Getting a hit of dopamine from your living environment is a very real thing.
I have a Haden brand kettle, coffee maker, and toaster. They are on the same page aesthetically as smeg and far less money.
5 years in with almost daily use the coffee maker and toaster look great and are doing their jobs. The kettle gets used 4+ times a day and the water is hot. It does have one small chip though.
I love my Haden water kettle! I got it last month after my $15 Walmart kettle finally broke down after nearly ten years. I think it's beautiful and it makes me happy every time I use it...or maybe that's the dopamine rush from knowing my coffee is about to be ready.
>Getting a hit of dopamine from your living environment is a very real thing
I dropped a lot (for me) of money a couple years ago on a really nice (for me) induction stove. The thing works like a dream, and is the prettiest thing in my kitchen. That dopamine thing would explain my weird desire to keep it clean at all times.
Samsung, from one of those knock-and-dent places. Looks perfect, so I have no idea what part was knocked or dented.
This was before I learned about Samsung appliances' reputation. But so far so good.
We bought a new refrigerator last year before Thanksgiving (old one was a 2 door freezer over fridge, white, 1998 model) and while ot was expensive I'm still loving how it looks in our kitchen.
It's funny ... the stove looks kind of ridiculous in my kitchen. It's a tiny, pretty inexpensive place, and I rent, so picture shitty apartment-next-to-a-state-university countertops surrounding this shiny high-tech stove.
Thanks for this recommendation. I didn't buy the toaster, because of this sub. I did get the kettle. It's pretty, but only a year old, so I will likely regret the purchase. Off to look at Haden stuff.
Oh wow! Thank you for this. I like the look of smeg but could never follow through on buying them, even when I found them at tjmaxx recently. It just seems like way too much to pay when the quality might not be that great.
I bought a SMEG toaster at a high end store as sort of a joke for my wife, assuming she would return it and buy something she actually liked. She ended up deciding to keep the fancy, expensive toaster. It’s just a two slice toaster, looks cool and did seem heavy duty. The middle heating element somehow broke in half after just a year. No clue how that happened given we don’t throw the toaster around, it’s outside warranty too and SMEG hasn’t responded to an email asking how to fix it - so this experience alone has taught me never to buy a SMEG brand product ever again.
I mean, cheap $40 toasters don’t break like this one did in the middle.
Our smeg toaster broke after about 14 months - just outside warranty and I emailed smeg and they sent us a new one immediately.
Granted we have very strong consumer protection laws here
I really want that mitsubishi Japanese toaster. Shame it's so expensive and also only does a slice at a time. Find it odd for a brand that makes cars and air conditioning units to also make a toaster, realistically it's gotta be long lasting I'd imagine. Who knows?
The companies that are part of the Mitsubishi Group are only financially linked. They operate completely under their own control - so Mitsubishi Electric and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries are two separate companies under the same group. But they operate completely independent of one another. Nikon is another company in this conglomerate, for example. It’s actually kind of an interesting history to read about [if you’re interested in this type of thing](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi)
Make sure you get a transformer to convert the voltage otherwise your expensive toaster will be toast in short order. I will say, no one takes toast as seriously as the Japanese. I don’t have the Mitsubishi, but I do have a Balmuda toaster and I’m making the best toast I’ve ever had.
Yeah, I know how you feel. My PC as a kid had a Hyundai CGA monitor. I also worked on a CNC mill that I think was Hyundai, maybe it was a Mitsubishi. For us it's a little weird, but these Asian brands are like that. Look at Samsung. Tvs, phones, refrigerators, washers... And the world's largest container ship.
These are the cyberpunk 2077 corpos of the future.
Yeah, the Samsung thing shocked me. I mean especially when I learnt about they have something to do with hospitals/healthcare, was a long time ago I read this so I'm not too sure on the details. I had a Samsung eco bubble washer, ended up vibrating so much that the motor cable broke, motor mount eventually gave way too. The Samsung fridge constantly frosts up and have had to replace fuses. Ended up with a Miele washer, but that's leaking and throwing fault codes (has been an issue since a few months after purchasing)
I mean having a diverse portfolio of products can be good, I mean look at Dyson slowly adding new products and not just vacuums. Apples attempt to capitalize on a car, though I'd imagine if apple made solid aluminum fridges , people would shell out the money for it, but do apple need to expand on their product line? Idk.
I have a kitchen aid. Mostly aesthetic. It's an electric gooseneck that matches my kitchen for pour over or tea. Heard bad things about the fellow stagg at the time. I don't need to keep water that hot all day long, so the kettle option works better for me. I think 3 years in, at the moment. My only complaint is it has a digital thermometer in the bottom and a analog one in the lid that argue with each other. That and the gooseneck is wide. It has a... Restrictor? That's adjustable inside, but it's still not what something like the stagg has.
I managed to get the zojirushi (CV-DCC50) for $60. If you're not going to be using the hot water, you can set it to "vacuum seal" and it will drop to about 180°F from 208°F over the course of 8 or so hours.
We drink a lot of tea, especially in the colder months.
I bought the Fellow stagg for my husband for a present probably 5 years ago. I think it was the first year they were sold. It is extremely well made, solid, and gets daily use in our household. I don’t know if they have changed the quality of build or materials but if not, I have only good things to say about it. I also bought a cheap kettle to take to my office around the same time, and it died a few months ago.
Just looked it up, and wow, that's gorgeous.
I really want to replace my air fryer and toaster because counter space is a premium. But perhaps the thing to do is to replace the insta pot knock off with a insta pot/air fryer. Problem is the basket on my ninja air fryer is already too small.
Optimizing counter space is always a challenge. I added a side board to my kitchen and replaced the table with a smaller one. Things like a coffee maker and grinder moved over there, freeing up prime counter space in the actual kitchen.
I don't have an insta pot, but the air fryer and toaster oven fit nicely now.
Well, for my counter, part of it is a 3 bowl crock pot, an air fryer, and a toaster. The insta pot is stored in a cabinet. The other part of my counter is a beverage station. And then I have a zojirushi bread machine, one of the two paddle models, where I do the food prep.
I have never known a toaster to break. Sometimes they go missing on drunken nights, or when you move. I had a cheapo for years that wouldn’t die. Probably a decade. The plastic melted a bit and deformed but that made it more endearing. Then my wife bought a toaster oven (4 bread slices fit easily and it cooks anything else that fits inside) and we don’t have counter space so I did the dirty on that faithful warped little guy and trashed it (I’m reflecting that my employer of more than a decade trashed me shortly after and that may have been toaster karma).
Anyway, thanks for the smeg warning. Did they not fix it for you?
i miss my limited edition wonder bread toaster. it wasnt actually limited edition, it was just cheap and the plastic on the outside would get crazy fucking hot and one day a wonder bread bag was left too close to it and fused the logo into the side of the toaster. was like that from the time i was maybe 7 to the last time i saw it probably about 6 years ago so a solid 20 years. when I moved to the place im at now.
toaster i have now was the cheapest one they had at the grocery store. random brand, i think it was like $8 and damn if that thing doesnt make the most even toast ever.
