image from smeg.com
So, this is the freestanding oven that I had decided we would get for the new kitchen. Until I discovered that some husbands have opinions about renovations. Stubborn and contrary opinions. It seems that Legoman was not enamoured with the Smeg Italian Stallion. More specifically he had taken umbrage at the teeny knobs, the backplate, the weight of the door and the various crevices in the oven that would make it hard to clean. Myself, I was just smitten with how clean it was, the six burners and that it was within budget.
He was determined to find an alternative that eradicated all those pesky details. And funnily enough if you stubbornly search, options start to appear. Actually just one option. The competition will henceforth known as the Aussie Rogue.
image from westinghouse.com.au
Yep, it appears us Aussies have come up with a 6 burner freestanding stove with equally huge oven capacity, nicer knobs (apparently), an easy to open door and a crevice free oven cavity. Not to forget pyrolytic liners, a door that does not get hot and a fast heat up time to boot. I could practically hear Legoman's internal ticks as he went down the list.
Now here is the problem. I am not a snob. I do not need to name drop my Italian Stallion in conversations at the polo club. My main reasons for choosing the Smeg is because it appears to be a reliable brand that has been around for a while and as a bonus I think it is pretty sexy, as stoves go.
Now the Westinghouse certainly ticks alot of boxes, is around the same price with more bang for your buck. But, this is a brand new range of ovens that have only just hit the market in the last two months. So, we would be the guinea pigs testing this new Australian designed and built oven.
Let me illustrate my concerns. These are some top Aussie contributions to the world of innovation.
We have 1. Cask Wine
image from Blurbfromtheburbs.blogspot.com.au
Not only did we invent the wine cask but we then also felt an overwhelming need to magnify the inherent tackiness and build a giant monumental version on the roadside somewhere.
2. The Splayd
image from petermartin.com.au
A spectacular amalgamation of a knife, a fork and a spoon. The epitome of modern eating elegance.
(so perfect for shovelling in the two minute noodles in front of the telly)
3. Budgie smugglers aka Speedo swimwear
image from couriermail.com.au
Sported by our Opposition leader who apparently is not popular with the female voters, cannot think why. Suspect he is probably not popular with the budgies either.
Can you see why I might have reservations with this new Aussie innovation? Even though it can simultaneously cook 72 mini cupcakes. So, I want to put it out there to the rest of blogtopia, would you be a guinea pig for a new Australian designed and made product and risk it being a lemon, or would you stay loyal to a European brand known for making reliable products?
In short, should I be won over by the Aussie Rogue or the Italian Stallion?
To be fair I should add that we did also invent the cochlear implant, the refrigerator and the pacemaker.
Can I also add, in case there was any doubt, this is not a sponsored post. It should be obvious with a blog as random as mine that this would be improbable. However if Westinghouse or Smeg wish to courier over a new oven, just let my personal assistant know the details as I will be down at the Polo club.
Maaate - national pride be damned, the Italian stallion is much better looking. Neeeeeeigh!!! (eventhough any argument using splayds as a pivotal element usually gets my vote - sorry, not this time)
ReplyDeleteYes but Mook it is not just about how hot he looks, more whether he is going to perform long term.
DeleteWho does the most cooking? To be honest we got one of the fab reliable Eurpean ones and stuff still goes wrong and wears out but it costs a lot more to fix! I'm not sure any more...
ReplyDeleteThis made me laugh! I like the smeg, simply for the look of it. But you need an oven door that doesn't get hot. Who will use the oven the most? If it's you then it's only fair you get more sway in the decision making process...
ReplyDeleteYou forgot - Australia also gave us Home & Away and Neighbours, two soaps that were huge in the UK during the 80s and 90s and that I grew up watching. They taught me everything I know about Australian life! ;-)
Gillian x
Ah yes the soaps. where would we be without alf and all those flamin hooligans?
