Refrigerator Reviews and Buying Guide:

Refrigerators are a major purchase and finding the right one is important. It needs to fit into the space you have in your kitchen to begin with, so make sure you measure things out carefully before you have a refrigerator delivered that won't fit. Next, you need to find one that has all the options you like - ice maker, water filter, side by side, top freezer, bottom freezer, sub zero, etc. We reviewed the top refrigerators in several categories. First, we found that Kenmore (made by Whirlpool) makes the best side by side fridges with tons of features like humidity controlled drawers water filters. Ice makers on many models tend to breakdown, but Kenmores hold up well. Refrigerators with side mounted freezers are more expensive than top or bottom mounted freezers. The Black Kenmore 21.9 cu. ft. Side-By-Side Refrigerator with Filtered Ice and Water sells for $1069. When it comes to top-freezer refrigerators, Kenmore again comes through with the best models on the market. Top-freezer refrigerators make great use of space, are energy efficient, and have good temperature quality. They are less expensive than side by side models and currently make up 50% of all refrigerator sales. You can even get a rebate from your utility company with many of Kenmores top-freezer models since they are Energy Star compliant. They range in price from $450-$1000. The one that received the best reviews was the Ultra Satin w/Black Kenmore 18.8 cu. ft. Top Freezer Refrigerator w/Acceler-Ice & Internal Water Dispenser for $949. Amana scored the highest reviews for bottom-freezer models with their Easy Reach Series. Owners find the convenience of having the most used portion of the used at eye level. They are harder to find than conventional fridges, but with increased popularity of late, you should be able to find them more easily as time goes by. The Amana Easy Reach series ranges in price from $600-$2200 at places like Sears. We preferred the Stainless Steel w/Black Amana 21.9 cu. ft. Bottom Freezer Refrigerator, EasyFill Internal Water Dispenser for $1899.

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GE was the leader in the counter-depth refrigerator category. The models in GE's counter-depth line are 29 inches deep (practically flush with standard kitchen cabinets). GE offers all models at 22.5 cubic foot. The Stainless Steel w/Black GE Profile 24.6 cu. ft. Side-By-Side Refrigerator with Integrated Ice Dispenser was #1 in our reviews with a price tag of $3399. Any of the GE counter-depth refrigerators performed well and the owners all had great reviews for them. When it comes to built-in refrigerators, the cost can get our of control for a Sub-Zero 650/F ($4500). These refrigerators lie flush with the cabinets and can have matching fronts to look just like the cabinets. Maytag, which has always performed well in owner ratings didn't do well since their water/ice making components have been costing owners a lot in repairs and therefore their models did not do as well. Frigidaire is another quality maker of kitchen appliances that was left off of the "best of the best" list, but all their models rated high in each category.

Refrigerator Parts and Repair:

For all those home fix it people, you can get some great instructions on refrigerator repair from a site called Repairclinic.com. Look up the term refrigerator and they guide you through a troobleshooting routine. If you are not so inclined to do it yourself (like us), then perhaps calling the Maytag repairman from the Yellow pages is the place to start. If parts are what you need, then definitely go online to Appliance-Repair.com and price out the parts before paying some fix it guy retail prices. The sturdiest refrigerator freezers in reviews were the GE and Kenmores. Commercial refrigerators are harder to get parts for since they are more industrial strenght to begin with. Check with your local dealer. Also, stay away from used refrigerator parts, we heard that they only caused more problems down the road.

Top Rated Compact/Mini Refrigerators:

Mini refrigerators or compact refrigerators have become a necessity for college kids in dorm rooms or people renting out rooms in a house that need a small refrigerator that doesn't take up much space. The best mini refrigerators on the market are from BebeSounds, Thermokool, Koolatron, Vector, GE (General Electric), and Northland. The top models were the ThermoKool Mini Fridge Cooler/Warmer Deluxe, 17 Liter MR128 for $75 and BebeSounds MF104 Portable Mini Fridge Compact Refrigerator for $48. The Vector Deskmate mini fridge Cooler and Warmer for Home or Vehicle was rated well for a small refrigerator ($59). Our personal favorite was the GE Compact Refrigerator - GMR02BK for $98. It was just small enough with ample storage space for drinks and food.

What is the best wine refrigerator?

Not everyone knows what a wine refrigerator is, but let's start with a basic definition - A wine refrigerator, also called a wine cooler, is made especially to chill your wine to the perfect serving temperature. A wine fridge can help keep your investment in wine valuable without having a wine cellar. The 16-24 wine bottle refrigerators were the most popular and they sell for roughly $200. They also come in 28-32, 34-54, and 60-140 bottle capacities. The top makers are Avanti, Marvel, Franklin, Danby, Vinotemp. We found the Danby DWC283BLS 30 Bottle Dual Zone Wine Cooler w/ Stainless Steel Glass Door to be the model with all the features and the design we preferred.

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