# French Door refrigerator recommendations



## momeason (Jan 5, 2014)

We have been shopping for a new refrigerator for weeks. We have used Consumer Reports, shopped in store and online and still cannot make a decision. 
It seems that all the available models have serious quality issues according to user reviews. 
The other problem we have is that we would definitely prefer not to have the ice and water dispenser in the door. We feel it takes up a lot of refrigerator space and often causes problems. All the models without have to be ordered and have few reviews by users or Consumer Reports. They are also not discounted much so sometimes cost more than the ones with the dispensers.


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## Patri (Jan 5, 2014)

Are you sure you want French door? Many people who have them don't like them. Really not that much room inside.
I agree about not wanting water dispenser in door.


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## momeason (Jan 5, 2014)

We actually have a French Door in our second kitchen and like it. We also do not have much room to open a big door because of an island. We have a side by side that the previous owner left us. We hate it. The refrigerator and the freezer are small. We would have replaced it long ago if we had not put another refrigerator in the addition. 
The side by side is having some issues so we want to replace it. 
We have lots of family gatherings here and want a lot of space.
I like the flex drawer idea but all those refrigerators have in door dispensers AND quality issues.

A French Door model allows us to have a bigger fridge and still open the doors.


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## janej (Jan 5, 2014)

We had a Kitchenaid one in our previous home and did not have any problem with it.    It worked very well especially when we had an extended power outage.    Our fridge seemed to stay cold for long time while others had to throw away food.    

We got another Kitchenaid after we moved to our current home for that reason.  This time we got one that is counter depth and 72" tall.   It looks much nicer.  The water dispenser is inside the fridge door, and there is an ice drawer in the freezer that does not seem to take much space.


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## klpca (Jan 5, 2014)

We've had an LG French door fridge for five or six years. I love, love, love. The French doors. We had an issue with the interior light not turning off and LG fixed it for free, but I think that the quality of the parts that I can see (shelves and drawers) isn't that great.


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## stmartinfan (Jan 5, 2014)

I have a Samsung French door and love it.  

Some of the features we learned about as we were researching:

It really helpful to have an interior drawer inside the freezer drawer to make it easier to find things in the freezer.

Some freezer drawers don't have a solid bottom when the drawer is pulled out, so you can end up worth small items spilling onto the floor.

On the issue of water and ice in the door, many of the French door refrigerators don't have ice in the door but instead have an ice maker in the drawer, so you have to open the drawer to get it.  It's more expensive to get ice in the door because they have to install a mini freezer in your refrigerator compartment to make the ice.   I think it's more common to just have water in the door.  We wanted both, so that limited us to certain brands, at least a couple of years ago when we were purchasing.

We find we have lots of room in our French door, compared to the old side by side we had.  And in our kitchen it's great to have the smaller doors because it' same tighter space by our island.


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## billymach4 (Jan 5, 2014)

My recommedation would be to stay away from the LG models. I have one and it just died. It was a fuse hardwired into a circuit board. New Board is $200. 

I did not wait for the board for fear of losing my food. I had to quick fix and jump the fuse to complete the circuit. Not my preference, but I was in a bind since the fuse is a special order item. 

I will be installing an inline replaceable fuse as a permanent and repairable fix for the future!


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## Wyominguy (Jan 5, 2014)

I too vote for the Samsung. We love our fridge and it is the model with the wine drawer. Don't do the LG, my brother hates his.


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## Patri (Jan 5, 2014)

LOL I'm the one who is mixed up. We also have a French door! And it is a Samsung. We love it. I was thinking the side by side was called French. My son (and others) have side by side and they are just too crowded to get much food in.

We did have an issue with frost forming inside the freezer. Finally figured out the door seal was not tight. Called Samsung and they said it was probably because installer did not adjust drawer quite right. We had already had for months, and I knew it would be a hassle to get installer back, if store would even admit it was them. I put a narrow strip of window seal around it, and it has been fine ever since.


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## glypnirsgirl (Jan 5, 2014)

I have a Westinghouse Profile French Door --- I love it. We can get big trays into the fridge part by opening both doors. The shelves are very flexible. And they are sturdy. 

The lighting inside the fridge is bright enough to see everything.

And there are separate compressors for the fridge and the freezer --- I love that.

The one draw back to it is that the freezer bin is not solid. It is a mesh drawer --- and the mesh is pretty big.


