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Israeli appliances -?

I expected different brands, really, I did. What I didn't expect was
only ONE brand of most appliances... or rather, one cheapo brand that
is half the price of the costly Euro-brands, three times the price of
the familiar Canadian brands (proctor-silex, and the various cheap
wal-mart store brands etc), and made in China out of the chintziest
breakable plasticky materials available.
The brand is Gold Line, and it's everywhere, with its ludicrous
American flag and proud claim on the box of "America USA" (but
seriously, made in China). And it feels so terrible compared to the
stuff I'm used to... the parts are the wrong texture and fit together
either too tightly or too loosely, so that you know it's going to fall
apart or crack or wear out or just NOT do the job it's meant to do.

Bought a blender, toaster, and a second fan today (the apartment came
with one fan; this is the second we've bought) from a store called
something like "Electricity World." Because electricity is something
fantastic and new, so they have a whole store to sell things that use
it!

Tomorrow, I think we'll go back to buy a Gold Line toaster oven for
₪269... by my estimate, about $90 Canadian, which is less than
everything else I've looked at for a much bigger oven. Currently, we
have NO oven and this will expand the range of home cooking / baking
we can do, thus ultimately saving money (perhaps).in the long run.

We have to go back, anyway, because the fan was out of stock and they
are shipping it from the haifa store. And secretly I was happy about
that, because I didn't want to shlep it on the bus with the other
things I bought. If we buy the toaster oven tomorrow, we might take a
cab home - it's really not too far, and it may add up to around what 4
x bus fare might.

Still have to figure out how/where to buy a Rav Kav, a bus pass that
allows you to save money. And how to get reduced-price bus fare for
the kids!

Life feels a little like we're settling in, but there are always
things going on to remind you just how foreign you are. Like these
crazy Israeli "crappliances." Grrrr...

By the way, I have long said that we in North America don't pay
anywhere near the true price of the fancy appliances we take for
granted. There's no way you can make an alarm clock, toaster,
blender, etc., and ship them from China for under $20, yet they all
cost well under that in Canada. Someone is paying the price, and it's
mainly folks who have to deal with pollfution and poverty in China.

Meanwhile, here in Israel, I am grateful after the fact for the good
appliances I've enjoyed my whole life... and starting to plan what I
want for my next birthday!!!

1 comment:

  1. Have you checked out zap.co.il? We've had good experiences buying appliances there.

    ReplyDelete

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