Consumer Reports: Should you buy Ikea appliances?

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Ikea is known for selling all kinds of home goods at affordable prices - you can even buy appliances there.

But who makes them and are they any good? Consumer Reports bought a number of Ikea appliances and put them through rigorous tests.

When homeowner Louis Pelaez was renovating his house, he chose appliances from Ikea.

"It was just easier to buy everything in one place," he said.

Even though some of the names are odd, most of the appliances are manufactured by Whirlpool.

Consumer Reports recently tested a variety of appliances available at Ikea, including ranges, refrigerators, dishwashers, a cooktop and a microwave. The results were mixed.

The $280 Lagan dishwasher Consumer Reports tested is noisy and the cycle time is long at 160 minutes.

But the $400 Renlig dishwasher does an excellent job cleaning and drying dishes and takes only 115 minutes.

"The Betrodd gas range for $800 did a better job cooking than some non-Ikea models that cost $2,000 more. It gave very good baking results and has a convection mode. But it didn't do a good job broiling burgers," said Pelaez.

The $1,500 dollar Nutid french-door refrigerator has excellent temperature control and energy efficiency, performing better than similar refrigerators that are double the price.

If you're installing more than one large appliance, shopping in one place can be convenient.

"Everything got delivered in one shot, I didn't have to worry about multiple deliveries," said Paleaz.

All but the Lagan line are covered by a five-year warranty. The industry standard is just one year.

To read the full report from Consumer Reports, CLICK HERE.