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donnar1957

Refrigerator....what would you buy?

donnar57
11 years ago

We may need to purchase a new fridge for our kitchen within the next two to three months. Our current one is a 25 cu ft side-by-side Whirlpool, 20 years old. I kinda hate to get rid of it as it keeps things good and cold, ice maker works well, etc. However, the two crisper drawers are pretty well broken, and if the door shelves fall out one more time onto the tile floor, I think I'm gonna scream!

We went out looking today, to price them. We do like the idea of, and have the space for, a French door style. Our first stop was Lowe's. We liked the Samsungs but were a little concerned about the sturdiness of the shelves for things like gallon jugs of tea and juice. The only other brands they had were Frigidaire and Whirlpool, and 1 Maytag.

Then we went over to Fry's Electronics. They had the LG's, which we liked the look and feel of. However, coming home to check on reviews, we found NO positive reviews of LG's on one board. There was a previous post here who said their Lowe's were discontinuing LG because of unreliability.

Next weekend, we plan to look at a few more places. If you have purchased a refrigerator (particularly French door style) in the past few years, can you comment on your experience, please?

In the meantime, we've told each other that we will deal with the broken crispers and the falling-down shelves until we can locate a good brand.

Donna

Comments (25)

  • caitlinmagner
    11 years ago

    I have no recs for you, but I will say that my parents have the LG french door and the crispers fall off track constantly. Unless you finesse it in and out very carefully each time you open or close it, it will pop off track. So annoying! Good luck and let us know what you choose.

  • simanco
    11 years ago

    Take a look at my posting on this thread:

    http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/appl/msg012332472205.html

    We've just bought a KA in the last week and so far I'm pleased. The door bins for gallons seemed really flimsy - I mean, you could cause them to bend a bit with your finger - but in practice, they seem fine so far.

    Jim

    Here is a link that might be useful: KA review

  • simanco
    11 years ago

    Oh, and have you looked into replacement parts? If they were available, they would be cheaper than a new 'fridge.

    I've ordered from Appliance Parts Pros with great success. No affiliation, just a happy customer.

    http://www.appliancepartspros.com

    Just put in your model number and see if anything interesting comes up.

    Jim

    Here is a link that might be useful: Appliance Parts Pros

  • sandra_zone6
    11 years ago

    We've had an LG 25991st since August or September. No problems with it so far. We are a family of 5 (3 teens), I garden, cook from scratch, shop once, maybe twice per week. Wish it had room for one more gallon of milk, would if we got rid of some of the bottles stored in it. Happy with it, well thought out storage. Came from a 25ish cubic foot side by side. This has a much smaller footprint depth wise, and allows same storage.

    We have a small chest freezer in our basement as I buy in bulk.

  • donnar57
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I tried the parts thing about a year ago. The crisper drawer slides are not available for our fridge.

    Thanks for the link about the KA, Jim. I'm starting to think that Whirlpool and Kitchen Aid may be worth looking at!

    Donna

  • char_35
    11 years ago

    There is a wonderful thread on page 2 of the appliance forum
    It was started a year ago. Someone added a comment on 1-30-13 and it brought it up from the "basement". It helped me make a decision. I hope it will be helpful to you. It is titled "need a new refrigerator, any recommendations on which one?" One comment was "they make them energy efficient, now if they could just make them depencdable". I think that's how most of us feel. Good luck, and happy reading-- it's long but very informative.

  • char_35
    11 years ago

    ops! I thought the post was on page 2 but it down the page from your post. You'll find it.

  • karenlee56
    11 years ago

    I've had my Maytag SS French door refrigerator with ice and water in the door going on 3 years now. I have only very minor complaints with it and have had no problems. It has a deli drawer which I love. I would buy it again wihout hesitation. At the time of purchase, my salesman (also a well-known and respected plumber and repair person in my area) said to stay away from LG refrigerators, or LG appliances in general because of the unreliability. Of course it helps to know what NOT to buy! He was a big believer in Maytag. Had I listened to his warnings and not insisted on buying my GE Profile dishwasher, I probably wouldn't have had to replace it after 2 years.

  • UncleRon2
    11 years ago

    My KA side by side smoked up the kitchen 5 days before hurricane Sandy. It was not easy getting a new fridge during that mess but I was lucky. I got a Samsung 28 Cu. Ft. 4-door French Door Refrigerator Stainless Steel Model: RF4287HARS from Lowes at a good price.

    The main feature I like is the drawer. It holds a lot of my meats, soda cans and beer. Leaving lots of room in the frig section. I keep it at the meat setting, my steaks, pork chops, fish are kept at the perfect temp. With 2 compressor zones the air is not passed from the freezer to frig sections like my old side by side. All the leaf vegetables and fruit stay fresh much longer.

    Compared to the side by side it is much easier to store food away or to find an item. I could not be more satisfied.

    This YouTube video shows some features and was one of the sources I used to help me chose this model.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Video of Samsung Fridge

  • donnar57
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    We looked at a KitchenAide, GE and GE Profile (very little difference between the 2 and we leaned towards the non-Profile model) and a Bosch. We couldn't see the FD fridge model in the Bosch, as the dealer did not have one. This dealer services what he sells and gives 10 year warranties on all refrigerators that includes the compressor. A little more expensive than Lowe's, HD or Fry's, but with that kind of service and warranties, it may be worth the extra $. This particular place won't carry LG or Samsung because of the service requirements after the sale.

