Krups - Never Again!

[whirlcool]

Over the past several years we have had several Krups Coffee pots and toasters. None have them have lasted more than 18 months!
The coffee pots usually have the heater plate which keeps the coffee warm or the water just doesn't get hot enough. These appliances were not cheap (Over $100.00 for the coffee pots and $50. for the toaster).
Last week our Krups Toaster went out (the handle wouldn't stay down to toast and the elements wouldn't turn on).
So another Krups appliance bites the dust in our house. Has anyone else had similar experiences with Krups appliances?

On a more positive note, we bought an Oster Toaster. It works much better than the Krups ever did, it toasts very evenly! It also has the stay cool exterior. It was $29.95 at Target. So far we really like it. We hope it lasts longer than the Krups did.

 

[whirlcool]

Plus it has cool blue light up controls!
I didn't even know that Oster even made toasters!

 

[DADoES]

I bought that exact Oster toaster for my grandmother last year. Or maybe it was earlier this year.

 

[foraloysius]

Actually I am very happy with my Krups handmixer and handblender. And my parents have a Krups coffeemaker that is older now than many other coffeemakers (they never descale it although they have very hard water). Perhaps the 110V appliances are different than the 230V ones overhere.

 

[whirlcool]

It seems all the Krups we have here are made in Mexico. Are the ones you have over in NL German or Mexican made?

 

[rp2813]

Allen, I agree about Krups where coffee makers are concerned. I had a Krups combo espresso/coffee maker and even using filtered water with freshly ground beans from my local independent roaster, the coffee tasted terrible, like it was either over-brewed or had been sitting for 2 hours. I dumped that machine for a simple Braun Aromaster and what a difference. I felt validated recently when I saw the same machine on the Barefoot Contessa's countertop. I replaced the Aromat with another Braun, a FlavorSelect model and was impressed with that one too. Got tired of the "grind" with whole bean every time I brewed up a pot so bought myself a Capresso that grinds & brews automatically. It's OK, but not very user friendly and I think the Brauns produce a better tasting cup of coffee.

As far as toasters go, we've alternated between toasters and actual toaster ovens. Had a cool-touch 4-slice (with two long slots) Bosch that was just OK, replaced that with a B&D toaster oven which didn't toast very well, got a KA cool touch toaster that bore a resemblance to the Bosch when we got our KA fridge, it was a very poor performer, tried a small Hamilton Beach toaster/oven combo and it didn't cut it. Now we've got a big Villa-Ware fan oven/toaster that doesn't toast all that well and takes forever to do it. One of these days I'm pulling out my 60's Sunbeam that automatically lowers the bread. If you're just doing plain white bread, it can't be beat, but it's limited to your traditional slice size. Best toasting ever, though, and Consumer Reports felt the same way.
Ralph

 

[petek]

Those automatic Sunbeams and the most inexpensive Proctor Silex toasters are probably the best conventional toasters on the market. A lot of the new ones are pretty iffy. I do have a Krups single wide slot with the quartz element instead of the wires.. it works so so. Hasn't broken tho.
Probably the fastest and one of the most even toaster ovens is the Panasonic Flash Xpress. I bought one for my mother. Uses infra red and UV or something to heat and toast. Extremely fast and it's the only toaster oven I've ever used that actually can toast bread evenly and faster than any toaster.

 

[hydralique]

I had a Krups toaster that did just the same thing, Whirlcool. The element burned out and so the locking mechanism wouldn't lock the toast in the down position - not that it matters once the element (in this case a halogen tube) is gone. My problem is that I really like long thin toasters with one slot which takes either a long slice or two regular slices end to end, since we use breadmaker and it produces loafs larger than standard size. The selection in this size toaster is awful. I now use a George Forman by Salton model that tends to burn edges while undertoasting the middle. It sucks but was the only thing I could get my hands on when the previous Braun bit the dust. The Braun lasted longer than the Krups, however.

Why is it that modern toasters never ever last more than two years??

