Battle of the refrigerator-freezer designs

[mgaretz]

When it comes to bottom freezer refrigerators (which includes french door types), there are only three manufacturers: Whirlpool (now that they own Amana), LG and Samsung. Samsung was just coming out with newer models when I left the industry so I am not up on them, but all the rest (regardless of what the badge says) are made by LG or Whirlpool. It's usually pretty easy to tell who made what, (study an LG and Whirlpool side by side for a few minutes - the inside is usually more revealing), but there is an easy way to tell on French Door models: the Amana design uses a movable flap as part of the door seal. The LG design has no flap and relies on magnetic gaskets. So a quick look at the door will tell you who made it.

As of 2007 (for bottom freezer models):

Whirlpool/KitchenAid/Amana/Maytag - all the same company so they all use the same Amana design.

GE's were made by LG.

Kenmore had a combination of LG/Whirlpool depending on the model.

If I remember correctly the Viking was Whirplool.

For those that don't know LG, in general their appliances are very good (and known for quiet operation). LG makes 80% of the world's microwave ovens (basically if it's not a Sharp or Panasonic, it was made by LG). LG has been around for a long time, they used to be known as Goldstar (LG=Lucky Goldstar, their actual original company name). I used to run into the "I've never heard of LG." statement a lot. I would ask people to pull out their cell phone - 50% of the time it was an LG!

[KMPickard]

We have a 3 year old 22 cu ft GE Profile bottom mount fridge that seems to be decomposing rapidly. The motherboard has gone (an approximately $500 repair) and, on top of that, the interior plastic shelf supports are breaking off - so far the deli drawer support and the whole bottom shelf. And this is in a household of two rather careful adults . Now the decision is whether or not to repair this piece of junk and, if we do replace it, what to replace it with. We need a fridge of about 32" width and really can't expand the space available for it. Any suggestions?

Kathy

[tsquare]

Our electric utility just notified us that they will come and pick up our old refrigerator or freezer (pre-2001) for free, and they'll give us $30. That's a nice bonus for recycling, but our refer works just fine. Maybe I should lug one out of an alley somewhere!

[StanSherman]

For the fourth or fifth time, our less than five year old Kitchen Aid stopped keeping temperature correctly. You would think the technology that has the perfect timing to malfunction immediately prior to a large guest gathering could be applied to just having the thing work properly. It broke 6/29 and the first repair date they could accommodate me with is 7/9.

While shopping for the eventual replacement for this overprice pile of crap I became aware that Electrolux and soon Frigidaire are making bottom drawer 28 cu ft ones. While somewhat more expensive their design seems far superior. Anybody with real experience.

BTW how difficult would it be for refers to include a temp alarm? I'm sure it can't be any more expensive to install than the reminder mechanism to buy more water filters from the manufacturer. Surely temperature control is a more important safety issue than a plugged filter.

[mgaretz]

For the fourth or fifth time, our less than five year old Kitchen Aid stopped keeping temperature correctly.  You would think the technology that has the perfect timing to malfunction immediately prior to a large guest gathering could be applied to just having the thing work properly.  It broke 6/29 and the first repair date they could accommodate me with is 7/9.

While shopping for the eventual replacement for this overprice pile of crap I became aware that Electrolux and soon Frigidaire are making bottom drawer 28 cu ft ones.  While somewhat more expensive their design seems far superior.  Anybody with real experience. 

BTW how difficult would it be for refers to include a temp alarm?  I'm sure it can't be any more expensive to install than the reminder mechanism to buy more water filters from the manufacturer.  Surely temperature control is a more important safety issue than a plugged filter.

←

Some of the higher end refers do have temperature alarms. These are ones that also have a digital temperature readout, which means they have temperature sensor (a thermometer). The vast majority of refrigerators don't actually have a temperature sensor/thermometer. Instead you set the freezer "temperature" to an arbitrary number representing the amount of coldness (but not an actual temperature) and then you set the cool side by adjusting the amount of freezer air that gets passed into that side. It's literally a ratio of the freezer air to "fridge" side air.

Electrolux and Frigidaire are the same company. I have not been too impressed by anything of theirs. We had more repair/DOA issues with Frigidaire than any other brand.

