# Anyone Have Any Hints On Where To Buy Kitchen Appliances?



## Hoc (Jul 16, 2007)

We are in the process of remodeling our kitchen, and looking for two appliances: 
1. A Thermador 36" Gas Cooktop; and
2. An island-style vent hood with the curved glass canopy (something like the Zephyr Milano style hood).

However, we can't seem to find any bargains.  Looking on ebay, the prices are as much as they are in our local stores (except for the hood, where there are Taiwan-made hoods (Fabyka Brand and Enjen Brand) that are cheaper, but we don't want to take a chance on a Taiwanese electric appliance bought via ebay).  We can't seem to find these items on clearance anywhere.

The cheapest we are finding the cooktop is around $1,200, and the cheapest we are finding the hood is around $2,000.

Does anyone have any hints on warehouse stores, contractor stores, other supply lines for these items, where we might be able to save some money but still get what we want?


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## Carol C (Jul 16, 2007)

Hi Hoc! Did you try Amazon? They seem to sell everything these days!


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## Hoc (Jul 16, 2007)

Carol C said:


> Hi Hoc! Did you try Amazon? They seem to sell everything these days!



Yeah, but they don't carry the cooktop and they want $2,400 for the hood.


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## KenK (Jul 16, 2007)

I wonder if anyone who joined one of those clubs (is it Direct Buy Membership only club?) might have better pricing?

Steve...I think you need to join....probably a small fee...and then they let you look at pricing.

Not in the BX/PX catalog....so can't help you there


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## shagnut (Jul 17, 2007)

Hoc, look at the Kenmore Pro and let me know what you think.  shaggy


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## Malibu Sky (Jul 18, 2007)

Hoc,

I remodeled my kitchen last year..after hours of price comparison...the winner...Pacific Sales  http://www.pacificsales.com/, I believe they have a store in Irvine.  I purchased 5 appliances and they gave me a package price so try to bargain, it may work.

I also looked at:

Wherehouse Discount Center 
at http://www.wdcappliances.com/  for local stores

Expo, a division of Home Depot

Fry's


Good Luck


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## Hoc (Jul 18, 2007)

Malibu Sky said:


> I remodeled my kitchen last year..after hours of price comparison...the winner...Pacific Sales  http://www.pacificsales.com/, I believe they have a store in Irvine.



We actually bought our oven (Fisher & Paykel Double Wall Oven - $2,300, down from $3,800) from the clearance section there, and they are on the lookout for any discounts/clearance items for the vent hood and cooktop.  But they are actually more expensive than Home Expo in their regular pricing of those items.


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## Hoc (Jul 18, 2007)

shagnut said:


> Hoc, look at the Kenmore Pro and let me know what you think.  shaggy



Somehow, it doesn't look as durable as the Thermador to me.  No reviews online, so I don't know about the history/service or durability.  Also, no stainless steel on the drop-in cooktops, only on the thick ones.  The vent hoods don't meet our design requirements (We are looking for the island hood that is curved, with curved glass).


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## JackieD (Jul 18, 2007)

I have almost completed a kitchen re-do and I purchased a gas cooktop and stainless steel hood via the internet.  I am extremely happy with my purchases and saved quite a bit.  I am not a usual internet purchaser and am nervous ordering even the smallest priced things.  Once I looked at cooktops locally and knew what I wanted,  I researched by searching Ebay and Epinions and reading the ratings and then I went directly to the company vs. bidding.  I purchased my cooktop from Frederickson's Appliances (under Buy-appliances on ebay)and saved about $300 compared to purchasing locally and saved about 2 weeks on delivery (it was a special order item locally).  I bought my stainless hood from a company called Euro-kitchen.  I have been very happy with that, HOWEVER, it was manufactured in China.  I needed a high powered fan because of the high btu output of my stove.  Mine has 900 cfm's and 6 settings.  When it's on the highest setting, it sounds like a plane taking off in my kitchen but it moves the air fast.  I priced the same type hood and found what I needed to be $1200, mine was $495 including shipping.

