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recommendation on refrigerator - lazydays - 01-05-2012
My wife has been wanting to replace our refrigerator which is a standard freezer on top cooler on bottom configuration. She wants the freezer on the bottom and she wants to increase storage space. So I'm here to ask if there are any particular brands I should look at, or stay away from, and if there are any gotcha's with this style of refrigerator. Thanks.
Re: recommendation on refrigerator - MacArtist - 01-05-2012
I recommend Whirlpool Gold.
Re: recommendation on refrigerator - Jimmypoo - 01-05-2012
I would recommend visiting someone with a bottom freezer, and retrieving an item on the bottom of the basket, AND THEN DECIDE if you still like that config.
If you're undecided, add 1 bag of ice, and repeat the exercise 10 times.
Re: recommendation on refrigerator - jdc - 01-05-2012
Budget? Stainless? Regular size? Or counter depth?
We passed on a freezer bottom as well... bending over just got blah
Re: recommendation on refrigerator - Pam - 01-05-2012
Just replaced mine with this and I absolutely love it! Mine had to be 33" width due to space.
http://www.homedepot.com/Appliances-Kitchen-Appliances-Refrigerators-French-Door-Refrigerators/LG-Electronics/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbv7aZ21jZ1z0z9ze/R-202521119/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&superSkuId=202705369
Re: recommendation on refrigerator - yeoman - 01-05-2012
Don't buy based on $$$. IMHO, with refrigerators you get what you pay for.
Re: recommendation on refrigerator - wowzer - 01-05-2012
I just went to PC Richards and looked at all of them. I liked the largest LG that they had...the ice maker/water dispenser took up the least amount of space. It also had tremendous storage---I did not like the counter depth ones...they were very expensive and appeared to store even less than the LG.
Re: recommendation on refrigerator - JoeH - 01-05-2012
jdc wrote:
Budget? Stainless? Regular size? Or counter depth?
We passed on a freezer bottom as well... bending over just got blah
I ended up passing on top freezer models for just the opposite reason. I am relatively tall, and bending over to find things in the refrigerator section got old fast. Then I do go into that section more often than the freezer section. I went with a standard bottom freezer with a door due to cost, but would have preferred the pull-out drawer style.
Re: recommendation on refrigerator - lafinfil - 01-05-2012
Consumer Reports ratings in terms of reliability for bottom freezer models are -
#1- Whirlpool
#2- KitchenAid
#3-Kenmore
#4-Sansung
#5-LG
Best Rated Models -
Whirlpool Gold GX5FHTXV[Q] (rated as a Best Buy) 82/100 >$1700
Whirlpool Gold GX5FHDXV[ ] (rated as a Best Buy) 82/100 >$1500
Samsung RFG298HD[RS] (Lowe's) (rated as recommended) 81/100 >$2800
LG LFC25776[SW] (rated as a Best Buy) 81/100 >$1500
Kenmore Elite 7106[2] (rated as recommended) 80/100 >$2500
GE Adora DFSS9VKB[SS] (Home Depot) 80/100 >$2200
GE Adora DFSF9VKB[ ] (Home Depot)80/100 >$2000
Kenmore Elite 7103[2] (rated as recommended) 80/100 >$1500
All of these rated from "80" to "82" and are $1700 up.
Lots more on the CR site if you have a subscription.
Re: recommendation on refrigerator - Robert M - 01-05-2012
Lazy,
Some things I've learned...
I love my GE Profile French Door fridge. Fridge on top, freezer on the bottom. Lots of fridge space. Nifty features. Does the job quite nicely. However, I'm not quite as thrilled with the french door design not because I don't like it, but I do wonder if it keeps the cold in as well as a standard top fridge/freezer, top freezer/bottom fridge or side-by-side. For what it's worth, we don't have a problem with a hot fridge or freezer. The GE keeps both at an appropriate temperature.
That said, we've had no trouble whatsoever with our fridge. Rather, it's got some design touches that I adore. Aside from lots of space, it has a rack that can hold a case of soda. The freezer has a very nice, easy glide pull-out and another pull out. I compared it to the pull outs to a friend's brand-new Samsung fridge and the GE blew the doors off it. The main "basket" of our GE pulls and pushes very smoothly on glides and has a secondary shelf that glides smoothly, too. That and even more usable space in other parts of the freezer.
One other suggestion is to not waste your money on a built-in water supply. I wanted it because I thought my wife and I would use the feature regularly. So, out fridge has a water and ice maker. It even has a filter. We rarely use it - just to fill a water bottle to make Crystal Light lemonade on an as necessary basis. In three years, I've never once used ice cubes be it from the ice dispenser or from plain ol' ice cube trays. The other concern with water/ice makers is the possibility of flooding in the event the water line breaks. Nearly everyone I know who has a fridge with a water line has had problems with it at some point in time. So far, our fridge and my mom's fridge are the sole exceptions.
A problem with fridges is that the sizes have changed over the years. If you have a dedicated space for a particular size fridge, you may not find a replacement that fits properly. My parents would like to replace their fridge but they are having trouble due to space issues. They can't seem to find a fridge with the same or similar capacity to fit in the space. They are about the same size but have a smaller overall capacity, which is unacceptable. So, make sure you have precise measurements of the space before you go out shopping.
That and check the usual sources of fridge reviews. I'd start with consumersearch.com and, I hate to say it, but Consumer Reports is a good source of info, too. At least they don't foul up the reviews of fridges nearly as badly as they do other products.
Robert