[Moopheus]

My friends in Germany actually have a french door model that also has a little drop down door on one side, where you can get into a (enclosed on the inside) compartment for drinks, so you don't have to empty out all the cold air from your fridge when you get a beer. That's in Germany of course :-)

My wife and I just bought a house, and the kitchen has an older GE Profile side-by-side fridge that has this feature. It is a cool feature. The water dispenser is on one side, the little door on the other, so if you want water, juice, or milk, you don't have to open the fridge. Which is good, because this thing is monstrously huge. It's way bigger than we need, though at least now the wife doesn't complain about the boxes and cans of film in there. And I don't really like the side-by-side. At some point we'll replace it with something smaller, but after reading this thread, I feel less inclined to rush to do so.

[LindaK]

BTW how difficult would it be for refers to include a temp alarm?  I'm sure it can't be any more expensive to install than the reminder mechanism to buy more water filters from the manufacturer.  Surely temperature control is a more important safety issue than a plugged filter.

Some of the higher end refers do have temperature alarms. These are ones that also have a digital temperature readout, which means they have temperature sensor (a thermometer). The vast majority of refrigerators don't actually have a temperature sensor/thermometer. Instead you set the freezer "temperature" to an arbitrary number representing the amount of coldness (but not an actual temperature) and then you set the cool side by adjusting the amount of freezer air that gets passed into that side. It's literally a ratio of the freezer air to "fridge" side air.

Electrolux and Frigidaire are the same company. I have not been too impressed by anything of theirs. We had more repair/DOA issues with Frigidaire than any other brand.

My Jenn Air has a digital temp control and a temp alarm. Thus far no test of the temp alarm--no electrical outage or anything to cause the temp to rise. More useful on a daily basis, there is a gentle chime that sounds if the door is left open for 5 minutes--which I've appreciated on those occasions when I thought I'd shut the door completely but in reality had not.

As for the discussion about brand reliability, one reason I bought the Jenn Air was that it's made by the same company as Amana, and my previous Amana fridge was quiet and trouble free.

[StanSherman]

As for the discussion about brand reliability, one reason I bought the Jenn Air was that it's made by the same company as Amana, and my previous Amana fridge was quiet and trouble free.

Whirlpool bought Amana, I hope you don't get the poor service too. I use my old Amana when the KitchenAid is broke (quite often). It just frosts me that we need to wait 10 days for service when we live within 100 miles of the original Amana factory.

They tell me to only expect 8-10 years out of the new models. I find that unacceptable so we'll probably just build a walk in and buy cheaper units for the staples.

[Audiofan2]

When it comes to bottom freezer refrigerators (which includes french door types), there are only three manufacturers:  Whirlpool (now that they own Amana), LG and Samsung.  Samsung was just coming out with newer models when I left the industry so I am not up on them, but all the rest (regardless of what the badge says) are made by LG or Whirlpool.  It's usually pretty easy to tell who made what, (study an LG and Whirlpool side by side for a few minutes - the inside is usually more revealing), but there is an easy way to tell on French Door models:  the Amana design uses a movable flap as part of the door seal.  The LG design has no flap and relies on magnetic gaskets.  So a quick look at the door will tell you who made it.

I would add one thing to your post, when I left the industry last August a few manufacturers besides Whirlpool were making their bottom mount french doors with the moveable flap. Samsung and GE had models with the moveable flap, although usually it was on the right hand door vs. the Whirlpool (Maytag, Amana, Kitchen Aid, Jenn Air) which was on the left hand door. A big problem with LGs magnetic seal was that the plastic clips that hold the door can break off. Sometimes on floor models you will see that the clips are broken. Kenmore bottom mount french door refrigerators were either Whirlpool or LG and you can tell which via the moveable flap.

Here is a link to who makes what: http://www.appliance411.com/parts/make.shtml

[Fat Guy]

Which is best?

The main choices are:

Side by side

Freezer on top

Freezer on bottom

Freezer on bottom, French door refrigerator

Me, I've really come to dislike the freezer-on-bottom models. We've been staying at a friend's house where the freezer is on the bottom, and it's kind of a disaster area. There's one deep bin and a sliding basket shelf on top. It's comically difficult to get to anything without taking everything else out. The one nice thing about freezer on bottom is that it gives you a nice wide refrigerator all of which you can access without bending over.

I really like side-by-side in theory, but only if it's big and wide. For narrower refrigerators, the freezer on the side-by-side models is so narrow there are too many things that just don't fit.

