Make your choice at Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center

When it's time to shop for appliances, choosing the right brand is an important part of the decision process. In spite of what you may have heard, they're not all made by just a few manufacturers. To sort this out let's first discuss the big brand names. GE, Whirlpool, and Frigidaire are the big 3. These are mega companies, home to a host of other name brands as listed below:

General Electric

• Hotpoint
• GE
• GE Profile
• GE Cafe
• GE Monogram

Whirlpool

• Amana
• Whirlpool
• Maytag
• KitchenAid
• Jenn-Air

Frigidaire

• Frigidaire
• Electrolux (Parent company)
• Electrolux Icon

At the luxury end of the market some of the big names include Wolf SubZero, Viking, Thermador, and Miele. While all the brands referred to above are well-known and well-positioned in their market segments, there are other lesser-known brands that deserve consideration as well. Here are just 2 examples:

1. BlueStar

BlueStar is a brand of high-end cooking products – ranges, oven, and cooktops. The brand is focused on serving the consumer that wants restaurant style appliances for the home. A unique capability of BlueStar is the ability to customize your range. Over 190 colors are available and burners may be configured to your liking. Even though BlueStar is not a household name, their factory in Reading, PA. has been building stoves since 1880.

2. Speed Queen

Speed Queen is a laundry company headquartered in Ripon, Wisconsin. They are a leading manufacturer of washers and dryers in the coin laundry/laundromat industry. Laundry equipment is the only thing Speed Queen makes, and they provide an exclusive three year warranty on their washers and dryers made for your home. Like BlueStar, they may not be a well-known name to consumers, but they've been making washers in Ripon, Wisc. since 1908.

Certainly, it can get confusing when comparing the big name brands to the specialty manufacturers. A good idea would be to seek the advice of appliance specialists such as those at Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center.

Two locations to serve you – Calabasas and Studio City:

Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center

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Nicholas likes Maida's “very professional help”

I was in the market for three appliances (stackable washer/dryer, refrigerator, dishwasher) and kind of stumbled onto Universal Appliance at Laurel Canyon/Ventura. I was eating at one of the nearby restaurants in the 'mini-mall', saw the store and ventured in. It was very impressive…the showroom space is a lot larger than it first appears. They have a large selection of current model appliances from all of the major manufacturers…mostly medium and high-end brands. I ended up buying a Bosch dishwasher, Jenn Air refrigerator and Maytag stackable washer/dryer.

What initially 'sold' me was the very professional help that I received from Maida, one of the sales associates. I had a few logistic/space problems that she helped me overcome. She would scour the computer for inventory and print up sheets on what I was considering. She would then take me to the exact model (or one similar) on the floor to discuss advantages/drawbacks of each appliance. The prices were totally competitive with what I had seen at the two other major appliance stores I had already shopped.

There was no major wait (maybe a week?) to get the items. The delivery guys showed up on time and installed everything properly. I did have one issue with the dryer not heating and within two days of my call, they sent someone out who was able to troubleshoot the problem and fix it quickly (at no charge).

What I liked about Maida is that she stayed in touch with me all along the way. She'd e-mail me a few days before a delivery just to remind me something was coming. She also took care of the paperwork required to get one of my manufacturers rebate. I made four or five phone calls to her during this process (what type of vent? what's the height? can the delivery guys bring…? etc.) and all calls were promptly returned the same day (except one when she was off and then she called me on her first day back).

I was very happy with the selection, service and consultative help that I received from my sales associate, Maida. Everyone may not have the same great experience that I had, but you should certainly include Universal when looking for appliances.

Nicholas C.

West Hollywood, CA

Call or visit today. Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center is your headquarters for new appliances and plumbing fixtures.

Two locations to serve you – Calabasas and Studio City:

Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center

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*Highlighting added

NEW Free-Standing State of the Art Refrigerator

Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center features the full line of luxury appliances from Jenn-air including this new stylish twenty-five cubic foot refrigerator from Jenn-Air with a separate external refrigerator drawer that allows you better access from the outside. The glide-out drawer has an independent adjustable temperature control.

This refrigerator features new Quad Sensor™ technology, a climate control system with four independent sensors to extend freshness and prevent food spoilage by monitoring and regulating temperatures in the refrigerator and freezer.

Importantly, this new luxury product is 25% more efficient that Minimum Federal Energy Standards making it a qualifying Energy Star® model.

Another advanced technology feature from Jenn-Air is the Automatic Adaptive Defrost which detects frost buildup and switches to defrost, protecting frozen foods and saving energy.

The dispenser has attractive LED lighting and Touch Screen Electronic Controls.

