What refrigerator would you buy today?

I would lean toward any of the Whirlpool brands. Today they include the well known namesake flagship brand Whirlpool alongside other brands including Maytag, KitchenAid, JennAir, and Amana.

Why do I say that? For years Whirlpool made the Kenmore brand for Sears and that brand within my own home has proven to be very reliable. In addition, on the rare instances I needed anything, the people at a parts supply house named Tribles (one near me) support that the Whirlpool brand remains very reliable today.

I looked at Consumer Reports' reader survey data for reliability for you. In side-by-side refrigerators, several GE and Amana models had the highest ratings, 4 out of 5. This rating does not necessarily carry over to other styles of refrigerators; in other words, GE and Amana are not always the most reliable if you're looking at, say, top freezer, bottom freezer, French door etc. Reliablity data varies depending on size as well as style. It gets complicated, as there are no general brand winners in refrigerator reliability according to reported repairs by CR readers.

This will not come as a surprise to zx1100e1: modern refrigerators are not very reliable overall, with over a third needing repairs in the first five years. That's dismal compared to other similar products.

I should add that "reliability" doesn't necessarily equate to a long appliance lifespan before replacement is needed. The most common repair needed for a refrigerator is to the automatic icemaker, which to most people doesn't mean it's time to put a bullet in it. But with other repairs, it can be difficult to find parts or have the labor done at less-than-cost-prohibitive rates with a refrigerator that's more than 5-8 years old, so reliability is an important factor in appliance lifespan.

hits home. My buddy forwarded me screenshots from Ben's Appliances and Junk.

https://youtu.be/rKJgYVhZ6-w?si=zno8otbjVPWSZGmR

In 2023--the average Kardashian marriage is 4.57 years.

The average lifespan of a refrigerator is 6-8 years.

The best brands for 2023: "They are all trash."

To replace our 18.5 cu ft Kenmore Elite from 2002, it's $1,900 ($1799 on the Whirlpool website), if it's even available. I'm not spending that for something that lasts 8 years.

At the same time? I don't know what to do, so I keep monitoring the temps and have replaced the defrost thermostat 3X. I have a spare evap fan and a spare defrost timer.

nothing is special other than its unique size that can fit into an opening and clear a hvac vent

https://www.whirlpool.com/kitchen/refrigeration/refrigerator...

The thinking is, if you can afford $1K for a phone every 3-4 years, why not for a fridge every 5-6 years...

Fortunately when ours went tits up, we had the one in the basement (which wasn't overly full at the time) to move perishables to. Some items did get spoiled as the failure was recognized over the course of several days.

I saw that vid before posting this thread. He drills much on products made in america. Sadly I wouldn't buy a car assembled in the US. Those from japan are generally more reliable.

Granted, the current car was mfg'd in korean using korean parts, so we'll see how long that lasts. In the first 5K miles I had a front axle shaft bearing blow its load. Repair involved replacing the entire axle portion rather than just the bearing. This is an axle that connects from the front diff to the driver side inner cv axle.

https://i.imgur.com/HASGAtD.png

Was leaking on the left side (towards driver side). Noticed it when *I* was doing an oil change.

One thing the tech did mention back in '22 was if replacing, get as simple of a fridge as possible. I completely agree. We're still partial to side by side, with a water dispenser hook up/ice in the freezer section.

This is what we currently have - https://www.abt.com/LG-26-Cu.-Ft.-Stainless-Steel-Side-By-Si...

Key selling point was that door in door design on the fridge side. In retrospect, it's really only useful for a handful of items kept there. I think next time around a more traditional side by side will be purchased.

When I built the kitchen back in 1980, I surrounded the fridge with cabinets for a "built in" look. Most refrigerators are a lot larger now than they were back then, and very few on the market will fit the space.

In the past, we had good luck with Frigidaire but they no longer make one the right size. The last one failed due to a lightning strike 2 years ago and the only one we could get that fit was a Whirlpool. Never cared much for that brand but in this case, we have no choice.