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## MuranoJo (Jan 5, 2014)

Our cousin has a Samsung French door and really likes it--I believe she's had it for about 3 years w/no problems so far, so that's the one I'm thinking of when our current 21-YO SbS dies on us.  Only issue I have with the French doors is many of the models have a wide drawer in the frig section which requires you to open both doors to access it.  At least this was the case a year or so ago when I was looking at them.


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## dougp26364 (Jan 6, 2014)

We just bought a Samsung French Door model and like it. Issues are shelving space if you have a lot of gallon milk jugs or 2 liter bottles. Ours came with a known defect of the ice maker line not being properly lined up and leaking. Samsung had a repairman out in 3 days to fix it. In the meantime we just left it off. We really don't use ice that much. 

For us it's nice but, there's just the 2 of us. I'm not certain I'd recommend this model for families with children. We purchased the 5 year extended warranty due to all the electronics that go into these things nowadays. New refigerators just don't last like the old ones.


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## klpca (Jan 6, 2014)

Btw, we also chose a model without the door ice/water dispenser. We wanted extra storage space on the inside of the doors. We haven't missed having the dispenser at all. When we bought ours, it was definitely less to purchase one without the dispenser. Odd that they are making it so difficult to purchase one without the dispenser.


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## wackymother (Jan 6, 2014)

We bought a new refrigerator at the Sears Outlet near us. If you have one near you, I highly recommend taking a trip over to look at what they've got over there. 

We ended up with a 23-cubic-foot French door model, without an ice/water dispenser (our water line is aaaalll the way across the kitchen, not worth bringing it over)...it's a Kenmore Elite. They had it in stainless, in white, and in black, and the stainless was about $1200, the white about $1100, and the black, about $1000, so we took the black one. 

Our kitchen needs a total redo, so I figured it was better to save a little money now and then maybe we'll have it together for a remodeling by the time this fridge shuffles off this mortal coil.


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## Fern Modena (Jan 6, 2014)

I've had my LG French Door for almost six years. It was top of the line at the time, and I bought it for specific reasons. It has ice and water through the door, which I like (more later). Having it this way means that you don't have door racks on the left door at all, but having them only on the right is fine with me. The door racks are adjustable, which works well.

The LG, at the time, was the only ice and water combo which would allow you to fill a tall bottle or mug with water without tilting it. You can place it on the platform and just press a button to fill it, much easier for guests, and even me. I use a lot of ice/water, and when my sister is here, we'd almost run out. With the LG, I can press ICE PLUS, and for the next 24 hours I get 1-1/2 times as much ice.

The freezer is chest style. It has a pull out shelf which has a lot of storage space, and a little bin at the front that I use for small items.

Bad things: It is digital, and it wants a new $50. water filter every six months. I loosen it, remove it part way to make sure it is OK, then put it back in and reset it. I only put in a new one once a year.

I just had to put in a new icemaker, and it cost $200. But, as I say, I use a lot of ice, and I've had to do that on every fridge I've had.

All and all, I'd buy it again.

Fern


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## Elan (Jan 6, 2014)

wackymother said:


> We ended up with a 23-cubic-foot French door model, without an ice/water dispenser (our water line is aaaalll the way across the kitchen, not worth bringing it over)...it's a Kenmore Elite. They had it in stainless, in white, and in black, and the stainless was about $1200, the white about $1100, and the black, about $1000, so we took the black one.



  FWIW, the Kenmore Elite refrigerators I've looked at very recently (french door models in stainless) were all made by LG.


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## momeason (Jan 6, 2014)

glypnirsgirl said:


> I have a Westinghouse Profile French Door --- I love it. We can get big trays into the fridge part by opening both doors. The shelves are very flexible. And they are sturdy.
> 
> The lighting inside the fridge is bright enough to see everything.
> 
> ...



Where did you get yours? I cannot find the Westinghouse brand here. I think maybe it is normally sold under another brand here. We actually are trying to buy at Home Depot because they have a 5 year protection plan for only $150. We never buy protection plans but my research has led me to believe I need to for this purchase. there are lots of lemons out there with all these electronic components.


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## wackymother (Jan 6, 2014)

Elan said:


> FWIW, the Kenmore Elite refrigerators I've looked at very recently (french door models in stainless) were all made by LG.



I'm sure that's correct--thanks for telling me. I tried to figure out who was making this one, but then I realized that there are so few manufacturers these days that any refrigerator would be about the same roll of the dice.


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## wackymother (Jan 6, 2014)

momeason said:


> Where did you get yours? I cannot find the Westinghouse brand here. I think maybe it is normally sold under another brand here. We actually are trying to buy at Home Depot because they have a 5 year protection plan for only $150. We never buy protection plans but my research has led me to believe I need to for this purchase. there are lots of lemons out there with all these electronic components.



