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We have a Maytag French Door bottom freezer with icemaker in the door. I would throw this out the window if I could. Besides it being loud and needing replacement water filters often, everything on the shelf next to where the ice dispenses freezes as does everything in the crisper. If we turn it down, things are not cold enough. I've lost more produce in the past year than I care to think about-plus, frozen sour cream, drinks, etc that were put on the top shelf.
We had Garner TV/appliance come out twice for repairs (of microwave, not the fridge) and the service guys were NOT nice. We had a new micro installed and it didnt work. they came to bring a replacement and griped because they had to install it-sorry, isnt that part of a built-in? they replaced it, but not happily. that one blew a fuse (I guess these days shorted a circuit?) every time we used it. They came out, wanted to replace the 3 defective pieces (it was a month old)and were ticked that we wanted a new one. We did get a new one, but they were complete jerks when they brought it out and installed-unsure why they were so angry since they were just installers. The next time it broke, they were civil, but no one I would deal with again. (if you counted, yes, THREE repairs on a NEW microwave in less than a year).
I like supporting local businesses, but I'd like friendly service.
I bought a new refrigerator last winter. The old one was about to die, so I had to move fairly quickly. My only requirements were stainless front and bottom freezer. I made a list of all the places that sold them, spent a Saturday looking, mad a list of what I found/liked and went back the next day and purchased. I think I paid around $1,200. For me, I don't see the added benefit from spending $2,000+ on a fridge.
One think I learned. Many of the high end refrigerators have TWO compressors. One for the freezer and one for the fridge -- marketed as a way to keep the aromas of your food separate.
Well, what happens when one of those compressors quits? They are hundreds of dollars to replace. You're not going to toss a $2,000 fridge, you're going to fix it, then eventually the other one goes. What do you do then? Spend several hundred fixing it? Probably, since you already have invested in the first compressor.
It's just one more thing to fix, and honestly, my ice cubes and ice cream have never picked up any flavors from the fridge.
Counter-depth
Flat front (not bowed out)
Bottom freezer
Single door (French doors w/ freezer just seems too busy for me, and the door seal can be an issue)
Stainless steel or Panels matching cabinets
We bought a GE French door refrigerator/freezer this past Spring, and we're very happy with it so far. It only cost us $1800, but it's all we needed though I know you can spend more than double that. I'd just refer to Consumer Reports to find the most reliable brands, and then buy the model from that manufacturer that fits your price/feature needs. No need to drive yourself crazy IMO...
We have an LG (LFXsomething) french door refrigerator with bottom freezer, bought it 2 years ago at the Sears outlet for around 1500$, it had some cosmetic damage (I believe MSRP was about 2.5K). It is extremely quiet (I never hear it and I'm super-sensitive to the noise) and it was the only model with some storage space on the left door. Very happy with it. Don't think we actually had time to read any reviews (we were buying our first house).
I believe Kenmore brand sold at Sears is almost exactly the same as LG but cheaper.
We have a Whirlpool side by side refrigerator that's about 17 years old. It started having problems regulating the temperatures on both the refrigerator and freezer side where things would be either too cold or too hot. My wife and I spent several hours one day making the rounds looking for a new refrigerator and were very very disappointed with the new designs and found nothing we really liked on top of the sticker shock.
The door seals on the french door models don't seem to seal very well from what we saw in the stores. We imagined where we would put things we normally buy and keep in the refrigerator and the interior designs were just small and poorly designed on top of the shelving being made of very cheap thin materials. You'll be lucky to get 10 years use out of them before having to buy another one.
I ended up just ordering a new thermostat and defrost timer for our old Whirlpool and installed them myself which fixed the problem. Yes...our refrigerator is old but we still like it much better than anything new out there and most of them are built in China or Mexico these days.
Keep in mind Samsung (and maybe LG) has a 10-year warranty on compressors and it is made in Korea (not China). I was ready to buy a Samsung from Lowes a few days ago but after coming home and reading reviews on Amazon (noise) I am not so sure but in no way I will buy a Frigidaire.
My first choice to buy from is Costco online as they absolutely give the best service. You can call them after a few years to return it if not happy for any reason and they will come and take it away no question asked. They don't carry Samsung though but then you don't need to worry about any problem with such a customer service.
I have a 29cu ft Whirlpool Gold french door fridge with in door icemaker. It does make more noise than my old side by side but the pluses far outweigh the minuses. The layout and lighting alone are worth it. I've had no problems with ice: two kids and two adults in the house. Most fridges have quick ice options. If you're concerned about the quantity made you can revert to a couple of ice cube trays to supplement what's made. Some fridges have an extra ice maker in the freezer but they take away from space.
I'm easily bothered by noises but have been able to tolerate the noise my fridge makes. I get some condensation around the ice maker seal but have read that a bit of petroleum jelly on the rubber gasket will take care of that. I'll try it soon. I bought mine at HH Gregg. They run some great sales and have a best price guarantee. I think I paid around $2200 delivered. Model WRF989SDAM
Totally agree ! my Whirlpool Gold is excellent -- and MADE IN THE USA. Cannot hear mine running at all, but walls on 3 sides. I also had an inline filter put on the water line behind the fridge, they are guaranteed for 5 years. Don't have to worry about buying the inside filter every 6 mos. or so.
Samsung used to be the "affordable quality" brand, but in the last few years they've really dropped off. I'm not sure there's any manuf. that fits that role now, with a few exceptions it's "you get what you pay for" among the usual major brands.
I'd try to find a GE cafe at a good price (you can haggle), or a floor model of something high end - subzero/Viking/dacor/ etc.
We had a counterdepth french door/bottom freezer Samsung fridge that stayed with our house when we sold it, and we LOVED that fridge. We are currently in a rental and the landlord purchased a brand new Kenmore (side by side doors) and we HATE it. lol Constantly gets jammed, and randomly spits ice onto the floor that gets stuck. We are house hunting at the moment, and fully plan on buying the same Samsung we had at our old house.
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