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Need a Fridge Recommendation

The house we rented doesn’t have a fridge.  We’re going to try to call tomorrow and buy one and have it delivered on Monday because I’m bringing a few things in an ice chest and would love to have a fridge pretty quickly after we get there.

We’ve always had two fairly large side by side fridges but we’re going to make do with one there.  We’ll have our upright freezer.  We’re going to just buy whatever we can get a deal on and when we buy a house, we’ll use this one as our second fridge if it doesn’t match the kitchen in the house we buy.

So . . what fridge do you recommend?  I love the concept of the freezer at the bottom but mom and dad have had a good bit of trouble with theirs — mainly I think because the ice maker is up in the fridge part with its own little freezer section.

Since I doubt we drink the water in Brownwood, we may not use the ice made from the water so having the ice/water on the door may not be as big of an issue as it would be if we lived where we drank the faucet water.  Hard to believe we’re going to another place with water issues.

Do you have a freezer on the bottom?  Do you love it?  Do you wish you had a side by side instead?  I’ve never been a big fan of a side by side — I’m os tired of stuff falling out of the freezer on my feet but that may have more to do with my organizational skills than it does with freezer itself.

Anyway . . honest opinions without trashing any particular brand would be much appreciated.  Thanks!

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Comments

  1. we have a filter on our ice maker and it puts out good ice – but if you are dealing with a well – that is another story. I have a freezer on the bottom and two doors on top for the refrigerator (side by side) if I could do it all over again I wouldn’t have gotten it. the ice maker is on top and takes up a good section of the refrigerator that could have had shelves. I do like it that one area is tall enough to stand up wine bottles easily. I have a Maytag, I don’t see a number or name on it other than that though.
    Karen

    • We’re dealing with water coming out of the lake and the lake is so terribly low right now, I’m not sure anyone is drinking tap water there . . even with a filter.

      • When we got our new fridge for our new house we bought a Whirlpool with bottom freezer and ice makes in the bottom, just love it.

      • When we got our new fridge for our new house we bought a Whirlpool with bottom freezer and ice makes in the bottom, just love it.

  3. Absolutely LOVE my bottom freezer. Don’t think I would have anything else. Have never liked refrigerator water but ours dispenses good filtered water from inside the fridge (not in the door). Filtered water also goes to the ice-maker in the freezer. Split adjustable glass pullout shelves. By Amana, from Sears.

  4. I love fridges that have glass shelves and metal drawers(sometimes hard to find) They tend to stand up better…I am so tired of the plastic shelves that break and drawers that bow in the middle. Also the shelves in the doors drive me crazy coz they break so easily. Bought an inexpensive 2nd fridge and they lasted 3 wks. Have thought of buying a fridge only (no freezer at all) Coz we have a big chest freezer.

  5. Have been following your blog for several months now.
    Enjoy it thoroughly; including your quilting advice.
    After having had various styles of refrigerators over my 43 yrs of marriage, my absolute favorite is my Samsung French Door refrigerator. It has 2 doors at the top and the freezer drawer at the bottom. Yes, does have ice and water in the door and also an auxiliary icemaker in the freezer at the bottom. With the water filter in the refrigerator, we do enjoy the cold water and ice. My only complaint with this style is there is sometimes a frost buildup in the freezer. Was told because the freezer is not packed properly, sometimes air gets in around the seal. They may or may not be correct but do not consider this to be an issue. I love this model.

    Good luck on your move; even if it is into a temporary rental.

  6. I don’t have a recommendation except for researching online. I always research online before I buy anything. It would seem that energy efficient and a good price would be the #1 factors for me. Also I like to check reviews from customers. That tells me more than a salesman’s pitch. Good luck.

    • Right now . . getting something delivered Monday is my biggest concern and since the only place we know to go is Home Depot . . we’re kinda limited on time, choice and everything else. That’s kinda how this move has been . . you know?

  7. I had a side-by-side and just recently bought a freezer on the bottom that I LOVE LOVE LOVE!! It’s a Samsung and it’s so highly rated. The icemaker is in the freezer part, and have not had a bit of trouble…I love having all the stuff in the fridge easily accessible and I don’t lose things in it!!!

    • I also have a Samsung freezer on the bottom. I’ll never have anything else! It is wonderful to be able to see everything at eye level. I hate side by sides because the shelves just aren’t wide enough.

