[AlphaKilo]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Even my expensive British-bought Liebherr !

Good to know that Miele has that reputation in its own country
Grundig is a brand of my childhood. I didn't even know they were still big!

Miele sells high-quality engineering. Apple sells the idea that you are a better person because you buy their product. No comparison!

LiebHerr - from England? or you meant you bought them when you were in living there? I thought they are German/Swiss or Holland (Lieb - Love, Herr - Gentleman).

Edit: got it. LiebHerr is from Swiss. http://www.liebherr.com/en-GB/691.wfw

Apple vs. Miele - I don't think we could compare them. They are different brands with different market strategies. I don't want to comment on the quality part, for that I would have to spoil many's sleep here then.

[Thad E Ginathom]

I don't want to comment on the quality part, for that I would have to spoil many's sleep here then.

Yes, British-bought. That's where I'm from

Liebherr make massive cranes on huge trucks. All I could afford was the fridge.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Liebherr make massive cranes on huge trucks. All I could afford was the fridge.

Did it come from one of those massive cranes ?

[AlphaKilo]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

Did it come from one of those massive cranes ?

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Liebherr make massive cranes on huge trucks. All I could afford was the fridge.

Probably it was door delievered by one of those heavy monsters.
Thad-E-Ginathom is seriously being battered from all sides it seems. Everyone seems to be pulling his legs today. He is having a bad day

Back to home appliances thread: My choice of best brands in India:

TV - Sony

Music system - Bose/Sennheiser

Washing Machine - LG/Samsung

Mixies - Preethi (well you get the guarantee from a very beautiful looking model )

Cookers - Hawkins / Prestige

Vaccum Cleaners - No idea - I have a better brand - my hands and dusting mobs. Jokes apart - Ones who use, please chip in.

Microwave - Samsung / Bosch (not used just hear-say!)

Gas stoves/Induction stoves - Premier/Prestige (India specific - can sustain voltage fluctuations better)

A/C - well no idea! I prefer natural air or at the max a ventilator (fan)

Refrigerator - Godrej (from the 90's - ours is working since 92), I don't feel very confident about today's build quality. May be there are good ones out there. Comments welcome.

Other brands I like/ I may buy in future - Miele/Grundig/Bosch/AEG/Siemens (well I am spoilt for German quality ), well I believe Tata's Croma is good too. Atleast looks good.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by AlphaKilo

Everyone seems to be pulling his legs today. He is having a bad day

Did not know he had that many legs to pull. But no, this is his good day, he was able to talk about his appliances which were as old and as worthy as him.

Originally Posted by AlphaKilo

TV - Sony (OLD FASHIONED, GREAT WITH THE TRINITRON AND WEGA, LOST OUT AFTER THAT TO SAMSUNG/LG)

Music system - Bose/Sennheiser (SHOWING YOUR GERMAN INCLINATION, WHAT ABOUT DENON, NAKAMICHI, YAMAHA ETC)

Washing Machine - LG/Samsung (TRUE, ALONGWITH YOUR GERMAN COUSINS BOSCH AND SIEMENS, HOW DID YOU MISS THEM HERE)

Mixies - Preethi (well you get the guarantee from a very beautiful looking model ) (THAT IS A VERY PERSONAL PREFERENCE)

Cookers - Hawkins / Prestige (NO COMMENTS)

Vaccum Cleaners - No idea - I have a better brand - my hands and dusting mobs. Jokes apart - Ones who use, please chip in. (EF IS ALL I KNOW, USED BPL ALSO)

Microwave - Samsung / Bosch (not used just hear-say!) (HAD A LONG ASSOCIATION WITH AN ANCIENT 'NATIONAL' AND IT WAS STILL WORKING AFTER 12 YEARS WHEN I UPGRADED TO LG (ACTUALLY NOT A UPGRADE).

Refrigerator - Godrej (from the 90's - ours is working since 92), I don't feel very confident about today's build quality. May be there are good ones out there. Comments welcome. (HAD A LEONARD(PRODUCT OF BLUE STAR) IN OUR FAMILY THAT WE BOUGHT IN 1982 AND WORKED ALL THE WAY TILL 1999 WHEN WE GAVE IT OFF, NOW I HAVE A BPL BOUGHT IN 1995 AND STILL GOING SUPER).

I believe Tata's Croma is good too. Atleast looks good.(TO BE AVOIDED AT ANY COST, JUST CHINESE RE-BRANDING)

[khoj]

Well said T.E.G. very aptly summed up

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Miele sells high-quality engineering. Apple sells the idea that you are a better person because you buy their product. No comparison!

[Thad E Ginathom]

My leg is always available for pulling, and when overstretched, there's another one in reserve, so no problems there

The saddest thing about my fridge was that it never really worked properly here, because I had not realised that it is rated for climates, temperate zone. I tried to talk it round, but being German (Or Swiss, even?), it was adamant about basic engineering facts: temperate is temperate, and tropical is just tropical.

