Refrigerator Shopping

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flyingcows
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Refrigerator Shopping

Post by flyingcows »

Hi Bogleheads, we are looking replace our primary refrigerator in our kitchen and looking for something that checks these boxes:

- French Door counter depth, 36" width
- Single freezer drawer on bottom
- No indoor Ice dispenser, looking only for ice makers in freezer compartment
- No plastic chrome material used (plastic is fine, fake chrome plastic is not)
- Standard handles on doors, no recessed handles
- Not Samsung
- No rush but looking to buy in the next month or two

After some searching, we have narrowed down to these 2 options:

$2,400 - Frigidaire Professional 23.3 Cu. Ft. French Door Counter-Depth Refrigerator
https://www.frigidaire.com/en/p/kitchen ... PRFG2383AF

$2,500 - LG STUDIO 27 cu. ft. Smart Counter-Depth MAX™ French Door Refrigerator
https://www.lg.com/us/refrigerators/lg- ... frigerator

Stores near us don't have either of these on display, so both would have to be bought site unseen. We did find an LG studio near by that had the window and indoor ice maker that is similar, but no Frigidaire professional series

I think either would be fine for us but just concerned about the LG after reading about the linear compressor issues they had with previous models. Those compressors now have a 10 year warranty (parts only), maybe that's an issue behind them now.

Any thoughts on either of these or other options that are similar? I realize this is a subjective decision, a fridge that works for at least 10 years would be great...our fridge in the garage is 25 years old now and still working fine but pretty beatup looking now. Any input welcome, just looking for suggestions or models we may have missed
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1hotjava
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Re: Refrigerator Shopping

Post by 1hotjava »

We've got a GE with bottom single drawer freezer. It is made in Louisville KY. GE is owned by Haier who also owns Fisher & Paykel. It does have an in door ice dispenser but there is an optional in freezer kit you can get for it. We've only had it 3 years but havent had any issues in that time.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/GE-27-8-cu-ft- ... 1002632360
Last edited by 1hotjava on Mon Nov 20, 2023 9:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
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lthenderson
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Re: Refrigerator Shopping

Post by lthenderson »

Lots of LG horror stories in past posts on this forum.

I would go with the Frigidaire simply because it is made in Tennessee, any future parts are probably easier and quicker to come by and there are probably a lot of local technicians that can work on them. I would do this even if science proved that the Frigidaire is less reliable. I own an LG refrigerator and based off my past experiences, I will never own another.
Sweet Betsy
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Re: Refrigerator Shopping

Post by Sweet Betsy »

I'll never buy a Frigidaire again after a previous experience.

Consider the Bosch 800 series. We've had ours for 6 months and love it. It came highly recommended by our appliance store....all the employees of the appliance store were buying it.
rich126
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Re: Refrigerator Shopping

Post by rich126 »

There may be reasons you want to pay that kind of money for a refrigerator but there are a lot of refrigerators in that size range for $1000-1200 especially with the sales now. And paying 50% less is a lot less painful if something were to happen. I seriously doubt paying 2X or 3X is going to get you a refrig that will last 2x or 3x longer. I was just at Home Depot this week and happened to be looking at them.

While a tech person I really would prefer not to have smart appliances in almost all cases, just another thing to break or another security hole in your network.
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pshonore
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Re: Refrigerator Shopping

Post by pshonore »

Sweet Betsy wrote: Mon Nov 20, 2023 5:05 pm I'll never buy a Frigidaire again after a previous experience.

Consider the Bosch 800 series. We've had ours for 6 months and love it. It came highly recommended by our appliance store....all the employees of the appliance store were buying it.
I just bought a Frigidaire after having a terrible experience with a Whirlpool. Probably would have a bought a Maytag (15 years of great service) but the Frigidaire was available for next day delivery.
Horologium
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Re: Refrigerator Shopping

Post by Horologium »

lthenderson wrote: Mon Nov 20, 2023 9:06 am Lots of LG horror stories in past posts on this forum.

... . I own an LG refrigerator and based off my past experiences, I will never own another.
Add me to the LG haters.

Being relatively new here, I have not posted about my experience with LG. But, I will never buy another LG appliance.

ETA: Our issue was not the compressor, but I have heard about it. In fact, don't hold me to it, but I believe there was a class action lawsuit against LG re the compressor problems.

