Originally posted by: aircooled
Originally posted by: Xyclone
Hmm.. my mom said she won't buy fridges from Sears because she'll only buy Whirpool, and they dont have that.
Did you let her know that Whirlpool builds many appliances for sears?
Aircooled is right. I worked for sears parts and service for 5 years. Whirlpool is division 46 source 106. Which means any item that comes from kitchen appliances with a source 106 is a whirlpool product.
Sears and model numbers.. A quick way to tell what you are buying...
I mentioned division 46 because that stands for kitchen appliances. Now the source. Sears breaks up each category into divisions and then their product lines (kenmore, craftsman, LXI, etc) into sources. If you pay attention to the model number you can tell who made the item originally.
Example:
Refrigerators from kenmore that have a model number starting with 106 are actually whirlpools.
Appliances Div. 46
106.xxxxxxxx is a whirlpool product.
363.xxxxxxxx is a GE Product
464.xxxxxxxx is a Maytag Product
lawn equipment Div. 71
247.xxxxxxx is actually a MTD product
917.xxxxxxx is actually a Poulan Product (Lawn mower, Tractor)
358.xxxxxxx is actually a Poulan Product (Weedeater, Blower)
Engines Div. 71
500.xxxxxxx Briggs and Straton
143.xxxxxxx Techumseh
501.xxxxxxx Kohler
Tools Div. 09
911.xxxxxxx Is a Dewalt product (also known as black and decker)
Vacuums Div. 22
106.xxxxxxx Whirlpool
There are a ton of other sources from every division. WAY too many for me to remember off the top of my head. I can try to get a list from my old unit later this month, its pretty interesting stuff when you find out who makes what.
There are alot of people who will say that kenmores and other sears branded items are made with inferior parts. Thats absolutely not true. The parts ordered for a whirlpool are exactly the same ordered for a kenmore. If you want to conduct a quick test. Go to a parts stor and ask for the Dog Agitators of a whirlpool Washer. Then ask for the same part on a Kenmore washer. You will find that they have the exact same bag and part number on them.
Anyhow.. I could write a 10 page post on buying parts, brand reliabilty etc. You learn alot working at a repair shop..
-thebrain