Top, Bottom, side x side

[cuffs054]

No, I didn't mean to post this in "Dirty Laundry". I'm going to leave the bottom mount Amana frig in the manse. After 15 yrs I'm tired of it. We use the freezer far more often than the frig and there is no way to get ice out of the ice maker without dropping some. The mini manse has a MOL top mount Frigidaire already in it. Since the kitchen will be the first re-do I've been thinking a lot about what type of frig to go with next. Bottom mount, french door is a non starter. Side x Side is the best looking but only because of the dispenser and every one I've been around is either jammed or blows cubes all over the floor. I'm leaning hard toward a large TOL top mount, but haven't had one in 40 yrs. Any thoughts/ideas?

 

[appnut]

Was your Amana one that pulled out like a drawer for the freezer or did ou just open a side-swing door like all the original bottom mounts before the drawer type?

 

[cuffs054]

App, it's the pull out 25 cubic ft. Been a good unit, no big problems, but I am over it.

 

[fan-of-fans]

I've always wanted a side by side, because of the dispensers, and to me they look best. But top freezer is much more practical as far as fitting large pans and getting to things easier. But to me the new top mounts all seem so cheap, I don't know what a TOL top freezer would be like honestly. To me they seem kind of lower end anymore, kind of like coil top electric ranges, they just tend to be MOL at best.

 

[fan-of-fans]

Oh, and if I were getting a new side by side I'd probably go with a Whirlpool Amana or Kenmore. They're all the same thing. You can get them under $800 at Home Depot. There do seem to be issues with the dispensers being a little cheap though.

 

[alr2903]

If you are tall  the refrigerator at the lower level gets very tiresome.

 

[ilovewindex]

Vers........ In reality a Refrigerator Center

I have a samsung french door.. I love the refrigerator part EXCEPT how damn deep it is.. I think thats because mine is 21 cu ft and 30" wide.. i am 5ft 4 and 300 lbs.. I can't reach all the way in the back..Plus as pushed against a wall as mine is, i can't open the right hand door all the way... Even the prior top freezer couldnt

My freezer is ok, i like the pull out drawer but its hard to bend into.. But i also have RA and balance issues and the lack of an ice dispenser stinks

My ideal is as follows (cheapest to most expensive)
Side by side... Won't fit in my home or i'd have one.. One door, everything easy to access and easy to cope with

A vintage ge refrigerator center (as below) or hanging frigde..WHY did these go out of style.. There up on the wall, big enough kitchen you could have a whole bank of them and have decent space... Or the refrigeration center which had pull out drawers and upper cabients with a counter in the middle..SO perfect.. put an icemaker seperate

Another idea is 2 sets of refrigerator and 2 sets of freezer drawers with an auxiliary fridge/freezer in the garage.. Seperate drawers, seperate space...

LAstly is a seperate fridge only and freezer only.. You can hardly find these but damn so worth it... One door and only freezer or fridge..Sub zero's here... I will have this set up ONE DAY... So logical... Practical.. One fridge, one freezer, big enough not to need back ups...

 

[cuffs054]

fan-o, your point is well taken. In my search for a decent top mount, I've only found two of interest. FD has a 21 cft with freezer light and KM has a 23 (?) cuft with lighted freezer. Both have decent bins, etc., but they do just look OK. Samsung has a big top mount out but it has no handles on the door and screams BOL. I still wish GE would bring back the big top mount with the dispenser in the freezer door.

 

[petek]

Jeff. We have Frigidaire all fridge and all freezer. They are readily available from a few makers like GE etc . Ours. Is pretty basic, white, glass shelves but no crisper,butter compartment, ice or water dispenser etc. certainly not fancy like a sub sero or anything and was reasonably priced, can't remember exactl but around $600 for the fridge and maybe $700 for the frost free upright freezer.

 

[vacerator]

I don't know

about some newer models. My neighbor got a Samsung French door last year. It's just the two of them, and the water filter change light came on after not even 5 months. Last week, a week after the warranty expired, a handle came loose on the bottom freezer drawer.

 

[retro-man]

I have both. A Whirlpool sxs in the main house and a Whirlpool top mount freezer with water in door at the beach house. I am 6ft and really don't like bending down or getting on ones knees to get stuff out of the top mount. Plus the sxs has both dispensers in the door. The top mount does have an ice maker in it but you do loose a lot of cold air opening the door to get ice. It seems more visual to scan the sxs versus the top mount. Easier to see whats in there. Its easier to see in the freezer on the individual shelves rather than have things packed in the top mount. So I guess I prefer a sxs. Just my personal preference and usage.

Jon

 

[combo52]

Best Refrigerator Designs

Get the widest SXS possible with or without through to door dispensers or get a separate All Refrigerator and matching All Freezer.

 

Bottom freezer refs are just too many problems especially with TTD dispensers or french doors.

 

[super32]

We currently have a french door 26cf. I love having the freezer on the bottom especially with a pull out drawer. I am however over the dispenser. I hissed and cussed at it yesterday as i was fixing it yet again:/ SxS isnt bad but the freezer is narrow. If you have a separate freezer (chest/upright) then probably no big deal. Being 6'4" a top freeze is not an option for us.