My sister, who unfortunately does not do much if any research on most things she buys went out and bought a Samsung fridge about 5 years ago. She hates it.

The ice maker freezes over and is useless to the point where she had to go out and buy a stand alone ice maker. Even though she doesn't (because she can't) use the one in the Samsung, it still freezes over and she has to take a hair dryer and long screwdriver or knife every couple of weeks to get rid of the ice buildup.

She's tried various methods of dealing with this, including going online to see what the many other people who have this same problem with Samsung refrigerators are doing, but nothing's really worked. Samsung makes good phones, lousy fridges.

Basically from what I've learned by talking with repair folks is keep it simple. Don't get a fridge with a bunch of bells and whistles.

Simple is always better. Built in ice makers cause problems. Therefore, keep it simple!

Shut the water supply off if not using the ice maker. This will immediately solve the problem of it freezing over.

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it's the dog's fault

Hard water buildup and corrosion is one of the main causes of ice maker failure. I have a 5 stage RO (reverse osmosis) water filter for drinking water. I teed off of the pressure tank of the RO system and ran a 1/4" tube over to the ice maker supply line. That has completely eliminated any problems with the ice maker. The only maintenance I do with the ice maker is
to dump any old ice out of the bucket about once a month so it doesn't clump together during the refrigerator defrost cycles. The refrigerator (GE Profile) is 21 years old and the ice maker still works perfectly.

One of the families who lives in my town is suing Home Depot over their Samsung fridge.

They purchased a 5 year extended warranty from Home Depot when they bought the product. They started having trouble with it from day one. Samsung has no authorized service technicians in the area and Home Depot says it isn't their problem. They are fully aware of the lack of Samsung service but sold the extended warranty anyway.

It will be interesting to see how it gets settled. My bet is, Home Depot will simply refund the money for the extended warranty. Unfortunately, that still leaves the buyer with a $2K piece of garbage.

^^HD should refund the entire purchase amount and take back that POS.

I had an icemaker failure that I believe was an unlucky timing matter of the icemaker being at a point in the cycle where an interruption (can't remember whether of power or of water pressure) caused it to bend parts in a non-recoverable way.

Buying the replacement was a snap. There is a standard 8-side and a standard 5-wide model from Whirlpool which fit a big fraction of fridges out there. I needed the 5-wide. The sticky part was installing it. Fortunately, there was very helpful youtube video and I got the job done. Pro tip: you need a mirror.

I have a GE fridge that I bought in 1978 when I relocated from Florida to Georgia for a job change. The fridge is still running today but about two years ago I bought another new refrigerator to use as my primary fridge in case the old one croaks. The old fridge is still ticking like a Timex and I now use it only to store and cool my beer and for overflow storage from my newer fridge. At the time I bought the GE fridge in 1978 it was advertised as an energy efficient model.

I received my Maytag gas stove from HD dented on a Saturday afternoon. I drove right to the store the next day, and was told to come back on Tue when the mgr. would be in.

I had no idea (and I get it caveat emptor) that there was only 48 hours to deal with them, and after that, warranty only. So when I finally got to speak to the mgr, he told me you should have refused the delivery, we're not taking it back nor issuing any refund. You'll have to call for a warranty repair. Back then I fully believed in fighting City Hall so I said I'll be calling hotLanta and you'll be issuing a refund, and he laughed.

Even though that CEO ruined HD and Chrysler and made hundreds of millions, his office told the local store to fix the problem and refund 10% as an inconvenience.

Funny today I'm a HD fanboy (online only) and own Lowe's stock, and do not buy from Lowe's if I can help it.

Ah just remembered this...2002 Kenmore Elite fridge still going.

It was delivered, and the fridge portion was warm even after 2 days. Drove to Sears to arrange an exchange--the associate said, you didn't have to drive here we could have handled over the phone. Typed some stuff in the terminal and next day a replacement came. Sears was a great co. even as late as 2002. Two years later it was starting to slip...

