How should I approach buying small kitchen appliances?
April 7, 2019 9:53 AM Subscribe
Where's the sweet spot of feature-light and longevity when it comes to stuff like coffee makers?
This was prompted by our coffee maker springing a leak and a bit of a waffle iron disaster (on the same morning, no less).
The coffee maker (a Krups model) was $5 on craigslist 3 and a half years ago, and is the world's simplest drip coffee maker: no built in grinder, no timer, just a glass carafe and a heater underneath that we don't use much (because we don't tend to let it sit around in the pot).
Almost no one makes simple appliances any more, which, fine, I can just ignore the timer. My bigger problem is that I have very little faith in any particular brand not breaking within 6 months--even pricier models. I've heard enough complaints from friends and family who bought a $100+ coffee maker only to have it bite the dust a year in. And of course nothing is repairable these days.
Is going onto craigslist or hitting up my local thrift store still the best option? At least that way it wouldn't be a lemon, and it's presumably better for the environment. Are there any brands that are more likely to be making a quality product? How do I head off this particular form of analysis paralysis?
(Just to head this off at the pass: we've done the french press thing and the pour over thing. The former is too annoying to clean and the latter you have to sit and baby. We like drip coffee with fresh ground beans and a paper filter and want to continue making it this way.)
This was prompted by our coffee maker springing a leak and a bit of a waffle iron disaster (on the same morning, no less).
The coffee maker (a Krups model) was $5 on craigslist 3 and a half years ago, and is the world's simplest drip coffee maker: no built in grinder, no timer, just a glass carafe and a heater underneath that we don't use much (because we don't tend to let it sit around in the pot).
Almost no one makes simple appliances any more, which, fine, I can just ignore the timer. My bigger problem is that I have very little faith in any particular brand not breaking within 6 months--even pricier models. I've heard enough complaints from friends and family who bought a $100+ coffee maker only to have it bite the dust a year in. And of course nothing is repairable these days.
Is going onto craigslist or hitting up my local thrift store still the best option? At least that way it wouldn't be a lemon, and it's presumably better for the environment. Are there any brands that are more likely to be making a quality product? How do I head off this particular form of analysis paralysis?
(Just to head this off at the pass: we've done the french press thing and the pour over thing. The former is too annoying to clean and the latter you have to sit and baby. We like drip coffee with fresh ground beans and a paper filter and want to continue making it this way.)
Bunn is the company that makes simple coffee makers that last for decades, it’s what many restaurants use. They are a bit pricy new (since they are essentially professional grade) and their newer retail grade does have some feature creep, but I see good condition simple Bunn gear available used pretty often.
posted by SaltySalticid at 10:46 AM on April 7, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by SaltySalticid at 10:46 AM on April 7, 2019 [2 favorites]
Amazon tells me I bought this ubiquitous Cuisinart in 2005, still in daily use. It's currently around $65 new, and since it's so common, finding a used one shouldn't be hard.
posted by sageleaf at 10:51 AM on April 7, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by sageleaf at 10:51 AM on April 7, 2019 [2 favorites]
My toaster is from a free pile, it makes toast. Coffeemaker has a clock/ timer, but no burner, because coffee should not be cooked. Mr. Coffee, outlet store. Oddly the coffeemaker says it makes 8 cups, but I measured; it makes 5 cups, by measure. On what world do people drink a 5 oz serving of coffee at a time? I just got an electric teakettle and got the amazon-branded one, which was inexpensive and has no frills.
For small appliances, any adequate brand should be able to make one of decent quality; there just isn't a lot of room for innovation, unless you desire a specific color.
posted by theora55 at 11:04 AM on April 7, 2019
For small appliances, any adequate brand should be able to make one of decent quality; there just isn't a lot of room for innovation, unless you desire a specific color.
posted by theora55 at 11:04 AM on April 7, 2019
We have the exact same criteria for a coffee maker. When we had to give our long-serving Black and Decker drip maker a Viking funeral about five years ago, we splashed out for a Bonavita 5.
