Our TEN YEAR old "counter depth" Kitchenaid is perfect. Its INTERNAL (in the freezer) icemaker DID die at 7 years. I bought a new (genuine Kitchenaid) brand replacement and installed it myself. Now we're at year 11 and it's doing great. Icemakers all last SEVEN years. Get used to it. Get handy. Look at TH-cam for great instructions about how to DIY this little job. BTW, the Kitchenaid replacement cost $135. There ARE cheap piece-of-crap Chinese for about $65 icemaker-unit replacements that die after ONE YEAR (we first made THAT mistake). You get what you pay for.
So I owned both the whirlpool and Frigidaire models . The whirlpool lasted 11 years, so yes that model has been around a while. The reviewer didn’t like the ice maker, and he’s not wrong , but honestly never had an issue with it.except it has a small capacity and would run out when have a party. I think it’s because I drink at least 5 big tumblers of ice water everyday so it’s constantly making new ice so it doesn’t have time to melt. The ice maker never broke , I didn’t close the freezer door all the way and it iced up . I called a repair company and basically talked me into buying a replacement. I would have bought the same whirlpool, but the Frigidaire model was on sale for $1400 kind of a no brainer. I do like the Frigidaire, but I do miss the third door for drinks and I did like the three trays in the freezer
Just a note about the Whirlpool. We have the 5 door Kitchenaid (made by Whirlpool) which has the same ice maker set up. Of course it failed after about 2 years. The replacement ice maker was about $500 and then I had to pay for installation, which was another $200 or so. Believe it or not, the ice maker is actually in the ceiling of the unit, and had to take it all apart, with about 200 screws / etc. What a nightmare! Additionally, this fridge has 5 doors, which is actually a split of the third drawer into 2 sections. Having the electronic control on the drawer was nice ---- until it broke. It is connected by a cable to the back of the fridge, and opening and closing it over 5 years the cable broke. Now you cannot adjust the temperatures. While not the end of the world, I am not going to call a technician to repair / replace that cable. Another fault is the drawers in the freezer compartment fall apart and fall off the tracks on a daily basis. I do have to say the fridge is very quiet and the temperature control is excellent. Overall, for a fridge that was about $3100 this has been a disappointment, and I doubt I would purchase another Whirlpool product.
I appreciate the benefits shown but what I really wanted to learn about was reliability and availability of parts. What good are all these benefits if the fridge starts developing problems and service parts are on back order for weeks at a time. Talk about that~
Are you able to give a little more info on the upgraded LG compressor? I was looking at LG but I don’t know how to identify fridges that have the ‘improved’ compressor. Thanks
Its not improved. The original linear compressor had one motor winding. The new linear compressor has 2 motor windings. I am seeing open windings on the new 600a linear compressors. They also still stop pumping gas while running just like old linear compressors. Im an LG factory servicer. I dont recommend LG appliances to friends or family!
Usually there will be "Smart Inverter Compressor" or Linear Compressor" In the product specs. And sometimes it is listed on the fridge istelf with a badge or sticker. Anything newer released in the last few years will have the new compressors. Time will tell with the new compressors as they are still relatively new in terms of lifespan of appliances. We just don’t have enough experience/time to form opinions yet.
LG fridge owner here. Stay away from their claims of improvements and marketing shenanigans. We spent $4k on one of their higher-end french door bottom drawer units, had to replace the linear compressor 3 times in 7 years, the last two times not under warranty though they claim a 10-year warranty we were still stuck with the labor charges. Then recently the slim line ice maker decided to quit and the entire motor assembly needed to be replaced. Part for that alone was $350 before labor and to replace with the plastic ice receptacle coming in at another $220.
