GE (General Electric)

The community is deeply divided along generational lines: GE appliances made before roughly the 1990s are held up as legends of durability, with members citing working fridges from the 1930s–1960s as proof of lost craftsmanship. Modern GE appliances, however, draw widespread frustration — sold off to Chinese conglomerate Haier in 2016, frequently criticized for early failures, inflated proprietary parts costs, and unnecessary smart features. A vocal minority still recommends simple, no-frills GE washers and fridges as a pragmatic middle-ground option, but the dominant sentiment is that the brand is a shadow of its former self.

While vintage GE products are celebrated as among the most durable ever made, modern GE appliances — now manufactured under Haier ownership — are widely reported to fail prematurely, carry inflated proprietary parts costs, and are actively avoided by appliance repair professionals; only the simplest, no-frills models earn any cautious endorsement.

Vintage GE products from the 1930s through the 1980s are consistently praised as virtually indestructible, and even some modern no-frills GE appliances earn cautious praise for reliability and repairability compared to Samsung and LG.

• Pre-1990s GE appliances renowned for lasting decades or longer
• Simple, dial-only GE washers/dryers praised for longevity and easy repair
• Parts availability and DIY repairability cited as strengths versus competitors
• GE Profile and Café lines occasionally recommended by appliance repair professionals
• Basic GE top-freezer fridges rated favorably for reliability and low failure rates
• GE LED bulbs noted as reliable and long-lasting by some users

Modern GE appliances face relentless criticism for early failures, costly proprietary parts, subscription-locked features, and declining quality following the 2016 sale to Haier. Multiple repair technicians actively warn against the brand.

• GE Appliances sold to Haier in 2016; no longer made by original GE
• Proprietary RFID water filters and locked features drive up ownership costs
• Frequent early failures reported across fridges, washers, dishwashers, and microwaves
• Smart and feature-heavy models cited as primary failure points
• Multiple repair technicians recommend against GE alongside Samsung and LG
• Jack Welch–era corporate decisions blamed for long-term quality decline

A commenter who kept a 1936 GE refrigerator as their primary kitchen fridge noted it had been running for 88 years without restoration — a feat no modern appliance could plausibly replicate, largely because manufacturers have no incentive to build something that outlives its designers.

One user summed up the brand's trajectory succinctly: they were convinced that everything GE made before 1988 was built to survive a nuclear apocalypse, while everything since has been heading steadily downhill.

A repair technician who visited one user's home gave a frank assessment: GE had essentially spec'd a 6-year lifespan into their fridges and engineered repairs to be as difficult and expensive as possible — then recommended against buying them entirely.

A user who bought a top-of-the-line GE washer and dryer described being locked out of features without a monthly app subscription, calling it the worst purchase of their life and vowing never to buy GE again.