It's a one-switch drip maker (we needed to avoid any inaccessible digital menus or fussy interfaces) with an insulated (i.e., unheated) carafe.
They're slightly on the pricier side (around $125 CAD new). It's billed as a "5 cup" maker, which translates into about 2.5 large mugs of coffee. There's also two different 8-cup versions, one of which has a glass carafe with a heating element, and one of which has an insulated/unheated carafe.
Our experience: on the spendier side, but well-made, and dead simple. We both drink coffee black so we're a bit picky, and this makes good coffee. It gets near-daily use, and is going strong after five years. The insulated carafe will keep the coffee drinkably hot for about an hour or so.
IIRC, we picked it on the strength of Consumer Reports or Wirecutter reviews.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:07 AM on April 7, 2019
It's a one-switch drip maker (we needed to avoid any inaccessible digital menus or fussy interfaces) with an insulated (i.e., unheated) carafe.
They're slightly on the pricier side (around $125 CAD new). It's billed as a "5 cup" maker, which translates into about 2.5 large mugs of coffee. There's also two different 8-cup versions, one of which has a glass carafe with a heating element, and one of which has an insulated/unheated carafe.
Our experience: on the spendier side, but well-made, and dead simple. We both drink coffee black so we're a bit picky, and this makes good coffee. It gets near-daily use, and is going strong after five years. The insulated carafe will keep the coffee drinkably hot for about an hour or so.
IIRC, we picked it on the strength of Consumer Reports or Wirecutter reviews.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:07 AM on April 7, 2019
I have the same one as sageleaf. Bought in 2009 at Kohl's for $70. Used twice daily (at least)and still brewing away.
posted by XtineHutch at 11:28 AM on April 7, 2019
posted by XtineHutch at 11:28 AM on April 7, 2019
I have this bonavita coffee maker. Makes about 3 8-10 oz cups of coffee, that's it. No timer, no warmer, nothing drips or leaks after 5 years. I think one part that often "stops working" or leaks on traditional drip coffee makers is the little valve that stops the flow of water when you remove the carafe. It gets clogged or the spring stops working. But this machine doesnt have anything like that. The basket sits right on top of the carafe and it brews until it's out of water.
At higher price points they have glass carafes with warming plates and then additional electronics.
If you want a dead simple cheap coffee system, consider a French press, aeropress, or pour over.
posted by muddgirl at 11:44 AM on April 7, 2019
At higher price points they have glass carafes with warming plates and then additional electronics.
If you want a dead simple cheap coffee system, consider a French press, aeropress, or pour over.
posted by muddgirl at 11:44 AM on April 7, 2019
Sorry, we've had this coffee maker for 3 years. I guess it just feels like longer. Before that we did French press because we were so sick of substandard coffee machines.
posted by muddgirl at 11:46 AM on April 7, 2019
posted by muddgirl at 11:46 AM on April 7, 2019
We have the same cuisinart coffeemaker that sageleaf linked above. Owned it for a similar timeframe. It’s a beast.
posted by MadMadam at 12:16 PM on April 7, 2019
posted by MadMadam at 12:16 PM on April 7, 2019
Is going onto craigslist or hitting up my local thrift store still the best option? At least that way it wouldn't be a lemon, and it's presumably better for the environment.
Thrift stores don't always test small appliances before selling them, and most of the ones I'm familiar with have a pretty standard 'sold as-is' policy, so you stand a fair chance of getting a coffeemaker that broke ages ago and got shoved into the back of a closet and forgotten about for some unspecified amount of time before getting dropped off with a bunch of other old forgotten things. No malice intended, but a hassle for you. Craigslist may be an option, but it depends on your area -- in a fair number of places, people don't seem to bother much with smaller appliances, maybe due to Craigslist flakeouts. If there are any local Buy-Nothing/Freecycle groups or swaps, that would likely serve you better.
