Recommend me a fridge!

[Dementedchook]

Well, with the old beast of fridge I acquired from my grandmother dying on Christmas eve, I'm looking for a new fridge.
From the digging I've done so far Electrolux, kelvinator, and westinghouse seem to have a very good reputation, but I know bugger all about fridges except they keep my beer cold.

Looking for something suitable for two or three people, fridge freezer combo, prefer $1000 or less, but can stretch a little, even with the bloody bills all arriving just in time for Christmas.

And if anyone is interested in the old hulk....

 

[Glot]

A Westinghouse or Kelvinator made in Orange. Designed for Australia. Made in Australia ( for the moment).
The cheap Chinese ones can have issues with a warmer climate.

 

[Bribie G]

Second the Orange ones. However I bought one of these last year for around a grand on clearance at Bing Lee locally.
Brilliant fridge and toughened glass fittings inside, not crap plastic. LED lighting and it nags you if you leave the door ajar. Freezer has bins that glide out and hold heaps.

Hint: get a bottom mounted freezer, your back and knees will thank you.

edit: "fridge I acquired from my grandmother dying on Christmas eve"

terribly sorry to hear about Nan, hope you gave her a good send off.


B)

The electrical store should be able to dispose of your old fridge, one advantage of dealing locally.

 

[elcarter]

We got a Samsung SRL450ELS bottom freezer.

I will add that we went this one because it's size just fit through the door and the space we had for it.

However that aside;

The energy efficiency was the better of all we looked at and it's got a 10 yr warranty on the motor because it's direct drive.

You can get it in white and I'm pretty sure you might be within $50 of a grand it was $200 less for white. No one wants white? It did just drop last month as well we've been watching it for 6 months before we got it was $1430 ish. New model came out with a pissy water dispenser and was $100 more.

It's got quite a lot of cool features but I'd head into the store and have a play you might find some features that appeal to you more than others.

My ferment fridge is a Samsung and my keezers a Westinghouse both performing well.

http://www.thegoodguys.com.au/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?urlRequestType=Base&catalogId=16601&categoryId=15535&productId=54525&errorViewName=ProductDisplayErrorView&urlLangId=%5BLjava.lang.String%3B%40281a281a&langId=-1&top_category=15369&parent_category_rn=15369&storeId=900

 

[Bribie G]

Good point about the white, a lot of people are going for blingy SS, but that seems to add a couple of hundred to the price, whereas the specials and discount models mostly seem to be white. I reckon that in a few years, SS fridges will look really dated, a bit like orange kitchen appliances of the 70s. To me, SS fridges look eerily like something out of a morgue or a lab.

My kegmates not included in that :lol:

 

[elcarter]

Good point about the white, a lot of people are going for blingy SS, but that seems to add a couple of hundred to the price, whereas the specials and discount models mostly seem to be white. I reckon that in a few years, SS fridges will look really dated, a bit like orange kitchen appliances of the 70s. To me, SS fridges look eerily like something out of a morgue or a lab.

My kegmates not included in that :lol:

Please don't tell the missus whites back in we just replaced the fridge... the toaster.. wait and the stove for ss.

 

[Black Devil Dog]

+1 for a F.P bottom mounted freezer, I'm pretty happy with mine.

 

[Bribie G]

Had the camera out anyway for a whats in the glass shot, so here's the advantage of a bottom mount: huge space at eye level in the fridge section and a really good layout in the bottom freezer section. Top mounts usually have a fairly poor freezer layout more for convenience, and every time you open them the cold air spills out. I can fit almost half of a chest freezer load in my bottom mount.



edit: I guess a top mounted freezer couldn't have those slide out drawers and bins because the average housewife (as Tony Abbott refers to them) would need to stand on a box to look into them and might get her stilettos tangled. -_-

 

[Glot]

White is neutral. It never went out. S/S is period. Just like a fashionable colour. It has hung around a while though.
Beware some of the F&P models. Never the same since they closed Brisbane. Every brand has good and bad models. Only consider frost free for the freezer in my opinion. Dual compressor is nice but you won't get that for the price you want to pay.
LG stands for Lucky Goldstar. The name should give an idea of the quality.

