How do y'all feel about Frigidaire vs. GE vs. Whirlpool

[Popgadget]

We just bought all new appliances, and went with GE Profile for gas range, microwave/vent hood, refrigerator and electric dryer. Speed Queen washer and Bosch dishwasher.
Those choices were all based on previous experience, research, and conversations with appliance repairmen.
The 4 GE Profile appliances qualified for a substantial rebate.

 

[Torvy]

We aren't fancy people who need to have the brands match. Our builder messed up and subbed out items I specifically requested, so more match than intended.

Top load HE washer is LG. Had it for years with no issues. Whirlpool dryer is older. Dryers rarely fail. Front load washers tend to have more problems.

Dishwasher is Bosch. Newer version of one we put in old house. Definitely worth it.

Builder put in LG wall oven and microwave. Oven was supposed to be Whirlpool, don't remember what nuker was supposed to be.

We tried to move the GE fridge, but the bottom freezer died in transit. Replaced with an LG with ice maker in freezer, but no through-the-door stuff. Those fail the most.

LG sent a guy from Shreveport (85 miles or so) when the door was dented in shipping. Their support seems top notch.

Cook top is a Samsung. Another we got the newer version of one we put in old house. Like it a lot.

From original post, Whirlpool, Frigidaire and GE is really iffy. Some are great, some are junk. They do a lot of name swapping and rebranding. Hard to tell who makes what.

The winner for reliability is our no-name chest freezer we got at Sam's. Had it since the mid-late 90s. It was in the garage in SD, WI and TX. Dealt with temp extremes. Haven't done anything to it. It lives indoors in our new place.

 

[ericm979]

I was perusing restaurant equipment online one day and was stunned at the simplicity, size and price of commercial refrigerators (like restaurant ones, not "commercial" for home). They seem completely perfect to me, no fancy crap that just breaks

Friends of ours bought a house where the sellers did a kitchen remodel that included a commercial fridge. They didn't have much good to say about it. It was loud and it used electricity like crazy.

Also they're not going to have ice makers- restaurants have ice machines. So you'll need a way to make ice.

 

[CalG]

Funny how topics come up on "the tractor forum" when they do.

Every fall, the fruit trees and gardens fill the fridge. (STUFFED would be a better description)
and when that happens, the darn thing "over cools" and freezes my beer. NOT COOL! ;-) Worse, it ticks off SWMBO.

So I got out the literature to see if it could be something to do with the settings. Doesn't look like fiddling with the dials is gonna fix the issue.

Frigidaire FPEM-18F. We bought it new in 1988 ;-) I can't even find a reference to it on the interweb!

My bet is it starts working just fine again after all the peaches are eaten.
But 300 pounds is a lot of peaches!
I've got it shut off just now, "defrosting", even if the FP designates a "Frost Proof" design.

I did read once that the Japanese make the best refrigeration appliances, so I bought a Toshiba Dehumidifier. It's worked flawlessly for over 5 years, but from looking, it's NOT repairable. an assembly and packaging nightmare.

 

[ponytug]

@CalG Have you tried a small internal fan (or an extra fan) to equalize the air temperatures top/bottom left/right?

In my experience fridges "stuffed" with items don't cool especially well, but that there is a big difference between ones with fans and ones without.

All the best,

Peter

 

[CalG]

@CalG Have you tried a small internal fan (or an extra fan) to equalize the air temperatures top/bottom left/right?

In my experience fridges "stuffed" with items don't cool especially well, but that there is a big difference between ones with fans and ones without.

All the best,

Peter

Thanks Peter, it's got a fan inside that runs just about constantly. Pushing cold air from the bottom to the top.
Placing and wiring a secondary muffin fan might do it though.
finding room.... well, I could put it in the butter tray ;-)

Note: this fridge has a freezer section in the lower right corner. less than a foot high, a foot deep and just wide enough for a half gallon of icecream ;-)

 

[Torvy]

Freeze most of the peaches...or make preserves.

 

[kenmbz]

I had a low end GE washer/dryer, never again. figured the less complex the better, not.

But I did find out how much the actual motor driver and cpu boards cost in quantity.

The motor driver board was 4.95 and the CPU board was about $8.

Both were listed for about thirty different machines from multiple name plates.

Would have to buy a whole pallet to get that price, but the markup to $200 and $300 for the parts places is pretty steep.

 

[ponytug]

I had a low end GE washer/dryer, never again. figured the less complex the better, not.

But I did find out how much the actual motor driver and cpu boards cost in quantity.

The motor driver board was 4.95 and the CPU board was about $8.

Both were listed for about thirty different machines from multiple name plates.

Would have to buy a whole pallet to get that price, but the markup to $200 and $300 for the parts places is pretty steep.

Sounds like a nice eBay side business...

 

[jyoutz]

We just bought all new appliances, and went with GE Profile for gas range, microwave/vent hood, refrigerator and electric dryer. Speed Queen washer and Bosch dishwasher.
Those choices were all based on previous experience, research, and conversations with appliance repairmen.
The 4 GE Profile appliances qualified for a substantial rebate.

Really good choices all around.