Battle of the refrigerator-freezer designs

[Marlene]

I had a KitchenAid side by side with ice in the door in my old house. When we moved here, I had a Frigidaire, no ice. It broke within months of moving in and I replaced it with the same Kitchenaid. I like the removable ice bucket on the KA.

I've had the bottom freezer drawer model, and I found I hated it. Just a personal preference. At the cottage, we have a Whirlpool top freezer mount, and on the porch, a Kenmore 25 inch side by side, no ice.

[CaliPoutine]

I've had the bottom freezer drawer model, and I found I hated it. Just a personal preference. At the cottage, we have a Whirlpool top freezer mount, and on the porch, a Kenmore 25 inch side by side, no ice.

We got a GE Profile french door/bottom mount and I HATE IT. After numerous repairs, it was replaced by the company free of charge( during the first year). I still hate the bottom freezer though. I find it holds a lot less and its just a general PITA to find something as you have to remove everything to see whats on the bottom.

[Marlene]

I've had the bottom freezer drawer model, and I found I hated it. Just a personal preference. At the cottage, we have a Whirlpool top freezer mount, and on the porch, a Kenmore 25 inch side by side, no ice.

We got a GE Profile french door/bottom mount and I HATE IT. After numerous repairs, it was replaced by the company free of charge( during the first year). I still hate the bottom freezer though. I find it holds a lot less and its just a general PITA to find something as you have to remove everything to see whats on the bottom.

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Exactly. The drawers are a pain to pull out fully loaded as well.

[slschnur]

So far I haven't had that problem with the Kenmore Elite, but I do have a separate freezer that holds all the long-term stuff so the fridge freezer is never filled to the top. In my old GE with top freezer, I found that items would - again - get pushed to the back & neglected till I got around to emptying the freezer (infrequently - about once a year).

[robyn]

I've had the bottom freezer drawer model, and I found I hated it. Just a personal preference. At the cottage, we have a Whirlpool top freezer mount, and on the porch, a Kenmore 25 inch side by side, no ice.

We got a GE Profile french door/bottom mount and I HATE IT. After numerous repairs, it was replaced by the company free of charge( during the first year). I still hate the bottom freezer though. I find it holds a lot less and its just a general PITA to find something as you have to remove everything to see whats on the bottom.

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Exactly. The drawers are a pain to pull out fully loaded as well.

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That seemed like a potential problem to me too - especially since many models have flimsy bottom shelves. Figured they would groan under the weight of even a 12 pound turkey. That is why I figured if we bought a model with bottom drawers - it was best to have 2 separate ones than 1 with a bottom shelf and top pullout. And perhaps I should take another look at the side-by-side models - like the one we have now.

FWIW - there is an old thread here about having a refrigerator in the garage, We have one - a Montgomery Ward house brand we bought about 14 years ago. As basic as it comes - all wire shelves - not a single drawer. Cost about $200. Used mostly to store liquids from water to beer to wine - but it saved me more than it cost me today (I tend to cook a lot in the winter - and had a freezer loaded with everything from quail to pork loins). And to the people who wrote in that thread - the temp in our garage ranges from about 40 to 90 (we're in northeast Florida) - and the refrigerator is still going strong. Perhaps one day it will die - but it doesn't owe us a thing at this point. Like the $79 TV we keep outside on our porch all year (it's kind of cute - the lizards live in it during the winter to get a little heat). Robyn

[LindaK]

I have a strong preference for the bottom freezer refrigerators. I open the fridge more than the freezer, and hate having to crouch down to search for veggies in the bins. Having the refrigerator section all at eye level is great. I'm on my second such model and would never go back.

My current fridge is 36", one of the french door models, and I've had it only a few months. I like it. The reason I purchased this style, rather than the single door model, was because of its location in my newly renovated kitchen. It opens into a corridor across from an island, the corridor being only 40" wide. I was afraid that opening a single 36" door in such a relatively narrow area would feel cramped and awkward. I'm sure I made the right call, it's very comfortable opening the doors while standing directly in front of the fridge, no need to worry about which way the door will swing open. So if your kitchen space is tight, I would definitely recommend a french door model. Otherwise, it's simply a matter of personal taste.