      • My daughter has a Samsung like the 1 they r talking about and she loves hers too. I have a LG like this that I love but have had problem with keeping icemaker door shut.

  8. In 42 years of marriage I’ve had top freezer, side by side and a brief stint with a bottom freezer. My favorite is the top freezer and I think it is the most energy efficient. I definitely prefer glass shelves. Our current refrigerator, a GE Profile, came with the house and I love that the shelves can be configured in many ways. The shelves are glass and they also slide out so you can reach in the back. It’s my favorite fridge and I didn’t even pick it out.

  9. One other thing……I don’t have an ice-maker in this current refrigerator because its location doesn’t give easy access to a water line. I thought I’d miss it but because we’re retired with no kids living at home, we’re doing just fine with easy-release ice-cube trays. If we have company coming, I just try and bag ice ahead of time. We also don’t have the water line for drinking water. I use a Brita pitcher.

  10. My year old Whirlpool refrigerator is very ordinary. It has the freezer at the top with the ice maker inside and I like it just fine. I had a side-by-side once, but I didn’t like it. My daughter’s refrigerator has the freezer at the bottom and I don’t like it at all. My sister doesn’t like hers either.

  11. Couple questions : Do you know how much room you have for the placement of the refrigerator? Does the placement allow for a side by side? How will you use the refrigerator, do you need room for large party trays and sheet cakes? Will you constantly be changing the configuration of the frig to meet your needs? Isn’t it a little strange that a rental doesn’t have refrigeration?

    I have only had ones with a freezer on the top. That works because the frig is small enough for my short arms to reach the back! We now have city water, so we may be able to have an ice maker on our next one, but I’m not sure if I want to take the chance of it breaking?

    Good luck with your shopping!!

    • It really isn’t a rental per se. It’s a new house that’s for sale and hasn’t sold and they’ve agreed to rent it to us.

  12. Don’t buy a side by side. If you’ve got a big freezer, why worry so much about the freezer part and see if you can find one with a larger refrigerator part? Good luck. Even though I’ve never commented to you before this, I’ve been following you for a whlie and you are in my prayers.

    • I usually open the big freezer once a week and get everything I need for the week and put it in the fridge freezer. The big freezer is downstairs and the kitchen is upstairs so I use the fridge freezer a lot so I don’t have to up and down the stairs so much.

  13. I have a Maytag with freezer on the bottom and the 2 doors on top I think its called the french door refrigerator. I love it and my ice maker is in the freezer not in the door .. i dont have it hooked up cause we dont drink our water either but this model came with one lol. It really holds a lot and great for large items you can move the glass shelves and it will hold party trays ..

    • I can’t remember the last time I had a party tray in my fridge but it would be nice to know I could if I wanted to.

  14. Side by side fridges are the least energy efficient. Frank listed after a friends freezer on the bottom so we now own one. The volume os the fridge part is not as large as my old freezer on the top one. But it is a nice configuration of shelves and drawers. No problem w ice maker in top section.

    Brand is samsung. Color is stainless.

    I like getting filtered water through the door best of all

    glen.

    • Even a filter isn’t going to help there. The water comes out of the lake and the lake is so low, we wouldn’t drink it at all right now.

  15. I have a side-by-side and I love it! The freezer section has a couple shelves on the top then the rest is baskets, nothing falls onto your foot too often. It also has a ice and water dispenser, but if you get one with out you would have more room. The fridge has shelves that pull out so you can get something from the back very easily, nothing gets by us and goes bad back there. Unfortunately mine is a Kitchenaide and I know that they don’t sell those at Home Depot but they do have some wonderful ones that I have looked at for a second fridge.
    Good luck and happy hunting!

  16. I’ve had all kinds of refrigerators. At the moment I have a freezer at the bottom and 2 doors that open for the fridge at the top. I don’t have an ice hook-up because we have a little kitchen and it’s not near the water. Don’t care, either. It’s so easy to make up 3 ice cube trays, and I don’t looks fridge space with cold water either.

    I rather like this one. Better than my side-by-side ones and my freezer at the top one.

  17. We recently puchased a kenmore elite freezer on the bottom and it has french doors. It has an ice maker called something like the slim ice maker and yes it’s in one of the refrigerator doors but it’s not taking up much room so I don’t have the feeling that I’m losing shelf space. We can drink faucet water so we use the water and ice constantly (just the two of us). I didn’t want a water thing on the door, but they were hard to find without so I caved in and we bought it. I’m so glad I did.
    I absolutely love this frig. it’s big and room and just wonderful. I know this doesn’t do you any good for purchasing from Home Depot, but I may be helpful to someone else reading this!!