DeleteI too am having a 'to Smeg or not to Smeg' moment! Not with a cooker but retro fridge! We've had a Smeg fridge now for 15 years, it's coming to the end of its life. I LOVE the look of it, but it's been pants, in as far as everything as broken on it, shelves, plastic trays, seals.......so do I spend all that money for the looks.....or go for something more hard wearing? (will still go for looks I think!) sorry I know that doesn't really help! :) x
ReplyDeleteOh I love those smeg fridges, they are gorgeous. Over here they are hideously expensive though for some reason so not even an option. Which colour are you hankering for?
DeleteI've got colbolt blue at the mo, thinking cream, or pale blue, or pink........:) x
Deletehi mel, I can only give you the chefs opinion as I haven't touched an oven in years!. Nic doesn't like smeg....its a chef thing. Ilve or St George are the go....pffft. We have a Westinghouse at the moment and the external "safety" glass on the door exploded about 2 yrs ago and we are still waiting on the replacement glass....long story. so as you can see I am of no help whatsoever. maybe I could be of help to that poor budgie!!....bags not giving it mouth to mouth though!!
ReplyDeleteAllison x
Interesting Allison. Our old disaster of a stove is about a ten year old St George that apparently cost the old owners 5K way back then and it is on its last legs. Maybe that's a good life for a stove? I had read on a forum about the previous model of Westinghouse that exact issue with the door getting really hot/exploding, you poor things. Figuring they must have fixed that issue now to have the only cool touch door on the market but does not overly encourage confidence.
DeleteI've had an old smeg in the past and it was fantastic, but apparently it is not as good as it once was. We talked to a few kitchen appliance people when we were oven choosing and the general consensus was that the quality had dropped in the new models.
ReplyDeleteMy friend got one and she was very disappointed because it kept breaking down. She bakes and entertains a lot too, and the last straw was when it went kaput before a big party! She got maybe 6 years out of it...and it had to be repaired once in that time too. She ended up ditching it for an Ilve.
I'd be a guinea pig or just shop around a bit more...! xx
I'm on my second Smeg and have never had any problems and don't find it particularly hard to clean (not that I do it often!). We shopped around a little before buying the second one and due to a good deal and knowing how well our older one had worked, went for the brand again. There will always be good and bad reviews of any brand and you can do all the research in the world and still end up with the one dud oven out of 4,000 perfect ones out of the factory, so I say go for the one that suits your needs and budget and which you generally feel comfortable with. Don't you just hate it when the other half has an opinion on these things ;) I love splayds by the way. Happy shopping!
ReplyDeleteI loved my smeg, (for the few months I got to use it anyway!) If I ever get another kitchen I would choose it again. Once I learned how to use it, it was magical!
ReplyDeleteOne thing to note though, is recently when I was changing my insurance company It was brought to my attention that your insurance premiums can be higher if you have European appliances in your home!! Don't know why, but maybe worth a look into!
Sounds like your kitchen is coming along nicely.... :)
If you are a guinea pipits likely you will up being a bunny! I've gone wall mount smug...I mean smeg!
ReplyDeleteWe guinea-pigged with our last washing machine, the much-hyped top loader that as all the features of a front loader. It has been ok, but not great. And then they discontinued it, I believe.
ReplyDeleteIf that was the F and P Aquasmart? We got it too and I hate it. On water save mode, it saves water, by not actually cleaning the clothes!
DeleteThe more questions you ask, the more confusing the decision gets - that's where I'm at. I was initially going for the new Smeg pyrolytic free-standing - purely for cost and looks. But after using the Gaggenau oven in our rental (and I have used many other brands before including Smeg) I can really see the difference. Everything I throw in there is cooked to perfection, it is self-cleaning and it looks good. The Gaggenau measures only 760mm but has a whopping 110L capacity compared with the Smeg which is 900mm with a 90L capacity. Size does matter to me - I have a family of six and I cook, A LOT. Each brand will have their pros and cons - go with your gut. I'm still on the fence for now, but luckily for me Mark doesn't give a hoot what I choose! xx
ReplyDeleteThe smeg mode we were looking at had a 121 litre capacity and the westinghouse has a 125litre capacity. Both are pretty impressive. Might see you down at Winning Appliances, they are the only ones who have the Westinghouse on the floor and we are keen to take a look.
