Refrigerator Brands?

[Wade Lippman]

Came home from vacation and found the refrigerator was dead. It is 9 years old, is (was) noisy, and the seals are rotting out; so I guess it is time.
We have found a Whirlpool, Maytag, and Frigidaire that look identical for the same price.
Is there any difference between them, or just choose the one that can be put in faster?

(I know Whirlpool owns Maytag, but thing Frigidaire is different...)

[Mike Null]

I'm a Frigidaire retiree. They are owned by Electrolux of Sweden now. I buy Frigidaires but there's not a lot of difference. Get the one that has the features your wife likes.

[Doug Dawson]

Came home from vacation and found the refrigerator was dead. It is 9 years old, is (was) noisy, and the seals are rotting out; so I guess it is time.
We have found a Whirlpool, Maytag, and Frigidaire that look identical for the same price.
Is there any difference between them, or just choose the one that can be put in faster?

(I know Whirlpool owns Maytag, but thing Frigidaire is different...)

They're all terrible. All of them. A few years ago I had a Frigidaire, and the door handle would fall off every six weeks like clockwork. I kept extras in a storage room. I have a Samsung now, and while it hasn't burst into flames yet, the ice maker needed to be replaced after 13 months. Thankfully I had a 5 year extended warranty (IMO that's mandatory for these things.)

If you had an older refrigerator and you liked it, I would definitely repair it rather than replace it, it's fun to learn how to do these things.

[Steve Eure]

I'm with Doug. I replaced a 30 year old Kenmore with a Frigidaire and had nothing but trouble with the ice makers and electronics on it. 5 ice makers and 4 control boards in 2 years. The bad part is they know they are selling you junk and want you to buy their extended warranty. Problem is the cost. They wanted me to pay 1
$161 a year for the extended warranty. Total rip off. An employee of Frigidaire told me they make them that way to stay in business. He said if the appliances lasted like they use to, they couldn't keep the factory open because no one would need new appliances. BTW, the Kenmore, I gave to my daughter is still running and is now 34 yeas old.
I did buy a Maytag washer/dryer combo that is 5 yeas old and has worked flawlessly if that is any consolation.

[Adam Herman]

we have been getting used sub-zeros for less than it costs for a cheapo at the BORG. 10 years old and will last another 15 or 20. we have had to have one fixed, but total cost was still less than a new samsung or whatever.

Kitchenaid stuff is good for new. also whirlpool made i think? Whirlpool has some of the best, simple appliances.

https://blog.yaleappliance.com/bid/86332/the-least-serviced-most-reliable-appliance-brands

[Doug Dawson]

we have been getting used sub-zeros for less than it costs for a cheapo at the BORG. 10 years old and will last another 15 or 20. we have had to have one fixed, but total cost was still less than a new samsung or whatever.

Kitchenaid stuff is good for new. also whirlpool made i think? Whirlpool has some of the best, simple appliances.

https://blog.yaleappliance.com/bid/86332/the-least-serviced-most-reliable-appliance-brands

yaleappliance is a good source for researching this stuff. They do a huge amount of repairs in the Boston area. The first thing I would ask a retailer is whether they service their own products, if they don't then they probably have no idea of how reliable they are.

FWIW, my 5-year extended warranty from JCPenney for my Samsung was US$241 total. The first ice maker replacement would have been US$700 billed, so I came out ahead right away, just from the cost of the repair part itself.

[Derek Meyer]

I have a Frigidaire Gallery Professional in my kitchen that I got when I built the house in 2003. Other than the fan failing about 7 years ago, it's been a great performer with no issues. I pulled it out after about 10 years to clean the coils, but they weren't even that dusty. No problems with the ice maker or the door seals.

[Wade Lippman]

The display started flashing occasionally this morning. Then more often and longer. When the flashed reached 5 seconds, the compressor would come on for a second. Then 5, 10, and now it is running normally.

My wife doesn't care; she just wants a new one. As you all have said; the news ones have just gotten worse. But obviously this isn't something we can bet new food on!

[Doug Dawson]

But obviously this isn't something we can bet new food on!

