Are U.S. city-dwellers ready for European appliances?

[henene4]

Funny you mention this...

The 5 of us fill our 18" Bosch DW in 2 days, sometimes it even takes 3! But the time I'm alone with my 2 brothers, you are right, it takes even longer...

 

[hoover1100]

There are a few things that have been missed here

Firstly, an 18 inch "Slimline" dishwasher is not normal size here, most dishwashers are 60cm (24in) wide as in America, the slimline models are for kitchens where space is a premium.

Secondly, most people do not have "undercounter" Fridges here, most have either 1 undercounter fridge and 1 undercounter freezer, or a fridge freezer, which is an under counter fridge and an undercounter freezer mounted on top of each other in a single cabinet.

Also, although Europeam washers are smaller than the standard American machine, as has been discussed in length on here, they are designed so that they can be filled full to capacity, whereas most american machines are designed to be loosely loaded 1/2 to 3/4 full at best. This means that European machines basically wash as much, or almost as much, as a typical American machine, making the larger size pretty pointless IMO.

So in reality, most European appliances aen't really that much smaller than their American counterparts, they just fit into smaller spaces better.

Matt

 

[Ultramatic]

 

 

As someone who has basically lived in Germany and Spain, I can tell you small is small. No matter how you slice it, washers do NOT have the same capacity or speed for that matter than many standard American ones. My standard sized Maytag will wash a bigger load in 15 minutes than ANY washer  I've ever used in Europe. Ever wonder why food packaging is always smaller than their American counterparts? The refrigerators are smaller. A 2 liter bottle of Pepsi is tall and thin there, ours are shorter and much wider. There is no right or wrong. It boils down to what each is accustomed to.

 

I'm sure there will always be a few here that will embrace European sized appliances. But the vast majority will never let go of their full sized appliances.

 

[launderess]

Eighteen Inch Dishwashers

IMHO on of the reasons it can take so long to fill the things is that by and large one is limited to what fit. Dishes, glassware, cups, saucers, *some* utensils, cutlery and so forth are fine. But larger pots, pans, mixer bowls and so forth simply do not fit, well not in our Kenmore (rebadged Frigidaire). In some instances can make such things fit but they would take up much of the lower level, thus have to run the machine half full, which is not very economical. Better and quicker to just wash in the sink and be done.

 

[paulc]

Hoover1100

I feel you are flogging a dead horse, there is a certain inability in this thread to see/ understand the difference in lifestyle between America and Europe.

I used to love this site for the sharing and exchange of information. I loved hearing about laundry habits, washers and detergents from other countries. I had always been fascinated by US f/l's and t/l's , I loved looking at pictures and getting questions answered by people with fantastic collections. I liked that US members were eager to hear about European laundry habits and laundry appliances.

Sadly, I'm afraid the posts from certain members who seem to think fostering the "we are right , you are wrong" style of reply is no longer conducive to informative discussion and quite frankly is making AW.org become a site I visit less and less. The joy I felt when I first found this wonderful place has diminished by peoples steadfast belief that their opinion count and others opinions can be easily dismissed or ridiculed.

[this post was last edited: 4/14/2014-20:31]

 

[paulc]

In addition

It took me a while to write that post so I have missed some posts...I apologise if I have missed some points.

 

[launderess]

There really isn't any need for this to turn sour

Those that have been to Europe often and gotten around just as Europeans whom have been to the USA and done the same know there isn't a "one size fits all" when it comes to fitting out a kitchen/service area.

On both sides of the pond as anywhere else in the world personal tastes combine with practicality and necessity. Have seen small studio apartment kitchens here in NYC with a full sized dw crammed in, others went for the smaller countertop or eighteen inch versions if not doing without all together.

Europeans that cling to the old ways and shop for fresh produce, meats and so forth daily or several times per week probably see no need for a huge fridge. Then you have persons in NYC with huge fridges that are used mostly to store takeaway leftovers, frozen foods, etc....

A quick glance around AirBnB Paris or any other city's site will tell that kitchens in Europe and kitchens are fitted in every manner and way possible.

http://https//www.airbnb.com/s/Paris--France?sw_lat=48.6607860462061&sw_lng=2.1803271176439693&ne_lat=49.01652696859591&ne_lng=2.5936877133470943&search_by_map=true&zoom=10

 

[tolivac]

What apartments I lived in had full sized appliances-no dinky sized ones-esp for me.

 

[petek]

Apt sized stoves weren't all that uncommon to see in apartments back in the day but they all had full size fridges pretty much. However today a lot of these hirise condo's going up are extremely tiny, like a motel room basically under 500 sq ft.. There's probably going to be a burgeoning market for the smaller sized appliances.

 

[warmsecondrinse]

AirBnB?

I think some of us might have more fun glancing around MisterBnB ;-)

http://www.misterbnb.com/en/index.html

It all depends on individual needs. I have arthritis in my back and hips; no undercounter fridge for me! If/when I remodel my kitchen, I'll get a tall, thin bottom freezer model. Something like this:

http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/CP171W.html

 

[cornutt]

I think NYCWriter was correct in that the European-style apartment is. in the U.S., seldom seen outside of Manhattan. Everwhere that I've lived in an apartment in the U.S., everthing has been standard-size appliances. It used to be the case that a lot of apartments had no hookups for a washer and dryer and you were expected to take your laundry to a community laundry room or a nearby laundromat, but these days in new construction, even smaller apartments mostly have their own washer and dryer space -- it's a selling point. About the most "compact" thing you see are washer-dryer stacks.