Looks like Lowes finally warmed up. Just like the firdge.

LOL I crack myself up some times.

Don't buy a side-by side fridge. We did and after using it for about a year we hate it. It's a Kenmore (rebranded Whirlpool I think) and it works fine...just don't like the layout.

@Starfury: Just a counterpoint, not a refutation -- my parents have kept the same side-by-side fridge for about 22 years. They even bothered to move it, and IIRC they modified their new house's cabinetry to make it fit properly.

Check out an independent retailer, that is, a local small business. Buy a new unit, in box, and don't be afraid to haggle on the price.

As for brands, we see very few problems with the Whirlpool made units, which include the Maytags and Amanas. GEs have pretty good as well.

Also, look for refrigerators with the features that you would actually use, not something that seems cool and new, as cool and new is usually unused or broken in a year's time.

@Starfury: Side-by-side (SxS for short) refrigerators have a few really nice features, and a few short comings. While I wouldn't be able to stand the lack of wide items in the freezer (frozen pizzas, mainly), A SxS has an abundance of usuable space, ease of access in both the freezer and fridge sections, and some of the most inexpensive add ons of any unit, such as the ice maker, water in the door, slide out shelving, ect. It's very cost effective if you have a second freezer to use in conjunction.

I bought a Whirlpool (Gold) from Lowe's 1-2 years ago. It's colder than a witches...wait, never mind. Let's just say it works very well.

Say it with me now: Electro-mechanical control systems. Avoid those hinky dinky circuit boards if you can. Go retro and try to get something without some shitty circuit board assembled for a buck and sold for fifty.

We've had a couple of GE refrigerators. Twenty years of service is not unusual.

About time Jeez.

I won't purchase a device made by a manufacturer who specializes in completely different devices.

I wouldn't by a cell phone or TV made by Whirlpool or Maytag, why would one buy a fridge from Samsung?

LG refrigerators? Don't get me started. I've seen dozens of friends buy fancy LG cell phones only to have a major component (usually the screen or buttons) quit working in 6 months. I surely won't drop $1,500-2,500 on a fridge from a manufacturer with that reputation.

Thanks for the suggestions. I need a new fridge and was wondering what kind would be best.

It seems like nothing is made well anymore. *sigh*

@aaron8301: Owner of LG Washer and Dryer as well as a fridge here. They're solid, nice build quality, and some of the more highly rated appliances out there. Although I'll stipulate that they are the rare exception to your rule.

@Duke_Newcombe (now with 50% more feigned interest): I would have to say that the only time that I have ever had a problem with a LG project except the cheap cell phone that I got for free when I signed my contract. I guess I got what I payed for. Free = crap, $50 = works great.

Personally I prefer the American* brands (Whirlpool, GE, etc) for the simple logic that they're more likely to have an abundance of certified techs and spare parts than the more exotic foreign brands. I own an Onkyo amp and when it broke, I had to travel 40 miles to the nearest authorized service center. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't touch an American car even when it's just a picture on a magazine. But when it comes to major appliances, I'd stick to the "American" brands.

*I know most of these are assembled in Mexico and China these days but the brands are still American.

@H3ion: the GE refrigerator that my parents had 20 years ago was given to my grandfather when we outgrew it. It is now 20+ years old and living with one of my aunts. (think it still works)
The one we replaced it with (15 years now) still working fine.
Bought a Hotpoint (rebranded GE) about 10 years ago, (garage fridge for sodas, etc) and i think it's leaking coolant.

@Duke_Newcombe (now with 50% more feigned interest): we bought an LG washer based on consumer reports ratings and the price HHgregg offered us (they price-matched against bestbuy, i think we paid around $900 for a front-loading washer, including hoses, delivery, setup, and removal of old unit)
great machine.

I've also had LG cell phones for the past 5 years, and I don't think i'll ever go to something different (unless i decide to get a smartphone)

Bought a Samsung refrigerator from Lowes about a year ago. A nice side by side, stainless, oversized opening ice/water in the door, etc. Best Fridge I've ever owned. Samsung takes great care of their customers too.

Consumer Reports was absolutely no help. I went on there to get some information and they had ONE Samsung model at the time. Come to find out it was JD Power that helped me pick my brand. Samsung is a multi-year award winner for Refrigerators. I canceled Consumer Reports Online the next day with the reason that obviously they're too busy kissing Kenmore's butt.

And yes I'm aware the customer had a Samsung too. My experiences are just entirely different than theirs. I also live in a state with implied warranty.