I have three big Coleman coolers on hand for when the fridge stops working, and ice is cheap. That will tide us over. :^)

[Roger Feeley]

We had a terrible experience with a Whirlpool. It turned out that we were an early adopter of a brand new model. I guess WP did their final testing on their customers because we had nothing but trouble for a year. Finally, I went back to Home Depot and talked to the manager. I had records of all the service calls but I must look honest because he gave us a full refund on the spot.

Kudos to Home Depot!!!!!

Because they were so nice, we bought a GE from Home Depot and it's been fine. There was on problem that was caused during installation. The installer must have nicked a hose with his utility knife. It didn't cause a problem until recently when someone pushed the fridge back another inch and flexed the hose. Fortunately, we have the extended warranty and the guy came out and fixed it. While he was at it, he also upgraded the firmware.

My one recommendation is to buy the extended service warranty. These things are so complicated now that an extended warranty is, in my view, well worth it.

Sorry, the days of buying a fridge and expecting it to last 30 years are gone.

[julian abram]

We had a Kenmore for the last 6 or 7 years. Ice is an important function for our family but we could never keep the ice maker operating. Ice chute always clogged. Had a couple service calls to repair electronics. We gave up last year and bought a new LG. It has been wonderful compared to that Kenmore. Never had a problem with the LG making or dispensing ice or anything else so far. It has a Linear Compressor which is a little different than other brands. I know they all wear out and need service but I would like to get a few good years out of them before repairs start.

[Bruce Volden]

They're all terrible. All of them. A few years ago I had a Frigidaire, and the door handle would fall off every six weeks like clockwork. I kept extras in a storage room. I have a Samsung now, and while it hasn't burst into flames yet, the ice maker needed to be replaced after 13 months. Thankfully I had a 5 year extended warranty (IMO that's mandatory for these things.)

If you had an older refrigerator and you liked it, I would definitely repair it rather than replace it, it's fun to learn how to do these things.

I too am in this camp. It seems as if you buy a $400 fridge or a $3000 fridge the warranty is...........drum roll....1 year!!!
I just bought a new fridge 1 month ago as the old one lost it's freezer.
The new one is working fine, I can hear it gurgling when it's on.

Bruce

[Tom M King]

Refrigerators are getting like TV's. They're getting closer, and closer to figuring out how to make them out of nothing. I was impressed by the two guys carrying in our latest one, with arm straps, until I pulled it out myself and saw how lightweight it is.

[Bruce Wrenn]

We have two side by sides, both around six years old now. One is a Fridgidaire, and other is a GE. Both had had issues with ice maker, while under warranty. Fridg. had issue with ice door not closing completely, allowing frost to build up, while GE needed to have a larger water inlet valve installed under sink. GE takes three times as long to make a bin of ice as does Fridg. GE runs quite, and has pull out shelves. But GE did cost $300 more.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

We have had a Samsung for over 4 years now. The ice maker developed a problem during the 1st year. The guy came out to repair it. He reseated the connections and it began working. Then he ordered a replacement and had it shipped to our home. I have the replacement stashed in my office. Knock on wood, I haven't needed it yet.

While in the US Navy stationed at NAS Meridian, I worked part time on the loading dock and warehouse for Sears in Meridian, MS. The refrigerator returns and service calls we saw then in the mid-1970s were often the ice makers.

Our last Kenmore I bought locally and it lasted 23 years. Since then, the Sears store has closed. The Sears appliance store came back for 2-3 years. I bought the Samsung through the Sears store only because the local HD couldn't deliver one in less than 16 days. There was one in a HD warehouse in Spokane 100 miles away but this store had to go through Portland, OR warehouse and with the Thanksgiving holiday coming up they couldn't deliver it for 16 days. We had 12 people coming for Thanksgiving dinner and my wife needed this refrigerator. Sears delivered it 3 days later and 2 days before Thanksgiving much to my wife's appreciation!

[Gary Ragatz]

I must lead a charmed life. I bought my first house 35 years ago, and bought a pretty basic Kenmore fridge. It was still working fine 20 years later when we remodeled the kitchen and replaced it with another Kenmore. That one was still working fine when we built a new home 3 years ago - the Kenmore is now doing fine as our "basement" fridge. The main fridge in the new place is a GE - no problems three years in.

