Amana and Maytag bottom freezers are the same machine and have been for many years, so if you've ruled out Maytag it wouldn't make sense to look at Amana. Also KitchenAid and Whirlpool.

Have you considered Fisher Paykel? I own one, bottom freezer counter depth and luv it. Unique layout realizes all interior space plus seems like a very dependable unit, just a thought

I have researched ALL brands. Consumer Reports rates Fisher Paykel lowest in the comparisons.

While probably not a brand you were considering, Sub-Zero has a 2 year total warranty on the entire refrigerator, plus a 5 year parts and labor warranty on the sealed systems (compressors and cooling coils) plus an additional 7 years parts only warranty on the sealed system. That's a total of 12 years of full and limited warranty. Of course, you also pay a hefty price.

Maytag may have bought up Amana, but Whirlpool has subsequently purchased Maytag.

A friend of mine recently got an Electrolux refrigerator, which she's raving about.....but I don't think Electrolux is making a bottom freezer model.

Whichever brand you choose, be sure the freezer is a pull-out drawer, or has big drawers that pull out. Otherwise you'll be down on your hands and knees every time you want to find something.

Electrolux DOES have a bottom freezer, I saw it at Lowes. Looked very nice.

I just got back from the appliance store...Amana makes Kitchen Aid, Maytag, Whirlpool and Jenn Air bottom freezer refrigerators. There is little difference but the Amana compared to the Kitchen Aid had 2 notable differences: 1) the temp control in the amana is 1 -8 settings. The Kitchen aid you set the temp by degrees and it tells you in degrees how cold it is. 2) The freezer racks in the kitchen aid were better - had guides while the Amana didn't. Both had adequate storage and filtered water inside.

The salesperson like the door closing system on Amana made for the french door (flap) vs. the LG or Samsung which have a gasket which will wear out.

Good luck.

As we will be near a Best Buy tomorrow, I just checked their website. They have some Ge frigs on sale 22 cubic feet, a bit over $1,000. When I got to the bottom of the specifications list, it said the refrig was not Energy Star qulaified. Jeez. hope this is not going to be a decision that I regret having to make.

IIRC, GE and LG are the same in the FD fridges.

It'll be fine. As we discussed in another thread earlier today, the current EnergyStar criteria are not good for you to use as deal-breaking or decision-making support.

Somewhere in an EnergyStar web site is a listing of every appliance (not solely the EnergyStar badge-winners) along with its estimated energy consumption so you can compare it there to the others made by the same manufacturer that do qualify for EnergyStar labeling. The difference in electricity consumption cost will be small, as the differences between the highest and the lowest for this kind of fridge you are describing above is in a small range, not huge.

According to the EnergyStar rules, they cannot reward them all; they have to select some to give the badge to. They are all very close in performance but many will be necessarily de-selected by this method. Even though they may be ALL almost the same consumption, in that cateogry. So, as an example, some fridges might cost 87 cents a day (estimated) and others might cost 88 cents a day (estimated), and bingo the latter are not labeled as meeting the criteria for that size category.

Move to another category and some of the fridges there are 99% practically the same dimensions inside but were submitted/entered into that other category, and bingo either they win or they lose because of the discontinuity when they changed size category. Of course they get a different model number too.. It could be argued that some big manufacturers deliberately play around with sizes and category boundaries so that they can always have some fridges with the "Label" and others without --- that both consume the same energy...

HTH

David

Most of the bottom drawer models have higher heights to them. I had to rule out Monogram because they need 69 5/8 and it the Viking were 70 1/2! Many of these were 5/8 to 2 inches taller then my opening for my refrigerator. Have you check your opening and match them with the models you like yet! My home was built in 1970s and only 3 models out of 14 will fit my opening.

We have had an Amana bottom-freezer now for about 6 years and I love it. It hasn't been any trouble, but we also don't have the automatic ice-maker. I'd buy another one without any hesitation.

I posted this on my inquiry; but it was suppose to be here!

ust purchase online at BestBuy.com and got a LG LMX21981ST -which is a 20.5 Cu. Ft. Counter-Depth Side-by-Side Refrigerator w/ Thru-the-Door Dispenser.

Description: Organize your groceries in this side-by-side refrigerator that features 2 freezer drawers for ample frozen food storage space. The French-door design places the entire fresh-food compartment at eye level for easy retrieval of items.

Got to use my Home Depot 10% off Certificate. Made the deal sweet!

I know that LG has some problems; but not all of them are defective only a certain percentage. And Best Buy will pick it up and return it if you are not happy for 30 days.