    • I do love having the water and ice on the door but the water supply for the whole area comes out of the lake and the lake is so low right now, I would be afraid to drink it. I’m sure some folks are drinking it but even with a filter, we won’t.

  18. I have a side by side and a frig with the freezer on the bottom.I detest the side by side and love the freezer on the bottom. I am 58 and not having to bend over to look into the refrigeraator is really nice on my back. With you having a separate freezer, the freezer on the bottom would be perfect. Our icemake puts ice into the top drawer of the freezer.

  19. I love my single door, bottom freezer Amana. Ice water dispenser in the top, ice in the freezer. Bought it to replace side by side, which IMHO, was a waste of space.

  20. I have a side by side and hate it, can’t get anything big in the freezer. Those baskets are a pain because to get something out I have to drop it in the floor, find what I want and refill basket. I like the looks of the freezer in the bottom, not sure if I’d like it. But no more side by sides for me.

    • Yes, and do your baskets get all cock-eyed and then they won’t pull out and I have to manhandle them to get them out? Just checked the prices and looks like the ones with the freezer on the bottom cost way more so I may end up with a side by side after all!

  21. I just replaced my Kitchen Aid side by side a few days ago as several of the shelf brackets broke and It was aggravating. It is about 12 years old and still working perfectly.
    I went for a Samsung counter depth freezer on the bottom.
    Plenty of refrigerator space even though it is 5 cu. feet smaller but I feel limited freezer space.
    Also have a 7 year old GE profile side by side and ice Maker hasn’t worked for 2 years – $500 to fix it – I will live with it or replace it soon.

  22. My experience with GE Profile stainless finish is disappointing; there are computer components that are known problems. That being said; the configuration is a freezer bottom and french door fridge portion. I love that. Lots of room and everything is easily accessible. It has worked very well for our family where there’s lots of from-scratch cooking.

  23. I love my freezer on the bottom frigde. My ice maker is in the freezer over a container that it dumps into. It has a filter for the ice. I haven’t had any trouble with mine for 5 years now. It is a Kenmore. I think you have more room than with a side by side. My mother in law just purchased one that even has shelves that adjust in depth so you can fit taller items. She has always had a side by side and feels this freezer on bottom has much more room.

  24. I have had the freezer on top, and side by side. I will never purchase another side by side–even though this is a large size—it wastes alot of space with that wall between the two. My friend just moved to a new home, and got the one with the french doors, and freezer on the bottom. I love that refrigerator. If I ever live long enough to get another fridge, I am going to get one similar to that one. It is also a Samsung, like others have recommended. Looks like that might be the way of the future—but who knows what next year they will make. Sure seems like they come up with some new bell and whistle every few years. Hope you find one soon.

  25. I have a side by side Whirlpool I like it okay but I use my chest freezer more for frozen things… I have been dreaming of the bottom freezer with the french door refrigerator…. not much help…

  26. I love my bottom freezer with the ice maker in the freezer. Since you don’t plan to use an icemaker it wouldn’t take away a lot of space from your freezer. I like the French door arrangement for the next one I get. I have limited clearance space for opening doors back to remove shelves and drawers. I would love one that is counter dept if it is in the middle of counters. I hate them sticking out and most do. LG and Samsung both were recently reccomended by family member with an independent appliance repair business. Good luck finding something and setting up delivery.

  27. Last year when we moved we bought a Sumsung side by-side. I can get you a model number if you want. We previously had a Maytag and I hated, hated, hated that thing! It was soooooooo awful it is beyond words. I couldn’t believe the buyers asked for it with the house. Obviously, I didn’t mind that conveying at all…..

  28. I have a GE Profile w/Freezer on the bottom, double doors on top. Ice maker in freezer – no ice dispenser in the door as I don’t use a lot of ice myself and didn’t want to loose all the space in the door for it. We do have a water dispenser in the door – don’t use the filter as we have a reverse osmosis filter system for drinking water. Very happy with the slide out shelves in top and slide out baskets in the freezer.

  29. Bought a top of the line GE Profile bottom freezer refrigerator and liked it at first. It was very expensive and lasted less than 10 years! Just up and died one day.

