Submitted by itaniumonline t3_ydha62 in BuyItForLife

Moved in to a new place in 2012 and there was a fridge from 1998 so I conviced the wife to keep it since we didnt have one but we’d replace it with whatever she wanted when it dies. Problem is this fucker wont die and it is kinda ugly. I told her I only want another GE but i wanted to ask here first.

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ZombieManilow t1_its7448 wrote

GE Appliances including Monogram (the supposedly top of the line models where a fridge can cost $10-20K) isn’t even owned by General Electric any longer. They’ve been owned by Haier—the Chinese conglomerate most famous for shitty dorm fridges—for over 5 years.

They used COVID as an excuse During COVID they took the opportunity to stop stocking spare parts for a lot of models that might have been BIFL. I learned this earlier this year when I needed a $50 part to fix a $2000 Monogram built-in microwave but there wasn’t a single one to be found in all of North America, even on eBay. They were happy to offer me a 10% discount on the $3000 model that replaced it, though.

Ironically, the part I needed was a piece of glass that broke when I accidentally smashed into it with the metal handle of my BIFL Miele canister vacuum during a vigorous cleaning session.

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matthias7600 t1_itv3158 wrote

Fridge costs more than a vacuum. Should have bought a shitty vacuum! :P

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Chrome-Molly t1_its7jny wrote

No! Find yourself a vintage one. The good ones have woodgrain handles and will outlive us all!

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matthias7600 t1_itv3tti wrote

Truth! Just don't reward the old workhorse by putting it in a room with a furnace.

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DaBigWiggly_ t1_itxxfvd wrote

I’m an appliance technician with Mr Appliance, honest recommendation is KitchenAid or Jenn-Air. Both are owned by whirlpool and are best quality. Stay away from LG, Samsung, GE, and kenmore refrigerators. They are the most garbage ones today

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nukidot t1_iu1ebk7 wrote

Currently researching fridges and reviews are all over the place. LG must pay for reviews. Looks like fridges are the latest disposable item.

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zakats t1_itsaikc wrote

I don't think any (many?) appliances are built very well compared to the models they replaced.

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nativemissourian t1_its6o2e wrote

If you judge by the amount of emails GE sends trying to get you to buy an extended warranty, GE doesn't think much of their appliances. My experience is with a washer bought in 2021. I did buy an upright freezer in 2018 and the first one was DOA and the second one has been flawless. I'm not sure if I helped here.

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vtgelecdude2003 t1_itsvj09 wrote

From what I've seen, No. The new ones have cheap plastic racks and bins that look like they'll break in the first month, plus they all have computer chips in them now which is another area prone to fail quickly. I hope my 1998 side-by-side model keeps on going.

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BigDaddyJE t1_its75a6 wrote

I have a '14 side by side that has had zero problems if that helps

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ZagiFlyer t1_itsbso1 wrote

We've had our GE fridge since new in 2001 and it's never had a problem. I clean the coils every year or so and it's still as good as new.

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coffeejn t1_itscrgn wrote

I don't know, mine is still operating and its from 1997.

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NimrodVWorkman t1_itu90y5 wrote

I've taken a couple of courses in refrigeration, and am a certified refrigerant handler.

My opinion is that, among the "cheaper" refrigerator brands, some of the GE/Haier units, made at their plant in Kentucky, in the United States, are about the best there is at that price point.

Are they well made? Not really. But they are light years better than Maytags, Whirlpools, Amanas, and Hotpoints, which are utter shit and tend to fail entirely two days after the warranty expires. At least one gets a few years from the Kentucky-built GE units.

Few working people can afford good refrigerators any more. Keep it simple. The less "bells and whistles" (water dispensers, external ice dispensers, internet) the less there is to fail.

jh

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[deleted] t1_itxmuwb wrote

[deleted]

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NimrodVWorkman t1_itxvteb wrote

I have no personal experience with them, but the Sub-Zero brand is very well thought of.

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nukidot t1_iu14zph wrote

By appliance stores. Sub-Zero has poor longevity.

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mets2016 t1_iugos4u wrote

We still have a 27 year old fridge/freezer set of theirs running strong at my place

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ThisWillBeOnTheExam t1_iu33rq6 wrote

If you google for this topic and tag Reddit at the end of your search you’ll find a fair amount of other threads on refrigerators… From what I recall GE took a huge quality hit once the company sold. The old ones were BIFL and the new ones are cheapened and inconsistent. I remember deep diving into this topic back in 2020 and opting for a Whirlpool.

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sla13r t1_ituksvb wrote

Energy efficiency says no.

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matthias7600 t1_itv3ohs wrote

Efficiency is probably the only thing that's actually better in new models.

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sla13r t1_itvnsug wrote

Ge fridges are trash otherwise, agreed.

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Rats_for_sale t1_iuj4kah wrote

I mean... isn't it obvious from the fact that new GE fridges are made mostly from plastics that they aren't as high quality as the old metal ones they used to make?

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