Anyone who has purchased a fridge or other major appliance recently...

[MrsCobraBubbles]

What do you regret about your choice? I haven't purchased a new fridge in more than a decade and a lot has changed with them. Alternatively, is there some feature that you really like and can't live without?

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

Size doesn't matter because the fridge breaking has forced me to do some renovation to the kitchen so I'll be able to accommodate literally anything. I'm more worried about features because there's a lot of new stuff in the world of refrigerators now.

 

[shh]

My suggestion is to avoid Samsung and LG. My LG died in 3 years - piece of junk. I was so annoyed, as it wasn't cheap. Most repair shops wouldn't touch it - parts were too hard to get and could be 6+ months delay. They recommended I avoid both brands. I'm sure you'll hear from many who love theirs and have no problem - but just google it and you'll see what I'm talking about.

 

[Rex1993]

Had an LG that ran like clockwork for years. Not a single issue. Bought a brand new Kitchen Aid and had problems from the beginning that were disclosed when selling the house. Does it mean that either brand is "bad" and you should stay away? No, I'm just one data point for hundreds of thousands of sales. My recommendation is get your must have's put together as far as size and cofiguration. Then actually go to a place where you can see your top choices. I don't necessarily regret the fridge we just got but I wish I knew a few things going in that would have been obvious if I had been able to see it in the store.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

My suggestion is to avoid Samsung and LG. My LG died in 3 years - piece of junk. I was so annoyed, as it wasn't cheap. Most repair shops wouldn't touch it - parts were too hard to get and could be 6+ months delay. They recommended I avoid both brands. I'm sure you'll hear from many who love theirs and have no problem - but just google it and you'll see what I'm talking about.

I've absolutely heard bad things about LG over the years but more recently I've had 2 people close to me tell me they love their LG fridges. It just seems like maybe the company is inconsistent with their products. Actually one of the fridges I was looking at was the bespoke LG fridge, they are offering a 10 year warranty on the compressor. Nevermind the bespoke is Samsung, not LG.

 

[lynxstch]

I would avoid Frigidaire at all costs. We bought a refrigerator. Within a month the freezer liner had shrunk and they couldn't fix it. I went through a lot getting Lowes to take it back and replace it with a Maytag.

My SIL has a Samsung washer/dryer, and has had nothing but problems with it.

I stick with Maytag everything these days.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

Had an LG that ran like clockwork for years. Not a single issue. Bought a brand new Kitchen Aid and had problems from the beginning that were disclosed when selling the house. Does it mean that either brand is "bad" and you should stay away? No, I'm just one data point for hundreds of thousands of sales. My recommendation is get your must have's put together as far as size and cofiguration. Then actually go to a place where you can see your top choices. I don't necessarily regret the fridge we just got but I wish I knew a few things going in that would have been obvious if I had been able to see it in the store.

I appreciate the input. I feel like my must haves are outdated though. I love the water/ice dispenser on the outside, and actual handles to open the doors with, and those are hard to find all three on the same model. Weird how trends change. I went to Home Depot and walked through the appliance department and it was just overwhelming because there were so many differences; no model had the same things as the next so they are so hard to compare!

 

[lanejudy]

We bought a new fridge this spring. I thought it was a fairly standard size, but apparently it's smaller than most now-a-days. My "wants" were pretty basic: bottom freezer, black, fits in the existing space. That left us exactly 1 option - a GE, nothing fancy. I like it, though. Love the bottom freezer, or maybe more accurately I love the top fridge (and haven't quite figured out how to organize the bottom freezer).

 

[Herding_Cats]

Really weird suggestion. Take whatever empty and clean milk/juice/beverage jug you usually buy into a store with you and figure out what shelves it can go on, and how many you can fit in there. This might sound weird, but I have a family of 4, and can only put milk in 2 places in my fridge (in the door only) and it'll only hold 4 gallons. Add in coffee creamer and maybe a juice, and it's down to 3 gallons. That's not enough space for us since we try to grocery shop every 7-10 days. Since this is a disney board, and there's a reasonable chance you have kids, this is something to consider.

 

[Lord Manhammer]

My SIL has a Samsung washer/dryer, and has had nothing but problems with it.

I have heard the same from Samsung appliances. We have an LG washer/dryer and it's been fine for us. We also have an LG TV/Soundbar which has served us well also. Our stove is whirlpool and has no frills and is perfect for us. When it comes to large appliances, Samsung might be a "buying the name" brand as I've heard so many people including my SIL who had problems with their appliances.

That said, they really don't make things to last anymore. My home was built in 1840 and the house and the barn have stood the test of time. The appliances? Not so much.

 

[tvguy]

We bought a new fridge this spring. I thought it was a fairly standard size, but apparently it's smaller than most now-a-days. My "wants" were pretty basic: bottom freezer, black, fits in the existing space. That left us exactly 1 option - a GE, nothing fancy. I like it, though. Love the bottom freezer, or maybe more accurately I love the top fridge (and haven't quite figured out how to organize the bottom freezer).

