Home Appliances that Should not be Bought Cheap

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Buying cheap is the ultimate way if you want to save money. But when it comes to home appliances, cheap-price has corresponding disadvantages.

The major appliances' importance in homes and the occupants should not be compromised.

We can pass up expensive clothes as there are tweaks in making yourself presentable even if you clad in cheapest apparel — ironing clothes properly, personal hygiene and grooming are among them.

But if you consider all things in providing a decent living condition for your family, “good quality appliances” will land at the number one spot in the leader board of the group of household articles that determine the kind of life we have in our very own home.

Among home appliances, major ones should be acquired without putting pressure on yourself about the price tag as much as the long term quality and performance of the item you're buying.

By experience, cheap appliances that I purchased in the past didn't go well as opposed to the few branded-appliances I owned, which really bring satisfaction in all aspects.

So, here today, we're going to talk about the importance of buying your top 5 home appliances by their brand names.

Yes, folks. When it comes to these appliances, the trust in the brand is the winner.

Below are the Top 5 appliances, which I recommend you buy according to their trusted brands.

Top 5 home appliances that we should buy on their brand names

1. Gas stove range

When the price of a gas stove (or gas range) is unbelievably low, there's a high probability its manufacturer has cut corners. For the most part, you will only realize that when you're already using the unit.

The number one tip here is to spare the impulsiveness. Keep in mind that gas ranges are the most costly of all your home appliances. You need to think twice before closing the sale.

It's always given that stoves of trusted brands are extremely durable. But there are factors that either make a stove lasts for a long haul or for us to last using the thing.

Factors present in trusted brands of stoves and ranges

Cooktop cover

The cooktop cover extensively covers the entire cooktop when closed with no opening, not one bit. It is essentially important for the long term protection of the surface under the burners when not in used as elements can make it brittle most especially that you often clean it as oil does splatter in frying.

Knob controls

Knob controls are made of materials that really last with so much attention to how they will stand the test of time of countless turning, dusting, cleaning, and dirt that clings in indentations, etc. A wobbly knob is — the last thing you want.

Igniter

The part which really prone to breakage in cheap stoves is the igniter. I have some friends with bargain stove's burners not lighting up automatically after only less than a year. If you want your burner igniters to last, go for a trusted brand.

See those are only a few of the things that need your 100% attention. You must check every little detail and look into all determinants of the stove's overall quality.

A trusted brand definitely never fails.

2. Rice Cooker

After around 8-months since they bought their rice cooker, a close relative told me that it was already broken. It no longer turns on.

They bought the cooker with an unknown brand because it was on sale, and it was 40% cheaper compared to the trusted brand.

They were so disappointed to realize that they've been ripped off by the knock-off merchandise.

When I shared with them that my rice cooker is already 10-years old, and working fine, it made them more exasperated.

Because like me, they live a frugal life. But now they have to buy a new rice cooker. Good thing they decide to buy their new unit from my trusted brand this time.

There should be no debate here.

Rice cooker from a trusted brand ultimately lasts a decade and beyond.

3. Refrigerator

Here's where it becomes so tricky. Buying a refrigerator of a popular brand sometimes comes with compromises, that, when resurfaced, pose problems of inconveniences and unwanted issues for the buyer. I see this situation when a unit of a popular brand goes on sale.

What happens is that the model has gotten a lot of bad feedback from first buyers. And so it became word of mouth, consumers subsequently shun it. The product needs to be disposed of, so it goes straight to bargain aisle.

Whether inverter or not, you have to pay attention to two keywords in your purchase of refrigerator — convenience and user-friendliness.

An actual family experience

Here I'm going to cite an actual event again. A relative's family recently bought a popular brand of a fridge on sale.

• The big downside is literally at the bottom part of the fridge.
• The crisper, which in their model is a single huge box, is so hard to pull.
• It bugged me how the manufacturer fits the vegetable box in there, that you have to haul it hard just to have it open.
• It's quite exasperating.

Trusted brands of fridges paid so much attention to users' welfare. They know kids do open fridges when parents are not home.

That's one drawback I've seen in the other owner.

My actual fridge experience

I am not lucky too, being an owner of a ref from an unpopular brand. Most culprits are in the design.