DeleteWe have that model of smeg in my workplace and it is FAB!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat is the warranty on the Aussie Rogue?
ReplyDeleteI am assuming it will be you who will be doing most of the cooking and who will be using it day in and day out and so therefore you should get the final say.
And your husband is invited to dole out a big "I told you so" if you are not entirely happy!
Ohh that's a hard one. I prefer the look of the Italian one (with those cute little legs), but I asked the the other half and he liked the Aussie one the best.
ReplyDeletex
We had exactly the same "discussion" leading up to our new kitchen and ended up getting one entirely different. Being the cake master that I am, my only real requirement was that I could bake two cakes at once or two trays of cupcakes. We investigated a La Germania and found it to be a compromise for both of us and was actually cheaper than both of the others we were looking at. BTW - La Germania is also an Italian Stallion started by the gramdfather of the man currently running the company. Years ago it was actually two brothers (grandsons of the original inventor) but one decided to go off and create his own more upmarket range of the same appliances and called the company Smeg... An interesting little tidbit of trivia for you. If you do look at the La Germania or investigate reviews, make sure it's without the glass "lid" that covers the burners - they tend to explode. But if you look at a model without that silly lid then there's no problems at all. And the front glass does heat up, but I can hold my hand on it for probably 10 seconds before it gets uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteThat giant wine cask is priceless! I used to love as a kid sliding down grass hills on the inflated silver pillows out of the casks! Back to ovens though. I have a Smeg fridge and have never had a problem with it. No idea about their ovens though. I have had an Ilve oven with no problems. Now have a Miele and it cooks unevenly but is easiest oven I have ever had to clean. Where are they both made? Warranty differences? Just looking at them I prefer the Smeg, as I prefer a freestanding oven to look like an independent piece of furniture in the kitchen. The Westinghouse with the base plate bit won't look quite the same. However... you won't need to clean under it so maybe that's better? xx
ReplyDeleteWe recently upgraded our oven, we went Bosch. Deciding factors were where the internal parts came from (Germany) and the temperature gauge. We were told that the Australian standards ovens only needed to be within 10%, ie if you selected 200 degrees the actual temp inside the oven could be anywhere between 180-220...
ReplyDeleteGermans didn't allow that large a range and I think there's was 5%
The Smeg looks way sexier! Still giggling over this post. Nearly choked on my cup of tea when I scrolled down to the budgie smuggler photo - may have even blushed.......where to look!!! xoxo
ReplyDeleteWow, both look very sexy. I agree with those who replied, it should definately be the one who cooks most gets to choose! I am sure you can't make a wrong desicion here. Go with your gut and enjoy your new purchase! Sometimes when applicances have too many gizmoes there is more to break down. Just another thought to throw out there. X
DeleteSorry, I've no experience of either oven but I would never buy anything made by Smeg, least of all drop it into conversation at the polo club! Not that I've got anything against their products; it's the name. I don't like the sound of it, just the addition of an 'm' and 'a' turns it into something not very nice!
ReplyDeleteNow Westinghouse on the other hand I could live with, and have no qualms about dropping it into any conversation. Sounds strong and reliable - I'd go for that if it was up to me.
I hope that's helped with your decision making!
Late on commenting as life gets in the way, however... I had that Smeg oven for 8 years and it was beyond brilliant. Such a fantastic oven. It only broke down once and that was my fault as something fused after we shifted it from one house to another. The local electrician fixed it easily with no wait for pats etc. Such a good oven that we moved it to the old farmhouse when we renovated and I had the kitchen built around it. (The house I was leaving was only a cottage and it was getting a new kitchen and a smaller oven as one of our staff was moving in and he lived alone.)
ReplyDeleteSadly it stayed in the old farmhouse as it didn't fit into this house. Incidentally our current house had a spot for a double wall oven and the existing oven was broken so when I replaced it I bought another Smeg. And the original Smeg is still going strong in the old farmhouse where our operations manager lives with his wife and 3 kids - would be ten years old now and still no issue.
Go the Smeg I say.
That would be parts I didn't wait for, not pats!!
ReplyDeleteAnd as a child of the 70s I have a soft spot for the splade.