The electronics are known to punk out. I think the average is expected to be about seven years. This doesn't include ice makers. The ice is the most delicate, and might need fixing or replacing during the life of a fridge. If it was a cheap fridge, a few hundred dollars for a new ice maker at the seven year mark makes buying a new fridge, and selling the old one as having no ice maker, start to make sense.

I don't know a lot about the brands you mentioned, but they've been around. They're probably louder than larger models (most small ones are, and you're not paying for the extra engineering for quiet). There's no reason to think they won't keep your food cold. The worst thing that happens in an operational cheap fridge is that the temperature swings more (can't keep things in the freezer for as long, and the food in the fridge doesn't keep as nice as long--but who wants to eat a three week old cabbage, anyway?), and there's probably more temperature variation in the box. In the old days, the butter was always in the top of the door because it was the warmest part of the fridge. The milk was always at the back, because it was the coldest part. The crisper drawer wasn't just to control the humidity for the veg, but to keep it from freezing as the fridge cycles. That kind of stuff.

I've seen a few good reviews of Blomberg, and Summit is often used by off the gridders. I don't think they're bad. Do yourself a favor, though. Make your fridge space adequate to fit a Liebherr and Bosch (i.e., every fridge in the class) even if you go with Blomberg or Summit. That way, if it really is a seven year deal, you don't have to redo the kitchen just to put in a new fridge.

Edited for typos.

This post was edited by plllog on Thu, Jan 15, 15 at 18:29

Thanks, pillog. Could you clarify which brands tend to have the electronics punk out? All of them? Even Liebherr? So why pay more for something that will punk out that quick? Hmmmm...

We probably won't get an ice-maker. When we moved to this house several years ago, we brought our fridge with water/ice in the door. Well, DH got busy with gutting and remodeling a rental and has never gotten around to hooking up the fridge to a water line so I'm getting used to making my own ice. Don't want to waste the limited freezer space for it anyway.

And this is the most expensive fridge I've ever had. Bought used for about $600, Maytag side-by-side so I'm thinking that I've probably never experienced a super-good model that keeps the veggies fresh longer. What you don't know, you don't miss, right?

Although, I have to say the Liebherr with separate compressors for each section intrigued me. The selling point was what you described, 3 week old broccoli that is still fresh. It just eats way too big of a whole in my frugal budget.

I'm not too concerned about noise. It will be inset into a closet so it will be walled in. But that's definitely something to check more into. Thanks for mentioning it. Never thought about that.

Unfortunately, 30" wide is all the width we can allow for with this floorplan. We can go tall. All the way to the ceiling if they made 'em that tall.

We're planning on this being our forever home. I figure by the time we're outta here, someone else will do an entire remodel anyway. We've revealed the 1949 linoleum and are keeping it. Most of our cabinets will be repurposed 44 year olds. And we're probably going with either Applyply or DIY zinc counters. I have a feeling my tastes won't appeal to too-too many future buyers, lol.

Thanks, again.

Anybody else know anything about these brands? Or what I should look for?

What I meant about the size is that rather than framing the fridge in tight, which isn't as good anyway because it needs air circulation to dissipate heat, have a separate space that can be adapted to all the fridges in the class. That class for you might be up to 27" wide or something. If I understand correctly, you're building a housing around the fridge. You can bring the face in fairly close (leaving air space) no matter how big the space is. Remodelling a facade is much more doable than reworking cabinetry.

It's the average life of current fridges that's usually stated at 7 years, which means that many can go longer. It's also a function of do you get repairs past the warranty period. The same kind of thing happens if other things cease as the ice maker example I gave. What if there's a lightning strike and the control board goes out when your fridge is eight years old? Do you pay half the price of a new fridge to fix it?

