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Speaking of refrigerators, are there any consumer level brands now that don't completely suck? It seems like longevity and reliability of refrigerators has fal

Speaking of refrigerators, are there any consumer level brands now that don't completely suck? It seems like longevity and reliability of refrigerators has fallen off a cliff lately. Major mfgs like Samsung and LG have serious issues with compressors dying early and it seems every fridge is loaded with features that mostly just shorten their lifetime.

heywire 2y ago
Whirlpool has worked out well for us. Had one for 10+ years in the last house and 3 years in this one, both without any issues.
joezydeco 2y ago
Miele has a good reputation, and Bosch/Thermador seems to be working on building a solid brand after outsourcing their refrigeration for a long time (they're also getting into HVAC heat pumps). I'm probably trading my piece of crap KitchenAid (Whirlpool) for a Bosch 800 pretty soon. Never get a french door fridge from Whirlpool.
gruez 2y ago
A comment section on HN is probably the worst place to get this sort of answer. People buy relatively few fridges so you'd need hundreds of replies to get enough statistical power. This is on top of the problems that reviews have, like non-response bias. edit: you can see this in action right now. There's one glowing review of whirlpool and one scathing review. I'm sure they're both honest, but what conclusion are you going to draw from that?
- gpm 2y ago
  On the one hand you're right that this is a terrible place to get a good answer for this. On the other I don't know of a better one ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  - gruez 2y ago
    https://www.consumerreports.org/refrigerators/most-and-least-reliable-refrigerator-brands/ https://www.consumerreports.org/refrigerators/most-and-least... n=80,300, but paywalled. However, one interesting tidbit that isn't paywalled is how bad fridge reliability is >Our results reveal that about a third of all refrigerators require repairs by the end of their fifth year of ownership, making them one of the least reliable appliances we analyze in our member surveys.
    - lh7777 2y ago
      Your local library might offer free access to Consumer Reports -- Seattle does: https://www.spl.org/online-resources/consumer-and-diy https://www.spl.org/online-resources/consumer-and-diy
jaredklewis 2y ago
Buy a refrigerator without an ice maker or any "features." Most refrigerator reliability issues stem from these extra features. Compressors (the core component actually responsible for cooling the freezer and fridge) are going to fail at about the same rate across brands and models, from a bottom of the line whirlpool to top of the line Miele or kitchen aid. Compressor failure is not common. A basic fridge like this will last you a long time: https://www.costco.com/whirlpool-20-cu.-ft.-top-freezer-refrigerator-with-frameless-glass-shelves.product.100426121.html?preselect=color%3ablack https://www.costco.com/whirlpool-20-cu.-ft.-top-freezer-refr... If you really want all the reliability money can buy, buy a subzero fridge. But you're paying 10x for the same functionality (unless you really need extremely stable temperatures).
- nikau 2y ago
  Most reliable is a fridge with no electronics, just a motor clock defrost timer, mica ptc relay, metallic strip thermostats. Reliable after 40+ years of refinement and dead easy to troubleshiot.

heywire 2y ago

Whirlpool has worked out well for us. Had one for 10+ years in the last house and 3 years in this one, both without any issues.

joezydeco 2y ago

Miele has a good reputation, and Bosch/Thermador seems to be working on building a solid brand after outsourcing their refrigeration for a long time (they're also getting into HVAC heat pumps). I'm probably trading my piece of crap KitchenAid (Whirlpool) for a Bosch 800 pretty soon. Never get a french door fridge from Whirlpool.

gruez 2y ago

A comment section on HN is probably the worst place to get this sort of answer. People buy relatively few fridges so you'd need hundreds of replies to get enough statistical power. This is on top of the problems that reviews have, like non-response bias. edit: you can see this in action right now. There's one glowing review of whirlpool and one scathing review. I'm sure they're both honest, but what conclusion are you going to draw from that?

gpm 2y ago
On the one hand you're right that this is a terrible place to get a good answer for this. On the other I don't know of a better one ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- gruez 2y ago
  https://www.consumerreports.org/refrigerators/most-and-least-reliable-refrigerator-brands/ https://www.consumerreports.org/refrigerators/most-and-least... n=80,300, but paywalled. However, one interesting tidbit that isn't paywalled is how bad fridge reliability is >Our results reveal that about a third of all refrigerators require repairs by the end of their fifth year of ownership, making them one of the least reliable appliances we analyze in our member surveys.
  - lh7777 2y ago
    Your local library might offer free access to Consumer Reports -- Seattle does: https://www.spl.org/online-resources/consumer-and-diy https://www.spl.org/online-resources/consumer-and-diy

jaredklewis 2y ago

Buy a refrigerator without an ice maker or any "features." Most refrigerator reliability issues stem from these extra features. Compressors (the core component actually responsible for cooling the freezer and fridge) are going to fail at about the same rate across brands and models, from a bottom of the line whirlpool to top of the line Miele or kitchen aid. Compressor failure is not common. A basic fridge like this will last you a long time: https://www.costco.com/whirlpool-20-cu.-ft.-top-freezer-refrigerator-with-frameless-glass-shelves.product.100426121.html?preselect=color%3ablack https://www.costco.com/whirlpool-20-cu.-ft.-top-freezer-refr... If you really want all the reliability money can buy, buy a subzero fridge. But you're paying 10x for the same functionality (unless you really need extremely stable temperatures).

nikau 2y ago
Most reliable is a fridge with no electronics, just a motor clock defrost timer, mica ptc relay, metallic strip thermostats. Reliable after 40+ years of refinement and dead easy to troubleshiot.