 

[xraytech]

I personally prefer a bottom freezer model, being 6'5" and using the fridge portion more than the freezer it's easier for me. In the future I'd consider a French door model.

I don't care for a side by side as I find that the fridge is far too narrow, being someone who often does bulk cooking, a steam table pan or an electric roaster pan don't really fit in.

I considered an All fridge model but the thought of running to the basement for ice or frozen vegetables seemed annoying.

I'm the odd one here that DOES NOT want ice or water dispensers. I drink my water straight from the tap, and I rarely use ice so my two Tupperware fresh n pure ice trays and a Tupperware modular mates rectangle 2 container are perfect for ice storage

 

[warmsecondrinse]

I'm only 6'0" but with the arthritis..... Let's put it this way: The ONLY things I'm bending over for are best discussed in the Dirty Laundry forum.

When I shell out my own $$ for a refigerator or freezer it'll be a SxS that goes on top of my 42" high counters!

Jim

 

[yogitunes]

at the city house.....I have....let me restate that....LOVE LOVE LOVE my side by side, always had one, always will....granted its the biggest one Whirlpool makes 30 cu ft.....the only down side on the newer units, the ice maker in the door, small capacity!

in the country house......HATE HATE HATE the Amana bottom drawer freezer......getting ice is a PITA, and that you have to pull out two drawers to get to it......that is if a cube doesn't get stuck....or fall under the bottom rack....and because the bucket is so close to the IM, it doesn't make a lot before the arm shuts it off...

and that freezer capacity.....worthless....at this point, you better have a separate freezer.....

but I also have the ALL fridge and ALL freezer in the basement for extra storage.....best machines they ever created.....if I had the space, they would both be up in the kitchen....now that is a Wide by Side....

I paid a little over 400.00 for each unit from Sears at the time......was an extra 100.00 for the trim kit to make them appear as a side by side....

one year after I got these, they started coming out with ice makers in the freezer.....an option I wish I got.....

 

[countryguy]

Martin, I guess we will have to agree to disagree! LOL I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Amana with slide out bottom drawer freezer. It doesn't have an icemaker but I do have 4 ice trays which will fill the bucket. Filling the trays with water only takes a minute max so not an issue for me. And getting at the cubes is super easy..just open the drawer and there they are.

Gary

 

[Marky_Mark]

I currently have a Siemens side-by-side with through-the-door ice and water, which I like and prefer over the type with the ice maker that deposits into a tray inside.  Although I find standard side-by-sides can be a bit narrow -- especially the freezer, which is something to consider depending on what you tend to store.

 

I don't personally like French door refrigerators as I find myself always opening both doors to browse unless I know exactly where something is.  I also don't really like the drawer freezer that French door models have, but the wide freezer space may benefit you.

 

In an ideal world, I would love an extra-wide side-by-side.

 

[ilovewindex]

Second Fridge

I bought a Top freezer as my second freezer.. More so due to cost than anything, but also i can arrange it so stuff i don't need can go down below such... And i can use the freezer for extra ice and pizza, oversized convience stuff i dont wanna go out to to the garage freezer for

 

[mattl]

There is a Samsung fridge with 4 doors and a freezer section that converts to a fridge.  Pricey but if you don't need a lot of freezer space it may fit the bill.

 

[fan-of-fans]

My parents have an older Kenmore top freezer fridge in the kitchen and a newer Kenmore all freezer in the pantry. The top freezer is used for ice and often used stuff like frozen waffles, burritos or ice cream, or holding things that are going to be cooked soon. The all-freezer is used for everything else, extra stock of frozen dinners, frozen meats or fish or other long term storage. It works well for them, as my mom is the type that likes to stock up on sale stuff.

They used to have a small BOL Galaxy chest freezer in there that worked very well, but my mom wanted something that she didn't have to dig around in to access items and one she didn't have to defrost and dip the water out of.

 

[retro-man]

Another reason to like sxs versus top freezer. Twice in the past 4 days I have smacked my head on the freezer door after getting something out of the bottom shelf in the back and not backing far enough for my head to clear.

Jon

 

[estesguy]

GE side x side

I must admit I was surprised to see all the favorable comments on side x sides. I've had GE SXS since 1983. Three of them, the 1983 is still in service at my sons house, and a 2000, and 2012, for a stainless change. All had ice maker tubs, and not the worthless 40 cube storage in the door. I will say if your getting one, get the largest one you can fit in the spot you have for it, as the freezers are narrow, and the wider they are the less of a problem that will be. I've always thought the French door was more of a fad than function issue. I looked at them and wondered 'why does it seem so much harder to reach in for a gallon of milk' then I realized the French door is 50/50 size wise, and the SXS is more like 60/40. And what happens if I cant remember what side of the fridge I put the mustard jar on? Do I always have to open BOTH doors to find it? Naw...old school SXS for me made the most sense.