Miele has just
won Which? Best Domestic Appliance Brand for the second
year running. Miele
kitchen
appliances cost more than the average kitchen
appliance, but the company insist that the extra cash is
worth it for the quality of the product you receive.
Miele’s motto has always been ‘immer besser,’ which
literally translates as ‘always better’ or ‘forever
better.’ The motto was conceived over 100 years ago by the
founders and remains the company motto today
Miele kitchen
appliances include washers and dryers,
dishwashers,
fridges and freezers, vacuum cleaners, ovens, steam and
microwaves, hobs, cooker hoods, coffee machines and
ironing. All of which are made to a very high standard and
are designed for longevity, which may make parting with
some extra cash at the initial purchase seem like a good
long term investment.
Miele's first products were a cream separator, butter
churn, and tub
washing
machine,
under the Meteor brand. Miele were the first company to
manufacture an electric dishwasher, the first company to
manufacture a fully automatic washing machine and they
were also the first company to manufacture a washing
machine,
tumble
dryer and
dishwasher to be controlled by
microprocessors.
These
days, Miele
kitchen appliances are
exported to many global markets
and Miele is represented in 37
countries. The products are
currently manufactured in Germany
and the Czech Republic then
shipped to one of the ten
showrooms in the United States or
one of any number of showrooms
across the globe.
On 7th February of this year,
Miele was presented with an award
in Munich for being the most
successful company in Germany last
year (2007). In the Best Company
category, Miele beat the previous
year's winner Google, which placed
second, and also Porsche, which
came in at third.
Miele
kitchen appliances have their
main competition from other high
specification
kitchen appliance manufacturers
such as Bosch who are known for
their quality and innovative
technology as seen in the Logixx
range of
washing machines and Siemens
whose headquarters are also
located in Germany, specifically
in Berlin and Munich.
As well as domestic Miele
kitchen appliances, the German
company also manufacture
commercial appliances such as
washing machines, tumble dryers,
rotary ironers, dishwashers,
laboratory glassware washers,
surgical instrument washers and
dental instrument washers.
According to their website, all
Miele
kitchen appliances are
designed to last for at least
twenty years, are subjected to
rigorous endurance testing as the
product is being developed, go
through an end line test before
being passed on to quality control
and are randomly checked against
further quality criteria. So the
process is quite long and strict
in an attempt to provide a high
quality product.
Miele
kitchen appliances are
available from a number of
dealers, but the appliances have
proved to be so popular that it is
strongly recommended by Miele that
if you want to visit the actual
Miele experience centre then you
should book in advance to avid
disappointment. The experience
centre is the one place that is
not on the internet where you are
able to see ALL of Miele’s
products under one roof.
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Many modern
electrical appliances are more 'intelligent', fitted with
processors capable of efficiently reducing the amount of power required to
operate it, depending on the amount of work it is required to do. For
example, eco-settings on dishwashers, washers and tumbler dryers allow for
lighter bills as well as lessening the impact on the environment.
Many UK households use
washers & dryers on almost a daily basis as clothes must be laundered.
Unfortunately, extensive use of tumble dryers is probably one of the
quickest ways to run up hefty electricity bills, especially during the day
at peak price time for electricity units. More expensive machines tend to
come with more energy-saving features, but although the initial outlay may
be high, cost-savings over a number of years will pay back the investment.
The other great labour-saving device and one that is used regularly in
UK kitchens is the dishwasher; although a great time-saver most machines
run for a couple of hours per washing cycle. However, a household could
save a considerable amount of money by using their dishwasher and indeed
their washer & dryer at night, when electricity is considerably cheaper.
So, if you do decide to upgrade your
kitchen appliances remember to
look not only for the efficiency rating but also whether the appliance has
a timer switch allowing you to use them at cheaper times and so help
reduce your carbon footprint and the drain on your wallet.
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