The trick is, to get them to see it that way.

I actually like the folks at our local Home Depot. They are good people but Unfortunately, They are bound by corporate policy. They have a contract with Samsung to sell their products in ALL Home Depot stores, regardless of service availability.

A few months ago we had a burner go out on our stove. Turns out that it was a thermostat and after checking, I found out that it was a $170.00 part. The stove was a Whirlpool and was about 15 years old. After thinking about it, the wife and I decided to make a trip to the local Lowes to check out a new stove. We found one that the wife liked and purchased it. We settled on another Whirlpool. Upon inspection when the stove was delivered, we discovered that the stove was manufactured kind of wonky. The top didn’t match up with the sides so we refused delivery and sent it back. A couple of days later, we received the replacement stove. Upon inspection, the delivery driver pointed out a dent on the side of the stove near the bottom. It was on the side that was going next to the cabinet and since it didn’t affect the stove operation, we decided we would accept delivery. (It was probably done by a careless forklift driver.) The delivery driver told us to take a photo of the damage and go to Lowes and see if they would give us a rebate. So I took the photos and went to Lowes. The person at the customer service desk said that I would have to talk to the customer service manager and they paged him. He came up and looked at the pictures that I had. I was figuring that he would offer $50.00 back which I would have been satisfied with, but he said, “How would 20% off be”? ‘I said that would be fine.’ I believe that we saved about $150.00. Great customer service.

Thanks for the tip. She still uses the water dispenser in the door of the fridge to fill her water bottles and so forth. Likes the way it filters the water and dispenses it cold. So unfortunately I doubt she'll ever want to shut the water off, but I'll send her the message anyway. Thanks again!

Even though my 8-year-old Frigidaire is doing fine, in this age of disposable appliances, I'm considering buying a new fridge and moving the current one to the garage as a back-up. Even though I'm a household of one these days, I tend to buy meat in bulk at Costco and vacuum seal and freeze it. My freezer is currently packed full of not inexpensive steaks, chops, roasts, etc. If it happens to unexpectedly die, I'll either be out a ton of cash in spoiled food, or, best case, I'd have to rush out and buy the first one available instead of taking the time to shop for a good fridge and a good deal. I can, and have, lived without a dishwasher or a microwave for a week or two, but failure of a fridge/freezer without a nearby backup is a real problem.

If your garage gets below 55 degrees, make sure the fridge is "garage ready" If not, the thermostat won't work correctly and the inside temp will be erratic.

The stove was heavy or your address was out of the way?

I have a contact who revealed the secret world of appliance delivery which doesn't include HD which is larger and the exception.

He told me that experienced delivery folks know how to dent appliances on purpose, which does not pass for damage inflicted by the delivery agent. This gives them the option to abort the delivery if the day isn't going well. Because they are paid by the day, not how long it takes do deliver the loads.

I was also told high end stuff like GE Monogram etc. where they only have 2 guys to carry what should have 4 based on weight, those often get damaged too and are not delivered. I was fascinated and was thinking this is all human nature. It's not just car sales and repair and healthcare insurance, that has an unscrupulous side.

I have a french door type refrigerator from LG, it too has a linear compressor. I bought/received it in 2914 (late) and I have never had any troubles with it (quick- knock on wood). As a side note, it took a long time for me to receive this refrigerator. LG was having manufacturing delays apparently.

I'd hope they have perfected refrigeration by 2914!

…see https://www.nbcchicago.com/consumer/owners-of-expensive-refr...

Two years ago, I purchased a simple freezer on top/fridge on bottom from Whirlpool. No ice maker. It seems to work fine. The only issue I saw during the purchase was that a very similar Energy Star rated model was $200 more, but only saved $6 per year of electricity. Considering the expected lifespan of a refrigerator, that made no sense economically.

See the article at https://thelakewoodscoop.com/news/frigidaire-refrigerators-b.... Apparently some models are experiencing plastic pieces of the ice making apparatus breaking off and ending up in the ice cubes, thus creating a choking hazard.