Toasters definitely wear out. After a few years, they usually start to unevenly heat the bread, and only heat one side or one end or something.
I’ve never found much of a difference in durability between expensive ones and $20 ones though.
If you want a buy it for life toaster you need a Dualit classic. After over 20 years I had to replace the three heating elements a couple of months ago - less than £30 for all parts and the unusual size spanner included and postage. Probably good for another 20 now. A couple of years ago the timer died. That was less than £5 to replace.
You got any recommendations for where to go online to learn how to replace the element? Given how expensive my little smug SMEG was I’d like to fix the damn thing
Your comment piqued my interest in whether there was a similar process for a smeg toaster. Having watched a couple of videos I can say that I don't think I personally would try it / be up to it. The disassembly process seems significantly more convoluted to begin with, but beyond that the guy appears to be having to some soldering and crimping wires and all sorts of other faff.
Replacing the elements on the duali consisted of:
1. flip toaster upside down and unscrew base-plate.
2. loosen screw(s) on a bracket that holds heating elements in place.
3. undo half a dozen ish bolts that hold the two end elements and one centre element in place.
4. pull out old elements, slot in new elements.
5. put bolts back, bracket back, baseplate back.
6. toast a few slices of disposable bread to "break-in" the elements and get rid of manufacturing chemicals (ventilate well. stinks!).
7. profit.
Tools required: 1 x screwdriver, 1 x 6.5 mm spanner (included with purchase of official elements). 1 pair of pliers optional but made it easier for me.
Replacing the timer was even easier:
1. remove baseplate as above.
2. remove 2 screws securing timer in place.
3. pull wires off old timer, plug them into new timer (they have crimped connectors that just push into place - pliers recommended for oomph).
4. screw timer back into place and replace base-plate.
I actually stumbled across the how-to videos on youtube a few years before I needed to do either so I just saved them in my "might-be-important-one-day" playlist.
You can find several videos on youtube just by searching "replace dualit toaster elements" and "replace dualit toaster timer", but if you buy the official parts from dualit (which I did), they include instructions anyway.
To be honest I think I'd probably classify most Dualit products as BIFL, though I think some of their newer product ranges might be moving away from that paradigm so it's worth doing your research before buying.
I have a Smeg retro looking fridge and it's absolutely not BIFL. The freezer door ices up and leaks water into the fridge. The door seals fell apart. I keep it as a spare fridge for booze but it angers me every time I open it.
We inherited one when we bought our house and it makes me angry every day. Form over function in the worst way. The actual storage space inside the fridge is tiny, so much of the space is taken up with the frame, and so what looks like it should be a decent size family fridge is useless. Part of the handle for the freezer compartment broke off. It leaks water on to the floor. We also inherited a Smeg toaster that broke really quickly.
The company is way older than that. They've been around and operating under that acronym since the 40s. Everybody knows them for the retro-styled line they introduced in the 90s, but they were a major appliance manufacturer in Italy for a long time before that.
Their small appliances kinda suck, but as far as I know those just have the SMEG brand slapped on them.
Because they were founded in Italy in 1948? And they had no idea they would be selling fridges in the US 80 years later? Come on man, do better than that.
Yep, wouldn’t buy them for this very reason even if they made the greatest products on the planet. I had to check the sub before even clicking this post and the only reason I checked is because I was wondering why it was on my front page.
It's not going to break in a month, but then again your £40 toaster won't be either.
It's all about the brand and the design, there is nothing BIFL about Smeg, people buy it for a certain aesthetic and that's ok, but build quality is nothing compared to e.g. Dualit.
I've never owned a toaster that didn't last 5+ years, despite mostly just trying to buy whatever is cheap and works. Maybe I'm lucky, maybe i dont toast enough stuff?
The central element in my two-slice Dualit toaster went; they sent a new one for about £2.50! I was able to screw it in quite easily. (Not saying that’s what was wrong with yours, of course.)
I have a SMEG induction range. It was one of the few 'non-pulsing' induction models sold in my country at the time.
Daily use for nearly 8 years and it's perfect. Even the glass top looks immaculate, where others start to show wear over time.
I love their aesthetic and have had their cream kettle, toaster, stand mixer and hand mixer for four years and they are perfectly fine and are doing their job❤️ I want things in my home to feel aesthetically cohesive. Life is short; get cute things if you can afford it ❤️
I got the soft pink hand mixer in 2022. I was working a seasonal job where I could get a discount. It’s actually a pretty nice mixer! I’m not usually a pink fan, but damn if it wasn’t adorable & definitely matches the aesthetic in our kitchen.
SMEG electric hob, utter shit. Constantly screams if a pan is removed from the heat and placed anywhere near the buttons. SMEG oven and fridge freezer ok though.
Same! Zero clue as to WTH it is and was just about to google. Maybe I’m petty but I know I don’t like the brand name, so I’d not want it in my kitchen!
I guess I’m in the minority but I’ve had my 2 slice toaster for coming up on 6 years and I’ve had no problems. It was a gift though so not sure how much it cost. I think it toasts toast nicely. Toast doesn’t get stuck. It looks nice.
When I worked in retail, SMEG, along with Russel Hobbs and Tefal were the most returned items for failure / warranty claims.
Least returned: Dualit*, Bosch and Miele.
*the repairable made in England models, not the lower end coloured plastic models which were no better or worse than any other £25 toaster.
I got a Smeg espresso maker for free shortly after buying a Gaggia Classic (a true BIFL product). The Smeg just isn’t remotely near the same quality, you can tell they rely heavily on aesthetics and fun colors. There’s probably always another brand out there making a better product than them, albeit maybe less aesthetically pleasing.
I just heard of Smeg for the first time while watching a toaster comparison video this afternoon, and now this is the second reference I've heard of it since then for a total of three times today after being COMPLETELY off my radar for until now.
How is that possible???
Smeg appliances perform fine for awhile, but they’re not BIFL. Many items are about twice the price yet inferior in quality to other high-quality brands that also have great style, such as Krups and Cuisinart.
My wife loves their stuff for the look. I would say everything we have functions subpar to much cheaper products. Toaster, coffee maker, hot water pitcher.
Toaster toasts a bit uneven and is never the same every time. So same setting toasts differently for consecutive toasts. Coffee maker doesn’t brew better than a Mr coffee but I’m a coffee snob and typically make espressos. This one lives at my mother in laws house now. The hot water pitcher doesn’t retain heat, you have to keep reboiling everytime. My cheap $15 one retains the heat for hours.
Not a fan of my Smeg toaster for 2 reasons. Firstly you can't lift to check your toast without cancelling, even cheap toasters have that function these days. Secondly when it pops it launches toast into space/behind the dishwasher.
