Buy This Not That

The Yale Blog is not about us telling you what to buy. We point out features, benefits and let the reader/customer decide. It has always been our selling philosophy to inform rather than to coax.


Except in this case.


Until about 10 years ago, if you wanted to buy stackable laundry, this type of unit is what you would purchase




The washer and dryer unitized as one piece. It has the distinction of being more expensive to buy, less featured and more difficult to install. The Frigidaire shown is the best of this lot.


With front loaders becoming more prevalent, you can stack every unit except full size Bosch and Miele...Like this Maytag EpicZ





You can even stack this Frigidaire for under $1,000

Vacs

I actually was in Germany at the Miele plant two years ago. Its an interesting experience watching a vacuum being tested by being pulled into a wall over and over again...

The main consideration in buying a vacuum is the flooring. Seems like an obvious point, but the vac should change based on hardwood, shag, oriental and berber carpeting.

We sell just Miele at Yale. It has variable speeds, a sealed system and different tools. The main differences between them is the flexibility of the wand and the head size and type. The better vacuums will have an electronic head, which is better on the oriental and deeper types of carpets....

Before You Hit Buy Part 3

Our last hit buy post focused on the cost of delivery. The price seems to be good until the delivery screen. Delivery and logistics are the second hardest part of really any business. Outsourcing what should be a core compentency to a third party and shipping over long distances can be very risky.

But certainly not the riskiest.


You have checked the social blogs, the BBB, CitySearch, Angies' List, Yelp, Bizrate and others. You are comfortable with the store ratings, delivery policies and customer service.

One last consideration: Who will service it when there is an issue? Its worth a call for that specific bit of information

Replacing Your Range

So you are considering replacing your range....Lets review an upscale Frigidaire at $1150(less rebates) versus a 10 year old range




Burners:

10 year old: 4 burners..Output 12,000 BTU for 2 and 8,000 BTU for the other 2

Frigidaire:5 burners high burner is professional grade at 16,000, 1 12,000 BTU, 2 9500 BTU and a dedicated simmer burner at 5,000

Oven:

10 year old: Radiant...elements top and bottom

Frigidaire: Convection, fan circulating around the oven for more even cooking


Drawer:

10 Year old: Well, its a storage drawer

Frigidaire: Second oven


Ranges, free standing in particular, have upgraded over the last 10 years. It is almost a completely different product, and with the commodization of the industry a really great range can be fairly reasonable.