New Products

There are over 40 new appliances on display....A few Highlights:

Samsung Induction Range - Great all induction range with convection and warming drawer for $1899 or 500 less than its competition.

KitchenAid 27 cubic French Door - This is now the largest french door refrigerator available.

Maytag French door double drawer - Style is a radical departure for this once proud company, but this a very nice refrigerator. Would love to meet the person who convinced the American public about the necessity of two drawers.

KitchenAid Gas Range - Somebody at Whirlpool (KAs parent) finally woke up, because this range is competitive with the fifth burner. Hopefully they will update their ranges more frequently than every 10 years.

Samsung Integrated Dishwasher - Stainless inside/outside at $150 dollars cheaper than their competition...

New Lighting

Walked into Yale this morning and saw this:

Yikes, then I remembered the new lighting from the January show is now on display. Have a look:




Buying decorative lighting is like buying clothes. Everyone has their own style. Decorative lighting should not be used for task lighting or be responsible for lighting the room like recessed. Its part of an overall plan, so if you have ambient, task and accent elements, then my advice for buying decorative lighting is:

Buy what you like.

New Lighting

I used to think art, architecture and residential products define a period of time. For lighting, it was polished brass in the 80's. Distressed colors like bronze, etc in the 90's. Vibrant colors in the last decade.

Looking at this....It seems we are struggling for a defining style.

Capital Range

Short history on Capital Range Corp:

These are the same guys who started DCS and were bought out by Fisher Paykel. Evidentially, F&P forgot to have them sign a non-compete clause, because they have returned with a range whick looks like....DCS. Go figure.

Have a peek at this 30 inch and look for something unusual:

Look harder

OK, look here

This is a 25,000 BTU burner. The range you are cooking on is probably 12,000. The average professional range burner output is 16,000 BTU, so this is over 50% hotter...Good for Woks and lobster pots and people who dont have time to waste, I guess

Just dont put one of these over it (micro with vent) as you will probably melt it...

AGA Goes (somewhat) Mainstream

If you own this, congratulations, you are 1 of maybe 200 people nationally.

This is a custom configured 4 oven heater range. After years of extensive marketing, AGA actually decided to join the fray under $20,000 per range, and started marketing this...

It's actually a pretty competitive stove. It is 5 burners with the power burner in the middle and the price is fairly reasonable for the professional category at $4399.

How reasonable? It is about $1000 cheaper than a comparable Wolf or Viking, but more expensive than NXR, Monogram and Capital.

New LED

CSL just started to manufacturer new LED downlights. Have a gander.



Great light and it uses only 18 watts instead of 50. It seems expensive at $199 or is it?

The average energy savings alone, plus lamp, labor and HVAC implications is roughly $60 per year versus $2.14 for the LED. Payback is just under 3 years.

Amazing technology.

New Products

Every year in April there is a new appliance show in Boxborough. This year was somewhat sparse, because we are almost four years in a recession. Manufacturers have decreased their R&D and focused on their core competencies.

There were a few kernels of innovation:

Big winner: Frigidaire induction slide-in with convection and warming drawer

Second Place: GE 20 cubic foot french door

Distant Third: AGA 36 inch professional

New Lighting

Spring hopes eternal...and so does the lighting industry. Decorative lighting, as I have said before, is unique to the individual like clothing.

Before, we used to size a chandelier 12 inches less in circumference and 24 inches off the table. Now with pendants and other different applications like islands and peninsulas there is no all-encompassing size.

Have a look at the newest, latest and a few that could be the greatest...

Fans To Buy

A few months ago, I wrote a post about the demise of Casablanca Fan. Their products have become too expensive and too stodgy for today's market. So if they are out, who is in?

The answer is Minka Aire. Company is the polar opposite of Casablanca. They simply manufacture stylish, yet affordable paddle fans.

Have a look:



Quick reminder about the basics of fans:

1. They lower perceived temperature through wind chill not temperature reduction
2. Reverse the fan in the winter to disperse the heat and spread through the room
3. Since it does not lower the temperature, always shut off the fan when leaving the room

Before/After

Celebrating (ok maybe merely pointing out) the launch of the new line of Frigidaire appliances....

Before





After





In my opinion, they will still have the kitchen packages, but is the styling similar enough for replacement?

Post 701 and Handles

Hard to believe the ole blog has surpassed the 700 landmark. Now social media is the rage because it helps the brand, google rank and corporate credibility. We started The Yale Blog in 2007 to advise people honestly on how to shop for appliances, plumbing and lighting. I never really considered social media back then. Just wanted to be a reliable source of information in an industry that seems to need it.

