Lets talk about fridges

[mommyoffive]

What kind do you  have?  

 

Freezer on the top or bottom? 

 

Side by side? 

 

 

I currently have freezer on the bottom kind.  I think that has more space.  I have never had a side by side.  I am saying no, but I haven't ever had one.  Are they bad? 

[Matryoshka]

I have a freezer on the bottom French door. I've always had a freezer on the bottom I don't think I'd want it any other way. I do like the French doors, though, because then I don't have such a big door and I can open just part of the fridge at once, but the fridge part is still full-sized and at  level where I don't have to crawl around to get at things.  The modern bottom freezers now pull out and have internal drawers, so you also don't have to crawl around to get ice cream, you just bend over and pick it up. 

 

I've never understood why it used to be that freezers were on the top so you had to get down on your knees to get things out of the crisper drawers or to find things in the back.   :confused1:  I've never had a side-by-side, but I've had to use them in other people's homes, and I can't imagine that anybody likes those things... nothing ever fits in them!

Edited December 7, 2016 by Matryoshka

[theelfqueen]

We have side by side but I don't love it

 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[prairiewindmomma]

We have had all of the varieties; my preference is French door top with pull out bottom freezer drawer. A side by side was helpful for the menfolk in my house who have an apparently inability to scan or dig for items.  We now have a separate garage freezer as I really need the additional refrigerator space that a French door top provides.

Edited December 7, 2016 by kbeal

[Carol in Cal.]

I have an older freezer on top model.

I have been looking at new fridges, and like the 3 door and 4 door models with the freezers on the bottom--that would be more useful to me.

I dislike side by sides because I like to put wide trays and platters into the fridge, and you can't really do that with a side by side.

One feature I have noticed that looks really attractive is the full width shallowish fridge drawer, either with its own door or inside the fridge section.  I would use that a lot for staging food for company. 

 

I keep hearing that the newer models are not that reliable.  Also that if there is a power glitch and they turn off, they don't necessarily come back on when the power does. 

 

Also, in remoter areas even if a store like Lowe's offers guaranteed repairs, there are sometimes no service people who work on a specific brand like LG or Samsung.  Neighbors of ours ran into that with their dishwasher, and ended up exchanging it for a company that had local service available.  Lowe's had basically lied to them about that availability.  So the next time I buy an appliance I will be calling repair guys rather than relying on the dealer to find out whether I can get it serviced or not.  Word.

[cintinative]

We just got a bottom freezer one.  Part of it was that I didn't want water in the door (too many repairs with the in door things, plus you lose space). Part of it was that I don't like the space layout in the side by side. There is not room for a pizza in some of them.  

 

Anyway, we used to have a very old top freezer. This fridge is bigger cubic feet wise but the freezer feels smaller, mostly because you can't just shove things in and make them fit.  =)

 

I was told to avoid Samsung and LG by our repair people. According to them, Samsungs go through circuit boards "like tissues" and the LGs have similar chronic problems.  We ended up getting a Whirlpool. Unfortunately it is no longer on sale. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Whirlpool-25-2-cu-ft-French-Door-Refrigerator-in-White-WRF535SMBW/204177393

 

By the way, if you have the Citibank card for Costco, they have a Price Rewind benefit. We ended up having to get our fridge at the end of October because our old one was dying. You can get a price rewind for up to 60 days after you purchase the item. So the fridge went down in price $440 on Black Friday and we were able to get that amount as a refund to our card by using the Price Rewind feature. If you have the card it is worth looking into. There is a limit of $500 per item and I think there is an annual limit as well.  You do also need to keep an eye on it--Citi didn't identify the lower price--we did. 

[Lady Marmalade]

I've had them all.  Once upon a time we had a french door top, freezer bottom.  I loved that fridge!  Sadly, it was old when we got it, and after several years, the seals on the door needed replacing, and given the fact that it definitely was not energy efficient, we opted to let it go. 