I went through the same woe a few years ago with my old auto-drip. I ended up with this model, the cheapest and simplest thing I could get. It's a solid performer, and it's almost impossible to find a machine with fewer bells and whistles. It went at least a year and a half of steady service with no complaints, save a tendency to leak if the tank is overfilled; I left it in the custody of an old roommate and as far as I know it is still going strong. Can be had for under $25USD, generally.
Black and Decker generally seems to be a trustworthy player in the small domestic appliances field; I also trust their toaster ovens over other options, though Oster hand mixers seem to outperform Black and Decker. (And weirdly, their blenders kind of suck? So it's... variable.)
I don't mean to ignore your no-pour-over stance, but if you haven't tried it, you might like a Chemex. They're environmentally-friendly and easy-cleaning thanks to the paper cones, and they're dead simple -- they might shatter if handled carelessly, but they can't break down, and the integrated carafe means they're (a little) less fiddly than other pour-over apparatuses like Melittas and Hario V60s.
posted by halation at 12:20 PM on April 7, 2019
Thrift stores don't always test small appliances before selling them, and most of the ones I'm familiar with have a pretty standard 'sold as-is' policy, so you stand a fair chance of getting a coffeemaker that broke ages ago and got shoved into the back of a closet and forgotten about for some unspecified amount of time before getting dropped off with a bunch of other old forgotten things. No malice intended, but a hassle for you. Craigslist may be an option, but it depends on your area -- in a fair number of places, people don't seem to bother much with smaller appliances, maybe due to Craigslist flakeouts. If there are any local Buy-Nothing/Freecycle groups or swaps, that would likely serve you better.
I went through the same woe a few years ago with my old auto-drip. I ended up with this model, the cheapest and simplest thing I could get. It's a solid performer, and it's almost impossible to find a machine with fewer bells and whistles. It went at least a year and a half of steady service with no complaints, save a tendency to leak if the tank is overfilled; I left it in the custody of an old roommate and as far as I know it is still going strong. Can be had for under $25USD, generally.
Black and Decker generally seems to be a trustworthy player in the small domestic appliances field; I also trust their toaster ovens over other options, though Oster hand mixers seem to outperform Black and Decker. (And weirdly, their blenders kind of suck? So it's... variable.)
I don't mean to ignore your no-pour-over stance, but if you haven't tried it, you might like a Chemex. They're environmentally-friendly and easy-cleaning thanks to the paper cones, and they're dead simple -- they might shatter if handled carelessly, but they can't break down, and the integrated carafe means they're (a little) less fiddly than other pour-over apparatuses like Melittas and Hario V60s.
posted by halation at 12:20 PM on April 7, 2019
You can get a simple old Mr. Coffee drip machine for like $20 at Target and it'll last forever.
posted by bleep at 12:40 PM on April 7, 2019 [6 favorites]
posted by bleep at 12:40 PM on April 7, 2019 [6 favorites]
Response by poster: Not in Canada, you can't :)
While I appreciate the recommendations of particular models that have worked for you, I'm looking more for general strategies that I can apply to other things.
posted by quaking fajita at 12:58 PM on April 7, 2019 [1 favorite]
While I appreciate the recommendations of particular models that have worked for you, I'm looking more for general strategies that I can apply to other things.
posted by quaking fajita at 12:58 PM on April 7, 2019 [1 favorite]
How do I head off this particular form of analysis paralysis?