Freezer on top tends to be the design of the crummiest refrigerators, but I think it's a decent design. If you don't have room for a wide side-by-side this is the design I recommend. Having the freezer at eye level makes it convenient to get stuff out. The fridge does get pushed low, though -- your fruit and vegetable bins will be near the floor.

I'm indifferent to French doors. I guess they're nice.

[Stephanie Brim]

*shrug*

I have to choose one by next year. I'm having issues.

In theory I like the bottom freezer models because you can stuff a lot of crap in there, including a bowl to a counter ice cream maker, without a whole bunch of fuss. The point you make about not being able to get anything out really comes down to freezer organization...which, at the moment, I suck at, but I'm getting much, much better.

I'm pretty much stuck with either a French door-bottom freezer model or a side-by-side, though, because of the incredibly small amount of space I have to work with. I don't even know if I could get a normal refrigerator door open in the area where the refrigerator is.

Oh, and I should probably say that the French is winning out due to the fact that I could actually fit a half sheet pan on the shelf in one. Would make retarding any type of sweet rolls or bagels overnight a much simpler task than it is now. Having to break them up onto two trays for refrigeration is just a bother.

Edited September 3, 2010 by Stephanie Brim (log)

[Chris Amirault]

Given that cold likes to go down, not up, the freezer on the bottom models are the most energy efficient, I believe. French doors are energy sieves. I have a full freezer door on the left and the fridge on the right, and when I open the freezer I can feel the chill billowing out onto my toes.

Freezer on top doesn't work too well with young kids, and I've got two of 'em. Frankly, I would much prefer two dedicated refrigerators and one dedicated freezer, but that's not going to happen, so I can live with what I've got.

[Marlene]

At the cottage, I've gone to a full upright freezer and a full fridge, no freezer in it. I have a lot more space this way for everything. Although I confess, I do also still have a top freezer model, which now holds the beer and martini glasses in the freezer part. They aren't side by side, but I'm only in the freezer a couple of times of day so it's easy for it to live in the back room

Edited September 3, 2010 by Marlene (log)

[Sean]

I have a 30 inch side by side and it doesn't make me very happy. The freezer is just a sliver and with the icemaker/water set up I lose even more interior volume. But truthfully, I could live with that freezer because I don't like cooking out of the freezer so it is less important to me. What I really don't like is the narrowness of the fridge. I guess I would gladly go for the French Door Freezer on Bottom option if I was buying a fridge today.

[Chris Hennes]

I've got a normal-sized fridge with a freezer on the bottom and I like it. I use the fridge way more than the freezer, so I don't mind bending down to get to the freezer. And my freezer compartment has a drawer in the bottom half and a shelf/ice maker in the top half. I think the drawer makes food way more accessible than the more traditional top freezer layout. Of course, mine is mostly just full of bagged stuff, which is basically what the drawer is optimized for.

[Jaymes]

Everybody I know that bought the freezer on the bottom option says that although it's nice to have the wide space, they hate having to bend down and dig, fingers cold, bottom waving in the breeze. Not to mention that the "ice-to-the-door" feature doesn't work as well with the freezer on the bottom. My daughter's husband's parents have one and there is never enough ice when we all get together with the kids and grandkids. They always have to go buy additional ice. They are included in my circle of friends/relatives that say they'll never buy another one.

I've had a large side-by-side for decades. Unless I have the money and space for a separate fridge and separate freezer, I'm sticking with the large side-by-side. I rarely have to bend down really low for anything. Everything is pretty easy to find.

And I raised a family of five with the large side-by-side. The freezer holds a lot. My dad was in the cattle business and often would give us a half-side of beef. I had no problem getting it all into the freezer.

I will say that for a time, a while back, while in a rental apartment, I had a smaller side-by-side.

I grew to absolutely loathe it. As much as any human being can possibly loathe an inanimate object, I loathed that fridge.

Anyone that is dealing with a small side-by-side and thinks that they "don't like side-by-sides" has no idea the difference that the size of it makes.

I hope my circumstances never dictate that I can't have my big side-by-side but, if so, I'd much rather have the old-style freezer-on-the-top fridge than one of those large drawers on the bottom.