You might want to look into getting a Square Trade warranty. A friend has them on her appliances and swears by them--I know they've replaced a convection oven for her. Before you buy, look for a discount code. Square Trade has sales all the time. 

We have PSEG service contracts on most of our big appliances, and I have to say they've been pretty good.


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## Kal (Jan 6, 2014)

momeason said:


> ...we would definitely prefer not to have the ice and water dispenser in the door. We feel it takes up a lot of refrigerator space and often causes problems...


 
 When we purchased a new unit our criteria were:

 - Counter depth
 - French doors
 - NO external ice or water dispenser

 We got a Kitchenaid and were very pleased that it has an internal water dispenser.  Hands free design for the water and a high efficiency filter tucked nicely at the top of the compartment.  The space taken by the external water/ice is a loss of valuable internal storage capacity.  The French Doors are wonderful in that you can open just one door to retrieve something.


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## Patri (Jan 6, 2014)

Kal said:


> The French Doors are wonderful in that you can open just one door to retrieve something.



As long as you can remember what is behind Door #1 and Door #2.


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## Sea Six (Jan 6, 2014)

This is one of the few items where I recommend the EXTENDED WARRANTY!!!  

These things are very problematic.


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## WinniWoman (Jan 7, 2014)

wackymother said:


> We bought a new refrigerator at the Sears Outlet near us. If you have one near you, I highly recommend taking a trip over to look at what they've got over there.
> 
> We ended up with a 23-cubic-foot French door model, without an ice/water dispenser (our water line is aaaalll the way across the kitchen, not worth bringing it over)...it's a Kenmore Elite. They had it in stainless, in white, and in black, and the stainless was about $1200, the white about $1100, and the black, about $1000, so we took the black one.
> 
> Our kitchen needs a total redo, so I figured it was better to save a little money now and then maybe we'll have it together for a remodeling by the time this fridge shuffles off this mortal coil.



We are going to be remodeling our kitchen and need all new appliances-even a microwave (ours is 35 years old!). Dishwasher is 26 years old, etc...!!

Anyway- our fridge is on a wall that has the washing machine behind it, so could get a plumber to hook up the water/ice dispenser. But-never did! We just make ice the old fashioned way and drop it into the dispenser every so often and bingo! Can use the ice dispenser! But, of course, not the water, but who cares! We have a faucet for Pete's sake! When redo the kitchen , hubby wants to get the plumber but I say- no way! So expensive to do this kitchen over as it is! Cutting corners as much as we can without sacrificing functionality and aesthetics. 

I am looking at bottom freezer models- I really like the one big door instead of French after having a side by side all these years and hating it. But- good point about space needed when opening the door- will have a small island as well- have to check into that..

We plan on going to Sears and ordering everything Kenmore or GE.


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## wackymother (Jan 7, 2014)

mpumilia said:


> Anyway- our fridge is on a wall that has the washing machine behind it, so could get a plumber to hook up the water/ice dispenser. But-never did! We just make ice the old fashioned way and drop it into the dispenser every so often and bingo! Can use the ice dispenser! But, of course, not the water, but who cares! We have a faucet for Pete's sake! When redo the kitchen , hubby wants to get the plumber but I say- no way! So expensive to do this kitchen over as it is! Cutting corners as much as we can without sacrificing functionality and aesthetics.
> 
> I am looking at bottom freezer models- I really like the one big door instead of French after having a side by side all these years and hating it. But- good point about space needed when opening the door- will have a small island as well- have to check into that..
> 
> We plan on going to Sears and ordering everything Kenmore or GE.



We had a bottom freezer refrigerator and really liked it. There's more usable space. But when it needed to be replaced, they weren't making any that would fit into our very tight space, with a wall on one side and cabinets right in next to the other side and directly over. We ended up having to remove those two cabinets so we could get a decent-sized fridge.

If you get a Sears credit card when you get the appliances, they'll give you 10 percent off. Sometimes they have specials where the percent off is more.


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## lgreenspan (Jan 7, 2014)

*Pay close attention to the doors*

When shopping for a French door refrigerator pay close attention to the door gaskets. You want to buy one that has a solid bar on one of the doors to create the center seal. Not a model that has just 2 rubbers gaskets that overlap. The gaskets will wear after several years leaving you with a costly repair bill. I know Amana , Maytag  and Whirlpool have the center bar. Happy shopping.