My renovation let me fit a 36" fridge into my layout. My intention also had been to buy a white refrigerator, I'm not a big stainless fan. But I was shocked to find that most 36" models come in stainless only. I did find that Kitchenaid and Jenn Air carried 36" white models, but that they were surprisingly more expensive than the stainless. My favorite of the two was the Jenn Air "floating glass" series. Some friends have the white floating glass fridge and dishwasher in their kitchen, and it's really lovely.

In the end, I decided that the premium for a white fridge wasn't worth it, given my budget, and went with the Jenn Air stainless. I'm really happy with it, despite the "fingerprint" issue of stainless appliances that I'd been trying to avoid. The vegetable bin holds a good size cabbage, no problem.

[weinoo]

My only addition to this topic is that the one LG appliance I owned, an air-conditioner, sucked and I got rid of it after only 1 season.

[blue_dolphin]

I have a strong preference for the bottom freezer refrigerators. I open the fridge more than the freezer, and hate having to crouch down to search for veggies in the bins. Having the refrigerator section all at eye level is great.  I'm on my second such model and would never go back.

This is my reason for looking for a bottom freezer model, too. I often just put veggies on the bottom shelf rather than reach all the way down to the bins.

....In the end, I decided that the premium for a white fridge wasn't worth it, given my budget, and went with the Jenn Air stainless. 

How's the noise factor on the Jenn Air? I have a small place and am hoping for something quiet.

[robyn]

LindaK - The prices quoted to me for Kitchenaid in white are less than those for stainless. Perhaps you were dealing with places that had stainless in stock while white was a special order - so they were willing to discount more on the stock item? FWIW - the Kitchenaid white these days isn't that attractive IMO. It's a high gloss kind of hospital white (my current refrigerator has a more muted textured white surface). The most attractive finishes I saw were satin somewhat stainless looking (but not real stainless which shows a lot of fingerprints). Still one huge stainless looking appliance would stick out like a sore thumb in my kitchen - and you can only see the refrigerator if you're standing by the stove. So it probably won't be a problem.

As for the configuration. I have some problems with the French door models. Most have very shallow bins. Many put the icemaker in the refrigerator compartment itself - which takes up a lot of room. When you put the icemaker "on the door" - you lose a lot of door shelving. If the icemaker is in the freezer section (no "ice" in the door) - that takes up a lot of freezer room - and you wind up with a plastic tub of ice cubes (which - best I can recall from years ago - frequently winds up being one big ice cube).

The side-by-sides have disadvantages too - like the narrow shelves in the freezer. But - overall - they seem to have more "useable" space in the average 36" wide model. But be really careful when looking at any refrigerator in terms of drawers - shelves - etc. For example - one Kitchenaid side-by-side model I saw on the floor had 3 freezer bins - one of which wrapped around a freezer light smack in the middle of the freezer compartment. Pretty nice use of space. But - upon checking - the current version of that model had 2 freezer bins - and a shallow shelf with perhaps a 2" "lip" on the back which backed up to the freezer light. That shelf would hold almost nothing - things would tumble off the back of it - and it wasted a whole lot of space compared to the previous bin. Seems that the manufacturers are trying save a buck here and a buck there and they don't care very much about the resulting utility of their products.

I think in terms of configuration - it comes down to a matter of personal preference IMO. What you buy - and how/when you use it. Think about it when you're looking. Take stock of your current needs - and your wants - even make a list. Where will I put this - that or the other thing. For example - I use the bottom bin in my current refrigerator (one of three) for onions and the like. They sprout too quickly if left on the counter in Florida most of the year - and we don't have "root cellars" (or any other kind of cellars for that matter - not with a water table 2-3 feet below ground level ). So I am only bending over for onions. And if I need to store a "party platter" (which isn't too often) - I can put it in my garage refrigerator.