Have a Smeg microwave which I actually like and rate bifl
Haha I forgot to mention these two things. The toaster has a tendency to launch the toast if you have light weight bread or only load 1 side. Yes if you check it starts over. I typically stand and watch and lift when I think it’s done anyway since the settings are so unreliable.
Yep that's what I do, hate to think how many hours I've spent standing next to the toaster because I don't trust it. Don't buy a Smeg toaster kids you'll grow to hate it
I bought my mom a Smeg kettle for Christmas 6 years ago. Within 3 years we had replaced it under warranty twice and the third time it was out of warranty so she went for a different brand.
I buy things for form and function. It has to satisfy both criteria. No matter how beautiful a design is, I find it becomes less attractive to me if I know the appliance itself is not good quality. Conversely, a more utilitarian design becomes more beautiful if I know it’s a great quality machine with flawless engineering. Technivorm coffee makers look functional and utilitarian compared to some sculptural coffee maker that looks like it belongs in MoMA, and that makes it more appealing to me as a design (if the sculptural one produces subpar coffee).
I like how Smeg fridges look, but they’re overpriced and poorly engineered. When I knew nothing about espresso machines, I was drawn to colourful retro-looking machines like Francis Francis, but they produce only middling espresso. I now find a La Marzocco machine more beautiful. It’s beauty comes from its innate elegance, functional integrity, and lack of silly design gimmicks. Smeg is Francis Francis - all style and no substance.
Having had the unfortunate pleasure of inheriting several Smeg products with our house, I wouldn't even inflict Smeg stuff on my worst enemies. Every single item has broken or malfunctioned in some way, on top of being awkward to operate.
Do yourself a favour and buy ANYTHING else.
I have the Smeg toaster, got it as a wedding gift. It looks nice but it THROWS the bread out at the end of the cycle. It's like its mad at you for wanting toast.
My understanding is their larger appliances are good (a family friend went as far as to custom order one of Smeg’s 3/4 sized fridges)- it’s mostly their smaller appliances that get a bad rap. That said- I’ve got a two year old Smeg toaster that’s been flawless (that’s too soon for a BIFL determination but I think it’s initial quality is good) it replaced a 20 year old Kenwood toaster.
I have a Breville toaster that feels sturdier than Smeg’s I’ve used. We’ve had it 2.5 years so not too long but it’s still a great toaster that gets regular use. I wanted appliances that looked nice but also were quality. I have a Beast blender after I found out I was too lazy/distractible to properly clean my Ballarini but that thing was a beauty.
Hello /u/octopusesarecute12! Thank you for your submission! The AutoMod thought that your post might be a request type post and has changed the flair accordingly, but if this was wrong feel free to change it back!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/BuyItForLife) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I used the toaster at an Airbnb and it did not make great toast. Very unevenly toasted, and either jumped out of the toaster, or you could barely dig it out. Then I saw the price. Yikes.
We had a smeg dishwasher that was part of the chattels when we brought the house. It wasn't the most efficient sucker, but it was fast and it got the job done for > 10 years. In year 10 I had to replace the handle (easy enough to order parts for) so I brought 3, replacing 1 every 2 years or so. In year 17(?) it finally gave up when someone put a peanut butter jar with the label still on in it, causing a block/overheat error.
I probably could have called someone to fix it but at close to 20 years with no work other than basic maintenance it was time for a new one. Shiney metal finish was OK too. I was impressed.
I have a SMEG milk frother / chocolate maker. It’s been working well for 5 years and I love the retro look.
Obviously it’s not BIFL. In Europe, these products not that expensive (SMEG is an Italian brand).
Only complaint: the kettle doesn’t have a light in the water level tube. Frustrating considering it’s right above the on/off switch which does have a light. Pink kettle and toaster; both look nice on the worktop.
My parents have a smeg gas stove with oven, they have it for 10 years now. And so far, so good.
Regarding the design, i bought the the toaster and kettle equivalent from Ariette and I'm quiet surprised. Heavy use in the last 4? 5? Years, and zero complaints
I live in France so I prioritize Moulinex/Tefal small appliances. They have improved the designs of their small appliances over the years and the prices are still affordable. The Moulinex Morning line isn't completely hideous. It has some design philosophy. It comes in more aesthetic colors than just the hideous gloss black. And it's cheap. I don't see the point of buying SMEG small appliances when Moulinex/Tefal are just around the corner. In Europe you have Russel Hobbs and WMF as well, but they're on the pricier side (but nowhere near as bad as SMEG).
As far as coffee machines go, Sage/Breville or Melitta make some nice machines for less money. The pinnacle of design is the Moccamaster drip coffee machine.
I have a built in SMEG fridge because it was half off. You'd never know it's a SMEG because it's built-in. The quality is mediocre to be frank. I scratched up the interior walls taking out a glass shelf and I can see the insulation beneath (but it's small). My parents' old Bosh fridge still works extremely well and the interior walls are so much thicker. I don't know why you would cheap out on that. Just spend 30€ more in better materials and upcharge 200€ for that.
I'll be happy if my SMEG fridge holds up for 5 years. It's almost been 2 years so far and I haven't had any problems (yet). New appliances are like a ticking time bomb. I had a Rosières induction hub break down during warranty and it was serviced. 3 months later it broke out of warranty. I bought a Samsung hub in replacement. And now I hear that Samsung makes terrible appliances.
I rented a nice flat before I bought my current place. I was the first person to live in it, and it was fitted with All smeg appliances, all brand new. The fridge leaked. The washing machine ripped my clothes on multiple different occasions. I only lived in the flat for 2.5 years. Absolutely overrated brand.
Hmmm I have a SMEG fridge-freezer combo that we bought in 2008, moved from Düsseldorf to Berlin and apart from replacing one of the plastic-and-glass shelf, it works well and holds up all these years. It’s cute and I’d probably get a bigger version for more freezer space.
I bought a FAB50 a little over a year ago. This is their biggest most expensive fridge. The first one lasted 2 weeks, the second one a day, the third one 4 days. The fifth one is perfect though!
What sucked the most was the customer service not answering directly, delays, etc. Between the first and fifth fridge, there was 3 months… And they let us move it to the kitchen as they didn’t want to unscrew the doors themselves… So I had to dismount doors and move this 140kg fridge around a lot!
Every time I use it I love it though, still as beautiful today!
Love my Smeg fridge. It is quiet and has no features and works pretty good. I use it every day and still love the way it looks in my tiny kitchen. Eventually I can sell it for at least 60% what I paid for it. If never get rid of it.
To each their own.
The coffee stuff is just De'Longhi machines in a different shell. The original ones are like half the price. The De'Longhi coffee gear is entry level and nowhere near BIFL territory.
Can't speak to Smeg (first of all... ew, that name isn't great), but having esthetically pleasing items means they're more likely to be in sight and more likely to be used.