We have a vacation home that was built in 1996. The builder-grade GE fridge that was original equipment konked out around 2009. The Whirlpool we replaced it with seems to be doing fine after 10 years.

FWIW, Consumer Reports seems to like Frigidaire, Samsung and LG for top-freezer units and GE, LG and Kenmore for side-by-sides.

[Jim Becker]

It almost doesn't matter what brand you buy relative to ice makers...they are pretty much guaranteed to have issues like it's a natural law or something. I'm occasionally and casually researching a replacement fridge just to be on top of things should we need to replace what we have now and it's almost universal in the reviews of every unit I examine that there will be ice maker issues. :) Our current LG has been great for the most part, aside from...some ice maker frustration over time.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

We had an LG with an ice maker. Not the kind where you get the ice in the glass in the door, but the kind that just dumps ice in a bucket in the freezer and then you get it yourself. Worked well for about five years, and then we sold the house. Would buy it again.

[roger wiegand]

We bought a 10 year old Subzero for $1200 eight years ago. By far the best fridge I've ever owned in terms of useable space inside. Everything about it is sturdy, no flimsy plastic parts. The compressor is readily accessible and would appear to be easy to repair or replace, but we've had no issues with it. Keeping an eye out for people replacing relatively unused "dated" appliances has been a good approach for us. I'm dated as well, so it doesn't bother me to not have this year's finish-- not to say that Avocado green would be a welcome addition.

[Jim Koepke]

My folks used to sell appliances. Back then it was always the ice maker.

We have only had one refrigerator/freezer unit that came with an ice maker. We never hooked it up, no problem.

Currently we have had two Frigidaire refrigerator/freezers for 10+ years. They are units that can be set to be a refrigerator or a freezer. The refrigerator had a problem in the first year under warrantee. The freezer has to be fussed with if someone puts something in that keeps the door from closing all the way.

Back in the day, Frigidaire was a General Motors brand. Consumer Reports gave a not so good report on a Frigidaire unit and a great report for a Montgomery Wards model. In reality they were the same refrigerator with different branding badges. After a few similar faux pas my opinion of Consumer Reports leads me to not give them much credence.

jtk

[Robert Engel]

IMO they're all about the same. I buy according to service warranty & features, not brand.

That said, general feeling that LG and Bosch are a notch above.

Definitely get extended warranty.

Appliance repairman 40yrs experience told me its all a 5 year expected lifespan.

Bottom line IMO you pay your money, you take your chances.

I bought my last appliance from Lowes. From now on, I'm going to a local appliance store.

[Adam Herman]

We bought a 10 year old Subzero for $1200 eight years ago. By far the best fridge I've ever owned in terms of useable space inside. Everything about it is sturdy, no flimsy plastic parts. The compressor is readily accessible and would appear to be easy to repair or replace, but we've had no issues with it. Keeping an eye out for people replacing relatively unused "dated" appliances has been a good approach for us. I'm dated as well, so it doesn't bother me to not have this year's finish-- not to say that Avocado green would be a welcome addition.

yep. we paid 450 for our first one, and got it fixed for 1000. 1999 model. the compressors are commercial units that can be easily swapped, they did have a rep. for bad evaporators, but the new designs for the old fridges work great. our current house has a 2006 ish model we got for 1k. working great. you can call a local steal fabricator and get new stainless sheets made for about 100 bucks if they are dented or scratched.

[Jerome Stanek]

IMO they're all about the same. I buy according to service warranty & features, not brand.

That said, general feeling that LG and Bosch are a notch above.

Definitely get extended warranty.

Appliance repairman 40yrs experience told me its all a 5 year expected lifespan.

Bottom line IMO you pay your money, you take your chances.

