Major Appliances in Udon Thani?

Hello again folks,

I will be retiring to Udon Thani next week, and my wife and I will live in a rental until such time as we can find a house we like, or decide to build one of our own.

The rental needs a stove (preferably 4 burner w/oven-available there?), refrigerator/freezer, washing machine and dryer, and a tv. In the US I could just run down to Home Depot or Lowe's and get all of this stuff in one go, have it delivered and set up, and be done with it. Is it that simple in Udon Thani? If so, what are the best places to go for this sort of thing? I am familiar with Robinson's (probably not the place to go) and Lotus (not sure as I've never really looked around there).

Also, what brands are good in Thailand? I know some good brands here are Whirlpool (appliances), Panasonic (electronics), Samsung (electronics), etc., but have no clue as to whether Samsung/Panasonic appliances are any good. So I figured you folks have been around Thailand for a while and may have some insight into what is available there.

Any information and/or suggestions would be most appreciated.

Best Regards,
KB

KB,
We bought our most recent Hitachi fridge at Homepro....on sale. Free delivery (18km outside of town) and no problems after 3 years. Our US built Whirlpool topload washer we bought in Robinson's, on sale. Free delivery and had it for 4 years with no problem. Previously we had an Electrolux frontload that the wife never took a liking to. It worked fine, but she's a topload person.
Did you say dryer? I think I know one person in Udon who has one......but I'm sure there are others.
We bought our most recent Toshiba 40" LCD at Homepro....also on sale. Free delivery, works great.
We bought a small Whirlpool 3 burner gas stove with small over at the multi-storied appliance shop half-way between the clock and fountain circles. We've had it for 8 years......it's an okay stove, but not as well-built as an American stove.

I bought my Samsung computer monitor at the Hardware House in the complex. No problems after 1.5 years.

If you can find a furnished house, you can save yourself the trouble of buying appliances until you decide to build yourself. That'd give you time to get the feel for different stores/different brands etc.
If it's a namebrand item (Panasonic, Samsung, Hitachi, etc), I wouldn't worry much about where I bought the item. Most of the major brands have repair shops in town (although they may have to ship it to Bangkok/other area if they can't repair it locally). I'd just as easily buy a namebrand appliance in Big C, Lotus, Homepro, Makro, or most anywhere else if the price was right.
Good luck with your move!

Thanks guys...sounds like I can get everything taken care of in one place, which is good. Then I have one place to go back to if there is a problem. Hopefully, with a list like that, there will be a discount for buying it all at once, and hopefully some of the things will be on sale.

The house is furnished, but needs these things as it is not fully furnished. I did not want to buy furniture until we figure out what our house is going to be like, but I do not mind buying the majors as they will transfer to the new house. Ah, also need a mattress (western), which may be a bit of a problem?

As for the move, I am bringing two suitcases and a carry on. Anything that does not fit into those goes to my kids/grandkids. So shopping will be a priority for a week or so. I guess we will visit all the major stores and see who has the best prices on the things we need to get.

Thanks again. I look forward to the day when I can say 'I live in Thailand.'

KB

Nano Square downtown on Adulnyadet Rd near near Prajak circle has all things electronic, including dryers.

We bought a dryer though don't expect American quick drying, the LG technicians came to our house and said we need to allow about 2 hours as they have smaller heat units here, not sure if this is a story to avoid the issue, seems a bit silly and useless to have the dryer if this is true.

Index and Home Pro have Sealy mattresses of all quality levels, as well as other brands. One spends so much time in one's bed and one's shoes, so higher quality is best.

rct wrote:Nano Square downtown on Adulnyadet Rd near near Prajak circle has all things electronic, including dryers.

We bought a dryer though don't expect American quick drying, the LG technicians came to our house and said we need to allow about 2 hours as they have smaller heat units here, not sure if this is a story to avoid the issue, seems a bit silly and useless to have the dryer if this is true.

Index and Home Pro have Sealy mattresses of all quality levels, as well as other brands. One spends so much time in one's bed and one's shoes, so higher quality is best.

2 hrs we have an Electrolux, average load is never over 45min. Have seen the full size washers & dryers by Whirlpool.

Hi,
Yes you can get a western mattress, but they cost more money. Got mine at the shop opposite Tesco's, near the cross roads which leads to N.K. It cost me 14,000B six years ago. Very good mattress, by Sealy. Posture springing. Still cheaper than the equil. one in U.K.
If you are going to get a T.V. with LCD. to use in your retal acc. i'd buy a cheap one. Prices are coming down every month, on these, and you can pick up a bargain, when you have time to look around. and you can get a full HD one with all the gadgets on when you move into your own place. Keep the other one for your bedroom. Just M.O.
You can get all these things, you want, in Homepro. If you want to buy in one place.
Cheers Doug.

papaguido wrote: "2 hrs we have an Electrolux, average load is never over 45min."


Same, same. Electrolux dryer, full load = 45 +/- minutes. Wife uses it during the rainy season and loves it. Happen to see on sale at HomePro for something over 11,000 baht. Never had a problem with it.