Today I went to the 2 higher end appliance stores in town. Ferguson's (a national outfit) and a local store. I expected to be blown away - but I have to tell you that I was surprised at the cheesy quality of the fittings in many very very expensive refrigerators (like from $5000 to low 5 figures). Thin glass - lots of plastic like you'd find in a low end Whirlpool - no metal on the shelves. My 13 year old Kitchenaid has heavy duty tempered glass shelves which are edged in metal - not crummy plastic. But the new lighter glass/plastic cheaper shelves on the Kitchenaid didn't look or feel any worse than those in the high end brands. I happen to be a cabinet nut - have a lot of expensive German cabinetry throughout the house. But at least the cabinets I've bought have superior finish work and fittings. With these expensive appliances - I am not sure what you are paying for except a lot of advertising. Although my research wasn't exhaustive - the warranties seem the same as on the low end - 1 year except for things like the compressor - where Kitchenaid - at 10 years - seems to have the best warranty.

FWIW - since I will probably wind up with a side-by-side Kitchenaid just like my old one if my old one can't be saved at a reasonable price - I am going back to the appliance store to see if my old shelves and the like will fit into the new model.

weinoo - I looked up some reviews for LG refrigerators (among others). And all I can say is that a fair number of people reported that theirs had caught on fire! (Apparently a problem with lights not going off - and melting stuff which in turn caused fires). I can understand complaints about mushy ice cream or frozen lettuce in a refrigerator - but not complaints about fires. So that manufacturer is off my list (even though the problem may have been solved with the newer models - I am not taking any chances).

The appliance repairman will come tomorrow morning and give us his verdict. I have to say - it is not much fun shopping for appliances these days. Robyn

[andiesenji]

I have the LG and love it. The two freezer drawers are very handy and I like the configuration of the fridge. It doesn't have a lot of room for very tall things, with all the shelves installed, but I have a second fridge so it isn't a problem for me and I also have a big separate freezer for long term storage.

I have checked the temp in various parts of the fridge and this one keeps stuff in the door much colder than in fridges I have had in the past so it is safe for dairy. (Some units simply do not keep things stored in the door as cold as they should be without having other parts too cold.

[KarenDW]

The side-by-sides have disadvantages too - like the narrow shelves in the freezer.  But - overall - they seem to have more "useable" space in the average 36" wide model.  But be really careful when looking at any refrigerator in terms of drawers - shelves - etc.    For example - one Kitchenaid side-by-side model I saw on the floor had 3 freezer bins - one of which wrapped around a freezer light smack in the middle of the freezer compartment.  Pretty nice use of space.  But - upon checking - the current version of that model had 2 freezer bins - and a shallow shelf with perhaps a 2" "lip" on the back which backed up to the freezer light.  That shelf would hold almost nothing - things would tumble off the back of it - and it wasted a whole lot of space compared to the previous bin.  Seems that the manufacturers are trying save a buck here and a buck there and they don't care very much about the resulting utility of their products.

The biggest challenge I have w/ my new KA stainless fridge is that it is NOT magnetic! So much for attaching recipes/lists/poetry. I am disappointed w/ the fridge and dishwasher, but the rest of the apartment is wonderful.

I AM liking the bottom drawer freezer. The ice-maker is in the top basket of the freezer, and so really handy. Other, longer-storage items can go in the bottom basket, which should theoretically stay colder (cold descends, heat rises).

When I work in other people's kitchens, I am frustrated beyond belief at the lack of space in a regular side-by-side. The shelves are much too narrow, for even the smallest of my platters. But the Fisher and Paykel French door fridge rocks!

[pnwradar]

Today I went to the 2 higher end appliance stores in town.  Ferguson's (a national outfit) and a local store.  I expected to be blown away - but I have to tell you that I was surprised at the cheesy quality of the fittings in many very very expensive refrigerators (like from $5000 to low 5 figures).