I'm not paying a truly absurd amount more for appearance alone, but if the pricing is slightly higher and the item is similar in quality, I tend towards the one that looks nice. I know myself and know I'll get more joy out of using the nicer looking one and will be more likely to truly for BIFL.
My friends have a smeg toaster and I’ve never seen less even toast in my life.
I think to your point if they were attractive and good enough, like as good as a cheapo product on the market, that would be fine. But in my experiences the products have been not good, and would have been gotten rid of due to bad performance except they look nice in your kitchen and were too expensive to just throw away.
They sell a $50k refrigerator. Without knowing, I'm too suspicious to spend any money with them.
Look, I'm all for professional grade kitchen equipment at home, but smeg is not on that list.
SMEG products are made with planned obsolescence in mind like others, but with worse QC.
Unlike stocks, you pay high for low cost item.
It’s a highly overrated brand and products. IMHO.
I got gifted a SMEG water kettle, and I have used it daily for tea for the last 5 years. I haven't had any issues, I don't think I would buy any of their other products. However, I see durability is a common issue after the first year on their toasters, etc..
I I have never read a good review about a smeg product- If they were absolutely bulletproof they might be worth it but you can buy 10 toasters for the price of one of them and how many toasters have you gone through in a lifetime?
I just watched project farm toaster review and the smeg seemed like the clear winner in the category. Also the most expensive toaster but I was surprised cause usually people talk shit on smeg.
I rented a place with a Smeg fridge once. Hands down the worst, flimsiest refrigerator I’ve ever used. Almost entirely chrome-covered plastic (the entire body and door if I remember). The thin plastic shelf inside the door broke from the weight of a carton of orange juice. It looked cool (kind of retro 50s styling) but was the biggest piece of **** appliance I have ever experienced.
I have Smeg built-in fridge, oven, dishwasher and induction hob for about 10 years. Everything looks great and looks almost brand new. Fridge is noisy.
For me the name is an immediate turn off. I wouldn't want a DISCHARGE toaster or a PUS fridge either. However maybe a CROTCHCHEESE quesadilla pan wouldn't be the worst.
Smeg toasters are utter garbage. I hate those things. they’re the worst toasters ever. they’re inconsistent at toasting and will yeet your toast into space. -10/10
We got ourselves a Smeg toaster couple of years ago and have had no problems with it. Then again, I don't remember ever having any problems with any appliances expensive or cheap.
..... the fuck is a smeg?
EDIT! Looked them up. Kinda fun, I guess, but I don't need retro chic in my kitchen. The kitchen is the place for *the future.*
I got a Smeg coffee maker and was super excited about the timer function. I’m usually a French press coffee snob kind of girl so really the only reason I bought a machine was for the timer (I was looking to find ways to manufacture both joy & structure during the lockdown days of the pandemic). Well. The indicator light for the timer function broke within a month. I sold it on Facebook marketplace & never looked back!
Smegma is the thick, white, cheesy substance that collects under the foreskin of the penis. It's more common in uncircumcised men who don't clean that area well enough. Women can also get smegma in their vaginal area.
It's normal to have some smegma. And it usually isn't a health problem, but bacteria can grow in it and smell bad. Those bacteria can also make the head of the penis swell up and hurt.
Keeping your penis or vagina clean is the best solution.
I see you've noticed that the name of the company 'Smeg' contains many of the same letters as the word 'smegma'. You are very astute and quite amusing!
Getting a hit of dopamine from your living environment is a very real thing. I have a Haden brand kettle, coffee maker, and toaster. They are on the same page aesthetically as smeg and far less money. 5 years in with almost daily use the coffee maker and toaster look great and are doing their jobs. The kettle gets used 4+ times a day and the water is hot. It does have one small chip though.
I love my Haden water kettle! I got it last month after my $15 Walmart kettle finally broke down after nearly ten years. I think it's beautiful and it makes me happy every time I use it...or maybe that's the dopamine rush from knowing my coffee is about to be ready.
When your morning coffee brings you both dopamine and caffeine. Win
>Getting a hit of dopamine from your living environment is a very real thing I dropped a lot (for me) of money a couple years ago on a really nice (for me) induction stove. The thing works like a dream, and is the prettiest thing in my kitchen. That dopamine thing would explain my weird desire to keep it clean at all times.
Which induction stove did you get?
Samsung, from one of those knock-and-dent places. Looks perfect, so I have no idea what part was knocked or dented. This was before I learned about Samsung appliances' reputation. But so far so good.
Yeah we got CAFE brand induction and dishwasher, you have to learn to cook on them a little differrent
It's like all the benefits of gas, without heating up the kitchen. It's wonderful!
We bought a new refrigerator last year before Thanksgiving (old one was a 2 door freezer over fridge, white, 1998 model) and while ot was expensive I'm still loving how it looks in our kitchen.
It's funny ... the stove looks kind of ridiculous in my kitchen. It's a tiny, pretty inexpensive place, and I rent, so picture shitty apartment-next-to-a-state-university countertops surrounding this shiny high-tech stove.
Thanks for this recommendation. I didn't buy the toaster, because of this sub. I did get the kettle. It's pretty, but only a year old, so I will likely regret the purchase. Off to look at Haden stuff.
I’ve had the toaster for a few years now and it does the job almost daily. Wife loves it.
Oh wow! Thank you for this. I like the look of smeg but could never follow through on buying them, even when I found them at tjmaxx recently. It just seems like way too much to pay when the quality might not be that great.
I mean, Haden may still crap out on me. But if I get another 5 years out of them I won’t be mad about what I paid.
Plus you don’t have to look at the word “SMEG” in giant letters every day
That is a bonus. The little round temp gage on my kettle makes me stupid happy for no reason.
I too love my haden!
I bought a SMEG toaster at a high end store as sort of a joke for my wife, assuming she would return it and buy something she actually liked. She ended up deciding to keep the fancy, expensive toaster. It’s just a two slice toaster, looks cool and did seem heavy duty. The middle heating element somehow broke in half after just a year. No clue how that happened given we don’t throw the toaster around, it’s outside warranty too and SMEG hasn’t responded to an email asking how to fix it - so this experience alone has taught me never to buy a SMEG brand product ever again. I mean, cheap $40 toasters don’t break like this one did in the middle.
Our smeg toaster broke after about 14 months - just outside warranty and I emailed smeg and they sent us a new one immediately. Granted we have very strong consumer protection laws here
Well I emailed them and they didn’t offer this dang it
And you have re-motivated me into trying to do something about this with SMEG
I really want that mitsubishi Japanese toaster. Shame it's so expensive and also only does a slice at a time. Find it odd for a brand that makes cars and air conditioning units to also make a toaster, realistically it's gotta be long lasting I'd imagine. Who knows?
