What refrigerator would you buy today?

Samsung been awesome for 8 years now

Probably another LG French Door with linear compressor. My current one is just over 10 years old and still works fine. Knock on wood.

some are lasting 10+ years.

Can't remember if I mentioned it here, the over the range microwave has a display acting up at 19 mos old. imho there's no question these appliances are not what they used to be. Even entry level Goodman AC condensers are not repaired, they are replaced (but that is the Midas conundrum, $180 muffler is free, $520 parts labor and other parts is paid by customer, some lifetime warranty!).

I am fan of Whirlpool.

I have a KitchenAid with the freezer on the bottom and the water dispenser inside. It has worked well for me for 10 years with no problems.

It's sad that 10 years is a sign of durability, when you consider the high price tag, and when you consider that refrigerators, even pricing in inflation, cost so much less and would last so much longer a few decades ago... but I agree, if you can get a decade, you're doing well. Back then the design was simpler, because energy efficiency was much less of a concern.

Consumer Reports often analyzes and issues general guidelines as to when to repair and when to replace appliances. Some frequent-flier items needing repair on refrigerators, including door gaskets and icemakers, are generally worth repairing per CR, do it yourself, with the help of a YouTube video if needed. But what if it's something like a compressor, not a DIY repair for most folks?

Before I checked, I thought they'd be saying 6, 7, 8 years or older, replace the fridge rather than repair an expensive part like a failed compressor. Often parts availability can be hit-or-miss for older appliances. Most people can't wait one month or more to order in a reasonably priced replacement part from Asia. Repair it now, or I need a new fridge.

So I was surprised to see that Consumer Reports says: even more than a decade or a little older, you may be better off hiring a pro to repair something like a shot compressor than buying new. No doubt this is because good refrigerators are expensive. So the lifespan now is longer than they were saying a decade or so ago.

They just updated this, and now, Consumer Reports cites two... and only two... brands that are BOTH generally above-average reliable AND generally liked by their owners: LG and Samsung. Other brands are reliable but disliked by owners, or vice versa. As always, these are general trends, and your mileage with your fridge may vary.

Question how or why CR even got to where they are. They are like the United Way imho lol

Back in 2015, they made a statement, "There is nothing sporty about the new GTI." I told everyone I'm not a VW fanboy, but I happened to get a GTI as a rental car on business. And that was simply a biased statement.

Their automobile reliability imho is way off. I happen to own a car that was on their "avoid" and "unreliable" list for 2007. By 2010, it was on their "recommend" list. How? Why? And btw I still own the car and bought an extended warranty in 2011 because I couldn't lose. Didn't have a single claim.

I also own the brand they claim is the most reliable as well, a 2006 model. Sure, nothing breaks. But saying it's reliable doesn't really mean anyone can be an authority without science or data to back it up.

At any rate, when stuff used to last 20+ years, cars, washers, dryers, etc., it'd be interesting to determine the root of it, why? Why would someone build something where it's possible that they'd never need another product in their adult lifetimes? Hmmm....that's not good for business, yet they did it...

I would go with one that has a better history of repair from Consumer Reports.

Some notes

- Had trouble with my ice maker that solved by simply pouring in some water from a small dixie cup. Somehow it was like priming the pump and got things moving again

- I rarely buy extended warranty’s….I did, and likely would again, on a refrigerator. I had to use it within first year for the ice maker

- Probably the most efficient from both how much can you fit and also energy wise is the old school freezer on top and fridge on bottom. They don’t look as nice and aren’t as fancy but they generally keep working.

Our upright freezer in the basement shit the bed tonight. Barely able to maintain 20F. This unit is from late 2006. No complaints on how long it lasted.

Ordered another frigidaire - https://www.homedepot.com/p/Frigidaire-27-8-in-16-cu-Ft-Fros.... With the 5 yr warranty was just under $900. Got it from the place we get all our appliances at, ABT. ABT has their own appliance repair group, not a third party contractor. Crossing fingers....

I looked up pricing on the old one, $360 back in 12/2006.

Even considered Costco before, but next time, that's where I'll get any appliance. Prices are same, but no extras--haul away or install as I recall, so it may be slightly less. But they cannot deliver in 2-3 days like HD. Also they add 1 more year warranty for free.

If I'm not mistaken ABT is an old Chicago outfit. Never ordered from them but have looked at hifi stuff...

I thought about costco, but it's not all peaches and roses there either, even with their extended warranty. Some of the reviews with issues commented poorly about costco's customer service.

The family has a history with ABT going back to the late 80's. We've never had an issue with their service or making a situation right. As recently as 2022, they installed the hvac and water heater. Talk about all household appliances. The prices were competitive.

I have never, ever, ordered from Abt. But you mentioned them,and I know they're from Chicago. That says something about their reputation.

