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Repair pros tell all: Whirlpool, Maytag make the most reliable appliances

A new survey of appliance repair technicians offers insights on refrigerators, stoves, washers, dryers and dishwashers.

Ry Crist Senior Editor / Reviews - Labs
Originally hailing from Troy, Ohio, Ry Crist is a writer, a text-based adventure connoisseur, a lover of terrible movies and an enthusiastic yet mediocre cook. A CNET editor since 2013, Ry's beats include smart home tech, lighting, appliances, broadband and home networking.
Expertise Smart home technology and wireless connectivity Credentials
  • 10 years product testing experience with the CNET Home team
Ry Crist
3 min read
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According to a survey of hundreds of repair pros, these are the three most reliable brands for home appliances.

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Your local appliance repair pro probably knows a thing or two about which brands make the most reliable refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers, washing machines and dryers. So how about asking a few hundred of them?

That's what a national network of appliance repair technicians called Puls just did, with a new, in-house survey that ranked all of the major brands for things like reliability, value and ease of use.

The top recommended brands overall: Whirlpool, Maytag and KitchenAid, in that order.  

Read more: How to buy the best refrigerator in 2019

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Shopping for new laundry appliances? The Puls technicians surveyed rated Whirlpool the highest, followed by LG and Samsung.

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Whirlpool and KitchenAid were both strong finishers across all of the kitchen categories, but GE was the top-rated brand for stoves and ovens, and Bosch led the pack with dishwashers.

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"Whirlpool is one of the longest-standing and most well-known brands in the appliance repair industry, and Maytag is now owned by the Whirlpool Corporation, so it's not a surprise that these two familiar names come out on top for reliability," the report says. "But perhaps the biggest factor in their top ranking here is that their machines are simpler than some of the newer brands which are considered more modern by consumers."

Puls says that it has hundreds of appliance repair technicians operating in over 25 major metro areas in the US. The company says that approximately 20% of its technicians completed the survey.

"These skilled technicians have performed tens of thousands of appliance repair jobs in 2019 alone," Puls adds.

At 32 pages, the report is comprehensive, complete with sub-rankings for specific appliance categories. For instance, top overall finisher Whirlpool led the ranks for refrigerators, washing machines and dryers. Meanwhile, GE was rated as the top-recommended brand for stoves and ovens, and Bosch topped the dishwasher rankings.

The report also dives into geography, with an interesting regional breakdown of average appliance repair costs.

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The average cost of repairing an appliance was highest in Philadelphia and Washington, DC, followed closely by New York and San Francisco. Meanwhile, average repair costs were lowest in Las Vegas.

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"The East Coast has slightly higher repair costs than any other region," the report reads. "In Philadelphia, the average appliance repair costs $260, in Washington, D.C. it costs $245, and in New York it costs $235."   

Repairs are slightly less expensive on the West Coast, but still higher than average, especially in California. San Francisco comes in with an average repair cost of $235, followed closely by $234 in San Diego and $230 in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, you'll find the most affordable appliance repairs in Las Vegas, where the average cost of fixing an appliance rings in at $178.

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You'll spend more on average to fix a freezer than any other kind of appliance, Puls says.

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Costs will vary depending on the type of appliance you're looking to repair, too. Freezers are the most expensive, with an average repair cost of $348. Microwaves, meanwhile, saw an average repair cost of $195, which was lower than any other category.

Other tidbits in the report include seasonal data, like the fact that refrigerators tend to break down most often during the summer months, when they need to work harder to keep things cold. Puls points out that you can see that phenomenon pretty clearly with a simple Google Trends search for "refrigerator repair."

"For refrigerators, the most common problem we encounter -- by far -- is that the machine is not cooling properly (23%)," Puls says. "After that, the most common problems are that the ice maker is not working (5%) or the machine is leaking (3%)."

There's a lot more in the report in case you're interested -- you can read the whole thing for yourself by clicking here.