Refrigerators

I'm on my 2nd bottom freezer in 27 years! It's great, handy, & easier when it comes to putting away groceries! The one we have now is an Amana & it's almost 20 years old...& I already know that regardless of the type of top doors, the freezer will be on the bottom again next time around. I'm hooked, I admit it!

Side by sides seem like a great option at first, but I agree they don't make great for storage. They look great, but practically don't work well. You can't store wide items on a baker's sheetpan in either the fridge or the freezer with a side by side. Keep this in mind if you need to chill things on a cookie sheet or a jelly roll pan. Also if you need to put a large cake in, this will also be a problem as I found out when we tried to put my daughter's birthday cake in.

I wish I could make that decision for you, but the best thing I can suggest is to take some empty containers you really use a lot like milk bottles, soda cans, some of those plastic things we all use, and any others you really use then go to the store andtake time to try them in the frigs. and see what works best for you. I have done that several times for frig, and freezer and for that in mind I even tried it when picking out some cabinets and that did the trick for me. I took time to see what was the most comfortable and how easy they worked. Good luck and check the size of your doors and doorways to make sure you can get them in thehouse-I had to remove my door and the frame-now that was a bigger mess that picking out my new frig. Have the boys try it also-see what works for them as they will be into it also.

Not sure about the french type refrigerator but stay away from the tradtional side by side. I got one when we built out house and I hate it. I thought it would be great, but I can't get anything in it. I'm praying for this thing to die but it's only 4 years old so I think I have a while before it bites the dust!

K.,

I prefer the side-by-side, mostly for the water and ice dispenser, it's had to find that on the other styles. We have a GE Profile that we got just a year ago and it seems to make a lot of noise, I don't know if we just got a lemon or if it's the brand, but it's made me not want another GE. We also have a Kenmore (one made by Whirlpool) that is running great after 10 years, the only reason it's in the basement and not the kitchen is because we upgraded to stainless. It's also a side-by-side with ice/water dispenser, it has the ice bucket in the door and seems to have more space in the freezer.

Others have mentioned Hotpoint, I had one of those once that lived a long life (was in the house when I bought it). It finally died after a day long brown out, wonder how long it would have lasted if it weren't for that.

I've been looking for awhile too and I have my eye on the LG french door ones where the bottom is the freezer. I like it b/c a) it is harder for my little ones to get to the refrigerator, b) it has an alarm if the door is left open (not that it ever happens in my house HA HA HA), c) the freezer drawer looks SOOOO much easier to get to stuff, d) you never have to bend over to look for c**p at the back of the refrig (it's all at eye level for you) YEAH! and e) you can actually get platters of food in it if you have company or a party. I haven't seen anything else like these and have pretty much set my mind on it. It comes w/ and w/o the option for the water and ice in the door so it's up to you what you want. They can be pretty pricey but if you don't care for having a dent or ding, look around at your local stores for the dent and ding specials (I figure my kids will add plenty to them anyway or I'll just cover with thier artwork). If you go for a dent model, you may want to sign up with SquareTrade for an additional warranty if anything should happen. They are really reasonable and are very fast to settle. I know the larger refrigs go for nearly $3K but I've seen them also go for under $1000 on ebay. Just keep your eyes open.

You can subscribe to Consumer Reports online. When we were remodeling our kitchen, I found it very helpful.

I just went through that myself, and have ended up with an LG double door french. It has 2 doors at the top, with ice and water dispenser. The pull out freezer is at the bottom, with a pull out drawer and 2 baskets at the bottom. I have to say I love it. The only thing that I don't like so much, is that there are buttons on the water dispenser readout that control the temp of the fridge and freezer. If the kids push the buttons, they can change these temps. I can put the lock on, but then they can't get water. On the flip side, there is an alarm that goes off if the fridge or freezer door has been open for more than 60 seconds. It is very spacious, I love that since I have 4 kids. And it is a very pretty appliance, I have all LG in my kitchen and they look nice.
Good luck with your search, if you decide to get the french I think you will really like it.
E.

I just had to add my 2 cents about brands. I know it's kind of the cheap brand, but I am totally sold on Hotpoint! My parents bought a used Hotpoint fridge and matching range when they got married. This set is out in their garage now, still running just fine. They will celebrate their 35th anniversary next month. My husband's parents bought a used Hotpoint fridge and range 28 years ago at a garage sale, and they're still in daily use in my MIL's house. So, when my husband and I were furnishing our first house on a budget 10 years ago, we bought Hotpoint appliances. Everything is just like new! (My dad was just cleaning out his GOLD garage fridge yesterday, so this was fresh in my mind when I saw this post! haha)

I have been very pleased with the LG French Door that I bought as a garage fridge; it's HUGE, and holds everything and more (If you want the capacity, get the full depth, not counter depth). Frankly, I think it's a better fridge than the (more expensive) GE Monogram that we got for the kitchen. All computer & mechanical components of the LG have worked perfectly for the several years we've owned it, and the only service call I had involved plastic rollers that broke off (see below).

The GE Monogram, while aesthetically pleasing with the full stainless wrap and well built interior, has been a complete piece of #$%!, and I have had every major mechanical, computer, and electronic piece replaced in the three years that I have owned it. Maybe I have a lemon, but I would be wary of GE Monogram.