For the bigger question, I try to factor in how important the quality of the finished product is to me and how often I'm likely to use the appliance. I bought a cheap-but-fine coffeemaker because I don't drink coffee and have it only for guests (and I also got tired of the French press clean-up). If I ever buy an electric mixer, it'll be thrift store because I've lived for years without one and so won't be super-inconvenienced if it dies on me. My immersion blender, however, is something I use all the time and so I'm happy I have a higher quality one. Ditto on my meat thermometer, where it's important to me that it be accurate. Factoring in all that makes it easier for me to decide the general price range I'm willing to spend on things, then I can research within that range.
posted by lazuli at 12:59 PM on April 7, 2019
For the bigger question, I try to factor in how important the quality of the finished product is to me and how often I'm likely to use the appliance. I bought a cheap-but-fine coffeemaker because I don't drink coffee and have it only for guests (and I also got tired of the French press clean-up). If I ever buy an electric mixer, it'll be thrift store because I've lived for years without one and so won't be super-inconvenienced if it dies on me. My immersion blender, however, is something I use all the time and so I'm happy I have a higher quality one. Ditto on my meat thermometer, where it's important to me that it be accurate. Factoring in all that makes it easier for me to decide the general price range I'm willing to spend on things, then I can research within that range.
posted by lazuli at 12:59 PM on April 7, 2019
echoing bleep--I have used my Mr. Coffee every day for 5 years with no problems.
posted by 8603 at 1:02 PM on April 7, 2019
posted by 8603 at 1:02 PM on April 7, 2019
Oh, Canada, didn't see that, sorry. Then go for thrift stores or freecycle-- I'm putting a lot of my household goods on Freecycle as we speak. At thrift stores I try to go for the 1970s stuff that my mom is still using at home. You can get parts on ebay, not that you'll even need them.
posted by 8603 at 1:04 PM on April 7, 2019
posted by 8603 at 1:04 PM on April 7, 2019
my current strategy for small appliances is to buy them at Costco. Every other strategy has failed. Costco has a money-back guarantee for everything you buy there. (I haven't had to use it! They sell solid stuff.) Anyway, stuff I buy on Amazon, doesn't matter brand or price point -- I can guarantee it will fail within ~3 months of the end of whatever warranty coverage it might have had.
posted by fingersandtoes at 1:17 PM on April 7, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by fingersandtoes at 1:17 PM on April 7, 2019 [5 favorites]
Thrift shops that sell small appliances typically have outlets in the area - use them. Some appliances just get passed along from lack of use. Bread makers, slow cookers get offloaded by people who burn water or adopt Paleo diets. That being said, not all thrift shops are created equal. Find the better ones in your area by also noting where the disorganized ones are.
posted by childofTethys at 1:42 PM on April 7, 2019
posted by childofTethys at 1:42 PM on April 7, 2019
In my area a lot of people seem to be selling stuff on Facebook Marketplace rather than Craigslist these days. YMMV.
Almost every small appliance I've acquired in the past 10 years has been found or thrifted, and the only thing that has broken was the toaster (which honestly looked to be from the 70s but not of particularly high quality--my housemate liked its odd aesthetic when we were at the thrift store so we chose that one.) Either way, at least the low price and the minimal environmental effects help head off the sort of choice paralysis that I, too, struggle with at new stores.
posted by needs more cowbell at 1:46 PM on April 7, 2019 [1 favorite]
Almost every small appliance I've acquired in the past 10 years has been found or thrifted, and the only thing that has broken was the toaster (which honestly looked to be from the 70s but not of particularly high quality--my housemate liked its odd aesthetic when we were at the thrift store so we chose that one.) Either way, at least the low price and the minimal environmental effects help head off the sort of choice paralysis that I, too, struggle with at new stores.
posted by needs more cowbell at 1:46 PM on April 7, 2019 [1 favorite]
Canada-specific: I'd shy away from the Everyday Essentials line, but many of the other President's-Choice-branded small appliances you find at Superstore are just rebadged models from major manufacturers. They have a 12-cup basic workhorse model that I'm pretty sure is just a rebadged version of the Hamilton Beach a friend's kept going for about 3 years now. (Under $30CDN new!) This also seems to hold true for their toasters and so forth.
posted by halation at 1:50 PM on April 7, 2019
posted by halation at 1:50 PM on April 7, 2019
Are there any brands that are more likely to be making a quality product?
