Time for a new fridge

[intakexhaust]

Originally Posted by Nickshu

I bought a $3600 Kenmore Elite French door fridge 4 years ago (along with a full compliment of Kenmore Elite appliances). Note that Kenmore fridges are rebadged LGs. Our fridge has been a piece of junk and the repair guy (who has been out for it several times, as well as our crappy Kenmore Elite dishwasher) has basically said they suck now.
I will never buy Kenmore again.
Steer clear of LG too since they are the same thing.

Maybe Samsung or Bosch. Or go higher end like Viking.

I thought Kenmore were made by Electrolux. Anyways, some may have the useless bells, whistles and look good but not one maker today has a decent compressor. One used to get 30+ years out of a new fridge.

[Dan J]

Get a Sub Zero and stop screwing around

[jyl]

I have a True brand commercial reefer. I think it is a 3/4 HP compressor. No bells, no whistles, no cute cheese and egg compartments, just a big noisy steel box of cold. We keep ice, ice cream, etc in the freezer downstairs. And I can put a pot of hot stock straight into the fridge without warming everything inside to 70F.

Why the hell would I want my fridge to talk to the Internet? It's the dumbest idea I've ever heard of. If some Millennial buys this house from my estate and wants his fridge to network with his Internet-enabled vibrator, he can buy his own damn fridge.

[motion]

I'm curious about the french door models that some of you seem to like. Isn't it a pain bending down and digging thru the huge compartments nearly at floor level for stuff? Seems like a full length left door freezer would be much more convenient.

Its just the 2 of us, so we really don't need anything very large. This one is on the short list:

Samsung 22.3 cu. ft. Side by Side Refrigerator in Stainless Steel, Counter Depth-RS22HDHPNSR - The Home Depot

[motion]

And to add.... I think it would be cool to have a wifi tablet built into the fridge along with some high quality, hidden speakers (with a thumpin' bass) that would fill a kitchen. Would make a great music streamer, and an interface to recipes.

[Nickshu]

We like the French door for a couple reasons. One with the fridge on top it keeps the dog and little kids out when it's open. With the fridge on top you don't have to bend down to get stuff out of the bottom. We use the fridge much more than the freezer drawer. Hot air rises so logically (and maybe I'm wrong b/c I'm not an engineer) the bottom freezer top fridge should be more efficient.

On the whole internet appliances thing...that's neat but the problem is they are trying to offer those features at the same price point. Which means everything else in the fridge (the working parts) must be cheaper/crappier to make this possible. Sure...offer it...but make the consumers pay for it. It used to be luxury items were a true luxury. Like cars with power windows and leather seats were costlier. Now that's all expected for cheap. Which means the mechanicals have to be cheap to offer those features at the same price point. Too bad if you ask me.

[Nickshu]

Originally Posted by intakexhaust

I thought Kenmore were made by Electrolux. Anyways, some may have the useless bells, whistles and look good but not one maker today has a decent compressor. One used to get 30+ years out of a new fridge.

The Kenmore Elite we have has "LG" all over the back of it. The replacement water filters are LG too, or you can buy the same ones from Kenmore (repackaged w/ the Kenmore name) for $20 more.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by motion

And to add.... I think it would be cool to have a wifi tablet built into the fridge along with some high quality, hidden speakers (with a thumpin' bass) that would fill a kitchen. Would make a great music streamer, and an interface to recipes.

It's called an iPad. You're welcome.

[1990C4S]

Originally Posted by Dan J

Get a Sub Zero and stop screwing around

I thought the same thing. And then I went inline to read their reviews. Something has changed, and not for the better.

[Grimm]

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

I thought the same thing. And then I went inline to read their reviews. Something has changed, and not for the better.

All the high-end appliances manufacturers (Miele, GE Monogram, Sub-Zero, etc.) produce outstanding products that are only getting better. The thing to keep in mind is that armies of writers are being hired to write bogus and disparaging reviews. I would take anything you read on review sites with a grain of salt.

[berettafan]

that's the most frustrating thing about appliance shopping. you can't trust anything.

I guess when new models are constantly being released a cynic would take that as evidence that quality is non existent.

[berettafan]

Originally Posted by Grimm

I work in the appliance industry and sit on the advanced product development steering committee. Trust me, consumers will expect, at a minimum, all high end appliances to provide some basic level of connectivity. Your generation might not want that, but the younger generations all will expect it. Read about the Internet of Things to get some background.

All our appliances will connect to the Internet to provide monitoring, basic controls, and, most importantly, remote connectivity for service and support. It's already happening.

I shouldn't need 'support' for a fridge.

It's fine to spew corp-think when you're at the office but please don't try to sell us that nonsense here. 'service' and 'support' are just the appliance industry trying to get into the pockets of their customers AFTER the sale.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

It's called an iPad. You're welcome.

This. Building in entertainment into a fridge is stupid. I can see it now I have to call a refrigerator repairman to get my sound system to work?

