Completely off topic - Kitchen Appliance Forums

To supplement your research, you could phone the authorized service people for the appliances you are considering. They are frequently candid about problems with certain manufacturers.

This thread triggered memories of my pet peeve -noisy refrigerators.
Some jackass architect decided it would be "with it" to put the friggin kitchen right in your living room along with major appliances (stupid jackass!).
In the old days, kitchens had DOORS!
This, along with noisy air conditioners, sort of negates your multi-thousand dollar sound system.
At any rate, who make the most silent 'frig?

We recently purchased all new appliances for our first home. We went with matching stainless steel Kitchen Aid dishwasher, electric stove, microwave. They work great and look awesome. I only wish we could afford to remodel the rest of the kitchen. I think consumer reports magazine just recently (Jan?) reviewed kitchen appliances. Their website could probably tell you the issue that covered them. Good luck.

One way to save money on a kitchen remodel is to ignore what you see in the magazines and configure a kitchen for how you actually live. The current trend is to overbuild the kitchen because the kitchen is seen as the focal point when you have guests/parties/family gatherings. If that's really part of your lifestyle, then maybe you do need the double ovens, multiple dishwashers, full size freezer, multiple refrigerator draws, six to eight burner stoves, islands w/ prep sinks, etc. Doing a realistic assessment of what you'll use the kitchen for and matching those needs will allow you to spend your money where it will have the biggest impact.

The other big cost saver is don't overspend on your cabinets. Stay with standard sizes.

For best appliance values I recommend GE and KitchenAid.

We are looking to move and I had had the idea of making the kitchen kind of a "designer kitchen". I had thought that viking would be the way to go so I am glad to hear about the problems noted above. One of the posters specifically commented on the viking "consumer" models. Do these same issues hold true for the professional models like you would see in a restaurant? These are the ones that I had considered.