Care to recommend any particular brand/model of household electrical appliances ?

Anyone got any idea as to best models/brands - we obviously recognise certain brands as being better but are they really, or are they just more heavily marketed here in Ireland / UK.

Really we're looking at best value for a home.

Zanussi have a 5 years parts warranty, you still have to pay labour to a max of €140 I think. Most other brands have 3 years as far as I know. Might be worth considering. Apart from that i would look as how economical they are to run..

Id check your local electrical stores and pick the salespersons. Read up on reviews on the internet. Consider what exactly you need.

When we bought our appliances, I bought all the same brand (which I would never do again if u want to save money), also bought them all in the same shop for convenience really so only one delivery (again prob wud be cheaper to pick in different stores based on price). We also bought a top of the range stainless steel cooker and to date the oven has only ever been used to store tins as we'v a solid fuel range, we'd have saved a packet by putting a hob only and had an extra press in the kitchen (hindsight is a great thing)....we bought a silver washing machine for the utility (again more money) which has since been replaced by a white one, one ever notices it....as venice said consider the energy usage of the appliance.

This quite dated previous thread might give some advice.

If you can afford it Miele are excellent although very expensive, sometimes nearly double the price of other brands. They generally have a reputation for lasting far longer and needing fewer repairs.

I second Sue Ellen. I used to work in an electrical retailer years ago and an elderly gentleman came into our shop looking for a replacement Miele washing machine after 37 years. When our delivery guy collected his old machine it looked mint.
You need to consider what the usage is going to be on any electrical appliance and weigh that into the cost factor. Also, a lot of brands have a cheap and expensive alternative. I know Bosch used to have appliances made in Spain but these were a lot cheaper than ones made in Germany. Also consider the after sales and warranties. Local service centre could mean nationwide these days.

Miele if you can afford them, Bosch if, like me, your purse doesn't stretch to Miele.

10 years is about the maximum life span of a washing machine. The bearings and rubber parts will be well worn at that stage. An expensive machine will probably require attention at this age and this can be very costly. I would tend to advise buying a less expensive machine and replacing it when it starts to give trouble.

I purchased a Siemens dishwasher 5 years ago but I have had to replace a part a month ago and it cost €210 between parts and labour. My Miele washer started giving me problems 2 weeks ago, it is approx 7 years, I did not even bother repairing it as the cost was going to be over €200. Just purchased a new one for less that €300. Would never again spend big money on a named brand. You will get 5 years from any of the cheaper models.