High Tech, High-End Appliances - Are They Worth It?

By Dave Donovan

You know the feeling. The feeling you get as you walk through your local hardware superstore or appliance retailer every time you pass the latest appliances. There they sit, in a variety of eye catching colors, each one glinting and gleaming in the perfectly situated lighting. Almost like a diamond ring in the jewelry store or a new car on the showroom floor.

You notice refrigerators that resemble something out of a futuristic movie. Range-tops you can place your hand on immediately after turning the burner off. Washing machines and dryers – combined into one piece of equipment! What’s next, cats and dogs living together? The once-thought-impossible is now a reality. But are these top of the line, high tech appliances really worth the cost? Would you be better off with a less expensive, albeit white, washing machine? Let’s take a deeper look into the world of high end appliances and see if they are, in fact, worth it.

We’ll start in the kitchen. When one thinks about the ideal kitchen, the dream kitchen that comes from winning the lottery, the names Subzero and Wolf come to mind. In fact, in 2001, these two companies merged yet still kept their individual identities. So, what does Subzero offer to the consumer that the average refrigerator doesn’t supply? For starters, Subzero is the only refrigerator in the world that has a dual refrigeration option. This allows for true independent temperature control for the refrigerator and freezer compartments. It also prevents food odors from being passed between compartments. Another key feature is that it is entirely configurable to meet your kitchen’s requirements.

The Wolf ovens come configurable as well. Available in a number of sizes and configurations, Wolf provides the consumer with a sleek look in their kitchen and the dual convection oven offers convenience and quality. Wolf gives you the freedom to add a deep fryer, gas grill, steamer or other cook-top arrangements to your kitchen’s cooking scheme.

Subzero and Wolf appliances are simply not found in the average American home. They’re found in the homes of the financially fortunate. It’s safe to say that the owners of these beautiful appliances don’t use them as often as a middle-class household uses their appliances.

Consider that the average Subzero refrigerator/freezer unit costs upwards of $6,000 and the average Wolf oven can cost you anywhere from $2,000 to $9,000 and it makes you wonder – how good is that steak going to taste?

The same cannot be said about the new washers and dryers hitting the showrooms these days. These colorful artistic displays of laundry aerodynamics have as much planning put into them as a German-engineered automobile – and they’re nearly as beautiful. With all-in-one units that will not only wash your clothes, but dry them immediately thereafter; these appliances are built for convenience and efficiency.

As far as the pricing goes, the LG front loading all-in-one washer is sold for around $1,350. Now, considering that this unit is taking the place of two appliances, that price tag isn’t as steep as you may have originally thought. Sure, you can get individual appliances for around $400 each, but you’re still talking $800 for both. And in the case of washers and dryers, you can noticeably tell the difference in the quality of the performance. Better rinsing, better draining, more efficient drying and larger load capacity can be seen and felt as a result of using a better washer and dryer.

So, in the end, are these new high tech appliances really worth the cost? In the kitchen, appliances from Subzero and Wolf are great if you’re planning for your kitchen to show up in a magazine at some point, but as far as the quality of the appliance, they seem definitely over-priced. Even the most expensive kitchen appliance in the world isn’t going to make a cook any better. I’d rather have my food prepared by a good cook on an inexpensive range-top than by a lousy cook on an expensive Wolf range.

The newer washers and dryers are a definite improvement over older models. They’re easier to use, they take up less space while still handling larger loads and they’re not exorbitantly priced. So, although they are slightly pricier than the average washer or dryer, their benefits and quality are truly worthy of the difference in price.

At the end of the day, it’s the individual consumer who needs to make up their minds as to whether or not these advanced appliances are worth their price. If you can afford it and you want the brand name in your kitchen to impress friends, then by all means purchase it. But if you’re simply looking to use the appliance for what it’s made for, choosing function over flash is always best.

Dave Donovan is a freelance copywriter living in Atco, N.J. An electrician for 15 years, an injury forced him to pursue his true passion - writing.