Kenmore Stoves

[redzap78]

I have an old Kenmore stove that I need to replace and is Kenmore still a good brand?

[gfretwell]

Kenmore is not a brand. It is just Sears' way of rebadging someone else's product. Since Sears is on the verge of being as dead as disco, I think I would just go for a real brand name. (GE, Whirlpool etc)

[redzap78]

Thanks. I had an idea Sears was going in the tank and I will check out the ones at Home Depot.

[Percival P. Cassidy]

Kenmore products are merely rebranded versions by Sears of products by the actual manufacturers. E.g., our "Kenmore" front-loading washer and dryer were by Frigidaire or Electrolux, our "Kenmore" refrigerator and dishwasher are by Whirlpool, our "Kenmore" microwave is by LG. I'm sure the actual manufacturer of any given category of "Kenmore"-branded appliance may change from time to time. E.g., "Kenmore"-branded microwaves may have been made by companies other than LG.

Since Sears seems to be advancing rapidly toward the cliff edge, you could find yourself with an appliance for which no warranty service is available if needed.

Perce

[Frank]

Sears joined the walking dead years ago but don't be surprised to buy another brand and find them belly up or sold out.

[gfretwell]

This is a list of vendor to Sears model number prefix

[Ed Pawlowski]

No appliance stores in your area? The one near us is about the same price as the big box stores but gives much better service and delivery.

[Wade Garrett]

These days, just three companies (GE, Electrolux, Whirlpool) make most appliances. Check here to see who owns/makes which brand:

[Peter]

Even if needed, you've got a good chance of not getting a repair on the first several attempts. At least in my area, the contractor Sears uses for service is very poor. Sears doesn't seem to have a repair shop of their own but use a national contractor with local hubs. 6 visits over

2 1/2 months were required before my Kenmore refrigerator (only 2+ years old) was apparently repaired (running OK now for about 3 months). Fortunately we have a second fridge (Whirlpool, 34 years old) that still works perfectly although not energy efficiently, that we were able to use in the interim. No repair person had any idea why they were making a service call on the unit, had no replacement parts on the truck to substitute, and a few even denied that there was a problem with the unit even though it would stop and start every few seconds for about 2 minutes before turning off for a few hours after having been on continuously for more than 12 hours. Then the cycle would repeat. Finally, it stopped cooling and the problem was taken more seriously. Some insisted on wanting to replace parts that were just replaced by the previous "repair" person. The final "repair" was made when the guy noticed that a wire had accidentally been left disconnected by the previous guy during a replacement of the third different part to be swapped out. Apparently they don't have a diagnostic algorithm to follow, and most were dismissive of my observations and recital of what was previously tried without success. I'd never buy any Sears appliance again because I wouldn't want to put myself at the mercy of their - in or out of warranty.

[RonNNN]

Craftsman mechanics tools when I was a teen. My family had a charge account at Sears and we had all sorts products from Sears. The Sears catalog weighed a ton and was something I spent a lot of time perusing. I hate to see Sears sink. (^_^;)

The Sears catalog was a major supplier of toilet paper in many outhouses in its day! [g]

[Percival P. Cassidy]

A little less than a year ago, we bought a Maytag washer and dryer pair from Lowes. The washer was $599, but I don't recall the price of the dryer. Free delivery the next day. And we got another 10% off for using the store charge card.

A few weeks later, I had occasion to go with a friend to the independent appliance store about a mile away to look for a used washer -- and there was the same washer for which we had paid $599 with a price using the same digits but in a different order: $959!

Perce

[gfretwell]

The irony in this whole thing is Sears was principally a catalog operation from the beginning. It should have been easy for them to hit the internet ground running if they just had a few of those old mail order guys around to push them off in that direction. They could have easily been Amazon. You used to be able to order everything from underwear to car parts to complete house kits from Sears,

[My 2 Cents]

Some fancy financing and it's sure nice of the boss to loan them all that money... what a deal, when will the 1% start eating their own?

[Ed Pawlowski]

Used to be like that but most dealers saw the light a long time ago. I bought a few appliances in the past five years and the local guy was from equal to $20 less and another $25 since I paid cash.

They use co-operatives now to buy at better prices. When I needed a repair on a 17 year old refrigerator they were here in about 4 hours.

[gfretwell]

Yeah, the young boys ripped those pages out and stashed them under their bed.

BTW Who remembers the "page 602 scandal" from the mid 70s? That was the page women ripped out and out in their underwear drawer.

Anthony Wiener's inspiration.

[gfretwell]

Yes. There are still some of them around.

[gfretwell]

I bought a wall oven from Best Buy on the internet for store delivery but it never showed up and when I asked, they said they just canceled the order without asking me. No more Best Buy for me. Then I looked on Craigslist and found a used one for about 1/3d the price of a new one (stainless GE convection for $400) and I am not sure it was ever turned on. The inside was pristine and the elements looked brand new. It did look like it had been installed and removed tho. My guess is it was in a walk through kitchen where they never actually cooked anything. I bet there was some cheap granite around too. ;-)

[philo]

As other's had said, Sears is in decline but I'd still buy from them if the price was reasonable.

A stove is rather uncomplicated and there is not much to go wrong.

Even if Sears would go out of business, I'm sure the parts would still be available for a long time to come.

[Wade Garrett]

Stoves used to be pretty uncomplicated devices alright. These days though, a lot of them are essentially computers with a big heating elements and a door;-)

[philo]

I've especially noticed that with driers.

35 years ago I bought a used Sears drier for $75 and it lasted 30 years.

I bought a new almost identical replacement for , I don't know $350 maybe less.

It has a drum a motor a gas jet and a mechanical timer.

once in a great while I will have to change the belt.

Not too long ago I saw a drier in Home Depot for close to $1000 and it had all kinds of expensive electronic controls. Probably would cost $500 to fix. Drying clothes is not rocket science.