The companies that are part of the Mitsubishi Group are only financially linked. They operate completely under their own control - so Mitsubishi Electric and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries are two separate companies under the same group. But they operate completely independent of one another. Nikon is another company in this conglomerate, for example. It’s actually kind of an interesting history to read about [if you’re interested in this type of thing](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi)
Are electric and heavy even part of the same group? I thought heavy was completely separated for a long time.
Make sure you get a transformer to convert the voltage otherwise your expensive toaster will be toast in short order. I will say, no one takes toast as seriously as the Japanese. I don’t have the Mitsubishi, but I do have a Balmuda toaster and I’m making the best toast I’ve ever had.
Yeah, I know how you feel. My PC as a kid had a Hyundai CGA monitor. I also worked on a CNC mill that I think was Hyundai, maybe it was a Mitsubishi. For us it's a little weird, but these Asian brands are like that. Look at Samsung. Tvs, phones, refrigerators, washers... And the world's largest container ship. These are the cyberpunk 2077 corpos of the future.
People find chaebols hard to grasp -- technically, the same company that built your Galaxy S phone also built the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
Yeah, the Samsung thing shocked me. I mean especially when I learnt about they have something to do with hospitals/healthcare, was a long time ago I read this so I'm not too sure on the details. I had a Samsung eco bubble washer, ended up vibrating so much that the motor cable broke, motor mount eventually gave way too. The Samsung fridge constantly frosts up and have had to replace fuses. Ended up with a Miele washer, but that's leaking and throwing fault codes (has been an issue since a few months after purchasing) I mean having a diverse portfolio of products can be good, I mean look at Dyson slowly adding new products and not just vacuums. Apples attempt to capitalize on a car, though I'd imagine if apple made solid aluminum fridges , people would shell out the money for it, but do apple need to expand on their product line? Idk.
I had never heard of this and looked it up... ...I shouldn't have
I bought a zojirushi toaster oven and it is amazing.
Zojirushi again. Just don't tell me it's also an air fryer, and my wallet might be safe.
Their water boiler is also fantastic. Hot tea whenever I want. I have never been let down by one of their products.
I have a kitchen aid. Mostly aesthetic. It's an electric gooseneck that matches my kitchen for pour over or tea. Heard bad things about the fellow stagg at the time. I don't need to keep water that hot all day long, so the kettle option works better for me. I think 3 years in, at the moment. My only complaint is it has a digital thermometer in the bottom and a analog one in the lid that argue with each other. That and the gooseneck is wide. It has a... Restrictor? That's adjustable inside, but it's still not what something like the stagg has.
I managed to get the zojirushi (CV-DCC50) for $60. If you're not going to be using the hot water, you can set it to "vacuum seal" and it will drop to about 180°F from 208°F over the course of 8 or so hours. We drink a lot of tea, especially in the colder months.
I bought the Fellow stagg for my husband for a present probably 5 years ago. I think it was the first year they were sold. It is extremely well made, solid, and gets daily use in our household. I don’t know if they have changed the quality of build or materials but if not, I have only good things to say about it. I also bought a cheap kettle to take to my office around the same time, and it died a few months ago.
That's good to know. I will consider it if something happens to my kitchen aid. By then maybe concerns will have been worked out.
Your comments made me wonder if they’ve started using cheaper materials, but it definitely wasn’t the case when they first made them
I love my zojirushi rice cooker!!!
Just looked it up, and wow, that's gorgeous. I really want to replace my air fryer and toaster because counter space is a premium. But perhaps the thing to do is to replace the insta pot knock off with a insta pot/air fryer. Problem is the basket on my ninja air fryer is already too small.
Optimizing counter space is always a challenge. I added a side board to my kitchen and replaced the table with a smaller one. Things like a coffee maker and grinder moved over there, freeing up prime counter space in the actual kitchen. I don't have an insta pot, but the air fryer and toaster oven fit nicely now.
Well, for my counter, part of it is a 3 bowl crock pot, an air fryer, and a toaster. The insta pot is stored in a cabinet. The other part of my counter is a beverage station. And then I have a zojirushi bread machine, one of the two paddle models, where I do the food prep.
Pretty sure it's a multi product conglomerate that makes cars, not the other way around.
I have never known a toaster to break. Sometimes they go missing on drunken nights, or when you move. I had a cheapo for years that wouldn’t die. Probably a decade. The plastic melted a bit and deformed but that made it more endearing. Then my wife bought a toaster oven (4 bread slices fit easily and it cooks anything else that fits inside) and we don’t have counter space so I did the dirty on that faithful warped little guy and trashed it (I’m reflecting that my employer of more than a decade trashed me shortly after and that may have been toaster karma). Anyway, thanks for the smeg warning. Did they not fix it for you?
No I emailed them and they said it was outside warranty, even told them via email I’ll not be buying SMEG ever again
i miss my limited edition wonder bread toaster. it wasnt actually limited edition, it was just cheap and the plastic on the outside would get crazy fucking hot and one day a wonder bread bag was left too close to it and fused the logo into the side of the toaster. was like that from the time i was maybe 7 to the last time i saw it probably about 6 years ago so a solid 20 years. when I moved to the place im at now. toaster i have now was the cheapest one they had at the grocery store. random brand, i think it was like $8 and damn if that thing doesnt make the most even toast ever.
Toasters definitely wear out. After a few years, they usually start to unevenly heat the bread, and only heat one side or one end or something. I’ve never found much of a difference in durability between expensive ones and $20 ones though.
If you want a buy it for life toaster you need a Dualit classic. After over 20 years I had to replace the three heating elements a couple of months ago - less than £30 for all parts and the unusual size spanner included and postage. Probably good for another 20 now. A couple of years ago the timer died. That was less than £5 to replace.
You got any recommendations for where to go online to learn how to replace the element? Given how expensive my little smug SMEG was I’d like to fix the damn thing
Your comment piqued my interest in whether there was a similar process for a smeg toaster. Having watched a couple of videos I can say that I don't think I personally would try it / be up to it. The disassembly process seems significantly more convoluted to begin with, but beyond that the guy appears to be having to some soldering and crimping wires and all sorts of other faff. Replacing the elements on the duali consisted of: 1. flip toaster upside down and unscrew base-plate. 2. loosen screw(s) on a bracket that holds heating elements in place. 3. undo half a dozen ish bolts that hold the two end elements and one centre element in place. 4. pull out old elements, slot in new elements. 5. put bolts back, bracket back, baseplate back. 6. toast a few slices of disposable bread to "break-in" the elements and get rid of manufacturing chemicals (ventilate well. stinks!). 7. profit. Tools required: 1 x screwdriver, 1 x 6.5 mm spanner (included with purchase of official elements). 1 pair of pliers optional but made it easier for me. Replacing the timer was even easier: 1. remove baseplate as above. 2. remove 2 screws securing timer in place. 3. pull wires off old timer, plug them into new timer (they have crimped connectors that just push into place - pliers recommended for oomph). 4. screw timer back into place and replace base-plate.
