Lots of threads and complaints about the black stainless finish chipping, scratching, wearing away etc. Go for real stainless.

HU-451779770 yeah that's what is more confusing but some of them are saying it depends on how you use it or maintain it. So just wanted to get some opinions on it.

And when one of those appliances breaks, and black stainless might not be offered anymore...are you ok with not being able to match it?

Some of who are saying “it depends on how you use it”? Salesmen? Or people who actually own black stainless? As luckyblueye said, if one breaks down and you can’t match it - then what? Given all the issues and complaints with “black stainless” (which is just a coating and will scratch or chip) I’d say the likelihood of it being discontinued is pretty decent, whereas stainless is a finish that is considered “classic” or “timeless” and you will always be able to match it. Think harvest gold and avocado green.

I think the Black Stainless has legs and will be around for awhile. Most appliance manufacturers have adopted it.. Just 20 years ago everyone was saying that Stanless Steel was just a fad and that you should stay with White, Almond or Black.

As to the Harvest gold and Avocado... They pretty much had 20+ year runs....

Buy what you like and what you will think looks good. Then in 15 years when you're ready for a remodel, buy what you like again. Overall you will be happier for it.

Jakvis, my home growing up had SS appliances begininning in the '70s, so it's not "just 20 years ago"; more like 45 years or more that stainless steel appliances have remained popular.

I don't like black stainless appliances because they suck all the light, particularly the fridge. When you see them in a store showroom which has acres of ceiling lights they look completely different. In a kitchen, especially one that doesn't have high ceilings and big windows, they will be "en masse", a bunch of black that will be hard to overcome, or to balance with other elements in the kitchen. If you live in a climate with shorter winter days, that kitchen blackness first thing on a winter morning might be so dreary.

Why are we seeing the resistance to regular stainless steel with its gleam? Oh, yeah, that's right, the salespeople are being given big spiffs right now to push black stainless hard, and people are falling for it.

You can find Stainless appliances all the way back to the 50"s but they didn't become popular until the 1990's. As a Service tech I rarely saw S/S appliances before the mid 90's but then they started to become popular and now they are mainstream and in at least 30-40% of the kitchens I see.

As I stated, I think Black S/S has some legs for being around for quite sometime. The OP should buy what they like and not what the other posters like. Just my opinion as an observer and nothing more.

Jakvis, this may be regional. Where I grew up, in suburban northeast, our middle-class house in our middle-class neighborhood had stainless steel appliances in the '70s, and so did all my friends' homes that I hung out at after school.

We are currently looking at appliances and were debating black SS vs SS. We have decided we are going with the SS for several reasons, but did have a salesperson tell us they have trouble with paint chipping. She said she had chips under her own refrigerator handle from her fingernails.

I think you can mix and match stainless and black stainless just fine. I was almost going to get a Jenn Air Noir range and Bosch black stainless fridge, and a panel ready dishwasther. But the functions on the Jenn Air were right for me. I was surprised because I have a Jenn air slide in now with functions I use everyday.