The current Jenn-Air promotional Fire and Ice offer is available through March 30, 2013 and includes a $300 rebate on the JFC2597 refrigerator featured above.

In addition, the Jenn-Air Your Purchase Your Rewards Promotions offers FREE APPLIANCES valued up to $3848 , and Installation on Us of up to $1100 with select purchases through June 30, 2013.

For all the details on this and other savings visit the experts at Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center today.

NOW, two locations to serve you – Calabasas and Studio City:

Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center

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Value up to $5040

Get new state of the art appliances from Jenn-Air and save money with their Free Appliance offer and Free Installation. Luxury appliances at a great price are now within reach.

During the Your Purchase Your Reward event, receive a free dishwasher when you purchase a select wall oven and cooktop or select Pro-Style® Stainless range. Purchase a select built-in refrigerator at the same time and receive a free ventilation or undercounter refrigeration appliance, too. January 1–June 30, 2013. These savings are valued up to $3,848. Combine this offer with the Installation On Us event for even greater savings.

Receive a prepaid MasterCard® by mail worth up to $1,200.

During the Installation on Us event, purchase select Jenn-Air® appliances and receive a prepaid MasterCard® by mail worth up to $1,200 (Up to $150 per appliance, limit 10). Combine this offer with the Your Purchase Your Reward event to receive FREE appliances with qualified product purchases.* Or, combine this offer with the Fire & Ice event for even greater savings.

download rebate form: Installation on Us

Call or visit Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center (UAKC) for all the details. Make sure that you get all the savings you are entitled to on Jenn-Air and other appliance brands. UAKC has all the latest rebates and savings offers.

NOW, two locations to serve you – Calabasas and Studio City:

Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center

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2 Sale Days Left at UAKC

Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center

Here's an example of the fantatstic savings available through the 28th. These are new in box deluxe chimney and commercial style vent hoods from Elica, Jenn-Air, KitchenAid,and Zephyr. Check out the savings:

Regular Prices from $989 to $2099

Sale Prices from $599 to $1599

Save up to $500

Click on the links below to view all the savings on the Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center 4 page flyer:

Hurry In today. Sale ends January 28th.

NOW, two locations to serve you – Calabasas and Studio City:

Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center

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It's a great celebration. Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center has opened a second location to serve the northern reaches of the greater Los Angeles area. Their new showroom is conveniently located in Calabasas right off the 101 Freeway between Agoura Hills and Woodland Hills.

showroom locations

Here are some of the great buys that are available now at both locations:

• KitchenAid Stainless Steel Dishwasher KUDL15FXSS Regular $999 Save $350 Your Price $649.
• Whirlpool Duet Washer/Gas Dryer Pair WFW94HEXDW/WGW94HEXDW Reg. $2699 Save $800 Your Price $1899.
• Frigidaire 30″ Freestanding Gas Range 5 burners, convect. FPGF3081KF Reg $1449 Save $350 Your Price $1099.

And here's a quick review of some of the additional factory authorized offers available this weekend:

• Bosch $50 Consumer Rebate on Gas and Electric Cooktops. $300 on Induction Cooktops.
• Thermador 1-2-FREE event. Savings up to $5000.
• Thermador $499 Emerald Dishwasher with the purchase of any Thermador Pro Range.
• Wolf SubZero save up to $2500 Dream Kitchen offer.
• Jenn-Air save up to $4040 with the purchase of select appliances.

Take a video tour of the new Calabasas showroom below:

Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center hours are:
Monday – Saturday 9:00AM to 7:00PM.
Sunday 11:00AM to 6:00PM

Don't forget to change your clocks. Sunday, Nov 4th, 2:00 AM. Remember “Fall Back”

Hurry in this weekend for great rebates, clearance center closeouts, grand opening specials, and the best selection and service on major appliances or plumbing fixtures. Call or visit the experts at UAKC.

Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center

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Today's cooktops offer more powerful gas burners and electric elements than ever before. As a result of all that power, it's important to have good ventilation.

Few appliance manufacturers know more about ventilation than Jenn-Air. The founder of Jenn-Air, Louis Jenn, was a ventilation expert long before he entered the appliance business. Jenn-Air introduced the first self-ventilated cooktop in 1961, and recently has introduced an exclusive breakthrough duct-free downdraft.

Locating and installing ductwork for a ventilation system is often problematic. Not any more. Jenn-Air offers an accessory duct-free downdraft kit for its line of JX3™ electric and gas downdraft cooktops. There is no need to run ductwork outside so you can place your cooktop anywhere. You can easily install this cooktop and vent unit in an island over a concrete slab or in a high-rise apartment where there is no place to duct out.