I am down to picking tile for my backsplash then I can totally enjoy my new kitchen!  good luck and enjoy your new appliances!


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## taffy19 (Jul 18, 2007)

Malibu Sky said:


> Hoc,
> 
> I remodeled my kitchen last year..after hours of price comparison...the winner...Pacific Sales http://www.pacificsales.com/, I believe they have a store in Irvine. I purchased 5 appliances and they gave me a package price so try to bargain, it may work.
> 
> ...


Yes, there is or was one in Irvine.  Hoc, there is also a company on Beach Blvd that have many bargains.  We bought at both places.  I hate to say but prices at Sears do not match them.


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## brainman (Jul 18, 2007)

The store below (ABT Electronics) is in the Chicago area, but serves the entire US. They are a cut above in customer service and our family has bought appliances and electronics for years. If you call, they will sometimes beat their own online price. I just bought my HDTV from ABT.

http://www.abtelectronics.com


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## Hoc (Jul 18, 2007)

iconnections said:


> Hoc, there is also a company on Beach Blvd that have many bargains.



Emmy--

Do you remember the name of the company, or where on Beach Blvd. it is?  I can drive there.  I remember that there used to be one near Warner -- big warehouse store -- but it appears to be gone now.


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## Hoc (Jul 18, 2007)

JackieD said:


> I have been very happy with that, HOWEVER, it was manufactured in China.



I've seen those Chinese hoods (Enjen).  Also some Manufactured in Taiwan (Fabyka).  They scare me.

Also, there is one on ebay now, manufactured by an Italian company, Lux Air.  But I can't find anything about this brand anywhere, other than its own home page.  I'd like at least to get some kind of feedback or review on the hood I get, but there's nothing on epinions or anywhere about any of these brands.


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## taffy19 (Jul 19, 2007)

Hoc said:


> Emmy--
> 
> Do you remember the name of the company, or where on Beach Blvd. it is? I can drive there. I remember that there used to be one near Warner -- big warehouse store -- but it appears to be gone now.


Hoc, we drove by there today and it is gone    and the store was close to Warner.  We bought several items here over the years but go and have a look at http://www.pacificsales.com/ in Irvine.  They have a big collection to show you.  We liked the other store because shipping was free as it was so close to our home.  That company had been there many years!


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## cvmar (Jul 19, 2007)

Thermador, Dacor, Viking, Wolf, SubZero etc have fixed pricing. The suppliers have to sell at the price determined by these manufactures. You can get a "sale" price when the new models come in usually in the fall or else you can get a discount on a scratch & dent item. If a supplier was to sell for less they would lose the product line. I have discussed this with several of our vendors and I thought it was price fixing however it was taken to court and the manufactures won. There are other lines such as those at Sears that you can get on sale however to the best of my knowledge the manufacturers listed above will dictate the price so it should be the same everywhere. You may also want to look at the new Consumer Reports magazine as it is devoted mainly to kitchen products. Good Luck!


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## Hoc (Jul 19, 2007)

cvmar said:


> Thermador, Dacor, Viking, Wolf, SubZero etc have fixed pricing. The suppliers have to sell at the price determined by these manufactures. You can get a "sale" price when the new models come in usually in the fall or else you can get a discount on a scratch & dent item.




I know all of that.  That's why I'm looking for some kind of clearance center, a contractor's store where you can get it at a wholesale price, rather than retail, or someplace that sells scratch and dent items.  From what I can tell, the last model of the Thermador cooktop did not have the simmer burners, which is one of the features I really like on the cooktop.  So, it seems like last year's model won't work on that one.


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## Sandy VDH (Jul 19, 2007)

I have a direct buy membership. 

If you give me the exact model you are looking for I can see if Direct Buy offers that item and at what price.  They only carry specific vendors.  Not all vendors are included.

