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I have both types. In Florida, I have a Samsung refrig. with bottom freezer and ice maker. I do not find the bottom ice maker inconvenient, but do not like how hard it is for me to pull out bottom draws. They are heavy when full in this particular refrigerator.
Now in Nevada, I did purchase a new LARGE French door refrigerator with the ice maker in the door. I had a difficult time making the decision as I did my research and learned that the majority of repairs come from these in door ice makers in them. However, being in a warm climate in Nevada, ice and cold water is used a lot, and I really like the convenience of walking over to the refrig. and sticking my glass in the door opening and filling it with ice, and then cold filtered water. So, what I did was buy the 5 year extended warranty on it which I think was an extra $250. But considering the cost of the refrig., which was around $2,500 and how much replacing a circuit board in one of them could cost, if they go, I thought it was a smart move in this case. I generally do not buy extended warranties, but if you know there is a likely problem, the insurance might be worth considering.
The bottom draws incidentally in the newer French door refrigerator, glide out effortlessly. Perhaps improvement in design in recent years, or perhaps increase in cost over Fl. refrigerator.
What was the brand you bought for the Nevada place? How long ago? I assume you haven't had any problems with it - or you would have mentioned them.
We use a *lot* of ice here in Florida. And have had "ice in the door" like forever. I'm sure I could live without it - but don't know if I'd care to.
Agree with everything you said about extended warranties. Robyn
You would be hard pressed to find a site anywhere (except Home Depot and Lowes) that has more good than bad reviews for current day appliances. Consumer Reports is dismal, Amazon is not much better. Consumer Reports, Amazon and Costco will give you a better reading I think than places that sell a lot of appliances like Sears, Home Depot or Lowes. I agree, I think a lot of people tend to post their grievances before posting good reviews. I am just the opposite, in that I would hesitate to give a bad review, but if I got something that I am especially happy with, I like to spread the good word.
It's getting more difficult on Amazon to decipher the "real" 5 star reviews from the phony ones. I read an article stating that most people flunked the test in trying to pick out the phony ones. Good thing about buying something on Amazon with a 4 or 5 star review - nobody posts phony bad reviews. (except maybe a competitor - so I take that back) )
I've actually encountered reviews of Amazon reviews! When I bought my steam mop last week. The site didn't say that any Amazon reviews were phony. But it did say that about 20% of the reviewers (and there were hundreds of them) had been given free steam mops just so they could review them (I don't know how it knew this - perhaps it's in the reviews and I didn't read them closely). And it threw out those reviews when reaching its conclusion because it thought those reviews probably weren't objective. In any event - I doubt many manufacturers are giving away a lot of free refrigerators.
I start to go nuts after a while when it comes to reviews. Because many bad reviews can be the result of user error/misuse of product. My appliance repair guy tells me it's not uncommon for him to find footprints on cooktops that allegedly cracked when being used as cooking appliances (and not scaffolds). OTOH - I do believe reports of leaks from refrigerator water lines (although some could be caused by faulty installations). Simply because I had one myself a few years back . Robyn
Mom is 80 and her appliances have served her well even through a move.
Amana 18 cu ft Freezer circa late 1960's
Amana 20 cu ft Refrigerator circa 1980
Kenmore Dryer circa late 1960's
Kenmore Washer circa 1980
Electrolux Vacuum circa 1960's
Zenith 25" TV circa 1980
In 1978 I changed out her GE Oven and Cooktop with another GE and added a GE Spacemaker Microwave.
So far so good...
My Grandmother's 1950 Crosley Shelvador is still pressed into service at the cabin as is her 1930's Electrolux Vacuum that was an anniversary present in the 1930's
Just as many appliances are replaced for style/preference as for failure.
Lots of appliances seemingly last forever - especially those that don't come into contact with water or have fancy electronics. I gave my late mother a harvest gold refrigerator when I remodeled our first condo kitchen in the mid-70's. It was still working when the house was sold in 2005. Robyn
Easy answer: I don't like to stoop down to get my ice. I'm not at all aware of the cubic feet in our model. We tend to keep only a few days worth of groceries in the house at a time and don't freeze a lot of food, so the size of our refrigerator has never been a concern for us. We apparently replaced a smallish refrigerator in Houston because the new models were too deep to fit in the old enclosure. We had to pay more for a smaller "counter depth" model. It seemed odd to pay more to get less, but that's the way it was...
Exactly my concern with the ice.
And we're the exact opposite when it comes to shopping. We always have a lot around. And we do a fair amount of shopping at Costco (big packages). It's especially bad in the summer. Because I like melons. An assortment for lunch. They're large and awkward in terms of refrigerator storage. Maybe one day someone will grow smaller square honeydews (but I'm not holding my breath ).
