If you aren’t one of the millions ordering food delivery ever so often, a home cooking range is a necessity. Now what range you choose might depend on a number of factors, however, price is definitely up high that list.
While you might choose to opt for a budget-friendly option, many millennials are choosing to go that extra mile and opting for kitchen appliances from luxury brands, most notable among them being Thermador.
As you might have guessed, Thermador appliances aren’t particularly cheap, which often raises the question; Why is Thermador so expensive?
But before we delve into the nitty-gritty, we need to first understand the company’s roots.
What is Thermador?
Thermador is a manufacturer of high-end kitchen appliances. Based in Irvine, California, Thermador has managed to maintain its brand reputation of luxury appliances mainly due to its detailed workmanship, high performance, and aesthetic perfection.
As a result, the appliance manufacturer has been able to carve a niche in the luxury appliance market and remain a reliable brand for more than 100 years.
Thermador’s range of products include; ventilation chimneys, wall mount hoods, refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, microwaves, gas ranges and ovens, coffee machines, and quite a number of other kitchen appliances.
The company prides itself in producing innovative products that are the motivation for aspirational home cooks as well as master chefs. Their products have cutting-edge features and performance.
Thermador has managed to classify its product offering to suit different client preferences. The company offers the masterpiece collection and the professional collection. Two distinctly designed categories but both luxurious and innovative.
The tagline for these collections is, “Elevate your cooking without compromising your style”.
Thermador products are available from many online stores and with authorized appliance dealers around the United States.
The company also offers showroom tours in Irvine, Chicago, and New York.
Reasons Why Thermador appliances are Expensive
Reputation
Started in 1916, Thermador prides itself in having a rich engineering history for appliance manufacture.
To date, the company has been a vital trendsetter in innovation and has been at the forefront of designing and producing modern kitchen appliances.
BSH home appliances acquired the brand in 1998, but Thermador kept its US-only manufacturing capabilities intact and expanded its product line to cover the entire kitchen from dishwashers to refrigerators.
Quality
A lot of care and quality standards are maintained during the manufacture, assembly, and shipping of these products.
Most of the workmanship is done by hand and goes through stringent testing to ensure quality standards are adhered to for each appliance that’s shipped out.
Performance
Thermador builds products with performance in mind.
As an example, Thermador’s patented star burners provide 56% more heat coverage than traditional burners, according to their website. The burners also improve temperature control and provide a platform for extra low heat that’s needed for delicate items such as sauces.
Additionally, Thermador have been improving their oven designs and performance over time, and now have pure convection ovens with preheat times under seven minutes. The average electric oven preheat time is about 15 minutes.
Innovation & Support
The company is constantly upgrading with the latest technology.
Most of the recent appliances are integrated into the Home Connect app, a remote programming app that allows homeowners to control their home appliances using mobile devices.
The company has a standby 24/7 support and customer service team. They also work in partnership with local service providers for servicing and repairs.
In addition, they produce a range of cooking accessories such as griddles, grills, pans, and more to use with your gas ranges and ovens.
Reliability
While they might be expensive to repair, appliances from Thermador might not break as often. Well, that’s according to a survey conducted by consumerreports.org that places Thermador in 5th position on the website’s Appliance Brand Reliability Rankings.
Why Thermador might not be worth the money
Despite having all these great features and reasons for Thermador to sell as a luxury brand, there are some few factors that might damage from the company’s brand image and the overall customer experience;
Limited Service Centers
There are limited technicians who specialize in Thermador appliances throughout the USA. In the case that your gas range gets broken and needs repair, it might take a while before you get someone who would be qualified and certified to fix it.
Since it is a luxury brand, it would not make sense to give it to just any technician who may interfere with the appliance and ruin your warranty.
It might prove to be a challenge to receive quality customer service for those who may not live near an authorized service center.
Slow Service
For some clients, waiting for an appliance for more than six months might not be the ideal timeline, especially when they are ready to renovate their house and their kitchens.
This may alienate potential customers, especially those that are buying Thermador for the first time.
The Long wait times are also compounded by the delays that have been caused as a result of the pandemic and logistics disruption.
Service may also be disrupted especially when your warranty on the appliances runs out. This may call for you to dig deeper into your pockets to fix an already expensive appliance.
Price to Performance Ratio
While Thermador appliances have quite a number of exceptional features, some of their users do not find use in some of these multiple features, and many won’t ever fully maximize their appliances’ potential.
Other features on the other hand, are just gimmicky or over-marketed and may not outperform many other products on the market. For example, if you have a convection oven, the roast feature and convection roast may differ slightly depending on whether you want to brown your meat.
The difference in the output of the dishes may not be equivalent to the cost of a luxury appliance such as Thermador.
Other Home Appliance Luxury Brands
While this article largely covers Thermador, there’re quite a number of other home appliance luxury brands that are also quite popular. These include:
Wolf
Based in the United States. Wolf was established in 1934 by the Wolf brothers, Al, and Hyman.
Currently owned by Sub-Zero Group Inc, Wolf produces a variety of luxury professional and household kitchen appliances ranging from stoves and microwaves to coffee systems and outdoor grills.
Consumer Reports Brand Reliability Ranking: 11th/28
Miele
Based in Germany, Miele is one of Europe’s most popular high-end kitchen appliance manufacturers.
Established in 1899, the company boasts of a stringent manufacturing process that sees most of its appliance components manufactured in-house
The company manufactures all sorts of home and kitchen appliances that include: Irons and steamers, Ranges, Washing machines, Dishwashers, Microwaves you name it.
Consumer Reports Brand Reliability Ranking: 6th/28
Monogram
Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, USA, Monogram is another luxury appliance brand based in the United States, an indication perhaps that there’s a large market for luxury kitchen appliances in the country.
Owned by GE, the company has built its legacy on three tenets: Materials, Performance, and Ownership.
These the company says uphold “its commitment to high quality, innovation, and its ongoing relationships with designers and consumers.
Consumer Reports Brand Reliability Rankings: 14th/28
Viking
Also based in the United States, Viking is a popular luxury appliance brand that has been around for quite a number of years.
The company produces appliances in almost all kitchen appliance categories and has four appliance collections including; 3 series, 5 series, 7 series, and the Tuscany line.
Consumer Reports Brand Reliability Ranking: 28th/28
Other leading luxury brands include: Bertazzoni, Ilve, and Gaggenau.
Final Word
Many customers may be drawn towards Thermador due to its relatively beautiful finishes and its luxury reputation. However, there are other brands like Samsung, LG and Bosch that may offer relatively similar features at a lower price point.
Making the choice to select your most appealing luxury appliance for your kitchen will call for getting appliances that are both functional to your needs, and offer superb quality to last for the long run.
Determine your budget and check to see if you can get the same functionality in other cheaper appliances.
Focusing on budget when it comes to manufacturers like Thermador is a bit of a fallacy though, as those who buy their products, are more focused on the aesthetics, performance, and brand association that comes with appliances made by companies like these.