If buying a bottom freezer fridge, CR recommends LG. I also have a Samsung that I've loved for years (we just purchased an LG for our move since we're leaving the fridge behind).

Samsung has the advantage that the freezer and fridge compartments are cooled completely separately keeping smells from escaping from one to the other, but that's about it. The LG is a bit less expensive and has some nice features with adjustable shelves and clear door shelf fronts that I liked. We were in a lower tier price range on this so we didn't really have many feature choices.

@gStein: I agree. Samsung makes some really good appliances and is well known outside the US for their appliance market. They've only entered the US market in the past 6 years or so.

We just purchased an LG fridge at Best Buy for $720 (bottom freezer model) after discounts but before the $50 Energy Star rebate, which I have to wait until after we move and have electricity service at the new address to claim. Best Buy's multiple appliance discount really saved us a lot of cash. We ended up paying $472 each for Samsung washer and dryer units that originally sold for $800 each but were on sale for $590 (actually online for $640, but they rang up cheaper than that) plus 20% off because we bought 4 appliances. We were so under our $3k appliance budget on that purchase we ended up buying a new range and dishwasher, which were postponed until next March otherwise.

Our new house currently has appliances in "Harvest Gold" to give you an idea about our eagerness to replace everything ASAP (although the fridge, washer and dryer were not included in the purchase of the house, hence the immediate need). :-)

@MustyBuckets: +1 on going to an independent dealer. Years ago we went through the process of shopping around for a washer/dryer combo. We did Lowe's, Home Depot, Sears, Bernie's (an appliance chain 'round these parts) and a couple other places. Then we checked out the small appliance dealer in town.

For a base price only $30 more than the lowest price of any of these chains ... and right in the middle of the price-range for them as a group ... we got exactly what we wanted. Where this deal really worked out was in delivery. The small local shop charged nothing for delivery. (They were getting them from a warehouse, and had they not delivered them to our place they'd have had to have them delivered to their own shop, c. 2 miles away. No difference to them, so no cost to us!) What's more, we could get delivery when we chose ... not according to the chains' arcane schedules because we are in such a "remote" area. (One chain said they'd deliver to our area only on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month, and they were booked well into the next month.)

What's more, the local shop has its own repair guy, and he lives in the next town over. No need to call India to have someone dispatched from the other end of the country ... and take a chance that they'll decide we're "too remote" to get quick service.

So the bottom line was, we SAVED money in the end, AND we got much better service than we would have gotten from the big chains ... in spite of their advertised promises for quick delivery (those terms only apply if you live in areas they deem worthy of quick delivery ... outside of that, they can't be bothered).

At the risk of repeating myself, then, I say, GO SMALL and GO LOCAL. Forget the chains. You might pay more ... but then again (as in our case) you may not. And you will be MUCH happier and FAR LESS frustrated.

CR's a good place for reviews, but in the past couple of years the Appliance Samurai has been far more helpful to me. He's usually got solid repair advice and some recommendations regarding buying new.

For fridges, his call is Whirlpool.

Here's a link to his brand recommendations:
[fixitnow.com]

And here's a link to a chart of just who makes what:
[www.fixitnow.com]

Buy American - keep someone employed.

@halcyondays: Considering you won't find a non-industrial refrigerator still made in the US anymore, I'm guessing that if this is your criteria you'll be storing things in salt or snow? Refrigerators sold here in the US, if they don't come from an Asian factory, are assembled in Mexico nowadays.

Buddy just an FYI the correct word (if you ever plan to use it) is Gracias

@chiieddy: Item of note for bottom freezers is to not get a model with one if you use the ice maker alot. Accessing the ice tray seemed difficult on the floor models I reviewed.

@halcyondays: Too late unforetunately... (maybe an environmental/social tariff or two would help stem the Chinese product train)

@econobiker: Only on the pull out drawer types, which I hate as a rule. I got this one which has a swing open door which makes getting to the contents easy. The Samsung I currently have has a swing out door as well.

I'm glad the fridge got replaced! However, despite all its problems, I don't think it's really the fridge from hell. That would be this one:

[www.npr.org]

@halcyondays: My Samsung refrigerator was made in either US or Canada. I don't believe they floated it over here from Korea based on the decal.

Cluberti has it right. Out of the 10 GE models I saw, 2 were made in Appliance Park and the rest were made in Mexico.

@halcyondays:

Hey Americans - Make better products. Keep yourself employed