The LG French Door even comes with ice and water in the door now (I have the water dispenser, but just a big ice bin in the lower freezer, which makes a ton of ice and works great). I would note the following counterpoints: 1) the plastic drawers and shelves are a bit flimsy, and I have already had to have a shelf replaced due to broken rollers, although I do think this is because I load my produce bins with cans and bottles; 2) the digital temp setting is great, but you have to remember that this tells you what you have set the fridge and freezer for, not what the actual temp is (thus, you should still use a fridge thermometer inside to ensure that it is maintaining the proper temp - this is in contrast to the Monogram, which tells you not just what you set the temp at, but what the current actual temp is); 3) it is very easy to push the doors closed, walk away, and not realize that the doors did not close all the way - this is an issue, especially with the kids - you really have to push both doors firmly to ensure that they are closed and sealed.

Good luck!

Hi K.,

I'm sure you will get a lot of opinions on this, so here's mine.
When we moved to this house 7 years ago, our refridgerator died within 24 hours. I'm not sure if it was something the movers did, but I'm more inclined to think that it was just time.
Anyway, I was so excited and bought the top of the line Jenn-Aire side by side. And HATED IT! If you've never had a side by side, I would say don't get one. I don't care what they say about so many cubic feet, it was small and narrow and I couldn't fit a lot of things in it. But I have friends and relatives who love theirs. Luckily, with 2 teenagers we had a full size fridge down stairs that I would take large items. I finally, after almost 7 years had enough and when Sears was having a sale, bought the 3 door one and love it! To me it's not a hassle having the 2 doors, because depending on what you want and where it is you don't have to open both doors. Plus, it's wide enough to put in full size platters, large bowls of fruit etc. We had gotten used to water and ice in the door with the side by side so I did spend the extra $ to get that with this one too. I donated my old fridge to Habitat Restore.

Good Luck. I vote for the 3 door because I found the side by side a pain in the behind for many reasons. But again, I know people who love theirs and I'm sure you'll get people who tell you that too.

Lori K.

Can't advise on which one is the best, but I will caution you about the french door ones. You lose a lot of space at the bottom with those wide deli shelves. I was dazzled by those french doors too until I went to the store and really started looking at how much space I was (or wasn't) getting. I chose to go with a freezer on the bottom style. Practicality won over trendy for me. I love it and am never out of fridge space. Go to a Sear's or Nebraska Furniture Mart to see a wide variety, and check for the energy efficiency tag on them.

I would not get a side by side....I don't like them at all, I like the looks of them, but for storage, they don't hold alot. I am not sure of the French style with two doors and bottom freezer, but probably better than the side by side...you can't store much in the freezer thats for sure, so having the bottom as a freezer you can probably at least store frozen pizza! C. Freeman/____@____.com

We bought a new fridge about 20 months ago and went with the "modified" version. The freezer door is on the bottom and the refrigerator part on top only has one door. We would have bought the double door on top, as we'd heard great things about it, but we couldn't afford it at the time. :} Anyways, we LOVE our fridge and the brand is LG which I highly recommend. Also, be aware the Stainless steel models are usually not magnetic! My kids would have flipped if they couldn't hang their artwork on the fridge. ;)

I would not recommend the side by side models. When we have parties the fridge just isn't wide enough and pizzas give us problems in the freezer. I bought one of the biggest on the market at the time, Whirlpool Gold. It is 3 years old and the ice maker is kuput. I am pretty sure it doesn't matter what brand you buy though because they are all made in the same couple of fatories.

Good Luck! It is like car shopping!

We have a Maytag, freezer on the bottom, french door style and we love it!

I like the side by side ones with the ice and water that comes right out the door. One thing with the side by side one's is they are not wide, so if you have a large tray of something (we entertain a lot) it doesn't fit. We had a maytag.....everything went wrong with it, even after they "fixed"it and wee spent hundreds of dollars on fixing it, it still had problems. It was only 6 years old when it finally bit the dust. We are building a house, so I have had to go appliance shopping in the past few weeks. Your indepentant stores can usually be cheaper than Home Depot, Lowes and places like that. Plus, they can tell you more and know more. i.e. I had a question for the girl about a particular oven (it was a built-in wall unit), and she couldn't even answer it for me. Plus when she did "answer my question" she basically told me to call the manufacturer. Terry's appliance in Troy and Collinsville IL are great places!

good luck!

I had to replace mine recently and went with the Samsung French Door stainless and I love it. I previously had a side by side for 19 years and was so happy to get rid of it. I shopped seven stores and found the best price for this model at Lowes. I was a little aggravated that they scatched it during delivery but they discounted it so I decided to keep it. I love the wide space the french door provides. Good luck!

We purchased the Kenmore Trio (the french doors with freezer on bottom) 2 years ago and I absolutely love it. The only thing we have to watch is that both doors are shut completely. One door has a track it has to latch into when closing. But the fridge has a door alarm on it that we keep on all the time, that way we are alerted to the door being accidentally left open. The only time we have to open both doors is if we get into the bottom drawer because it is the width of the fridge. Other wise we just open what ever side of the fridge we need in.
We probably went to 10 differant places to find the fridge we like. We eventually ended up getting it at the Sears Outlet Store at St. Louis Mills Mall. The sides of my fridge have small dents and dings, but they are hidden by a wall. We actually paid quite a bit less buying it dinged. Which is nice since when we purchased ours they were going for about $2000. Good Luck and Happy Shopping.

We have the Maytag french door with the freezer on the bottom and we love it. It has all of the bells and whistles that have been mentioned in previous e-mails. It did take me a few trys to figure out the best arrangement for everything, but once I got used to it, I found that I really had alot of space to work with.

Be sure to check the "back room" at Nebraska Furniture Mart. This is where we found ours and it was significantly less than the exact same model that we saw at Lowes. There is a scratch on the front that is not obvious, but was enough to get it back to the discount room. We also found a matching stove!

Good luck!