In terms of price - you'll often pay more for "stylish". And counter depth models are considered stylish these days. You'll also pay more for less popular models than more popular ones - especially when it comes to sales (at least that's what sales people have told me). Robyn
Lots of appliances seemingly last forever - especially those that don't come into contact with water or have fancy electronics. I gave my late mother a harvest gold refrigerator when I remodeled our first condo kitchen in the mid-70's. It was still working when the house was sold in 2005. Robyn
We had a saying around the shop about keeping things simple...
My first car was a Model A Ford and I still have it.
A major shift came about when appliances went to solid state... much of what a service tech did became swapping out circuit boards and once the circuit board is no longer available repairs may not be possible.
Also, some circuit boards can cost half of more what the appliance cost.
Mom's 1960's dryer stopped working a few months ago... took a look and it was the drive belt... under $5 for the part and 20 minutes later she was back in business.
Her 1980 Amana Quit working once, it was the defrost timer... less than $20 for one and super easy to replace.
My dryer (a 20+ year old Maytag) is like that too. One repair. A $10 part. And a $75 service call (my husband and I aren't particularly handy - sounds like you are - and that's basically what people charge to show up these days to do anything.
And you're right about the electronics. A long time back - part of the electronics died on our microwave (after it was off extended warranty). It stopped beeping. We paid something like $200 for a new circuit board. But the kicker is new parts like this - even expensive ones - only have 3-6 month warranties. That board stopped working after about a year. And we said screw it. We now own a microwave that still functions perfectly - but doesn't beep.
FWIW - we went to the one "middle to higher end" place in town today. And it was a real eye opener. The A/C in the showroom is on the fritz - and the temp was about 78 - about what I'd set my A/C to when on vacation. And - when I opened up several high end units - like Thermador - the condensation leaked into puddles on the ground. I'm not planning to spend that much for a refrigerator - just wanted to take a look/see - but that was something I hadn't expected.
In terms of interior fittings - the high end units were definitely better than the middle of the road ones. But nothing much better than I have on my current 18 YO Kitchenaid. And the interior fittings on a brand like Kitchenaid were shockingly flimsy. Cheap looking and feeling too.
Since my refrigerator is still working - think I might just give it a thorough cleaning. Perhaps get some appliance paint to cover up a few little rust spots. And call it a day. Because nothing thrilled me. Better the devil I know than the devil I don't know. Plus - our water softener apparently had a heart attack over the weekend. We lost water pressure. I knew I was in trouble when I called the water company and it told me to check the water softener filter - and I said - "it has a filter?" . No one has looked at that water softener for 10+ years - and - apparently - this is the week for a a full check up and some maintenance. Robyn
Reliability and Longevity are now second place to Energy use.
Energy use is very important these days and I think my hated glass top stove is an electrical glutton. I compared my electric bill for this tiny house where I seldom even use the dryer and usually wash clothing in cold water to someone who lives in a regular sized house and it was equal.
I try to not use the a/c except when it's really really hot but still, using this stove must be what drives up the electric bill. The person who I compared with has a gas stove.
What was the brand you bought for the Nevada place? How long ago? I assume you haven't had any problems with it - or you would have mentioned them.
We use a *lot* of ice here in Florida. And have had "ice in the door" like forever. I'm sure I could live without it - but don't know if I'd care to.
Agree with everything you said about extended warranties. Robyn
It's a 26 cu ft. Samsung. Bought it in Oct. of last year. Haven't had any problems, except once the ice did get stuck and I had to open inside compartment and move some cubes around. It's a pretty refrig, and has some nice features in the freezer part below which glides out effortlessly. I was originally going for a Westinghouse because of good reputation, but next to the Samsung and LG's, they looked and offered a lot less. Had to put the good jewelry on with the expensive dress, with my remodeled kitchen. I like having both ice cubes and crushed ice available. Crushed ice is nice for making my limeades, smoothies and even margaritas.
I read in the reviews that Sam's Club carried them, and I was able to pick up a three pack there after I purchased from Amazon.
And about reviews. There are websites that basically sell reviews. Google it and you will see. You can also Google how to spot phony Amazon reviews. The most abused item of anything sold on Amazon is of course the books. Drives me crazy, reading those reviews and trying to spot the phony ones. The people who knock some items for real are often times as you observed just technically challenged sometimes.
Speaking of funny reviews. I am assuming everyone knows about the funniest Amazon reviews. Some of them are side splitting funny. Better than a book.
The funniest one I ever read was from a reviewer for a package of $1.29 Bic Pens. Not the one they feature in the link I just provided, which is Bic Pens for HER. This was just plain old Bic Pens. Have many times tried to find it again, but can't. It made me laugh so hard, I couldn't see.
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. Robyn
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