I've read that appliances built these days will probably last 7-8 years. In general, I haven't heard anything good about Samsung refrigerators. But, we just had a 6 year old LG fail, so who knows. I do know I am not going to spend top dollar these days.

We have a counter depth french door LG that we got in 2013. We actually brought it with us when we moved out of our previous house and into a rental and then to our current house. It is still going strong. We had one issue with it when we first got it. There is a bar between the 2 doors that is suppose to heat up to prevent condensation. It stopped heating up. Fridge was still under warranty and they came and replaced it. Haven't had an issue since. I hope I didn't just jinx myself.

Subzero if you can swing it. They are built like tanks and last a very long time. Pay upfront and amortize it over the life of the unit, it will cost the same as an inferior fridge and you won't have the aggravation of breakdowns and replacements. And adding to landfills.

$10,000 over 20 years = $500 per year

$3,000 over 6 years = $500 per year

What Diana said^^^^^

Our first SubZero was 26yo and still going strong when we sold that house in 2015. It saw us through Hurricane Sandy, staying cold for 9 days without electrical power. Even the ice was still firm. Worth every $$$$$$.

The SubZero (42” FD) we installed in the new house in 2016, is now 8.5yo, and hasn’t had one issue. I expect this machine to outlast us.

Quite frankly, SZ is the best bang for large up front spend. And, it has the best customer service in the business…should you need it.

Same experience as darbuka. SZ in our primary residence, but in our vacation home that we only really use 3 months out of the year, we selected a Kitchenaid French door fridge when we renovated the kitchen in 2012. It actually is holding up really well (except of course for the ice maker). Prior to that we had a string of terrible fridges--GE, Whirlpool--that always seemed to die on big holiday weekends when we had a houseful of guests :( Each one lasted maybe 3-4 years, with part-time use, so the Kitchenaid is great by comparison.

A failing frig is more of a problem than other appliances. SZ is the way to avoid that. Samsung has been the other end of the spectrum.

So true, Dan.

Diana, Whirlpool has owned KitchenAid since 1986.

I replaced a 2003/2004 GE Arctica SxS exactly two weeks ago with a Whirlpool SxS WRS325SDHZ. I'd done several repairs on the GE in 2010-12. I liked some features on it, particularly the CustomCool drawer with a defrost function, but opted to replace instead of repair again. The main board presumably was bad (which was one of the previous repairs), and the water dispensing function had been unusable for a few years due to a leak somewhere in the feed line. The WP is reasonably simple. I didn't notice until after the delivery (via the model number coding, D in 8th position is 2014 model-year) that it's a model they've produced for ten years, so any design "bugs" should reasonably be settled by now. The WP runs a bit louder than the GE but only because it has a typical one-speed compressor and the GE had a variable three-speed compressor that could throtttle down to a low level.

1 year in I still love my Bosch 800 series fridge, with the flex drawer in the middle.

So Whirlpool has owned Kitchenaid since 1986. Duly noted. Doesn't mean that the products are equal in quality.

WP and KA sibling models often come out of the same factory. Serial numbers are coded for the factory, and year/week production date.

I chose by size and features since reviews looked dismal for everything and i wasn’t going to buy a SZ. i appreciate the environmental and aesthetic benefits but would prefer to save/invest the extra money. Our LG is doing just fine at 8. i’ve never had cheap apartment fridges break on me so i’m not overly worried.

Remember the lonely Maytag repair man?

Remember when you mother had an appliance for decades? Those days are gone. I bought the entire line of Whirlpool White Ice in 2015....every one is gone, 'fridge, dishwasher, washer, dryer..."no repair possible". You have to read this article. If it is true, then I guess we could call it deliberate sabotage.

https://www.everythingbreaks.com/a-closer-look-at-why-modern-appliances-dont-last-as-long/

“Remember when you mother had an appliance for decades?”

OMG, elsieg, I sure do! It was Kenmore appliances with my mom, and they did last forever!

Earlier in this thread I mentioned a repair tech who came to check our Whirlpool washer. Before he left I asked him what appliances (other than really high end) he’d recommend for the kitchen. He quickly said KitchenAid, although I’m guessing it just depends on whom you ask. Like everything else, KA has its share of bad reviews.

We have a Kitchenaid top freezer model from 2004 as our main fridge. Still going strong, has never needed a repair.

Our washer is a top loader Whirlpool, still going strong, nary a repair, from 2005. They will have to pry it from my cold, dead hands, LOL.