 

We switched to a nice Kitchenaid brand side-by-side.  Worked nice, had a decent amount of room, but it was very limiting as far as what you could put in the fridge.  I cook big sometimes, and putting a large bowl or bucket or tall bottle of wine just isn't happening in the side by side.  Even a 9x13 pan barely fits.  Forget a 9x13 pan with handles- that makes the pan too long. 

 

So then we moved here, to this rental, which came with rental quality appliances.  As our kitchen is on the lower level of a split-level, I opted to put our side-by-side in the garage and attempt life with the traditional freezer on top fridge.  Think wire shelves, plastic shelf brackets, and smaller.  It worked okay, but so many of the plastic bits were broken when we moved in, and it was also very dark.  I can't tell you how much food I threw out because it got lost in the recesses of the fridge.   About a month ago, when one the plastic shelf brackets fell out on me, and I ended up with salad dressing and mustard bottles all over the place, I'd had enough.  I had DH rent an appliance dolly and a neighbor, and they switched so that I once again have the nice side-by-side in the kitchen.

 

I still don't love it, to be honest. BUT there are some redeeming qualities to it.  Number one is that it is easy to see everything at a glance.  DH is taking the right things for his lunch, and the kids can easily fund munchies and drinks.   The size of the fridge is still an issue, but I'm cooking less big these days, and if I need to, I can utilize the other fridge in the garage to hold a big bowl or something.  The freezer on the side-by-side is miles above the standard freezer-on-top.  I have it nicely organized, and again, I can see everything.  We live in a tiny space, and I also love that I am not swinging a massive fridge door out into the kitchen- the smaller door of the side-by-side is much nicer in a small space. 

 

All that being said, the best fridge in my opinion is the french door, freezer on the bottom.  Freezer on the bottom, in general makes the most sense for our family- DH is 6'4", and DS is getting there too, so to have food and drinks at eye level is very nice for my tall guys.  

[Liz CA]

I have a side by side and while it's still running after 12 years, I would not get this configuration again. Larger cookie sheets/trays/platters don't fit. I would get a fridge on top, freezer on bottom model.

[Ali in OR]

We love our two-year old Samsung French door, drawer freezer on the bottom. It replaced a 20-year old side-by-side. It holds so much more food than our old one, and we did not get a particularly large model. I love being able to fit a Costco pizza box in there--that would never fit in a side-by-side. This new one also has much better lighting than our old one--I think that's just an improvement in technology in the last 20 years. I think it has LED lights, but I'm not positive about that. Very easy to see everything in the fridge.

[thessa516]

Add me to those that love their French door top with pull out bottom freezer. I wouldn't go with a side-by-side because I sometimes use large party platters or cookie sheets that need to go in the fridge.

[regentrude]

I have a freezer-on-top fridge. We bought it when we emigrated to this country 15 years ago; we had to buy cars and all appliances, everything at once, so we got it because it was cheap :)

It works fine.

I would not want a side-by-side because I don't see how one can possibly fit in wide dishes.

[Lady Marmalade]

We have had all of the varieties; my preference is French door top with pull out bottom freezer drawer. A side by side was helpful for the menfolk in my house who have an apparently inability to scan or dig for items.  We now have a separate garage freezer as I really need the additional refrigerator space that a French door top provides.

 

:laugh:

 

What is up with this!? I shouldn't have to strategically place food/leftovers so they get eaten.

 

On the plus side, I know how to hide my Caribou Salted Caramel Latte.  

[SparklyUnicorn]

I've had a side by side and I currently have one with a freezer on top.  I hated the side by side.  To me that had the least amount of freezer space.  I think having the freezer on the bottom would be good for space, but for me I'm very short and since I go into the fridge part far more often it makes sense for me to have the freezer on top.  I have a chest freezer too.

 

 

[Guest]

We have had all of the varieties; my preference is French door top with pull out bottom freezer drawer. A side by side was helpful for the menfolk in my house who have an apparently inability to scan or dig for items.  We now have a separate garage freezer as I really need the additional refrigerator space that a French door top provides.

 

I currently have the French door top and pull out bottom freezer too. I love it. The only thing I would change is not having a stainless fridge. Wish I had bought black instead.