I bought my last appliance from Lowes. From now on, I'm going to a local appliance store.
I originally bought a Kenmore back in 73 and it lasted until I bought a Kitchen aid just to change the color it lasted 25 years and started clunking found out it was in the compressor so i bought Whirlpool that one is going strong. My son bought from an appliance store my daughter bought from Lowe's and I bought from home depot and they all are different brands bought came from the same place as the delivery people were the same

[Jim Becker]

There are only something like three "large businesses" that physically manufacture this stuff these days, so I've also become somewhat brand agnostic when it comes to the more standard appliances like dishwashers and refrigerators. I buy for features primarily but do pay attention to what previous buyers have had issues with to help with the decision and then buy from the source that provides the best price. That's generally either Costco or a more local chain called Robert Stevens that often has open box or "tiny scratch/dent" units for substantial discount with new warranty. The higher-end range was a little different...that was all about features since there was zero price differentiation between sources so once I picked the unit (Thermador), I sought out a retailer with a good reputation for support and service.

[Dave Lehnert]

I just purchased this model last winter and love it so far.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Whirlpool-24-5-cu-ft-4-Door-French-Door-Refrigerator-with-Ice-Maker-Fingerprint-Resistant-Stainless-Steel-ENERGY-STAR/1000257811

[Mike Null]

The last person I'd believe about appliance quality is a service man. That may sound strange but consider that he only deals with problems and his sample size is a tiny fraction when compared to US refrigerator sales that top 6 million a year.

The fact is that repairs are costly for the manufacturer so they really do extend themselves to build a durable product. That said, refrigerator life is down to the high teens from 20 years plus. Why? In the last 30 years good old Uncle Sam required a couple of redesigns on refrigerated products to meet lower energy usage targets. Those redesigns played havoc with compressor life. Unlike Auto mfrs, the appliance industry met the govt. guidelines.

AS Jim alluded to, the appliance business is a somewhat incestuous business. We built freezers for nearly everybody in the business. Whirlpool built most of Sears laundry. We, GE and Whpl built Sears ranges. Before MW went out of business we were their largest supplier of appliances. Each of us also built, usually specialty, products for each other.

[Jim Koepke]

My son bought from an appliance store my daughter bought from Lowe's and I bought from home depot and they all are different brands bought came from the same place as the delivery people were the same

Back in the day my dad took his truck and went to a manufacturer's local warehouse to pick up stock for my folks store. He also warehoused a few in our garage and barn. This saved him the costs of having them shipped to his store.

Now we step into the modern world where every major department store and some large grocery chains sell appliances.

One way to cut cost is with 'fulfillment centers.' These are the modern day warehouses that are not brand specific. The staff in a retail outlet sell the item and the fulfillment center does the delivery and set up. Often these delivery people know very little about appliances other than how to get them hooked up or switch the doors around on a refrigerator.

As models change or get scratched on the floor, those units may be sold at a discount. In many mom and pop shops you may find if you are looking for a bargain you can purchase a used item. It would be funny sometimes when mom came home and saw a new refrigerator in the kitchen and say, "guess your dad sold the fridge today."

jtk

[Gary Ragatz]

Seems to be a lot of nostalgia going on here for "the good old days" when home appliances were inexpensive, made in the USA, and lasted for 20 years (unless you took good care of them, in which case it would be 30 years).

The first refrigerator I remember as a kid (in the 1960's) was a "Kelvinator" brand. I got to help my mom "defrost" it three or four times a year - remove everything from the fridge and freezer compartment, put anything that might spoil in coolers, then put pans of hot water in the freezer compartment to help soften the built-up ice so that we could more easily break it loose with an ice pick. It was a 4-6 hour process. Anybody here defrosted a refrigerator recently?

Icemakers, as mentioned earlier, aren't perfect. But the first fridge I owned that had an automatic icemaker? - I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. Ice and filtered water through the door? Not as impressive as that icemaker, but still pretty cool.

I also understand that a modern fridge uses less than half the electricity of a comparably sized unit from the 70's - which amounts to a savings of $100+ per year (on average).

I don't have much use for a "smart" fridge, nor one with a tablet computer built into the door, but I'm still not sure I really long for "the good old days."

[Allan Dozier]

I can't tell you that I have had one brand any better than another either. But I can say that the worst experience was a Subzero, so don't be fooled by higher price means better. After several trips by repairmen and new parts I finally ordered a new GE and had them haul it off.