Sandy


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## AwayWeGo (Jul 19, 2007)

*Sears.*

We just bought a Sears Kenmore dishwasher -- a close-out model, on sale.  Plus, it was _Senior Citizen Day_ -- an extra 10% off for us old folks.  Not only that, it was in Delaware -- no sales tax.  Just got it installed tonight -- only problem was I accidentally crimped the existing copper water supply tube that I was trying to re-use.  No problem -- I just whipped on over to Home Depot & sprang for 1 of those dishwasher water supply installation kits with a super-flexible 4-foot water supply line. 

I am highly skilled in only 3 activities -- & 1 of those is loading the dishwasher.  With our 20-year-old defunct KitchenAid dishwasher headed out to Mt. Trashmore, I have to learn how to load the dishwasher all over again now that we're up to date with a 2007 Sears Kenmore dishwasher.  (My 2 other special skills are sticking the little sliver of nearly used-up soap onto the brand-new bar of soap, & doing _fixa-fixa-fixa_ on Kenmore & Whirlpool & Roper & Estate & Galaxie & KitchenAid electric & gas dryers -- also on Maytag & Admiral dryers now that those brands have been taken over by Whirlpool & the current Maytag-Admiral dryers are merely Whirlpool clones like the rest.  So it goes.)  

If I lived in Florida, I'm pretty sure that for new applicances I'd go with Appliance Direct -- or at least check'm out before buying elsewhere.  Their commercials -- which pop up on TV just about any time we're vacationing at Florida timeshares -- are certainly attention-getting. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## Hoc (Jul 20, 2007)

Sandy Lovell said:


> I have a direct buy membership.
> 
> If you give me the exact model you are looking for I can see if Direct Buy offers that item and at what price.  They only carry specific vendors.  Not all vendors are included.
> 
> Sandy



Thanks, Sandy.  It's the Thermador SGSX365CS Cooktop.


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## MULTIZ321 (Jul 20, 2007)

Hoc,

Here's a review of the Lux-Air LA 90 CVD

Also check out http://www.rangehoodsstore.com/


Good luck in your search.


Richard


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## Hoc (Jul 20, 2007)

MULTIZ321 said:


> Here's a review of the Lux-Air LA 90 CVD



Thank you, Richard.  I'm always a little dubious of folks who give appliances good reviews in the month or so after they got them.  With something like this, my concern is obviously longevity and durability, and you can only figure that out after a couple of years.  You can find the Lux Air for about $700, or get a virtually identical GE model for about $1300.  The question becomes whether the extra $600 is worth the risk that you might get something that breaks down after 4 or 5 years.  Hmmm. . . .


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## Sandy VDH (Jul 21, 2007)

Hoc said:


> Thanks, Sandy.  It's the Thermador SGSX365CS Cooktop.



Direct Buy has it for $1207 plus $100 for freight for delivery to the DB center.  It is a center only delivery item.  There is no service charge on this vendor.  Tax is applicable on the $1307 amount.  The MSRP is $1499.  So not a great deal of savings.  But electronics at DB are usually only marginal savings.

An Aside about DB Memberships for those who might be interested....

Please NOTE a DB membership is not cheap.  It is about $4K for the first 3 years and $150 per year for the next 7 years.  It is a good idea if you are building a house or doing major renovations.  It is also still good if you are doing major redecorating and furniture/accent purchases.

We have already saved our initial fee in the first year alone and on furniture alone.

Electronics are NOT a major saving item, as often you can find sale prices cheaper.  However you can buy what you WANT at about a sale price on any item, not just the few models that are the sale items at a retail store, so if you are picky about what you buy it can be helpful.  Furniture is a much better deal is often 50 - 60% retail pricing.

We got our entire bedroom suite, a King Bed, an Armoire, 2 Bedside tables a Bench and a Dresser for less than the retail price for the King Bed, 1 Bedside table and the Dresser ALONE.  The Armoire sold retail for 2K, and we also got a 2nd Bedside Table and a Bench for less than the retail package.  We saved about 2.7K retail on just the bedroom furniture.  We purchased an Ashley's bedroom set, which is one of the vendors available.

