Going off piste with appliances and worktops in a Magnet kitchen

James_Blonde

We're getting a new Magnet kitchen - deposit paid, but plan not yet finalised.  We've got our own installer to do the work.  There are 2 things we are still unsure on - appliances and worktops.  

We need a new leccy double oven, induction hob, extractor, microwave  and washing machine - we have an existing integrated dishwasher we'll keep and a feature fridge freezer.  The last time we used Magnet, they used Bosch appliances, which we were more than happy with.  They now use AEG, and I've seen some really mixed opinions.  Are AEG any good?  Is it even worth buying the appliances from Magnet, or are we as well to get our own?  And if you think we're better buying our own, who would you go with??  

The other question was on worktops... 

We are looking at mixing a wood worktop on the breakfast bar / peninsula, with a solid worktop in the working area - the section with the hob and sink.  My wife wants the wooden section to be more natural / wavy edged, but obviously this isn't something Magnet would do. Any suggestions??

We're thinking of using Corian for the solid section (White Onyx or possibly Jade Onyx) but still really unsure on whether Corian is the right material, or whether the colour is right.  Any other suggestions or views?  We had granite worktops installed in the kitchen we had fitted in our old house and in hindsight didn't really like them.  Dekton didn't float our boat (the printed surface was too fake) and Minerva didn't really have the colour options we'd want - slightly creamy.  Again, any thoughts or suggestions??

Thanks!

SaverRate

Personally I would buy my own appliances. If you shop around you will get a better price than Magnet most likely. I’ve brought a Bosch oven, Zanussi fridge freezer, hotpoint extractor fan and a Bosch Hob for my new kitchen.

Went for Bosch and Zanussi due to the name and heard good reviews. Went for the hotpoint extractor fan due to price compared to Bosch/Zanussi equivalent. 

Have a look at AO/AO outlet (eBay) in particular. 

I am keeping my existing washing machine as only 2 years old - a Hoover one and so far have never had any issues with it. 

Bendy_House

Hi James.

I think I'd always suggest at least checking out Maia worktops, ever since t'in-laws had some fitted a few years back. Seamless joints (at least in our case - they might not always guarantee them 'perfect' in close-up, but are generally considered visually virtually 'seamless'), choice of thicknesses, impressive appearance, and - the brownie point - light scratches can be polished out as the top layer is a good few mm thick.

Belenus

James_Blonde said:

 They now use AEG, and I've seen some really mixed opinions.  Are AEG any good?  Is it even worth buying the appliances from Magnet, or are we as well to get our own?  And if you think we're better buying our own, who would you go with??  

I can only speak for us but in 2016 we chose AEG and we are so far very satisfied with them. We were using an independent kitchen company but we bought the ovens etc ourselves as we got a cash back deal from AEG and a 5 year warranty, neither of which are offered to the trade at the time.

We bought a large single oven, a combination microwave oven and a hob from WAD Appliances in Southampton.

The hob and single oven have been flawless so far. After nearly five years the heavily used combo developed a condensation problem with the double glazed door. A call to AEG resulted in very quick, no argument, trouble free on site replacement under warranty at no charge.

We also received the promised cash back with no problems. All we had to do was submit proof of purchase to AEG.

Note that these items were purchased 6 years ago. AEG Quality, reliability and customer services may or may not have changed since then.

EssexExile

Don't get hung up on the name on appliances, even Bosch appliances are not necessarily made by Bosch. I would compare prices with other suppliers though.

Billxx

We had our kitchen extended and bought all our own appliances.  Two ovens, fridge, freezer, dishwasher, washing machine, induction hob and extractor fan all from AEG.   This was a couple of years ago, we got cash-back and extended warranty, so definitely worth shopping around.  All the appliances are good with the exception of the extractor fan, it is noisy and we wished we'd spend more and got a better (quieter) model.

davemorton

James_Blonde said:

The other question was on worktops... 

  We had granite worktops installed in the kitchen we had fitted in our old house and in hindsight didn't really like them. 

Thanks!

Can I ask what you didnt like about the granite please, as I am busy looking for a granite worktop. 

Keithy13

After a number of quotes and designs from various kitchen companies we decided to DIY. We bought carcasses and doors online from one company, accessories like pull out baskets etc from another. We bought AEG oven and hob from AO also dishwasher and fridge. Sink from Amazon, tap from B&Q. I did all the work myself and got the electrics signed off by a qualified electrician. The saving on the prices quoted by the kitchen companies was around £11000
Back to worktop question, we bought these from Worktop Express also online (Beech wood). They will custom cut them for you to whatever you want. However you need to be comfortable doing the drawings online. 

daivid

I have a freestanding AEG cooker which is 4 years old now, on the whole I'm very happy with it. I'm really happy with the induction hob and the main oven is great. My only gripe is the smaller oven, the grill function is good but as an oven seems pretty poor - small and seemingly under powered. It may be that I've not learned how to use it properly as I only try to use it when cooking for numbers as otherwise the main oven does all I need but equally as it was initially disappointing I've not persevered with it as the main oven is so much better. 

If I was having a kitchen with built in appliances I would consider 2 bigger ovens and no small - my main oven has a grilling function which is good for crisping up though I do not know how good it is as an out and out grill.

fenwick458

AEG are a premium brand, just look at the prices

can't answer your worktop dilemma, you seem to have tried every type...

James_Blonde

Thanks All, this is incredibly useful!

davemorton said:

James_Blonde said:

The other question was on worktops... 

  We had granite worktops installed in the kitchen we had fitted in our old house and in hindsight didn't really like them. 

Thanks!

Can I ask what you didnt like about the granite please, as I am busy looking for a granite worktop. 

Hi Dave, was possibly more my wife than me - we went for a dark glossy granite and it was always smeary, never looked completely clean because of it, and showed fingerprints really easily.  It also wasn't quite as maintenance free as we perhaps hoped as it needed to be sealed every few months, and (and this is going to sound really weird) it was too hard - and I mean angular, sharp, cold and actually hard - things didn't bounce particularly well when you dropped them on it, where other surfaces might have been more forgiving! (even Corian!) 

We know wood is going to require more maintenance, but we know that going into it.  We're also not using wood around the working or wet areas