Consumer Reports: Best American Made Appliances
The thousands of products that pass through Consumer Reports test labs each year come from all corners of the globe. There are washing machines and water heaters from Mexico, TVs and refrigerators from South Korea, dishwashers and vacuums from Germany. We see lots of appliances that are made right here in the U.S. too, of course. Every country has winners and losers when it comes to quality and performance.
Here, we focus on the best American made appliances, large and small, available now. Especially with so much recent reshoring, the U.S. is competitive in these categories, so you have plenty of choices. You may have to spend a bit more, however, since in many cases, appliance manufacturers have brought production of premium lines home , while continuing to outsource lower-priced models.
Refrigerators
Among all bottom-freezers and built-ins we’ve tested, roughly 40 make our recommended list, including these 10 American-made models. (Most top-freezers and side-by-sides are manufactured overseas.)
Dishwashers
In this category, KitchenAid is the safest bet because all its dishwashers are manufactured in Findlay, Ohio. Bosch and Kenmore mix of domestic and foreign production, but the models within the link below are made in the U.S.
Wall Ovens
Michigan-based Whirlpool (which also owns Maytag and KitchenAid) makes many of the best performing wall ovens on the market. GE’s innovative French-door oven is also a recommended model.
Ranges
Looking for a great American-made range? Many electric models score highly in our tests, including the top induction model from Kenmore. The best pro-style ranges are made in KitchenAid’s factory in Cleveland, Tenn.
Washers
About a third of our washing machine picks are American-made. No dryers produced in the U.S. make the cut in our current Ratings.
Freezers
About half of our recommended freezers are made in the U.S. , including both upright and chest configurations.
Small Appliances
American made appliances are hard to come by. Indeed, no recommended toaster, coffeemaker, or food processor is made here. But the mixer and blender choices below are all top-rated.
Gas Grills
The vast majority of gas grills are manufactured in China. But all Vermont Castings grills are made in central Vermont, and Weber’s Summit and Genesis lines are made in Palatine, Ill.
Not to be the pessimist here, my reasoning is: since we got our butts kicked with the initial round of NAFTA, (AS predicted by Ross Perot) AND all the OTHER "alphabet-salad" FREE trade agreements, these corporations have found out that since Americans will buy the "lowest priced, cheapest made" ANYTHING, THE RESULT IS OUR WAGES HAVE FALLEN!!,,, so, they accomplished "their" goal, and it is NOW cheaper to make it here without thousands of ships plying back and forth. American wages have NOT kept pace, so we are now headed to 3rd world status, just as Senator bernie Sanders has been saying his WHOLE POLITICAL CAREER !! #FEELTHEBERN
why does this have to be political, give it a rest.
This was planned back in the 1980's for many reasons . So it was not so much a prediction as it was knowledge of the plansn in the business world . Itnis a shame that we were sold out by the government forbthe corperations . In lew of lowet wages and now cheaper products and a world of hunger that is not getting better but worse.much a p
Cheryl Cooper correct! I don’t hear accurate history often. The plan, based on the Lewis Powell Memo to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is multifaceted attack regulations, middle class wages/benefits, and propaganda to figures what they are doing, which is transferring wealth to China, saddling American people & Gov’t with massive debt. It’s the old Robber Barron would returned. Our standards of living are no longer in the top 10.
I want to buy American, I think it is still best!
We generally purchase Whirlpool or KitchenAid appliances and in 43 years have had one refrigerator that didn’t live up to the highest standards we have come to expect in these brands, which American Made appliances! Our Appliances in this Great Country are overall the very best choices! When purchasing foreign made Appliance, parts & labor are outrageously expensive and only the Bosche Appliances are comparable to KitchenAid but overall KitchenAid beat them! in Dishwashers which I plan to purchase today. I purchased a Samsung Refrigerator and it is JUNK! I love the Samsung TV’s but nothing else foreign made.
We all should support the American economy when making any purchases. Unfortunately many items are made in China (child labor should be banned!), Vietnam, etc. The China items are almost always of poor quality & that’s why prices are lower. You really do get what you pay for, so I attempt to look at reviews, manufacture reviews, etc., then compare to American products.
My wife and I had a Kitchen-Aid refrigerateor for 25 years,, Wish we fixed it instead of buying a new LG,,
After 30 years moving around with the military, we built a modest retirement home but splurged on appliances, top of the line Samsung- all are horrible! Fridge ice maker and condenser crapped at the two year mark, no one would work on them. The stove’s oven never held the correct temperature and was replaced at the three year mark. Dishwasher still being used but does a crappy job of drying and the microwave stops working if you leave it on for longer that 5 minutes. Appliances are a major purchase for most people and its sad that there aren’t enough consumer protections. Appliances used to last 20-30 years, no bells and whistles but dependable. Not any more!
I bought a very expensive Samsung refrigerator 5 years ago. Now there is a class action law suit against them because they refuse to fix the ice maker problems. I am an alliance service tech and I can’t even keep it working. Yet when my GE glass cooktop broke 3 months out of warranty they covered it. It speaks volumes about American versus foreign companies.
Because it is political. Politicians lining their pockets with Chinese money while selling this country’s future is why we’re here looking for things made in our country.