    • Mom and dad’s is not a GE but they’ve had a lot of problems with theirs. In fact, Lowe’s took it back and gave them a new one but they’ve continued to have problems with the ice maker.

  30. I have both…side by side at the house we are selling (fridge comes with if anyone is interested! lol) and I bought the freezer at the bottom for the other house. Maytag from Home Depot. My ice maker is in the freezer also. Love it..like it much better than the side by side which won’t hold anything without it falling on my foot when I open the door.

  31. I have a double door top and a full bottom pull out freezer with the ice maker in the freezer. I had a door water/ice gizzmo and did not like that there was always water dripping somewhere. This is the ideal set up for us. I will hold a months worth of frozen goods for a family of 4 and freezes ice cream wonderfully firm. The upper refrigerator section has adjustable shelves, some that pull out, some that don’t, very easy to clean. It has two humidity control drawers with clear fronts so you can see what is in them and a full refrig length deli drawer that is just the bomb as far as I am concerned. The doors open in the French manner, from the center. I have 3 shelves on the left door and 5 on the right door. Back to the freezer there is one deep wire drawer the width of the refrig with an adjustable divider and a med size wire drawer above it. The ice maker works great, is built into the belly of the fridge so does not take up needed freezer space. All in all, I give my refrigerator a 5 star rating. If you want to know the brand, just post and I will send you the info

  32. We have a Samsung bottom freezer type fridge with the two French doors on the top…and I love it. This is the second time I’ve had a bottom freezer. Had one years back and then went with a “regular” type fridge two times in between but was never really happy with them. Last year we went back to a bottom freezer and I love it….and also love the French doors on the fridge part of the unit. We have the filter on ours and our ice cubes (which are made in the bottom freezer) are great. Good luck with whatever you decide to get.

  33. We bought a Kenmore a few years ago with the freezer on the bottom and I just LOVE it. We have well water and a water softner and I haven’t had any problems with the ice maker. Good luck in your move!

  34. We bought a French style with freezer on the bottom about a year ago–Samsung. I like having all the open space in the frig part and freezer below. I did not want ice/water in the door as we have our own under the counter ice machine that is fantastic. This model has an ice machine inside but we did not even have it hooked up. I also have an upright freezer in the garage and an extra old style (freezer on top) frig as well out there that is used a lot around holidays or when family is here. I would not have a side by side. Too limited in dimension.

  35. I have a Whirlpool, freezer on the bottom. I got it because of back issues in my other house and couldn’t take it with me. So when this house’s frig went, I bought the same one for this house. The ice maker works fine but makes strange noises sometimes. I just get a giggle from it, works just fine.

    Good luck with your move!

  36. My parents had a freezer on the bottom for several years and didn’t like it at all. The refrigerator at our church has freezer on the bottom and I hear complaints about it occasionally. I have always had freezer on top and have been happy with it. I think it is hard to bend down, get something from the freezer and stand back up one handed.

  37. Bought the largest Samsung, bottom freezer a year and a half ago. We love it. Had a GE Profile side by side that we hated and had numerous repairs. Our 2nd choice was an LG (h.Depot) but no one took the time to wait on us – so off to Lowe’s we went and bought the Samsung. It is white. For the first time in our 47 years of marriage…all my appliances in the kitchen match

  38. I am not a fan of the side by side either, but the one we had was small. Think about the space you have for the refrigerator. I have a Frigidaire with a large freezer on top. It does make you lean over to get things out of the refrigerator, but it works well. Lots of room, because it is deeper them what I used to own. I think we have had it for 7 years. We bought the icemaker for it, but don’t tell my husband that I should have not spent the money. It works well, but we never use the ice.

  39. I forgot the one issue I have with our refrigerator. I have hit my head on the freezer door more then once. I think that is more my problem then the freezer door.

  40. We bought an LG with the two drawers at the bottom that are both the “freezer” areas. I love it. I have no problems with it and I just love the room and the drawers. The top has the ice maker and the filter and it has a filter so that helps alot. We have had no problems with it and bought it Best Buy. I hope you find something soon that will tide you over. But I do love my fridge. It is also nice since both doors open and there seems to be alot of room in the upper section….even holds a large pizza box with no problems.