The exclusive *Jenn-Air JX3™ duct-free downdraft accessory kit attaches to the blower on the cooktop's downdraft unit, and has a unique **high airflow particulate air filter (HAPA) that captures smoke, steam, and grease thus eliminating the need for outside venting.

JX3 Duct-Free Kit

The Jenn-Air JX3™ collection of cooktops consists of 6 different models. There is a 30″ center vent four burner gas model, as well as a 36″ five burner model with a 17,000 btu power burner, the most powerful burner in a downdraft cooktop. There are four electric downdraft models. There are two 30″ center vent four electric element downdraft models. They're identical except one has knobs and the other has electronic touch controls. Similarly, there are two 36″ electric cooktops, one with knobs and the other with electronic touch controls.

JED3536 Jenn-Air Electric Cooktop

JGD3536 Jenn-Air Gas Downdraft Cooktop

Other features that you might expect from a luxury brand such as Jenn-Air include continuous heavy-duty cast iron grates on the gas cooktops, and premium high-impact Schott Ceran® ceramic glass on the electric cooktops.

So whether you are:

• installing a new downdraft cooktop and ducting it to the outside
• replacing a downdraft cooktop and connecting to an existing outside vent
• or needing a high performance cooktop, but don't have the ability to connect to outside venting

the Jenn-Air JX3™ downdraft collection is a great choice. For more help getting just the right product for your cooking needs contact the experts at Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center.

Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center

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*The Duct-Free Kit is designed to filter the air from the downdraft system and ventilate the conditioned air out into the room through the toe-kick area of the base cabinet. When you order a downdraft cooktop, please note the Jenn-Air® Duct-Free Kit is approved for use with JED3430, JED3536, JED4430, JED4536, JGD3430, and JGD3536 models.

**The Jenn-Air® Duct-Free Kit includes 1 duct-free filter. The filter comes with a pre-installed 6-month Timestrip® sensor, which will be visible after the filter is installed in the filter housing. The replacement filter number is W10177003.

The vast majority of cooktops sold in the U.S. are either 30″ or 36″ in width. However, there has been a very good market over the years for cooktops ranging from 42″ – 48″, with a 45″ width being the most common size in this X-Large cooktop category.

In an effort to reduce their model lineups, some manufacturers have discontinued 45″ cooktops. This has created a problem for consumers needing to replace their old 45″ cooktop since there is now a very limited selection of cooktops that will fit the hole left when the old cooktop is removed. Here are some suggestions and workarounds if you find yourself in this situation.

Viking RDECU2566BSB

Dacor SMG466

The Viking Range Company does still make a 45″ wide electric cooktop model RDECU2566BSB. Dacor makes a 46″ wide gas cooktop model SGM466, and Miele makes 42 1/2″ wide cooktops in both gas and electric. While these options may or may not provide the perfect fit for your existing cooktop there are some workarounds for you to consider. If you are replacing a 45″ wide cooktop with a 46″ wide cooktop, you may be able to just cut the existing whole a bit wider to accommodate the larger unit. On the other hand, if the replacement cooktop is not quite wide enough to fill the hole, there are companies that make filler kits such as Micro-trim. Also, It might be feasible to just replace the entire countertop. That way you can cut the opening to fit a new cooktop.

Some of these 45″ cooktops were installed in islands and peninsulas and have downdraft ventilation systems. Jenn-Air still makes 45″ downdraft cooktops in both electric and gas.

Jenn-Air JED8345ADB

The electric model JED8345ADB comes with a grill in the left bay, and two open bays that will accept 2 element radiant or coil cartridges, as well as a griddle that will fit over the grill element. The grill may also be removed and replaced with a coil or radiant cartridge to provide a total of 6 electric cooking elements.

Jenn-Air JGD8345ADB

The gas model JGD8345ADB comes complete with a gas grill in the left bay, and fixed gas cartridges in each of the two right bays. The grill is removable and can be replaced with an additional gas cartridge giving the homeowner a total of 6 gas burners. The Jenn-Air center downdraft eliminates the need for an expensive rear downdraft or island hood, and provides effective, economical, and unobtrusive ventilation. This is a great solution if you are replacing a Jenn-Air or other downdraft vented cooktop. If you have a traditional overhead vent system, you would need to reconfigure your ducting and remove the overhead system.

Wolf Cooktops and Modules

Finally, another interesting possibility for replacing a 45″ cooktop would be to combine 3 – 15″ cooking modules or a 30″ cooktop and 1 – 15″ cooking module. Wolf has a good selection of modules and also has trim pieces to make them fit together.

