When faced with delays in home improvements, sometimes those delays are directly connected to the strained production from well-known appliance brands. Brands you have trusted, possibly for generations in your family, are suddenly unavailable for months. These delays can have a dramatic impact on your home improvement plans so we recommend taking a deeper look at lesser-known appliance brands.

There are many brands across the world that have been sold for decades in the United States, but they remain obscure to most homeowners. As you shop for these alternative brands, here are a few tips to consider.

• Seek out the brand’s history online and ask a retailer about the known reliability.
• See the product in person to study the fit and finish of the product.
• Purchase from a local company where the brand is regularly sold.
• Discover whether the brand has a local repair company in case of malfunction.
• Recognize that “you get what you pay for” and avoid pricing too good to be true.

One alternative brand that you may not have heard of is Fisher & Paykel. Fisher & Paykel originated in New Zealand in the early 1900s and built a strong following from a reputation of innovation and well-engineered products. In America, they are mostly known for their double dish drawer. This appliance is the same size as a regular dishwasher, but it is split into two drawers. You can run smaller loads or two different loads of dishes at the same time. It was truly ingenious. Over the years, Fisher & Paykel have expanded their offerings to a full line of premium-grade kitchen appliances.

Sometimes what you need now for your home cannot wait until that favorite brand arrives. Fisher & Paykel is just one example of internationally famous brands with a reliable yet smaller presence in the US. Stop by to see this and other brands to keep that kitchen dream moving forward.