• There's a small drip pan inside my fridge which catches water from the freezer.
• It's located where it is always touched by contents, and it always fell, so the fridge's floor is always flooded.

There's also an issue in the door gaskets of some models from other brands. The door doesn't close tightly due to the weak seal. And it is one part of the refrigerator that must be in excellent condition as power consumption goes up if ref's door is either always pops open or loose.

Now would you settle for a sale fridge? Or buy a refrigerator from a trusted brand?

Whatever you do — look into all aspects of refrigerator use for each member of your family.

4. Television

There's a big difference between a television from a trusted brand and a cheap TV model from an unknown brand. And it lies in the very reason why we buy a TV — home entertainment.

Buying a television from an unknown maker

Here's my personal experience. Eight years ago, I bought a TV.

I was looking for a good TV when a salesman gave the pitch that sold me in watching their demo unit.

So I bought this unit made by a brand known only for their portable DVD players way back then.

Reasons I bought it — cheap and decent video quality. Back home, it's a different story. The picture was poor. I couldn't get video settings and modes that would pass quality standards.

The next day, I returned it with huge discussions. In the end, they returned my money.

Tip. I came to learn that there's a demo mode in the units that they show to you.

When buying a TV, don't rely on the demo unit.

Buying a television from a well-known brand

But with trusted brands, I could care less about demo units. Because the trusted "S" brand TV I bought that same day surpassed my expectations.

It's durable, elegant, and easily dusted. It hasn't been broken. From sound to video qualities, from advance settings to user-friendliness, my branded LED-TV definitely gave so much bang for my buck.

The term smart TV was not yet popular when I bought my flatscreen TV. Guess what, now it functions as smart tv, courtesy of HMDI and USB ports.

But it's a different story, one that makes me more thankful that I got to buy this television.

If you don't want to buy another TV for the next 10 to 15 years, get it from a trusted brand.

5. Air conditioner

We save the best for last. I mean 100 years, common! Why would I buy a new model of a new brand of air conditioning unit when there's only one trusted brand of air conditioners? Okay, let's cut to the chase and count the ways.

There is only one air-con authority for me

1. The big "C" in the air-conditioning industry began in the 1900s.
2. My window-type unit, which of course is from them, still operates in the normal state on it's 9th year.
3. The cooling capacity is excellent. I always turn it off because I shudder every time in my 8x4 room.
4. The innovative air-con to fan operation, which is done by connecting an electric fan into the receptacle of the air-con's plug and setting the timer on, enables the fan to turn on automatically once the air-con shuts off by itself. That alone is a winner as you get to lower power usage to the very minimum.
5. If you think about it, the price is rock bottom actually because my own unit to this day hasn't been fixed. So I don't spend in as far as working condition is concerned.
6. The only expenses I incur, except for power consumption, is for the regular cleaning once or twice a year.
7. After-sales service is great as their contact center is manned by trained people. Calls are answered fast. I call only to schedule cleaning. Everything is smooth. They gave me a permanent reference number the first time I called, so all my subsequent calls are done in minutes.
8. They have a 3-years warranty which I never got to use as there has been no single occasion to have it checked or repaired.

Is there another brand of air-conditioner that can match this? Maybe yes, maybe no.

In looking for an air-con, inquire about what I have mentioned here so that you can decide in, as far as the brand that you would want to install in your own home. I also recommend that you choose inverter air-con for its low energy consumption.

Conclusion

Major-appliances for our homes determine the quality of home-living. Relying on “sales” to buy an appliance costs more money in the long run, whether for a popular brand or an unknown manufacturer.

The higher price of a branded home-appliances is the trade-off one has to accept to avoid spending twice of it once issues of cheap appliances have surfaced.

Do you have a bad experience with one of your home appliances which you didn't expect when you bought them? Let's learn from each other. Share your thoughts on the comments below.

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Vernie Mallorca

Vernie Mallorca is an entrepreneur and blogger with years of experience in selling to institutional accounts. He gradually shifted to blogging when he found out that it is his calling to write timely and helpful articles online that can help others to save money, make money, and secure their future by handling their income smartly. In this blog, he shares both managing your finances, however small it is and valuable information on running a small business.