Siemens vs AEG inductions hobs

[Adsibob]

I'm looking for a large induction hob, 90cm by 52cm, that has a flex zone. The AEG IKE95471FB meets my requirements, so does the Siemens IQ-700 EX975KXW1E. But why the big difference in price! The Siemens is almost twice as expensive.

I know Siemens have a better reputation, but what is that based on? Is it just that they spend more money on marketing and so have to recoup that cost through higher sales pricing? Or is there something genuinely special about them. If there was a longer warranty period, I'd maybe consider it, but both these appliances only have a 2 year warranty period.

Anyone have an AEG induction hob? Are you happy with it?

[Makeitstop]

My Brother bought an AEG induction hob and it was faulty, although he didn't know that until it was fitted, some six weeks after he took delivery.

 

Unfortunately, the place he bought it from (kitchens direct I believe) wouldn't sort it as a simple replacement, as he'd not "checked and tested" it in their permitted timeframe. The shambles that ensued in trying to resolve it did his nut, but it was eventually sorted.

 

Having said that, I'm sure it was a one off and that the product is in fact a decent one. However, as far as i know, AEG are now part of the Electrolux group and are "not" what they used to be imo. I have had several AEG products over the years, with older ones being solid and reliable (old integrated dishwasher that is still working after maybe 15/17 years) and later (dishwasher in new house) being utter garbage and was replaced after only 18 months.

 

Siemens are a different animal from what I know and are a superior brand generally, although how much of that is styling and fit / finish on their products or actual real world superiority, I don't know.

 

We had a Siemens gas hob and oven years ago that lasted many years and worked really well throughout their respective lives.

 

Make of that what you will, but I'm not sure I'd want to pay double for one over the other for a hob. 

 

Edited October 7, 2021 by Makeitstop

[Adsibob]

1 minute ago, Makeitstop said:

My Brother bought an AEG induction hob and it was faulty, although he didn't know that until it was fitted, some six weeks after he took delivery.

 

Unfortunately, the place he bought it from (kitchens direct I believe) wouldn't sort it as a simple replacement, as he'd not "checked and tested" it in their permitted timeframe. The shambles that ensued in trying to resolve it did his nut, but it was eventually sorted.

 

Having said, that, I'm sure it was a one off and that the product is in fact a decent one. However, as far as i know, AEG are now part of the Electrolux group and are "not" what they used to be imo. I have had several AEG products over the years, with older ones being solid and reliable (old integrated dishwasher that is still working after maybe 15/17 years) and later (dishwasher in new house) being utter garbage and was replaced after only 18 months.

 

Siemens are a different animal from what I know and are a superior brand generally, although how much of that is styliing and fit / finish on their products, or, actual real world superiority, I don't know.

 

We had a Siemens gas hob and oven years ago that lasted many years and worked really well througout their respective lives.

 

Make of that what you will, but I'm not sure I'd want to pay double for one over the other for a hob. 

 

Thanks, that's helpful. What other brands are worth considering? Miele? Bosch? 
I'd heard good things about Samsung hobs and they come with a 5 year warranty, but they only do an 80cm hob, which SWMBO says is too small. Is it?

[Makeitstop]

Couldn't answer as to whether 80cm would be too small. I guess you need to decide that for yourselves. Many people manage fine with 60cm standard hobs, though what "extra" is in an 80cm hob I don't know.

 

As for brands, Miele always come a t a real price premium, though whether that's justified for "all" their products, I don't know.

 

Bosch are same company more or less as Siemens from what I've seen in kitchen appliances, but are generally priced slightly lower for some reason. 

 

I think a lot of "premium gear" is priced on perceived value, and is maybe not always guaranteed to get you a better product in functionality, reliability or longevity.

Edited October 7, 2021 by Makeitstop

[SteamyTea]

I am more than happy with my Russell Hobbs.

No idea what they do in larger sized ones.

They all basically work the same, simple oscillator, a power transformer, some capacitors and the inductor.

Making sure there is adequate ventilation for the clever bits probably makes the biggest difference to the reliability.

[Happy Valley]

We have a 60cm AEG induction hob for 4 pans. Been in for 10 years without any issues. Well it was replaced once with the same as one of the kids dropped a pan on it and cracked it. Excellent value in comparison to some others.

Edited October 7, 2021 by Happy Valley

[billt]

We recently installed 2 AEG IKB64311FB hobs. Looked at the wider ones and they're a silly price; it's as cheap to buy 2 off 4 burner hobs as one 6 burner.

Very happy with them, but they've only been in for 3 months so can't say anything about reliability, (except that they haven't broken yet, so I doubt that they will in the near future).

 

FYI AEG are part of the Zanussi group. Bought a Zanussi ZITN643K for the flat, which is virtually identical to the AEG (only has boost on the front 2 rings, rather than all of them) but was £235 rather than £319.