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## dougp26364 (Jan 7, 2014)

Samsung has the bar as well. I'm not sure we saw one without the bar when shopping just last month.


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## wackymother (Jan 7, 2014)

Our Kenmore Elite has the bar. But thanks for the tip, because I did not know that was something I should be looking for.


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## momeason (Jan 9, 2014)

Many companies offer package deals for the appliance package. The problem is that we did not succeed in finding one company that had great ratings for all the various appliances. 
I am with your husband,. I would hook up the ice make while remodeling. If the plumber is going to do other work, that should be easy.
One reason that I would reconsider Sears is that their protection plans are very pricey and they charge for delivery. Home Depot and Lowes now each have very good protection plans with possibly better service per reviews for 1/3 the price of Sears plans. Kenmore appliances are made by other brand names anyway.
I was able to find great deals online and then I took the deal to Lowes, Home Depot and Sears. Only Home Depot matched it in store. It was way beyond what they stated matching policy. It was not in stock and they matched an online retailer. It does not hurt to ask with a smile. I saved almost $400 over any of the local retailers. I was told no multiple times before I found the yes man. I am still not entirely pleased with my selection. I loved some of the Samsung and Kitchenaid models but the user reviews were so bad about reliability after 6 months to 2 years, that I went with one that appears to have less issues. It is a frigidaire gallery. I did buy a 5 year plan. Home Depot covers you from Day 1. I will not have to deal with the manufacturer. 
During this process, we learned that Samsung customer service is the pits..non existent, it seems.
We decided to pay less this time and hope for the best. If it does not work out, I will get to choose again..if we get a lemon. 
I had store employees at Lowe's and Home Depot admit to frequent lemons. They find them often when they are setting them up just in demo mode. Also, do not buy a refurbished Samsung..good chance it is a lemon. Samsung will not buy them back from Lowes and Home Depot. They get stuck with them. they are sold with no warranty also.
I agree with earlier poster..get a warranty. I will let you know how the the refrigerator and warranty service works out for me.


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## Carta (Jan 9, 2014)

Didn't read all posts but, we went shopping last year for a french door and wound up buying a bottom freezer type...We love it; and it actually has much more space vs french door...Plus the shelves are adjustable..(big plus)..

Bought a Kenmore


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## Chrispee (Jan 10, 2014)

We bought a Jenn Air with french doors and a bottom freezer.  It has the water dispenser inside the door, and an auto ice bin in the freezer (no dispenser).  It has been great for the two years we've had it.

We have a Samsung french door fridge with ice/water on the door in our rental, and it needed a new compressor under warranty 8 months in… maybe we just had bad luck though?


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## momeason (Jan 10, 2014)

Chrispee said:


> We bought a Jenn Air with french doors and a bottom freezer.  It has the water dispenser inside the door, and an auto ice bin in the freezer (no dispenser).  It has been great for the two years we've had it.
> 
> We have a Samsung french door fridge with ice/water on the door in our rental, and it needed a new compressor under warranty 8 months in… maybe we just had bad luck though?



Compressor failure was very prevalent in Samsung user reviews


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## WinniWoman (Jan 10, 2014)

Thanks. I never purchase extended warranties, so not a consideration in my case. As for the plumbing, we are not having any other plumbing work done actually, which is why I didn't think to bother just to hook up the ice dispenser. We do not care to have a water dispenser...Also, Consumer reports says an ice maker can double the energy usage of the fridge. The recent Consumer Reports has a lot of the Kenmore appliances well- rated, as well as the GE's.

I am nervous getting new appliances, as my old ones have been so great! Especially my 35 year old microwave and my 26 year old dishwasher and refrigerator...!! (I hate to even say it- never a repair to this day!)They are a Hot Point dishwasher and a GE microwave (under the counter) and an Imperial (made by Frigidaire) Refrigerator. I also have a Kenmore upright freezer and GE washer/ dryers bought on-line years ago sight unseen from Sears- all great!

In fact, now that I am thinking of it- I might attempt to just order everything on-line and not be influenced by some shady salesperson!