  41. The refrigerators that come with ice and water in the door usually have a water filter in them so it tastes pretty good. You might be suprised, and decide to drink it. I’m glad that thiings are finally coming together for you!

  42. We are on our second “freezer on the bottom” and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Our tap water is very hard, so we never even considered an ice maker.

  43. After having many refrigerator configurations over the years, I now have a refrigerator only and an upright freezer only. Since I can’t drink the tap water here, there is no ice maker. When I made the decision, I expected to be limited, but in fact it gives me more space in each. Movable shelves give me space for trays, large cakes, or tall containers. Works best for me. Not sure it would be right for anyone else.

  44. Can you not take one of your side by side fridges? I know we moved ours when we moved here.

  45. I didn’t read many of the other comments so I’ll just tell you about my Maytag, french door, fridge on top, freezer drawer on bottom. Ice/water in the door. If I buy another fridge, I would not have the ice/water. I love my fridge but even more, I love my freezer. We got it at home depot.

  46. The house we moved into had a Subzero side by side. I’d never experienced such a nice fridge before. Wide shelves (glass) but shallow so you don’t miss things in the back. The ice maker is in the freezer section, so you loose a little bit of space. It was 15 years old when we bought house, we’ve lived here almost 12 years and the only thing that doesn’t work well is the ice maker. I am tall, so a bottom freezer is not as convenient for me to get things out of when bending over and moving parcels around to find what you want. Maybe I try to put too many things in the freezer at a time?!! Good luck with your hunt. Dar

  48. We have had our side-by-side Whirpool for 15 years and never had any trouble with it. It has been moved to several different homes. I see that HD does not carry Whirlpool but Maytag is made by the same company so you might want to consider them. We have the ice/water feature in the door. The water supply is not very large so it’s easier and quicker to just keep a Brita in the fridge. We like the ice maker and have not had a problem with it.

    As far as energy efficiency, heat rises, so a freezer on the bottom makes the most sense to me, but I have never had one so I can’t really comment.

  49. Because of the odd space in my kitchen I pretty much have to have a side-by-side. My Whirlpool was purchased six years ago at Lowe’s, but I would not recommend it. You have to really push hard on the doors to get them to open wide enough to remove the shelves for cleaning. In addition, the ice dispenser is constantly clogged. A good ice maker is an important feature to me because I drink ice tea by the gallon. I know you said you wouldn’t be using ice made by the fridge, but that may change in the future.

    • I think I have a similar model and do have to fight to get the doors open wide enough to remove the drawers.

  51. I have a side by side and I truely hate it. My preferred that i will be getting next is the freezer on the bottom, frig on top like I used to have. The thing I most hate about the side by side is that it doesn’t hold as much even though its listed as more cubic feet…..

  52. We also live on a lake (with well water) and about a year ago I bought a bottom freezer with an icemaker in the freezer part to use in the garage for drinks, etc and for the extra freezer space for ice, etc. We love it! It’s by LG and has been great..adjustable glass shelves in the frig, wire shelves in the freezer. And best of all it was a “scratch and dent” with a small dent at the lower back side of the frig that fits beside a wall… The price was almost 1/2 of the original price. No one but me knows the dent is there.

  53. I got a new frig last year. It is a french door freezer on the bottom. I really miss my side by side. We drink lots of water so needed the water/ice in the door (filtered) but it really decreases what we can put in the refrigerator. Mainly we have issues with bottles – like of milk,soda, juice, etc.

  54. I have an Amana freezer-on-the-bottom and LOVE LOVE it. I only have ice water on the top and it is inside the upper fridge part. We have great tap water here in OR so I don’t drink the cold water from the fridge. My ice maker is in the bottom part of the freezer. Since I don’t put ice in my drinks I don’t mind opening the freezer when I need a bunch of ice. I have always had ice-in-the-door fridges before and the ice dispensers always had problems. I am happy not to deal with that now.
    The room inside the regular fridge part is huge. because the shelves are double wide in the lower part of the fridge, there isn’t anything I can fit in.

  55. I LOVE my bottom freezer refrigerator!!!! This is my second one(in 30 years) and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. We don’t do the ice maker/water dispenser thing (hard water) so not an issue for us.