Also, manufacturers now make appliances for other brands. For example, GE makes some LG models and LG makes some GE and Samsung models. So you must be watchful of the model more then the brands these days.

While there is an active, "general-purpose" kitchen refrigeration thread up...

I noticed my 11 yr. old Frigidaire (I bought the house 3 years ago) is running all the time, even though I vacuum the coils and fan every year or so. No problem with the gaskets either. I've never given any thought to replacing the fridge so I've never shopped for them. I want to move from the side-by-side 36" config. I have now to a bottom freezer. I grew up with a mid 80s subzero in my parent's house. I would also like it to be either built in, or a color other than white, black or stainless, none of which I think will look good in my kitchen. (The unit is at the end of a counter, so the side must be visible unless I build the wall I would for a built-in) Well my verdict is that it is as bad as shopping for mattresses!

You have to give credit to the manufacturers, they've somehow managed to keep "built-ins" prestigious for all these years simply by price points. It's like they have an unwritten agreement to bomb each other's headquarters if someone dare release a built-in for less than 5500 clams. That's the cheapest I can find...the Kenmore pro built in version, and the KA cheapest built-in. I can't find any other brand with a cheaper one. A very similar looking Kenmore pro, non built-in, with a little less space and perhaps only a single compressor, is some how magically less than half the price at only $2500! It is still stainless steel, it still has the grill on top which I think is the most sensible arrangement for allowing the heat the coils generate to exit and be accessible for cleaning. Compared to standalone, the built in doesn't have to have its sides with a nice brushed stainless steel finish, just its front, because they won't be visible. Certainly that should SAVE some money??? So for a slightly different shape, and sides that are not finished, you pay twice as much? WTF? It's arguably even worse with the KA units, because they don't talk about the cheaper built-ins having a superior arrangement of a compressor.

I spend a lot of time in my kitchen, I have a steady job and make good money, and have a lot of savings, but, I'm sorry I think that $5500 is highway robbery for this "convenience" of being able to build the fridge into cabinetry. (which I was going to do myself, because my kitchen cabinets are over 50 years old and of totally custom construction with an unusual tongue-in-groove design...nobody is going to have something that matches). So for now I might go with the Jenn-Air bronzed finish:

http://www.jennair.com/catalog/category.jsp?cat=70&N=55

Even though it will still stick out from the 24" counter and not be the form factor I want, at least it won't stick out in color as either a white, black, or stainless steel unit would.

davidrt28,

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/appl/msg0822321916417.html
is where I resuscitated a thread about building in a normal fridge.
Mine will go in a corner and only have a counter abutting it.

I've got a few threads going about 24" deep fridges, small fridges, and undercounter fridges.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cheating the system: fridges

Daviddrt,
I disagree. The issue is that manufacturers are giving consumers what they want. In Europe, pretty much all fridges are 24" deep because that is what the public is used to and what the spaces dictate. On quite a few recent threads, many people have complained that counter depth and integrated fridges are too small for their needs. Integrated and built in fridges are a small portion of the consumer market in the USA. You pay a premium for it.

Good luck!

People are complaining about the excess depth of modern fridges. Lots of people have complained about this. Depth used to be 27" to 28" decades ago. Then it quikcly moved to 30 to 32" deep. That is a big bump out from your 26" counter. Open a door and you have blocked the whole aisle.

When people see how much space they lose with a shallow-depth fridge, they comment on it. This doesn'T sound like a complaint to me.

The impossible but ideal fridge would have more space inside that its outside dimensions.

-david

I think people in general just buy too much at a time and store it in the refrigerator. In the 40's and 50s the refrigerator was pretty small even for 4 people in a family. Plus, people used the refrigerator as a status symbol; which it still is but I think the look not the size will be the determination of status going forward. It like the huge SUVs; politically incorrect. Maybe the same for refrigerators.

I have had major customer service issues with Amana and repair issues with my Amana range (although you are not purchasing a range). An electronic part has broken repeatedly (6-8 times)at $150 for the part and $150 for labor, and they refused to replace the range. They repaired it while it is under warranty, but of course, the warranty ran out and now I am stuck with a nonworking $2000 range. We have a lemon law here in Texas and by law they should have replaced it, but I have been unsuccessful in getting them to follow through!

Thank you for all the advice. After spending too much time yesterday at Home Depot and Lowes talking refrigerators, we have decided to now get a regular refrigerator with top freezer, in texture black. All these fancy drawers, digital readouts, etc., are just one more thing to go wrong. A basic but good quality refrigerator is what I am looking at now. Again, thanks.