Ah but does Maytag fall into thwy subpar category?

I have to take into account service for my area also. I live out in the country 45 minutes southeast of Richmond, VA, so appliance service industries that service my area are few and far between. Subzero is way above my price range!

I'd have to agree with Kathy. Sub zero is out of my price range- maybe one day!

I have gotten to the point with appliances that I have to be able to afford them and choose based on features I like. I will say I have been lucky with appliances, my builder supplied Kenmore appliances lasted 15-20 years with minimal rprs. I bought new washer and dryer 7 years ago and read all the complaints in reviews on Samsung but they had the color I wanted, I took a chance and knew it, bought extended warranty and had to use it twice for 2 simple issues that I could have fixed myself and all has been well since. Will they die next week, it is a possibilty and something I will just deal with because I got pleasure out of the cheerfulness the red set added to my laundry room.

actually that samsung set is now 9 yrs old, time flies and I can't keep with it anymore

I hear lots of negative things about Samsung which is a shame because I love their Galaxy cellphones. Being new home owners and cook as a side hustle I can't afford to keep repairing something that's "new".

I've also had my Samsung for 9 years... knock on wood. I think you have to look at all appliances as a relatively short term investment. It's probably not going to last 20 years, but you should get about 10 years out of it. So keep that in mind as you proceed. Of course some will last longer than others, but most these days do not. I would go with a Samsung again.

I decided to stay away from Samsung for my fridge, I answer the phones for an appliance service co that doesn't service my area and they get a lot of calls for samsung fridge rprs. I I read a good amount of complaints about GE refrigerators being loud. I actually think it is less loud than my old fridge, still debating on the extended warranty on it.

I'm with you Aiallega. That's what I'd prefer due to simplicity.

@Sun Flower - Maytag is now owned by Whirlpool

I saw that. 🙄

Samsung makes very good consumer electronics, ie cell phones, and televisions and the like. With the exception of the 7 series Galaxy and NOTE which was a disaster all be it overblown. None the less a PR nightmare for Samsung. I personally own a NOTE 9 and am very pleased with it.

Their appliances are another matter. I would buy nothing that belongs in kitchen or Laundry room from them. I am sure the vast majority of their appliances function as advertised and many people get years worth of service out of them. I was not so lucky and as a result I want nothing to do with their appliances. Also keep in mind that very few people get on internet forums/discussion boards and express their happiness about how wonderful a particular product is. The vast majority of posts are negative and complaint related.

For all the people who swear by Sub Zero, that is fine if you can afford 12k plus for one appliance. Not everyone who comes here seeking advice is so fortunate. While I agree that Sub Zero will most likely out last just about any other consumer brand you can buy, they are not without their share of issues. Unlike most of the other brands mentioned, SZ comes with a much higher repair costs. So if one can barely afford the appliance they are going to be in for a real shock when the repairman/woman hands them the repair bill.

Bottom line, none of the brands are perfect. Get the one that you like, has the features you are looking for and is within your budget. Keep the condenser coils and fan clean of dust and deb re'. Buy an extended warranty for piece of mind for a few years and enjoy. After all, they don't make em like they used to.

@Kevinande, you were thorough. I too have a note 9 and am happy with it(if only I could get Bixby to work for me). And you're right, reviews are hardly reliable as they're part of promotions or disgruntled customers.

I’ve had expensive fridges and cheap fridges. Maybe I’ve also had bad luck as they all seemed to be far shorter lived than I thought reasonable. My opinion is that it’s a crapshoot, and whatever you pick, get a standard size that will be easy to replace if needed.

Our neighbors have a Kitchenaid that they love. They also would not go for the Samsung. Might be worth looking into.

I have been looking, have had the french door and seeking one again. From my research, and just talking to people, Samsung is to be avoided. I never cared for GE but actually they seem to be pretty well regarded. Someone on another thread had mentioned yale appliance website because in addition to reviews, they have the % breakdown of repairs by brand. I was looking at Kitchenaid and Frigidaire but I think now I will likely go with GE.

LG is supposed to be pretty good. In our last house, we had a Kenmore that we liked a lot, and I am pretty sure it was made by LG.

I have been a big fan of Whirlpool (have the washer/dryer and am pleased) but I am not hearing great things about them anymore.

So hard to know what to buy.

I adore my five door kitchenaid. It has so much usable storage and stays very organized for me. The freezer has three very nice drawers and are so much more accessible than my previous Amana bottom freezer. it seems empty even just after a weekly trip to the market.

Thanks for the visual! Organization is really important to me as I like to take inventory and waste not.

Whirlpool has owned KitchenAid since 1986.

Whirlpool bought Maytag in 2006.