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## momeason (Jan 10, 2014)

mpumilia said:


> Thanks. I never purchase extended warranties, so not a consideration in my case. As for the plumbing, we are not having any other plumbing work done actually, which is why I didn't think to bother just to hook up the ice dispenser. We do not care to have a water dispenser...Also, Consumer reports says an ice maker can double the energy usage of the fridge. The recent Consumer Reports has a lot of the Kenmore appliances well- rated, as well as the GE's.
> 
> I am nervous getting new appliances, as my old ones have been so great! Especially my 35 year old microwave and my 26 year old dishwasher and refrigerator...!! (I hate to even say it- never a repair to this day!)They are a Hot Point dishwasher and a GE microwave (under the counter) and an Imperial (made by Frigidaire) Refrigerator. I also have a Kenmore upright freezer and GE washer/ dryers bought on-line years ago sight unseen from Sears- all great!
> 
> In fact, now that I am thinking of it- I might attempt to just order everything on-line and not be influenced by some shady salesperson!



This is the very first time we have ever bought an extended warranty. We use Consumer Reports all the time. I also read user reviews starting with the lowest ratings. I read many stories of very similar problems. I really looked at the reviews people posted after using the refrigerator for a couple of years. Many problems showed up 1-2 years later. We decided this time the $150 warranty would be a good choice. $150 for a 5 year warranty which includes compensation for spoiled food and lemon protection that allows one to get the entire price plus tax back if the refrigerator has frequent issues.
I decided to buy the warranty due to user reviews not a salesman. I negotiated a very good price for the appliance, matching the best price I found on the internet.
I did all my own research and went in and showed my research and internet prices and got my deal..no persuasion. I saved much more than the price of the warranty. Sears warranties are very expensive.
The sales people at Lowes and Home Depot here are not pushy. they are also not experts, IMO
BTW, my Mom still have the same stove and oven that wee built in in 1965.
They do not make them to last anymore.


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## WinniWoman (Jan 11, 2014)

After spending a few hours today researching through consumer reports and looking on line, I think we will probably order on-line through Home Depot all Whirlpool appliances for the new kitchen. When using the Sears website, it was a but difficult to look up the model numbers and go back and forth and compare. They didn't have everything I wanted. I was really trying to stay with one brand name across all appliances if possible.I found using Consumer reports for the appliances a waste of time, because a lot of the models they rated are no longer available! Once you start looking at the model numbers- you can't find the products! Had to jump around all over the place and still only could find 1 or 2 of the models I would consider. A lot different than when we use CR for car purchases. Real pain in the neck for the appliances.. 

I am now just using the posted consumer reviews in my search. Home Depot seems to have the best prices and most selection and easy to make comparisons on the web site. I use an add-on called "Price Blink" on my computer and when I look at an item it will bring up prices across the internet from other sites so I can compare right then and there.

Our new kitchen isn't even going to be started until spring, but I had a lot of down time today so I figured, why waste it? I now at least know what I will be doing when the time comes.

Also, I have a double warranty benefit on my credit card, so that will be useful.


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## jlr10 (Jan 12, 2014)

After 28 years we broke down and bought a new fridge last fall.  We looked at several and the one thing we knew we did want was an ice maker and water dispenser as it seems I was the only one who knew how to make ice.   We also want this in the door so we could obtain these without having to open the door, and we did not want a side by side as they seemed to narrow.  

We settled for a LG French door model with a pull out freezer which had 2 extra pull out shelves.  So far we love it.  We are enjoying always having ice and cold water. Since we went from a condo size freezer to our the 31 CU we have room to spare.


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## ScoopKona (Jan 13, 2014)

I hate my current refrigerator. The icemaker has died. The water dispenser has died. The circuit board that controls all of that has died. But it is still ICE cold and is working efficiently. 

So I cannot bring myself to throw it out and buy the refrigerator that I want. The one I want, surprisingly, comes from Sears. This 'fridge makes sense on so many levels, I imagine it must have been designed by professional chefs.

http://www.sears.com/kenmore-elite-...p-04672193000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1


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## WinniWoman (Jan 13, 2014)

ScoopLV said:


> I hate my current refrigerator. The icemaker has died. The water dispenser has died. The circuit board that controls all of that has died. But it is still ICE cold and is working efficiently.
> 
> So I cannot bring myself to throw it out and buy the refrigerator that I want. The one I want, surprisingly, comes from Sears. This 'fridge makes sense on so many levels, I imagine it must have been designed by professional chefs.
> 
> http://www.sears.com/kenmore-elite-...p-04672193000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1




That's some refrigerator! I don't think I could bring myself to purchase a $4000 refrigerator though!


