I recently needed a new refrigerator to go with our other new kitchen appliances, but I was overwhelmed by not only all the refrigerators and model options to choose from, but all the advertising and marketing stuff compare top rated refrigerators. I hope what I found out and report below helps you in making your home appliance selection for your next refrigerator.
Here’s the deal about modern-day refrigerators: refrigerators have progressed long ago beyond the icebox our grandparents scrimped to buy. No longer is a kitchen refrigerator simply a cold compartment to preserve food, but now it can be disguised as cabinetry or even an entertainment center.
There are basically four types of refrigerators. The one that we are most familiar with, perhaps, is called the top freezer refrigerator, with the freezer compartment on top and lots of space to freeze stuff and then rest of the refrigerator holds the foods you grab most often down below. (Think bend over every time you want the milk or OJ.)
Th
e next option is the bottom freezer refrigerator which is designed similarly to the top freezer model except that it’s upside down with the fresh food compartment up at eye level and the freezer on the bottom. In this case the freezer is either a swinging door compartment or a drawer (and you bend over to get the ice or frozen meat).
The side-by-side refrigerator has the freezer on one side and the fresh food area on the other. In this case, both get about the same amount of space. This particular model often features in-door water and ice systems or other electronic gadgets and is available in stainless steel.
Finally, there is the so-called French Door arrangement which brings together the side-by-side two door model with the bottom freezer feature. The French Door arranged refrigerator puts the fresh food compartment on top with two doors that open wide at eye level and the freezer compartment is a drawer on the bottom.
French door, bottom freezer refrigerators
consistently get “top rated refrigerators” by Consumer Reports testing labs.
In 2010 a survey conducted by Consumer Reports consulted over 86,000 users of the five best-selling refrigerators. What came to light is important to keep to keep in mind when selecting your next refrigerator:
1) Whirlpool refrigerators have the best repair record and Maytag refrigerators have the worst.
2) Although the top freezer model is the most common fridge, the bottom freezer, French Door models are rapidly gaining in popularity. One of the reasons for this is that the bottom freezer refrigerator is the most energy efficient refrigerator with good Energy Star reviews.
3) The most common repair problem is the in-door ice or water dispenser, again something to remember concerning your next refrigerator purchase.
Consumer Reports uses four dimensions of a refrigerator to consider its worth, value and quality:
a) temperature control (ability to maintain a set temperature)
b) energy efficiency
c) noise level
d) cubic foot holding capacity
The research to determine the 3 Top-Rated bottom freezer, French Door refrigerators, used these four variables (above) to determine the best refrigerator for the money on the market. I suggest you use these aspects of refrigerator performance to make your comparisons.
A common mistake for shoppers of refrigerator appliances is get lured into a purchase based on features, not performance. Both factors are important to the consumer, but performance should come first. The biggest repair problem with modern refrigerators is with a feature, in-door dispensers. I sure don’t need that risk.
I discovered that in 2010 the top rated refrigerator was the bottom freezer Whirlpool Gold with French Doors, model number GX5FHTX. Of course this model comes in a variety of colors including stainless steel.
After looking at several reports done by research companies and considering this Whirlpool, French Door bottom freezer refrigerator myself with my own hands-on research, I came to this conclusion: this Whirlpool refrigerator is a dandy! It’s the best on the market, cheaper by $300-$400 than other top rated models and it has the highest ratings available in all four categories of product performance.
Although the two runner-up’s made by Samsung and LG are worth taking a look at, the Whirlpool Gold got my vote. I suggest you take it into account as well. You too may fall in love with this best of refrigerators after you the compare top rated refrigerators shown here.