, after the hardware update on his model the wifi breaks, allowing only a hard line connection with no possibility of reverting to he old working software. Every one with this model who took the update experienced this. I would avoid buying Samsung anything.
Yeah, I made the mistake of buying, at the time, a relative expensive ($1400) Samsung 43" 4K "Smart" TV, with the 9000 series processor. It uses Samsung "Tizen" software, which is Linux based, but coded and customized by Samsung.
Three years later they stopped doing updates for my model. Now the web browser won't load anything at all and is unusable. The "Extra" button on the remote used to call up ALL the details of whatever show or movie you were watching, I mean ALL. The list of actors, year, series, episode and on and on.
Now that feature is unsupported and calls up "Today in History" which never loads anything. I called customer service to find out what was going on and the response was , "We're sorry sir, we don't provide support for that model anymore". I'll never buy a Samsung anything again, I'm voting with my wallet.
They don't make them like they used to
Not all bad.
Great information!! Thanks for the video!!
Glad it was helpful!
Outstanding video!
Thank you very much!
My electric utility mailed me a blurb sheet claiming I could save $13 a year (just rechecked the claim, didn't want to pass misquoted information from Georgia Power) if I replaced a fifteen-year-old fridge with a brand-new one.
With new refrigerators' projected life span of seven to ten years (let's be charitable and go with the higher figure) and new units costing anywhere from $1200 and $3500 (home center grade machines) that $13 a year sort of disappears into the mist when compared to the $120 to $350 per year cost of a new one.
Its more than $13 especially with the much older units. BTW, I am not saying not replace a good working appliance.
@@YaleAppliance1 That was the assertion from the electric power assessment of my home electrical use. The same assessment said that my power usage was lower than the green line theoretical comparable size "efficient" home in my region month by month for the past year-and-a-half, every month except for the hottest June on record.
Georgia Power claimed $13 per year saving for a new energy-star fridge over a fifteen-year-old unit.
@@YaleAppliance1 It depends on how far back you go. The older units from the 70s I would agree with you. The early frost free I would agree with you. If you go back to the 1940s and 50s without frost free they are even less power hungry then today’s units. Of course they are smaller. And they don’t have fancy features. But they do keep food nicely cold.
The spider bracket issue on Samsung is real. I've had it happen.
I am sure it does happen, but not at scale to everyone or we would see it
Analog appliances are absolutely more reliable. Having all those motherboards causes problems. All the major brand appliances have a catestrophic failure in 10 years. I have a 1977 refrigerator in my garage where I store my beer. It's never had a single problem, even the seals are original. I'm on my 2nd frig in the kitchen in 10 years, each time its cost me nearly $4000. My Bosch dishwasher has been bulletproof over the last 13 years, but this has been an exception, not the rule.
Your 1977 refrigerator is probably costing you $300-500 a year to run. Unplug it for a month and look at your electric bill.
I agree that some of what is considered "planned obsolescence" is cost reduction and improvement in technology which negative affect durability. However, "planned obsolescence" is certainly a thing. Here is the Wikipedia article on .wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_obsolescence Every company is not Yale.
I read it....But you can't plan your obsolescence with tons of competitors and governmental regulation
@@YaleAppliance1 You absolutely can plan obsolescence outside of the warranty period. Even Apple, considered an exceptional brand, was caught degrading the battery performance of their older phones through software updates. No one that has owned an appliance before 1995 would agree that appliances today are as reliable as they were prior to the overly electronic dependent appliances today. No one needs all the electronics for instance in a refrigerator. All that is needed is a mechanical knob to control the temperature, that's it. I can't think of anything more useless than WiFi on a refrigerator as an example. All these electronics make the appliances very susceptible to "dirty" energy spikes in your power to break these circuit boards. However, they have 0 effect on older appliances that have no circuit boards.