I never thought all that much about kitchen appliances. Even when I picked them out myself in 2006 as my house in Minnesota was being built, I really didn't give it that much thought. The salesman explained the pluses and minuses of the different appliances and I picked based on that. My biggest grievance was that the microwave nagged me if I didn't open the door fast enough.
Fast forward to my house in Atlanta. This time most of the appliances were already there, but I did have to buy a new refrigerator. I picked the model that was on sale, thinking that one was as good as the other and it did have good reviews online.
I hate the fridge. It doesn't have enough space, not in the freezer and not in the refrigerator itself. It's loud, which is truly obnoxious because my kitchen is open to the great room. And there's some darn deli drawer or whatever they call it that means both doors need to be open. (It's a French door fridge.)
Unfortunately, after spending as much as I did for it, I'm stuck with it for at least 10 years. I really wish now that I'd paid the extra money and gotten the one I wanted.
Then there was the dishwasher. That was built-in and a reputable brand, so I thought it would be fine. There was a lot of wasted space inside--the silverware tray took up about 1/6 of the entire bottom drawer--and it was loud. Worse than the obnoxious fridge. I frequently start my dishwasher when I go to bed, but I couldn't do that with this one. The loud noises scared the heck out of me.
I was determined to replace it with the same brand I had in MN. That one had the silverware rack on the door and was quiet. My parents, who've stayed with me a few times since I moved in, supported the decision and they are very frugal and would normally tell me to live with it till it died. They hated it too, enough to encourage me to get a different one.
My new dishwasher is installed now. It's so quiet, I can barely hear it running. I love it!
This experience, though, taught me something. Big name manufacturer or not, not all appliances are created equal. I'll be much more careful in the future whenever I have to buy another one.