For that kinda budget, you could put a small reach-in in the kitchen and the den, then have walk-ins next to where the wife parks. It might be a little more costly to operate, but EnergyStar ratings probably aren't of high import for the higher-end shoppers. I'd certainly be more impressed with a walk-in than some shiny kitchen cooler.

[prasantrin]

But the Fisher and Paykel French door fridge rocks!

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I took a look, and it's a nice fridge! The pictures I looked at showed that the bottom freezer has a regular door rather than just a pull-out drawer (which I hate). But the drawers seem awfully shallow. Could you stick a turkey in there? Do the drawers come out completely if you need more space for something like a turkey?

Edited January 20, 2009 by prasantrin (log)

[baroness]

But the Fisher and Paykel French door fridge rocks!

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I took a look, and it's a nice fridge! The pictures I looked at showed that the bottom freezer has a regular door rather than just a pull-out drawer (which I hate). But the drawers seem awfully shallow. Could you stick a turkey in there? Do the drawers come out completely if you need more space for something like a turkey?

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I have the bottom-mount F&P, that has a regular freezer door. I love the drawers, particularly the shallow center one (great for individual freezing of small items like berries or cookie dough balls). The top bins can be removed from their tray to make a large space, but I don't think the bottom drawer is removable. It is, however, big enough to hold a large turkey.

[Special K]

I have an LG with the french doors and bottow drawer freezer (just one - now I wish I had the two-drawer model). I love it except that the front (mine is black) is extremely dent-able. Watch for that.

[robyn]

Good news. The apppliance repairman came today and he actually got the refrigerator working (although it needs 2 new parts - machine will fail again in about a week without these parts). Total repair bill will be about $300 - and there is no guarantee something else won't fail 4 months from now - but the cost/benefit analysis makes sense (compared to our washing machine - which died a few months ago - there we were talking about a $350 repair versus a new machine for $450).

FWIW - I have used this repair service (large firm) and this particular repairman before (I think he's good). Asked him which of the high end machines he would choose for himself and he said Subzero (because of its commitment to customer support). OTOH - he said the firm - which does warranty work for lots of manufacturers - stopped working for LG last year because of the difficulty in getting parts from the company for warranty and other repairs (put the repair service in a bad light). Of course - the repairman only tends to see appliances which are broken .

pnwradar - I'm the wife . And my husband always brings in the groceries (he does a lot the shopping too). We have a pretty big garage - but I am not sure where we'd put a walk-in. There would also be a flood danger (we're in hurricane country and the garage is lower than the rest of the house). Also I keep lots and lots of things in the fridge that I want handy. Guess if I planned the house again - the idea of making a pantry even larger than the walk-in-pantry I have now - which is a couple of steps from the kitchen - and putting some sort of refrigeration unit in it - would make sense.

KarenDW - Perhaps you could use magnetic tape (sticky on one side - magnet on the other) or something similar. If you have to remove it sometime in the future - you might need to use something like Goo-Gone - so I'd make sure the finish is "Goo-Gone" safe.

LindaK - The list prices for all of the refigerators I looked at this morning before the repairman came were lower or much lower for white than stainless. So I don't know why you got the quotes you got.

Finally - regarding lack of storage in various units - I have at least one clue why. I was cleaning off my shelves/drawers today - and counted how many I have. I have a lot more in use than you get with the current model of my refrigerator (and there are some I don't even use). You can probably get a fair amount of extra space if you buy additional drawers/shelves as needed for a new unit. And I have a clue why manufacturers are doing this. The current version of my unit costs less now than I spent for mine 14 years ago (found the same when I replaced my washing machine) - even though the CPI is up almost 40% since then. So - to keep prices down - manufacturers have to cut lots and lots of corners. Robyn

[LindaK]

How's the noise factor on the Jenn Air?  I have a small place and am hoping for something quiet.

