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Are Kenmore fridges reliable ?

R

rsutoratosu

Platinum Member
So sears has some 40% sale.. I need to replace 2 fridges but dont want to spend billions. Some onsite review complains about leaks and bad motor.. I dont buy fridges regularly so isn't sure of the Kenmore brand.

Some stuff in my house are classic kenmore, ie stove and microwave... they still work well.

Anyone bought Kenmore lately ?
 
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Kenmore is only a brand. Use the model number to look up the actual manufacturer. IIRC they use a lot of samsung and electrolux refrigerators.
 
I won't discourage you from buying a Kenmore appliance, but I had a bad experience with their vacuum cleaner. They come with a really short warranty. After 15 months the vacuum shit the bed. There is a loose connection where the hose meets the electronic controls. I hardly overused it and I live in a small place. I paid less than $200 for the vacuum and the minimum labor charge is $100. I believe the replacement part charge would be over $100. Together that is more than what I paid for the vacuum. So I'm in the market for a new vacuum, while I use a 32 year old Kenmore vacuum to do the job.
 
Spend money on a Samsung or LG as they warranty the motor for 10 years. Also most Kenmore are something else rebranded so might as well get the original warranty. There is a reason you only find Kenmore being sold by Sears and no one else.
 
gus6464 said:
Spend money on a Samsung or LG as they warranty the motor for 10 years. Also most Kenmore are something else rebranded so might as well get the original warranty. There is a reason you only find Kenmore being sold by Sears and no one else.
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That is because Kenmore is Sears store brand.

For me Sears has a great warranty service, so if the product looks good, I would buy it.
 
DCal430 said:
That is because Kenmore is Sears store brand.

For me Sears has a great warranty service, so if the product looks good, I would buy it.
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Right which means they don't make anything they sell. Also sears extended warranties can be spendy compared to the rest.
 
Whirlpool is the gold standard.

Kenmore is great if made by whirlpool.

Samsung and LG are garbage. Too complex of electronics and expensive to repair due to the difficulty to work with. Will say though that IMHO Samsung and LG look the best.

Source=Sears Refrigeration Mechanic
 
drbrock said:
Samsung and LG are garbage. Too complex of electronics and expensive to repair due to the difficulty to work with. Will say though that IMHO Samsung and LG look the best.
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Bought LG washer and dryer last year at Home Depot during Black Friday sale. I'd say that the products are excellent. But the electronics are very complex. Shudder to think when/if those computers starts acting up.
 
My whole kitchen is Kenmore Elite. Really like them. No major problems except the refrigerator was originally delivered with a faulty ice dispenser. They replaced the whole frig.
 
CPA said:
My whole kitchen is Kenmore Elite. Really like them. No major problems except the refrigerator was originally delivered with a faulty ice dispenser. They replaced the whole frig.
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Is your ice maker on the door or in the freezer?
 
We have a Kenmore Elite dishwasher that was made by Bosch, and a washer/dryer set made by Whirlpool. If you ask the salesperson who made them, they should be able to tell you.

The advantage with Kenmore is that Sears has always stood by their in-house brands. They have a top notch warranty service. Or at least they used to. Not sure how things are now that the company is on shaky ground.

drbrock said:
Samsung and LG are garbage. Too complex of electronics and expensive to repair due to the difficulty to work with. Will say though that IMHO Samsung and LG look the best.
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I've heard nothing but bad things about Samsung appliances. That's what happens when cowboy companies get into markets they know nothing about. LG is okay from my experience. Had the computer on our microwave go and they came and fixed it no problem. That was over ten years ago though.
 
The price of fridges is insane these days, $1000-1200 for a side-by-side, and $1500-2k for a french door model....

I have looked at both Kenmore and Whirlpool, think I'm gonna avoid LG and Samsung as they are both insanely more expensive. I don't need to be able to monitor and just my fridge and freezer temp from my smartphone.
 
I already have a 2k lg, with that linear compressor, works great. I just need another one because we have to store a lot of baby milk/formula.

Yeah prices are insane. Ill do some more detail checks.
 
Kenmore is decent stuff. I actually prefer them to most other brands because they typically only rebrand items that have been reviewed to be decent quality. SO the manufacturer will make the product and Sears as well as most other repair people will support it. I've had good luck with them. (4 fridges, 3 gas ranges, 2 dishwashers) I've moved a few times and had a rental unit...all Kenmore appliances.

The way I look at it, all fridges with digital displays are suspect to problems these days. (In other words, if you see LED displays anywhere in the fridge or on the doors) That's not to suggest you will have problems, but they started putting more complex electronics in the fridges about 8 years ago. The main controller boards cost $150+ to replace, so many repairmen will replace that part last after they replace everything else.

My parents bought a brand new Frigidaire from Lowe's. It stopped cooling weeks after they got it. 3 days later, they finally got a repair guy to show up (Lowe's wouldn't replace it) and it took weeks before he was able to get the right parts swapped out. A few years in the future after out of warranty, it started having problems again. I'm not bashing Frigidaire, but all manufacturers are making all the parts modular and a few power surges or static discharge or moisture can screw them up quick.
 
ghost recon88 said:
The price of fridges is insane these days, $1000-1200 for a side-by-side, and $1500-2k for a french door model....

I have looked at both Kenmore and Whirlpool, think I'm gonna avoid LG and Samsung as they are both insanely more expensive. I don't need to be able to monitor and just my fridge and freezer temp from my smartphone.
Click to expand...

You just about have to buy during a sale + use a coupon code. Check slickdeals. They had a sale last month that dropped $1700 Kenmore French Door fridges down to about $1300.

Also, if you have space for a 35"+ wide unit, they have been cheaper because fewer people have that much space. The standard used to be 33".
 
my kenmore broke down today after 2.5 years. thought i would chime in.
2 times it was servivced while under warranty for the ice dispenser and the compressor. i asked the tech what fridge he got for his family. he said he has a basic fridge where the freezer is on top because fancy fridges just break down easily these days. ouch.
 
I've had good luck with Kenmore stuff in the past, but you should really research the model number and try to find out who actually made the product.
 
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