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andria564

Counter Depth Side by Side Help

andria564
hace 7 años

We are buying new appliances, woohoo! I am most likely going with all Bosch (dishwasher, cooktop, double ovens) except am lost on the fridge. We currently have a Samsung side by side and have had ice maker issues (currently doesn't work after deciding not to shut off when at capacity and squirting water all over the freezer) as well as water line issues in the beginning. My search started with Kitchen Aid but the reviews have been AWFUL that I have read on the counter depth side by side models. Attached is a picture of our placement which makes having a french door really hard because of the island
. I am looking for a counter depth, stainless model with water/ice in the door (yeah I know) that is either 4 door like the Samsung flex or a side by side. Anyone have a model they love or at least don't want to kick constantly? We have a fridge/freezer in the garage as well so reduced capacity isn't that big of deal.

Respuesta destacada
  • jwvideo
    hace 7 años
    Última modificación: hace 7 años

    Fridge shoppers have my sympathy. It is not just Kitchenaid SxS models getting "awful" reviews these days, but it does seem to be the currently least reliable line of SxS models.

    A few of years back, LG was the worst, with a one in four failure rate. Then, as LG got a bit better, Electrolux/Frigidaire started showing 40% defect rate (over one-in three.). The Yale Appliance blog reported that they were seeing even higher service rates for Elux and the "Pro" line of Frigidaires.

    Now, according to the latest membership survey results published by Consumer Reports , Frigidaire/Elux is the "best" with "only" a 32% failure rate (a "mere" one in three!) while KA is showing a 40% rate for SxS models and everybody else in between. There may not be much comfort in those figures for any brand, however, because the fine print on the survey report says that rate differences of less than 8 points are not statistically significant. The fine print also says the survey is not counting fridges with "service contracts" apparently meaning that they are not counting he responses from people who had defects covered by extended warranties.

    It is just as bad with French door models except that all Whirlpool brands are showing defect rates over forty percent (some even reaching one out of two!). With plain bottom freezer fridges, the only difference is that LG is now the reliability leader with a one in four failure rate and everybody else with one-in-three rates except for Whirlpool whose brands are showing a one-in-two defect rate. Apparently, ice-maker problems are the thing that makes the Whirlpool
    brands worse than others. CR is recommending against any kind of
    Whirlpool-branded fridge with an ice maker

    It was a much different story when I, Rob30 and Anglophilia bought our KA fridges five and six years ago. Back then, LG was showing the same one-in-four failure rates for its fridges (as was GE, btw), but the Whirlpool brands' rates were down around one-in-ten for BF/FD models and slightly higher for the SxS models. You still saw a lot of awful reviews but that was mostly attributable to Whirlpool's large market share. With that market share, ten or fifteen percent of Whirlpool buyers was still a very large number of folks who could and did write complaints and reviews.

    Nonetheless, those rates meant that 80% to 90% of us KA/WP owners did not have problems with our fridges.

    Seems to be a very different story today.

    Dunno about the "boutique" brands of premium priced fridges as they apparently do not sell enough of them to CR members to generate a statistically large enough response to show up in the survey reports. Have not found anything else that reliably indicates problems rates and longevity.

    As Landsdowne points out, Bosch fridges in the North American market are made by Whirlpool. Presumably, those would have comparable problems rates. As would Dacor fridges which, I believe, were contracted from Whirlpool. (Now, with Samsung acquiring Dacor, that will likely change, as you might imagine.) Viking fridges have long had a terrible reputation in this forum. (Made in-house in a former Amana plant acquired from Whirlpool, IIRC.)

    Miele and Liebherr seem to have something of a following here, but I don't think they make SxS fridges. Neither does Fisher & Paykel/DCS which also has had some favorable reviews. If you are going to consider FD or BF models, none of these brands seem to have a lot of user reviews and manufacturer warranty service can be geographically spotty.

    FWIW, I have often opened and closed my KA's freeezer drawer from the side and have never had a problem torquing the drawer. That's not much consolation given the other problems with the make's current products.

    Looks like a bad time to be shopping for a new fridge.