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## wackymother (Jan 13, 2014)

ScoopLV said:


> I hate my current refrigerator. The icemaker has died. The water dispenser has died. The circuit board that controls all of that has died. But it is still ICE cold and is working efficiently.
> 
> So I cannot bring myself to throw it out and buy the refrigerator that I want. The one I want, surprisingly, comes from Sears. This 'fridge makes sense on so many levels, I imagine it must have been designed by professional chefs.
> 
> http://www.sears.com/kenmore-elite-...p-04672193000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1



They have a few at Sears Outlets, starting at $2300. And now I see they have a "Make an Offer" option!

http://www.searsoutlet.com/d/invent...p=BOTH&deals=No&itemSelectionType=&&zip=07024


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## SMHarman (Jan 13, 2014)

mpumilia said:


> That's some refrigerator! I don't think I could bring myself to purchase a $4000 refrigerator though!



Positive bargain

http://www.bosch-home.com/us/produc...n-refrigerators/B36BT830NS.html?source=browse

Or the Thermador line which is Bosch gone upscale.

And the just google Sub Zero, you can't get online pricing, but take a look at the ebay auctions, that will give you an idea of retail when that is what people are asking resale!


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## WinniWoman (Jan 14, 2014)

SMHarman said:


> Positive bargain
> 
> http://www.bosch-home.com/us/produc...n-refrigerators/B36BT830NS.html?source=browse
> 
> ...




Ha! ha! Ha! Ha! ha!:hysterical:


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## WinniWoman (Jan 14, 2014)

I can get a decent plain ol' stainless steel, bottom drawer freezer fridge for $1200.00- Whirlpool Gold- great reviews. The less complicated the better... It's a refrigerator for Pete's sake!


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## maryp32 (Oct 19, 2016)

Two brands: LG and Samsung! I don't want to buy LG refrigerators because they are over priced instead I buy Samsung for the affordable price!


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## Passepartout (Oct 19, 2016)

Interesting. An idle thread for almost 3 years, brought back by a new guest. 

But fwiw, the old bottom-freezer Amana rolled craps a couple weeks ago, so we bought a Kitchen-Aid french door model. Our condo second home has a bottom-freezer Jenn-Air. Because the interiors are functionally identical, same control panel & light assembly, same filter cartridge, same pull-out meat/cheese drawer, same baskets in the freezer, I suspect they are both made by the same maker. Whirlpool. In the USA. The one in the condo is 8 yeas old, and we did not buy the extended warranty on the new one, though I think it's available until the original warranty expires.

Maybe it's just perception, but the single-door bottom-freezer seems to hold more. Just transferring stuff from the old single door fridge into the French Door unit, I noticed that I could no longer use the same 'place for everything, and everything in it's place' rule. All the available space used, and I still had more stuff. We'll get used to it.

So far, so good.

Jim


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## WinniWoman (Oct 19, 2016)

And we actually did end up with a Kenmore Fridge-$1200-french doors with bottom freezer-ice maker inside freezer- not water dispenser on door. In fact ordered all our kitchen appliances online through Sears, which has the Consumer Reports ratings right on their website for the appliances.(GE microwave and range and Bosch dishwasher). Sears ended up having the best prices. I actually called to haggle over the on-line prices. All good so far.

Just as I thought, I really don't like a bottom freezer. You have to dig in to get stuff underneath. It's just like a chest freezer.  I also wanted a single door fridge but I did not have the room between the fridge and island for that to open. I don't like top freezers because then you have to bend more often for the fridge.

I have come to the conclusion the best thing- if you had the room in your kitchen -would be a separate refrigerator and a separate free standing freezer (like the one we currently have in our garage) placed side by side. LOL!


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## MuranoJo (Oct 20, 2016)

Since the original post in this thread, we've had to update our frig from the old reliable GE side-by-side we'd had for 23 years.  We moved to a Samsung French door, similar to this style:  https://www.lowes.com/pd/Samsung-28...ce-Maker-Stainless-Steel-ENERGY-STAR/50143404

It seriously has a ton of room, and holds more than the old GE.  Before we bought, one of the reviews had said you could hold a virtual feast with the room and we've found it to be true.  The one & only thing I don't like is the long horizontal refrigerator shelf just above the freezer section which runs side-to-side.  And I knew I wouldn't like it--you have to open both doors to access it and with a wide, shallow, flat drawer like that things just get lost.  Otherwise, no regrets at all.


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## VegasBella (Oct 23, 2016)

Chrispee said:


> We bought a Jenn Air with french doors and a bottom freezer.  It has the water dispenser inside the door, and an auto ice bin in the freezer (no dispenser).  It has been great for the two years we've had it.


We have a Jenn Air one like this as well. It's been fine for about 8 years and we bought it used so I suspect they can last a long time. Only cosmetic problems with it.


