I do not trust them. Same with brands like z line/Thor etc. That doesn't mean they won't make any decent product. Let me explain.
So these aren't manufacturing companies in any way. They use factories in China and other parts of the world to make stuff for them. They design and spec what they want, shop it to factories, then order a bunch of product and sell it to you. These are marketing companies, using Alibaba like manufacturers, drop shipping the day away.
Where that gets dicey is that those factories have ZERO vested interest in quality/service/customer experience. So every product is a gamble on the consumers part. A gamble that they are using quality parts. A gamble that they are taking appropriate testing measures to prevent catastrophic failures. And a gamble that the marketing company selling it to you (forno in this case) will exist in a year or three when you need support.
To make matters even worse, these companies are often shockingly small. They lean on price and the Internet to promote their product. They don't have sales teams, they don't have huge back office call centers and they don't have large parts departments. Their service network is definitely farmed out to the lowest bidder. And that service network likely is poorly trained on the product, isnt being paid particularly well and won't cover areas that aren't dense Metros.
All of this means every product you purchase from them is a gamble. Maybe that company cares and will take care of you. Maybe they don't care and if your product breaks they will give you an 800 number and say "there's nothing we can do for you." Maybe that company ceases to exist in 18 months and then you are stuck with a 48" opening that will cost you another $5k or more to replace.
All appliance brands have their flaws. Big brands or small, it doesn't matter. Sometimes they make a bad product, or treat a customer poorly, or have bad service. But the established names are far less likely to do that and have large established groups of people who work for them and support their product. The likelihood of expensive or catastrophic issues is significantly less.
Buy at your own risk.
I wish I had gold or an award to give you. This is spot on.
It’s slapped together in the cheapest way possible. It might work for 20 years. It might work for 20 seconds. If you have the disposable income to gamble on it, feel free to try. But if you have that kind of disposable income, just buy the better product with a much better network and track record.
I agree with Hendy almost entirely, but am going to add one thing. Forno has recently bought a factory and is looking at building one or buying another. I’m unaware of what project capacity is or will be for both. Forno for whatever reason is changing vs Thor and Zline. Time will tell if the decisions have been well made.
Interesting. I'll reach out to some folks who might be in the know. I'll hold my breathe as buying a factory is a long way from making consistent quality product
Thor, ZLINE and Forno are not great. Parts and service are difficult if not impossible to find and the ranges are manufactured cheaply.
Check out Fisher & Paykel, they have their Classic series induction range in white, it has stainless steel sides!
I do not trust them. Same with brands like z line/Thor etc. That doesn't mean they won't make any decent product. Let me explain. So these aren't manufacturing companies in any way. They use factories in China and other parts of the world to make stuff for them. They design and spec what they want, shop it to factories, then order a bunch of product and sell it to you. These are marketing companies, using Alibaba like manufacturers, drop shipping the day away. Where that gets dicey is that those factories have ZERO vested interest in quality/service/customer experience. So every product is a gamble on the consumers part. A gamble that they are using quality parts. A gamble that they are taking appropriate testing measures to prevent catastrophic failures. And a gamble that the marketing company selling it to you (forno in this case) will exist in a year or three when you need support. To make matters even worse, these companies are often shockingly small. They lean on price and the Internet to promote their product. They don't have sales teams, they don't have huge back office call centers and they don't have large parts departments. Their service network is definitely farmed out to the lowest bidder. And that service network likely is poorly trained on the product, isnt being paid particularly well and won't cover areas that aren't dense Metros. All of this means every product you purchase from them is a gamble. Maybe that company cares and will take care of you. Maybe they don't care and if your product breaks they will give you an 800 number and say "there's nothing we can do for you." Maybe that company ceases to exist in 18 months and then you are stuck with a 48" opening that will cost you another $5k or more to replace. All appliance brands have their flaws. Big brands or small, it doesn't matter. Sometimes they make a bad product, or treat a customer poorly, or have bad service. But the established names are far less likely to do that and have large established groups of people who work for them and support their product. The likelihood of expensive or catastrophic issues is significantly less. Buy at your own risk.
I wish I had gold or an award to give you. This is spot on. It’s slapped together in the cheapest way possible. It might work for 20 years. It might work for 20 seconds. If you have the disposable income to gamble on it, feel free to try. But if you have that kind of disposable income, just buy the better product with a much better network and track record.
I agree with Hendy almost entirely, but am going to add one thing. Forno has recently bought a factory and is looking at building one or buying another. I’m unaware of what project capacity is or will be for both. Forno for whatever reason is changing vs Thor and Zline. Time will tell if the decisions have been well made.
Interesting. I'll reach out to some folks who might be in the know. I'll hold my breathe as buying a factory is a long way from making consistent quality product
Thor, ZLINE and Forno are not great. Parts and service are difficult if not impossible to find and the ranges are manufactured cheaply. Check out Fisher & Paykel, they have their Classic series induction range in white, it has stainless steel sides!
I feel like every 5th Instagram post from ZLine is about another product recall.
Have you decided which one you’re buying yet?
Bertazzoni makes a white range with colored side panels. Made in Italy owned for 140 years by the same family.