Not really? At least, not universally, across all kitchen appliances. Almost everything these days is manufactured in China to a price point, and while a given brand might be reliable for one specific gadget, it might not be all that reliable for a different gadget. One buying approach is just to get the cheapest one, use it as long as it lasts, and then buy either another cheapest one if the price to performance ratio was good enough, or buy the next cheapest one the next time and work your way up with every purchase. Sometimes it's worth spending more money the first time, but you do have to do a bit of research to figure out if that's true.
My personal approach is to read professional reviews if they exist (Cooks Illustrated reviews are generally thorough, and the Wirecutter's metareview approach can expose trends across multiple reviews), identify a few promising candidates, and then go read all the bad reviews on Amazon or a specialty retailer's site. When you read enough bad reviews you can determine if there's a consistent problem because many people will experience it. If the bad reviews mostly turn out to be obvious crackpots or people reviewing the seller and not the product, then I will read some good reviews as well. And sometimes all the candidates will have some consistent warning signs, but nothing that shows up frequently enough to be a deal breaker. In that case I weigh the likely cons of any given item against my own needs and patience. Sometimes the things other people complain about won't really matter to me, and sometimes I'll go "oh no, I'm not doing that." I'm shopping for a microwave now, and it seems the one with the touch screen falls in the latter category, but the one below it in terms of price seems more or less universally liked. The last toaster I bought was basically the cheapest one I could get without a worrisome consistency to its bad reviews on Amazon, and it has been, well, fine. It toasts.
For a coffee maker specifically, I might just go buy the cheapest Braun, though. That's what I had until I switched to French press. I think the friend I loaned mine to may still have it.
posted by fedward at 2:09 PM on April 7, 2019
Not really? At least, not universally, across all kitchen appliances. Almost everything these days is manufactured in China to a price point, and while a given brand might be reliable for one specific gadget, it might not be all that reliable for a different gadget. One buying approach is just to get the cheapest one, use it as long as it lasts, and then buy either another cheapest one if the price to performance ratio was good enough, or buy the next cheapest one the next time and work your way up with every purchase. Sometimes it's worth spending more money the first time, but you do have to do a bit of research to figure out if that's true.
My personal approach is to read professional reviews if they exist (Cooks Illustrated reviews are generally thorough, and the Wirecutter's metareview approach can expose trends across multiple reviews), identify a few promising candidates, and then go read all the bad reviews on Amazon or a specialty retailer's site. When you read enough bad reviews you can determine if there's a consistent problem because many people will experience it. If the bad reviews mostly turn out to be obvious crackpots or people reviewing the seller and not the product, then I will read some good reviews as well. And sometimes all the candidates will have some consistent warning signs, but nothing that shows up frequently enough to be a deal breaker. In that case I weigh the likely cons of any given item against my own needs and patience. Sometimes the things other people complain about won't really matter to me, and sometimes I'll go "oh no, I'm not doing that." I'm shopping for a microwave now, and it seems the one with the touch screen falls in the latter category, but the one below it in terms of price seems more or less universally liked. The last toaster I bought was basically the cheapest one I could get without a worrisome consistency to its bad reviews on Amazon, and it has been, well, fine. It toasts.
For a coffee maker specifically, I might just go buy the cheapest Braun, though. That's what I had until I switched to French press. I think the friend I loaned mine to may still have it.
posted by fedward at 2:09 PM on April 7, 2019
There is a certain price point at which it is worth spending the money, because the longevity will be there--and so will the lifetime service guarantee and other warranties. That price point is high, though. So the strategy that has worked well for me is: For the things I use most or get the most value out of being high-quality appliances, I save up for that price point. For everything else, I either buy cheap or buy used and assume I will be replacing it in 1-3 years.
