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artemis78

24' wide refrigerator/freezers: Liebherr, Northland, any others?

artemis78
13 years ago

We are considering getting a 24" wide refrigerator to try to solve a layout issue, and I'm trying to figure out what our options are.

So far I've found the Northland and Liebherr 24" models, and also the Sub-Zero 27" model (don't think we can pick up the extra inches, but might become a possibility once we start the work---there's a wall coming out and we don't know how much of it we need to leave to preserve a built-in cabinet there). Liebherr is the top contender thus far since it looks to be much more energy-efficient. I know there are also a couple of small apartment-sized models (Summit, GE maybe?) but we are trying to get as many cubic feet as possible into this thing.

Does anyone have any recent experience with either of these, or know of other contenders? (We have don't need it to be counter-depth, but are happy if it is.) The purchase is making me a bit nervous since it will blow our refrigerator budget out of the water---but may end up saving us some structural $$ and fixing some serious layout issues in a remodel, which is why we're thinking about it. If you have either of these, I'd love to hear about your experience, both maintenance-wise and functionally. (I also saw the recent thread on these brands that touched on some concerns re: Northland's sale, etc., so would be interested in learning more about that as well.)

For whatever it's worth, we have a small home that would at most house a young family, and more likely just a couple or individual, so we're okay giving up some of the storage space....but just want to be sure we're not missing other alternatives! Thanks!

Comments (6)

  • bishop8
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I think this is actually even a bit smaller (21"):

    http://www.kuppersbuschusa.com/refrigerator-c-18/built-in-refrigerator-ike325-2t-p-46

    Came across it as I was looking for my oven/cooktop. Can't speak to the quality of it, nor the size relative to the other two you're looking at. Good luck!

  • lascatx
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I saw an LG when searching for something else yesterday -- either Sears or AJ Madison website. You can also search by size on both of those sites -- and I would check Best Buy and Great Outdoors too.

  • summersucks
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    blomberg makes them as well. same with LG and GE. I am thinking I'm going to go with blomberg, they also make a 27".

  • davidro1
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I got the LG. It's quiet. I like the heat near the door gaskets.
    In the kitchen forum someone posted an image of his LG inside cabinetry.
    I got an extra door bin. The door held a lot before, and really holds a lot now.
    These door bins are reversible. You can turn them around and reattach them.
    One way you get a low divider wall in the front, better for taking things out more easily, great for the door bins higher up.
    The other way you get a high divider wall, better in terms of psychology alone. Storing things without seeing too much of them. Also in terms of psychology, it makes you feel the things stored there are more likely to be held well in case anyone ever tried to make them fall. Never happens. Just a psychology. Nothing ever flops over and falls. And the door opens easily so nobody ever has to give it a yank. Also, with the handle being where it is, it makes people use a finger or two instead of yanking with their shoulder.
    Little things like this make a difference.
    The freezer has three drawers and an ice cube tray.
    I fit large frozen pizzas in the freezer drawers.
    Also, I could remove any one of the drawers if I wanted to have a bit more space temporarily. Never happens.
    What was the best thing before buying it? The number of shelves and the options given to raise or lower them. Also, two separate veggie drawers. Two is best, because some organics rot when placed with certain others (there are two kinds, so two drawers keeps Type A from Type B)
    The meat drawer is a good thing to have. I was surprised how much difference it made in the fridge's "smells" when meat and sausages have a separate container to hold them.

    I also got a drawer fridge, btw. We now have too much fridge volume available, so we deliberately go hunting for large amounts of edible organics at farmers' markets.

    I think the air movement in my LG is good. It's minimal. It's not "Passive cooling" but almost. Better for foods. Previously my old fridge moved air too much and this caused stuff to dry out, rot, get freezer burn, etc. This has never happened in my new fridge. Things keep a long time. Leafy greens are still leafy greens after a week, or two, or three. Cheese doesn't get a hard dry crust on it where the plastic wrap is opened. Soft fruit like peaches still look good after a long time; they don't shrink and shrivel up.

    After researching this subject (refrigeration and the fridge business) for while, I'll say that I would trust Blomberg to have good product. From what I know of European, Asian and American fridge manufacturers. Each of the Blomberg models is quite different once you look at the mechanical systems and parts. The Summit CP171 is another good fridge, imho, based on what I've read. Passive cooling is better for foods. A Danish company (Vestfrost) makes 24" fridge-freezers that passive-cool and with two compressors on two independent circuits, all at a low price point. I saw both the "old' and the "new" Vestfrost in operation. Very good. We almost bought one. Rebranded under the name "Conserv". The cp171 is a Vestfrost or a copycat. Fagor is another 24" fridge. I heard the noises it makes, that are well described in the PDF. Apart from that, it seems like a good fridge.

    In terms of interior volume, use a measuring tape if you want to compare different manufacturers' products. Do not rely on numbers given to you by the manufacturers. There is a huge range of (acceptable) methods used to calculate volume, in nominal terms, not in any way related to the real volume inside the fridge. A fridge with one shelf less than another fridge will give you a great deal less space. So the number of shelves is more important than the apparent volume.

    In each of the topics covered above, the LG is the best. Alone or equal to others also at that level "Best". The PDF explained what I wanted to know. I found it on their web site. That clinched the deal for me. It even told me the fridge exterior would be warm near the door (among other places). Sounds like a good idea, to tell the customer where the heat goes when it gets transferred from inside the fridge to the outside. When a fridge has its heat coils all on the back wall and only there, it needs air circulation behind it, and you are forcing the system to work extra hard if you back it up close to the wall. So, to have some of the heat being evacuated all around the sides Makes Perfect Sense to me.


    hth

  • eleena
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have a 30' Liebherr. I spent several weeks reseraching before buying one. I was told many times NOT to buy a fridge online because it would be hard to replace or fix it in case of something going wrong.

    I did not know about Northland, so Sub-zero and Liebherr were the top contenders with the latter being almost half the price of the former. That plus the fact that I had to apply a lot of force to open the door on the Sub-zero floor model in the showroom were the factors in choosing Liebherr.

    It has been a couple of years and so far so good. We have only had a problem with one of the drainage holes on the internal back wall clogging from time to time causing water to spill into the veggie containers. Nothing major - easy to fix by 'blowing' the hole with a straw.

    But I remember reading some complaints about Sub-zero too - I guess nothing is perfect :-)

    Good luck!

  • davideward_att_net
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Have you looked at Summit?