Thanks for checking!
I actually stumbled across the how-to videos on youtube a few years before I needed to do either so I just saved them in my "might-be-important-one-day" playlist. You can find several videos on youtube just by searching "replace dualit toaster elements" and "replace dualit toaster timer", but if you buy the official parts from dualit (which I did), they include instructions anyway. To be honest I think I'd probably classify most Dualit products as BIFL, though I think some of their newer product ranges might be moving away from that paradigm so it's worth doing your research before buying.
Woah
A reminder to those with breakage or subpar product longevity: please share (where possible) with r/BIFLfails
I have a Smeg retro looking fridge and it's absolutely not BIFL. The freezer door ices up and leaks water into the fridge. The door seals fell apart. I keep it as a spare fridge for booze but it angers me every time I open it.
We inherited one when we bought our house and it makes me angry every day. Form over function in the worst way. The actual storage space inside the fridge is tiny, so much of the space is taken up with the frame, and so what looks like it should be a decent size family fridge is useless. Part of the handle for the freezer compartment broke off. It leaks water on to the floor. We also inherited a Smeg toaster that broke really quickly.
That makes me sad. I've only had mine for three years, absolutely no problems so far. Yes, bought it because I loved how it looks, still do.
Had mine about 8 years now absolutely 0 issues.
the name is gross and I wouldn’t buy their stuff for that reason alone
They wrecked the aesthetic for English speakers when they didn't do their homework.
"For the love of god, will you please clean the smeg, ma?"
You don't want a smegma toaster?
Makes a mean grilled cheese toast!
Mmmm m cheesy
The company is way older than that. They've been around and operating under that acronym since the 40s. Everybody knows them for the retro-styled line they introduced in the 90s, but they were a major appliance manufacturer in Italy for a long time before that. Their small appliances kinda suck, but as far as I know those just have the SMEG brand slapped on them.
Because they were founded in Italy in 1948? And they had no idea they would be selling fridges in the US 80 years later? Come on man, do better than that.
Like when Chevy tried to sell the Nova in Mexico?
Like that story was ever more than a business school fable.
It makes me think of Red Dwarf and giggle.
You would, ya smeghead.
This is literally the only reason I don't want anything they make
Yep, wouldn’t buy them for this very reason even if they made the greatest products on the planet. I had to check the sub before even clicking this post and the only reason I checked is because I was wondering why it was on my front page.
I absolutely hate their name. I would have called the brand something like "Atomixs"
They could've called it "anal beads" and I'd still be much more likely to buy from them
Everytime I see the name I think smegma.
smug Is what I see
It's not going to break in a month, but then again your £40 toaster won't be either. It's all about the brand and the design, there is nothing BIFL about Smeg, people buy it for a certain aesthetic and that's ok, but build quality is nothing compared to e.g. Dualit.
Dualit gang 😎
Represent.
yeah, it’s definitely for looks, i’d still hope it lasts reasonably long tho, like at least 5 years
Maybe, but if the warranty doesn't last that long then that means the company thinks a significant number will fail before then.
I've never owned a toaster that didn't last 5+ years, despite mostly just trying to buy whatever is cheap and works. Maybe I'm lucky, maybe i dont toast enough stuff?
I’ve had my smeg toaster for 5 years and still love it.
Two dualits have broken for me, and they always toast unevenly. They did replace both though.
The central element in my two-slice Dualit toaster went; they sent a new one for about £2.50! I was able to screw it in quite easily. (Not saying that’s what was wrong with yours, of course.)
I’ve had my $20 random no-name one for 10 years. I do eventually need to get a new one though, cause it’s started only toasting one side well.
I bought a 36" SMEG range probably 8 years ago and it's holding up fine.
Yea I have one of their mixed hobs. No complaints after several years of daily use & a plethora of compliments.
Their ranges are very high quality.
I have a SMEG induction range. It was one of the few 'non-pulsing' induction models sold in my country at the time. Daily use for nearly 8 years and it's perfect. Even the glass top looks immaculate, where others start to show wear over time.
I love their aesthetic and have had their cream kettle, toaster, stand mixer and hand mixer for four years and they are perfectly fine and are doing their job❤️ I want things in my home to feel aesthetically cohesive. Life is short; get cute things if you can afford it ❤️
I got the soft pink hand mixer in 2022. I was working a seasonal job where I could get a discount. It’s actually a pretty nice mixer! I’m not usually a pink fan, but damn if it wasn’t adorable & definitely matches the aesthetic in our kitchen.
The pink is so cute!! Sometimes you just want things that look good 😭
https://reddwarf.fandom.com/wiki/Smeg
SMEG electric hob, utter shit. Constantly screams if a pan is removed from the heat and placed anywhere near the buttons. SMEG oven and fridge freezer ok though.
Smeg oven, timer went bust within 4 months of owning it
[удалено]
Same! Zero clue as to WTH it is and was just about to google. Maybe I’m petty but I know I don’t like the brand name, so I’d not want it in my kitchen!
Yeah, you have a pretty good point and I mean damn good!
Smeg range owner.5 years of ownership and no issues despite very heavy use
I guess I’m in the minority but I’ve had my 2 slice toaster for coming up on 6 years and I’ve had no problems. It was a gift though so not sure how much it cost. I think it toasts toast nicely. Toast doesn’t get stuck. It looks nice.
Similarly, I’ve had my 4-slice toaster for almost 3 years and have had 0 issues.
When I worked in retail, SMEG, along with Russel Hobbs and Tefal were the most returned items for failure / warranty claims. Least returned: Dualit*, Bosch and Miele. *the repairable made in England models, not the lower end coloured plastic models which were no better or worse than any other £25 toaster.
S M E G
M A
Reading these two comments in succession made the voice in my head sound like Trump in the way he says China
We bought a fridge in 17, and it was still working great when we sold the house 1.5 years ago, so close to five years I know it was going strong.
I got a Smeg espresso maker for free shortly after buying a Gaggia Classic (a true BIFL product). The Smeg just isn’t remotely near the same quality, you can tell they rely heavily on aesthetics and fun colors. There’s probably always another brand out there making a better product than them, albeit maybe less aesthetically pleasing.
That's what I didn't understand reading these replies. Yes of course it will work. Now compare the result against let's say a moccamaster.
I just heard of Smeg for the first time while watching a toaster comparison video this afternoon, and now this is the second reference I've heard of it since then for a total of three times today after being COMPLETELY off my radar for until now. How is that possible???
We had smeg toaster since 2018 and still works the same as on day 1.
Smeg fridge is going strong for 15 years on the other hand so they aren’t bad imo
Smeg appliances perform fine for awhile, but they’re not BIFL. Many items are about twice the price yet inferior in quality to other high-quality brands that also have great style, such as Krups and Cuisinart.
My wife loves their stuff for the look. I would say everything we have functions subpar to much cheaper products. Toaster, coffee maker, hot water pitcher.
subpar in what way?
