If you’re in the envious position of having bought a new unfurnished home, you have the rare opportunity to buy a raft of new appliances. However, buying or moving to your new home has certainly cost and maybe you’re thinking that you’ll want to buy modest yet functional appliances. After all, do branded appliances really make that much of a difference?
Similar tier or specced branded appliances are always more expansive than their less-known counterparts. Belonging to the same class range but having to pay extra for the branded does sound as if you are just paying for a label. Does that extra you pay for the label actually translate to better performance within a class range?
Brands build better?
Brands are thought to use better materials and sometimes better technology than less known brands. There is a perception that they are better built and more durable. If you need to repair an appliance like a Dyson vacuum, you can be sure that it won’t be for quite a while after you’ve purchased it. The same sentiment holds true for appliances from brands like Bosch. These are companies that have built a reputation on sturdy builds and innovative technology.
However, this is not true across the board for all well-known brands. Samsung, loved for their phones, are also a huge supplier of household appliances, where their reputation isn’t as dominant. Indeed, they provide innovative and reasonably priced appliances, but they are not seen as the master in any appliance as Dyson is with vacuums.
So when you are buying for longevity and believe that the extra build quality justifies the extra cost, it’s worth checking out reviews on Amazon or on forums to see if any durability issues are raised and how frequently they pop up.
Brands have better tech
Another held conception is that brands utilize better technology. This is certainly true for TVs. The big three are Samsung, LG, and Sony. As leaders in their field, they pretty much develop the technology that other brands then incorporate, or reverse engineer into their products. Not only do they have new technology first on their TV products, unsurprisingly, they also tend to execute the technology better.
For appliances where innovation is slower, such as with fridges, there is less difference with the basic technology that delivers the cooling or the prevention of frost, which is now fairly standard across most fridges you can buy.
Make a smart choice
The difference really lies in smart technology. Many brands are looking at the internet of things, and how homes are set to become smarter within the next few years. You’ll not only be able to control your lighting, curtains, and TV, your fridge will be able to detect when you’re low on something you always buy and if you set it, it can order it automatically for you.
Syncing with virtual assistants such as Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri means fuller integration into your home environment. Here’s where you have to be a little careful. Some appliances work better within a specific ecosphere. Apple is known to have wonderful intuitiveness and flawless design but Apple works in a very secure and exclusive ecosphere.
Feel free to save a little money on certain appliances like fridges but the price difference does not tend to be vastly different on standard models, where brands really do begin to stand out is at the higher end models. As with anything you’re going to buy, some time doing your homework and reading through reviews will let you know if it’s better to brand or be more than happy with a perfectly functional unit from a less known company.