 

[Bribie G]

Soap and water, Glot, soap and water. I had one of the early LG LCD HD televisions, it was an absolutely brilliant TV and way ahead of other models at the time.






Until the puff of blue smoke of death from the back :unsure:

 

[Glot]

I kind of lost faith in F&P when their fridge shelves kept falling out when the sides flexed. Also, once Haier bought F&P out. The Haier clothes dryers had a strong tendency to catch fire. Some of the European fridges really struggle in summer here. Maytag is a pretty good fridge if you can find one on special.

 

[Camo6]

WESTINGHOUSE. If you can't get a Westinghouse my second choice would be a Westinghouse. And if these are unavailable, as a last resort, get a Westinghouse.

 

[zarniwoop]

Almost everything is made in the cheapest location possible (where possible means how hard it is to build and maintain quality), the only exception in the plant in Orange but that is going the way of the dodo and from memory they don't design there, only build. Additionally buying from high cost countries does not always mean higher quality as they may need to skimp in certain areas to be competitive (probably not but i have seen it).

When a product is built the only way to ascertain the quality is to understand what production quality standards the company has introduced in it's production location which is obviously impossible for the consumer hence why reviews and recommendations are so important.

Bloody useless info in regards to the OPs question I know but I feel it's important to clarify the "Asia built, must be crap" attitude

FWIW I've been very happy with FP products and LG has an excellent production system these days.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

I have an LG fridge/top freezer. Had it over 10 yrs, bought it 2nd hand. Damn good fridge. Cant fault it. I run it on the warmest setting because it freezes things in the fridge if I turn it to coldest in summer.

 

[Bribie G]

:icon_offtopic: Back in the 1980s when most things such as toasters and pedestal fans ($60 back then = probably $150 in todays dollars not to mention ruggers shorts at $20 each FFS) were still made in Australia I always counted on some major flaw that would require them to be returned to the shop within a month.

I have owned 3 Falcons and they all degenerated into a pile of rust when only 10 to 12 years old, as well as costing thousands of dollars in repairs. My current Mazda 2 made in Japan is now coming up eight years old and has not one little thing wrong with it at 150k, on its second battery and second full set of tyres but absolutely everything works perfectly. Almost scary thinking that this machine will probably outlive me.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

I have owned 3 Falcons and they all degenerated into a pile of rust when only 10 to 12 years old, as well as costing thousands of dollars in repairs.

When Holden released the VN and Ford the EA they changed the steel they used to a phosphorous coated steel which stoped the problem.

But then again you did buy Fords...

 

[Camo6]

Yeah... Everyone knows Commo's and Camry's make the best taxis.

 

[Dementedchook]

Second the Orange ones. However I bought one of these last year for around a grand on clearance at Bing Lee locally.
Brilliant fridge and toughened glass fittings inside, not crap plastic. LED lighting and it nags you if you leave the door ajar. Freezer has bins that glide out and hold heaps.

Hint: get a bottom mounted freezer, your back and knees will thank you.

edit: "fridge I acquired from my grandmother dying on Christmas eve"

terribly sorry to hear about Nan, hope you gave her a good send off.


B)

The electrical store should be able to dispose of your old fridge, one advantage of dealing locally.

Cheeky *******!
I suppose I should have written that a little differently, made it sound a little more like I bumped her off to get the fridge....
It did good service, seeing she had it for years, I've had it about 5, and the plate at the back tells you the gas charge in oz.

Well, glad to see my research has more or less lead me to the Westinghouse or Kelvinator fridges that seem to be the choice.
Had a gander in the good guys, and I'm now leaning toward one of these two:

Kelvinator

or

Westinghouse

Leaning more to the Kelvinator only because I found a few reviews of the Westinghouse cracking the freezer.

 

[Dementedchook]

Well, for what it's worth, I've put my money down on the Kelvinator. Should be getting delivered tomorrow just in time for the heat :blink:

Paid the extra to have the old fridge removed too, now all I've got to do is put enough dosh away to get myself a fermenting fridge....