6 Worst Appliances for Your Money — and What To Buy Instead

Some of the most expensive items in your home are probably found around the kitchen. Many appliances can cost you thousands of dollars — so you want to make sure you’re getting the best ones for your money .

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You also want to be sure you’re avoiding some appliances that aren’t good buys. Here’s a look at six of the worst appliances for your money — and what to buy instead.

Refrigerators

When it comes to refrigerators, you may want to avoid the Electrolux Wave-Touch EW23BC87SS. According to Consumer Reports (CR) , “This Electrolux refrigerator is an energy hog and runs more noisily than higher-performing fridges in our tests.”

In fact, Electrolux earned bad ratings for its French-door refrigerators in CR member surveys, in terms of predicted reliability and satisfaction of owners.

Instead, you may want to check out the LG LRFDS3016S French-door refrigerator, which  performed well in CR tests.

Washing Machines

When it comes to washing machines, you want ones that do more than just work quickly. According to CR, you may not want to add the Maytag Commercial MVWP576KW to your collection. While it washes quickly and gently, this one also received a poor rating for its cleaning performance.

Instead, CR recommends the cheaper LG WT7005CW, which did well on cleaning tests and scored well for energy and water efficiency.

Ranges

If you’ve been in the market for a pro-style range, you know they can cost a great deal. In case you’ve not heard of these kinds of ranges, according to KitchenAid , “Pro-style or commercial-style ranges offer a restaurant-inspired cooking experience at home.”

With that in mind, CR suggests you stay away from the Viking 5 Series VGR5304BSS Pro-Style Range . “It struggles to bake, lacks a self-clean cycle, and as a brand, Viking pro-style ranges have some of the worst predicted reliability scores of any of them,” according to CR.

So what’s a better choice? CR recommends the Monogram ZGP304NTSS, which lands at the very top of the pro-style range ratings and is a bit cheaper.

Stand Mixers

When it comes to stand mixers, CR lists the Hamilton Beach 6 Speed 64655 Mixer as one to avoid. While the controls are intuitive, testers found its mixing wasn’t great, it vibrated and labored when kneading dough and took a good deal of time to whip cream.

You might be better off with the Hamilton Beach Professional All-Metal 63240. CR said it performs like models that cost much more.

Blenders

CR suggests you avoid the 3 Squares Soup3rb 7-cup Cook & Blend. According to CR, “Despite its name and flashy design, the results from this blender aren’t superb at all.”

In fact, tests showed this blender lacks performance when puréeing raw ingredients into soups and offers subpar durability.

Instead, check out the Costway Professional Countertop 8-in-1 Smoothie Soup Blender. This one performed better and offered great durability.

Countertop Microwaves

Let’s round out our list with microwaves. CR suggests you avoid the Commercial Chef CHM14110B6C, which tests showed heated slowly and unevenly. In addition, CR reported the controls aren’t intuitive.

Check out the LG MSWN1590L for a better option. According to CR, it heats evenly and quickly and offers stellar performance for defrosting.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com : 6 Worst Appliances for Your Money — and What To Buy Instead