 

The side by side is stuck in the sunroom/laundry room. It mainly stores frozen dinners, frozen left overs, and drinks. It works well for that because it's nice to sort leftovers in the freezer by shelf, but I will never voluntarily buy another side by side after this one dies. Things got buried much too easily in the side by side and it's nice to have different ways to configure the top for seasonal things like giant turkeys, etc. in the french door version. 

[mommyoffive]

I currently have the French door top and pull out bottom freezer too. I love it. The only thing I would change is not having a stainless fridge. Wish I had bought black instead.

 

The side by side is stuck in the sunroom/laundry room. It mainly stores frozen dinners, frozen left overs, and drinks. It works well for that because it's nice to sort leftovers in the freezer by shelf, but I will never voluntarily buy another side by side after this one dies. Things got buried much too easily in the side by side and it's nice to have different ways to configure the top for seasonal things like giant turkeys, etc. in the french door version. 

 

Why is this? 

 

 

You guys are giving me lots of great things to think about.

[Guest]

Why is this?

 

 

You guys are giving me lots of great things to think about.

The stainless is a pain for me to keep clean. The only thing that really gets rid of the smudges is WD-40 which isn't really the smell I like after I've cleaned! The other cleaners clean it for a bit and then an hour later the smudges are back. I also think stainless is starting to date itself. Or maybe it's just me getting tired of it after 10+ years. But when we bought this one everything else was stainless so I had to stick with it not knowing I'd be replacing a dishwasher a year later!

[mommyoffive]

The stainless is a pain for me to keep clean. The only thing that really gets rid of the smudges is WD-40 which isn't really the smell I like after I've cleaned! The other cleaners clean it for a bit and then an hour later the smudges are back. I also think stainless is starting to date itself. Or maybe it's just me getting tired of it after 10+ years. But when we bought this one everything else was stainless so I had to stick with it not knowing I'd be replacing a dishwasher a year later!

 

that is what I have heard. 

 

We plan/hope to move though.  All I read about in the listings is STAINLESS STEEL appliances.   Sounds like they are a bigger draw than black or white. 

 

I was going to lean that way just because of that.

[Guest]

that is what I have heard.

 

We plan/hope to move though. All I read about in the listings is STAINLESS STEEL appliances. Sounds like they are a bigger draw than black or white.

 

I was going to lean that way just because of that.

Yeah i can see that- it probably still is on the top of the list I guess. But now that I think about it, I've never left a fridge in a house we sold. We moved this one with us. Around here they're usually not included. Our house before this had a counter depth fridge they left when we bought it. I ended up trading it to our contractor for work. :) No way a family of five was going to be happy with that tiny counter depth thing! I love my giant fridge. Edited December 8, 2016 by texasmom33

[Seeking Squirrels]

I've had a side-by-side and a standard freezer on top. Now we have a double door fridge on top, double drawer freezer on bottom. The freezer drawer on bottom is by FAR the best. I liked side-by-side a little better than the freezer on top, easier to organize. But it definitely had limitations, we couldn't even get a pizza box in there easily. I don't think I have any complaints about the one we have now. Oh and we now have a water/ice dispenser in the door which I LOVE. 

[Luckymama]

Our stainless steel fridge doesn't get smudgey. Of course, the youngest person living here is 16 :lol:

 

I also have a French door, bottom sliding drawer freezer. I love it! I can fit anything on the shelves because they are so deep and are easily height-adjusted. Mine has a full width drawer at the bottom where I keep dairy products and meats. Above that I have 2 produce drawers. The freezer has a top shallow drawer and a lower much deeper drawer (w an adjustable divider).

Edited December 8, 2016 by Luckymama

[cintinative]

I have a friend who said she has had white, black and stainless steel appliances and of all these she prefers white.  It is the easiest to clean and keep clean. Black shows all dust. Stainless shows every finger print (this depends on the manufacturer apparently--I really hate our stainless dishwasher)

 

P.S. Thanks to pp for the WD-40 tip. Have not tried that. 

