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Using Appliance Reviews and Appliance Forums to Pick the Right Appliances

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How do you know which one is the one for you?

Let's face it. Researching and purchasing appliances for your new home or remodel can be a daunting task. Often we know what we want, but we aren't sure which brand and feature-set will be a good fit. In this article I will show you five tried and true ways to get the best and most relevant information quickly. This way you can make informed purchased decisions without racking your brains.

Appliance Reviews

Appliance ReviewsWhen beginning the long and arduous task of searching for the best new appliances to purchase, one of the easiest, yet often overlooked, methods of obtaining pertinent information is through appliance reviews. Sites like Consumer Reports and Appliance Buyer's Guide can often give you insight into a the positives or negatives product that you might have otherwise never known.

This method also helps decide what I coin appliance "tie-breakers". For instance, let's pretend for a moment that you're in the market for a new dishwasher. You've looked around at the different manufacturers and models and have decided between two different models, one by Miele, the other by Bosch. These units look the same on the outside and, essentially, these units do the same things. They both have internal water heaters, they both have stainless tall tubs, they are both whisper quiet, and they are both the same price. Finding yourself at a impasse, you decide to search for reviews on each of the units. Which leads you to stumble upon a review of the Bosch and a reviewers frustration at certain functions that do not work as advertised. This article tips you in the direction of the Miele...

Appliance Forums

GardenWebAnother way to gauge the quality of certain models you are on the fence about is to make a post to an appliance forum. These sites are quite often frequented by appliance repair men, appliance enthusiasts, and home builders. All of these groups will have unique knowledge as to the quality and reliability of the unit you are interested in. They can, and sometimes will, suggest other alternatives to help steer you in the right direction.

One good appliance forum on the internet right now is run by GardenWeb.

Reviews on YouTube

Never under-estimate YouTube. Many people, when reading the title, would think "there's no way someone has done a video about the appliance I'm interested in", but you would be sincerely surprised. Every day we are getting more connected, with cell-phone video making it easier to film a quick user story and upload it without a second thought. I've gotten into the habit of doing this myself. Kind of a "pay-it-forward" in hopes of in the future we find it much easier to find reviews of appliances.

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Amazon.com Buyer Reviews

Now, I'm not saying go out and buy all your appliances at Amazon. In fact, I wouldn't recommend it at all. When making any purchase as big as kitchen appliance purchases are, it definitely pays to buy them from a company that is local. You never know what problems or issues you might have, and nothing beats being able to walk down to your local store to sort it out. When you buy an appliance from someone that is in another state, you are playing russian roulette with your kitchen appliances. You may get lucky a few times, with perfect products arriving without issue, but all it takes is that one time that something expensive comes damaged, and you learn the hard way.

E-commerce sites like Amazon will provide you with something important however, and that is valuable buyer feedback. At the bottom of most listings, you will find feedback left by buyers, not usually on their experience with the merchant, but on their experience with the appliance itself. If you see nothing but negative reviews here, steer clear! This is the best place to put your fingers on the pulse of the appliance community and see how strong your prospective appliance choice is doing. Below, I've listed a few items that have good examples of buyer reviews below their listings.

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  • dfroray Dec 7, 2011 @ 10:41 pm | delete
    I have reviewed your lens and I liked it so I added a squidoo like to your like count on your lens. I also have a squidoo lens and I have 5 friends that also have squidoo lens' If you would like to look at our lens' and add facebook likes to them, then we would all add facebook likes to your lens. I am not putting our lens addresses in this post because I do not want to be considered spam. If you would like to add likes to us so that in return we can add likes to your lens, please let us know by emailing me at dforay@insightbb.com
  • mixer85 Jul 25, 2011 @ 2:09 am | delete
    Bosch is one of the leading brands in the market today.

    Bosch Mixer
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applianceguide

Anthony Rocco is a father, husband, and appliance enthusiast. He currently runs one of the internet's fastest growing appliance review sites: Applianc... more »

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