Logically, since we had a washing machine, the wife calls the dryer a dry machine. She has me calling it a dry machine now. (khrueang op pha hang)

Homepro has the best selection, but are typically about 15% more expensive than other places (BUT they also have the best service hands-down!). Lotus or Big C (sometimes) has cheaper prices. Robinson's is comparatively often hella expensive, but is a good place to go for handheld appliances not available elsewhere. Also, check Robinson's FIRST for dishes. Check Lotus FIRST for cutlery, and other things which fit in kitchen drawers - then check Robinson's for those things you can't find at Lotus. Ngeesoon (near new Lotus) and the Chinese store next to it are where you want to go for all things plastic (containers, etc.) and sundries.

Welcome to Udon!

IMHO, you won't go wrong with LG brand for anything. I love 'em.

Thanks for all the information guys. I'll have to look around and see what is available where.

Yeah, the wife really liked the dryer when she came here to visit, and with the rainy season, it has to be bad trying to dry clothes. Hence, I figure a dryer is needed.

Heh, good story Shado...it actually does make logical sense. If it is a washing machine, then sitting beside it is the drying machine.

I know that Thailand uses 220v electric, but what is the amperage? If it is 30 amp norm, then a dryer ought to work the same there as here. If it is 15 amp, I can see where it might take a bit longer, but something is wrong if it is taking 2 hours to dry a load of clothes. Are you using gas or electric for the dryer? Or is this some sort of huge dryer that holds a houseful of clothes?

I am looking forward to getting there next week. We will spend a few days and take a break in Bangkok before coming up to Udon Thani. I also look forward to meeting up with some of the other farang expats as I note there are a few other old Marines there. I look forward to chatting with folks and learning many of the lessons BEFORE they are hard.

Again, thanks for the information.
KB

KHONDAHM wrote:IMHO, you won't go wrong with LG brand for anything. I love 'em.

Agree 100%

KB_Texas wrote:...and with the rainy season, it has to be bad trying to dry clothes. Hence, I figure a dryer is needed. ...

It is certainly a matter of preference, but being a fellow American who once thought the same thing, I can tell you unequivocally one really does not need a dryer at all. I do laundry myself weekly (well, I load the machine and press start - ) and my daughter hangs them out to dry under the carport. Typically, they are all dry within the day. If it is especially humid, then they are dry by the following morning in time for our helper to iron and fold.

Try without a dryer, first, and see how that works for you. Nothing like Mother Nature doing her thing.

Best advice I can offer is: don't make any major purchases until you've had time to settle down a bit. Talk with as many folks as you can when you arrive....go to popular restaurants (advertised in the sponsor section of this forum) and yak with other foreigners.
Our personal experience: we bought a small fridge when we came.....sold it and bought a bigger one......sold it and bought a bigger one still. The one we have now is similar in size to what we had in Texas previously. Small fridges suck, but IMO.

If you're considering buying a truck, talk with some folks who have 4 wheel drive, 4 door, 2 door space cabs. There's a wide variety to choose from, and unlike our fridge problem, we've found the smaller space cab fits our needs perfectly. I'm getting 32+mpg in a 3.0liter diesel engine truck......we've often thought of buying a small car, but in the end, I think the truck is more efficient than many of the smaller cars. Again, IMO.

Drive through Udon's numerous sub-divisions. If you see a foreigner out in the yard, stop and yak. What's good, what's bad. In some of the older (10+ yrs) areas, you'll likely see mom & pop/small restaurants/etc opening up in some of the homes. Some of the areas are well-maintained, some are in decline almost from the start.

Finally, unless you have strong ties to inside the ring road, try to look up some foreigners who live outside the city limits. Four or five km outside the outer ring road and you're in the countryside where the lifestyle tends to be more laid back with more area to breath. It's not for everyone, but then, living in the city isn't for everyone either.

Good luck on your move!

Thanks guys...there is some good advice here, and I will follow up on it. Maybe we will try it without a dryer first, though I have no daughter to hang the clothes.

I am looking forward to trying some of the restaurants in the area. I have read and participated in the Food area on the board. And without a stove, it is going to be eating out until that is sorted out.

I will buy a large refrigerator freezer anyway, as I like to stock things when they are in season. Can you get vacuum sealing machines and bags in Thailand, or are they prohibitively expensive?

I am not planning to buy a truck unless it is needed. We already have a Honda and scooters, which hopefully will work for the time being.

Subdivisions are another area where we will just have to look around and figure out if we want to buy there, or to go up Nong Kai highway a bit towards my wife's work. The main issue is there must be high speed internet available...the higher the better.

Anyway, the adventure begins in a week. I am looking forward to it!

KB

PS...never got an answer to the amperage question on the electric service in Thailand. Does anyone know what the 'normal' circuit amperage is?

"Does anyone know what the 'normal' circuit amperage is?"

I'm not much an electrical wizard, but I think the question is: What's the normal meter amperage? If that's the case, we have a 15amp meter that provides ample power for all the comforts of home (2 inverter ac, 1 small non inverter, microwave, deep well pump, tv, computer, washing machine, etc). I'd like to have 3 phase power delivered to the house, but because of th distance from the main lines, I have to settle for single phase.
On your internet question, I'd suggest you be sure a phone line (or cable if you're in the city) is actually available before buying/renting. Most anything within the ring road will have phone lines available and maybe even cable. Most anything outside the ring road becomes iffy. But we live 18km outside the city, in a small village, and have good TOT service (5mbps) for 590 baht per month. Two km away from me though, a friend has no TOT lines and relies on his mobile phone for internet.