Refrigerator Brands?

[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-2...TAR/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!!