We are currently working on the home theater room and we saved about $1.5K on the theater seating grouping we purchased.  

We still have a few more rooms to go.  So for us DB was worth it.


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## MULTIZ321 (Jul 21, 2007)

Hoc,

You probably saw this Range Hood Review from Consumer Reports.

Ge Profile Kitchen Hood Reviews from Epinions

and another on GE Customer Service re a GE Kitchen Hood

another GE Kitchen Hood Review - interesting read 

Here's and article on Kitchen Range Hoods from Renovation Experts

Did you look at any Futuro Futoro Italian Hoods?

Richard


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## Hoc (Jul 22, 2007)

Thank you for the help, Sandy and Richard.


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## chimera (Aug 9, 2007)

*Hoods and such*

I'm in the same situation with you on the hood. Its ridiculous! Been quoted up t $4000 with the install. I've had no luck with that. I don't know where you are, but there is a place in Denver called Sear Scratch and Dent5... I'm not sure if there are more though. I got a brand new cooktop from 1/2 off, and there is nothing wrong with it. Just overstocked somewhere else, then got sent there. Also, some Habitat for Humanities have great stuff, depending on location.


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## AwayWeGo (Aug 9, 2007)

*New Dishwasher Follow-Up.*

OK, the new dishwasher from Sears has been in & hooked up & working for a couple of weeks now -- & it is a big improvement over the old 1 even before the old 1 went defunct.  The old KitchenAid got to the point where the dishes came out clean only if I thoroughly washed'm before loading'm into the dishwasher.  The new Sears dishwasher gets'm nice & clean without much advance preparation other than a quick scrape. 

The new Sears UltraWash dishwasher is only QuietGuard Standard, but even so it makes lots less noise than the moldy oldie from 20 years ago.  Not only that, it has a delayed start control that turns the machine on 2 or 4 or 6 hours after the button is pushed.  By then I'm snoozed out bigtime & thus hear no dishwasher noise whatsoever even though it doesn't make much noise in the 1st place.  

These days new dishwashers, refrigerators, etc., apparently come in 4 colors -- black, white, beige, & stainless steel.  We don't like any of those, so we went with black, which at least matches our black Frigidaire close-out refrigerator from Lowe's.  So it goes. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## AwayWeGo (Nov 3, 2007)

*Another Tax-Free Dishwasher.*

My brother's 20-year-old WhirlPool dishwasher conked out.  When we were over on the Delmarva Peninsula last week closing up our dinky 35-foot non-traveling travel trailer for the season, we swung over to a Home Depot store in Delaware (no sales taxes) & bought him a close-out basic-model HotPoint dishwasher as a replacement -- tax-free. 

Today we drove over to his place & did the dreaded dishwasher transplant -- out with the old & in with the new.  We took our time & took advantage of some good luck & got the job done without damaging anything, without injuring anybody, & without swearing.  

Afterward, we took the WhirlPool deadster out to the citizen recycling drop-off zone over by Mt. Trashmore.  Lately we've been dumping various deadsters out there -- defunct refrigerators, dishwashers, water heaters, dryers, washing machines -- so often that the attendants are starting to recognize us when we show up.  (Fortunately, we're just dropping off -- not picking up.) 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## wackymother (Nov 3, 2007)

When we redid our bathrooms, I noticed that the Expo by us had some very high-end items in their scratch-and-dent areas. We picked up a $300 sink for $100--just happened to be the right size and color and model and everything. You might keep an eye out there. 

Do you have PC Richards near you? We've bought major appliances there. They have a big close-out area in most of their stores and they will definitely do a little wheeling and dealing, especially on high-end or special-order items. Not as much as they used to, but still. They also have a website.


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## wackymother (Nov 3, 2007)

What's the model number on the Thermador cooktop you want?