    Comentarios (13)

    • User
      hace 7 años

      We have the Kitchenaid CD side by side and it has been flawless for us. It is a little over a year old and replaced a SD Kitchenaid that was 13 years old. Other than the limits of a CD size, the only thing I wish was better is the freezer shelves. Perhaps I need to look at it again but the spacing could be better.

    • PRO
      Lansdowne Appliance Gallery
      hace 7 años

      Last time I checked Bosch was OEM from Kitchenaid on the fridges.

    • PRO
      Anglophilia
      hace 7 años

      I adore my KA - probably about 6 yrs old.

    • AvatarWalt
      hace 7 años

      Is your concern about a French door because the island would make the freezer drawer difficult to use? We don't have anything in the way, but I find that it's just as easy to get access the drawer from side, so you might weigh that somewhat-minor inconvenience against the shortcomings of a side-by-side.

    • andria564
      Autor original
      hace 7 años

      My issue I think is opening it and organization. It would have to be opened from the side and I am worried about wrecking it from not opening it the correct way, like torquing the drawer. Also, I just don't like the drawer style organization. We have a 26 cubic foot (our old side by side) that will be in the garage right near the kitchen so smaller isn't an issue. The cabinets in the island open toward the fridge so I am always prepping on that side so I would have to move anytime someone wanted to get in the freezer. Right now, even with our huge side by side, people can access both sides with me standing there, it's tight but doable.

    • H B
      hace 7 años
      Última modificación: hace 7 años

      We have a counter-depth LG french door (but only water in the door). The bottom is a freezer drawer. I can't recommend it.

      eta: ours is about ten years old. It sucks.

    • andria564
      Autor original
      hace 7 años

      You are so right, I have been putting off our appliance overhaul because of the fridge. The KA counter depth side by side issue is so bad, you have to read through all the promo reviews to get to the real ones, that they are requiring door replacements that are on back order for weeks because of the sheer number of replacements being sent out. Some of the door rusting issues aren't covered in extended warranty claims because they are being considered cosmetic as well. I didn't want to go boutique because of having issues getting timely repairs in our area. I saw one of them last week that was in from Orlando (4 hours away). Its a pick your poison kind of battle.

    • jwvideo
      hace 7 años
      Última modificación: hace 7 años

      One thing I can suggest that may help is to buy from a local vendor with a reputation for strong customer support and maybe its own satisfaction guarantee. You will pay a bit more (even with a contractor discount if that is how you are buying) but good service and support, and having a good ally in working with a manufacturer, can be worth paying for.

      FWIW, the "rusting" issue with the WP/KA stainless can be avoided by not using ammonia based spray cleaners like Windex. This had been an issue for years before I bought my KA. I will say that, even though I know better, I sometimes have spritzed with windex to clean the front. So far, I haven't had the rusting problem. It may be because I live in an area of relatively low humidity. It may be just blind luck. YMMV.

    • Cavimum
      hace 7 años
      Última modificación: hace 7 años

      We recently had to replace our auxiliary refrigerator when the old one but the dust. I asked the repair man which brand was least trouble prone and his answer was Whirlpool. It was not a counter depth, although CD is what we have in our kitchen and will have to buy whenever the current one goes. I follow the CD topics for this reason. Good luck!

    • Lisa
      hace 7 años

      Don't know if you've purchased yet but I have a KA counterdepth side by side that is 3 ½ years old. No problems as of yet (knock on wood)!

    • dwk2
      hace 7 años

      We have a kicphenaid CD/SS that is 9 years old. We only have the inside water- no ice maker in the door and have zero issues.

    • mabeldingeldine
      hace 7 años

      I'm pretty happy with my Samsung RH22H901-SR/A. We liked it so much when we sold our house we made sure they were sill available for purchase in the new house. If not, we'd have taken the one in our old house.

      We have had zero problems with either of them. We used a better water connection than the standard kit, including braided stainless hose, have not had any problems with the icemaker or the electronics. We do have a whole house surge protector as we live in a rural area with older electric power lines, so the electronics are protected from power fluctuations.

      Probably my only complaint is the veggie drawers do not have adjustable humidity, and they can dry veggies out. I go through veggies fast enough it is not really a problem for me.

      I love the stainless finish, the integrated handle, and the awesome showcase door. I would buy one again in a heartbeat.

      Samsung Showcase Fridge

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