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I've started looking at a fridge for my new, currently under construction house.
I know I want stainless, and I know I want counter depth. After some looking, I would say door-in-door is also probably on the must have list. Approx. size 36x72 - not looking for highest end, price ok up to about $3000 list (knowing I can do a lot better than that on sale).
Still undecided about French door vs. side by side. I had been assuming I'd buy French door but after using one where we are living temporarily for now, I'm not so sure. Love the fridge, but really not liking the freezer.
I saw a couple of side by sides the other night that had me really reconsidering. I'm especially attracted to the integrated handles, as clearance will be a bit tight in the new house and I think I'll really appreciate that extra couple of inches.
I would steer clear of LG -- very very poor feedback from anyone that ha had problems with the units and worse when they do have problems their are reports of dealers giving up and repairs and letting customers substitute a whole other brand.
Samsung has better reviews but their track record is very thin, probably not worth the risk for a pricey countrer depth unit filled with food...
If you are in for the longhaul a Northland or SubZero is the way to go for counterdepth, they have far more experience in delivering reliable units ...
Having owned a Sub-Zero for 24 years, I would go for that.
Having owned a "counter depth" Whirlpool, I would not go for counter depth if you plan on getting the water/ice dispenser. I despise my counter depth fridge, but had no choice when we moved into our new house.
I am saving the money to buy a Sub-Zero integrated fridge.
Since I have neither the room nor the budget for a Sub Zero or Northland, those are off the list. And a counter depth is not ideal in terms of functionality, but it is the only option acceptable to me in terms of aesthetics. Unfortunately, given the layout, recessing the space in order to fit a full sized fridge is not an option. I will have a 2nd fridge in the garage so at least that will fill the gap in terms of the smaller capacity.
However, I have also been reading some not very good things about LG, so I guess I'll have to cross that one off the list. I actually liked the looks of that one better, as well as some of the features. But not at the price of a fridge that doesn't work well!
If your house is currently under construction, have them build a refrigerator niche into the wall. It is just a shallow niche area behind where the refrigerator will be. Then you can have a standard sized refrigerator and it will be counter depth. I think they lay the studs flat to the wall in that area but it still has the same drywall or whatever wall sheathing you are using on the studs so the niche matches the rest of the walls, it's just a thinner wall there so the refrigerator can fit in deeper.
If your house is currently under construction, have them build a refrigerator niche into the wall. It is just a shallow niche area behind where the refrigerator will be. Then you can have a standard sized refrigerator and it will be counter depth. I think they lay the studs flat to the wall in that area but it still has the same drywall or whatever wall sheathing you are using on the studs so the niche matches the rest of the walls, it's just a thinner wall there so the refrigerator can fit in deeper.
Unfortunately, not an option due to the type of construction (side by side duplex), I already asked.
Before you buy any brand of appliances I highly suggest you check customer reviews. There use to be a time when refrigerators lasted for 20 yrs or more, not so anymore. People have had major costly problems with them. Brands that use to represent quality now only represent JUNK!! Check customer reviews on consumeraffairs.com, Amazon, pissedconsumer.com, etc. There are major complaints regarding the quality of LG & Whirlpool (by the thousands), & while people seem to feel Samsung is a better alternative they say when there is a problem appliance repair shops don't know how to service that brand. What ever you do be sure to buy a extended warranty cause you have a good chance you may have to use it since mfg's now only give 1 yr warranty on their appliances (that ought to tell you something right there). Good luck.
We have a 3 door Maytag counter dept fridge. It's in storage now because we are waiting to get our house built, but it's held up well for the past 3 years. My husband price matched and got an amazing deal.
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Reliability / US consumer track record
