The Best Refrigerator Brands. Most Reliable Refrigerators
For most buying a new refrigerator is a major investment. I have been repairing refrigerators for over twenty years, in the old days (the late 1900s) new refrigerators would often last for more than twenty years. Unfortunately, those days are but a fading memory. The reality today is major refrigerator brands are producing appliances that will last around ten years. So what are the best refrigerator brands? What refrigerator brands are the most reliable and the least likely to give you grief in the first ten years of service?
As a refrigerator repair person, I frequently hear the stories of refrigerators under five years having major problems with electronic controls and defrost systems. I get to see all the refrigerators that have failed and heard the frustrated customers that have lost hundreds of dollars in food.
Features are important, but no matter how fancy or expensive your refrigerator may be if it doesn't keep your food cold the result is the same. And don't get me started about internet access on your refrigerator door! Below you will find current reliability statistics for the most popular refrigerator brands by the refrigerator's style.
Refrigerators Sold That NEEDED Repair or Had Serious Problems in the first five years.
Best Refrigerator Brands Repair Stats
Refrigerators Sold That NEEDED Repair or Had Serious Problems.
Smaller Bar = Better chances you'll get a good refrigerator not a lemon...
Top Freezer Refrigerators
Bottom Freezer Refrigerators
Side-by-Side Refrigerators With Ice & Water Dispenser
You may want to take note of a few things in your refrigerator search.
- Refrigerators with ice makers tend to have more repair problems that refrigerators without an ice maker.
- Refrigerators with the freezer at the bottom are more likely to need repair than top freezer refrigerators.
- Bottom freezer refrigerators of all brands with an ice dispenser are more likely to have problems than bottom freezer refrigerators that do not have an ice dispenser.
- Side-by-Side refrigerators are the most popular models but also the most likely to have repair problems.
- Kenmore refrigerators are produced by many manufacturers such as Whirlpool, GE, LG, Samsung, Frigidaire & Others. Depending on who manufactures the Kenmore refrigerator you purchase will have a great deal to do with how likely your new refrigerator will need repair.
- Most new Maytag and Amana Refrigerators are built by Whirlpool but may have a few minor cosmetic differences such as shelving quality and orientation.
- In my experience, Samsung and LG refrigerators are well constructed but very mechanically and electrically complicated. If you need a Samsung or LG refrigerator repaired it may be difficult to find a repair person qualified to work on it.
In conclusion, I would recommend purchasing a refrigerator with as few bells and whistles as possible. It is challenging to find a refrigerator that does not use an electronic control system because they are more efficient than mechanically controlled refrigerators. However, if your definition of best refrigerator brands is most reliable, ask for a refrigerator without a dual evaporator and a mechanical thermostat. Then bookmark my website, so when your refrigerator has a problem you will know where to find repair help!
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