[Guest]

I have one with a too freezer andnifa adequate. My next one will be this commercial one though:

https://www.katom.com/598-T49.html

 

And a separate freezer.

[cjzimmer1]

I'm on my second side by side by choice.  I really like them.  I get the largest ones I can find.  A half a sheet pan fit perfectly on the the extra side supports (for the adjustable shelves, So I will frequently have 2-3 extra pans (when I'm heavily baking for example) hanging in my fridge in additional to my regular groceries.  I can fit far more in it than my spare fridge downstairs (which is freezer on top style) plus I find it easier to keep track of stuff because it can't get pushed back and forth along the whole back wall.  My unit is something like 31 cu, I probably wouldn't like it as well if I had a smaller one though.

[wapiti]

Another vote for French door fridge on top, freezer drawer on bottom.  Love.  I detest side by side for the same reason as others, that it's hard to fit big things.

 

I think our French door fridge is a Kenmore.  We've had it repaired a few times since we bought it 11 yrs ago, though our garage fridge (cheap LG, regular top fridge with freezer door on bottom) has broken just as much and it's newer.  Repairman mentioned that the newer refrigerators are not the same quality as our old one, though perhaps he's hoping for more business... I just don't want to buy a new one ever because they're so expensive.

 

We have stainless.  I like it because the color works well in our kitchen.  The kids smudge it but I'm not obsessive about cleaning it - no issues really.

[Ellie]

What kind do you  have?  

 

Freezer on the top or bottom? 

 

Side by side? 

 

 

I currently have freezer on the bottom kind.  I think that has more space.  I have never had a side by side.  I am saying no, but I haven't ever had one.  Are they bad? 

 

I have an 18-year-old Amana with the freezer on the bottom. French doors had not been invented yet. Also, the freezer is not a drawer; it just has a door that opens like the top, and it has a wire drawer that pulls out. The new ones hold more, and you don't have to worry about stuff falling out.

 

Mr. Ellie and I have been looking at fridges, because when yours is 18 years old, you want to be ready to buy a new one with a moment's notice. We will always have the freezer on the bottom; it makes *so* much more sense than a freezer on the top. We checked out side-by-sides, but the freezer part is not very wide; you cannot put a pizza in there.  If you never use frozen pizzas (or turkeys), a side-by-side would probably be fine.

[Kassia]

I have a Samsung stainless steel french door.  I hate it because it's defective.  It's fairly new and we are going to need to replace it soon or have repairs done.  I do love the capacity, but wish the freezer had a way to organize better.  Sometimes I feel like I'm rummaging through a toy box trying to find stuff on the bottom.  

 

 

[Guest]

If you get a freezer on the bottom, make sure to get one with drawers and trays to organize. Makes it much easier. Also plan on storing a bag of ice somewhere if you have a big family and/or like ice. The only downside to icemakers in the door like most of the French doors now have, is that they don't hold the capacity of older fridges in the ice maker.

[Guest2]

I was eyeing refrigerators for years. Last year around Thanksgiving my dream fridge went on sale at $1000 off and it was the best purchase I have made for the kitchen .We have a french door model that has four separate doors. We use 3/4 of the machine as a refrigerator and only 1/4 as freezer. We already had a stand alone freezer, but I wanted lots of fridge space along with water and ice. Works like a charm.

Edited December 8, 2016 by Silver Brook

[The Girls' Mom]

We have a 15 year old side by side.  I don't like it.  The freezer is too narrow, and things just fall to the bottom anyway.  Plus the ice maker and through the door water is broken.

 

What I really, really want is a refrigerator that is JUST a refrigerator.  The same size as a standard french door (so it will fit where my current fridge is), and that doesn't cost a mint.  Why don't they make those?  I have a full size upright deep freezer in the laundry room, so I don't really need a tiny freezer too.

[The Girls' Mom]

I was eyeing refrigerators for years. Last year around Thanksgiving my dream fridge went on sale at $1000 off and it was the best purchase I have made for the kitchen .We have a french door model that has four separate doors. We use 3/4 of the machine as a refrigerator and only 1/4 as freezer. We already had a stand alone freezer, but I wanted lots of fridge space along with water and ice. Works like a charm,

I've been eyeballing those for when our side by side dies.  It seems to be the closest thing I can find to what I want.