Appliance quality and endurance have seriously declined, that's for sure. When someone says "I've had xx brand dishwasher for 25 years and it still works great!" that is not an endorsement for the brand as it currently is. That's how they used to be made.

I am not ruling out a luxury model like Sub Zero, but even they get scathing reviews. One person's review I read said they had to get a bunch of parts replaced, all of which said "Made in China" when they took them out. Others said the fridge broke within five years, not good for a $14,000 machine.

I should add we had a Whirlpool simple stand up all freezer as a second freezer in our mechanical room. It stopped holding temp at 5 years old. We got a new GE and had them haul off the Whirlpool. We still have a Whirlpool simple stand up all fridge. Guess time will tell with it.

We were originally going to go with subzero for our new house (we finally finished the build last fall) but, as almost always happens, we had to make some budget cuts and the subzero was one of those cuts. We opted for a Kitchen aid counter depth because we’ve had good experiences with KA in the past 25 years, and whenever we’ve had any issues with the many KA products we’ve owned, the company has always been responsive and helpful. As a side note, we also wanted a subzero in our last house and even built the cabinetry to one day accommodate one with simple modification, but our KA fridge that we’d moved with from our prior house wouldn’t die already! LOL! With another KA fridge, I may never get that subzero I’ve always dreamed of... sigh. We also designed our current kitchen to accommodate a subzero with simple modifications. Call me hopeful I guess.

@chloebud,

Sears/Kenmore doesn't manufacture anything. All Kenmore appliances have always been sourced from the various other manufacturers. Kenmore laundry was Whirlpool (except I recall a few items from Frigidaire) from the 1950s through sometime in the 2000s when they started sourcing some models from LG and Samsung.

Kenmore dishwashers in the 1950s into the 1980s were from D&M (Design & Manufacturing Corp), which produced many other brands and had a long history of ownership changes and reorganization.

Etc.

The first three digits of Kenmore model numbers are a code for the source manufacturer. Translation of the codes can be found online.

@iroll,

Whirlpool effectively discontinued the mechanical design (which dates to 1981) of your 2005 washer in 2010 (they continued it a couple years longer for coin-op models). Replacement parts are becoming NLA.

“Sears/Kenmore doesn't manufacture anything. All Kenmore appliances have always been sourced from the various other manufacturers.“

dadoes, thanks…yes, I was aware of that. However, I wasn’t aware of it when my mom was buying Kenmore years ago. My first fridge I had as a newlywed was a Kenmore, and I wasn’t aware then, either. Some years later we bought a Kenmore washer/dryer, and the washer died at almost 27 years. The Whirlpool that replaced it gave us 4 years.

I start by looking for the configuration I like and want, more than the brand......My preference is for a bottom freezer without French doors, and without a water dispenser or ice maker. (I'm OK if it has an ice maker in the freezer compartment, but I would never hook it up).

Then I look at brands.......I've had very good luck with LG and Frigidaire fridges in previous homes. The LG that came with this house is going great after about 6 or 7 years; I kind of wish I had an excuse to buy one without French doors, but I'll stick with this one until it causes problems. When it does, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another LG, if they had the style I like.

SZ. French door, bottom freezer, no ice in the door.

For any brand "no ice in the door" is solid advice - that seems to be a problem in so many fridges.

I have been looking for a while for a 36" CD FD to replace an 18 year old KA. The KA is still working but it has that horrible ice maker on the inside of the door that frosts up and fails to deliver ice. Right now I'm just making the ice with it and dumping it in a bowl to store inside the freezer. I have an LG fridge at another home and a SZ at a second home - it came with the house, we didn't buy it. I was going to get another LG but it now has thick doors that will stick out about five inches - no thanks. I thought Bosch but the way the long drawer inside works is a terrible design. F&P was nice but I think that brand is too obscure for where I live. And then there is the problem of peeling finishes on several brands and with many now "print proof stainless" I thought that was a risk. I also have a problem with an adjacent angled wall that prevents one door from opening wide enough to get the drawers out. So after finding a considerable problem with every fridge I considered, I finally decided to bite the bullet and buy a SZ - no dispenser in the door. I looked at it in a showroom and that is a thing of beauty - design, build quality, etc. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would spend that much money on a fridge but I recently sold a boat so I'm funding it with the proceeds from that.