It's not noisy, some hum when it cycles on, which is infrequently. My last refrigerator, a relatively inexpensive Amana, was all most as silent as my Bosch dishwasher. The ice maker in the Jenn Air is momentarily noticable when it dumps a batch of ice in the bin. But I don't go through much ice, so except after a party, I forget about it. I was very happy with the Amana, by the way, which is manufactured by the same company that makes Jenn Air, one of the reasons I went with Jenn Air for the new one.

LindaK - The list prices for all of the refigerators I looked at this morning before the repairman came were lower or much lower for white than stainless.  So I don't know why you got the quotes you got.

Perhaps we're comparing apples to oranges. Most of the 36" french door models available in my market didn't come in the the basic textured white finish that I had in my previous single door fridge. That size/style was almost exclusively in stainless. The price difference I mentioned was between the stainless Jenn Air and the white "floating glass" Jenn Air.

I'm glad you were able to get a repair. Appliances are expensive, no matter what you buy.

[robyn]

Hi Linda - I'm glad I was able to get a repair too. Hope it lasts <fingers crossed>. And now the refrigerator looks good as new (combination of throwing out things that should have been thrown out 3 months ago - a thorough cleaning - and replacing a couple of lightbulbs I didn't even realize had blown out).

FWIW - there are a lot of good appliance repair web sites. And I was glad that the fix the repairman did matched the suggested fix on many web sites for people who had similar problems with their refrigerators.

Thanks for the clarification about the quotes you got on white. Robyn

[Lapin d'Argent]

Finally - regarding lack of storage in various units - I have at least one clue why.  I was cleaning off my shelves/drawers today - and counted how many I have.  I have a lot more in use than you get with the current model of my refrigerator (and there are some I don't even use).  You can probably get a fair amount of extra space if you buy additional drawers/shelves as needed for a new unit.

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That's one of the reasons our next refrigerator will be a Liebherr: there's no shortage of shelves or racks. Even if one of them in the the 36" model will be a bit tall for me to reach...hubby can keep his special snacks up there!

The current version of my unit costs less now than I spent for mine 14 years ago (found the same when I replaced my washing machine) - even though the CPI is up almost 40% since then. 

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So funny...when we bought our current refrigerator 20 years ago, it cost $500. Of course, it was a very basic model, but it's worked fine all these years. Its replacement will cost about $3,700.

- L.

[Beebs]

My refrigerator (Frigidaire) decided to crap out on us last year...in July, on Canada Day long weekend! It also happened to be the hottest weekend of the year....

Anyways, we dumped out all our food, because the repair guys wouldn't have been able to come in till after the holiday. When he did, he told us the compressor died, and there's no point in fixing it because it wouldn't have been worth the cost of replacing the part, as it was nearly 10 yrs old and at the end of its lifespan.

We replaced it with a Fisher Paykel digital fridge, glossy white, bottom freezer drawer. It took 2 weeks to come in (yes, we were fridgeless for 2 whole weeks - in July!), but worth the wait. It has a higher price point (I think after taxes it came out to around $2400 CDN), but much longer lifespan (15 to 20 yrs). Pros: lots of freezer space, digital controls, large crisper drawers, very quiet. Cons: less shelf space.

[robyn]

Finally - regarding lack of storage in various units - I have at least one clue why.  I was cleaning off my shelves/drawers today - and counted how many I have.  I have a lot more in use than you get with the current model of my refrigerator (and there are some I don't even use).  You can probably get a fair amount of extra space if you buy additional drawers/shelves as needed for a new unit.

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That's one of the reasons our next refrigerator will be a Liebherr: there's no shortage of shelves or racks. Even if one of them in the the 36" model will be a bit tall for me to reach...hubby can keep his special snacks up there!

The current version of my unit costs less now than I spent for mine 14 years ago (found the same when I replaced my washing machine) - even though the CPI is up almost 40% since then. 