A lot of the "failure" of modern fridges is the consumer preferring to start over with a new appliance than pay to have the old one--which is otherwise perfectly good--fixed. High end units, and I'd call Liebherr lower part of high end, generally get fixed. If they're panelled in, for sure, it's worth it to leave it in place. Also, when you compare a $400 repair to a $850 new fridge on sale at Lowe's, it seems easy to buy new. When you compare the same $400 repair to $3000+ for a replacement, the repair seems the better choice. The gizmos do make many fridges more delicate than their purely mechanical brothers, but they also make them work better. It's a trade-off. But it's really not planned obsolescence so much as a throw away economy where we get really cheap consumer goods at the low end.

Separate compressors is a very good thing. That doesn't mean it's worth it to you. What do you keep in the freezer? If you want to keep things nicely for a long time (months), then they're a must. Or a separate chest freezer in the garage. :) If you only have some ice trays, a quart of ice cream, and a spare package of hot dogs in there, then don't worry about it. Somewhere in between? That's one more thing to weigh.

In general, given a solid structure (good roof, wiring, etc.), I'd say the most important things in the kitchen are the appliances, and of the appliances, I'd say the cooking is the most important and the cooling is the least. I'd rather have cheap tile than skimp on the appliances. Some people would rather have show and don't care about the works. Most people do the balancing act of weighing one against the other. If you're going to save on an appliance to get better something else, the fridge is definitely the place to scrimp.

Thank you so much for the further clarification. Very helpful.

The fridge will be inset into a current closet. Basically, coming into the side of 36" deep, 50" wide closet. The door to the closet is in the laundry room. So part of the closet will still be usable to store vacuum, brooms, etc. Only the facing of the fridge will be fairly closed in, with a bit of airspace. Except for the front few inches, the sides, top and back will have plenty of open clearance within the closet so I'm not worried about airflow.

We have a full-size freezer in the garage for long-term storage. We really only need freezer storage in the kitchen for ice, a few bags of frozen berries for smoothies, ice cream, and a few other little odds and ends. We can move things from the big freezer to the kitchen as needed. So I'm really looking for a unit with more space devoted to fridge, less to freezer. So a separate compressor isn't necessary. Thanks for that explanation.

I have fairly modest tastes which is good because it matches my frugal budget. No high-end stuff in this kitchen. Although I did splurge on a nice range and hood with higher CFMs/low sones. I may splurge on a new, super-quiet DW as well. Since we're creating a small sitting area with TV within the kitchen area, lower sound is important. But I think the fridge sounds will be contained more within that closet and not be a bother if the lower cost Summit or Blomberg is a bit noisier. We would have room for a bit of insulation on the wall between sitting area/fridge enclosure, if needed.

You've been very helpful. Thanks, again!

If anybody else out there has further info or direct experience with Summit or Blomberg, I'd appreciate hearing about it.

Actually 2 compressors are no advantage, and each compressor has it's own motor, condenser and evaporator.

Originally these "Dual Compressor Fridges" came out cause some folks think that keeping the freezer and fridge sections completely separated would make the food in the fridge last longer and that is how they were and still are marketed.

Well enter the Koreans, with their Samsung Fridges.
These fridges use one compressor and one condenser but two evaporators. The evaporator is the device that actually delivers the cold to either the fridge or freezer,
(or to be "Physically Correct")~~~removes the heat.

So they met the goal of complete isolation of the air between fridge and freezer but in a way that uses far fewer parts, IE a single compressor, a single condenser and the various circuitry and tubing needed for the double compressor systems.

Others now have copied Samsung, GE (according to posts here in Garden web), & probably other fridge makers too.

I suspect Liebheer and Miele will soon adopt the single compressor dual evaporator systems, maybe even SZ?

It is far easier to meet current and future energy requirements, (especially in my State, Calif), with a fridge that only has 1 compressor and its electric motor, rather than two.

CAlif is sooooo strict, that some of the new TV's actually have to dim the picture to meet current and coming energy usage requirements~~~~~~so the fridge makers are going to have to keep up too!!