______________________________

Edited September 3, 2010 by Jaymes (log)

[syoung68]

We have a French door model and HATE it. I do not mind the freezer on the bottom though it is not really that easy to get things out of the top sliding shelf. We only have water on the door and the ice maker is int he freezer. Whenever we pull out the top shelf, ice falls behind the slid out drawer. But that is not why we hate it. The doors have a really bad tendency to not close all of the way. Sure they close enough to fool the sensor that is supposed to warn us about just such a thing, but not enough to turn off the lights. So not only is cold air escaping, but the bulbs have stayed on and cooked food on the top shelf. We have taken the bulbs out. Never again.

[Chris Hennes]

That doesn't really sound like a defect with the overall French Door design, syoung68, more like your particular fridge is broken. I take it it's no longer under warranty?

[smilingal]

I did a ton of research before buying our new French door, bottom freezer Samsung. So much more room than our side-by-side in the same footprint. A great suggestion is to invest in the extra one or two freezer subdivisions - I love it - my chicken is in one, meats in another, nuts and stuff in a very narrow nother, and misc. in the widest one. This also has the slide out drawer on top of the subdivisions. My only complaint, and for us it is certainly liveable,is that we buy bags of ice for our big parties as the icemaker thru the door is on top in the fridge and apparently can't store enough. But not an issue for day-to-day living. To me, my new fridge is my BMW in my kitchen! LOL

[syoung68]

Unfortunately it is out of warranty. I do think it is a design flaw though, it really only happens if both doors are open together and then not fully shut one at a time. It may just be my model - it is a 5 year old Kenmore.

One other thing, I find that more often than not, we have both doors open. Yes, we all know where the milk is, but beyond that, with 4 sets of hands going into the fridge, things get moved all the time. We always open one side only to open the other in search of items. I think I would rather just have one door.

We have recently added a second smaller fridge in our laundry room for drinks etc. It is a top freezer unit. With this purchase, I would do a side by side in the kitchen. We did the french door thinking it would be great for large platters, which it is, but the addition of the second fridge negates the need in the kitchen.

[Dianabanana]

I think the ideal arrangement would be a bottom freezer with a swinging door. I have the bottom freezer drawer and it's a mess for all the reasons stated above. When we were shopping for our fridge about six years ago, there was only one model on the market with a bottom freezer with a swinging door and it was unacceptable to me for other reasons. I have no idea why it's not a more popular design.

Even with my messy drawer, though, I really like my bottom-freezer refrigerator. I have a terrible back. I rarely use the freezer, so I practically never have to bend over. My old fridge was a many-times-a-day source of aggravation for me but this has solved my problem almost completely.

[Emily_R]

I hate hate hate my side-by-side. Even though it is a large, full-size model, the biggest problem is that because both fridge and freezer sections are narrower, that actually makes it harder to use the *depth* of the fridge. Stuff has a much greater tendency to get lost in the back, because the openings are so much narrower that the stuff in front blocks the stuff in back and you don't get as much of a visual as to what's there... I just don't see what the problem with having to bend down for a bottom freezer is -- otherwise you have to bend down to get to the crisper in a normal top freezer model, and I access the crisper much more often than I access the freezer.

[syoung68]

I think in a perfect world, Marlene has it right. A separate stand up freezer and separate fridge only.

[pkeibel]

We have the french door freezer bottom. I prefer the bottom freezer since we don't access the freezer as much as I would the refrigerator and something has to be on the bottom. We have no problem finding stuff in freezer, maybe that's because we have gotten anal about labeling things. So far I have had three french door units and I think the manufacturers have sucked. In our first, the freezer kept icing up - it was frost free. Under warranty and 8 repairs it was finally replaced. The second one did the same thing and they wanted to repair all the same items that didn't fix the problem the first time. We nixed that idea and got a different one from the same store. That model's design was chincy with the latches on the door constantly breaking. So I like the design, smaller swinging french doors and botton wide freezer. Just help me find a good manufacturer.

[MSRadell]

My daughter's husband's parents have one and there is never enough ice when we all get together with the kids and grandkids. They always have to go buy additional ice.

Unfortunately to what I've been reading not making sufficient ice is a way of life with all the new energy efficient refrigerators. In order to cut energy usage they had to redesign the ice makers and in doing such they reduced how much ice they can make in a day. That's one of the reasons you are seeing more ice makers for home use being developed.