You may want to take a look at the Kitchenaid suite of products, they are better rated than GE profile, from what I have read.
A Bosch diswhasher is fine and many here on GW like them. Try the AJ Madison website, they are located in Brooklyn, and if you are in NY, you can go to the showroom. Solomon is the salesperson I have been speaking to and he is very helpful.

For garbage disposal, my GC recommends Waste King over Insinkerator, but both work very well, in my humble opinion.

Good luck!

I feel your pain... oops, I mean confusion! I am going appliance shopping this weekend and I almost feel like I'm going to the dentist... no offense to any dentists out there!

Originally I wanted the wine color Bertazzoni and absolutely NO microwave. Friends urged me to purchase a small microwave just to see if I'd use it and 'Yes' I do like having a microwave.

My Vino Berta dream was dashed when I realized how much it cost and I think the inside may be too small for my holiday meals and I really need a bottom drawer to hold pots and pans. So now I'm looking for a slide-in 30" gas stove with the OTR microwave and a new DW.

There's so much conflicting information on Frigidaire, KA, the GE Cafe' - it's hard to know where to begin.

Part of me says, JUST DO IT! Another part knows that repairs are not only costly but inconvenient.

In today's WSJ it said some big home-appliance manufacturers will be conspicuous by their absence from the International Builders' Show this week, a sign that the new-home market is still weak ... although I don't see any of their prices coming down or fantastic rebates being offered.

I'm going to try and attach a link to the article (Hope I do it right)

Here is a link that might be useful: Some Big Manufacturers Will Skip Home Builders' Show

I feel your pain also. yesterday was the first time I was out talking to cabinet and appliance folks about the options. I went in thinking "no more than 4k for a fridge"... by the end of the day I was actually considering a subzero. I have less stress at work. Lucky for me I didn't act on my impulses. Need a few days to get my common sense back.

Given the number of horror stories and dissatisfaction I'm coming across, I'm re-thinking my plan to go with GE Profile. I started looking at some the Kitchen Aid lines. I do like some of the Samsung appliances but they don't have any slide in gas ranges which is a deal breaker for me.

Anything else I should be considering? I like the Jenn Airs I've seen but maybe a tad out of my price range.

Aside from Bosch, is there another highly recommended DW brand? (don't say Miele, too much $$$)

As I mentioned, kitchenaid would be a good comparison to bosch for dishwashers. You can find a Miele on discount, if you are interested.If you can find the just discontinued Optima line models, you could be in luck with a comperable price as the bosch or kitchenaid. Shop around on line. You would not be disappointed in a Miele, it will last a very long time and is far better a produce than the rest of the pack.

I think I'm down to either a combo GE line (monogram /profile/Cafe) or KA suite of products. I really like the KA 42" built in fridge. It's over my Fridge budget but I think my overall appliance budget is still on track. Problem is that I'm finding it tough to shop online for KA. Looks like you have to go to a local retailer as many online places won't ship past 150 miles or so.

I just got the first appliance in my over time kitchen upgrade. I got a kitchen aid french door Refrigerator. I have to say it is very very nice. I am not sure if I will buy all kitchen aid or not but given my needs tastes and budget I doubt it unless I can get other things on close-out or scratch n dent. I don't need dual ovens with convection or a $400 OTR microwave to reheat food, cook vegies, make pop corn and heat water for tea. for the stove and micro I will probably get Maytag or whirlpool in stainless to match the fridge. A decent dishwasher is totally with the money. Bosch seems to make people here happy and those I know same with KA.

Kitchen Aid is owned by Whirlpool corp and is their higher end line. they also sell similar and less fancy stuff under Whirlpool, Amana, Maytag and the lower end Roper and estate.

NYC-guy
It is dangerous hanging out on the GW! Guaranteed to cost you more $$.
Just kidding - but I did end up upgrading my appliance choices from my starting point based on what I learned from the GW.
I will defer to others on the appliances except for disposers. 1 HP is the way to go. I currently have the KA 1 HP disposer that is pushing 15 years old and will be putting in the insinkerator 1 HP with our remodel. The waste king also gets good reviews - but I like the mass of the insinkerator. The waste king just looks too small to be that powerful.
Good luck and welcome to GW!

When choosing a disposal, no matter the brand, it is important to get one that is 3/4 hp or 1 hp, and all stainless innards. You do not want a "Badger" style disposal, no matter how tempting the price. Beyond that, the decision between 3/4 and 1 hp is often a question of what you can fit under your sink.

A2gemini - I don't know which Waste King you are referring to, but the Waste Kings have more torque than the Insinkerators making them more powerful for the same hp. Unless Waste King has changed their design, their chambers are larger than the Insinkerators for the same hp. That can be both good and bad. It's good to have a large chamber to handle large pieces of rind or vegetables or whatever. But if you have space constraints under your sink, a smaller chamber is better. In fact, there are a number of Gardenwebbers who have opted for the Insinkerator Evolution Compact model due to plumbing outlet location and small undersink space.

It is important when choosing a disposal to check where your plumbing outlet is in relation to the depth of your sink. You need to make sure the disposal's outlet when installed will be higher than the plumbing outlet into the wall. So check the disposal's height. For tight spaces, check the disposal's width.