 

[whirlcool]

I wonder if we had the same model Krups? The one we had went out with the trash the other day, but I found the original box in the attic.
I didn't know it had a halogen tube for heating. It never did toast very evenly. The bottom 1/3 of the item being toasted would be considerably darker than the middle, and the top would be hardly toasted at all. What we ended up doing was about 1/2 thru the toasting cycle was we would flip the toast upside down and continue toasting.
This Oster Toaster does a very even job of toasting each piece.

 

[hydralique]

Not the same model as mine - mine was the long thin single-slot design I prefer. Worked OK when it worked, just didn't work for long.

 

[foraloysius]

Allen,

The handmixer was made in Germany, the handblender in the E.E.C.

 

[tolivac]

I have a Krups blender in my blender collection-bought it at the Dept store here on cloesout sale-the store was closing.the unit is HORRIBLE!Makes the LOUDEST plastic on plastic sound(cheap plastic at that)but it does blend(Will It Blend?)Won't buy another.this was an expensive machine originally-was to sell for $85.00.The machine was built in Mexico.Also the pushbuttons are loose and sloppy.I have written Krups machines off my list-Are the German or European ones better?We don't have those in the US.

 

[maytagbear]

My Krups coffee pot has been good,

but it's only been lightly used in the last five years...live alone, and rarely entertain. It was made in Germany.

My Krups citrus juicer is so-so, and made in Ireland.

Certainly would not get another Krups product. Or Braun, for that matter.

At the moment, I don't think I'd get new counter top appliances at all.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[foraloysius]

Went to Germany today for some shopping. At Galeria Kaufhof (a German department store) I had a look at some Krups appliances. Most of them are made in China these days. I saw the handmixers are made in Brazil though.

 

[whirlcool]

I will admit that the Cuisinart coffee pot we purchased to replace the Krups came with a three year warranty, and we are holding on to the receipt. It's a timer model and we got it on sale for $59.95. It makes great coffee. So if it goes out it won't be as bad as the $115.00 Krups equivilent!

 

[westyslantfront]

Hi Louis. Sorry to hear that Krups are not made in Germany. I have a Bosch tankless hot water heater that is made in
Portugal. I guess German companies, like American companies are moving manufacturing to other countries where it can be done cheaper and also perhaps with less quality.

Ross

 

[foraloysius]

Ross,

Not only German companies, but our own (Dutch) Philips company is moving manufacturing to other countries too. I guess they just have to in order to be able to stay competitive.

 

[westyslantfront]

I am wondering when our Whirlpools will be made in a third world country. I do not like it when I call somewhere and get someone on the phone in India with an accent that is difficult to understand. All part of today's "globalization".

Ross

 

[westyslantfront]

Hi Louis,
In my 26 years of working for Lufthansa German Airlines in the US, my counterparts in Germany had much better benefits. I guess that now, it is more economical for Lufthansa to have opened a big center in the Czech Republic. German labor always had excellent benefits, perhaps the same holds true for the
Netherlands.

Ross

 

[MrX]

Groupe SEB (France)

French company Groupe SEB owns :

Krups, Moulinex, Rowenta, and Tefal

As well as SEB, Calor, All-Clad, Arno, Samurai, Langostina, Panex and Mirro-WearEver

Sadly, the likes of Krups, Moulinex etc were loosing sales in Europe and elsewhere to cheap far-eastern imports. They were all independent until fairly recently, but were struggling to survive both Moulinex and Krups almost went into liquidation as they were just unable to compete.

Groupe SEB basically purchased a whole collection of brands and at the lower ends i.e. cheaper products have simply off-shored the manufacture outside the EU i.e. mostly to China.

Their cheaper products are no longer the quality that they used to be.

Seems everything is rapidly becoming disposable plastic junk thesedays

I even saw a Gaggia coffee maker that was made in China recently and it looked plasticy too.

 

[kirk280980]

I have a Krups Expert coffee machine in my study, about a year old now, that was made in France. Brews directly into a stainless steel vacuum flask, so no hotplate, and generally it makes good coffee as long as you use fresh beans and the correct grind. However, the build quality is dire, and it feels very flimsy and plasticky with numerous parts that don't line up correctly. The fact that it wasn't cheap only adds to the disappointment.