I've had good luck with these brands.

LOL!

there must be some way the icemaker is supposed not to make ice when it fills up. Maybe that mechanism could be used to disable the undesired flow unless a valve has failed.

In my freezer, the icemake uses a light shining across the ice gathering tray--when the ice is piled high enough the detector cannot "see the light" and no more cubes are made. PLUS, there is an actual switch quite close to the light source which just shuts down icemaking.

Your mileage may vary.

is a 2002 model. It has an arm that lifts with ice production, and turns it off when it reaches a certain height. I would think all ice makers have to have some mechanism by which to stop producing ice when full, if not, how would anyone go on vacation without coming back to ice piled up and all over their freezer

Recently bought an 18 cu. ft. Midea brand of refrigerator from Lowes and absolutely love it. Great value! Lots of of storage in the main refrigeration area and the door too. Easily place one gallon jugs of dairy milk, soy milk, and/or ice tea in the door. Easy to visually see everything in the refrigerator and freezer. Not a thing missing. Midea has been an OEM supplier to major U.S. brands. All Midea Appliances, including Refrigerators, Dishwashers, Ranges and HVAC Systems, are designed, created and manufactured by Midea since 1968. Midea is classified as an OEM, or Original Equipment Manufacturer - and manufactures for well-known brands such as GE, Whirlpool.

More than 383,000 Frigidaire refrigerators recalled due to potential safety hazards.

oops - 2014 was the year I purchased it (not 2914). Also, as a side note, I keep the LG refrigerator at the coldest temp. settings, 33 degrees for fridge section and -6 for freezer.

achieve 33F, or is it merely the display that says that? I don't own a fridge that displays temps, I added my own sensors. 33F would seem to put unnecessary wear and tear on the compressor.

I have an old style (2002) knob refrigerator. I asked myself why is the freezer and the fridge flap set to 4? I pulled the manual and it says to initially set it at 4 as that is what's recommended from the factory.

To reduce wear and tear, I experimented and found that 3 1/2 in the freezer, and 4 in the refrigerator (just a flap), achieves -5F to 3F for the freezer, and about 37F for the refrigerator. My guess is to achieve 33F in the refrigerator would really make the freezer cold, and run excessively, who knows maybe -10F. Overly long cycles. I'm thinking about diminishing returns. Be interesting to learn why 33F is your target for the refrigerator. Some foods likely would be damaged such as produce etc.

I guess this reminds me of my buddy who says his friend sets his home AC to 62F when it's 95F outside. Although the house never reaches that (they live in FLA), the friend denies there's any issue with setting the AC that low (maybe FLA is oversized but we were always taught the central AC drops temps only about 20-22F max, not 30F. Conventional wisdom says to set central air to 72-78F, not 62F.

The problem with her Samsung fridge (and many many others who own Samsung fridges have the same problem) is not a matter of it making too much ice. The problem is that the icemaking unit itself builds up heavy frost all around it and it jams up the ice tray itself as well as everything near it. Here's a link to what I'm talking about.

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/2019/11/04/samsung-refrige...

Absolutely NOT Whirlpool.
Son's unit quit after 4 years with a compressor or drier/filter problem.
Mine is constantly condensing water on the frezzer door after about 1 year. I needed to replace the freezer seal after about 4 years (didn't fix the problem). Now the refer seal needs replacement after 5 years (falling apart like the freezer seal). Both are freezer under. I NEVER replaced the seals on my 1983 GE after 33 years. The only problem I had was a broken hinge.

Son replaced his with an LG.

BTW, new GEs are also POS. My sister went from bad (GE) to worse.
I had to rewire my sister's WP side by side after 3 years - WP is still selling the design that breaks wires.

TOTAL PIECES OF CRAP.

I think it is luck of the draw. I have an LG french door refridge with a linear compressor bought new in 2014 and is still working fine with no issues. Knock on wood.

