Comment by inferiorhuman
19 hours ago
Yeah premium stuff feels nice, as it should given the price. In this case "not that much more" is somewhere north of a 50% premium over mid-range models from the leading brands. If you're cross shopping Samsung then the premium is much larger since they're constantly on deep discount due to their well earned reputation.
I paid $1,100 for my Bosch 500 series dishwasher a couple years ago. The current generation looks like it's on sale for as low as $800. Yale Appliance shows Miele dishwashers currently starting at $1,400. With that kind of premium it should feel better. And, yes, the Bosch feels super cheap.
Miele washing machines start at $1,600 about twice what an entry level LG would cost. While I would never buy an LG, they are generally well regarded in terms of actual washing performance.
We paid 1000€ for a Miele dishwasher, the cheapest model is 800€. You can get a Bosch for 500€ right now, but these are black Friday deals (the site says the original price is over 1300€, but I doubt they never sell them that expensive). Although they seem to be on sale quite often.
The Miele laundry machine was 700€ back in the days and the fridge 1400€.
So, it is not that much more expensive here in Germany.
List prices are not real when it comes to the kitchen. They exist to be „limited time“-offered.
My fridge (AEG/Frigidaire) cost about $600. I miss a couple things about my older fridge, but the current one is significantly more efficient and still maintains (durable, easily repairable) mechanical controls. There's a zero percent chance I'd find $1,000 of value in a luxury refrigerator. And a nearly 100% chance that any out of warranty repairs will be more expensive with the Miele.
Sure, for a few thousand dollars more I could get a dual compressor Bosch. Or I could spend the money on pretty much anything else. Miele is sold as a luxury brand out here and while luxury white goods are nice they command a hefty premium.
I like my Miele old school stick vac, but it was made in China just like everything else these days… and I wince every time I have to buy bags and filters for it.