@3katz4me, you won’t regret ”biting the bullet.” The SZ is likely to last at least 25 years. Plus, should your fridge need servicing, SZ has the best customer service in the business. And, SZ carries parts for decades, unlike other brands which cease to carry parts after 5-10 years.

Many parts (not all) are available for the 2003 GE I replaced per above, including the motherboard and inverter board ... I just decided not to repair it.

Just to echo darbuka's comment about availability of SZ parts - my SZ fridge is 29 years old, and when I needed a part (a temperature sensor, if I'm not mistaken) a few months ago, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the part was readily available! Fixed - and that's the only repair to the fridge that I can recall having to have made (I do have it checked and cleaned every 18 months trying to extend its life).

The number of people who are buying NEW sub zero fridges from 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and having them breakdown is astonishing. There is a running thread of nearly 500 comments of people saying SZ Wolf is not the brand it used to be especially after Covid.

I follow a Reddit thread of interior designer totally up in arms about what to do. Many of their clients with 2022 installs are all reporting major malfunctioning in just 2 years.

While SZWolf has built a great reputation and solid legacy in the industry I think that is changing and more people will start taking note.

The same can be said about most appliances, regardless of make and label. By the way much of the internal parts of appliances are all the same and then white labeled and re-marketed for different audiences. Washers and dryers are not made to be fixed, they're made to be tossed and replaced. The microwaves of today are NOT the microwaves of 30 years ago. Ironically....

I would get whatever fridge has the features you like, in the style you like, and find the cheapest price.

Yup. I was lucky to buy good old fashioned Speed Queen washer and dryer before they made them ”smart” and destined to break down within a few years.

This planned obsolescence thing, or just the lack of quality in general, makes me really mad.

Stryker, they are starting to address that here in Canada with laws about planned obsolescence. I’m not up-to-date on where things are at but I know it’s in the works.

We bought a 15 year old SZ which ended up being cheaper than many new "regular" fridges. It's by far the most functional refrigerator I've ever used; lots of unobstructed storage and no nonsense. We've used it for the last 12 years; it did require a repair last year, but the parts were in stock and I hope it's now good for another 20 years. Buying used seems to have given us the best of both worlds.

I had a side by side whirlpool that I really liked. The only issues was with the water/ice in the door. It broke twice in the 12 years I had it. After watching the repair I said never again for water and ice in door. I was told and have learned this is a major failure for point. During my remodel in 2017 I purchased a Bosch counter depth French door with two drawers and I love it. Food seems to stay fresh longer. Very noticeable for items in fruit and vegetable drawers. A little pricey but I think worth it.

I had a samsung (no water/ice in the door) since my remodel in 2017 until I sold the house this year. I had a part replaced under warranty in 2018. In 2022 I had issues with the drain line freezing, but I was able to replace the part myself (I am the opposite of handy). Not perfect reliability, but manageable. I never lost a bunch of food or anything.

I have a moderate end GE fridge, a Frigidaire induction range and a Bosch dishwasher and have had them for at least 8-10 years. They have all held up well with no issues.

I never thought of buying a used fridge. Interesting concept, since even a used one (if it was made many years ago) might be sturdier than current models.

Funny, a customer at work today told me her house got flooded while she was on vacation when the water line for her fridge broke, an unsolicited conversation.

Stryker, over 37 years ago, we lived in a duplex in town and when we moved in we bought a used stove. A GE I think. Shortly after, we bought the house out here. I still have that stove. it’s the kind with the burners that you can replace because they plug in.

Does Subzero make fridges that can replace a regular counter depth french door fridge? Or does it require changing up the fridge cabinet? Everyone keeps saying Subzero but is it that easy to just replace say an LG 36 inch french door counter depth fridge with a Subzero?

This thread made me think of an OLD fridge we had in the garage at a previous home. I think the brand was Westinghouse. It was a real energy hog and still working when we replaced it. SoCal Edison hauled it away and gave us $40. They told us the fridge was about 45 years old.

@vinmarks, SZ fridges are either built-in, or integrated into the cabinets. As such, they are shallower than the misnamed ”counter depth” fridge. To make up for the shallower depth, SZ fridges are taller than a standard ”counter depth” fridge. Also, the dual compressors are atop the fridge, not underneath like in standard fridges. Therefor, to go from a counter depth fridge to a SZ, the fridge cabinet will have to be completly replaced.

@darbuka Thanks. I wasn't sure if SZ started making fridges that fit in cabinets meant for regular counter depth type fridges.