    Comments?

    Donna

  • Tuggy3
    11 years ago

    We had a Kenmore French door with the ice maker in the bottom freezer drawer. It lasted 8 years. We had a fan replacement at the 7 year mark. I understand that's par for them now that they use the smaller compressors for energy reasons and they have to work so much harder. We replaced it with a GE profile french door a year ago. We were in a hurry so we took one with an ice and water dispenser in the door-big mistake. It takes up so much room inside the refrigerator part. A side by side has it's door dispenser and ice bin on the freezer door side. I wish we had thought of this, since we have a freezer in the garage. This thing is nice looking, but the lack of refrigeration space is a huge problem even with just two of us. In terms of brands I think most of the major brands are all made by the same company and then tweaked for style. A refrigerator repairman told me that but maybe not true. Mary

  • kgolby
    11 years ago

    Purchased the 29 cu ft FD KitchenAid yesterday at Sears to replace a 17 yr old Whirlpool. Whirlpool is still working fine other than it doesn't make ice anymore so the plan is to put the old fridge in the garage. I sure hope the KA was a good choice & it's quiet (read the other thread about noisy refrigerators).

  • mike_73
    11 years ago

    I replaced a 28 year old frigidaire that was still working but ran way too much to cool food last winter with a 22 cu ft KA French door. I love the KA. Great features quiet and way more efficient than the old one I sent off to the power companies recycling program in exchange for a $50 check

  • wallycat
    11 years ago

    Curious if you made a decision yet?
    When we purchased this house, the previous owners had a french door LG with water/ice on the door. The house is 5 years old and we have now lived in it 1-1/2 years. The LG frig has been flawless. An occasional hiccup with the ice not dropping, but a rare issue. I heard warnings about the ice/water being the worst problem issues...the fridge keeps everything frozen/cold and is relatively quiet. Knock on wood!!

  • aperson1961
    11 years ago

    I've had the Kenmore full sized refrigerator and the Kenmore full sized freezer (separate units for about a year. I am very satisfied with them. They were each under $1000, which is much less expensive than other standalone units. There is room for 8 gallons of milk in the side door and plenty of room for fresh produce. I am actually just finishing up my kitchen this week, but bought them in January 2012. They can be put together (and there is a kit to make them look like one unit), but I like having a landing between them. They may not fit in everyone's kitchen (32" wide x about 72" tall), but if you have room, I highly recommend them.

  • akachrisinmass
    11 years ago

    We struggled with fridge decisions to. The kitchen is badly designed right now so there is little space for full width door to open.
    So French Doors (where did that term come from?) is a godsend.
    Wanted a 20cu unit, but the 18 cuft Samsung was shallower, (and available) which is another advantage as fridge opening is right next to a door opening.
    I am concerned about the fragility of the meat draw. Part of that is due to the fact that it can be slid from one side of the shelf to the other.

  • julieste
    11 years ago

    We had a side by side that we replaced with an LG french door about five years ago. We wouldn't buy another LG. I chose brand this because of its configuration which I liked better than models by other makers. And, I knew ahead of time the warning about the ice dropping out of the tray (it does) before we bought. That is not what bothers me though. The interior construction is really flimsy and the plastic components for the shelving and drawers do not hold up at all well. The drawers also sometimes are not stable on the tracks.

  • donnar57
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    No, we haven't made any decisions yet. We won't be able to buy until we get our tax refund back, so there's no hurry. We went up to Home Depot on Sunday and saw nothing that we hadn't already seen before. We do lean towards the Bosch, though.

    Donna

  • jellytoast
    11 years ago

    Edited because I no longer have anything nice to say about my 'fridge.

    This post was edited by jellytoast on Tue, Aug 27, 13 at 15:37

  • loves2read
    10 years ago

    so what did you finally purchase and how is it working for you???

  • foodonastump
    10 years ago

    Oh no jellytoast, doesn't sound good. While you're deleting positives you might as well insert negatives though. Brand, model, issue?

  • jellytoast
    10 years ago

    I'm still waiting to see if they resolve the issue. Will post following the final verdict.

  • cricket5050
    10 years ago

    I bought a French door Samsung refrigerator about three years ago. The deli tray sold me on this fridge and it was also highly rated through JD Power. The only problem we had was a plastic part that fell off from the ice maker. I got online and ordered the part for about $20.00. I took the bottom freezer door off but realized I could not insert the part without getting up inside and behind the freezer area.. I was able to do this and replace the part. If a repairman had to do this it would have cost plenty since I am small and able to fit into the freezer area. Overall, I love this refrigerator and would buy another one in a minute.

  • bicyclegirl1
    10 years ago

    jellytoast, anxious to hear about your refrigerator situation. Your brand, what happened, & if it was resolved.

    Thank you!

  • michelle2516
    10 years ago

    We have looked at so many different brands of kitchen appliances!! Want to go with stainless steel.... I love the French door style refrigerator!!!! HELP! We want good quality appliances!! I'm exhausted reading retail reviews :/