The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

There are some that have a passion for electronics, and
gadgets, and others that feel utterly confused by RPMs and LEDs. Whether
you fall into the first or second group of people, B.Tech is a comfortable
haven for anyone in Cairo
making some major electronic purchases.

Located on the busy Gamaat El Dowal Street in Mohandiseen,
this two-storey shop is stuffed with home appliances ranging from the simple
and inexpensive blender to the imported gas range with all the bells and
whistles.

Fridges come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colours,
ranging from the simple one-door option to the fancier two-door design with a deep freezer slide. The fridges
also come in multiple textures, such as plastic or stainless steel finish. The
stainless steel will definitely run up the price, but a sturdy medium-sized
fridge can start at 2243LE for the LG 14-inch and increases as the size gets
larger. At the time of this reviewer’s visit, the largest fridge at B.Tech stood at 22 inches.

Dishwashers also came in multiple varieties. From
slim, compact styles designed to wash an eight-piece dinner set, to the larger,
standard twelve-person size. A twelve-person White Whale dishwasher will cost
you 3652LE.  

The same concept applies to washers and dryers. A
sleek washer-dryer combo by the brand Indesit will cost you 4049LE, and the larger
Aqualtis, which can wash up to 9kg and dry up to 6kg, will cost you 8290LE.

TVs are also a big ticket item in B.Tech, taking up
almost half of the top floor. LED, Plasma and HDTV technologies are all
available but at a price. Top brand LED TVs can easily cost over 15,000LE, but
there are more reasonable options such as the 42-inch LG
LED TV for about 8000LE, or the LG 50-inch Plasma for 6732LE.

This reviewer visited quite a few shops before coming
to B.Tech, and concluded that in terms of variety and pricing, only Carrefour
had more to offer. However, who wants to go to the busy, overcrowded Carrefour
when B.Tech offers a more knowledgeable staff and more room for browsing in
central Cairo?

The final plus for B.Tech is that they offer customers the option to pay off
their purchases in instalments. This makes things more accessible for buyers,
especially when the majority of their customers appear to be young couples.
Even for those already settled in their homes, this option can be helpful.