@@justcruisin109 im an LG service tech. They added a winding to new compressor but its still a linear compressor , they just removed the word linear. Its still a linear, so basically they are lying. The new compressors now are failing with open windings now. The new winding is now failing open.. Never seen an open winding on previous linear compressors. Old ones had 2 windings. Still has junk compressor. The only lg refrigerators that can make it 15 years are the old reciprocating compressors they had b4 the linear garbage. They should bring the reciprocating compressors that never failed, but they wont because thos is called progress.😷
@@BoulevardHome they just changed word linear to smart. Its still a linear compressor. Hopefully someone sues LG for lying. Goota be dumb to believe its smart.
We have the whirlpool, don’t really use the ice much and it does grind down decently when you do use it. All in all, we’re VERY happy with this fridge. Costco has great pricing on this fridge and the warranty / install was great. Very handy for a good sized family who cooks a lot
I’m curious why you keep peddling Samsung and LG refrigerators when they’re known to have really bad reliability rates. Why keep putting them on your lists and then not recommend them? Just odd.
Why do you think the groups that test/review appliances rate the brands that they do. Are you aware that the brands that you mention sell a great many of their products.
@@vizi0123 I made no reference whether or not any products were "good." I am fully aware that Samsung and LG have been involved in lawsuits regarding the reliability of their compressors. Why do you think both of these brands sell so many appliances in America? Why do groups that review and rate appliances include these brands and why are theyr rated as well as they are?
The main reason we continue to put them in our lists is as a point of reference. To show that most of the time the alternatives are better options. However, there are those who want what they want and will still choose an LG or Samsung as they are some of the most well-known brands even when it comes to appliances. We don't carry much Samsung inventory and haven't for several years. As much as we wish every consumer watched our videos or did extensive research before making a purchase the reality is most of them won't. I will say our appliance sales team is great at letting customers know about the LG and Samsung lawsuits. We've heard it mentioned multiple times while down on the sales floor filming. We will likely continue to have them as options even if we don't necessarily recommend them. Thanks for your comment and watching. We seriously greatly appreciate it!
Since I see more advertisements for LG an Samsung appliances then I do about all other manufacturers combined, I am guessing LG and Samsung pay a lot of ad money to their retailers. Just a guess on my part. I used to a merchandiser and ad money flows right to the bottom line!
If you're wanting a French Door Fridge with ice dispenser our favorite is the Frigidaire. If you want a side-by-side we have a video coming soon on that!
Frigidaires are made in Mexico!!! I've been warned not to purchase products from there or China...but guess what..not many are made elsewhere!! So sad!
As you mentioned the good fit and finish of LG refrigerators around 9:15, I'm seeing that the left door is lower than the right door on the one you are talking about. Maybe some washer got left out when the left door was installed? Maybe this refrigerator got bonked out of square? Not as important as whether it works, but if I were looking at it every day I wouldn't want to see that.
To be perfectly honest. I want to go with a company called Big chill out of colorado. This company custom manufacturer vintage/reto style appliances. The only cons is you can't pick your specific brand name the company only used the whirlpool brand as the inner workings. I guess sometimes you have to do a give and take.
Interesting! This was also the case with Kenmore which was the very popular Sears brand. Most of there washing machines for example had LG inner workings.
What about electrolux french door? We don't have Frigidaire/GE in my country. Also, what do you think about electrolux single door refrigerator and freezer set? I really like it but hesitant to mark it on my buylist bcs it has dispenser and ice maker that I'm against to get. Do you think if I decide to buy it but never use the dispenser and the ice maker from the beginning, it would be okay and won't fail? I have no knowledge about electronic stuff but decided to start to learn a little for my future house by watching your video! If you could make a explaining/comparison video or just comment to me, I would really appreciate it! Thank you very much! 🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽
Electrolux and Frigidaire are one in the same essentially. Frigidaire is owned by Electrolux. So their products are likely very similar. As far as the ice maker goes if you purchase a refrigerator with an ice maker but don't plan on using it or don't want it to fail you can always shut it off and should have no issues. Thanks for watching and commenting!