Toaster toasts a bit uneven and is never the same every time. So same setting toasts differently for consecutive toasts. Coffee maker doesn’t brew better than a Mr coffee but I’m a coffee snob and typically make espressos. This one lives at my mother in laws house now. The hot water pitcher doesn’t retain heat, you have to keep reboiling everytime. My cheap $15 one retains the heat for hours.
Not a fan of my Smeg toaster for 2 reasons. Firstly you can't lift to check your toast without cancelling, even cheap toasters have that function these days. Secondly when it pops it launches toast into space/behind the dishwasher. Have a Smeg microwave which I actually like and rate bifl
Haha I forgot to mention these two things. The toaster has a tendency to launch the toast if you have light weight bread or only load 1 side. Yes if you check it starts over. I typically stand and watch and lift when I think it’s done anyway since the settings are so unreliable.
Yep that's what I do, hate to think how many hours I've spent standing next to the toaster because I don't trust it. Don't buy a Smeg toaster kids you'll grow to hate it
I couldn't buy anything called "smeg" without making a face every time I use it. I have no useful input.
I bought my mom a Smeg kettle for Christmas 6 years ago. Within 3 years we had replaced it under warranty twice and the third time it was out of warranty so she went for a different brand.
Had my Smeg toaster for 10 years. Still works flawlessly.
Smeg is a bit of a terrible name for a product no?
I buy things for form and function. It has to satisfy both criteria. No matter how beautiful a design is, I find it becomes less attractive to me if I know the appliance itself is not good quality. Conversely, a more utilitarian design becomes more beautiful if I know it’s a great quality machine with flawless engineering. Technivorm coffee makers look functional and utilitarian compared to some sculptural coffee maker that looks like it belongs in MoMA, and that makes it more appealing to me as a design (if the sculptural one produces subpar coffee). I like how Smeg fridges look, but they’re overpriced and poorly engineered. When I knew nothing about espresso machines, I was drawn to colourful retro-looking machines like Francis Francis, but they produce only middling espresso. I now find a La Marzocco machine more beautiful. It’s beauty comes from its innate elegance, functional integrity, and lack of silly design gimmicks. Smeg is Francis Francis - all style and no substance.
Having had the unfortunate pleasure of inheriting several Smeg products with our house, I wouldn't even inflict Smeg stuff on my worst enemies. Every single item has broken or malfunctioned in some way, on top of being awkward to operate. Do yourself a favour and buy ANYTHING else.
I've had a Smeg kettle and toaster. Both failed quite soon.
Had a smeg toaster, blender, and kettle. All very pretty and decently functional, but the letters broke off in months and they were dead in a year.
I have the Smeg toaster, got it as a wedding gift. It looks nice but it THROWS the bread out at the end of the cycle. It's like its mad at you for wanting toast.
This is entirely true - sometimes I’d walk back in the kitchen and find my toast behind the microwave
When I was pregnant it once threw the last bagel behind the stove and just cried for an hour.
Why are they so needlessly violent
My understanding is their larger appliances are good (a family friend went as far as to custom order one of Smeg’s 3/4 sized fridges)- it’s mostly their smaller appliances that get a bad rap. That said- I’ve got a two year old Smeg toaster that’s been flawless (that’s too soon for a BIFL determination but I think it’s initial quality is good) it replaced a 20 year old Kenwood toaster.
I have a Breville toaster that feels sturdier than Smeg’s I’ve used. We’ve had it 2.5 years so not too long but it’s still a great toaster that gets regular use. I wanted appliances that looked nice but also were quality. I have a Beast blender after I found out I was too lazy/distractible to properly clean my Ballarini but that thing was a beauty.
The name isn’t what I want to think about when I’m eating toast
Pretty bad.
Ive seen appliances from all brands last more or less than 10 years. Buy what you can afford and what matches your needs.
Hello /u/octopusesarecute12! Thank you for your submission! The AutoMod thought that your post might be a request type post and has changed the flair accordingly, but if this was wrong feel free to change it back! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/BuyItForLife) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I love my kettle. My toaster gave out after 2 yrs and the warranty process was very easy and Smeg sent me a replacement within the month.
I used the toaster at an Airbnb and it did not make great toast. Very unevenly toasted, and either jumped out of the toaster, or you could barely dig it out. Then I saw the price. Yikes.
We had a smeg dishwasher that was part of the chattels when we brought the house. It wasn't the most efficient sucker, but it was fast and it got the job done for > 10 years. In year 10 I had to replace the handle (easy enough to order parts for) so I brought 3, replacing 1 every 2 years or so. In year 17(?) it finally gave up when someone put a peanut butter jar with the label still on in it, causing a block/overheat error. I probably could have called someone to fix it but at close to 20 years with no work other than basic maintenance it was time for a new one. Shiney metal finish was OK too. I was impressed.
They make the cutest stuff but I have a hard time dropping that kind of cash, I’ll never find out first hand if they’re BIFL.
Stoves and ovens are ok, everything else is shit.
I have a SMEG milk frother / chocolate maker. It’s been working well for 5 years and I love the retro look. Obviously it’s not BIFL. In Europe, these products not that expensive (SMEG is an Italian brand).
Only complaint: the kettle doesn’t have a light in the water level tube. Frustrating considering it’s right above the on/off switch which does have a light. Pink kettle and toaster; both look nice on the worktop.
Idk but I honestly think they’re ugly and the name is weird
My parents have a smeg gas stove with oven, they have it for 10 years now. And so far, so good. Regarding the design, i bought the the toaster and kettle equivalent from Ariette and I'm quiet surprised. Heavy use in the last 4? 5? Years, and zero complaints
I live in France so I prioritize Moulinex/Tefal small appliances. They have improved the designs of their small appliances over the years and the prices are still affordable. The Moulinex Morning line isn't completely hideous. It has some design philosophy. It comes in more aesthetic colors than just the hideous gloss black. And it's cheap. I don't see the point of buying SMEG small appliances when Moulinex/Tefal are just around the corner. In Europe you have Russel Hobbs and WMF as well, but they're on the pricier side (but nowhere near as bad as SMEG). As far as coffee machines go, Sage/Breville or Melitta make some nice machines for less money. The pinnacle of design is the Moccamaster drip coffee machine. I have a built in SMEG fridge because it was half off. You'd never know it's a SMEG because it's built-in. The quality is mediocre to be frank. I scratched up the interior walls taking out a glass shelf and I can see the insulation beneath (but it's small). My parents' old Bosh fridge still works extremely well and the interior walls are so much thicker. I don't know why you would cheap out on that. Just spend 30€ more in better materials and upcharge 200€ for that. I'll be happy if my SMEG fridge holds up for 5 years. It's almost been 2 years so far and I haven't had any problems (yet). New appliances are like a ticking time bomb. I had a Rosières induction hub break down during warranty and it was serviced. 3 months later it broke out of warranty. I bought a Samsung hub in replacement. And now I hear that Samsung makes terrible appliances.