My Krups grinder (made in China!) feels more solidly constructed, but is finicky in operation. The design of the hopper allows coffee beans to get stuck before they even reach the burrs, so I have to keep tapping and shaking the entire grinder to get them moving again. Also the grind adjustment won't stay put, and shifts settings while the unit is running. It looks pretty and matches the coffee maker, but that's about all it has going for it.

Other Krups products may in fact be fine, but that's neither here nor there because I won't be buying any more in future. One poor product is just annoying, but two is enough to sour me on a brand for life.

 

[irishwashguy]

I have had pretty good luck with my stuff

Although, I did have a Cuisenart toaster catch fire on my counterop.I was so irritated, that I went to Williams Sonoma and bought a Duilit toaster, and have not had one probem with it. Even that company is shipping some of their cheaper models to what they refered to as their "Asian Division", although, the model that they sell as Williams sonoma I bought has a fabulous waranty, and still hand made in the UK.. If I have a problem with it, I can bring it back any time for an exchange or a refund. I have a reto Percalator, for coffee, and a Briel coffee maker (made in Portugal), still Europe, just not Germany or Switzerland like i wish it was. I flat out refuse to buy kitchen appliances made in China, I have to look harder, they sell them. I did find a kitchen timer at Wild Oats made in Switzerland, and 14.95, pretty good deal, as far as the Krups thing, i almost bought a Krups before my Cuisenart, and even bought the same toaster for a couple of friends of mine, one of them, after five years had to replace it. She said that it will not pop up any more.It was the stainless metal one , and at 50 bucks , well not bad for how long and hard it was used. She has a family, and makes toast every day.

 

[mielabor]

Shameless plug

Maybe it is interesting to know that we have a factory here in the Netherlands that still manufactures coffeemakers in the traditional way.

http://www.technivorm.com

 

[lederstiefel1]

Krups

It's always the same - and we had it here named and discussed a thousand times...
KRUPS was once a small but very well reputated company/brand in Germany until....it was taken over by a foreign company...
Same with ROWENTA (I have old coffee-makers and my mom's iron lasted well over 45 years!!!) - I do not buy these brands anylonger..!
Ralf

 

[whirlcool]

It is bad enough that the names and good wills of companies like Krups and Rowenta are being recycled by cheaper companies. It's the fact that they are producing cheap goods with the original hefty price tags of the original manufacturer on them that gets me!
I'm still keeping my eye open for a Sunbeam C-50 that's in good condition. The ones that have been popping up on fleabay lately look like junkers.

 

[foraloysius]

Theo,

That is the best drip coffee maker! Strangely enough it's not available in the regular shops overhere, but only through the shops of a coffee chain (Douwe Egberts). The coffeemakers of this brand (Moccamaster) is very popular in Scandinavia because it makes a wonderful cup of coffee. I know, I have one too. But I guess the Dutch are not particularly proud of their own quality product.

 

[petek]

I cringe when I see that infomercial for the Bell & Howell rotary shaver. What do they say it is, a $140 value yours for only $19 and if you order right away they'll throw in a second one for "free", a $280 value for $19 LOL Then shamelessly stating how great it is because it has the "Bell & Howell" name you can trust.. puke. Another piece of plasticrap from China that probably cost 50 cents to produce, package and ship.

 

[mielabor]

Talking about quality...

Well Louis,
I just wanted to point out that there are still quality items being made. I've heard that the Techniform coffee makers are constructed in such a way that every part can be repaired or replaced and they use high quality materials. They also seem to do well in tests. I would certainly buy one of these when I had a taste for coffee

 

[foraloysius]

High quality materials

Indeed Theo! Ofcourse I have one! ;-)

For the Americans interested in this drip coffeemaker with Melitta type filter, here's the link to the American website.

http://www.technivorm-us.com/

 

[oxydolfan1]

Wow, thanks, foraloysius! That's very similar to what I'm looking for, and I'm gonna check that site out right now!

If I am not mistaken, I saw such a machine in a kitchen in South Africa, across the planet from Scandinavia!