The Popular Kitchen Appliance Brand Reddit Calls 'Garbage'

Kitchen appliances can be major purchases — that's why you need to get it right. Buying a refrigerator that quickly breaks down and spoils all your fresh food or an oven with uneven heating due to a miscalibrated temperature sensor is an expensive mistake to avoid. Unfortunately, once-great brands that have earned consumer trust can decline in quality. Viking is one such brand that no less than Martha Stewart uses at home, but now users on Reddit are advising people to "avoid them altogether."

"Hate to tell you but your fridge will crap out before 5 years. Recent Viking appliances are uniformly garbage," writes one presumably burned Viking user. Reddit is not alone – Consumer Reports has less-than-impressive scores for many Viking appliances. A recent review of one of the brand's ranges found the performance-to-price ratio was poor. As a poster on Reddit puts it, "when you're buying 'luxury' goods, they either need to actually be good quality or the company needs to be all over service and support. I don't feel like you're getting either with Viking."

So, if you're in the market for new kitchen appliances, what brands should you consider? According to Reddit, multiple names popped up as dependable makers of devices for your kitchen. Bosch, Thermador, LG, Bluestar, and KitchenAid all got shoutouts. However, for many of the brands that got shoutouts, there were some detractors, as well.

Regardless, one commenter reported that with their Electrolux fridge and Bosch dishwasher, "everything has been perfect." We agree — Bosch is one of our five kitchen appliances that are worth every penny. Another commenter was surprised by Bosch's reputation for durability, having heard bad things about the dishwasher from a friend. Sadly, there is no perfect appliance. As one Reddit poster put it: "It's not hard to find complaints about every single luxury appliance out there. Makes my head spin!"

Whichever brand you decide to go with, getting a deal matters. While Costco has many great brands at good prices, read our article on where to shop to get even better prices on your big appliance purchases.