[Gail Ludwig]

DO NOT BUY A SAMSUNG! We have to empty and defrost ours at least twice a year. Back panel freezes up and it stops cooling. I went online and saw HUNDREDS of people with the same issue. New refrigerator that isn’t worth a S#%T. Basically, do your homework before buying. I wish I had!!

[Doug Dawson]

DO NOT BUY A SAMSUNG! We have to empty and defrost ours at least twice a year. Back panel freezes up and it stops cooling. I went online and saw HUNDREDS of people with the same issue. New refrigerator that isn’t worth a S#%T. Basically, do your homework before buying. I wish I had!!

They can do that. The solution appears to be to raise your refrigerator temperature by about 3 degrees Fahrenheit. It can't be allowed to get too close to freezing.

[Bill Jobe]

When I first met my wife her mom was still using an International.

[Wade Lippman]

DO NOT BUY A SAMSUNG!

Two stores that sold them, and a repair man, told us not to buy a Samsung because parts are difficult to find. All the refrigerators are junk now a days, but at least you can get parts for the "American" brands. At least this is my take on it.

In the meanwhile, our broken Maytag has completely healed; gradually over a few hours. My wife doesn't care; she wants a new one. We only lost our food because it broke while we were on vacation. Since that won't happen for another year; I'd like to play it out. We'll see.

[Jim Becker]

Here's a resource that helps understand "who makes what" these days...

http://www.appliance411.com/purchase/make.shtml

[Doug Dawson]

Here's a resource that helps understand "who makes what" these days...

http://www.appliance411.com/purchase/make.shtml

Notably absent is Samsung. Samsung appears to be made by Samsung.

[Mark Carlson]

Bought a new house, and previous owner left a really nice high end Samsung refrigerator. So far so good, but I've read we might have issues down the line.


DO NOT BUY A SAMSUNG!

[Jim Koepke]

Bought a new house, and previous owner left a really nice high end Samsung refrigerator. So far so good, but I've read we might have issues down the line.

If the previous owner thought it was "a really nice high end Samsung refrigerator" why do you suppose they left it behind?

jtk

[Doug Dawson]

If the previous owner thought it was "a really nice high end Samsung refrigerator" why do you suppose they left it behind?


His wife probably wanted a new one. It happens. Besides, those things are heavy and awkward to move.

[Jim Becker]

Quite often when selling a home, there is an expectation that major appliances stay with the house.

[Rollie Meyers]

LG & Samsung seem to be hard to get parts for and less reliable, the fridges on the property are all Whirlpool or rebranded Whirlpool, (Kirkland Signature) all have done well, since Hiaer bought GE Appliances, won't touch them, not heard any good about Frigidaire either, but had a 1965 Frigidaire Flair electric range that was great only reason gave it to the Habitat ReStore & it sold that day was got a smooth top Range, The sad thing is that nothing is going to last like appliances have in the past, 5 years seems to be the new normal, adding to the waste stream. :(

[Kev Williams]

We had a Maytag 'go bad', only backwards; couldn't keep the fridge from freezing everything. A good thaw fixed it. That was about 10 years ago, then last year it just started getting warmer and warmer. Everything about the workings was in order, everything was clean, all fans working. I'm assuming it lost it's refrigerant...

Speaking of fans, had a Kenmore lose the compressor at about 6 years old, problem was the coil fan, dust just got worked into the fan motor and it kept slowing down until it just quit spinning and the compressor overheated.

Right now we have a big LG sbs, about 6 years old now, no problems.

There's a shop a few miles from me that buys and sells used appliances, he has an old Frigidare with the compressor and coils on TOP, it's where he keeps the free soda pop for customers :)

[Myk Rian]

What caused the seals to rot in only 9 years?

[Lee DeRaud]

We had an LG with an ice maker. Not the kind where you get the ice in the glass in the door, but the kind that just dumps ice in a bucket in the freezer and then you get it yourself. Worked well for about five years, and then we sold the house. Would buy it again.Yup. Seems like most of time when people say "the icemaker broke", what they really mean is "the ice dispenser broke". My GE makes ice fine, whether it will deliver it to the port in the door is about 50/50. Unless I want crushed ice (which oddly enough seems to work better than whole-cube), I'll usually just open the door and grab a fistful out of the bin.

