How to save $4k on appliances for a full kitchen reno with Sears Outlet!
The cheapest appliances are usually not the most attractive (and the prettiest ones are crazy expensive). But I really didn't want to replace our fridge and range with plastic-ey, modern-looking, builder special stainless steel ones. We also wanted special features--panel-ready dishwasher, slide-in range (not freestanding), and counter depth fridge!
So I looked around for scratch-and-dent appliance places near me. In that search I found Sears Outlet. They sell brand new appliances at the lowest prices you'll find in-store or online--floor models, lightly scratched pieces, last season's models, overstocks... they have huge selection and all the same brands you see elsewhere.
I did the math... buying scratch-and-dent appliances like the ones we chose can save you about $4k!!! These are not builder basic appliances, either--like, we got the most beautiful KitchenAid range from Sears Outlet. Check out the price comparison and my favorite stylish appliance options for our modern traditional full kitchen reno!
Thanks to Sears Outlet for providing our range in exchange for this post! You can shop Sears Outlet online or at a store near you!
Remember you can also check out other posts on this DIY kitchen reno:
- Read about our design/plans here
- See all the house before photos here
- See how we built our cabinets here.
- Read about our kitchen demo day here.
- See how we installed our cabinets here.
- Learn about our budget-friendly marble-look quartz countertops here.
- See our handmade-look tile backsplash/mosaic tile pros/cons here.
- Read how to lay sheet vinyl flooring in a complex, larger space here.
- Read about our kitchen sink and faucet (and why we didn't choose a farm sink and bridge faucet)
- Learn how to choose cabinet hardware and see the beautiful, affordable modern traditional options I considered
- See our chunky wood floating-look easy, budget-friendly DIY open shelf tutorial
- Read how we saved $4k on higher-end looking appliances
- Get the DIY built-in range hood tutorial here
- See my comparison of budget-friendly cabinet options (beyond IKEA!) here
- See my video about our cabinets, start to finish.
- See the full BUDGET breakdown here
- See the full reveal HERE!
Affordable, traditional-look appliances
You can see the kitchen design elements below... I decided the straight-lined, chunky handles on KitchenAid appliances would be best for our traditional-leaning kitchen. Handle style is so important with appliances! Metal color, too; some brands' stainless steel is more on the blue-grey side, whereas I liked the warmer tone of the KitchenAid metal.
The first appliance we chose was the new range. We weren't switching to a gas range, but I wanted a slide-in (that is, controls on the top front rather than standing up 8" or so at the back). Slide-in ranges are never cheap. Even the lowest price one out there is close to $1,000 (and it's not cute). But it was really worth it to me to have that sleek look of countertop all the way across the range wall (plus it's easier to keep clean). I found the perfect KitchenAid glass top slide-in range, with extra features like a back venting option and non-stinky self-cleaning.
But I also had to figure out the other appliances. The fridge: we HAD to have a counter-depth fridge (the old one was full depth and stuck out so far, it was awful in our small galley-style kitchen and it blocked the light from the breakfast nook!)--they can be more expensive than standard ones. Counter depth refrigerators come in 33" wide or the more standard 36" wide. Going with a 36" option meant more cubic feet of storage inside, plus we could use our cabinet maker's standard cabinet above. I love the look of this KitchenAid counter depth fridge... hidden ice maker, and classic handles. (We ended up finding a similar Jenn Aire one at a local scratch-and-dent/used appliance place, but when I visited Sears Outlet in person I saw one of those KitchenAid ones for only $1,200! I should have waited! :P)
Next, the dishwasher. You can buy a cheap, but fine, stainless steel dishwasher for $300. But, it'll probably be loud and might not have extra features like top spinner or small top pull-out rack, and I haven't seen any with that classic handle style I love. Plus, we have a small kitchen and not that many cabinets, so I didn't really want a stainless steel rectangle interrupting our longest cabinet run. I wanted a panel-ready option. These can also be $1,000. (Most panel-ready appliances are extra expensive.) BUT I found this panel-ready KitchenAid one at Sears Outlet for $632--basically what you can expect to spend on a standard, nicer dishwasher.
Here's our final kitchen design board, with those budget-friendly, classic-handled appliances from Sears Outlet.
So much better than the melted soap-ey modern stainless steel-everything of a basic kitchen, and yet not more expensive!
So, how pretty is that range??! So classic! It looks a lot like much higher-priced gas ranges, but didn't involve any changes to the power supply (you can choose a 3- or 4-pronged plug when Sears Outlet comes to install it) and was an affordable piece I'm proud to share with you, and is appropriate for this small kitchen.
Because the outlet is old and not recessed, the plug made it stick out a little proud of the cabinets, and we wanted some countertop behind it so we had our countertop fabricator mount a 1.5" or 2" strip of quartz behind the range.
I think if you had the option to recess the plug, you could also push this range back to the wall and do no countertop behind it.
The control panel is small and simple, with more metal than black around it which I love. This KitchenAid range has 4 burners plus a warming zone, but the largest burner has 3 size settings so you can change the size of the area it heats depending on your pan. The oven is convection, even! I also love that the panel locks easily for cleaning.
I love the dials, too! And of course the straight-lined handles with knurling (diamond pattern texture).
We adjusted the height slightly (very easily, just twisting the feet) to be veeery slightly raised from the countertops.
We are SO happy with this range and it feels so luxurious and high-end! This particular one was a floor model and has a very small dent on the left side, well underneath the countertop and completely hidden by the cabinet. You would never see it.
Sears Outlet delivered and installed for us. We saved so much with scratch-and-dent appliances and I would absolutely use them again and recommend to anyone!
Sears Outlet price comparison
I hadn't heard about Sears Outlet before, so did some research. I visited their Clackamas location outside Portland and got a tour. Here are some facts!
- Sears Outlet sells both new items as well as one-of-a-kind, out of box, discontinued, refurbished, and scratch-and-ding merchandise. All items that are non-new undergo a stringent testing and certification process and, when necessary, have cosmetic parts replaced and/or are repaired.
- They offer significant discounts, typically up to 50% off!
- Their products at each store location change all the time. You can see what's in stock at a store near you on their website, and can choose to pay extra to have something shipped from farther away.
- They sell tools, yard and garden supplies, of course appliances, and more.
- They offer delivery, installation, and warranties just like any other new appliance store.
As for how much we saved? Well, I put together a little comparison of Sears Outlet prices for our range and appliances similar to what we got, versus the manufacturer's suggested retail price and another big box retailer. This is for this fridge, range, and dishwasher--same model numbers elsewhere.
That's a savings of $3,942 off MSRP and $2,633 compared to the big retailer. WOW. There is just no reason to pay more when you can get the same great service, selection, and quality for so much less!!
I am totally set on buying scratch-and-dent appliances in the future, we saved so much!! I would absolutely go back to Sears Outlet again for a washer/dryer, next house appliances, whatever it is we need next.
Definitely check out the great prices on their website and stop in a store if you get a chance!
Thanks to Sears Outlet for providing our range in exchange for this post!
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