There are models out there without water dispensers, some have the water dispenser inside the refrigerator. I don't know that they make any without ice makers at all some just have the ice makers in the freezer section only. You can always turn the ice maker off though and use the extra space in the freezer for storage!
Cafe is made by GE. While they have different features like back lit LED walls for the most part they are going to be built the same as a regular GE or a GE Profile.
I've had GE French door with ice Maker bottom freezer ice maker for ten years. No door water. I had to free up the ice Maker with a hair dryer one time. Otherwise zero problems. Large families kids in and out of the refrigerator. I wish I would have gotten this smudge proof finish 😅
Whirlpool: Will they give up and let the Chinese manufacturer buy them? FYI: I do not want a water/ice outlet on the door. And the ice maker in the freezer will be shut off. 😮😊
LG is facing lawsuits for the linear refrigerators, some last a few months before constantly breaking down and this includes Kenmore as well. They put the warning on the box the refrigerators come in and buyers never see. Any content creator suggesting LG and Kenmore refrigerators can't be trusted.
Had LG since 2013 and been going just fine. Good solid refrigerator.
Ive been happy with my KitchenAide, 6 yrs w/ no issues so far
I enjoy the appliance content and reviews and tips you share. Thank you for the information
Our TEN YEAR old "counter depth" Kitchenaid is perfect. Its INTERNAL (in the freezer) icemaker DID die at 7 years. I bought a new (genuine Kitchenaid) brand replacement and installed it myself. Now we're at year 11 and it's doing great. Icemakers all last SEVEN years. Get used to it. Get handy. Look at TH-cam for great instructions about how to DIY this little job. BTW, the Kitchenaid replacement cost $135. There ARE cheap piece-of-crap Chinese for about $65 icemaker-unit replacements that die after ONE YEAR (we first made THAT mistake). You get what you pay for.
Good to get an opinion from someone who works on refrigerators.
So I owned both the whirlpool and Frigidaire models . The whirlpool lasted 11 years, so yes that model has been around a while. The reviewer didn’t like the ice maker, and he’s not wrong , but honestly never had an issue with it.except it has a small capacity and would run out when have a party. I think it’s because I drink at least 5 big tumblers of ice water everyday so it’s constantly making new ice so it doesn’t have time to melt. The ice maker never broke , I didn’t close the freezer door all the way and it iced up . I called a repair company and basically talked me into buying a replacement. I would have bought the same whirlpool, but the Frigidaire model was on sale for $1400 kind of a no brainer. I do like the Frigidaire, but I do miss the third door for drinks and I did like the three trays in the freezer
Out of all the refrigerators out today in 2024, which one would you suggest with an ice maker and which one would you suggest without an ice maker?
lg n ge
Wish they make these with ice maker as an option. Best models for reliability are the simple top freezer
What about Maytag French door fridge? There’s a 25.2 has an internal water dispenser and ice maker in the freezer only. Runs about $1500. Thoughts?
Just a note about the Whirlpool. We have the 5 door Kitchenaid (made by Whirlpool) which has the same ice maker set up. Of course it failed after about 2 years. The replacement ice maker was about $500 and then I had to pay for installation, which was another $200 or so. Believe it or not, the ice maker is actually in the ceiling of the unit, and had to take it all apart, with about 200 screws / etc. What a nightmare! Additionally, this fridge has 5 doors, which is actually a split of the third drawer into 2 sections. Having the electronic control on the drawer was nice ---- until it broke. It is connected by a cable to the back of the fridge, and opening and closing it over 5 years the cable broke. Now you cannot adjust the temperatures. While not the end of the world, I am not going to call a technician to repair / replace that cable. Another fault is the drawers in the freezer compartment fall apart and fall off the tracks on a daily basis. I do have to say the fridge is very quiet and the temperature control is excellent. Overall, for a fridge that was about $3100 this has been a disappointment,
and I doubt I would purchase another Whirlpool product.