[Guest]

We have a 15 year old side by side. I don't like it. The freezer is too narrow, and things just fall to the bottom anyway. Plus the ice maker and through the door water is broken.

 

What I really, really want is a refrigerator that is JUST a refrigerator. The same size as a standard french door (so it will fit where my current fridge is), and that doesn't cost a mint. Why don't they make those? I have a full size upright deep freezer in the laundry room, so I don't really need a tiny freezer too.

They do make them! You can order them through an appliance store. I was looking at them over the summer. I think even Sears has them.

 

ETA- I found some in the $700 range. Not sure what capacity you're looking for but they definitely do exist. I'm sure stainless would be more. That I didn't check. I was only looking for black.

Edited December 8, 2016 by texasmom33

[The Girls' Mom]

They do make them! You can order them through an appliance store. I was looking at them over the summer. I think even Sears has them.

 

ETA- I found some in the $700 range. Not sure what capacity you're looking for but they definitely do exist. I'm sure stainless would be more. That I didn't check. I was only looking for black.

Ok, I confess, it has been a year since I looked.  I do see some out there now! lol.  When I looked before, they were either all too narrow (which would leave a big gap in our cabinetry), too wide, or too darn expensive!  

 

Now to work on dh to let me replace this one we have! 

 

Edited December 8, 2016 by The Girls' Mom

[Lady Florida.]

My next fridge is going to be slide-out drawer freezer on the bottom, French door. 

 

Currently I have freezer on the bottom full size door, and the freezer also has a door. I like having the freezer on the bottom but am not crazy about this style.For most of my life I've had freezer on top, which was the default when I was growing up. It's okay, but I like it on the bottom better so I don't have to bend down for bottom shelf fridge items. I had a side by side once and hated it. Never again.

[kahlanne]

I just had to buy a new one. We bought a side by side black stainless steel which is not supposed to show fingerprints. I would have preferred the freezer on the bottom like my mom's but we wanted the water/ice on the door. The freezer on the bottom ones with door water were out of our price range. My kids love the filtered door water. We realized since ours broke that they drink more water if it is working. We also have a filter pitcher but they never refill it. The only reason I don't love the side by side is the limited freezer space, difficult to fit cookie sheets and pizza but we have another stand alone freezer so it wasn't a necessity.

[alisoncooks]

This thread is so timely.  We're in the market for a new fridge.  We went and looked a few times and couldn't understand why all the freezers are on the bottom now! LOL.  Apparently we're out of the loop.  But reading everyone's experiences is helpful!

[TranquilMind]

What kind do you  have?  

 

Freezer on the top or bottom? 

 

Side by side? 

 

 

I currently have freezer on the bottom kind.  I think that has more space.  I have never had a side by side.  I am saying no, but I haven't ever had one.  Are they bad? 

 

I have both Freezer on top, and 2 side by sides (one in garage and working on a house right now that has a fridge). 

It is hard to fit things in the side by side.  That's why I always have an extra in the garage. 

I have never owned a freezer-on-bottom, but while I like the idea of all the fridge use up top, since I'm tall, I don't like the idea of rooting through an oddly shaped freezer, which the ones I have seen are. 

 

[TranquilMind]

My next fridge is going to be slide-out drawer freezer on the bottom, French door. 

 

Currently I have freezer on the bottom full size door, and the freezer also has a door. I like having the freezer on the bottom but am not crazy about this style.For most of my life I've had freezer on top, which was the default when I was growing up. It's okay, but I like it on the bottom better so I don't have to bend down for bottom shelf fridge items. I had a side by side once and hated it. Never again.

 

I thought about getting one of these when we renovate, but that is so many doors!  I like opening one door to get into the fridge.  Not sure why the French door model is that popular.  Not a fan.  I also don't like French doors in a house (and I have some) but would rather have a good-quality slider.