  56. We have a freezer on the bottom, and I hate it! It’s the sliding drawer type and things are always falling under and behind the bottom drawer, or getting caught against the top drawer. It works great if you don’t put much in it, but I’ve got a big family to feed and mine is always full. It’s also hard to find what you want. And the kids like to hang on the handle, which means I keep finding it slightly open — not a problem you’d have! 🙂

  57. We just bought a new one for our new house and we love it! It’s a 29 cubic foot Samsung French door type. It has so much more room, and so well thoight out for space usage. You can collapse a shelf in half for things too tall, and a super wide deli/meat tray for large trays of food or lots of deli meat and cheese. We had an LG french door before, and I like it too, but not nearly as much as this one.

  58. I bought a side-by-side when I bought this house nine years ago. I’ve disliked it intensely for 8.5 years. It barely holds the ice trays that came with it–Can’t hold anything but a small container if we need to freeze something in a hurry. I’m amazed how many friends told me *after* I’d purchased it that they hated their side by side or that they’d once had one and would never get another.
    You know, if you don’t dislike used, you could probably find an very adequate refrigerator on Craigslist or freecycle that would do just fine until you need to move on. (And you could always donate it to the teachers in a school after you didn’t need it any more.)

  60. A few years ago my parents bought a freezer-on-the-bottom fridge. They are happy with it. They don’t get into the freezer as much as the fridge so they think that set-up is handier for them. It also has a buzzer that sounds after a certain amount of time – maybe a minute or two – to alert them that the fridge door is open. That would be handy if you thought the door was closed but wasn’t. Don’t know if the freezer door is that way too, but I would guess that it is. I have only witnessed the fridge door buzzer! They don’t have the icemaker, water-in-the-door either – water issues. My in-laws have a side-by-side. They seem to like it. I don’t. It doesn’t seem like it holds much to me.

  61. Hi Judy-I have a Sears bottom freezer refrigerator and I love it. I’ve never had a side by side, but I don’t think I’d like it if I did. My ice tray is in the upper level, on the left hand side. I think you’ll love the freezer on the bottom.

  62. Freezer on the bottom. Only way to go in my book. Our icemaker is in the freezer, not on the door. Love it… for many years. I know we bought it in the previous house and we’ve been here 11 years. Whirlpool. Three kids, currently 13-19 years of age. Has stood the test of time.

  63. I have a Samsung freezer-on-the-bottom, french-door fridge and I love. It’s only about a year old, so I don’t know what the track record will be.

    • i love it too, but i wish i could find a fridge without glass shelves. every time something spills or leaks, the liquid
      find it way into the crevices between the glass and the supports and it’s so hard to take the glass off to clean it.
      i’d prefer to clean the bottom.

  64. My sister in law has one with the freezer on the bottom and side by side on top. Love how we can shove a lot of food in there at family gatherings!

  65. Amana 18.5 cu. ft. Bottom Freezer Refrigerator in White
    Model # ABB1921WEW Internet # 202328105
    Store SO SKU # 840157
    Home Depot shows this online if you Google this model.
    We’ve had our Amana for over 12 yrs. My daughter has the same model and has had no problems either. The drawers on indestructible Lexan. Adjustable glass shelving.

  66. I’ve had a GE profile side by side with water /ice in the freezer side. I’ve had it since 1997 and it has done ok.

    But, I have great water so I do use the water and the ice.

    The freezer is ok, but I realize that I just can’t a bunch of big things like turkeys on sale, etc.

    What I would consider is
    1. water quality – do you want to use the cold water and ice from the system
    2. power – how constant is the power because why have a large freezer if power is an issue. I don’t want to stock up in the freezer if there is a good chance of losing power and losing the food.

    • If you were really into having a large amount of ice, why don’t you consider getting a small ice maker. Heck tht can wait until you have a home.

    • We would never make it without a large freezer because we buy 1/2 a beef. There is the risk of losing it of the power goes out but we keep a generator and gasoline mainly to keep the freezer going and even with the bad winters in KY and here, we’ve never once had to use the generator.

  67. Samsung – french doors, freezer on the bottom – fabulous! Wouldn’t go back to a side by side… Good luck. Kate

  68. Hi Judy,
    I have a Maytag freezer at the bottom /1-door fridge at the top and I love it. Bought in 2007 or 2008 from Sears. It also has the ice maker in the freezer, and we only use the ice because we have a filter for this water. I’ve had Maytag appliances since 1972 and swear by them. I raised 5 children and am on only my 2nd washer / dryer set in 39 years.
    On another note, I went to the River City meeting in BR last week, and 2 ladies showed their Morning Splash quilts–one was finished, the other not quite. Both were beautiful.
    Good luck getting settled.