My German Bosch washing machine died.

Now I bought a German car

[Guite]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Miele sells high-quality engineering. Apple sells the idea that you are a better person because you buy their product. No comparison!

As others have also commented, that's very aptly put, Thad. I recently bought an iPad on my wife's insistence. I had never used an Apple product before. I find it imposes too many restrictions on its usage. A simple file copy/transfer cannot be one, Adobe Flash support is limited, no DLNA, etc. I am not for the hype.

[AlphaKilo]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

The saddest thing about my fridge was that it never really worked properly here, because I had not realised that it is rated for climates, temperate zone. I tried to talk it round, but being German (Or Swiss, even?), it was adamant about basic engineering facts: temperate is temperate, and tropical is just tropical.

My German Bosch washing machine died.

Now I bought a German car

This is why I said the following earlier. I guess we even had a discussion in the Vento/polo thread that the A.S.S was quoted to have said that the cars are made as per European config and are not readjusted for Indian conditions.

Originally Posted by AlphaKilo

At times I find these "Made in Germany" goods totally unsuitable for our conditions - resulting - unsatisfied customer - bad mouth for Made in Germany products.

OT: @Thad: You bought a German Car? Where is the Ownership thread?

[Thad E Ginathom]

Oh... I didn't do one. However, I have contributed to several of the VW Polo threads.

Sometimes there are different attitudes to goods in their country of origin. I was surprised, when I first visited Germany, to find Mercedes cars being used as taxis, and, thus, the attitude to the brand being more akin to, eg, Ford in UK --- a maker of every-day vehicles as well as luxury models.

Mind you, as explained by one of the drivers: he drives in the day, his brother drives in the night, so the car is in use 24 hours a day. Try that with an Indicab! Oh, wait! Yes, indeed they do ...and it often shows!

Thus, it is interesting to see Miele is a premium brand there.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Sometimes there are different attitudes to goods in their country of origin. I was surprised, when I first visited Germany, to find Mercedes cars being used as taxis, and, thus, the attitude to the brand being more akin to, eg, Ford in UK --- a maker of every-day vehicles as well as luxury models.

Not just home country - I have seen Mercedes being the most common taxis in a couple of cities in Belgium also.

[saildrive]

Just went to the Kohinoor Retail outlet in Andheri West. Spoke to a couple of SM's for refrigerator. Each claimed that LG has 10 years warranty on compressor and the best in business.

I was very impressed by Toshiba's when I saw them last year at Croma; unfortunately there are not many that one would see them today. Reason; there was a tsunami in Thailand / Malaysia and thereafter the new lot is yet to arrive in India.

I was then showed - Hitachi, Sharp, Samsung, Panasonic and LG again; somehow none of the Korean stuff /goods interest me; so was listening to all that they were talking about be it Hitachi, Sharp and Pana. I once again spoke about Toshiba to them after which I was then taken to another floor where they had a few more brands stacked up.

There was Bosch 505 litres (twin door) for 57k with 5 year compressor warranty. They were ready to give me the same at 55k.

My question - how many out here have used Bosch refrigerator and what has been the experience like. Though a Miele would have been an ideal German workhorse to have but reading about the exorbitant pricing; may not even go any closer to it.

I then spoke to the Head of the Showroom and he mentioned a few interesting facts;
1) He has sold about 4-5 Bosch refrigerators and has not had even a single complaint
2) On insisting about Toshiba - he said that he can source a machine for me but warned me about so called 'sweating' issue which was with the previous units due to the tropical climate issues; however he also indicated that the new machines would be designed keeping in mind the Indian climate.

So, would like valuable inputs - whether or not to buy the Bosch machine?

[AlphaKilo]

Originally Posted by saildrive

So, would like valuable inputs - whether or not to buy the Bosch machine?

My suggestion, just don't blindly go by what the so called "Manager" says(unless you vouch on him personally or know him well!). You better be off buying some regular brands for which you could source easy spares, say even after 10 years. LG/Hitachi are quite reliable and have understood the indian conditions quite well. I am not sure about their refrigerators but atleast our LG washing machine is able to bear some good load and abuse since 4.5 years.
IF at all you insist in buying a German brand, I think its better to wait for some more BHPians who used it to comment on it or ask around your friends circle who own one.

[Guite]

I have used an LG fridge for the last eight years. The door has rusted a bit on the bottom, otherwise mechanically it has been working well, no problems.

[reignofchaos]

Originally Posted by AlphaKilo

Music system - Bose/Sennheiser

Bose and quality? I really hope you are kidding .

Sennheiser is really overpriced in India. I'd rather buy an AKG or Audiotechnica which are way more sanely priced and equally good or better.

Anyway back to appliances.