David ChartierWe’re shopping for a new refrigerator and TIL there is a fairly available “Sabbath Mode” feature now (188 models at Best Buy, for example). https://support.frigidaire.com/Owner-Center/FAQs/Refrigerators/how-do-i-set-sabbath-mode-on-my-refrigerator/
Wow appliance filter options have gone deep. This is great since I am an ice fiend, I like it in everything.
Re: shopping for refrigerators. Anyone have strategies they’ve used?
Any stores, probably a chain, that employs people who actually know their appliances, not just a kid who would read the tags like we can?
I’m a little overwhelmed by the sheer mountain of models, product lines, etc. I added a handful of filters at Best Buy and there’s still roughly fourteen kajillion fridges to look at. #appliances #ApplianceShopping #questions
Steve Streza@chartier go to YouTube, look for a "most reliable" video from someone who repairs/services them for a living
steve 
@chartier I don’t know if @TechConnectify can provide some guidance here! They did some videos on fridges recently.
Eric Abando@chartier been a while since I’ve done any appliance shopping, but I think Abt is the gold standard for doing it in Chicago.
gregatron5
Jorge@gregatron5 @chartier I’d buy whirlpool in a heartbeat over Samsung.
Ellen Shapiro@chartier we went to a more local place. Probably wasn’t as cheap as we could have gotten it but the dude knew what he was talking about.
Shawn King@chartier Oh God I know this feeling. Bought a new fridge (ice maker in the door! <sobs with joy>) and the insane number of models/choices was almost overwhelming. The only saving grace was because of where we lived, many of those models simply weren’t available to us. Good luck.
DJDarren@KingShawn Here in the UK, we call that the one single benefit of Brexit. @chartier
@DJDarren LOL Talk about “looking on the bright side “! 😂
Brad Barrish@chartier oh man. I feel for you. I just went through this in the last year. First, we have an appliance repair guy that we trust implicitly and I asked him which brand he services most often and what exactly he serviced. I basically looked at Wirecutter, Consumer Reports, Reviewed, Abt and Yale Appliance. I made a list of the most important factors for our needs and the things we definitely did not need. AMA
@chartier We ended up getting a Bosch with French doors and a bottom freezer. Interior water dispenser (didn’t need) and a highly rated ice machine and we have been extremely happy with it.
If I was doing all of the research again, I might use some AI tools to do analysis and help me make a decision.
Aki the Conqueror 🦓@chartier Wirecutter published what amounts to a “how to shop for a fridge” guide https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/the-best-refrigerator/
@aki Yeah that’s been a big help. Some good stuff I hadn’t though about, like measuring your door frame.
Sean@chartier Did a bunch of research on this recently for my kitchen remodel. I went with LG. LG seems to be the brand people recommend most for french door fridges. They can make craft ice, good value, quietest, more storage than most, more reliable. Samsung's aren't reliable. Bosch is a good brand too but they're a lot more expensive and often backordered.
Chris Wu 🪐@chartier my thinking was that whatever was sold at Costco had to be fairly good, and I wasn’t overwhelmed with choices because they only offer a few.
@MuseumShuffle That’s an interesting idea. I generally trust them as a company too.
@chartier I don’t believe there was any charge extra for them to haul away my crappy old refrigerator either. Costco also adds additional year of a warranty coverage for appliances I believe. Win-win.
isaiah@chartier my last few times buying major appliances were a crapshoot.
stuff i thought would last forever was the first to go. and stuff that i thought would be cheap crap still looks like new.
this is just to say, “i’ve got nuthin’.”
so if you do find some good strategies let us know. i could use that wisdom soonish. the dishwasher is just about to finally die and the fridge is probably not far behind.
Dave Nanian@isaiah @chartier I gotta say I've had the same Miele dishwasher for 20+ years, and the same Miele washer/dryer for 25... at least back then, they were built like tanks, and they've lasted.
I did have to service the washing machine - the shocks supporting the drum finally went...and were easily replaced, bringing it back to perfect. I've also had to clean the dryer's fan...it had some stuck lint that unbalanced it. But, that's it.
i have GE microwave, oven, and cooktop. they don’t look or work perfectly after 14 years but they get heavy use. bombproof. no complaints.
samsung washer dryer (14yo). never the slightest hiccup. looks new, even after move from CA. also heavily abused.
LG fridge is 11yo. everything about it has broken at least once. ice maker electronics need replacing (3rd time).
Bosch dishwasher 7yo. Everything broke. It’s entirely plastic under its facade of stainless and unrepairable.
@dnanian @chartier im tempted to go all in with Miele next time. but my experience with Bausch has taught me that companies that built quality things 25 years ago may not be doing that today.
at this point i think i’m just going to buy whatever has the most steel inside. maybe rank everything by weight and buy whatever’s heaviest.
Sam Lichlyter@chartier We recently had an “in-home” consultant come to our house from Best Buy and he walked through, took measurements, answered questions, and recommended certain models based on what we wanted and the physical constraints of our space. It was a really good experience actually, I’d recommend something like that if you’re comfortable with it.
Granted we’re looking for a lot more than just a fridge, but it didn’t cost anything so might be worth looking into.
Michael Labowicz@chartier Abt is pretty good
Dave@davidgillaspy I suspect that model isn’t available anymore.
@chartier Ironically, it has features still in short supply some 60 years later
Justin Ferrell@chartier Ice Nugget is like an Ice Cube impersonator you’d meet in Vegas.
macfixer@chartier
GIMMIE DEM NUGGS
GIMMIE DEM NUGGS
Alvaro@chartier and here i was thinking something related to the British heavy metal band 🤪
Why would you want to make your fridge not to work on the sabbath? Isn’t that a rule for humans only?
Why would you want to make your fridge not to work on the sabbath? Isn’t that a rule for humans only?
@alvaro My wife explained that Orthodox Jews apparently do not use technology on the sabbath.
So this feature shuts down tech-related stuff, such as the light, dispenser, and screens on the outside. But it keeps cooling; it won’t ruin your food.
Marina Epelman@chartier it’s been a thing for a very, very long time.
Terri Garland@chartier I second the recommendation for Abt. Great selection, knowledgeable salespeople, good customer service. When my mom’s convection oven had a problem 7 years after purchase, they came out and quoted a price to install a replacement part. Turns out that she needed a much more expensive part, but they stood by the original quote.