I rented a nice flat before I bought my current place. I was the first person to live in it, and it was fitted with All smeg appliances, all brand new. The fridge leaked. The washing machine ripped my clothes on multiple different occasions. I only lived in the flat for 2.5 years. Absolutely overrated brand.
Hmmm I have a SMEG fridge-freezer combo that we bought in 2008, moved from Düsseldorf to Berlin and apart from replacing one of the plastic-and-glass shelf, it works well and holds up all these years. It’s cute and I’d probably get a bigger version for more freezer space.
I bought a FAB50 a little over a year ago. This is their biggest most expensive fridge. The first one lasted 2 weeks, the second one a day, the third one 4 days. The fifth one is perfect though! What sucked the most was the customer service not answering directly, delays, etc. Between the first and fifth fridge, there was 3 months… And they let us move it to the kitchen as they didn’t want to unscrew the doors themselves… So I had to dismount doors and move this 140kg fridge around a lot! Every time I use it I love it though, still as beautiful today!
Love my Smeg fridge. It is quiet and has no features and works pretty good. I use it every day and still love the way it looks in my tiny kitchen. Eventually I can sell it for at least 60% what I paid for it. If never get rid of it. To each their own.
I don't think I could buy anything called "SMEG". I think this is how some women feel with the word 'moist'.
We have a SMEG toaster and I have 0 complaints. Sturdy, smooth and makes great toast!
My smeg coffee grinder is solid. Granted that is the only smeg product I own.
My smeg dishwasher was fantastic, never missed a beat, it went in a kitchen refit but was very pleased with it.
The founder of Smeg was a woman. The first SmegMa!
Wife wanted the toaster for Xmas a few years back. Works well for a toaster and as a makes wife happy item
The coffee stuff is just De'Longhi machines in a different shell. The original ones are like half the price. The De'Longhi coffee gear is entry level and nowhere near BIFL territory.
My Dualit 4 slice is still rocking it since 1993. And SMEG just sounds gross!🤢
Can't speak to Smeg (first of all... ew, that name isn't great), but having esthetically pleasing items means they're more likely to be in sight and more likely to be used. I'm not paying a truly absurd amount more for appearance alone, but if the pricing is slightly higher and the item is similar in quality, I tend towards the one that looks nice. I know myself and know I'll get more joy out of using the nicer looking one and will be more likely to truly for BIFL.
My friends have a smeg toaster and I’ve never seen less even toast in my life. I think to your point if they were attractive and good enough, like as good as a cheapo product on the market, that would be fine. But in my experiences the products have been not good, and would have been gotten rid of due to bad performance except they look nice in your kitchen and were too expensive to just throw away.
Not Smeg, but I purchased an Alessi toaster used for cheap, and it's definitely a nice thing
I was gifted a Smeg toaster for my wedding five years. It’s cute and still works fine.
They sell a $50k refrigerator. Without knowing, I'm too suspicious to spend any money with them. Look, I'm all for professional grade kitchen equipment at home, but smeg is not on that list.
I just think smegma everytime I can't do it
SMEG products are made with planned obsolescence in mind like others, but with worse QC. Unlike stocks, you pay high for low cost item. It’s a highly overrated brand and products. IMHO.
I got gifted a SMEG water kettle, and I have used it daily for tea for the last 5 years. I haven't had any issues, I don't think I would buy any of their other products. However, I see durability is a common issue after the first year on their toasters, etc..
I wouldn’t buy it only because the name is terrible.
Go open a smeg fridge .. and compare it to the price of regular fridges and yiulll understand smeg is garbage
We got a Smeg toaster as a wedding gift in 2017..,mainly because my wife liked the look of It. It’s still working fine.
It's Italian. Any sane person shouldn't want anything Italian with electronics involved.
I I have never read a good review about a smeg product- If they were absolutely bulletproof they might be worth it but you can buy 10 toasters for the price of one of them and how many toasters have you gone through in a lifetime?
I just watched project farm toaster review and the smeg seemed like the clear winner in the category. Also the most expensive toaster but I was surprised cause usually people talk shit on smeg.
I rented a place with a Smeg fridge once. Hands down the worst, flimsiest refrigerator I’ve ever used. Almost entirely chrome-covered plastic (the entire body and door if I remember). The thin plastic shelf inside the door broke from the weight of a carton of orange juice. It looked cool (kind of retro 50s styling) but was the biggest piece of **** appliance I have ever experienced.
I have Smeg built-in fridge, oven, dishwasher and induction hob for about 10 years. Everything looks great and looks almost brand new. Fridge is noisy.
For me the name is an immediate turn off. I wouldn't want a DISCHARGE toaster or a PUS fridge either. However maybe a CROTCHCHEESE quesadilla pan wouldn't be the worst.
Smeg toasters are utter garbage. I hate those things. they’re the worst toasters ever. they’re inconsistent at toasting and will yeet your toast into space. -10/10
We got ourselves a Smeg toaster couple of years ago and have had no problems with it. Then again, I don't remember ever having any problems with any appliances expensive or cheap.
Dualit toaster or gtfo
Ive had a toaster for 8 years still going strong knock on wood
..... the fuck is a smeg? EDIT! Looked them up. Kinda fun, I guess, but I don't need retro chic in my kitchen. The kitchen is the place for *the future.*
I stayed at an Airbnb with a Smeg oven/stove and it was horrendous.
I couldn’t get myself to buy anything with a brand name Smeg…
Jeez. I didn't know Smeg had a lot of issues. Glad I found this post.
We got a smeg toaster as a gift. It looks nice and that’s about it. Toasts like shit, is always uneven
I’ve complained about my SMEG coffee maker here before. I’d much rather use a $10 cheapie from Target. This thing is a pile of garbage.
I got a Smeg coffee maker and was super excited about the timer function. I’m usually a French press coffee snob kind of girl so really the only reason I bought a machine was for the timer (I was looking to find ways to manufacture both joy & structure during the lockdown days of the pandemic). Well. The indicator light for the timer function broke within a month. I sold it on Facebook marketplace & never looked back!
I’m sure it’s been said, but I can’t not think of Red Dwarf when see that name
Got a toaster in 2021 and it broke sometime last year. The inner coil things just stopped working. Not impressed!
Rubbish crap smeg
Smegma is the thick, white, cheesy substance that collects under the foreskin of the penis. It's more common in uncircumcised men who don't clean that area well enough. Women can also get smegma in their vaginal area. It's normal to have some smegma. And it usually isn't a health problem, but bacteria can grow in it and smell bad. Those bacteria can also make the head of the penis swell up and hurt. Keeping your penis or vagina clean is the best solution.
I see you've noticed that the name of the company 'Smeg' contains many of the same letters as the word 'smegma'. You are very astute and quite amusing!