It's not the best design for an ice maker thats for certain. Thanks for sharing!
I appreciate the benefits shown but what I really wanted to learn about was reliability and availability of parts. What good are all these benefits if the fridge starts developing problems and service parts are on back order for weeks at a time. Talk about that~
Are you able to give a little more info on the upgraded LG compressor? I was looking at LG but I don’t know how to identify fridges that have the ‘improved’ compressor. Thanks
Its not improved. The original linear compressor had one motor winding. The new linear compressor has 2 motor windings. I am seeing open windings on the new 600a linear compressors. They also still stop pumping gas while running just like old linear compressors. Im an LG factory servicer. I dont recommend LG appliances to friends or family!
Usually there will be "Smart Inverter Compressor" or Linear Compressor" In the product specs. And sometimes it is listed on the fridge istelf with a badge or sticker. Anything newer released in the last few years will have the new compressors. Time will tell with the new compressors as they are still relatively new in terms of lifespan of appliances. We just don’t have enough experience/time to form opinions yet.
LG fridge owner here. Stay away from their claims of improvements and marketing shenanigans. We spent $4k on one of their higher-end french door bottom drawer units, had to replace the linear compressor 3 times in 7 years, the last two times not under warranty though they claim a 10-year warranty we were still stuck with the labor charges. Then recently the slim line ice maker decided to quit and the entire motor assembly needed to be replaced. Part for that alone was $350 before labor and to replace with the plastic ice receptacle coming in at another $220.
@@justcruisin109 im an LG service tech. They added a winding to new compressor but its still a linear compressor , they just removed the word linear. Its still a linear, so basically they are lying. The new compressors now are failing with open windings now. The new winding is now failing open.. Never seen an open winding on previous linear compressors. Old ones had 2 windings. Still has junk compressor. The only lg refrigerators that can make it 15 years are the old reciprocating compressors they had b4 the linear garbage. They should bring the reciprocating compressors that never failed, but they wont because thos is called progress.😷
@@BoulevardHome they just changed word linear to smart. Its still a linear compressor. Hopefully someone sues LG for lying. Goota be dumb to believe its smart.
What about the Element french door 18.4 cf model?
We have the whirlpool, don’t really use the ice much and it does grind down decently when you do use it. All in all, we’re VERY happy with this fridge. Costco has great pricing on this fridge and the warranty / install was great. Very handy for a good sized family who cooks a lot
Glad to hear your liking it so far! How long have you had it?
I’m curious why you keep peddling Samsung and LG refrigerators when they’re known to have really bad reliability rates. Why keep putting them on your lists and then not recommend them? Just odd.
Why do you think the groups that test/review appliances rate the brands that they do.
Are you aware that the brands that you mention sell a great many of their products.
@@cabot100 Just because something sells a lot doesnt mean they are good products. Samsung was sued over their compressors recently btw.....
@@vizi0123 I made no reference whether or not any products were "good."
I am fully aware that Samsung and LG have been involved in lawsuits regarding the reliability of their compressors.
Why do you think both of these brands sell so many appliances in America?
Why do groups that review and rate appliances include these brands and why are theyr rated as well as they are?
The main reason we continue to put them in our lists is as a point of reference. To show that most of the time the alternatives are better options. However, there are those who want what they want and will still choose an LG or Samsung as they are some of the most well-known brands even when it comes to appliances. We don't carry much Samsung inventory and haven't for several years.
As much as we wish every consumer watched our videos or did extensive research before making a purchase the reality is most of them won't. I will say our appliance sales team is great at letting customers know about the LG and Samsung lawsuits. We've heard it mentioned multiple times while down on the sales floor filming. We will likely continue to have them as options even if we don't necessarily recommend them.
Thanks for your comment and watching. We seriously greatly appreciate it!
Since I see more advertisements for LG an Samsung appliances then I do about all other manufacturers combined, I am guessing LG and Samsung pay a lot of ad money to their retailers. Just a guess on my part. I used to a merchandiser and ad money flows right to the bottom line!