I will keep my components as components that can be replaced and upgraded individually.

I just want a fridge that will keep my cold stuff cold and the frozen stuff frozen. I don't want one with a built in pizza oven, central vacuum, and sound system, alarm clock and WI-fI router.

[berettafan]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

As for the other features, I find it hard to believe that anyone cares about having an internet browser on their refrigerator when they have a far superior device in their pocket. It will be much like car infotainment systems - within a year the system is obsolete and inferior to a smartphone app that is continuously updated, running on hardware that is replaced by the user every two years. My wife and I am 35, and I in particular am very tech aware and work in a high tech industry. I could not be more indifferent to the internet features of my fridge. I do, however, greatly care about quality construction, clever features to allow it to store my food more efficiently, attractive industrial design, and reliability. So when I buy a new higher end model, likely within the next six months after we remodel our kitchen, I won't be looking for any of the features that you mentioned. On the contrary, I will avoid such pointless features because they add complexity and cost and reduce reliability. So there's my opinion from a focus group of 1.

x10000000!!!!

Shopping for a replacement car stereo for my truck because I really want hands free phone and would LIKE to have XM. Stunned at how much dumb crap major mfrs are trying to sell knowing it will be outdated by the time it hits the shelves.

Sorry Pioneer, Sony, etc....Apple has spoiled us all and you are not going to do anything better than them so stop trying and get back to basics!!!

[Grimm]

Originally Posted by jyl

I have a True brand commercial reefer. I think it is a 3/4 HP compressor. No bells, no whistles, no cute cheese and egg compartments, just a big noisy steel box of cold. We keep ice, ice cream, etc in the freezer downstairs. And I can put a pot of hot stock straight into the fridge without warming everything inside to 70F.

Why the hell would I want my fridge to talk to the Internet? It's the dumbest idea I've ever heard of. If some Millennial buys this house from my estate and wants his fridge to network with his Internet-enabled vibrator, he can buy his own damn fridge.

A better way to think about it is that fridges won't be 'talking to the Internet'. Rather, they'll be connected to the Internet similarly to how home security and and thermostats are already connected. The fridge will simply be accessible via an application that a homeowner, customer service, or field service department uses.

The best example I can give is when a home owner calls a service department to report something like a fridge that isn't properly cooling. The customer service department will be able to remotely access the unit and will be able to see what is causing the problem. The customer service department will tell the field service department exactly what parts to take when they make the house call. Currently nearly every manufacturer/field service team struggles with this, resulting in several trips to the home.

This technology already exists and is being deployed by several of the high-end producers. There are many other examples but that is one of the most straightforward.

[Grimm]

Originally Posted by berettafan

I shouldn't need 'support' for a fridge.

It's fine to spew corp-think when you're at the office but please don't try to sell us that nonsense here. 'service' and 'support' are just the appliance industry trying to get into the pockets of their customers AFTER the sale.

Are you saying that appliances don't fail at some point and don't need to be repaired. Oh, OK . . . I guess.

[javadog]

Let's see...

My fridge is going strong after 18 years.

The used washer I bought 30 years ago seems to be doing fine.

I had to spend $10 for a part for my used dryer this year. Thank god it wasn't a circuit board (doesn't have any) but just a simple part used by tens of millions of similar appliances that will be available forever.

My older Viking stove is fine. Could use a good cleaning, maybe you could send someone over for that.

I'll be replacing my 42 year-old oven soon. Got a nice, used (free) oven from a friend to replace it. Somewhat newer, but not fancy, should be fine for a long time.

I could keep going, but you're going to drink the Koolaid again today at work, so what's the point?

JR

[dad911]

When the kids were young, and still living at home, I would have liked a text message every time the fridge door opened. Would know when they were home from school.....

Our GE is still running after 22 years, but we are remodelling/replacing it with a Bosch French door: B22CT80SNS

[wswartzwel]

Originally Posted by motion

And to add.... I think it would be cool to have a wifi tablet built into the fridge along with some high quality, hidden speakers (with a thumpin' bass) that would fill a kitchen. Would make a great music streamer, and an interface to recipes.

WRC36DB | Whirlpool CoolVox Kitchen Sound System

This is the unit that came with our Whirlpool. It connects via bluetooth, to my wife's iPad. The bass is outstanding, and she enjoys it. The kitchen is hers, so I bought her what she wanted. My fridge is out in the shop and all it does is keep beer cold.

[javadog]

Call me old-fashioned, but I like to separate my sound systems from my appliances. I prefer to buy things that are good at what they do, rather than buy one thing that does a whole bunch of unrelated tasks.

When I remodeled my house, I added wiring and speakers for a whole-house sound system. It's fine for most uses, great for entertaining. When I want to listen to something of higher quality, I fire up a separate system in my library. Then, there's the high-end system in my shop...

I have small beer fridges scattered here and there.

JR