Freezer brands and why

[renegadebuck]

I'm in the market for a new freezer as the last Whirlpool died. I really used to like them, but the last 2 only lived about 12 years. What's your favorite brand and what's the longevity of it? Thanks in advance.

[O.S.O.K.]

You gonna get an upright or a chest?

We have a Frigidaire that is... old - 15 years? Its a pretty good sized upright - bigger than the average fridge in size. Its still doing great - and keep in mind its been in the Texas heat for its entire existence...

The chest style freezers are much more efficient - don't dump the cold air every time you open the door like the uprights...

[swampdragon]

You gonna get an upright or a chest?

We have a Frigidaire that is... old - 15 years? Its a pretty good sized upright - bigger than the average fridge in size. Its still doing great - and keep in mind its been in the Texas heat for its entire existence...

The chest style freezers are much more efficient - don't dump the cold air every time you open the door like the uprights...

+1

That's exactly what we have too.
We bought ours in 1996 (I think) and it's still goes strong.

[awp101]

A few thoughts from someone who makes part of their living on repairing freezers/refrigerators:

Most stand alone freezers are made by Whirlpool (IIRC) regardless of the name.

10-12 years is the average life span of any household refrigerator and/or freezer. It's usually more cost effective to replace them than repair them by that time.

And no, nothing is made the way it used to be. Lighter materials means cheaper materials, "energy savings" (it takes less fuel to move them and that's part of how they get the Energy Star ratings) all of which mean more money to the manufacturer. It also means a (somewhat) shorter lifespan so that equals more money again since you have to buy a replacement (customer loyalty be damned).

[swampdragon]

A few thoughts from someone who makes part of their living on repairing freezers/refrigerators:

Most stand alone freezers are made by Whirlpool (IIRC) regardless of the name.

10-12 years is the average life span of any household refrigerator and/or freezer. It's usually more cost effective to replace them than repair them by that time.

And no, nothing is made the way it used to be. Lighter materials means cheaper materials, "energy savings" (it takes less fuel to move them and that's part of how they get the Energy Star ratings) all of which mean more money to the manufacturer. It also means a (somewhat) shorter lifespan so that equals more money again since you have to buy a replacement (customer loyalty be damned).

So Frigidaire is actually made by Whirlpool?
Hmmmmmm.
I'm not much of a kitchen appliance expert at all.
As long as the beer stays cold, I'm good.

[awp101]

Most are WPL. It's a win-win for both sides. Company A sells more stuff to everyone else, Companies B-Z get to have something with their name on it without the expense of setting up a factory. GE and Frigidaire have refrigeration factories (I've been to GE's) but they are geared more to refrigerators than stand alone freezers.

Here's a little something that might give an insight into appliances and brands: When Roper decided it wanted to be sold, WPL (IIRC) made an offer to the Board of Directors. Just before the BoD sealed the deal, GE came in with a better offer to the stockholders. The BoD wanted the WPL offer, the stockholders wanted the GE offer. It went to court and in the end, WPL got the Roper name but GE got the Roper factory.

So if you're buying a Roper oven is it really a Whirlpool? If you buy a GE oven made in the Roper factory, is it a GE or Roper?

There's also a huge comglomeration run by Electrolux that contains Frigidaire, Electrolux, Jenn-Air (IIRC), etc and I can't remember if it's Amana or Whirlpool they bought within the past couple of years.

[swampdragon]

Wow.
That sounds like quite the ordeal!
lol...

[renegadebuck]

Thanks Guys.

[ltorlo64]

You gonna get an upright or a chest?

We have a Frigidaire that is... old - 15 years? Its a pretty good sized upright - bigger than the average fridge in size. Its still doing great - and keep in mind its been in the Texas heat for its entire existence...

The chest style freezers are much more efficient - don't dump the cold air every time you open the door like the uprights...

The upright is harder to loose things in than a chest freezer, especially a large one. You can get something buried in one of those for years and not know it until you clean it out.

I did see a chest recently that had a bunch of movable baskets, that could lessen the loss factor, but it makes it more like a puzzle moving them around.

[Broondog]

i have a White-Westinghouse non-frost-free 11.2 cu ft upright that i bought in early '97. it's still going strong and resides in my garage with all of the lovely Missouri summer heat.

now you watch, since i spoke good things about it, it will take a shit on me in a few days/weeks!

[renegadebuck]

i have a White-Westinghouse non-frost-free 11.2 cu ft upright that i bought in early '97. it's still going strong and resides in my garage with all of the lovely Missouri summer heat.

now you watch, since i spoke good things about it, it will take a shit on me in a few days/weeks!

Keep an eye on it. Mine was running, but wasn't cooling so just walking by or listening to it won't let you know if it's working or not.

[Partisan1983]

Growing up here in MI, it's not he heat that kills appliances....but humidity IMHO.