Gary

We have the Summit .We are very pleased with function and style!

@dodge - Thanks for the further fridge info. It helps. There's so much to learn when planning a kitchen remodel so i guess my fridge knowledge is wanting. And while I don't live in CA, I'm interested in saving power as much as possible so I can see where one compressor will help with that.

@jennybog - Thanks for the Summit endorsement. I'm looking at a bottom-freezer. Is that the style you have? Is there anything you don't like about it? Is it noisy? Anything you can add would be appreciated.

Uh....Gary - Samsung and GE are not poster boys for how to build a quality reliable fridge.

So, I don't think you should give the wrong impression to people, nor should they expect to see a drastic change in the two compressor design for those that utilize them.

And lest not forget that Cali isn't exactly a model for a well run state on any level ! So don't that that government' policies are taking hold in middle America.

Well, I agree with you about California, but I just looked at the latest Consumer Reports reviews on refrigerators, and guess who is on top? Yep Samsung.

I do, however recommend that one actually read the reviews of CR subscribers as those reviews , to me, give a better take on the performance/reliability of an appliance, than CR's take, (if you will).

I am not endorsing Samsung fridges, "per se", only the single compressor technology, ~~~that hvtech42 says has been adopted by a number of fridge manufacturers now.

Now I have, in other posts, mentioned possibly having a difficult time and possibly a long wait for parts, for both Samsung and LG appliances, ~~~some of those posts were reported by "Appliance Industry Folks" here in Gardenweb.

I will go back when I have time and see if the CR ratings on the SAmsung Fridges are "in sync" with what their readers said about the Samsung appliances.

One should google any appliance by its model number + reviews, to learn as much about an appliance before buying!

Gary

Samsung and GE aren't the only ones with multiple evaporators on one compressor. Whirlpool has it, LG has it, and yes, even SubZero has it (on their Pro 48). And yes as Gary points out those brands top Consumer Reports reliability scores. Who doesn't have it? Frigidaire/Electrolux who come dead last in CR reliability scores (35 and 45% failure rates respectively). Viking doesn't have it either and we all know how reliable their fridges are.

I don't think there's anything wrong with dual compressors either, but I'm sick of SZ sales people acting like they're the only ones with isolated fridge/freezer compartments. That may have been true 15 years ago, but times have changed. And if you really want dual compressors you can get them with Frigidaire/Electrolux Twins for nowhere near SZ prices.

This post was edited by hvtech42 on Sat, Jan 17, 15 at 16:33

I'm enjoying learning more about fridges. Interesting discussion.

I have googled the model # I'm interested in. After going 8 pages deep into the results, I have found 3 reviews. That's it. All brief customer reviews. But, hey, they were all positives so that's good but, still, not enough to rely on so that's why I came here.

It's on sale right now so I took the plunge.

And our 20+ year old, extra fridge in the garage just died. I think I jinxed myself as I mentioned how it has been trouble-free in a previous post in this discussion and we really enjoy having a second fridge so I decided not to wait. If we didn't need a narrower fridge for the remodel, we would have had it repaired. We have a good used appliance store here that will, hopefully, give us a few bucks for it. At the very least, they do free hauling away services.

There's a good chance that the problem with your old fridge is a simple fix.

Starting relay for the compressor.

There are even DIY's on how to do it on UTube

Congradulations on your decision!

Gary

I hope it's the right decision! And thanks for the tip. Will investigate and if the part is inexpensive, determine if it's worth it to sell for a bit more money as it would then be a working fridge. Since we don't need two extra fridges, might not be worth it. But we'll check it out.

@dodge. Dual compressors does actually have small benefits. The compressors are each sized appropriately for the compartment they are cooling therefore they run more frequently rather than cycling on and off constantly. This makes for a quieter and more energy efficient unit. Does this alone make the higher priced units worth it?....Probably not. Samsung and LG make fridges with great features at their price point, but some prefer the better aesthetics and better build quality of the Sub Zeros, Mieles and Liebherrs (by better build quality I mean the sturdier feel when opening/closing doors and drawers etc not necessarily reliability).

