SMEG Appliances – Are They Worth The Money? It depends…

This article may contain links from our affiliate partners. Please read how we make money!

If you have been looking for new kitchen appliances, you have likely come across Smeg. Smeg is an extremely popular appliance company and is chosen by many people.

With their distinctive 1950’s designs, they are certainly great to look at, and hard to ignore.

When it comes to kitchen appliances Smeg is seen to be one of the best companies in the current market. But, Smeg appliances are notoriously known for being expensive.

Is this price justified, and why are they expensive?

While it is easy to get swooped up into purchasing hyped appliances, you should always do your research before purchasing. That is why we are here to help.

In this article, we will be discussing Smeg appliances in further detail. We will be taking a look at the company and its history. We will also be answering the two most important factors – why they are expensive and are they worth the money?

Smeg Company Background

Before we get into the prices of Smeg appliances, let’s take a closer look at the company.

Smeg was founded in 1948 by a gentleman named Vittorio Bertazzoni, in Guastalla Italy. Smeg is an abbreviation for Smalterie Metallurgiche Emiliane Guastalla. The company began the creation of its appliances, by creating its first cooker in 1955. The cooker was called Elisabeth, and it was released in 1956.

After the creation of their first appliances, in the following decades, they began to create other household appliances, such as washing machines, dishwashers, and ovens and hobs.

In 1971 Smeg particularly grew in popularity and by 1985, they were producing appliances for many different companies, such as laboratories, restaurants, and cafes.

While they were growing in popularity since the 1950s, it was in 1997 where they revolutionized their brand with the release of the FAB fridges.

These were the start of the iconic Smeg appliance look. In 2014, this retro design was expanded to smaller domestic appliances that were received well, such as food processors and mixers.

Since then Smeg has continued to be a popular and well-known brand. They have even collaborated with Dolce&Gabbana and Disney to bring out a line of small appliances, which further solidified their higher price range.

It is easy to see how they have become a well sought after brand, with their pride in being an Italian brand and their impressively designed appliances.

Why Are They Expensive?

Now that we have taken a look at the company’s background, let’s delve into some of the reasons why they are likely so expensive.

You Are Paying For The Brand

As with many brands across the globe, with Smeg products, you cannot deny that some of the reasons why they are so expensive are that you are paying for the brand.

Smeg’s FAB range is so popular and well known. Even from a distance, the majority of adults will recognize the design and know that it is a Smeg product. While you can purchase cheaper products that replicate the design, they are not the same and are missing the all-important Smeg branding.

When you look at other famous brands, such as the iPhone, Louis Vuitton, or Nike for example, their logos and names are well known and recognized. Even if you are not necessarily interested in purchasing their products, you would be able to recognize them when compared to other brands.

Smeg is the equivalent of this in the kitchen appliance world. It is like owning an expensive designer bag, people will associate the brand with a price tag. While Smeg products are great overall, there is no escaping the reality that owning their products does make a significant money statement.

As some people will want to be seen with the newest designer trainer, others want to have the sought after Smeg appliances. To some extent, they are a novelty purchase rather than something you purchase for convenience.

The Design

Another reason why Smeg appliances are so expensive is that they feature the ever-popular FAB design. As this design is specific to Smeg, some of the prices you pay will likely go towards paying for this specific design.

It is worth noting that there are appliances available to purchase that feature a similar design but at a fraction of the cost of Smeg products because they are a different brand.

Are Smeg Products Worth The Money?

Now that we have discussed some of the reasons why Smeg products are more expensive, let’s take a closer look at if they are worth the money.

This question is not the simplest to answer as this will partly come down to personal opinion, and what you value the most in kitchen appliances.

For example, if you are looking for this specific design of appliance and you are not overly bothered by specifications such as size, for example, then you may think that a Smeg FAB refrigerator is worth the money.

However, if you have a large family and you need a refrigerator with plenty of room, you will likely choose practicality over how the refrigerator looks. Given this, the answer is subjective.

Quality

When looking at whether or not Smeg products are worth the money, you should take into consideration the overall quality of the appliances.

For example, some users who have purchased and reviewed Smeg products have noted that the products such as the refrigerator have chipped after a few months of purchasing.

In addition to this, when looking at the reviews for products such as the kettle, the reviews are not all completely positive. While this is common for many products, when you are paying a significantly higher price, it can be disappointing to find that the quality is not exceptional and without fault.

It is worth noting that on the whole Smeg products are made well. The materials they use are of good quality, especially when compared to cheaper products on the market.

The question here is not to do with whether or not they use good materials, but rather if the materials that are used are justifiable to the significantly higher price range.

One of the main issues noted in some reviews of the Smeg freezers, in particular, is that they do not defrost themselves. Frost and ice will quickly build up and you will need to manually defrost the freezer frequently for it to work as it should.

Given the high price point, this is not something you would necessarily expect to have to do. This is why some people have stated that they do not think Smeg products are worth the money.

If you’re looking for appliances in other price points, you might find these articles useful:
The Best Vitamix Blenders at Every Price Point
The Best Mini Fridges
Best Microwaves for under $100

Limited Edition Designs

If you have money to splurge, you may think that the Smeg products are worth the price. If you are a fan of Disney or Dolce&Gabbana in particular, their collaborations are likely going to be appliances that you will purchase.

Whether it is to collect to display or to use, it is likely the Smeg products are worth the price range for you.

If these designs are important to you, and you want to create a statement, it can be argued that the Smeg appliances certainly are worth purchasing.

Summary

As you can see, it is fairly difficult to definitively answer the question of whether or not Smeg Appliances are worth the money. However, it is easy to see why they are so expensive.

As with any popular brand that is sought after, much of the cost likely goes towards paying to own that specific brand. However, the cost does go towards the creation of the product, design, and wages, etc.

Smeg is a popular brand and owning some of their products is a status symbol to an extent. Given that their design is so specific and can be linked straight back to their company, they are naturally more expensive.

However, whether or not they are worth the money is down to many different things.

Smeg products are well-made, however, it has been questioned whether or not the quality of the materials used is worth the higher price range.

As mentioned above, there are some limitations to some of their appliances in terms of defrosting and space. Given this, they may not be worth purchasing to some people.

However, if you are looking for statement appliances and have the money to splurge, they can be great appliances to purchase and worth the money.