Anyway, I would also point out that key to LG's problem is that they jumped into the appliance business without developing a parts and repair network. They can offer a great warranty, but it doesn't do you much good if it will take weeks to get you the part and, when it shows up, they don't have a trained tech to install it.
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PottedPlant
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Re: Refrigerator Shopping

Post by PottedPlant »

Mashed or Baked Potatoes?
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swong
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Re: Refrigerator Shopping

Post by swong »

Whirlpool refrigerators for me.I've had both LG refrigerators and flat panel displays and they have all died prematurely. The LG refrigerator with it's hyped "linear compressors" fail at a alarming rate and getting parts and repairs are next to impossible. Yes, there was a class action suit regarding LG linear compressors and after waiting what was an eternity I got a few hundred dollars back after almost waiting impatiently for over a year. Their flat panel displays are just as unreliable. I've had Samsung flat panel displays going on over 15 years and they are rock solid reliable. As for Whirlpool refrigerators, the are bullet proof but very dated on features and appearance but at the end of the day what do you need the most?....I'd give up fashion just to have reliability for keeping foods intact
SmokeyAbe
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Re: Refrigerator Shopping

Post by SmokeyAbe »

Based on the recommendation on this forum, we purchased a KitchenAid with similar requirements. No regrets.
margaritaville
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Re: Refrigerator Shopping

Post by margaritaville »

Yale Appliances believes LG has the problems with the Linear Compressors solved:

"Linear Compressor - Linear compressors use fewer parts and have fewer problems now. I say now because, in 2019, there was a class action suit against LG due to the compressor. Many brands and products now feature the linear compressor."

https://blog.yaleappliance.com/the-best ... rigerators

I've got one from 2021 that's been problem free.
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ClevrChico
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Re: Refrigerator Shopping

Post by ClevrChico »

Does anyone still make a very basic, reliable refrigerator with sturdy shelves that won't crack after a few years? I'm in the market and want something like a "1980's refrigerator" that lasted forever.
talzara
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Re: Refrigerator Shopping

Post by talzara »

pshonore wrote: Mon Nov 20, 2023 6:55 pm I just bought a Frigidaire after having a terrible experience with a Whirlpool. Probably would have a bought a Maytag (15 years of great service) but the Frigidaire was available for next day delivery.
Maytag refrigerators are manufactured by Whirlpool.

You could've bought the same two refrigerators with the badges swapped, and then you'd be telling us that you had a terrible experience with a Maytag, but the Whirlpool gave you 15 years of great service.
talzara
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Re: Refrigerator Shopping

Post by talzara »

ClevrChico wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2023 11:59 am Does anyone still make a very basic, reliable refrigerator with sturdy shelves that won't crack after a few years? I'm in the market and want something like a "1980's refrigerator" that lasted forever.
Smaller and lower-cost refrigerators are more basic.

You can still buy an 18 ft³ top freezer refrigerator that has a mechanical thermostat and a mechanical defrost timer.

We don't know how reliable the refrigeration systems will be. Most modern refrigerators use isobutane as the refrigerant. We don't have as much experience as we do with CFCs, HCFCs, and HFCs. We won't have the long-term reliability data until they've been in service for a few years.
slickracer
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Re: Refrigerator Shopping

Post by slickracer »

talzara wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2023 12:09 pm
pshonore wrote: Mon Nov 20, 2023 6:55 pm I just bought a Frigidaire after having a terrible experience with a Whirlpool. Probably would have a bought a Maytag (15 years of great service) but the Frigidaire was available for next day delivery.
Maytag refrigerators are manufactured by Whirlpool.

You could've bought the same two refrigerators with the badges swapped, and then you'd be telling us that you had a terrible experience with a Maytag, but the Whirlpool gave you 15 years of great service.
Whirlpool makes Kitchenaid as well.
chazas
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Re: Refrigerator Shopping

Post by chazas »

slickracer wrote: Fri Dec 01, 2023 5:37 am
talzara wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2023 12:09 pm
pshonore wrote: Mon Nov 20, 2023 6:55 pm I just bought a Frigidaire after having a terrible experience with a Whirlpool. Probably would have a bought a Maytag (15 years of great service) but the Frigidaire was available for next day delivery.
Maytag refrigerators are manufactured by Whirlpool.

You could've bought the same two refrigerators with the badges swapped, and then you'd be telling us that you had a terrible experience with a Maytag, but the Whirlpool gave you 15 years of great service.
Whirlpool makes Kitchenaid as well.
And JennAir. I’ve had a lot of Whirlpool and KitchenAid appliances over the years. Current house has JennAir kitchen appliances and a Maytag washer/dryer. They’re all junk, lucky I’ve gotten handy at minor repairs with YouTube videos. The fridge is making a ton of noise though, I don’t expect it to last.
stoptothink
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Re: Refrigerator Shopping

Post by stoptothink »

ClevrChico wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2023 11:59 am Does anyone still make a very basic, reliable refrigerator with sturdy shelves that won't crack after a few years? I'm in the market and want something like a "1980's refrigerator" that lasted forever.
We have a very basic GE. Looks totally different than anything they make now, but probably the older version of this https://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-23-0-cu- ... /317987122. It's 14yrs old, being the original refrigerator in the home. The bulb in the freezer went out once and we called the repairman because the freezer wouldn't seal...paying $200 to find out there was a handful of frozen peas pushing a drawer out :oops: Otherwise zero maintenance.