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## Fern Modena (Nov 4, 2007)

We can call a local number, and they come out and pick up your dead refrigerator for free, *and* they give you $40.  They want you to recycle and really don't want you to do any roadside dumping.

When I lived in Northern California you had to pay (by weight or carload) when you went to the "dump," which was actually a transfer station.  We would sometimes pay as much as $30. for a pickup truckload, and no electronics allowed.  

Here, long as you have a current trash bill, you can dump for free.  There is even a place in North Las Vegas which takes electronics.  Oh, and we can put out our trash in big black bags (don't need a trash can).  We can put out 18 at a time.  Plus broken down boxes and wood/pallets.  And _that's twice a week_, for $12. a month, which includes biweekly recycling as well.

Fern 



AwayWeGo said:


> Afterward, we took the WhirlPool deadster out to the citizen recycling drop-off zone over by Mt. Trashmore.  Lately we've been dumping various deadsters out there -- defunct refrigerators, dishwashers, water heaters, dryers, washing machines -- so often that the attendants are starting to recognize us when we show up.  (Fortunately, we're just dropping off -- not picking up.)
> 
> -- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## Hoc (Nov 4, 2007)

wackymother said:


> What's the model number on the Thermador cooktop you want?



Ultimately, we got the SGSX365CS.  I found it online for about $200 less than the normal price, with free shipping, 1 year same as cash financing, and no tax, so I took the ad to Expo and had them match (they threw in a 5-year extended warranty, since they could not do no tax).  Also got the hood from them as a similar price match.  Got the sink manufacturer direct from Sienna Sinks ($1,200 sink for $450), and much of the other stuff via ebay at roughly 40 percent off what they were selling for in stores.

Right now, the kitchen's fully functional, though the contractor still has to re-hang the pantry door (did it backwards), replace the outside door, put on the cabinet hardware, painting the new doors and general finish/punchlist work.  Since the outside door isn't arriving until November 29, it will be awhile before the work is done.  But I've been cooking like a madman for the past 2 weeks.


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## AwayWeGo (Feb 9, 2008)

*Re-Booting The Dishwasher -- Who'd A-Thunk?*

A neighborhood lady (friend of The Chief Of Staff & The Chief Of Staff's sister, so no hanky panky) said her dishwasher wouldn't do anything no matter what buttons she pushed _mox nix_ -- stopping, restarting, opening, reclosing, nothing.  So The Chief Of Staff said she would send me right over to investigate -- Uncle Alan to the rescue, not that I had any expectation of being able to do anything even semi-remedial.  

So I got dressed & went over, trying remain dignified & not let my doofus nature show.  Sure enough, no buttons or latches or options or settings, etc., did anything.  But the little green control-panel lights shined nice & bright, just like the Star Trek dashboard.  It was possible to get some lights that were off to turn on & vice versa.  It was not possible to get the dishwasher to do anything other than put on a mini-lightshow.  

Then a flash of inspired guesswork hit me.  What happens if I go switch off the circuit breaker that powers the dishwasher, then switch it on again after a minute or so?  The controls are all-electronic, right?  Maybe de-energizing & re-energizing the whole dishwasher would cause the appliance electronics to straighten up & fly right -- an idea so crazy it just might work. 

So I strolled over to the circuit breaker panel -- same as if I actually knew what I was doing -- found an appropriately labeled breaker, flipped it, went back to the kitchen, & noted that all the little green lights were off.  

So far so good. 

Made a return trip to the circuit breaker panel & switched the dishwasher breaker back on.  

Went back to the kitchen.  The lady said she thought the dishwasher was behaving correctly now & thank you very much. 

You're welcome.  Nothing to it.  (Really.  Nothing.) 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## mamiecarter (Feb 9, 2008)

*WHY?*

Why spend so much on fancy appliances?  I just bought what was on sale at sears or consumer reports bet buy (sometimes they were the same thing.)

What do you get for all that extra money?


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