 

I think Siemens are an independent company with a wide range of interests outside of domestic appliances, AEG re just a badged brand.

 

There seems to be an awful lot of snobbery about domestic appliances. You can pay eye-watering sums for a appliances that don't work any better than ner bottom of the market ones.

[jack]

1 hour ago, Adsibob said:

What other brands are worth considering? Miele? Bosch? 

 

My understanding about Miele is that they're great for things that involve pumping stuff around: dishwashers, washing machines, and vacuum cleaners, in particular. In other areas, they may not even manufacture what they sell under the brand. For example, I believe their freezers are rebadged (or at least made by) Liebherr. My in-laws have Miele ovens and rate them highly (they'd want to, for the price!)

 

I've read some horror stories about Miele's technical support when things go wrong. Take a look at the negative reviews on, eg, Trustpilot. That said, they seem to have improved a bit since when I last looked a few years back. At the time, I seem to recall there being far more bad reviews, but I could be misremembering. 

 

1 hour ago, Makeitstop said:

However, as far as i know, AEG are now part of the Electrolux group and are "not" what they used to be imo. I have had several AEG products over the years, with older ones being solid and reliable (old integrated dishwasher that is still working after maybe 15/17 years) and later (dishwasher in new house) being utter garbage and was replaced after only 18 months.

 

I believe that only some divisions were sold (and the story is as you say: quality has significantly suffered since).

We bought an AEG dryer a few years ago that came with an extended 5 year warranty and cashback. It's been flawless. I believe dryers are within one of the product divisions that wasn't sold off.

[SteamyTea]

39 minutes ago, billt said:

There seems to be an awful lot of snobbery about domestic appliances.

Too true.

If I cook my signature dish in a £50k posh kitchen, it tastes the same as if I do it on my £12 camping stove.

Teas tastes the same out of my 4 quid kettle as it does out of my mates 50 quid one.

[Adsibob]

3 minutes ago, SteamyTea said:

Too true.

If I cook my signature dish in a £50k posh kitchen, it tastes the same as if I do it on my £12 camping stove.

Teas tastes the same out of my 4 quid kettle as it does out of my mates 50 quid one.

You must be a better cook than I am.

[SteamyTea]

7 minutes ago, Adsibob said:

You must be a better cook than I am.

Like everything in life, pick your battles carefully, choose something that is easy, a bit different, and impresses.

 

I also do it for a living.

[Faz]

3 hours ago, billt said:

We recently installed 2 AEG IKB64311FB hobs. Looked at the wider ones and they're a silly price; it's as cheap to buy 2 off 4 burner hobs as one 6 burner.

Very happy with them, but they've only been in for 3 months so can't say anything about reliability, (except that they haven't broken yet, so I doubt that they will in the near future).

 

FYI AEG are part of the Zanussi group. Bought a Zanussi ZITN643K for the flat, which is virtually identical to the AEG (only has boost on the front 2 rings, rather than all of them) but was £235 rather than £319.

 

I think Siemens are an independent company with a wide range of interests outside of domestic appliances, AEG re just a badged brand.

 

There seems to be an awful lot of snobbery about domestic appliances. You can pay eye-watering sums for a appliances that don't work any better than ner bottom of the market ones.

This. 

 

AEG/Zanussi and Electrolux are all the same with slightly different styling. On an 88 unit scheme we fitted AEG for the stuff you could see and Zanussi for the integrated kit. Apart from rejections for tiny scratches on the induction hobs we didn't have any issues with any of it. I have been to the Electrolux factory and saw AEG and Zanussi integrated fridges on the same line - the only difference was the AEG fridges had 2 blue tint drawers whereas the Zanussi ones were clear. Obviously there were significant differences when it came to the retail price!

 

For my house we are installing Bosch / Siemens.  Be aware of the lead times at the moment though.

[Adsibob]

This is all very helpful stuff. Any thoughts on Samsung for kitchen appliances? Trustpilot reviews look awful, but they come with a 5 year guarantee and seem reasonably priced.

[Makeitstop]

A five year warranty may be seen as a company having faith in what they produce and sell, or, could simply be a way of getting consumers to lean towards their products, whether they be worthy of the warranty or not.

 

It's super tricky reading too far into that. 

 

For me and my own experience, I have to say that Bosch Siemens for cooking appliances have been reliable. Still, that was probably more than 20 years ago, so is maybe out of date. I'd imagine that many cheaper products will be just as good, although arguably not as sleek and attractive to look at.

 

As was mentioned above, I too think theres a degree of brand snobbery in appliances. The trick is in seeing past that and buying gear that looks right and functions well.

[Gone West]

We fitted all AEG appliances, including a 700mm induction hob, with the exception of a Miele dishwasher and washing machine. All were working fine for three years up to when we moved.