I've watched my mom have maintenance nightmares with each and every high-end appliance they've bought. An this is just her and my step-dad, we have kids beating up our appliances. They are now on a 3rd refrigerator while we are on the same one - it's a Bosch and has already required maintenance in the first ~3 years - so I've been convinced to stay as basic as possible. Don't get me started on her $9k Jenn-Air range - trainwreck.
Alfonsia
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Re: Refrigerator Shopping

Post by Alfonsia »

We had a bosch with those reqs (https://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmad ... B21CL81SNS) and the ice maker (in the freezer) failed within about 14 months, after being very insistent with CS they sent a replacement part but it was a really poor design. The plastic tray wasn't up to the torque and it failed twice, in the end DH DIYd some kind of fix, I won't bother buying $$. The other aspect was ice production was pitiful, probably due to modern efficiency. I bought a counter top ice maker (those basic things that don't refrigerate stored ice) and if I ever move back to a hot climate I will buy a real plumbed ice maker and buy a totally basic bitch fridge and separate freezer. Our new to us house has a really old fashioned top freezer fridge with old style ice make that is bullet proof. But OMG did we look at some horror houses here in the NE that had sub zero built in from the land before time that were scary looking LOL.
ncbill
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Re: Refrigerator Shopping

Post by ncbill »

talzara wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2023 12:21 pm
ClevrChico wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2023 11:59 am Does anyone still make a very basic, reliable refrigerator with sturdy shelves that won't crack after a few years? I'm in the market and want something like a "1980's refrigerator" that lasted forever.
Smaller and lower-cost refrigerators are more basic.

You can still buy an 18 ft³ top freezer refrigerator that has a mechanical thermostat and a mechanical defrost timer.

We don't know how reliable the refrigeration systems will be. Most modern refrigerators use isobutane as the refrigerant. We don't have as much experience as we do with CFCs, HCFCs, and HFCs. We won't have the long-term reliability data until they've been in service for a few years.
Haven't ex-US manufacturers used hydrocarbon refrigerants for decades to avoid the licensing fees for proprietary refrigerants like Freon?
Dufus
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Re: Refrigerator Shopping

Post by Dufus »

Some employers/credit unions/associations offer Passport savings programs. A regional appliance dealer was listed as a vendor in the discount program. It saved me a ton of money on a dishwasher I bought for my Dad. Regardless of brand, it would be worth looking into to see if you could join.
123
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Re: Refrigerator Shopping

Post by 123 »

PottedPlant wrote: Mon Nov 20, 2023 9:36 pm https://www.subzero-wolf.com/sub-zero/c ... =[Classic]Meets all your requirements
The subzero models are 84 inches high versus the two models the OP presented were each around 70 inches high. Many homes have cabinets above the refrigerator and there can be a big reluctance to give up cabinet space and there can be difficulty shortening cabinets.
The closest helping hand is at the end of your own arm.
talzara
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Re: Refrigerator Shopping

Post by talzara »

ncbill wrote: Sat Dec 02, 2023 2:46 pm
talzara wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2023 12:21 pm We don't know how reliable the refrigeration systems will be. Most modern refrigerators use isobutane as the refrigerant. We don't have as much experience as we do with CFCs, HCFCs, and HFCs. We won't have the long-term reliability data until they've been in service for a few years.
Haven't ex-US manufacturers used hydrocarbon refrigerants for decades to avoid the licensing fees for proprietary refrigerants like Freon?
Yes, but their refrigerators are smaller than our refrigerators. Sometimes technology that is reliable in foreign countries is unreliable in the United States because of design changes.

It'll take a few years to see how reliable these refrigerators are.
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PottedPlant
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Post by PottedPlant »

123 wrote: Sat Dec 02, 2023 5:18 pm The subzero models are 84 inches high versus the two models the OP presented were each around 70 inches high. Many homes have cabinets above the refrigerator and there can be a big reluctance to give up cabinet space and there can be difficulty shortening cabinets.
Which gives you an incentive (excuse) to renovate the entire kitchen.
Mashed or Baked Potatoes?
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