We've had two side by sides in the last 40 years. We like that items you use most frequently from both the freezer and refrigerator can be at eye level, and things you use less frequently can be in the bottom. Just recall my 89 year old mom sitting on the floor to get anything out of the freezer with her bottom freezer fridge.

 

[Rex1993]

We just bought a side by side Kitchen Aid. Has handles and ice/water on the freezer door. This is actually pretty standard. Probably best to take a look at AJ Madison first and get an idea of all the various offerings. Then you can narrow things down. For us, size, side by side and water/ice dispenser were the must haves. That left very few options.

 

[abdmom]

If you are getting a refrigerator that has a filter, check on where the filter sits. My current 2 year old GE side by side fridge has it all the way at the back, at the top. I cannot reach it and have to depend on my sons to change it when they visit. The switch for the icemaker is also impossible to reach . The on/off switch is at the back of the icemaker which is at the top of the freezer.

 

[tvguy]

If you are getting a refrigerator that has a filter, check on where the filter sits. My current 2 year old GE side by side fridge has it all the way at the back, at the top. I cannot reach it and have to depend on my sons to change it when they visit. The switch for the icemaker is also impossible to reach . The on/off switch is at the back of the icemaker which is at the top of the freezer.

I'll have to look next time I'm at Home Depot. I've never owned or seen a refrigerator that didn't have the filter at the back at the top.

 

[lanejudy]

We've had two side by sides in the last 40 years. We like that items you use most frequently from both the freezer and refrigerator can be at eye level, and things you use less frequently can be in the bottom. Just recall my 89 year old mom sitting on the floor to get anything out of the freezer with her bottom freezer fridge.

My bottom freezer is a drawer, not a door like you'd find in a top freezer. I can't stand how narrow a side-by-side is.

 

[tvguy]

My bottom freezer is a drawer, not a door like you'd find in a top freezer. I can't stand how narrow a side-by-side is.

Yes, the drawer would make things easier. Yeah, ours is only 13" wide, so if you buy frozen pizzas, you have to stand them on their side to get them in.

 

[fab1976]

We just bought a new fridge a couple of months ago. We went with an LG French door, bottom freezer. Love the French doors. Ours is one of the fun fancy ones with a door in door feature, so items on the door can be accessed without opening the entire fridge up. It has exterior ice and water dispenser. And the freezer? Not just one drawer but 2 drawers! I love how much space it has in the freezer. I do wish we had gone for a bigger model, ours is on the smaller side. But no real regrets yet. I got a lazy Susan for one of the shelves so we can easily access things on the top shelf. And did counter depth so it isn’t as easy to “lose” things in the back of the fridge since it isn’t very deep. There’s a middle shelf that folds in/under itself so the bottom shelf can hold taller items when needed. Not the greatest feature but has come in handy.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I would avoid Frigidaire at all costs. We bought a refrigerator. Within a month the freezer liner had shrunk and they couldn't fix it. I went through a lot getting Lowes to take it back and replace it with a Maytag.

My SIL has a Samsung washer/dryer, and has had nothing but problems with it.

I stick with Maytag everything these days.

I agree about avoiding Frigidaire.

In my old house we bought a Frigidaire (and extended warranty thankfully). After, numerous repairs and a lot of arguing they ended up just replacing the unit. I don't know how the new unit has held up because we ended up selling the house.

 

[ronandannette]

Simple advice - avoid as many “digital” features as possible (which require computer mother-boards) and for the love of God run from anything wifi enabled. I manage the warranty department for a home builder and we put 300+ sets of appliances a year into houses. The customers get to choose them and BAR NONE the biggest problems are with the wifi features. On the whole, the most reliable (and popular) mid-price brand is Whirlpool. They also make Maytag (equivalent level) and Amana on the low end, and Kitchen Aid and Jenn-Air on the high end.

 

[tazdev3225]

My suggestion is to avoid Samsung and LG. My LG died in 3 years - piece of junk. I was so annoyed, as it wasn't cheap. Most repair shops wouldn't touch it - parts were too hard to get and could be 6+ months delay. They recommended I avoid both brands. I'm sure you'll hear from many who love theirs and have no problem - but just google it and you'll see what I'm talking about.

I have to agree with this 100%. I redid my kitchen two years ago and got all new appliances from Samsung. The dishwasher was replaced within a month but so far the replacement has been ok. The oven needed the ignitor replaced less than 2 years from purchase and right now we are waiting on the ice maker to come in and replaced. The appliance repairman said avoid Samsung and LG at all costs. Quite a few of the places we called won't even work on them. My daughter and mom both had Samsung washers and dryers and nothing but issues. Samsung should stick to phones, never had any issues with them.

As far as the original question I love having the ice & water dispenser in the door. I had it in my GE and made it so convenient. I have the French doors with a bottom freezer and will get that style again. The freezer holds so much more than my side by side did. I didn't want Wifi as it seems like an odd thing for an appliance. The ony thing I like about the Samsung is the filter is so easy to access but I still need my grandson to come over and change it. It is not easy to get out.