Aga - Ultimate Cooker or Ultimate Con?

Digidoll

Hi Everyone,


I am a Digital Marketing (part-time) Post Graduate student in DCU. I am conducting research for an assignment on why certain brands gain almost fanatical followings. I have chosen to look at the Aga brand.


I would love a few opinions on the brand / cooker. This is mine based on the little knowledge I have:

I rent a room in an owner occupied house in Dublin. It is a very small, red brick terrace house. The house has an Aga that the owner chose to install. The owner loves the Aga; so wholeheartedly that I am afraid to say anything negative about it. But I am beginning to hate that Aga; passionately.

I have been preached to by the owner that the benefit of the Aga is fourfold - it heats the whole house, it allows you numerous cooking options, it's environmentally friendly and friendly to your pocket...

1) Heats the whole house? The Aga has not been set up to heat the radiators or the hot water. It can be done, but apparently when it is, it doesn’t operate as a oven or a heating device very effectively. The kitchen is only fractionally warmer than the rest of the house. Therefore no, it doesn’t heat the whole house; just the area of the kitchen that is in a 1 meter radius of the Aga. FAIL!

2) Numerous cooking options? I’m a but vague on this one. Apparently with a regular cooker we cook 80% of the time on the hob and only 20% in the actual oven. With the Aga this is reversed. Great! I don’t know how this benefits me.

3) Environmentally Friendly? I think she made this one up. While yes, it only takes a small pilot light to heat the entire appliance (it takes 8 hours for it to reach the ultimate temp from cold, and maintains heat due to massive amounts of insulation). The aga is on, burning gas 24-7, 365. FAIL!

4) Friendly to your pocket? And this is the main reason that I dislike the Aga. When I first moved in the owner gave me a breakdown of how much the Aga cost per hour to run, it was such a small amount it sounded just fine to me… I didn’t really question it until in the height of summer, when the only gas used is for the Aga, the bill of €180 arrives every two months. FAIL!


So, apart from the fact that the Aga undeniably looks nice in a kitchen, I don’t see the attraction. I am open to correction and would love your feedback...

acfunduro

It's a lifestyle choice same as the brand of car you drive or ciagarettes you smoke. People don't look for payback on say a new top or their car; they buy Zara or BMW when Dunnes or Toyota would do the same job.

For some people an Aga gives them more than what the economics suggest. It's another way of living. Personally, I'd opt for a regular cooker anyday of the year.

Digidoll

You're right, it's not just a purchase decision, as they cost 10-15k. It's definitely a lifestyle choice. Maybe that's why I feel so aggravated by it, as I haven't chosen the Aga, I'm just renting one reluctantly!

With the mention of BMW etc, it does bring up the question - is an Aga a middle-class status symbol? My landlord openly admits to feeling mildly superior for owning one, like she is in an elite club...(she also admits to how much of a snob she sounds when she says this!)

Billy Bunting

Environmentally Friendly?

Not really, in comparison to a standard cooker they eat fuel. The Aga's that do heating, although the newer one's are a little friendlier the older more sort after type are as low as 45% efficent in comparison to to modern boilers that now come in at 90%+. So why an Aga

In my opinion it's prestige.

AUDI, VW, SKODA, SEAT are all made by VW, same parts in a different skin, i drive a Skoda.

coylemj

Digidoll wrote: »

....is an Aga a middle-class status symbol? My landlord openly admits to feeling mildly superior for owning one, like she is in an elite club...(she also admits to how much of a snob she sounds when she says this!)

You've hit the nail on the head there, it's snobbery plain and simple. You have the misfortune to be a tenant of an Aga bore, get out while you have your sanity!

The brand is worth millions because they've gotten themselves onto a pedestal from which nobody can dislodge them which means they can charge pretty much whatever they like, something like where Waterford Glass was back in the 60s & 70s.

garhjw

It depends on the house. My folks live in a big old house in the country, the kitchen is in the basement and the house would be unliveable without it. It heats the whole bottom of the house and I swear my mum cooks the best roast dinner!