More and more, consumers are interested in finding appliances with quiet operation. Noisy refrigerators, dishwashers, and laundry appliances can be especially intrusive in apartments, or homes with open floor plans. If you have a second-floor laundry room or laundry closet, a quiet washing machine might be crucial for your sanity!

Normal sounds in new washing machines include clicking and humming, gurgling or running water sounds as the washer fills and drains, and the sound of the basket spinning up and down in short or long bursts. One of the major factors tied to noise reduction is vibration reduction - the two go hand in hand! Although it's unlikely that you'll find decibel levels for most washing machines (unlike with dishwashers, where there is plenty of competition to be the quietest dishwasher), there are several key features you can look for from different brands that will help you find quiet washing machine models. 

Panel ready appliances are a high-end design trend that you might be considering if you're constructing a new home or extensively renovating your kitchen. No need to try to match finishes or buy everything from one brand - you can get the seamless look with your custom panels and handles. If this is the case for you, you'll certainly need a dishwasher! KitchenAid makes some of the most popular dishwashers on the market today, and (as of this writing) there are two panel ready KitchenAid dishwasher models currently available.

In this article, we'll take a look at these models, including their features, pricing, and links to customer reviews! Many panel ready appliances offer high-end features and design, and the KitchenAid panel ready dishwasher models are no different. Both are high-end models pricing at $1,149 and $1,699 respectively.

Are you considering a suite of black stainless steel kitchen appliances? Finding a matching range hood just got easier with our black stainless steel range hood reviews! In this article, we'll review five chimney-style range hoods available in black stainless steel from several brands. We recommend taking a look at these models in person, because each brand has a slightly different take on black stainless steel - read our article Black Stainless Steel Appliances - Reviews (Pros and Cons) to find out more!

Now, let's dig into the chimney-style black stainless steel range hood options currently available. These are an important appliance to consider if you're looking into appliance packages to bundle a kitchen revamp into one purchase. The products are numbered for your convenience but are listed in no particular order.

When customers come into our store looking for a new dishwasher, they often ask a couple of questions: “Which dishwasher has the best performance?” and “Which dishwashers have the least amount of problems?”

While there are no dishwashers out there that have no repair issues, the answer to these questions is that KitchenAid and Bosch are typically two of the most highly regarded brands in dishwashers.

In this article, we'll compare two top-selling dishwasher models from well-known domestic brands to help you decide on the best dishwasher for the money. These two popular US manufacturers are true leaders in the appliance industry, and both companies manufacture many of their products in America.

GE, based in Louisville, Kentucky, offers a wide variety of dishwasher models with advanced features that make your kitchen cleanup job easier. Whirlpool, based in Benton Harbor, Michigan, offers many innovative features and great cleaning results that will lighten your workload. Be sure to include these brands when shopping and consider the value of both. You might discover some unique features in either brand that you will like.  

The process of buying a dishwasher can be confusing. Hopefully, this article will help you narrow your search! Let's take a closer look at two competing models in the $650-750 range to compare Whirlpool vs GE. 

Looking to try out a side by side refrigerator or replace an older model? The choices can be overwhelming! In this article, we provide an in-depth review of two models from LG and Maytag that are strong contenders for some of the best side by side refrigerator options on the market. And if you want to explore more side by side options, check out our article on the top seven side by sides of the year!

The side by side refrigerator is a far cry from the traditional top freezer refrigerators of the past! Many people prefer these refrigerators for their sleek look and the ability to easily access items they use the most often in both the freezer and refrigerator. In this article, we'll compare two of the best side by side refrigerator options on the market from LG and GE. And if you want to explore even more of the best side by side refrigerator models, take a look at our article with reviews of the 7 best models of the year!

Now, let's take a closer look at these refrigerators from LG and GE.

If you're looking for a dishwasher, you might be wondering how much you really need to spend to get the most useful new features. Lots of things have changed over the past 5-10 years - dishwasher interiors have gotten more spacious, for one thing. In this post, I'll show you a few of the dishwashers that I think offer the best bonus features at a low price. And remember that holiday sales can shave up to 30% off the retail price of an appliance, too!

LG and Whirlpool didn't start out making refrigerators, but their side by side refrigerator offerings available today provide some great features that consumers love! Side by side refrigerators offer a unique setup where you can place your often used items in both the refrigerator and freezer conveniently at eye level rather than having to bend over to reach one or the other in a top or bottom freezer refrigerator model. A side by side refrigerator will usually require less space in front of it to fully open the doors. However, side by side refrigerators tend to be wider than comparable top freezer and bottom freezer models.

In this article, we compare two of the best side by side refrigerator models from these brands, with links to customer reviews and more. If you want to explore even more options, check out our complete reviews of the best side by side refrigerator models of the year!

If I had to guess what the number one issue is at the core of the questions, comments, and complaints I receive through this blog, it'd be reliability. Our mortgages, rents, health care costs, and even grocery costs have increased significantly over the past 30 years - more than can be explained by inflation alone - and wages have not kept up. So people want to know whether an appliance we reviewed will last, or why their appliance got top marks but broke down within 2-3 years.

And the fact that I can't answer that very legitimate question is a source of frustration for me.

If I can't answer the real question, I'd at least like to explain WHY I can't answer it. So, let's dig in: What are the barriers to predicting appliance reliability?