Contractor's Picks: The Kitchen Products Worth the Money (and 5 to Skip)

After installing thousands of kitchens, these are the brands and products I actually spec for my own clients — and the ones I've seen fail too many times.

I get asked constantly: "What appliances should I buy?" The honest answer is that brand loyalty matters less than most people think, and more than the design showroom wants you to believe. What I look at: serviceability (can you get parts in your area?), installation complexity, and the track record I've seen on jobsites over 20 years.

I'm going to give you my honest tier list — things I personally spec for clients who ask, and things I steer people away from after seeing them fail repeatedly.

Contractor Tips

• The dishwasher is the most failure-prone appliance in any kitchen. Bosch is the clear industry leader for a reason — their door latch and pump design have been refined over decades.
• For refrigerators, French door models with the freezer drawer on the bottom have the lowest service call rate in the industry. Avoid side-by-side if you're buying for the long term.
• Range hoods: the CFM rating must match your BTU output. A 60,000 BTU range needs at minimum 600 CFM vented to exterior. Recirculating hoods are fine for low-output cooking, not for serious cooking.