The Luxury Appliance Brand You Might Not Realize Is Owned By Samsung

When you think of Samsung, you probably think of a smartphone or that high-end OLED TV you'd love to have in your living room. However, you might not know Samsung has a presence in luxury appliances too, through one of its subsidiaries, Dacor, which Samsung Electronics America acquired in 2016. For Samsung, the acquisition made sense: it already had a mass-market presence through its portfolio of refrigerators, washers, dryers, and ranges, and buying Dacor gave it a foothold in the luxury end of the market as well. 

Dacor, which was founded in California in 1965, had built a reputation for manufacturing high-end appliances, with even professional cooks, including Le Cordon Bleu's Master Chefs, appreciating the company's products. A reputation like this isn't earned easily or quickly, and Samsung clearly saw value in buying into a brand that had already done the spade work. 

However, rather than swallowing the brand and folding Dacor products into its existing appliance lineup, Samsung pitched the acquisition as a way to help the company grow. Dacor would continue operating from the U.S., with its domestic manufacturing base intact, confirming that it viewed the brand's heritage and reputation as an asset. However, the years since have not been kind, and Dacor's reputation isn't quite as it once was. 

You won't find Dacor products on special offer at your local Costco, as they're high-end luxury products that carry price tags to match. The company's lineup covers core kitchen categories, including ranges, dishwashers, ventilation hoods, and microwaves, and it is also considered one of the major smart refrigerator brands.

To see what makes the products so special, let's look at the company's 30-inch induction range, which packs a bevy of handy features — although you'd expect that given its $6,999 price tag. Among the standouts are integrated air fryer & sous vide functions, smart connectivity, soft-close doors, and precision induction. It also includes a feature called Sabbath mode. Sabbath mode is a feature present on fridges, ranges, and many other appliances that allows Jewish owners to use them without breaking electricity usage restrictions during Shabbat. 

However, before you rush out and refit your entire kitchen with a gleaming new Dacor suite, it's also worth noting that Dacor fares badly in ConsumerAffairs ratings, with 600 reviews making for an underwhelming 1-star rating, earning it a reputation as one of the appliance brands that consumers most regret buying. Ultimately, the combination of its prices and poor reputation means you'll want to weigh any buying decision carefully before committing to a Dacor kitchen appliance.