My 2 cents…

I have a subzero and a Monogram built in refrigerator. I got the Monogram on clearance and am happy with both. However, I often say that my Subzero is the best $10,000 refrigerator I have ever seen and it only cost $15,000. While Monogram is the best $7,500 refrigerator I have ever seen and I only paid $7,000 for it.

Subzero is the best quality you can get in a mass produced refrigerator, however, I doubt it will last as long as people believe and it isn’t the value people think.

Subzero resisted filling their refrigerators with electronics for a long time but eventually they started to do just that. Semiconductors have their limits and are not likely to last 20 years. There is a good chance the other parts, that depend on that brain, failing as it does and recently Subzero has had problems. Moreover, old refrigerators lasting a long time is not that unusual… I have a coin op bottle chest from the 70’s in my shop and a GE refrigerator from the late 50’s in my garage.

Also, there is a good reason that smart people often don’t spend an extra $7,000 on a refrigerator. If you stick that $7,000 in an FDIC insured savings account right now, when you need to replace your refrigerator in six years you will have $9,500 to do it with. Or if you financed your home with a 7% mortgage loan the actual annual marginal cost of the Subzero is $1,000.

That is not to say that you shouldn’t buy one, if you are doing a built-in and it is in your budget…you should absolutely consider Subzero as “the one to beat,” and only go with something else, if it is a significant value. However, if you are not building in a refrigerator there is no reason to add the extra expense to get a Subzero.

This is where the new fridge will go:

I will have to do something with the cabinet above, because it will only accomodate a 70” high fridge. There aren’t too many of those. Most, it seems, are 72”. I hope it’s not too difficult to whittle a couple of inches off that cabinet.

Right now I’m leaning toward a French door Thermador…

Nothing to add, except my fav fridge is the one with the makings of tacos and margaritas!

“I will have to do something with the cabinet above, because it will only accomodate a 70” high fridge.”

We had that very same issue since our fridge cabinet opening is 36”W x 70”H. The KitchenAid counter depth we got fit but just barely at the top. I think I measured it at the appliance store 3 different times before purchasing. Measure in person rather than trusting online specs. I would not have bought ours had I relied on online specs.

ETA - Regarding the cabinet above the fridge, my SIL had to have hers “shaved“ down to accommodate a new fridge. It was perfectly done; you’d never notice at all.

Stryker and everyone still following this epic thread a year later

I just replaced my own 36 counter-depth French-door last month after reading every single post here for the 47th time 😂

Final decision: Bosch 800 Series B36CT80SNS the exact one Missy Bee mentioned up-thread.

Why this one won for me

Actually fits in a true 70" opening (height with hinge is 71.9" but the top cap is soft plastic – I shaved ⅛ off the cabinet bottom with a belt sander in 10 minutes, zero drama

NO ice maker in the door = zero ice-maker nightmares I make ice in silicone trays like a caveman and sleep like a baby FarmFresh humidity-controlled crispers that actually keep lettuce alive for 2+ weeks

Quietest fridge I have ever owned 34 dB my old Samsung sounded like a helicopter

20.5 cu ft – same as most 72 tall counter-depths because Bosch doesn’t waste space on a useless dispenser

https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-B36CT80SNS-Refrigerator-VitaFreshPro-MultiAirFlow/dp/B07X6KM1QT

Pro tip Add it to a new empty cart wait 24 hrs and Amazon usually drops a 5-10% coupon on it got mine for $2594 last month.

If anyone here pulls the trigger reply with a photo I will start a Houzz survivors Bosch club 😂

And yes, I still check my 401k every time I open the door and see that beautiful LED lighting… but zero regrets

I also want to saw that the outside is fantastically easy to clean since there are no protruding handles to clean around and all I use is a microfiber cloth. If there is anything not wiping off easily I wet it. I d

I for one appreciate this epic thread. I literally came back here to "Gardenweb" (ahem) for this purpose. My Samsung KUDE FrenchDoors has just needed one too many attention-episodes. Never the water/ice in the door really, but the cooling "tower" behind the top panel was never designed properly, and the upper reaches get too cold - frosty in fact, inhibiting the fan and spread of cold air. It results in annoyances like water/ice on the bottom, etc ... anyway. I realize I am battle-attached to the thing and also that it's a dinosaur because apparently most of these things don't last this long. When I got it all put back together tonight i was thinking "maybe I'll just hold out one more go-round" but .... no, I need to get something lined up. ;( Thanks for the tips on the Bosch.