New Fridge

[TheNoodleIncident]

its just about time for us to buy a new refrigerator .....the old one that came with our house is noisy, leaks water, ugly, and just needs to go....so i need some advice from people who have recently done the same, or know something about fridges

i'm mostly looking for advice in terms of brands (quality construction, warranty, etc and also which ones to avoid), where to buy (lowes is our obvious choice, but im open to other/better ideas), when to buy (we prefer to do this within a month or so, but can wait for the right deal), any new trends/tricks/features we should know about (this is our first fridge purchase - not looking for gimmicks, but features that will actually maximize the usefulness of the fridge), and what we should expect to spend for a decent one....if anyone has specific recommendations, those are welcome too!

we will mostly likely go with black, since it matches other things in the kitchen (though some SS trim would be nice), i THINK i like top/bottom or bottom/top as opposed to side-by-side (though i could be convinced otherwise), not sure yet about an ice maker/water dispenser

do most places offer deals on delivery, removing/recycling the old one?

tell me everything i need to know!

 

[Andy M.]

Our next door neighbors just got an LG refrigerator and they are quite happy. It has a freezer on the bottom that pulls out like a drawer and double doors above that open to a single large refrigerator compartment. Theirs is stainless and also looks very good.

 

[bakechef]

I bought a fridge last year and because I obsess about things I did a pretty fair amount of research.

For us I wanted a top freezer, traditional fridge. I have a small kitchen and to get a side by side with a wide enough freezer and fridge I would need a very big side by side and that wouldn't work for us. Side by sides can be very narrow and putting things like a party platter in the fridge or a decent sized ice cream cake in the freezer can be impossible.

I went to Lowe's to check out what they had. I also went to Sears. An interesting thing that I found out, is that many Kenmore models are just relabeled Whirlpools! Same exact designs, inside and out!

I considered a Frigidaire, but they seemed very cheaply constructed compared to the rest, the shelves inside the fridge didn't have any support and seemed flimsy. The online reviews seemed to complain mostly about reliability, and those shelves that bowed under any weight.

I ended up with a Whirlpool top freezer model, in black. I liked the design, it was modern, with handles built into the the doors (not protruding) which is great in a very compact kitchen. It has an ice maker, which was a requirement. It is energy star rated, and seems pretty sturdy, even a year later. Oh and it happed to go on sale the same week that we bought the house, BONUS! Sears had the same fridge in their Kenmore brand for more money with no ice maker. This is the model that we bought.

Lowe's offered free delivery and haul away of the old fridge. I don't know if they offer it all of the time, but I would really ask for it, I bet you could get it.

 

[TheNoodleIncident]

Andy - do you know where they bought it and how much?

bake - very helpful, thanks! i also don't prefer the side by side, but i think im leaning towards freezer on the bottom, with french doors on top (like andy mentioned)....though i think those cost more, so we will see.....in general, did you feel that lowes had better prices on all models? and thanks for the tip on looking at the durability of the shelves...anything else you noticed?

an ice maker would be nice, but i dont NEED one....i really dont need a water dispenser, and would only get it if the fridge i liked happen to have it, it didnt take up any room, and didnt have reliability issues

 

[bakechef]

I found the best prices overall at Lowe's, but I would definitely keep an eye out for sales, with the economy the way it is, stores really want to move inventory so you could find a good deal just about anywhere. I have had good experiences with Lowe's so far, so I wouldn't hesitate to return there for future purchases. I read the Consumerist blog and Sears seems to get more than its fair share of complaints as far as on time delivery and service after the sale, so I was a bit leery of shopping there, although I am sure that there are many satisfied customers, my parents have bought their appliances there for years.

I didn't go with the bottom freezer, french door type, because of price. I found to get a one would be over double what I paid for this one, and I just couldn't think of what could possibly make it worth that much. To get a decent one starts around $1500, I had seen a really cheap one in white only for $1200.

I like the glass shelves, wasn't sure if I would, but I do. If something spills, you clean the shelf, not every shelf below and the bottom of the fridge, LOL. Even the lower end ones offer glass shelves now, you will likely only find wire shelves on the very base models.

 

[TheNoodleIncident]

we like lowes alot....recently bought our first house, and have been remodeling the entire thing ourselves, and have been there so often that most of the staff recognizes us by now....maybe its just the stores by us, but we found the lowes to have more helpful staff, more staff available, a cleaner store, less attitude, easier return policy, and an overall better experience that the local home depot

anyway, we will prob start with lowes to get some hands on experience with the fridges, then do some caparisons at other places just to make sure its a good deal

we will def be getting glass or plastic shelves, partly for the reasons you mentioned, but also for aesthetic reasons....i really dont like wire

anyone else have tips or ideas?

 

[Kayelle]

We bought an Amana, bottom freezer refrigerator about a year ago. We were replacing a side by side that I really hated. If you've ever had a bottom freezer you'd never settle for anything less......it's wonderful to not have to stand on your head to get something from the back of the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. The freezer at the bottom has a door, with a pull out drawer and a shelf above it. We didn't get an icemaker because our water is so nasty tasting it would have been a waste of money. Besides, icemakers take up a LOT of freezer space. Personally, the most important thing is having a bottom freezer. Good luck!

 

[Andy M.]

My neighbors bought theirs at Lowe's. I don;t know how much they paid.

The fridge I described is not a traditional side by side with two narrow compartments. The two doors open into a single compartment that's the full width of the refrigerator. The freezer is below. I guess they're called French door refrigerators.

 

[Janet H]

I got one of these (a samsung model) a few months ago and LOVE the design. Ours has a n ice make in the bottom freezer section and water inside the fridge door. After looking at the ice dispensers in the door and how much fridge space you lose we opted for the freezer icemaker. It's also cheaper.
I can see and reach all parts of the fridge - it's easy to clean, nothing gets lost in the back. The wide shelves are useful for entertaining - big trays fit.

 

[Kayelle]

Those "french doors" are really top notch, and top dollar too. My single door, with the bottom freezer was hundreds of dollars less, and really serves the same purpose.

 

[Janet H]

Those "french doors" are really top notch, and top dollar too. My single door, with the bottom freezer was hundreds of dollars less, and really serves the same purpose.

This is prolly true One more thought... The Stainless looks great - WHEN IT"S CLEAN. It smudges easily and is a nuisance to clean. If a painted fridge would work, you will save your self some work (and cash). We almost put in black.... Magnets don't stick to stainless either.

 

[bakechef]

My partner uses a ton of ice, and he would be annoyed with the bottom freezer. I did like the fridge being elevated, that seems like it would be a cool feature. I just couldn't get past a comparable sized bottom freezer model was hundreds more for the single door and over double for the french door! We may use the freezer more than the average person though.

If we didn't have a deep freeze the icemaker would definitely get in the way, it does take up about a 1/4 of the freezer.

 

[licia]

My main thought would be do not get a side by side. Things do get lost in the back because you can't see in that well. My sister just had a new house built and her fridge is the french door freezer on the bottom. you can see EVERYTHING in there. The one thing I don't like about them is having to open the door for cold water. Someone is always getting water from our fridge and that wouldn't be a good thing to open the door each time.