Dual compressors does actually have small benefits. The compressors are each sized appropriately for the compartment they are cooling therefore they run more frequently rather than cycling on and off constantly

Fridges with 2 evaporators/1 compressor usually have variable speed compressors. They can change their speed based on food load, door openings, interior setpoints and ambient temperature. SubZero cannot do that and uses conventional single speed compressors, so will probably cycle more than a variable speed fridge.

This post was edited by hvtech42 on Sun, Jan 18, 15 at 14:54

Funky, which fridge did you go with? I'm in need of something similar.

I went with a Summit. Visually, they all look similar. I didn't see an big fit or finish differences between them. So I went with the cheapest brand. Fingers-crossed I made the right choice. It's still on the way here so I can't comment on it further.

Thanks, Funky. I'm sure it'll be great.

Sure, wannakitchen.

How about this? If I have problems or there is some glaring negative about it, I'll post here. If I don't post, assume its fine. Deal?

Good luck on getting your kitchen done.

I've had a Summit for 4 years and love it. Good luck with your purchase.

Nice to hear from another satisfied Summit owner. Thanks!

We had a Summit counter depth as a spare refrigerator and never had any problems with it for the 4 years that we had it before we moved.

I'm debating between the Blomberg and Summit. Thanks for this helpful thread!

I am very pleased with my Summit counter depth fridge.I would buy it again.More room than you would think.

I've only had my Summit for a couple of months now so I can't speak to longevity but the fit and finish is good, storage is fine, and it is working well for us. I maintains the temperatures I've set each section at well. I have thermometers in both fridge and freezer to monitor and the readings are always steady.

Glad it's working out for you. I keep a thermometer in the fridge section and its maintained a steady reading for more than 4 years.

The summit is also very, very energy efficient. I had one in my old place and loved it.

Could you Summit owners give an update please? Are you still happy?

Still in Love!

any Blomberg lovers or haters out there?

I am going to buy a Blomberg. I looked at Summit, but my kitchen ceiling is low and I needed a small but short fridge (not the Euro towering type). I recently bought a Whirlpool 16 cubic foot with pocket handles. Nice looking, bright sensible interior but sounds like a train with brakes being applied from time to time (rumbling with an occasional high-pitched screech). Honestly, it could be used to torture people (I do not approve of torture). Anyway, I noticed that Blomberg had the right sizes -- good choices in 15 and 18 cubic feet fridges. They offer white and stainless (don't care for the easy clean coating on the stainless -- I have stainless tables in my kitchen that get lots of use, and I don't want the fridge to look like a different kind of stainless than the tables). Blomberg lists decibel levels on its machines. The 15 cubic foot top freezer has a decibel level of 47 (I tested my Whirlpool with a meter, and it registered over 60!). Also, I was considering the Fisher & Paykel 17.6 cubic feet fridge in white, but read a review that mentioned a continuous hum. So I talked about that with an honest salesperson who said they have been getting complaints about that. It is due to the inverted type compressor that does not have a fan but runs continuously. I do NOT want any machine running continuously in my home!! Even at a low level of noise, that would drive me nuts. I'm not thrilled about the Blomberg being made in Turkey, but all things considered, it sounds like I can live with one of those better than with any of the others. Summit does say that it is a very quiet machine, and it does not have the continuously running compressor. So that might be a fine choice for anyone without the low ceiling issue I have. They are also made in Turkey. Will post again when I actually have the machine.

Please do. FWIW, I believe that Emory in the kitchens forum has the F&P. Her kitchen thread is here:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/4506819/finished-1923-kitchen-with-breakfast-nook?n=48

if you want to ask her about her experience.

