Jenn-air appliances any good??? (dishwasher, pool, grill, microwave)

[watertraveler]

My wife is set on buying industrial looking appliances (tried talking her out of it but wouldn't listen). She is a great cook, so now in the market looking for these $$$$$ appliances.

However the builder we are going with only offers Jenn-air. I have been reading consumer reports and they all had nice things to say however people reviews were mixed. So, I am totally confused if I should get Jenn - air. Please help with any feedback you have.

They are not cheap I dont want to take a chance. Are the other brands better viking/wolf/sub-zero(for the fridge)??

[bluecomet]

We had Jenn-Air cooktops and ovens in two homes and loved them. Never any problems but only lived in the two homes 3 years and 5 years respectively.

[Stagemomma]

I had a fancy-schmancy Jenn-Air range once. You could pull out the gas burners and put in a grill, or it also had griddles. It also had a downdraft that kicked in automatically when it got hot enough.

Storing the unused pieces is something to consider, and let me tell you, that thing was a MONSTER to keep clean. I find gas stoves difficult enough to begin with. The downdraft shaft was always greasy, and how far down was I supposed to stick my hand to scrub it out? All the components needed cleaning, plus the downdraft filter, AND there was a tube that ran from the stove down to a grease container underneath the oven to catch the grease from frying/grilling. There was no way to clean out that tube that I know of.

Like everything with a lot of bells and whistles, it was WAY more trouble than it was worth.

I'd say let your wife get the stove with the look she wants, but examine any high end stove with an eye towards maintenance and let her know that SHE will be the one doing the cleaning.

As for me, I'm a solid surface kinda gal from here on out.

[watertraveler]

Thanks stagemomma, that is a great point. I have been worried about durability and repairs but never thought about cleaning. We currently have a gas cooktop and I can see what you are saying.

Anyone owned a counter depth fridge/ dishwasher? waiting to hear what you folks have to say about them!

[Jkgourmet]

Yes to the counter depth fridge. Works the same as any other and looks better - like it 'fits'.

As far as the Jenn Air, they are made my Whirlpool. I think the difference is more of a visual, aesthetic, status thing along with some extra buttons and toys. We had two good friends who worked for Dacor and they admitted that Dacor was great - years ago. They wouldn't buy it for their own homes (except when they could get discontinued models for free).

I will say that I would NEVER, NEVER, NEVER have a down draft. There's no way to keep those suckers clean. Give me a super-size above the stove top fan - in our case, one of the stainless steel ones that look quite modern (and fancy-schmanzy).

[VickiR]

My mom owned a Jenn-Aire back when they were very expensive.

I think since they are now owned by Whirlpool, they aren't as expensive but I don't know about the quality.

I bought a Jenn-Aire dishwasher about 4 years ago when my old one died because the Jenn-Aire dishwasher had a stainless steel inside and was told they are the most quiet dishwashers. It is VERY quiet. I'm always telling hubby to turn the dishwasher on and he says he did! Yes, it is that quiet.

Vicki

[TheBigKahunaNC]

Our current house had a Jenn-Aire cooktop when we bought the house. It was the one where you can change the "cartridges" from griddle, to eyes, to grill top, etc. It was a royal pain to keep clean, and the porcelain material chipped easily. We started having problems with it, and some of the cartridges quit working. We replaced it with a smooth glass top range and have been much happier with it.

[Funky Chicken]

We bought a spec home with all Jenn-Air appliances in the fall of 2007-Wall Oven, Cabinet-Mounted Microwave, 36" Gas Cooktop, and Dishwasher. I was unimpressed with the ratings I could find on them but we were not about to rip brand new appliances out. The rest of the house was what we wanted so we moved in.
6 1/2 years later I have not had a single repair on any of them. This doesn't make me want to replace them with Jenn-Air when the time comes, but I am pleasantly surprised with our ownership so far.
The wall oven's fan is noisy. The dishwasher is decidedly not quiet. My next dishwasher will be a Bosch-my brother got one and it is shockingly quiet. The cooktop and microwave have been flawless, and we use them frequently.

[TheBigKahunaNC]

Our current dishwasher is a Siemens, and I had honestly never heard much about them, but it was on "clearance" when we bought it and it was a fairly expensive washer prior to being marked down. Other than the beeps to let you know it's finished, you can't hear it running. The layout of the dish trays inside, is terrible, but it works and is very quiet.

[cncsmomndad]

I'd get the basic appliances and switch them out after you've had a chance to research all the possibilities out there. You can mix and match to get the appliances that suit you. Go walk around this place: THE APPLIANCE CENTER of Durham, Chapel Hill and Raleigh so you can see and touch all the options. It really helps narrow things down IMO. Of course, it may add to the confusion, but they have a lot of options for ranges. We were able to compare the Wolf, Viking and BlueStar which were the three we were considering. And, having had a downdraft...never again! Especially if you have a professional style gas range. We learned that lesson in our old house with a 5 burner BlueStar cook top.

I really like the look of counter depth fridges and hope to get one next time we need one. They do look nicer sitting flush with the counters. They tend to be more expensive than a traditional depth fridge.