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So funny...when we bought our current refrigerator 20 years ago, it cost $500. Of course, it was a very basic model, but it's worked fine all these years. Its replacement will cost about $3,700.

- L.

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Regarding the Liebherr - I took a lot at it and it looked nice. But call the firm you usually use for appliance repairs and/or the factory authorized place for the firm. And get the full story about repairs. I live in a metro area with a population of about a million - and the parts for many exotic appliances aren't usually in stock locally (or sometimes even in the United States). Nothing like waiting 2 weeks for a part when something like your refrigerator is dead.

FWIW - when we were thinking about repairing our 14 year old Maytag washer (which we concluded in the end didn't make sense) - the parts we needed were all in stock in town.

Also - if I recall correctly - none of the 36" models has a lot of interior space compared to exterior dimensions.

Finally - regarding high shelves - the funniest I saw was Thermador. It had a high top shelf with an electronic up/down button. This didn't make any sense to me at all - because if you stored things under the top shelf - and you moved the top shelf down with the up/down button - you'd crush everything underneath the top shelf. And if you didn't store anything under that high shelf - why would you need the up/down button? Just put the shelf where you want it. Robyn

[StanSherman]

We have a 4 yo KitchenAid 25 cf side by side and it has broke 4 times. Their service just gets worse and worse. I have to keep an old one around for every time this one breaks. When the warranty is over this POS will be gone.

[Katie Meadow]

We were limited by the fact that the space is small but I desperately wanted an ice-dispenser on the front door. We found a side-by-side Kenmore Elite that fit pretty well and had the dispenser on the freezer door. We've had no problems since we got it, at least eight years ago. The shelves and racks are sturdy, relatively easy to pull out and clean and the space is pretty well designed.

[cbread]

I am waiting / hoping for my not-that-old refrigerator to die. It is a bargain model, and works fine for what it is, but I don't think I bought very well when I was shopping. It it a top freezer, basic model.

I am gradually beginning to dislike it more and more. I hate reaching down to get veggies out of the crisper drawers. I don't know what possessed me not to get a bottom freezer. It happens to be rather small and as I cook more, and store more leftovers and partially used items, I am finding it increasingly constricted and annoying.

I did do one thing right. I didn't get the water / ice thingie in the doors. An ice cube maker in the freezer compartment works like a charm and the in-door gizmos waste a ton of valuable space inside the refrigerator compartment. I am baffled by the popularity of the in-door ice / water thingies.

I have begun to wander about in appliance shops. I am surprised by my tentative conclusion that the new French door refrigerators are a real practical idea and not a gimmick. The idea of a door that takes up less room as it swings open appeals to me, and that it doesn't suffer the narrow shelving of a side by side is a positive too. I remember reading not so long ago a very negative piece on French door refrigerators but I can't summon up whatever the specific complaint was.

Any thoughts here on the merits or demerits of French door style machines?

[OliverB]

ours broke a couple years ago just as we were done with fixing a lot of things around the house. Found that there were only two models that fit the place, both "apartment size" for some reason (it's a 2000 sqft+ house). But we were in a hurry and I really wanted to get rid of the contractor. Bad choice, as I hate this tiny side by side fridge!

Nowadays I'd prefer to have just a fridge with no ice, no freezer, but nice and big. Put the freezer in the garage, it's not like I need that thing every day. A nice upright freezer out there, a nice large fridge inside, that would be ideal. I don't need a water dispenser and certainly no ice maker, can't even remember the last time I used and ice cube. Tends to dilute beer :-)

French doors I think can be nice, if you know where stuff is. Or if the door would otherwise block your kitchen door or something. Otherwise it's one more thing to open. 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 :-)

Cost on some of the models out there are outrageous for what's basically an insulated box with a cooling compressor, I'd try not to get distracted by the "design" element too much. A fridge will blend in and nobody will notice it. A pretty fridge that's badly laid out will tick you off for a long time though, no matter how gorgeous it might be.