What About Refrigerators? (4iC)

I don't mind our side by side...it keep us from buying too much ca ca we don't need LOL. We have learned to take things OUT of their boxes and store them individually. Sam's Club...we buy the personal size pizzas and take them out and stash them in there. Ditto popsicles or stuff like that. We got ours for a wedding gift so it's going on 8 years old...it's a Kenmore...never hadda problem with it.

I've been thinking about getting a smallish garage freezer for meats and such....the extra power use bothers me tho.

CR's top rated bottome freezer brands were:

Kenmore

Amana

Amana

Maytag

Amana

Kenmore

Whirlpool

If you need model numbers let me know.

Whirlpool was the LEAST repair prone....bottome freezers overall were more repair prone. Maytag and Subzero were the MOST repair prone. Maytag was the most repair prone by a large margin when it came to bottom freezer models.

We've had it now going on two years, and so far so good. It has been excellent.

I have had bad luck with Kenmore appliances. A washing machine, and a bottom freezer fridge that fell apart before its time. Maybe it was just my bad luck, but I'm turned off by Kenmore.

We now have an LG side by side, and I looooove it. It has a big capacity, so a frozen pizza fits in the freezer. I find the freezer easier to organize. With my bottom freezer, things on the bottom sometimes got neglected and old. I like having things organized, so what can I say ...

We have this: http://us.lge.com/products/model/detail/home%20appliances_refrigerators_side-by-side_LSC26905.jhtml 

I guess I hadn't really thought about how a bottom/top freezer might be hard to find things in, so that's definitely something to consider. Like Gina, we've talked about buying a small chest freezer so we can stock up on frozen things when they're on sale, but I just don't like the idea of the added energy usage. We've also become very efficient at how we unpack and store things in the freezer. It's amazing how much you can fit in when you take it out of the box.

Not the exact model number...there is a GE Profile bottom freezer with model # PFS22MIS(WW). It's ranked middle/bottom of the pack. The highest rated GE bottom freezer was one with the number GBS20KBR(WW).

The model closest to yours rec'd a very good on Temp  performance, energy efficency, and ease of use. Only a good on noise. Overall rating was 69...and the top overall for that style was a 77. GE was ahead of only Maytag for being repair prone.

I don't think they thought negatively of it...it was a decent one from what I read...but there were a lot they rated higher. I think a lot of it was the repair prone-ness.

FourIsCompany

Thank you all for your input! It has helped me to pretty much decide on a bottom freezer model with a door and slide out basket shelves and a single door on top. Something like this one with the larger capacity.

Don't know which brand yet, as someone said, I'll have to go look at them.

Thanks again!  

Now that one looks really nice and the freezer has compartments, so it should (in theory) be easy to find things. Don't you just love the pictures they show? Who's frig/freezer looks that neat?

rwbeagles

I've been thinking about getting a smallish garage freezer for meats and such....the extra power use bothers me tho.

We got one last year (we buy local clean beef and buffalo) and didn't notice a difference in our electric bill. But we keep it full and don't open it often.

Gina - Thank you for that CR information!  

And, we haven't noticed an increase in the electricity bill but we are pretty conservative in general anyway.

Alas, though, we wouldn't buy a Kenmore as Sears is dead to us (due to an ugly tussle with a female troll in the service department, over the agitator & dog hair from our Kenmore canister vac...LOL!). Apparently, the customer is NOT always right...pfffft.

Used to have a side by side (had it for about 10 years) and I didn't like it.  It looks like there's a lot of freezer space, but it's too narrow.  You can't put a frozen pizza in it and if you like to get stuff from Schwans or Costco - forget it. I replaced it with a bottom freezer, but I don't like that one much either.  You have to dig through it to find what you're looking for.  Next time it will be the good old top freezer - you can just look in and see what's in there.

Joyce

I spent BIG bucks on my Maytag fridge.  It has been repaired TWICE in less than eight years.  Both times were to the tune of $200.00.  Buy something else!

FWIW, I don't like side by sides either and yes, I have a HUGE freezer. 

Dog_ma

We have this: http://us.lge.com/products/model/detail/home%20appliances_refrigerators_side-by-side_LSC26905.jhtml 

we have the 27950  (last year's version) and love it - but then again I'm with you on a need to have it organized

the bottom or top freezer things spazzed me out and I just can't see how they hold the same amount.  I suppose that is why they make so many models! 

kpwlee

we have the 27950  (last year's version) and love it - but then again I'm with you on a need to have it organized

Yeah - I can see where organization, or lack of it, could be a  major issue.  After about the tenth time of cleaning mine out and putting beef in one section, chicken in another, then veggies, etc. then finding it totally trashed because nobody else would put anything back where they got it, I just gave up.

Joyce

kpwlee

going against the tide I love side by sides    We bought a new fridge in August and I never liked the mini freezer on top thing and the french door freezer on bottom was not for me.  It is like a chest freezer so you pile everything on top of each other.  Even high end ones there was only flimsy pull outs to put stuff on to 'try' and organize it.  We dont' have an extra freezer and nearly always have a packed freezer - for organization purposes the side by side works much better for me.  We went with an LG which is a bit oversized.

And I don't know guys I can put a full size pizza in my frig  - couldn't in the last one but easily in this one.  I like the big shelves on the door too.  I really recommend going and looking at different ones especially different brands if you can.  The things I want or need may not be what you want and need.  The trend is the french door, bottom freezer but I just couldn't have done that - plus if there are two sides to the fridge how do you remember/decide what goes on each side

I'm in TOTAL agreement with you! I LOVE my side-by-side. It's a huge GE model we've had for about 13 years. I can see every thing at a glance and I haven't bought a frozen pizza yet that can't fit in the freezer side. I'm guessing those that hate side-by-sides had smaller ones? I don't like top-mount freezers because you have to stoop over to find anything in the refrigerator section. As an ice-lover I absolutely loathes bottom mounts. I need my ice and I am NOT going to practically get on my hands and knees 12 times a day to dig ice out of a bottom-mount!

Got it at a Maytag scratch and dent warehouse place (though it's Amana brand..Maytag's cheapy brand, I think?)

Maytag refrigerators are made by Amana. They bought Amana a few years ago.