Your Thoughts / Experiences: Refrigerator Recommendations

[frigilux]

I'm looking at a new refrigerator for the kitchen. The current 2002 Frigidaire will be installed in the break room at work, replacing my '93 Frigidaire which still works fine but has been treated roughly and is looking shoddy inside and out. Plus, it's a great excuse to purchase a new appliance, right? Gotta do my thing for the US economy! The local dealer I prefer to purchase from carries the three brands listed below as well as Frigidaire. Other local dealer carries LG, GE, Whirlpool.


Space limitations: No wider than 31-inches; no taller than 67-inches.

Design: Bottom freezer or French door; no traditional side-by-side or top freezer.

Finish: Stainless Steel.

Other: No dispensers; will not hook up ice maker.

Background: All my refrigerators since 1986 have been top-freezer, Frigidaire-branded WCI / Electrolux. Looking for a change in brand and format this time. Have had great reliability with Frigidaires; just want to try something different.

These are in play at the moment:

Photos 1 & 2: Samsung RF22ONCTASR; French Door; list price $1799
Photos 3 & 4: KitchenAid KRBL109ESS; Bottom Freezer; list price $1799
Photos 5 & 6: Maytag MBF1958DEM; Bottom Freezer; list price $1499

SAMSUNG: Saw one at the local dealership. Liked the look of it, but crisper drawers don't extend fully unless you lift the door over a notch which allows you to open the door further. Seems stupid, but dealer said they learned the trick from their Maytag rep, so apparently other brands operate similarly.

KITCHENAID: Haven't seen one, but looks good at website. Very similar to the Maytag with a few extra features that may or may not be worth the extra $300: ExtendFresh Temperature Management System; Produce Preserver (absorbs ethylene gas given off by produce to extend life).

MAYTAG: Similar to KitchenAid. My sister has always had bottom freezer refrigerators and loves them. French doors (Samsung) look nice, but I've always had top freezer units, so the KA and Maytag look comfortingly familiar.

Thoughts? Anyone have experience with one of these models? Other brands I might want to consider? Avoiding GE until things shake out with Haier / parts availability.[this post was last edited: 1/26/2016-17:05]

 

[gusherb]

The Maytag and KitchenAid are the same Maytag based design (pre-whirlpool) that's been around since at least 2004. It seems to be a proven design and I can attest to its reliability having had a French door bottom freezer version of it since January 2006 and it's still going strong with only an evaporator fan motor replaced in 2008 which only cost $30. The interior has held up well except for the meat drawer lid (the long bottom one), the lid cracked off the hinge when a house guest didn't know how to use it, and then a second time the hinge itself broke off. After that we didn't bother to replace it as the lid doesn't serve any great purpose except to somehow break. (It looks like the meat drawer in those two is a different design).

 

[brucelucenta]

All I can tell you is NOT to buy an LG or Samsung. They have a horrible track record!!! The LG refrigerator I have now is the second one I have had in two years. The first one leaked all the freon out and they refunded my money to apply it towards another one, which was more expensive. The new one, about a year old, has been serviced 3 times now. Thank God for my service contract!

 

[lordkenmore]

Well, even though GE is not on the list, I'll suggest a nice vintage GE monitor top! LOL

 

[lordkenmore]

More seriously...

I think the parts concerns with GE are well worth considering. Given the prices quoted above, one assumes that this might get fixed if it breaks. I, too, would worry about parts. No one asks my appliance advince--they are afraid to get a long winded answer LOL--but had anyone asked in recent history, I'd have suggested avoiding GE. Just because of the prospect of it being sold off, and who knows what will happen with parts?

And I also endorse the idea of the bottom freezer. I grew up with that design, and have missed it ever since. It's MUCH handier having the fresh compartment at eye level.

 

[mattl]

If you have nothing blocking the doors from opening fully on each side I'd opt for the French door version. It becomes an issue if you can't open one or both doors beyond 90 degrees.

 

[rp2813]

I haven't checked out French door models lately, but the one thing that has knocked them out of the running in the past (for me, anyway) is the flipper/flopper thingamajig that makes the two doors seal in the middle.  It requires giving either door a good push to close it, whereas a single door will close on its own if the top of the fridge is just slightly tilted backward, or with minimal effort if the fridge is perfectly level.

 

Of the three above, I don't think the KA is worth the extra $300, I don't trust reliability or longevity of anything made in Korea (along with the French door design), so by process of elimination, the Maytag wins.

 

The Lowes near me often has various clearance or floor model refrigerators lined up down the center of the small appliances aisle, priced at a major discount.  You might find yourself a deal there unless you're inclined to remain loyal to your local dealer of preference.

 

[combo52]

Best bottom freezer refrigerator

There is really only one decent choice and that's any of the bottom freezers made by Whirlpool Corporation under the various brand names. To my knowledge these the only bottom freezer refrigerators that are made in the US.

 

I would definitely avoid the French door design unless you have to have it for space considerations, you lose a lot of interior space and you have a lot more problems with them.

 

The bottom freezer whirlpool products are still made in the old Amana plant. It's one of only two factories that WP kept from the Maytag group buy out.

 

[stricklybojack]

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We bought a Samsung 3 door and have had no problems after 2.5 years. They have a separate system to cool the freezer than that of the refrigerator which helps on the energy efficiency side of things.
Ours was tops in it's class for that as I recall. It is very quiet which I really appreciate.
One consideration on French door reefers, consider the benefit to those models that allow you to open the middle stomach (ha!) level drawers open WITHOUT having to open the other door. In other words rather than one full width drawer it has two to allow you to only need one door open to access the contents. As noted earlier 3 doors require an extra push to close which is noticeable over time.
Our Samsung made all sorts of clunk and groan type noises the first few months. This is normal as the insulation/plastics adjust. It is very tightly sealed so such sounds are to be expected, the manual tells you as much. Online commentors usually don't seem to know this and freak out, don't be them.
The build quality of refrigerators is very palpable, and to me, dollar for dollar, the Samsung edged out (LG) or demolished (Frigidaire) the competition. Maytag was perhaps an equa on that measurel as I recall.
Check the sales outlets online, refrigerators are very competitive and prices vary a lot. Presidents' Day would be a good time to buy if you can wait.