Check out reviews from Yale. I purchased a Bosh French door counter depth and love it. It is a little pricey but buy when they offer rebates. It replaced a whirlpool that I had about 12 years. Also what ever you purchase make sure service is available in your area. Some brands don’t have good service or issues with getting parts. Good luck

I bought a stainless Samsung French door, ice in the door refrigerator in 2012 (toward top of their line). The ice maker went out after a couple of years and was fixed. Then in 2017 everything melted (of course we were out of town). Called our repairman (that we like and trust)-he said it could not be repaired.

So we bought a bottom of the line French Door Whirlpool (no ice in the door) to replace it --plus the extended warranty. It's been almost three years and the ice maker just went a few days ago. I'll see how the extended warranty works...

But we have a 31 year old GE side by side (with that little snack door that I love!). It is our workhorse in our garage and still works great.

You do t need to buy a sub zero to have a long lasting fridge; had one and it wasn’t any better than a GE we bought for our beach house. The compressor cools the fridge and that’s what you are paying for.

Whirlpool, Kitchenaid, and Maytag are all one company now. The trouble with refrigerators nowadays is that manufacturers keep changing the designs and components and adding gimmicky things (they appeal to some) instead of focusing on high quality parts and reliability. The public are guinea pigs for whatever they come up with. No one brand is always reliable any longer. The only way to avoid a “lemon” model, in any brand, is to decide on the configuration you like and then read, read, read the reviews. Sooner or later you will pick up on any issues with the models you research and will feel confident enough about one to purchase it. I bought GE’s the last two times and they turned out to be fine.

New Bosch fridges have dual compressors and good reviews thus far for around $3500.

Gotta say, I had a Samsung SxS with the gimicky showcase door and really was happy with it. New house has a Samsung french door and I loathe it. I have to defrost the icemaker with a hairdryer. WTF? I plan to replace it with a Bosch fridge when we renovate. I would rather car shop than fridge shop. Gah!

Consumer Reports has a no-charge Refrigerator Buying Guide. You can join CR to see the ratings and predicted reliability of various refrigerator types: (https://www.consumerreports.org/join $10/month digital)

I have a Bosch french door fridge, new last year, and I love it.

We are also looking for a new fridge and can't agree to the brand. While there are some complaints about Samsung online there is an appliance dealer in Boston that posts independent rating and they say they are good. Their ratings are based on the number of service calls. Search for Yale appliances and you will find it. Lots if good info on appliance shopping.

We are stuck because our Kenmore trio runs great but is over 12 years old. Want to replace with something just as reliable. Had not had a single issue. I want Samsung because of the easy pull drawers. DH is concerned about ice maker issues. Stuck.

The quality level and one year warranty Whirlpool and its affiliates Kitchenaid, Amana and Jennaire have propagated are despicable. I would not support those manufacturers.

@dan1888: "The quality level and one year warranty Whirlpool and its affiliates Kitchenaid, Amana and Jennaire have propagated are despicable."

Interesting. IKEA refrigerators are manufactured and serviced by Whirlpool and include 5-year warranties.

The IKEA 303.779.25 Nutid 36" French door refrigerator is on sale for $900 until March 29. It appears to be nearly identical to the Whirlpool WRF555SDFZ (handles are different).

DebraK_2008,

Sears/Kenmore has no factories of their own. All Kenmore-branded appliances are sourced from the various manufacturers of other brands. The first three digits of the model number (syntax of XXX.xxxxxxxxxx) is a code for the source. You can search online for "sears manufacturing codes" to get a translation.

Ikea contracted service on those is the problem. Whirlpool designated service company. But Ikea is more responsible than Whirlpool. I'm going to look more carefully at the dual compressor Bosch models. I'd rather get a dependable 20 year old frig off CList than a new Whirlpool. I got a $50 Frigidaire last year for the garage.

I just looked at the prices for a Bosch and they are not in the budget and they still don't offer the nice door handles that Samsung does. I love our Bosch DW.

The Bosch 800s are running around 2700-3000. They have two compressors with the same part number and $218.80 replacement price. Designer Appliances has a video explaining the added quality of this frig. Here. Their new icemaker design to release the cubes without heat appears to reduce service claims for that component.

If interested in Bosch or any brand consider a scratch and dent store. When I was looking they had a Bosch with a dent in the side thus price reduced. The sales guy told me depending on location in some cases it may not matter e.g. if location is between two cabinets or the tall side panels. I did not buy the refrigerator as it was not the model I was interested in but I have purchased appliances in the past and they worked well and saved me hundreds of dollars

I started leaning toward a Whirlpool french door with flex drawer. However after watching a youtube video on it I see that the drawer is not a flex drawer and just basically refrigerator with some temp control. ugh. Cintia have you made a choice yet?

