Look at this
cooktop. This KitchenAid downdraft is the number one appliance you shouldn't buy.
Downdrafts don't work well,
but this one has the added problem of pulling from burners even farther away.
I'm showing you the worst first,
because number two, at the end of the video, isn't much better.
The 12 Appliances You Shouldn't Buy was originally published in 2021.
We added more later
and things you shouldn't buy parts two and three.
So it's time for an update with some new bad products.
Plus where I may have gone wrong in the first three editions.
Remember, avoiding bad products in design
will bring you much closer to having a kitchen you'll enjoy using.
That's our goal together, so let's get started in 2021.
I said smart was more of a gimmick and not worth the expense.
It was correct back then.
18 months later, smart has some decent functionality.
You can now look into your stove from your phone to see how your food is cooking.
Many brands, like Gaggenau and others, have unique cycles available only
on the app. For the profile washing, you can customize your detergents.
For this Gaggenau, you can make 34 different types of coffee.
GE and LG are still working on smart diagnosis, where the machine will signal
you the issue and the correct part to fix, saving weeks of repair time.
So smart is finally getting smart.
It's true we haven't been able to fry
anything on an air fry mode, mostly because the oven is too big
and sous vide is a two-hour cycle and you have to finish the food for texture.
These cycles are part of most ranges these days.
You aren't paying any more.
Maybe I was a little hard on Samsung for their new bespoke line.
Sure, you can turn your refrigerator all pink if you want to.
It's your kitchen.
However, remember what I said in the first
video, ranges are central in every kitchen plan, so start with color there before you
turn refrigerator into a sea of different finishes.
Matching bespoke is a problem because
the options and the other appliances are limited, especially with Black Stainless
and Tuscan. FamilyHub is another good idea,
getting your family to any centralized
anything seems worthwhile and beats my idea for a fridge.
But your teenager is probably reaching
for their phone before interacting with you through the refrigerator.
FamilyHub is a good idea, I'm just not sure it's worth the extra money.
Flex Duo is another great idea
morphing transform alike from two smaller stoves to one larger.
Technically, you can't use both stoves
at the same time on many temperatures, but at least you'll have the one that will.
Well, Black Stainless is still with us.
That finish is harder to kill than Dracula.
I didn't depreciate $23,000 worth
of high-end French door refrigerators in this video for no reason.
But Black Stainless is a coating like tape.
You can usually scratch it and there's no
fix for the scratches or warranty for the inevitable scratch.
Don't buy it unless you don't use your kitchen or live in a museum.
Use a pop of color on the range and maybe the hood.
Adding colors as a focal point makes
temporarily trendy into something permanently unique.
You can always panel your refrigerator
and dishwasher as well if you're looking to get away from stainless steel.
44 decibel is the standard for a quiet dishwasher.
Or when the human ear can't detect
an operating dishwasher, you don't need extra quietness and pay more.
That said, brands now offer more
reasonable 39 decibel dishwashers, like Beko or KitchenAid.
But you don't need to spend $2,000
for a much quieter dishwasher in a premium brand unless you want other features.
This mega capacity LG is advertised on the website at $1,999.
It's only 0.8-1.3 cubic foot bigger, while bringing $1,000-$1,300 more
expensive than their more popular front load washers.
Some of the larger Samsung's and LG's also
lack features like automatic dispensers for the smaller machines.
Lastly, if you still want one, check the size of your laundry room.
Chances are 35 inches+
it probably won't fit.
Look at this Whirlpool, KitchenAid or JennAir refrigerator.
It's a similar fridge, but KitchenAid and JennAir are much more expensive.
But many brands market the same products
produced by the same company, like microwave drawers made by Sharp.
Every brand has one, but they're identical to Sharp for much higher prices.
In this case, buy the least expensive,
which oddly enough, is this Beko at $1,499 with a five-year warranty.
On the other hand, if you're selling or flipping a house,
better brand names can help you unless they watch this video.
Will you use that steam oven if you buy it?
How about the coffee system?
Will you keep it filled or even clean it?
The answer is probably not,
and spending $8,000 for both may not be such a good idea.
I've also taken a lot of heat for this one as well.