One that I can rave about is B&H Photo. stellar customer service

From my childhood: Tire Rack, Crutchfield, J&R Music (gone), Uncle Steve's (gone probably tax evasion as it was a thing in the 80's)

It's pleasing to see old time businesses still here in 2024. Gives me hope.

https://www.abt.com/help/history

We have a chain called discount tire. They will match or beat tire rack prices. They have shops throughout the area. I prefer to deal with them as they mount/balance as well. Free tire repairs/balance/rotations for life of tire. Been dealing with them for 20+ years now. So far minor snafu's (missing lugnut caps) which was handled properly. I go in once a year or less for balance. Do my own rotations.

Electronics such as tv's will come from abt or costco.

I was reading reviews on that freezer we're getting. Most are good but there is a fair amount of troublesome as well with the compressor failing early. I suppose that's the advantage of abt, I deal with them from start to finish, not a third party. If the failure rate was high enough, they would not be offering a 5 yr warranty. If they can't repair the unit, they refund/gift card up to the purchase amount (purchase amount including warranty?). We'll see.

03DEC21

https://www.moderntiredealer.com/site-placement/featured-sto...

Abt called at 0700 to indicate delivery time - ~20 min. Showed up at 7:15, done by about 7:45.

Displayed prominently on the box was "MADE IN CHINA". I know the unit is good for at least 5 years (length of warranty). Beyond that... anyone's guess. Sales guy says most appliances target 7-10 years these days. Now sure if that's true or not, we'll see.

Kitchenaid fridge from 2001 still going strong. This is a simple model - top freezer, bottom fridge type, no ice maker.

As mentioned, my parents ordered from them in the early 80's, and I've been a customer since. However, the last purchase I made was in 2016 when I purchased snow tires on rims. I always chose the cheapest rims possible and even in the mid 2000's that meant sub $100 for even a BMW (often ASA).

Thus far we have gotten 4 sets of tires from Costco. Here, we've had at least 7 road hazard warranties executed and one mileage warranty--first ever for me in my life. 60k tires wore out in 43k, issued pro rata credit.

The good thing about Tire Rack is we can drive down to DE and pick them up tax free. The line is huge with cars from VA, MD, PA, NJ, etc. In doing so, no shipping no tax. But Costco has the same price and a longer road hazard.

I won't go into it here but at least up to 8 years ago, Tire Rack had stellar, above and beyond, customer service.

Knock on wood the 2002 Kenmore Elite which is a Maytag/JennAir/Amana from that era is still working, as mentioned many times I monitor the temps constantly, to see that it defrosted. Recently, we bumped the knob to max by mistake (poor design it's located front and center and was mechanical in 2002) and I cringed....the freezer was like -11F and the poor thing must have been running constantly. It's the defrost thermostat that has gone bad several times. First was an OE replacement, but since then I do the $8 amazon aftermarkets. I was told on another forum to not replace this unit, keep replacing the defrost thermostats if that keeps it going. Wonder how many people might toss a unit over a part like that...

I have looked at reviews of the appliance models and you have to be careful. The upright freezer they were selling had poor reviews.

When the microwave part of my combo oven failed and couldn't be repaired, I removed it from the oven housing, which left a big gaping hole. I bought a tabletop microwave and custom made a cabinet front to fit the new unit.

After installing it, I realized I would have to do the same thing again to fit another unit when the new microwave failed. As insurance, I bought a second matching microwave and put it in storage. That was 10 years ago and we're now using that second unit.

After I moved here in 1988 we lost a succession of mailboxes. Apparently it was a rite of passage for boys from local high school to bash them with a baseball bat about once a year.

I made a practice of replacing them as fast as possible. One year when I was out buying the next one I bought two, figuring my replacement time would be much faster if I just had to fetch it off the shelf in the garage.

But that was the last year they bashed mailboxes for well over a decade, and I finally fetched the second box off the shelf and installed it because the black paint on the first box was wearing off from too many years in the New Mexico sun.

What people do and did, to amuse themselves....I bet in 2024 the panty raid is no longer an activity that college students engage in.

I never had any video games growing up. But today, kids teach themselves to fly jumbo jets or operate trains or tractor trailers in full simulation mode through games. Maybe a game can be developed to smash neighbor's mailboxes in the spirit of yesteryear!

by the way we keep 7 ice packs in our freezer--I'm sure the freezer feels happier when they are removed (to put them in a cooler). When I see our work fridge with those insulated bags piled inside, I think:

1. That's not keeping food cool, peoples' food is insulated
2. The poor machine is working so hard for no reason
3. My coworkers never studied thermodynamics

(We have a normal fridge in our break room, which I am referring to, the large break room has 3 commercial fridges and one commercial freezer, very nice)

Think alike. Just last month we bought a 2nd over the stove microwave and they are cheap today, $209, $20 cheaper than 1 1/2 years ago. It's in the basement. Again, the idea is to be able to simply use the existing bracket and holes drilled through the cabinets, and not create more holes and drilling when replacement happens. The display is messed up on the 19 month old, maybe it's 20 months now...

I’ve had my GE side by side going on 11 years now with no issues. I’d consider getting another one in the future.

