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Thinking Small (small appliances) at UAKCDeluxe 24" Appliances Now Available in SouCalUniversal Appliance and Kitchen Center has long been known for having the best selection of major appliances in all Southern California. That selection has been growing with all the new European sized 60cm. wide appliances that have been launched in the U.S. (60cm. is approximately 24 inches).For decades the standard size for U.S. ranges, cooktops, ovens, and hoods has been 30", and most single family homes today include 30" wide base and upper cabinets. However, for various reasons, there are large numbers of housing units in Southern California that have 24" wall and base cabinets that need 24" wide appliances. All the popular U.S. brand 30" wide ovens, ranges, and vent hoods won't fit in these cabinets, so only basic 24" apartment models have been available. That's all in the past, as new products are now available for 24" cabinets at a variety of price points and with a variety of features. For example, here is a new Bertazzoni stainless steel 24" wide gas range, a nice upgrade from a U.S. standard model. If you're looking for a full suite of built-in appliances in this category, you might start with Bosch, a European appliance manufacturer with a great reputation. Bosch is a premium brand, that has great quality, and at a price below the luxury category. Miele is also a European brand with a good selection of European size (60 cm) wide appliances.

Affordable Upgraded Appliances at Universal Appliance and Kitchen CenterMass Premium Appliance BrandsUniversal Appliance and Kitchen Center (UAKC) is Headquarters in Southern California for the "mass" appliance brands like GE, Frigidaire, Maytag, and Whirlpool. And most of you know that with locations in Studio City and Calabasas they also focus on the "luxury" brands including Wolf Sub Zero, Viking, Thermador, Miele and Gaggenau.There is also a growing market for brands known as "mass premium" appliance brands. The mass premium moniker fits those brands that are NOT in the upper stratosphere price-wise with names like Sub Zero and Miele, but nevertheless are in a higher price category than GE, Whirlpool, and Frigidaire's more entry level offerings. The mass premium category includes KitchenAid, Bosch, GE Café/Profile, and Electrolux. We might even consider Korean brands LG and Samsung as in the mass premium category as well as the Italian labels recently launched in the U.S. Fulgor Milano and Bertazzoni. All these brands are strategically positioned with pricing and feature levels definitely above the mass, but nevertheless not luxury. (It gets fuzzy. Electrolux brand certainly has some products that might be considered above mass premium, and Jenn-Air purposely describes itself as "super premium", evidently meaning more than mass premium, but not quite luxury).In any case let's take a look at two brands who seem to be comfortable calling themselves mass premium - KitchenAid and Bosch.Part of the Whirlpool family of brands, KitchenAid is focused on the kitchen (does not have washers and dryers). Here's how

Where are cooking appliances made? Customers often want to know where an appliance is manufactured. A surprising number of major appliances sold in the U.S. are manufactured here also. Let's take a look at cooking products. Here are where the Big 3 appliance manufacturers in the U.S. (Whirlpool, Electrolux/Frigidaire, and GE) make their ranges, cooktops, and ovens. Whirlpool Corporation also includes Amana, Jenn-Air, KitchenAid, and Maytag brands. They have a large facility (one million sq. ft.) in Cleveland, Tenn. where freestanding and slide-in ranges are built, as well as cooktops and wall ovens. In addition, they also build some ranges in their Tulsa, Oklahoma facility. Headquartered in Benton Harbor, Michigan, Whirlpool is the largest appliance manufacturer in the world. Over 80% of the appliances that Whirlpool sells in the U.S. are manufactured here. Whirlpool claims to employ more U.S. workers than all their competitors combined. Electrolux/Frigidaire has their range factory in Springfield, Tennessee, and has build a new cooktop facility near Memphis. It's worth noting that the Swedish firm Electrolux is the 2nd largest appliance manufacturer in the world, and has a major U.S. presence. GE makes ranges and ovens in their Roper facility in Lafayette, GA. GE also has strong ties to Mabe, a Mexican appliance company that builds GE's gas ranges. In spite of GE's affiliation with Mabe (GE has a 48% stake), GE is a leader in "insourcing", and has been adding appliance manufacturing jobs in the U.S. for several years. In addition, GE is quite proud