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## Talent312 (Oct 23, 2016)

BTW, Kitchenaid, Jenn-Air and Maytag are owned by Whirlpool.
Most of our appliances have the Whirlpool label.
Their products seem reasonably priced, even w-upgraded models.
.


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## VacationForever (Oct 23, 2016)

We bought a GE Cafe where it also dispenses hot water (various temperature settings) and it is a great feature to have as I use it for my tea in the morning.  The best part of this refrigerator is that it has different settings within the fridge - cheeses, meats, vegetables etc.  My meats keep much longer as the temperature of that drawer is at 32 degrees and my fruits/vegetables are also kept fresh way longer than other refrigerators that I had.  Also, with the carbon filter, there is no refrigerator smell, including in the ice and water.


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## laura1957 (Oct 24, 2016)

MuranoJo said:


> Since the original post in this thread, we've had to update our frig from the old reliable GE side-by-side we'd had for 23 years.  We moved to a Samsung French door, similar to this style:  https://www.lowes.com/pd/Samsung-28...ce-Maker-Stainless-Steel-ENERGY-STAR/50143404
> 
> It seriously has a ton of room, and holds more than the old GE.  Before we bought, one of the reviews had said you could hold a virtual feast with the room and we've found it to be true.  The one & only thing I don't like is the long horizontal refrigerator shelf just above the freezer section which runs side-to-side.  And I knew I wouldn't like it--you have to open both doors to access it and with a wide, shallow, flat drawer like that things just get lost.  Otherwise, no regrets at all.



Looks like the Samsung I just bought last month     love it!!   So much more room than my old side-by-side.   Love the "deli" drawer, the freezer drawer and the flip up shelf.
Mine does have 2 inside drawers though - don't need to open both doors.


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## MuranoJo (Jan 29, 2017)

MuranoJo said:


> Since the original post in this thread, we've had to update our frig from the old reliable GE side-by-side we'd had for 23 years.  We moved to a Samsung French door, similar to this style:  https://www.lowes.com/pd/Samsung-28...ce-Maker-Stainless-Steel-ENERGY-STAR/50143404
> 
> It seriously has a ton of room, and holds more than the old GE.  Before we bought, one of the reviews had said you could hold a virtual feast with the room and we've found it to be true.  The one & only thing I don't like is the long horizontal refrigerator shelf just above the freezer section which runs side-to-side.  And I knew I wouldn't like it--you have to open both doors to access it and with a wide, shallow, flat drawer like that things just get lost.  Otherwise, no regrets at all.



Just as an update, looks like we're going to have to replace this Samsung due to issues with the ice-maker.  Turns out this is a common issue for this model, per the repairman; he also said 7 out of 10 fixes don't work.  So now it looks like the 'fix' didn't work--thank goodness we got the extended warranty (for the first time ever)!  

The repairman said LGs or Bosch seem to have a better record, but if you want the best to spring for Sub-Zero.  
Any more recent experiences or recommendations?


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## WinniWoman (Jan 29, 2017)

Our Kenmore, which I posted about on this thread, has been great. No issues. I am for simple- not necessarily expensive. Sometimes the simpler, the less that can go wrong.


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## stmartinfan (Jan 29, 2017)

Interesting to see this thread reappear.  I also had to replace the Samsung that I had just bought about 3 years ago, so no longer a Samsung fan.  The water line developed a leak in a place where it was inaccessible behind the back of the inside liner of the refrigerator.  We assume it must have frozen at some point...for no reason we could ever figure out. It then proceed to slowly leak water into the area under the deli tray.  The repair person had no way to fix it, and Samsung's customer service line essentially said, "Too bad."  we have purchased an extended warranty but it had expired by that point.    So the highly rated and very expensive refrigerator was junk.  We now have a GE and so far, like it.  We'll see how long this one survives!


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## MuranoJo (Jan 30, 2017)

Sorry to hear that, stmartinfan.  It's pitiful to read of so many failures in today's appliances and the dismal support offered.  
Our extended warranty was good for 5 years.


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## WinniWoman (Jan 30, 2017)

I never get extended warranties on anything. I research- especially with Consumer Reports- usually go for a reasonable price point- middle of the road or lower (except for my GE range which was expensive, but I really wanted a double oven and a slide in model), go also by past experience with a brand, read user reviews, keep it simple and then go with it. This has pretty much worked out very well for us. (except on my basic model Honda CRV- but that's another story).