If this all sounds a bit complicated and confusing…well, it can be. It's a good idea to get some expert advice. First, measure your existing cooktop outside dimensions. If you have the old installation instructions with the model number and cutout dimensions that would be helpful also. Then call or visit the experts at UAKC, Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center. They'll be able to recommend the best solutions for your specific situation.

Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center

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It's the biggest event of the year in the City of Calabasas – except of course for those times when Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center is having a sale….and guess what? It's their Grand Opening right now. More about that later, but first a message from our City about the Calabasas Pumpkin Festival

The 2012 Calabasas Pumpkin Festival

Saturday & Sunday

October 20th & 21st

10:00am – 5:00pm Daily

at Juan Bautista de Anza Park

$5 ADMISSION

FREE PARKING & SHUTTLES

PARKING & ENTRANCE BEGINS AT CORNER OF LOST HILLS RD & AGOURA RD

(NOTE: No parking along Las Virgenes – Malibu Canyon Rd)

ADMISSION PRICE INCLUDES:

• Inflatables & Giant Slide (note: ride lines close at 4:30pm)
• Live Bands
• Contests
• Reptile & Nature Shows
• Youth Carnival Games
• Business District & Fun Zone
• Sunday Car Show

FOR PURCHASE AT SITE:

• Delicious food & beer
• Jewelry & other craft items in the Marketplace
• Children's craft projects, balloons & face painting
• Pumpkins, Pumpkin Treats & Halloween Items
• ATM's on site. Credit card sales limited to select Marketplace vendors.

A Little Bit About Pumpkins…
(Reference: University of Illinois, 2007)

• Pumpkins originated in Central America.
• Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites.
• Pumpkins range in size from less than a pound to over 1,000 pounds.
• Pumpkins are members of the vine crops family called cucurbits.
• The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed 1,140 pounds.
• Pumpkins are used for feed for animals.
• Pumpkins are 90 percent water.
• Eighty percent of the pumpkin supply in the United States is available in October.

You can purchase Pumpkins

At The Calabasas

Pumpkin Festival!

More Delicious Scoop About Pumpkins…

• Pumpkins are actually a fruit.
• Pumpkin flowers are edible.
• The largest pumpkin pie ever made was over five feet in diameter and weighed over 350 pounds. It used 80 pounds of cooked pumpkin, 36 pounds of sugar, 12 dozen eggs and took six hours to bake.
• In early colonial times, pumpkins were used as an ingredient for the crust of pies, not the filling.
• Pumpkins contain potassium & Vitamin A
• Pumpkins make a perfect ingredient for delicious soups, pies, cookies, and breads!

While you are enjoying the Pumpkin Festival be sure to visit the brand new location for Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center right on Agoura Boulevard, where you can save on appliances and plumbing fixtures. Here are just a few examples:

• Purchase an entire Viking Kitchen for only $7622 (a $500 savings). Includes 30″ Gas Viking Range, 36″ Viking French Door Refrigerator, Viking dishwasher, and Viking over-the-range micro-hood combination. Regular price $8122.
• Jenn-Air Inventory Clearance. Purchase a 36″ Induction Cooktop model JEI0356ADS Was $2799. Clearance priced at $1499. Save $1300. Subject to Inventory on hand.
• Samsung 28 cu.ft French Door Refrigerator model RF4287HARS Sale priced at $2399. Reg. $3199. Save $800. Only 1 at this price.
• BEAT THE PRICE INCREASE! All Sub Zero and Wolf Appliances go up on Nov. 1. Buy now and save!!

Call or visit the experts at Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center today. Now two locations to serve you.

Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center

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It's going on now, and we've already blogged about it, but we need to remind you that there are also many factory promotions now underway at UAKC. The Columbus Day Sale would be a great time to take advantage of these rebates and special offers as many of them are ending soon. Here are a few really outstanding savings that are available now:

You can save up to $4040 on luxury Jenn-Air appliances during this offer. Offer includes free dishwasher and free ventilation system or underdounter appliance for qualifying purchases.

Instant Savings on Viking Professional Series appliances.

Instant savings on Viking D3 appliances up to $800 total.

Purchase 4 Electrolux Icon appliances and get a $1000 AMEX reward card.

Save up to $500 on the purchase of select GE Profile or GE Cafe appliances.

KitchenAid offers savings of up to $1000 on select KitchenAid appliances.

Click on link below to go to our previous blog with other Columbus Day Sale offers:

UAKC Columbus Day Sale

Call or visit the experts at Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center today:

Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center

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