[Brett Luna]

We have had a Samsung for over 4 years now. The ice maker developed a problem during the 1st year.

We have a Samsung and the icemaker was a problem as well. It would freeze up at the back where the water comes in. I defrosted it several times before calling for repair. The fella explained that particular icemaker had a design flaw. The replacement and its installation procedure incorporated a fix for the flaw. Other than occasional ice bridging, it's work fine since.

[Bill Dufour]

I will be following this thread since Sears has gone Bankrupt. They were were I bought all our big appliances. theirs were made by whirlpool/maytag/ammana

[Lee DeRaud]

I will be following this thread since Sears has gone Bankrupt. They were were I bought all our big appliances. theirs were made by whirlpool/maytag/ammanaHuh. Almost every "Kenmore" appliance I ever owned was GE under the hood.

[Mel Fulks]

We have a Whirlpool that's 22 years old. There is a local mom and pop appliance place here that's been around a long
time. They sold the place . New people didn't make and sold it back to original family. Anyway ,they reccomended
the Whirlpool and it's running fine. They are descendants of Peter Francisco the Revolutionary War "giant". A local
museum has a vest that belonged to him, 57 inches around the chest. Hey, you guys might as well learn stuff here !!

[Dave Cav]

We have a Samsung and the icemaker was a problem as well. It would freeze up at the back where the water comes in. I defrosted it several times before calling for repair. The fella explained that particular icemaker had a design flaw. The replacement and its installation procedure incorporated a fix for the flaw. Other than occasional ice bridging, it's work fine since.

Our Samsung fridge is less than two years old. After six months the icemaker crapped out and was replaced under warranty. The service man said the same thing, design flaw, needs to be sealed up, etc. Last week, guess what? Icemaker is dead again, looks like an iceberg around the mechanism. After I got the "bucket" out I ran a hair dryer in it for 20 minutes or so to melt all the ice and it's working again, for the time being, but I'm not optimistic for the long term. This will be the last Samsung we ever buy and, if I have my way, the last one with an ice maker.

I wish Speed Queen made refrigerators.

[Mel Fulks]

When they brought color in to make fridge an accessory item ,they put keeping stuff cold on the back burner !

[Ronald Blue]

In just shy of 42 years of marriage we are just on our 4th refrigerator. Only the first was a dud. It was a Philco and it gave problems in the first couple years and finally at about 7 years we got rid of it for a Whirlpool. We had it for 20 years and we moved to a new place that already had the appliances so we left it with the old place for the new owners. The new place had a Kitchenaid which was owned by Maytag. It was 3 years old and we just moved from there into our new home last fall. It's 18 years old and still going. We have an LG side by side with water/ice in the door but no see through door etc. I hope it's as good as the others have been. My son has an LG that's very similar and he's had it 6 years with no issues. This might be the last refrigerator I buy. If not I hope it means I have lived into my 80's.

[Brian Elfert]

Huh. Almost every "Kenmore" appliance I ever owned was GE under the hood.

What era was this? It is pretty well known that for a lot of years Whirlpool made almost all of the Kenmore appliances were made by Whirlpool. Sears and Whirlpool even had an agreement for at least a few years that new features in Whirlpool appliances would be exclusive to Kenmore for a time.

For the past ten years or so Kenmore could be made by pretty much anyone. Whirlpool no longer makes most of the Kenmore appliances and may not even make anything for Kenmore these days.

[Wade Lippman]

4 days now and it is still running normally. My son's FIL is an advanced EE. He says has seen capacitors damaged by voltage surges improve over time; but they never actually work normally again. He suspects ghosts.

I have a Generac whole house generator. 3 years ago it failed because voltage leg to leg was 0v (instead of the normal 240v) while each leg was 120v to ground. I turned it off and on, and it was fine. The local shop didn't want to look at it because he didn't know what he would test. Generac said it was impossible and never occurred before. Ghosts?