The Yale Bloggers:





Frigidaire has a new line of appliances. It is updated aesthetically with three different handles styles, which can be good until you try to package their different lines.





Lets look at this new range. It looks different, but it is $100 more expensive than the model it superceded. The older piece also had a second oven, which is not available on this unit. So for $100 more, you seem to be buying less.

Frigidaire has always occupied an interesting niche of affordable stainless steel. Perhaps they should have rethought this latest line. GE, their largest cooking competitor, will have a new line of economical stainless steel appliances in August.

File this post under bad timing...

Finally A Completed Line

Electrolux debuted last year in the US after being the biggest player worldwide. Their emphasis is cooking with induction range tops and pretty interesting ovens.

But something was missing. I tried to tell them 2 years ago, but they were confident in the 150 million spent on market research. When I inquired about the omission of a french door refrigerator, they went blank....Heck all I would have charged was the price of a Chianti.

It is a big deal. People want coordinated kitchens especially in the upscale market right down to the handle.

Now you can match...

New Appliances

Every April, there is always a new appliance show for the regional dealers. This years winner is Electrolux with their french door refrigeration. Fisher Paykel was interesting, as was Bosch.

Have a look at the future:

Do Something Different

Appliances are like math. They follow predesignated spaces based on cabinetry. A refrigerator, for example, fits a 30, 33 or 36 inch cabinet. Stoves are 30 inch and dushwashers are 24.

Lighting can be conceivably anything. Larger islands and eclectic furnishings allow for customization. In other words, your place can look unique.


With new lights from Vermont, China and Poland, you can look pretty unique...

The Next Thing?

If you want to know what will be hot in lighting, look at new upscale restaurants. Typically, they will look to an interesting product to create an impression. Eventually, it will be adapted for the residential market.

If my theory is right, then this will be the next "thing" in decorative lighting...

Dallas Lighting Show

Twice a year, the lighting buyers from around the world descend to the Dallas Trade Mart to purchase new products. Its a cross between fashion and hardware. And guess what?

Its dying.

Back in the 1980s, lighting manufacturers started outsourcing their production and designs to China. 20 plus years later, half the brands look the same as the manufacturing is centrally sourced. Now add an economic downturn, and there are real problems in this industry.

Retailers also deserve part of the blame. Lack of training (does anyone know anything in this industry) and investment in display and infrastructure have doomed the lighting store as a destination.

Together, their industry lobbying group (ALA) has lobbied against banning the incandescent bulb and have failed to aggressively promote energy efficient products like LED.

Still, open enough clams and you will find some pearls. Out of 300 plus displays, there are maybe 15 relevant product lines. A few of tomorrows pearls...

New Products

LED is the way. Hate to be Zen, but its the truth.

To review (again) LED is:

1. 7 plus times per watt brighter than incandescent. Instead of a 75 incandescent or halogen, LED will use only 12 watts.
2. Has a 20 year life.
3. Cool to the touch...Doesn't add heat to the environment or further HVAC costs.

Small Tip:

Only buy LED recessed if it has a Cree chip in it. Thats right, go to the local store and ask that specific question. Cree casts white light, and every other company casts blue and/or yellow.

Lets look at the new 5 inch LED can and trim from Cree under their brand LRF. There is a much greater variety of trims and styles available than their 6 inch piece including: wheat, aluminum, pewter, black, graphite and white

Double Duty

Have a look at this product. Is it a freezer or refrigerator?



Threw you a softball. This product can actually perform either function with a flick of a switch. I really like the versatility...Great for storage, holidays, etc.

Ge Monogram....Part 4

I have blogged about the new GE Monogram products over the last 2 weeks. Lets look at the range and hood. We also look at how to buy these products in general:


The Range:



The new Monogram has decent specs, but the desirable specs are:

1. BTU output: The average pro is 15-16,000 BTUs...GE is 18,000.
2. Simmer: A Good simmer is 500 BTU...GE measures by temperature at 140 degrees.
3. Surface has the ability to be purchased as 6 burner, 4 burners grill or griddle.
4. Oven is convection or double convection.


Ventilation:





1. CFM...Cubic foot per minute. For a 36 inch stove, the hood should be 600 cfm and 900 if purchased with grill or griddle
2. Capture Area: A Pro hood should be 24 inches deep in order to pool or capture the smoke

A few other tips:

1. Size the duct properly...Use at least 8 inch round for Pro installations.
2. Duct straight: Efficiency is lost with bends.

Cool New Products

Lets look at this Monogram Kitchen again...





The undercounter lighting is a new LED product...Simple to install and less expensive to purchase...





The recessed is trimless or seamless to the ceiling.





How do you light the inside of this wine cooler....Press the button.