Want New Refrigerator Advice, Please

[mj1]

I need to buy a new refrigerator ASAP. It will be a top freezer fridge. I'm either going to have to go down a size in cubic feet which is not ideal or pay $400 more for the size I currently have. Current fridge is 21.7 cubic feet and I complain about it being small. It's a Kenmore made by Whirlpool and I paid either $600 or $700 back in 2006. A new fridge of that size runs around $1000. A 20.5 cubic ft fridge is around $600 and is energy star compliant. The 20.5 cubic ft. fridge I'm looking at does have more door bins than my current fridge, which could make up for the smaller size (I'll have to see it in person). Opinions?

I'm also not sure which brands are reliable. My choices for the two smaller fridges are Whirlpool and GE, and for the larger fridge it's Whirlpool, GE, and Maytag. I have not been able to check out any Kenmore fridges - I can't get the Sears website to load.

[roadfix]

Forget dealing with Sears. They're going under.... although the Kenmore brand is still available.

[Dawgluver]

I recently got an LG top freezer fridge from Menards and love it. I had space constraints, and this one fit perfectly.

[mj1]

I didn't see a way to edit my original post. I made a huge mistake in it.
The two higher priced refrigerators are energy star compliant, not the lower priced models.

I'm staying away from LG and Samsung. I was told by the repair guy that those are more difficult to repair and their reliability is questionable. I was also hoping to find something locally. We only have a Home Depot, Lowe's, and Sears. I'm not getting anything from Best Buy. I don't think there's anything else around here. HHGregg went under. If there is another store, it's probably too expensive, which is why I've never heard of it.

I do believe I get a discount at Sears if I pay with my Sears Mastercard. Although their refrigerators all probably suck now. If the price was right, I would consider it.

[GotGarlic]

I don't know a lot about what's available now, but we bought a Maytag French-door refrigerator in 2007 and have been very happy with it.

[imp]

She sold major appliances at wholesale for years, inside sales to retailers. She felt the best compressor warranty was associated with Gibson. So our new home was filled with Gibson product. The fridge had a 10-year unconditional compressor warranty. It ran until we left it behind after a big move- 12 years.

This was long ago, however. Following that move, we made our last, 6 years ago to West-Central Arizona from the Missouri Ozarks. wound up buying used appliances, some from a retailer, some from individuals. Got an LG huge fridge with big freezer at the bottom, slide-out, two doors above. Think it's around 26 cu. ft.

From my Engineering viewpoint, and this may nowadays be somewhat standard practice, the LG has no exposed condenser coil on it's back, as was standard practice forever. Instead, the condenser is tucked in a cubicle which "steals" a bit of volume from the back corner of the freezer, and it's operation no longer depends on the natural movement of "room air" to cool it: it has it's own cooling fan. I'm pretty deaf, and cannot hear the compressor when running, but my wife admits it's very quiet. 4 years old when we got it, now 10, going strong.

If I were shopping for a fridge now, knowing about this basic design difference, I would look for it in all makes I was considering buying. imp

[iamvics]

Check with your utility company, too. We got an ES refrigerator to replace our old one (non-ES) for $30! They delivered new one & hauled old one away.

[caseydog]

My 24-year-old Kenmore is slowly falling apart, but still works. I'll be in the market for a new one before too long, I'm sure.

A Kenmore service technician told me to hang onto it as long as possible, because I won't find a new one built as well. <sigh>

I would avoid Kenmore now, as the warranty will only be as good as the company, and Sears is on life-support, and not likely to survive.

I have also heard terrible things about LG and Samsung appliances from some friends who have them. I have one Samsung TV, but they are obsolete in five years, anyway. <sigh>

When my time comes, I will probably go with GE or Whirlpool. I've done a little tire-kicking, and they seem to be as good as it gets in the home appliance market, these days.

CD

[caseydog]

Originally Posted by imp

She sold major appliances at wholesale for years, inside sales to retailers. She felt the best compressor warranty was associated with Gibson. So our new home was filled with Gibson product. The fridge had a 10-year unconditional compressor warranty. It ran until we left it behind after a big move- 12 years.

This was long ago, however. Following that move, we made our last, 6 years ago to West-Central Arizona from the Missouri Ozarks. wound up buying used appliances, some from a retailer, some from individuals. Got an LG huge fridge with big freezer at the bottom, slide-out, two doors above. Think it's around 26 cu. ft.

From my Engineering viewpoint, and this may nowadays be somewhat standard practice, the LG has no exposed condenser coil on it's back, as was standard practice forever. Instead, the condenser is tucked in a cubicle which "steals" a bit of volume from the back corner of the freezer, and it's operation no longer depends on the natural movement of "room air" to cool it: it has it's own cooling fan. I'm pretty deaf, and cannot hear the compressor when running, but my wife admits it's very quiet. 4 years old when we got it, now 10, going strong.

If I were shopping for a fridge now, knowing about this basic design difference, I would look for it in all makes I was considering buying. imp

Your posts are like a trip back to my childhood. Do you have harvest gold or avocado green kitchen appliances?

Just kidding with you.

Gibson? Wow, I haven't heard that name since the 60s. We had one of those for years, first in the kitchen, then as the "garage fridge."

CD

[RPCookin]

Just to add, we've had 2 GE side by side refrigerators in the last 10 years, and we have been happy with both. They have been pretty dependable for us.

The only reason we got the second one is because we left the previous one behind when we moved back here from the Bahamas. Not remotely worth trying to move an appliance back to the states after already paying the Bahamian customs duty on it to move it down there. We left all of our furniture behind when we left.

[msmofet]

I still have avocado green sink. LOL

I have a Samsung French Door Refrigerator (freezer on bottom) in Stainless Steel with Food Showcase Door 27.8 cu. ft. Got it in 2014 no problems and I love it.

I won't be buying ANY Sears products anymore. Have gotten burned by them.

[Janet H]

I've had a samsung and liked it. I also recently bought a Frigidaire (moved) so far, so good. If you keep the bells and whistles to a minimum you may have fewer repair problems.

Currently Consumers Union rates LG, Frigidaire, Samsung and at the top of the heap for reliability and overall features.

[roadfix]

Our 20 year old counter depth Amana was on its last leg so we replaced it with a new, same depth Samsung 36" wide French 4-door fridge w/ food showcase door we ordered from Costco. Weird that the shallower, counter depth of same make/model is more expensive....standard depth is 28 cu/ft vs counter depth, 22 cu/ft of space.