NO,NO,NO -- Me, my sister and my son bought Whirlpool. Sister's problem started about 1.5 years into it with only 2 winters (FL snowbird). I had to rewire the whole door (side by side). There should be a class action on that one as it has been a common problem for about 8 years now. Son's (freezer under) started after about 3 years. He never figured out exactly what went bad (compressor, dryer/filter or something else). He now has an LG. Mine (freezer under) is still working (5 years) but I have had to replace the seals (3 of them @ $100. ea). It also has a condensation problem on the top of the freezer door. I never replaced any seals on my 33 year old GE.

I live within a mile of my Lowe’s and within a city. Not out of the way at all and there are only three steps up to the porch and one step into the house. From the time that they got the range off the truck and into the house was probably 6 or 7 minutes.

I always thought ice makers were a big problem. I have read tons of reviews on the internet, and people always seem to have trouble with the ice makers. It is not that difficult to fill up ice cube trays, although the ice cube trays do take up a lot of room in the fridge.

Try to avoid buying from PC Richard. We got a good price. The delivery guy was a real jerk. He damaged the door frame in the kitchen. We had to go back with corporate several times before they agreed to pay for damages. The delivery driver failed to install a screw on the caster wheels so the refrigerator could move properly. I had to call up whirlpool to get the dimensions of the screws. Whirlpool sent the screws for no charge. The PC Richard warranty service company sent an idiot who kept banging the refrigerator door against the cabinets, and shining his flashlight into the refrigerator. I kept telling him the wheels were on the bottom of the refrigerator, not inside the refrigerator. He did not listen. Their Warranty Service is useless.

Thank you everyone for the comments. They are helpful.

And it still be applicable to the year of 2024, most of them tested and failed soon after 12 months included the best one.

Still have a hope like previous post until lot of years coming!

So what's the answer? My LG with a linear compressor is 10 years old and want to have a game plan if I wake up some morning with a warm refridge.

Your insights are helpful.

I get old ones and update the insulaton, they work forever, cost nothing, plus about $30 for eps

I have a small apartment and only ONE small model will fit without having to renovate the whole kitchen. It's a GE. Bought it in 2003 and still going.

tried and true, never have failed us

Are from 2004 and still going strong, but not sure about today

seem to fail and cause lots of troubles - is my experience

I looked for an over-the-range microwave recently. The guys in the business said that they are all basically the same as it comes to reliability, quality, etc. All made in China or with parts from China. They are all relatively reliable but nothing to compare with the old reliability of the American brands from decades ago. It's a different world with different standards now. At least, these things are now more affordable.

Got a GE. Looks very nice. Last month, after 19 mos of service, the middle "led" digit is gone. Just now I looked at the clock and thought it was 5:54, it was actually 5:34 AM. So display is messed up. Unit works.

One can do the express thing and hit 5,4,3,2,1 minutes. And add 30 seconds. So to have no display is an inconvenience but unit works.

Decided to buy a new one over Memorial Day, and put it in the basement. When and if the unit breaks altogether, we have another that I can simply install (without having to install a bracket or drill new holes in the backsplash and cabinet and potentially plug current ones, meaning it should be plug and play--everything should line up if you know what I mean).

The good thing is it was $209, not $450 like 2004.

If anyone thinks they can "outmaneuver" the appliance companies and get a product like it's the year 2000, more power to them. But the idea of spending thousands and breaking in 5 years, is not too palatable to me....

p.s. this is it. As mentioned my methodology is I want lots of reviews and positive. Meaning at least there are a lot of units out there in service--it's how I selected a gas dryer last year. But it did fail in 19 mos.

https://www.geappliances.com/appliance/GE-1-6-Cu-Ft-Over-the...

But what an interesting concept. Buy 2 appliances, and have one as a spare on hand. Seems like these days, one needs to do that with cars as well. Look at those brand new fancy near $100k Toyotas and their engines. Recalled with no fix.