Tenaj Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 We are going to stimulate the economy by purchasing a new refrigerator and I "think" I want a side by side but I've always had the freezer on the top. Give me the pros and cons of both. If it makes any difference, I have a huge chest freezer in the garage so having the freezer on the fridge is really just a matter of convenience not a need for the most space. The fridge space is really what I need. Did I say I was excited about this?!? :hurray: We've had a small (maybe 15 cubic foot) fridge for 16 years now - it was in our previous house - we have no idea how old it really is and when we purchased said house I was convinced we'd have a new refrigerator within the year. I have been praying for this appliance to expire for at least 10 years but it just keeps chugging along. Dh has recognized recently how hard it is for me to store food for a week (let alone two weeks) in the current fridge and we are shopping tonight! Thanks for all your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie in Oh Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 We have a new one and it is the roll out freezer on the bottom. It is really big (we also have a chest freezer too). The top is french doors and it is bigger than the side by side. Everyone I know (with our sized families) who have a side by side hate them. They can't get enough in them. I would think you would be happier with a freezer on the top or the french door style. I think the freezer on the top is much more inexpensive than the french door style. HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_ Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 Well, we bought a new frig last year and opted for the french doors on top, with the freezer on the bottom. I love it - the food in the frig is at eye level for me and dh, and I like having the freezer drawer on the bottom. (We also a chest freezer, so didn't need tons of freezer space in the frig - I think ours has just the right amount.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam "SFSOM" in TN Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 We are going to stimulate the economy by purchasing a new refrigerator and I "think" I want a side by side but I've always had the freezer on the top. Give me the pros and cons of both. Can you stand another option? Freezer on the bottom. All your stuff is at fingertip level -- no stooping for veges -- and you have a little chest freezer on the bottom. No cold bricks of meat falling down to whack you on the toe. I LOVE my bottom freezer. Oops, I see LH already posted about hers. Mine doesn't have French doors, just the one. Er... and Marie, too. *sigh* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-FL Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 We chose the side-by-side for the Ice/water on the door. That saves so much door opening!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 Our side by side died and we bought a fridge with the freezer on the bottom. We have a lot more space on the refrigerator side now. I can put a large pizza in there, or a whole turkey. I love it! We have a freezer in the garage, so I wasn't concerned about freezer space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diann Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 I'll also recommend the freezer on the bottom with the french doors on top. We bought the largest refrigerator that would fit in the available space. It's wonderful. Diann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 Yep. Freezer on the bottom vote here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne in ABQ Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 If you want room in the frig, then a side-by-side is your worst option! Bottom freezer is best for lots of reasons, but a top freezer would give you more refrigerator room than a side-by-side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 Another vote for a bottom freezer. I had one in my old house (left it for EX) and I loved it. My fridge now is a regular top freezer and I hate hate hate it! I'm getting a new one, and it's going to be another Amana bottom freezer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumping In Puddles Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 No cold bricks of meat falling down to whack you on the toe. :lol::lol::iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clementine Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 As if you need another reply w/ freezer on the bottom......but, here I am anyway :tongue_smilie: We have a single door on top & freezer on the bottom. LOVE IT! It's an LG brand - I'd recommend it to anyone. Good luck shopping :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in SC Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 We've had them in our last two homes by choice. I really like water/ice in the door, and the one we have now, has a space saving ice maker so no shelf space is lost. Ours has tons of storage space in both the refrigerator and freezer. We do have a dedicated standing freezer in our garage, so maybe that plays into it some, but we've had one of those our entire marriage. The only thing that doesn't fit into a side by side for us is one of the large size pizzas. Again, that's not an issue for me because I can put it out in the garage freezer. When we bought this last freezer, I looked at the freezer on the bottom models, but I didn't see any (at least in our price range) that had water/ice in the door. That saves us so much opening & loss of cold air, that I went back to my old stand-by: the side by side. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 I have a bottom freezer and love, love, love it. So *my* recommendation would be that, with second choice being as big a side-by-side as you can afford and that will fit in your kitchen. I'm rilly, rilly old:D and have not ever needed to have water in the door or ice on demand. We don't keep a pitcher of water in the fridge, either, or put ice in water unless it's for a meal. I use ice when we have iced tea or the ocassional soft drink but that's it. So when *I* look for a fridge, I want one *without* the door dispensers; they take up so much room on the inside of the door and I'm not willing to do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted May 12, 2008 Author Share Posted May 12, 2008 I'm listening to these recommendations for the freezer on the bottom but the only reason we didn't consider this was because we have lots of little kids and they won't be able to reach inside the fridge with the freezer on the bottom. There are times when I know this is an advantage but there are times when they might have a cup of milk they want to reach or need to get themselves a slice of cold pizza or whatever. For those of you that have the freezers on the bottom, does this ever become a problem? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_ Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 I'm listening to these recommendations for the freezer on the bottom but the only reason we didn't consider this was because we have lots of little kids and they won't be able to reach inside the fridge with the freezer on the bottom. There are times when I know this is an advantage but there are times when they might have a cup of milk they want to reach or need to get themselves a slice of cold pizza or whatever. For those of you that have the freezers on the bottom, does this ever become a problem? Thanks It hasn't been for us - the lowest shelf they can reach easily, and they're often in the freezer more often getting ice ;) I thought about it before we bought the frig, but figured that with them growing, it wouldn't be an issue for very long anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam "SFSOM" in TN Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 the lowest shelf they can reach easily Yes -- we have a 4 y/o. and they're often in the freezer more often getting ice ;) . Or a popsicle. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 I'm in a rental now and have to have the side by side that's in here, but in our old house (which my brother rents) we had a Samsung bottom freezer model. I Loved it. I hate the bottom freezers with the big drawer, I'm not a fan of chest freezers either, so the samsung is perfect. It has a door that swings open and inside are 3 drawers that fill in all the space. I liked having the 3 seperate drawers much better than the big roll out bottom freezer, less digging around for me and the kids were able to get their popsicles and things very easily. Also as for the top fridge being hard for them to get things. Not at all, My kids were 6 and 3.5 at the time and I kept their cups on the bottom shelf which was the one where the "veg" drawers attached under. All the snacks they like such as sticks of cheese, yougurt, veggies, fruit etc were in those drawers making it very easy for them to get at. I also liked that it had seperate compressors for the fridge and freezer so the temp listed on the digital display were exactly what was inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 We have a new one and it is the roll out freezer on the bottom. It is really big (we also have a chest freezer too). The top is french doors and it is bigger than the side by side. Everyone I know (with our sized families) who have a side by side hate them. They can't get enough in them. I would think you would be happier with a freezer on the top or the french door style. I think the freezer on the top is much more inexpensive than the french door style. HTH. I'm getting french doors with the freezer on the bottom for the new house! We were at Besty Buy yesterday and there are a lot of open box items right now--makes it less expensive! Just take your counter measurements (depth & width) these are a bit wider than normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susie in tx Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 We have a bottom freezer with french doors. I love it. My 4 yo is teeny and she uses a stool for many things. The refrigerator is one of those things. There are times when I have caught her *climbing* into the refrigerator. I keep all the fun stuff in the full size freezer, so the girls don't often get into the bottom freezer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.griff Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 I just saw a report yesterday that said the freezer on top models use less energy than a side-by-side model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 I've had the freezer on the top and side by side. The side by side is much, much better for getting more stuff in and keeping it organized. But if you want to get pizzas in a side by side, you need to make sure you get the biggest model. We could fit pizzas in our old side by side, but not our current one. I've never had a bottom freezer, so I can't comment on those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorCalMom Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 We've had our side-by-side for years now, and I would never buy another one. I regularly run into storage problems: large pizza boxes, sheet cakes, party trays...you name it - they just don't fit! Oh, did I say I'm envious...I want a new fridge!!!:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clementine Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 Refrigerators with the freezer on either the bottom or top are the most efficient. Bottom freezer models use approximately 16 percent less energy than side-by-side models and top freezer models use about 13 percent less than side-by-side. Through-the-door icemakers and water dispensers are convenient and reduce the need to open the door, which helps maintain a more constant temperature; however, these convenient items will increase your refrigerator's energy use by 14 to 20 percent. This info was taken off a website that explains energy usage/choices in the home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 My kids were 6 and 3.5 at the time and I kept their cups on the bottom shelf which was the one where the "veg" drawers attached under. All the snacks they like such as sticks of cheese, yougurt, veggies, fruit etc were in those drawers making it very easy for them to get at. Snacks and whatnot could also be kept on the door, don't you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 I grew up with, and have only owned, side-by-sides. I can't imagine digging into a bottom freezer, or a top one. I like having all the shelves in a side-by-side, too - certain ones are only for ice cream, or frozen veggies, etc. PLUS - we get them w/o the ice/water dispenser or ice maker (that is what ice cube trays are for). We, too, have a large upright freezer (from a garage sale - $30!) in the basement for frozen pizzas, stocks of bread/butter from sales, meat, hubby's yearly batches of pesto, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cin Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 We had a freezer on the bottom and I didn't like it. I felt like I couldn't see everythign that was in tehre. I also didn't like the idea of the drity fingers of my littles digging into get ice. In addition, I have a bad back, and don't like bending constantly. We have a side by side now with ice/water. They can get ice and water without digging in with dirty hands. I keep the most used items at eye level, so bending is minimal. And our tiniest dd can reach snacks without climbing (but she is TINY for her age). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 I HATE the side by side. My old one was smaller, but held more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted May 13, 2008 Author Share Posted May 13, 2008 After careful examination of all the combo's available at our local Sears a Black Kenmore Elite Refrigerator with Cafe doors and a bottom freezer will be delivered on Thursday. :D It has 24.9 Cu. Ft. of space! YEAH! It was even on sale which helped my husband even though he had to swallow hard when he handed over the credit card. :lol: Thanks to all who helped with our decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clementine Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Yay! Decision made! Give it a few weeks & let us know what you think....not that you can change your mind then anyway :tongue_smilie:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlockOfSillies Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Yep, yep, yep, bottom freezer. I had never seen one until I met my in-laws, but now I won't go back. French doors for the next one. :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.