Kitchen Aid Superba Line

[spacedogb]

Hello everyone,

I recently purchased a home which is in need of appliances. I am considering the older white Kitchen Aid Superba line. I am looking at a drop in stove, fridge, trash compactor, and dishwasher. Can I please get some feedback on what everyone thinks of these appliances before I start buying. These will all be craigslist purchases and will have me running pretty much across the southern US. LOL

 

[funktionalart]

Welcome! You will find a Superba fan base here

…me included. I'm not sure what age of KA stuff you're considering, as Superba line ran for a very long time. The stuff was great when new and still worth having now--better than most anything else available new, if you want my 2 cents.

For myself, I prefer the mid-late 1980s offerings and now have installed a Compactor from 1983, Dishwasher from 1993 and a built-in 36" side by side refrigerator from 1989. My total expense for all three is under $150. All are ultra-light/barely used when I got them--thanks to the local Stardust and Habitat for Humanity which get things like this from high end remodeling sites. The fridge I got from them shows like unused, despite 28 year age. One hundred bucks. There are unbeatable bargains like this out there if you're willing to look. It's astonishing what people think needs to be donated and replaced just because it isn't in the current design trend…

There is plenty of the stuff around, you shouldn't have to hunt for too long to get what you need--and the knowledge base up here (not to mention the parts hoarding we all do) pretty much means just about any purchase you make could be kept running for a very long time in the event you get something which has a few operational "needs".

 

[Ultramatic]

 

 

Well, as anyone knows, I am partial to Superbas'. I recently acquired a KDS-58 (18) which is highly recommended by the connoisseurs here. A low mileage beauty, which I got for free. Well, less gas and tolls, LOL! Happy hunting!

 

[panthera]

My choices:

Dishwasher: Good choice. Be careful to avoid the post-Whirlpool takeover junk.

 

Refrigerator: Careful, here. We have a great 1968 Frigidaire and a 1956 International Harvester which both run perfectly. Unfortunately, this is the only appliance which you probably can't fix yourself and for which it is really tough to find a repair person who will even try. Generally speaking, the major brands of the era - GE, Frigidaire (pre-White Industries), true Gibson (pre-White Industries), Sears, Whirlpool all made really good refrigerators. I, personally, would like to find a Servel gas powered with ice-maker.

 

Trash Compactor: Go for the looks. The innards are all still available as the same design has been built and is still being built since the early 1970s. Even if you have to do some major internal work, the design will be worth it. They were very well made. Emerson and KitchenAid are identical except for the logo and the price difference of a few hundered!

 

Stove: A GE vintage drop-in stove may be a 'special' size and it may require a special vent-hood or backsplash or drawer front with the controls. Otherwise, everything after the 110v/220v burner era was 10^27 better than what's on the market today. I have a special weakness for the Westinghouse Rainbow line of the mid-50s and the GE Americana upper-lower units with P7. The real Frigidaire Flair is magnificent and now that we're nearly done with restoring the innards on one, I can see why they were so popular.

 

 

[rp2813]

I think you're on the right track outfitting with Superba models.

 

One thing to keep in mind about the dishwasher is that the older models that took an hour or less to complete the process will not perform well with today's phosphate-free detergents.  You'll need to find industrial/institutional detergent formulas or supplement whatever you buy at the grocery store with STPP. 

 

I used to feel the same way that Keven does about pre-Whirlpool KA dishwashers, but have developed an appreciation for the first few model years after WP made some changes.  The KA version of a Kenmore "Ultra Wash" would be my first choice for a vintage dishwasher.  Even late model KA dishwashers still use the exclusive 4-way hydrosweep wash arm.  These are the machines that were fed an entire chocolate cake and, through the "sensor wash" process, made it disappear.

 

[lorainfurniture]

Ka dishwashers are great. Even the new/ newer ones work well. Be careful with refrigerators. Kitchen aid is the best of the best, an d I like them very much. Just keep in mind the older the fridge the more energy it will use. Refrigerators (older ones especially) can cost many dollars per model extra to run. Further they are going to need a bit more service as they approach the 25-30 mark.

My only experience with stoves are the late 90's units, they are nice, but the control boards are getting harder and harder to get.

 

[panthera]

After seeing two whirlaid

motors ruined by their notorious 'designed to fail' seal-leak which takes out the cheap, poorly designed bearings, I can not in good conscience endorse anything labled KitchenAid but made by Whirlpool.

They're trash, throw-away trash, plain and simple compared to the Hobart products.

 

[spacedogb]

I have attached a pic of the stove I'm looking at and I found a KUDS-23 dishwasher in Philly anyone willing to pick it up and let me arrange shipping? Lol