  69. I really can’t advise on what to get but I will tell you that we have a Whirlpool Gold side by side and I hate it. Instead of the icemaker dropping the ice into the door bin where it belongs it frequently drops it down onto the shelves and it sounds like we live in a bowling alley. Then when you open the freezer door you’re assaulted by ice falling out and have to mop up the puddles they leave in the floor. If I had to do over again I’d go with the bottom freezer. If you have issues with water quality you can get a reverse osmosis system that removes all the minerals and chemicals and you have good tasting water. If your water is hard you should get a softener system. It saves on soap and gets your laundry cleaner and you get less soap scum build up. We live in Arizona where the water is really hard and can’t live without our reverse osmosis and softeners even for city water. Good luck.

  70. I have a Kenmore that I am pretty sure was manufactured by Whirlpool. Purchased in 2001 based on Consumer Reports recommendations. It is a side by side with the ice bucket attached to the freezer door so it takes less space. I have been very pleased with other Whirlpool appliances, but this frig is a dud. We could nearly have bought another frig for the cost of repairs over the years.

  71. I have a side-by-side and I don’t like it at all. Like you said, things fall out too easily and it’s so narrow it’s cumbersome (sp?) However, I can’t live without the ice and water in the door and like some others mentioned it’s filtered which makes it tolerable. If you have water problems, though, I would probably skip that and invest in bottled water or even a water cooler.

  72. I have a frig with the freezer on the bottom, I love it!!! Then the top is french doors, we do have the ice, water, but that seems to be a moot pt for you, I know they make them without. However, it really is the best thing, you’re in your frig the most, not the freezer, why would you want to bend over to get in and dig for things you need, when you can just reach in, plus your fruit and veggie drawer are at waist level.

  73. I finally convinced DH to get rid of our side by side and get the french door type with freezer on the bottom. We bought the LG are really like it. If they would have been out when we bought this house we would have bought one then but had to get the side by side as the island stove is just a little close to the fridge-would not have been able to open the door all the way. Now our spare fridge in the garage is not near as full -would need ot to put in large things that would not fit in the side by side, like thawing out a turkey. WE do have a big freezer also in the garage, so every so often I transfere food from there to the inside one and then have to open that door quite so often.

  74. We have a Kenmore which has a freezer on the bottom (love that) and two separate doors on the top which is really handy. Very energy efficient. Has glass shelves and lots of storage in the doors which can be switched out for your own preference.

    Good luck with your fridge shopping!
    Karen

  75. I love my freezer on the bottom! We have a Maytag and the frig section is huge with clear adjustable shelves. Definitely “lose” less food than we once did. Our icemaker is in the freezer and while I love it, it’s the only thing that we’ve called the repair man for.

  76. I have an Amana bottom freezer French door refrigerator, and I hate it!! Things always seem to get lost in the refrigerator part. I also think that it doesn’t keep produce fresh very well. I would love to have a refrigerator-only fridge to use in conjunction with our upright freezer.

  77. I have a new LG side by side and I just love it! Mine has the filtered ice/water in the door. I didn’t want to pay extra for the freezer in the bottom. I really like the LG because the interior is very bright and large and easy to clean.

  78. My husband talked me into a cabinent depth side by side. The fridge itself is ok, but I dont’ like the glass shelves. They dont’ go all the way to the back. If something gets PUSHED in (do you hear the teen boys in the background?), things spill all the way down the back of the fridge.Then EVERY shelf has to be removed to clean the back wall. The deal was, if, after 6 months, I didnt’ like it, he would buy me a chest freezer. That was 4 yrs ago…no freezer. Never again will I let him choose what I use the most! The ice maker had issues, but from what I understand, most of the ice makers are the same..and none too reliable. Looks like from what you have posted, ice is not an issue. It IS in Phoenix!

  79. I Love my freezer in the bottom and 2 doors on top! The ice maker is in the freezer but we don’t have it hooked up. I don’t have a water dispenser and didn’t want one. It is an Amana French Door and we love it. The produce drawers have changeable moisture settings and it has a separate deli drawer that we keep all the various cheeses in. We have it for 2 years with no problems other than I have to remember to vacuum under it every month. We have 4 large dogs and 5 cats so I vacuum daily.

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