Made in China

[iheartmaytag]

We just moved into a new office, and they installed a dishwasher in the breakroom (my suggestion). Though is is a luxury, and I should not complain. . .

They installed a GE Model # GLD4696MSS
I was just doing the coffee cups and other things that the other people in this office are too lazy to do on their own. and was thinking to myslef. "Boy this thing is cheaply built"
So I looked at the Id tag and it said "GE Appliance Park--Made in China"

First I will give the positives in my view:
1. It's pretty in the breakroom, all shinny and stainless.
2. It's quiet, you almost have to look at the indicator to see if it's running.
3. It does ok washing from what I've seen, but then again it's mostly coffee cups and snack plates.

Negatives:
1. Very small and cheap racks. The top rack will only hold four cups in a row. With four rows it will hold 16 coffee cups. It has these flimsy stack rack things that keep falling into your way with nothing to hold them up. this is a full size 24" machine. And supposedly ADA Compliant.
2. The racks glide very poorly, maybe if it were older, but this machine is too new to have racks this hard to glide.
3. Silverware basket is very flimsy as well and only has these covers where you have to load the flatware handles through the holes. (My Maytag has this too, but you can remove them on the Maytag)
4. Long cycle, for a light wash, no heat dry it took 1:39

What has happened to GE? There was a time when the GSD1200 was the best rated machine you could buy. Now they are made in China?

 

[magic clean]

Not

to worry. This is a unique model along with an 18" version that is sourced. The other machines are still made in KY.

 

[iheartmaytag]

Thanks

Magic Clean,
I feel better for now.

 

[sudsmaster]

Friends Don't Let Friends

Buy GE

 

[andrewinorlando]

I believe those are sold only at Best Buy??

 

[gocartwasher]

WHAT ISN`T MADE IN CHINA THESE DAYS!!!

99.9% of what we buy is made there sad to say

 

[johnb300m]

oddly, a google search says that GLD4696MSS doesn't exist.
must be an ultra special, ultra cheap machine.

weird story.

this apartment i lived in had a Haier dishwasher. It was weird. It looked like they took a good GE and a good Whirlpool dishwasher and forced them to mate, but the offspring was cheap and shoddy.
It was a WP tub, WP racks, WP door, with a GE pump and GE Power Tower shoehorned into a bad WP copied wash arm.

it never cleaned. it was made in china, with U.S. sourced GE dishwasher pumps.

i thought to myself, wow, they'll sell these pumps to ANYONE these days.

 

[iheartmaytag]

This machine was purchased through Builder's Supply when the building was being remodeled. I am sure it was ultra-cheap becase that was what was specified in the contract.

 

[sudsmaster]

In all fairness, I have seen some Chinese made products that have been fairly good quality. It all depends on what decisions were made about the product beforehand. For a while, I was seeing stuff, like lamps and such, made of better materials with more hand finishing coming from China, for prices a fraction of what similar stuff would have cost if made in the US or Europe. But that was at places like Costco. The stuff available at Walmart is generally the shoddiest construction.

I recall one friend describing how his father bought stuff: he'd only buy the highest quality goods. If he couldn't afford it, he'd wait until he could. Makes a lot of sense to me. What's the point of filling a home up with cheap crap that will last only a few years? Unfortunately planned obsolescence is getting harder and harder to avoid... especially with electronics and computers. I think it's also a matter of age and resources. Young and starting out, any old thing will do for the basic necessities. Later on, one gets tired of all the chintzy junk and has the time to choose to replace it with something that will look better, last longer, and operate better.

 

[MrX]

Doesn't seem to be the case in Europe (yet)

The majority of appliances on sale in Europe seem to still be made in Europe (mostly Italy, Germany, and increasingly Poland etc)

China doesn't seem to feature as a manufacturing spot for major appliances, yet.

I wonder if it has something to do with tariff barriers ?

Electronic goods are mostly made in China as are quite a lot of small kitchen appliances. However, for some reason we're still making out own washers, driers and dishwashers in most instances anyway.

 

[ronhic]

Wait for it though....

....The majority of Whirlpool front load machines sold in Australia are now made in China.

Both Bosch and Electrolux have factories in Asia (Thailand I think) where the majority of our washers come from too. The only Bosch washers to come out of Europe for us I believe are the higher end models and for Electrolux, the washer/dryer and IZ tilted drum which still come from the Zanussi factory....

 

[rolls_rapide]

Ronhic

Does Zanussi still sell an IZ tilted drum machine? (mine is from 2001)

I thought these were discontinued several years ago now.

 

[ronhic]

We still have one here.....

...and I was going to be smart and link to the Electrolux brochure...

BUT, it is no longer on their website (and it was 2 weeks ago)....and because I saw one only last weekend in a major electrical retailer...

Shame really, I love the tilted drum....