Great review
Hi, which is the number one you would recommend to buy? With and ice maker?
?
If you're wanting a French Door Fridge with ice dispenser our favorite is the Frigidaire. If you want a side-by-side we have a video coming soon on that!
Frigidaires are made in Mexico!!! I've been warned not to purchase products from there or China...but guess what..not many are made elsewhere!! So sad!
As you mentioned the good fit and finish of LG refrigerators around 9:15, I'm seeing that the left door is lower than the right door on the one you are talking about. Maybe some washer got left out when the left door was installed? Maybe this refrigerator got bonked out of square? Not as important as whether it works, but if I were looking at it every day I wouldn't want to see that.
We have a video out on how to fix unaligned doors. It’s pretty common for doors not to be aligned, but very simple to fix!
To be perfectly honest. I want to go with a company called Big chill out of colorado. This company custom manufacturer vintage/reto style appliances. The only cons is you can't pick your specific brand name the company only used the whirlpool brand as the inner workings. I guess sometimes you have to do a give and take.
Interesting! This was also the case with Kenmore which was the very popular Sears brand. Most of there washing machines for example had LG inner workings.
Blake, what do you think of the Frigidaire Professional fridges?
What about electrolux french door? We don't have Frigidaire/GE in my country. Also, what do you think about electrolux single door refrigerator and freezer set? I really like it but hesitant to mark it on my buylist bcs it has dispenser and ice maker that I'm against to get. Do you think if I decide to buy it but never use the dispenser and the ice maker from the beginning, it would be okay and won't fail? I have no knowledge about electronic stuff but decided to start to learn a little for my future house by watching your video! If you could make a explaining/comparison video or just comment to me, I would really appreciate it!
Thank you very much! 🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽
Electrolux and Frigidaire are one in the same essentially. Frigidaire is owned by Electrolux. So their products are likely very similar. As far as the ice maker goes if you purchase a refrigerator with an ice maker but don't plan on using it or don't want it to fail you can always shut it off and should have no issues. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I would like to see a video about side-by-side fridge/freezers.
We're working on it! Stay tuned.
I am looking for one normal depth without waterline, ice maker. Why don’t they make one.
There are models out there without water dispensers, some have the water dispenser inside the refrigerator. I don't know that they make any without ice makers at all some just have the ice makers in the freezer section only. You can always turn the ice maker off though and use the extra space in the freezer for storage!
Element makes one.
What about Cafe refrigerators please
Cafe is just GE
@@Warp2090nope not all GE have same thing like cafe not washer or dryer
Cafe is made by GE. While they have different features like back lit LED walls for the most part they are going to be built the same as a regular GE or a GE Profile.
I've had GE French door with ice Maker bottom freezer ice maker for ten years. No door water. I had to free up the ice Maker with a hair dryer one time. Otherwise zero problems. Large families kids in and out of the refrigerator. I wish I would have gotten this smudge proof finish 😅
Good job!
Whirlpool: Will they give up and let the Chinese manufacturer buy them? FYI: I do not want a water/ice outlet on the door. And the ice maker in the freezer will be shut off. 😮😊
Yep, I went as far as removing the ice maker in the freezer.
@@slipper171, yeah, too much of a pain to get water line to new location. Getting a counter top ice maker instead. 🙂
I keep hearing Bosch is looking at possibly buying Whirlpool. Would probably be a good thing.
That’s a great idea
@@matthelms4167, If they sell, Bosch would be great.
LG is facing lawsuits for the linear refrigerators, some last a few months before constantly breaking down and this includes Kenmore as well. They put the warning on the box the refrigerators come in and buyers never see. Any content creator suggesting LG and Kenmore refrigerators can't be trusted.
Brand new LG French door in door icemaker fan has failed three times in 12 months. Horrible quality. Worst purchase