Both Waste King and Insinkerator make excellent disposals - you can't go wrong with either one. Note that the Kitchenaid and Kenmore disposals are re-badged Insinkerators. The differences between the two brands are personal choice: Insinkerators are definitely quieter than Waste Kings. Waste Kings have more torque. Waste Kings have longer warranties, but both brands offer very good warranties. Waste King models come in both 3-bolt style and in EZ-mount style. Insinkerators come only in EZ-mount, but most people opt for EZ-mount anyway. 3-bolt style will be more solid, less vibration, but is more of a PITA to install. EZ mount is a cinch to install, so again, this is personal choice. Specs are on all the websites.

Njgolfnut - just regarding your comment about buying appliances online, and sites not shipping more than 150 miles - you should call the website to place the order. That shipping rule applies when ordering online, i.e. on your computer, but we found that they will ship anywhere in the U.S. if you place your order over the phone. We bought our KA dishwasher from Homeeverything and were very pleased with the whole process (BTW, love the KA DW). I called before ordering, cause the website said they couldn't ship to our area, but over the phone, they assured me they could. Also, calling in the order is good because you can find out if they actually have the item in stock ready to ship (which they did). Having said that, I am not sure I would order a fridge online, only because delivery is "curbside", meaning they won't bring it into the house, into the kitchen. For a DW, no problem, it's not that heavy. I'd be more concerned about a fridge. You can likely shop locally for a fridge and negotiate a good price. Many stores offer free delivery to be competitive (though you have to ask for it/negotiate for it). If you are buying a number of appliances, you may also be able to negotiate free or low-cost installation. HTH.

Thanks for the info alwaysfixin. Good stuff to know. I tried calling AJ Madison for a quote on a zubzero the other day. They basically said I'd have to come in and hung up on me after I told them I was in Florida. Lol. I'm shopping both locally and online. I'm hoping the local folks can be competitive. I'd rather give them the business.

Njgolfnut - oh, now that you are talking about Subzero, that's a whole other kettle of fish. Your previous post didn't mention Subzero, it mentioned KA and GE, so that's what my advice was about. Subzero, Miele and a couple of other brands price with UMRP, i.e. you will find these appliances at the same price no matter where you go in the country, unless you are looking at a scratch-and-dent or floor model. There is no discount by buying online an appliance that is controlled by UMRP. Furthermore, the manufacturers like Subzero who control prices with UMRP want their appliances purchased by the consumer at local retail stores.

akchicago - thanks - I will relook at the waste king but still leaning toward the insinkerator.

Well, I'm getting closer.

I think I've decided on a Samsung CD FD fridge. It's received pretty good reviews and at 23 cubic feet, it's 3 more than most other CD fridges I've come across.

Still sticking with a Bosch panel ready DW.

Now just need a range and OTR microwave. Leaning towards KA, but will see what I come across this weekend. I'm not opposed to scratch and dents as the savings are pretty significant for what are in many cases insignificant cosmetic damage.

Oh and I guess a disposal as well. Not sure whether to go with batch or continuous feed. I can't wrap my head around too many appliances at the same time!

We bought the Kenmore Elite CD fridge which IS the Samsung, made by Samsung and love it so far.
Bought it during a Sears 30% off sale so saved $1000 on it, and it is 24sq.ft

For the price and it sounds like you might be trying to keep the price down if you can then I would suggest the NXR stove.
It is twice the stove of any GE or KA, they don't even compare.
We got ours for $1799 delivered which I doubt you will find at that price now but you can find it for $2000.

The OTR we went with was the LG-LSMH207ST.
Has a 400CFM vent, and a radiant heat warming lamp.
Got ours for $395 delivered.

Here is a link that might be useful: LG Microwave

I've been very happy with my last two Whirlpool dishwashers. I was sad to leave the last one behind when we moved. The "new" house had an old Maytag which I replaced with the Whirlpool when it broke - couldn't bring myself to get the new one until the Maytag died because of the expense of an unnecessary replacement.

NYC guy - consider the elux over the samsung!
I was all ready to buy SS and discovered a number of fires!!!
I love my elux FD(see other post on elux fridge)
Go with continuous feed disposer!!

Well, tomorrow is the big day. I'm under orders to get it all done so the wife and I can talk about something other than appliances!

What I've decided on:

-Samsung SS CD FD Fridge
-Bosch 500 series Panel ready DS

Still totally undecided on range/MW still. I was leaning towards GE Profile, then KA. I saw a couple of the KA's and the knob action felt cheap. Any last minute suggestions for a slide in gas range? I can't afford high end, so please don't suggest Wolf, Thermador, Monogram etc. Thought it�s out of my price range I do like the GE Cafe range, but it's not a slide in.

Wish me luck!

Well, I got that out of the way. I went against the grain and got white appliances as opposed to stainless. I think it will ultimately look better in our kitchen. Here's what I ended up doing.

Samsung FD Counter Depth
Kitchenaid Slide-in gas range (floor model)
Kitchenaid Microwave/Hood
Bosch 800 Series Panel Ready (discontinued floor model)

The two floor models are basically in perfect condition. However the range is missing the burner caps which I will order online. I priced them out today. Holy cow! In black they will cost $150. In the gray that matches the grill colors, they add up to over $300. How is that possible!
I went with the discontinued Bosch 800 series since the store gave it to me for less than a current model 500 series unit.
Overall I thinkg I did well. I dropped the name of our contractor and the the salesperson basically gave me employee pricing.

Thanks to everyone for the help and advice.

Where did you do your shopping NYC-Guy?

I went to PC Richard.