I apply this strategy to kitchen appliances, furniture, electronic gadgets, bike accessories, and sometimes even clothes and bags.
posted by rhiannonstone at 2:36 PM on April 7, 2019 [1 favorite]
I apply this strategy to kitchen appliances, furniture, electronic gadgets, bike accessories, and sometimes even clothes and bags.
posted by rhiannonstone at 2:36 PM on April 7, 2019 [1 favorite]
I use an inexpensive ($4) Melitta cone and a glass measuring cup (boiling water by using microwave) for single-cup pour-over, but when i’ve done research on good automated coffee makers i’ve considered Bonavita and Technivorm (made in the Netherlands; five-year warranty) based on reviews on coffee snob forums, though i’ve never had the opportunity to try either brand.
posted by D.C. at 3:46 PM on April 7, 2019
posted by D.C. at 3:46 PM on April 7, 2019
All of my small kitchen appliances, except the microwave, came from Goodwill. All are basic/no-frills machines and most appeared to be new/unused, including the simple Mr Coffee, $5, 3 yrs ago; Black & Decker toaster oven, $8, 1+ yr ago; Crock Pot, $10, 1+ yr ago. The 1960s era Mixmaster stand mixer I picked up a couple of years had obviously been used, but for $10, it was more than worth the effort to clean it up. And last week I found a 1970s Mixmaster for the same price—I bought in anticipation of the day the former quits.
Don't assume that buying used means "as is". The local Goodwill allows returns within 3 days for appliances that don't work.
posted by she's not there at 4:22 PM on April 7, 2019
Don't assume that buying used means "as is". The local Goodwill allows returns within 3 days for appliances that don't work.
posted by she's not there at 4:22 PM on April 7, 2019
I'm going to share my routine for those who hate French press cleanup.
1) Take two yogurt containers, a tall one and a short one that fits inside but doesn't fall down. Jab holes in the bottom of the short one. Line with two dollar store coffee filters.
2) make and drink delicious coffee in your French press.
3) Run a little bit of water over the press's filter (not the paper ones) while still assembled, letting the runoff accumulate in the F.p.'s carafe. Swirl it around. If there isn't enough to get the grounds loose add a bit more water and dump everything into your filter-lined yogurt container. Repeat as needed, to get all the grounds out. You might want to loosen the press's filter to get any grounds that have crept in between layers.
4) When the grounds have drained, dump them into your compost bin, line the small container with fresh filters and empty the water from the tall container down the sink.
My press only got used occasionally until I came up with this system, because yeah, it was a huge pain. Now it's the only way I make coffee.
(I guarantee it took you longer to read this than it'll take to do it, even if it sounds cumbersome. BTW, I'm still on my first container).
posted by kate4914 at 5:35 PM on April 7, 2019 [1 favorite]
1) Take two yogurt containers, a tall one and a short one that fits inside but doesn't fall down. Jab holes in the bottom of the short one. Line with two dollar store coffee filters.
2) make and drink delicious coffee in your French press.
3) Run a little bit of water over the press's filter (not the paper ones) while still assembled, letting the runoff accumulate in the F.p.'s carafe. Swirl it around. If there isn't enough to get the grounds loose add a bit more water and dump everything into your filter-lined yogurt container. Repeat as needed, to get all the grounds out. You might want to loosen the press's filter to get any grounds that have crept in between layers.
4) When the grounds have drained, dump them into your compost bin, line the small container with fresh filters and empty the water from the tall container down the sink.
My press only got used occasionally until I came up with this system, because yeah, it was a huge pain. Now it's the only way I make coffee.
(I guarantee it took you longer to read this than it'll take to do it, even if it sounds cumbersome. BTW, I'm still on my first container).
posted by kate4914 at 5:35 PM on April 7, 2019 [1 favorite]
kate, that's pretty smart.
I came in to say "French press!" $10 at Ikea.
posted by ashbury at 7:24 PM on April 7, 2019 [1 favorite]
I came in to say "French press!" $10 at Ikea.
posted by ashbury at 7:24 PM on April 7, 2019 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by tipsyBumblebee at 10:01 AM on April 7, 2019 [1 favorite]