I understand it because the combo is such a good idea.
A machine to wash and dry is so
convenient, you don't have to stop and transfer loads from the washer to dryer.
However, the machine can't remove lint effectively,
and we have tested the popular combos in our repair center in Stoughton.
This will be an impossible future service issue.
Despite all the comments,
none have said we have a family of five and use this consistently.
The main defenders are people who seem
to travel and use it sparingly, which is all a combo can really handle.
My grandmother and mother both had one, but I don't.
Most refrigerators have two evaporators,
so the air doesn't mix between refrigerator and freezer.
Temperatures manage better,
and you don't have the warmer air from the refrigerator landing in your
freezer. So your ice cream won't taste like whatever is in the refrigerator.
Ah yes, the speed of gas and the even dry baking
and electric oven. Except induction is much
faster than gas and easier to clean and vent.
It's also the most child safe.
Also, a straight gas oven is better if you
like to roast or broil with moisture heat and the better direct infrared broiling.
I'm referring here to the 30 inch sizes because Wolf, Miele, Thermador and SKS
will add features for their larger dual fuel ranges.
Okay, let's get into some nightmares.
Some popular products and ideas that will
be problems if you like to cook or use your kitchen.
I watched an influencer on YouTube extol the virtues of her new
professional range, which was half the price of the others.
But I doubt she'll feel that way once she starts cooking.
Usually the burners of the pro-style
Italian types have one high output burner, and the rest are really simmer burners.
The broiler is also half the capacity with zero controls.
Most of these off-brands also do not have
a service network either and are impossible to fix.
So if you're looking for a cheaper
pro-looking range, then yes, consider one.
For any measure of performance, look elsewhere.
I'm a big fan of induction and now begrudgingly used an electric range,
but a ban on new gas range installations is a bad idea.
I understand that gas produces a toxic mixture formaldehyde, CO2,
nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde particular matter, among others.
But burning fats to some degree will
produce some even in induction or electric cooking, the problem is power.
It's 25 amps more for electric versus gas multiplied up by the installations,
and you need a lot of power nationally. For your home,
it will require added electrical capacity
and wiring to handle the added power of an induction or electric stove.
The cost is roughly $3,000 per home,
if you could find an electrician to do it.
Over-the-range microwaves
were one of my favorite appliances when introduced in the 1990s.
However, they haven't changed much while stoves have.
The most powerful gas burners are in front
of the stove at about 22 inches, while the OTR is about 16 inches deep.
So the smoke bypasses the vent. I should know,
I now have an OTR in my rental apartment.
Most people aren't buying slide out hoods anymore, but that slide out glass doesn't
cover the burners either, or provide capture even if it did.
By the way, people have commented as to why we sell over-the-range microwaves.
Unfortunately, we can't do much if the kitchen plan is designed with one.
If venting properly requires a hood
to capture the smoke with a short vent directly to the outside,
then how effective are downdrafts when they do the opposite?
Downdrafts are a 1980s or 1990s way of putting your cooking in an island
to entertain your guests without losing the visual by having an overhead hood.
It was bad in the 1980s when your average burner was about 6,000-10,000.
It's worse now, with the average being 12,000-21,000 BTU.
You have better options like using a hood or centralizing your sink
in an island. But the following two trends are the most dangerous.
You look on Houzz and other design magazines, and you see a 60-inch pro range
with no vents. Even with an average gas range of 50,000-60,000 BTU,
you significantly impact the quality of the air you breathe inside your house.
Lastly, recirculating vents. Treat
the smoke and odor, but not the more dangerous fumes of your stove.
In some cases, the air is blown back into your face.
Makeup air is the law in Massachusetts for good reason.
When you vent a small room of air every minute, you want to return fresh air.
If not, that air is made up from your garage, attic or furnace.
That's not healthy air.
So even if your state doesn't have
a makeup air law, which Massachusetts does, you should have a fresh air return.
You can create a return through your HVAC,
but if not possible, you need a fresh air return a minimum
of 10ft from your stove on the opposite side of the wall.
So how did I do? If I missed anything,
you can leave it in the comments below.
If you want to vent correctly,
then watch this video and
thanks for watching.