Get a NEW Maytag Washer and Dryer at UAKC   It's hard to beat the Maytag Maxima Dependability Pair. Check out the great features below and visit Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center for the lowest prices and best availability on Maytag. On the Maytag® Maxima X® 4200 pair, the Fresh Spin™ option keeps clothes fresh inside the washer, while steam-enhanced cycles sanitize clothes in the washer and refresh them in the dryer. TOP WASHER FEATURES Maytag® Commercial Technology Maxima XL™ & Maxima X™ washers bring long-lasting, commercial-grade components that you can depend on into your home. The pump impeller, corrosion-resistant springs and dampers are all built to easily handle load after load, week after week. 10-Year Limited Warranty On Washer Motor And Basket Backed by a 10-year limited parts warranty1 on the washer motor and stainless steel wash basket, this washer delivers years of dependable cleaning. PowerWash® Cycle Extra cleaning action and a thorough rinse power out tough stains like coffee and soda as well as ground-in mud. Select washers have a built-in water heater that delivers increased wash temperatures to ensure better soil and stain removal. TOP DRYER FEATURES Maytag® Commercial Technology Maxima XL™ & Maxima X™ dryers bring long-lasting, commercial-grade components that you can depend on into your home. The durable motor and 5-rib belt are built to easily handle load after load, week after week. Extra-Large Capacity to Evenly Dry Your Largest Loads The extra-large 7.4 cu. ft. capacity provides enough space to evenly dry your largest

Good News for Buyers of Made in the USA Appliances Get US Brand Appliances at Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center If you are looking forward to the 4th of July holiday season with all the attending appliance sale events, you might think about buying American, and you might be surprised to find out that there are many good choices of high quality US brands made in the USA. Below is a blog we published last year detailing your options. It might be interesting and worthwhile to look at the landscape of appliance brands and manufacturing to identify the brands by nationality and by where they are manufactured. In other words, which brands are "American" brands and what is manufactured in the U.S. By the way, we mean "made" or "manufactured" to also include assembly. Most manufacturing facilities today are primarily assembly factories where parts are attached to a chassis. American brands of major appliances include Whirlpool and GE as full-line manufacturers. Whirlpool is the largest appliance manufacturer in the world though over half their sales are in the U.S. Their headquarters are in the U.S. and they are listed on the U.S. stock exchange. Whirlpool also makes and sells U.S. appliances under these brand names: Amana, Jenn-Air, KitchenAid, and Maytag. They claim that over 80% of the appliances they sell in the U.S. are made in the U.S. Though listed on the U.S. stock exchange, GE is a true multi-national, doing business all over the world making and selling everything

New Washer Means New U.S. Jobs "The new GE high-efficiency topload washer features the industry's largest capacity (five cubic feet) for toploading models while using less energy and water than a traditional washer. In addition to its efficiency, consumers will appreciate the time-saving, convenience-focused features on the new GE ENERGY STAR(R) washer, including SmartDispense(TM)." GE has added 150 new U.S. jobs to its factory in Louisville, Kentucky where they have been churning out topload washers since 1953. With 928 employs at the washing machine factory alone, GE has over 4,000 total employees in Louisville alone having added about 1,500 production jobs in 2012 as part of an $800 million investment. HE (High Efficiency) washers were once the limited to frontload models, but new HE technology has led to the consumer preferred topload washers now becoming the fastest growing segment of the washing machine industry. "GE's new HE topload is around 60 percent more water efficient than a traditional topload washer," said Heather Koyama, GE Appliances topload washing machine product manager. "There is no agitator in an HE washer, so the extra capacity lets the washer hold more clothes. The higher spin speeds allow more moisture to be removed from the clothes, which saves energy in the dryer." GE's New High-Efficiency Top Load Washer & Dryer Here is a list of features on the new GE washer model GTWS8650DWS GE® High-Efficiency Top Load Washer 5.0 Cu Ft Capacity Stain Removal Guide Steam Assist SmartDispense™ Technology CleanSpeak™ Communication System Soft-Close Glass Lid