Choosing Reliable Appliances

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By By Herb Weisbaum

Summary

A little research can make a big difference in future repair costs because brand quality can differ from product to product.

Story Published: Sep 22, 2005 at 9:22 PM PDT

Story Updated: Aug 31, 2006 at 2:05 AM PDT

Choosing Reliable Appliances
SEATTLE - Before you buy a major appliance - a big ticket item such as a washing machine or refrigerator - you want to do more than compare prices. You want to choose a reliable brand.

"It makes a huge different what brand you buy," says Jennifer Shecter with Consumer Reports magazine.

For instance, if you're in the market for a 30 - 32"picture tube TV, you might want to know that based on Consumer Reports reader surveys, RCA sets are more likely to need repairs than those made by JVC, Sanyo, Sharp and Toshiba.

"Some people have extreme brand loyalty and you should challenge that brand loyalty," Shecter explains, "because not only do some brands perform better than others, but depending on the product some brands could excel in the dishwasher or washer/dryer category and not be as reliable in other categories."

Here are two examples:

Consumer Reports says Maytag makes some of the most reliable dryers on the market, but some of the least reliable front-loading washers.

Toshiba's DVD players rarely need repair, while its digital cameras are some of the less reliable you can buy.

For More Information:

Consumer Reports Article: What Breaks, What Doesn't?