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## Magic1962 (Jan 30, 2017)

Wow, we are going against everyone's recommendations and buying a GE Side by Side with an ice maker and water dispenser in the door, plus a GE stove convection oven, both are slate colored, smudge proof... the local appliance place will give us a 10 year warranty on all the major parts.... I still wonder if I should spend the extra 260.00 for the 5yr. Extended warranty...... The warranty doesn't cover the electric boards..... But I also know most electronic problems will happen in the first year... and they both come with a full 1 yr warranty..... Dave
Edit.... I also did my research on CR and both got great ratings and one got the Best Buy recommendation..... I looked at reviews online and the both had 4.5 out of 5 in HUNDREDS of reviews....


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## WinniWoman (Jan 30, 2017)

Magic1962 said:


> Wow, we are going against everyone's recommendations and buying a GE Side by Side with an ice maker and water dispenser in the door, plus a GE stove convection oven, both are slate colored, smudge proof... the local appliance place will give us a 10 year warranty on all the major parts.... I still wonder if I should spend the extra 260.00 for the 5yr. Extended warranty...... The warranty doesn't cover the electric boards..... But I also know most electronic problems will happen in the first year... and they both come with a full 1 yr warranty..... Dave
> Edit.... I also did my research on CR and both got great ratings and one got the Best Buy recommendation..... I looked at reviews online and the both had 4.5 out of 5 in HUNDREDS of reviews....




I love GE appliances! My washer,dryer- both digital and 9 or 10 years old-, microwave and slide in range/double oven/convection oven all GE and all digital. Prior my dishwasher was Hot Point (GE) and it was still working after 25+ years when I got rid of it for my new kitchen update. And it never had one single repair! No extended warranties ever.


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## Elan (Jan 30, 2017)

As I've commented here before, based on reading thousands of reviews, I don't think spending more on "luxury brand" appliances buys any additional reliability.  Perhaps better performance, but not reliability.  We had mid-grade GE appliances put in our home when we built it 15 years ago.  The DW died at around the 10 year mark, and I repaired the motherboard on the frig at around the 12 year mark (still working as new), but the range was working fine when we replaced it a year or so ago.  Put in a new higher end GE slide in gas with a 20K BTU burner and center griddle/grill option.  Really like the range thus far, especially the cast iron griddle.  Definitely including GE in the list of potential refrigerator choices.  

BTW, Kenmore Elite refrigerators are LG-built, in case anyone is looking at those.


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## easyrider (Jan 30, 2017)

We bought a Kenmore French door refrigerator / freezer about 7 years ago. I like it well enough for the look but I like my old Kenmore top freezer refrigerator better. The freezer was huge. My daughter has this 22 year old refrigerator now and loves the freezer space. Haven't had a problem with either.

Bill


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## MuranoJo (Jan 30, 2017)

mpumilia said:


> I never get extended warranties on anything. I research- especially with Consumer Reports- usually go for a reasonable price point- middle of the road or lower (except for my GE range which was expensive, but I really wanted a double oven and a slide in model), go also by past experience with a brand, read user reviews, keep it simple and then go with it. This has pretty much worked out very well for us. (except on my basic model Honda CRV- but that's another story).



We never did either--this Samsung French Door frig was the first for us.  And we also did thorough research w/CR, etc. and reading through reviews before we bit the bullet.  The only reason we decided to get the warranty this time was due to the horrible reputation of most new frigs (and I'd heard the ice-makers were notorious for going bad).  Turns out for us it was true.

BTW, our previous Side-by-Side was a 23-year-old GE and we loved it--a repairman once told us to hang onto it as long as we could and we did.  OTOH we have a 39-year-old brown Gibson frig in the garage that's still churning along (and probably costing us a bunch in electricity).


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## WinniWoman (Jan 31, 2017)

MuranoJo said:


> We never did either--this Samsung French Door frig was the first for us.  And we also did thorough research w/CR, etc. and reading through reviews before we bit the bullet.  The only reason we decided to get the warranty this time was due to the horrible reputation of most new frigs (and I'd heard the ice-makers were notorious for going bad).  Turns out for us it was true.
> 
> BTW, our previous Side-by-Side was a 23-year-old GE and we loved it--a repairman once told us to hang onto it as long as we could and we did.  OTOH we have a 39-year-old brown Gibson frig in the garage that's still churning along (and probably costing us a bunch in electricity).



Yes. This is why we didn't hook up our ice maker. Really no big deal to just make a few trays of ice and then empty them in the bin. We do not have an in door water/ice dispenser, just an inside the freezer ice one. To me, no biggie to just walk a couple of feet to the sink for water.


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