This advice was from a Bestbuy repair man. Avoid Samsung for appliances.He recommended LG.A YouTube channel recommended GE but only certain models they claimed were were still made in the US.Aso avoid external ice dispensers as they are much more prone to breakdowns. Hope this helps.

What's defined as an external ice dispensers? Our LG side by side has the ice maker in the freezer door.

on the door

We bought a Whirlpool model GI5SVAXVL01 in 2009 and I've worked on and replaced the "brain" in the icemaker and a circuit board on the rear of the refrigerator so I suppose based on stastics that it's about time to replace the refrigerator and I've known that for some time.

Today the front door controls went whacky and I researched on the internet and found that the refrigerator might need to be reset by unplugging it for 15 minutes and plugging it in again.

So while I flipped the circuit breaker, I decided I may as well clean the lint out from the coils. Did that an plugged it back in again and miracle of miracles, it started working again!

We'll probably start a search of the best refrigerators or most reliable and not buy at Lowes or Home Depot due to their draconian policies that favor them and not the consumer.

So far, I have narrowed it down to a Whirlpool refrigerator Hopefiully, the refrig 2we currently have will continue to work and we'll leave it in the house when and if we move.

If all else fails REBOOT.

I had the same problem with our Kitchenaid refrigerator and replaced the ice maker which did not solve the problem.

So... I replaced the Refrigerator Water Valve $49.00 and the problem was solved. Youtube was a great research asset in deciding what to do.

It was not apparent that the problem was solved at first. I had to defrost the frozen water tube with a hair dryer and prime the ice maker by adding water directly to it. It took about a day to decide it was working properly. Now it has stood the test of time and life is back to normal.

I can't recommend GE. It lasted several years but would have lasted longer if the compressor stabilizer springs had not given out. One or more either broke or came loose so when the compressor shut off it banged around and eventually destroyed it. Higher quality/longer lasting springs should have been used.

After fixing Mine, My sisters and My son dumping his, I'd say it takes a lot of guts to by a WP. And the Side-by-side should have a class action suite against it.

All these brands are now owned by Whirlpool. Maytag, KitchenAid, JennAir, Frigidaire, Electrolux, Amana, and maybe a few others. So they have one business plan and it isn't longevity.

I have had good experiences with Whirlpool appliances.

Generally, the fewer features the better since less stuff to break or leak.

Double doors and double freezer drawers

many musings on life my dad had. Houses should have six windows across, and garage should load from the side.

Another thing he said is the freezer should be on the bottom, as one does not use it as often as the fridge.

I remembered that when I got my own in 2002 (Kenmore Elite which is of the time Maytag/Amana/Jenn Air, today Whirlpool and $1,900 with zero modern features). It's still going and I still display the temp to see that it defrosts at least 1X per day--take a pic as "proof." I was able to search my pics via the word "alarm" to identify these pics of the thermometer, and delete them. There were almost 800 of them (since the thermometer is not smart, i.e. where it can send historical data to an app, I manually reset by removing the batteries--otherwise every 22 hours or so it will reset on its own, and I can't then verify the defrost cycle, it may have been erased).

I cannot fathom spending a couple thousand every 6 or 7 years, but it's not up to me I suppose. I have to learn somehow about the they don't make 'em like they used to thing, that our parents knew. One observation generally speaking, I don't get the sense our modern society practices mechanical sympathy, something I was taught. My mom was adamant about never touching the temp of a fridge once set (often in the middle). I see people at work loading up the fridge with their insulated lunch boxes, then, it's so dang warm, they crank the fridge up to max. Nuts, and apparently thermodynamics is not something taught in HS anymore lol

Practical advice -- a lot less bending down! Better for the knees and back.

I'll add that freezer on bottom, with French doors full width refrigerator above, gives a lot more fridge space than a side by side (freezer top to bottom on one side, fridge top to bottom on other side) for a given overall size. This made no sense to me until it was pointed out that the thermal barrier, full-length between the two sides, takes up a lot of volume, thus reducing the volume available for food/drink.

Know that, thanks for sharing!

Another thing I learned...we got a 9 cu ft chest freezer (it's full already). The space it provides is equivalent to a big refrigerator/freezer, but very impractical. The oldest stuff is on the bottom, and hard to get to. Hard to even know what we've got. Also the way that it removes heat is different and takes much longer to freeze.

If I could do it all over again? I'd get an upright garage ready freezer. Now it's easy to get to everything.

Got this back in late June, https://www.abt.com/Frigidaire-Upright-Freezer-Garage-Ready-... , It was $585 for the white model at the time. Today the steel model is cheaper than white.

It's a 15.5 cu ft upright, which is slightly larger than the old 13cu ft upright. Space is plentiful on the shelves and doors. The only annoying section is the bottom most shelf (the floor). The slide out basket is kind of a nuisance to get stuff in to/out of.

The old one was from 2006, so lasted a good while, not quite 20 years but close.