BTW, Summit is a rebadger and I believe their Turkish-made appliances are in fact Blomberg, although they also get appliances from many other manufacturers.

writersblock -- thanks for the additional information. I had wondered if this was a shared manufacture sort of thing -- like Whirlpool making Kenmore, and, I think, Kitchen Aid. The F&P "hum" is a recent thing as, I believe, only the "Active Smart" models have this new compressor technology. I swear buying a car is easier than buying a refrigerator! Makes me long for a root cellar. Had a 1975 Hotpoint until just recently when the compressor was becoming dangerously hot and actually left a burn mark on the floor. It was far quieter than the new Whirlpool I wrote about above. A technician came out per my complaint to Home Depot about the noise. He affirmed that it is indeed noisy, and Home Depot has offered to take it back minus a "restocking fee" (though I don't know how long they will let me keep it -- until the Blomberg gets here?). I asked the technician if I spend many thousands on a Sub Zero, would I be certain to get a quiet machine. He said that he just responded to a call on a very noisy Sub Zero, and its owner was furious that she had paid so much money for a noisy machine! Felt better about my far cheaper Whirlpool mistake.

like Whirlpool making Kenmore, and, I think, Kitchen Aid.

Kind of. Summit doesn't actually make anything, they just buy (mostly European) appliances and rebrand them for the US market. But a Summit fridge may be a Vestfrost from Denmark, a Blomberg from Turkey, or any of a number of other brands, depending on the model.

Good luck with finding a quiet fridge. It seems to depend so much on the particular machine you get and your installation. There's a thread around here called "does a really quiet refrigerator exist?" which has been running for around ten years now. No brand is immune there.

"In 2008 Vestfrost was bought by the Turkish appliance manufacturer Vestel." . . .From Wikipedia.

Well, I'm not buying the Blomberg after all. It took forever to find out that it has an inverter type compressor (the continuously running type like Fisher and Paykel Active Smart that creates a "hum" that never stops). It seems to me that the choice is between the inverter type compressor and the non-inverter type compressor or between continuous low level noise and non-continuous louder noise. I will take the non-continuous louder noise. At least there are time periods where no motor is running. Continuous low level noise is, in my opinion, less healthy overall than louder noise interspersed with no noise. If the refrigerator was going to be in a separate room, then I might feel differently about this. But our kitchen is open into a "nook area" and further on is the family room -- no doors. If I had a separate-room pantry, I would put the fridge in there. So, I'm starting my search all over again. Will look for another discussion on Houzz about just finding a quiet fridge in general. Need a fridge less than 18 cubic feet and more than 15, bottom freezer preferred, not Euro-tall type, and, of course, QUIET! Any suggestions?

I was going to buy the summit, then decided to take the plunge and splurge on a Leibherr (we have one now but moving). But after reading through this again I'm back to the summit! I like our Leibherr a lot (It's 8 years old?) but just can't justify the extra 2000 at this point. Fingers crossed!

macswim - how is your new Summit? I'm considering one for a small galley kitchen.

I have a 3 year old summit and it is not great. It used to make a temendous amount of noise, but that has stopped, thank goodness. It just is inconsistent in its temps. I can never keep milk until the exp. date - always have to throw it out beforehand. The stainless of these cheaper appliances is not as sturdy and they dent easier, which cannot be fixed. Other than that, it is just ok. Unfortunately I am hooked on these smaller appliances and will most likely always have a smaller kitchen - so not many options. Finding a good 24" gas stove is my latest problem. I have returned two bertazzoni's now and don't have a clue what to get to fill the 24" spoace. They all seem to stink.

Doesn't BlueStar make a 24" range? That's a different price category than Summit, but you get what you pay for...

AMS I cancelled my summit order and ordered a Liebherr again. But I got it at a discount because it had some cosmetic damage at the back. Haven't plugged it in yet but I will give you an update! And richardparker Bluestar does make a 24" range

https://www.bluestarcooking.com/cooking/ranges/?prod_range_sizes=24

Thanks for following up macswim!