Ben Schlichter
Ben Schlichter, owner of Ben’s Appliances, Circleville, Ohio. He is an appliance repairman and founder of the YouTube channel Ben’s Appliances and Junk, which offers appliance reviews and repair advice. Bens-Appliances.com
Stroll through an appliance showroom, and you’ll see plenty of refrigerators with appealing features—from in-door ice makers to on-door digital video screens. But the fridge feature that matters most to consumers can’t actually be seen—durability. Modern refrigerators last around 12 years, on average. To improve your odds of finding one that will last longer, Bottom Line asked veteran appliance repairman Ben Schlichter, founder of the YouTube channel Ben’s Appliances and Junk…
If you want a fridge that will last, choose one that does little or nothing more than keep food cold. One fridge feature that catches shoppers’ eye in showrooms is what causes many of these appliances to fail—in-door ice dispensers. Helpful: If having an in-door ice dispenser is important to you, you can reduce the odds that it will break by buying a side-by-side fridge—their ice dispensers are positioned in the freezer door, not the fridge door, and that reduces the failure rate because the freezer already is maintaining ice-cold temperatures. Another feature that can cause fridges to fail: Pull-out drawer “fourth doors” on some French door refrigerators.
Another way to improve the odds your fridge will have a long life: Buy a GE—this brand is making the most reliable refrigerators now.
Which brand to avoid: Kenmore. It is not that Kenmore fridges are especially low quality, but many of them are built by foreign partners that have a limited US presence, such as Korea’s Daewoo. That means obtaining replacement parts can be extremely difficult when they break.
Other brands have reliability issues that affect only certain features or models. Examples: Samsung refrigerators’ in-door ice dispensers are especially problem-prone, as are the compressors in LG French-door fridges—but both of these brands offer reasonable quality as long as you avoid the models that have these features.
For luxury brands: Thermador and Sub Zero currently are better choices than Viking—all three of these brands look high-end, but Viking components tend to fall short of what consumers might expect given the steep price. European brands Bosch and Fisher & Paykel make very nice refrigerators, but it can be difficult to find repairmen who can service these fridges when they break. Before buying a refrigerator from a European brand, confirm that warranty service is available in your town.
The following refrigerators are especially likely to last a long time with few problems. Note that the manufacturer’s list prices are almost always significantly higher than they are actually selling for.
A top freezer is the way to go if you want to minimize fridge issues— this configuration contains the simplest technology, which means there’s less to fail. Two of the best now…
GE GTS22K* offers GE’s excellent reliability in a simple 21.9-cubic-foot fridge. List price: $1,199.
Frigidaire FFTR1835 is a straightforward, well-made and affordable 18.3-cubic-foot fridge. List price: $799.
This is the configuration to choose if you really want an in-door ice maker. Two of the most reliable ones now…
GE GSS25G is a 25.3-cubic-foot fridge with an in-door ice dispenser. List price: $1,619.
Samsung RS28 Bespoke doesn’t have an in-door ice dispenser—as noted above, Samsung ice dispensers are best avoided—but this 28-cubic-foot fridge does have door panels that can be quickly and easily replaced if they get dinged or if you redecorate your kitchen and want a new color. A counter-depth version also is available. List price: $2299 ($2399, counter-depth).
This configuration offers wider shelves than a side-by-side, and the fridge is conveniently positioned at eye-level. Two of the most reliable ones now…
Hisense HRB171 is an affordable 17.2-cubic-foot fridge made with quality components. It is a counter-depth unit with a modern appearance, and replacement parts are easy to obtain if necessary. List price: $1.099.
LG LRDCS2603 is a reliable 26-cubic-foot fridge—unlike LG’s French-door models, which contain LG’s distressingly failure-prone compressors. List price: $1799.
French-door fridges have a modern, upscale look and—like top-fridge models—wide, eye-level refrigerator shelves. Two of the most reliable now…
GE GNE27J is a 27-cubic-foot fridge that provides GE reliability. It features an internal ice maker rather than an in-door ice dispenser, and that reduces the odds of problems. List price: $2,399.
Bosch B36CT81 is a premium 21-cubic-foot counter-depth fridge. It has separate compressors for the fridge and freezer, which prevents odors from spreading from one compartment to the other…maintains temps very well…and minimizes frost problems. List price: $3,599.
*Shoppers might encounter model numbers that are longer or slightly different from those listed here. The extra or altered digits often reflect details such as the unit’s color or included options.