@debrak_2008 I was surprised to read that Yale said Samsung was good...because I thought I had checked there. Sure enough we are both right. They have on list of the best 2019 fridges and the repair % are good for Samsung. That list did not even have GE included.

THEN they have one for 2020 and Samsung is not looking too good. GE looks really good on that list. As do a few others. So confusing!

We bought a Samsung french door fridge (ice-maker in freezer) 2 years ago, and it's going strong. It was the only brand that had all the features my family wanted. I slacked off on changing the water filter, and the ice-maker stopped working. I replaced the filter, googled the issue, and learned to unplug the fridge and hit the reset button on the ice-maker. Worked like a charm! So, check your filter (if your fridge has one), and try resetting the ice-maker.

Now DH likes the GE profile, (head slap). He likes the way the icemaker is configured. It has lots of features except the one feature, which is on the top of my list which is the easy pull drawers. That only Samsung and LG has. Here is the link to Yales 2020 most reliable list. Whirlpool is #1, GE #2, LG # 3, Gaggenau #4, and Samsung #5. Bosch #6, etc. https://blog.yaleappliance.com/bid/86332/the-least-serviced-most-reliable-appliance-brands?utm_campaign=appliance-bg&utm_source=buying-guide

Yale collects service info based on anytime they go to your home in the first year. "Often, it’s a simple adjustment. It counts as a call if you need us to perform any kind of service within the first year." Here.

That's not particularly helpful for 10 year reliability for me as a consumer.

Well that is unfortunate. I read the article but did not come away with that interpretation. Down in the comments someone asked about it and they verified it's only the first year.

No one/organization any more tracks any long-term appliance statistics.

- Consumers rarely any more keep appliances past one repair.

- Mechanical/electronic designs change very frequently so what was on the market yesterday is considerably different next week.

I've picked appliances that haven't needed a repair for years so far.

Has anyone checked consumer reports? I do not have a subscription but have in the past.

Actually I did check CR when I was at the library and I can't exactly recall except that they did not seem to rate the models I was looking for. I am looking for counter depth and there were very few -- if any - if I recall correctly- that they commented on. I think they may offer it more in depth as a digital subscription but I haven't done that ((yet)). Bothersome to pay monthly.

last year we bought Samsung- 4-Door Flex energy-efficient- RF28K9070SG from YALE -bought extra extended warranty since YALE is taking over Samsung services. We were advised to purchase any Samsung kitchen appliances from a store that is willing to take over Samsung services. Between 1 year, Yale came to service the frozen ice maker twice- they came the next day. I think Samsung has replaced and fixed the problem for the newest model. We have not had problem since then. Cant afford the Subzero but at least I loved Samsung's freezer, Hope this will help you to make a decision. Yale told my friend that ELECTROLUX will came a newest model in July

I have that same Kitchenaid fridge as @Roarah, and I want to love it. :P There are some great features -- the drawers are fantastic -- we put cans of fizzy water and pop in one side, and fruit in the other -- and the freezer organization is excellent, especially the pizza compartment. ;) But I've had a few problems with it which you might want to be aware of: the doors don't always shut all the way if you are not super careful, and if the power goes off (we're in CA and have been having periodic outages. Thank you, PGE... argh), the ice in the ice maker melts, and then refreezes, and then jams up the mechanism, and then leaks all over your floor.

If you can stay on top of these things, then it's OK. I's a big pain for us since we've got this fridge in our beach/rental house.

My dream fridge is this Kitchenaid without any water/ice in the door. It's really hard to find anything but basic fridges without that, though. :/

My 24-year old side-by-side Whirlpool is finally beginning to fail altho’ still working. It has worked fine all these years but was annoying: drawers falling off the guides, tight access to the freezer, door hard to open sometimes as it seemed to develop a vacuum. I was limited to 20 cu. ft. counter depth so not a lot of choices. Got another Whirlpool, French doors. I think I’ll like it.

We bought a house with a 4 year old Samsung French Door....it's awful! My husband has to defrost the ice maker with a hair dryer once a month. It leaks water under the crisper drawer on the left each night. We have to use a towel EVERY morning to sop up the water that leaks under the crisper, during the night, from the ice maker. There are 30 pages of the same complaints on the Samsung site. The ice comes out mostly crushed mixed with a few cubes no matter what setting we put it on. It's so loud when dropping the ice. They still sell our model at HD and Lowes. My husband saw some guy looking at one and stopped to tell him all about ours. We didn't buy this one but I'm on here reading to get ideas for a replacement. We have a Samsung stove/DW that are working fine for now, thankfully.