what's your fridge preference?

[nageov3t]

top freezer, side-by-side, bottom freezer, or bottom freezer + french doors?

I'm going to be in the market for a new fridge soon (once I move :thumbsup. I really love the idea of a refrigerator with glass doors, but it seems like all the ones I've seen are either mini-fridges or commercial-grade selling for +$10K.

 

[Jumpem]

We have a side by side now. We thought it would make organizing the freezer easier, but it doesn't. Everything is cramped, and not much room. We will probably try a bottom freezer model next time.

I wish the appliance companies would swap the compartments. The refrigerated section should be the smaller half, and the freezer the larger half.

 

[ShawnD1]

I like freezer top. The side by side ones are HORRIBLE. No comment on the others.

 

[nageov3t]

We have a side by side now. We thought it would make organizing the freezer easier, but it doesn't. Everything is cramped, and not much room. We will probably try a bottom freezer model next time.

that's kinda my concern about side-by-side as well. my parents have one and their freezer always feels really cramped. I'm not sure they'd have room in their freezer for, say, a box of cupcakes :awe:

I'm not sure how I feel about water/ice dispensers either. seems kinda like wasted space.

I wish the appliance companies would swap the compartments. The refrigerated section should be the smaller half, and the freezer the larger half.

that's funny, I kinda wish the opposite all I keep in my freezer are some snacks (ice cream, cupcakes, etc), an ice bucket, and maybe 2-3 packages of frozen meat for emergencies (well, not so much emergencies but for those odd nights when I find myself home and hungry and forgot to go to the grocery store and really don't feel like going back out)

 

[darkxshade]

top freezer... call me old fashioned

 

[KeithTalent]

Don't care as long as it keeps my stuff cold and fresh.

KT

 

[Jumpem]

that's funny, I kinda wish the opposite all I keep in my freezer are some snacks (ice cream, cupcakes, etc), an ice bucket, and maybe 2-3 packages of frozen meat for emergencies (well, not so much emergencies but for those odd nights when I find myself home and hungry and forgot to go to the grocery store and really don't feel like going back out)

We have a second full size upright freezer in the garage for the things that don't fit in the small one with the refridgerator.

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

My mother recently got a new fridge w/french doors & bottom freezer. It's nice & has LED lighting.

I agree w/KT, though.

 

[nageov3t]

I think my dream would be a fridge-only and then a free-standing mini-freezer, but it's not really practical with the space/money I have to work with (since, like the glass doors, fridge-only units seem to be exclusively in the realm of commercial grade appliances)

 

[xanis]

side-by-side FTW

 

[DrPizza]

Not sure why people are claiming less space in the side-by-sides. The amount of space you have is pretty much determined by which model you choose. Ours has at least as much space as our old top freezer model did in the freezer, and with the shelves, it's far easier to organize. We have a 2nd stand up freezer that we use for part of the year, generally the fall through spring when we have a lot of venison, fish, and now, vegetables.

Automatic ice maker & water/ice dispenser is awesome. I still haven't run the water line for ours, and it's one thing that I really, really miss.

 

[coldmeat]

I had a side by side at one the places I rented a couple years ago for school. I hated it. It always seemed cramped and I always had a hard time trying to fit bigger items in it. My parents have a bottom freezer and I really like it. I love not having to bend over to see into the fridge.

 

[Corporate Thug]

I like side by side. With freezer on the bottom, all the crap that gets thrown in bottom is forgotten about.

 

[Sluggo]

I would get a bottom freezer if I could also get water and ice in the door. I don't think anyone offers that so its sidexside for us.

 

[ProfJohn]

French doors are the best.

They have the most room in the fridge part, although the freezer part can be a pain to use.

But put a second small freezer in the garage and you have it made.

 

[dardarla]

I read somewhere that having the freezer on the bottom is more energy efficient... because typically warmer air rises, so by having it on the top you're fighting the natural way of being.

I think the fridges with two opening doors are the prettiest though.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Top freezer, I really hate side-by-side.

 

[Azraele]

Automatic ice maker & water/ice dispenser is awesome.

Agreed. I love the crushed ice ours makes.

 

[vi edit]

For a single unit, I'm a french door convert. Awesome space in the fridge section. That was my number one complaint about the side by sides. It wasn't the freezer section...it was the fridge side. You can't fit sheet cakes, pizza boxes, ect in there longways.

And the pull out drawer in them (at least my LG) is simply cavernous in storage. I can fit 1/4 of a cow in there. That's bulk beef!

My new place will have a dedicated single unit fridge and single unit freezer since we have the space for it. And cost wise, they are only like $900 a piece so it's less expensive than many higher end side by side units with 50% less usable space.

 

[jteef]

i bought a nice samsung side by side last year. The freezer is cramped at times, but i do use it enough that i would hate to have to bend over and root around through a bunch of junk every time i wanted to find something, so I'm glad i didn't get the french doors (they were also like $300 more?) also, also, door mount ice / water is the tits.

i try not to freeze too much, but could see a problem with 18" pizza boxes or 25 pound turkeys. absolutely hate the top freezer. it looks cheap and its a damn safety hazard the way stuff gets stuffed and stacked in those things.

 

[SithSolo1]

I don't really care how the doors are oriented as long as the damn water dispenser is on the outside of the fridge. Water on the inside = Worthless.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Top or bottom freezer is okay, NEVER side-by-side.

 

[DrPizza]

I read somewhere that having the freezer on the bottom is more energy efficient... because typically warmer air rises, so by having it on the top you're fighting the natural way of being.

I think the fridges with two opening doors are the prettiest though.

The other side of that coin is that by having it on the bottom, things at the top of your fridge are more likely to be not kept quite as cold as they need to be, i.e. milk. Thus, using the same logic, to keep them as cold, you'd have to use more power to keep things colder at the bottom. Regardless, the tiny difference in efficiency should be only a very minor concern.

and again, with respect to storage space... you're comparing apples to oranges. Storage space is a function of which model you buy. There's no way a 27 cubic foot side by side has less storage space than a 19 cubic foot top freezer, and vice versa.

 

[Albatross]

I like it cold :awe:

 

[ElFenix]

my parents' new french door model is a piece of crap. top of the line whirlpool. less space in it than in their old side by side. ergonomics suck. basically no way to put tall stuff in it. less door space too.