As I’ve mentioned in this thread, I’m going through a (very slow) major remodel of the house.
I’ve picked out my floor…and one bathroom vanity. And a few other random items.
Right now, I’m working on my kitchen. My contractor hooked me up with a salesman at a big box appliance store, and I think I’m getting a good deal.
Everything is about 10-20% off their price, and way lower than what I’m finding at other stores. To take advantage of the pricing, I need to commit by end of day Wednesday.
I’d really appreciate it if someone familiar with the latest kitchen stuff could look at these, and let me know if they see any red flags. Links are from the manufacturer, not the store I’m purchasing from.
The oven: 5.9 cu ft convection oven - two temperature zones with a removable barrier, so it’s either a double oven (with one door), or a standard oven. I really wanted to do with the built-in look, but I don’t have much counter space…one of the goals of the remodel is more counter space. I didn’t want to have to place the cooktop somewhere and lose out on the addition.
The fridge: 28 cu ft French Door fridge. Bottom freezer. External ice/water. Separate exterior drawer for the fridge for snacks, so I don’t have to open the whole thing.
The dishwasher: 24" dishwasher. Not much to say.
Also, does anyone have any opinions on the store-based extended service plans?
Nice looking stuff. I like the fridge a lot because of the bottom freezer drawers. Surprised that it’s energy-star, as French door units typically leak. Seems like the consumer reviews are solid, so what’s not to like. Modern fridges can be noisy, so you might see if you can find any complaints about that. I prefer gas, but otherwise, looks good to me.
Thanks, Chefguy. I was hoping you’d bite on the title and comment.
I’d prefer gas, but just wasn’t comfortable with any of the ways I could get it to the house.
I’m always nervous spending this much money…but I’m really excited! I have to learn the timing to cook with a convection oven.
I think part of the reason the fridge is Energy Star is the drawer in the middle…it’s for the fridge, not the freezer. So I can get snacks out without opening the doors and letting all the cool air out. Other models have the same drawer, but it’s inside the door. So there’s no real difference in usable space…just a better way to access it.
I never even knew there were convection microwaves. Guess that’ll be a learning experience, too!
-D/a
Simple… adjust the time or the temp. 25 degrees less or 25% less time.
Our convection microwave is one of my favorites, but I rarely use the full convection/heat/microwave combo. Mainly baked potatoes… perfectly done and crispy skins in 10 minutes. The problem is no pre-made foods have directions for this, and I haven’t had much success finding recipes (although someone mentioned they are popular with the RV crowd so I should check there). Mine though I can use just as a convection oven as well and I use that all the time if I don’t want to heat up the whole oven for a small thing like a couple of French Bread Pizzas. The only thing I have to remember is I have to let it cool down before I can microwave something in a plastic type container afterward.
I’d avoid the water/ice through the door thing - when I was researching fridges last year, those through the door dispensers were the major causes of leaks and repair/maintenance calls, by a wide margin. My new fridge does have an automatic ice maker; it’s just doesn’t have the dispenser through the door. (You have to open the freezer and get it from the bin. Still convenient, though.)
For water, we have a large filtered pitcher that we just fill up from the tap. It lives in the fridge, so cold water on demand. Yeah, it’s not as convenient, I guess, but the repair stats made me leery. Plus, the through-the-door mechanisms take up a lot of space that I can use more efficiently when they’re gone.
If you absolutely have to have the convenience, then go for it, but do be aware that that’s a main point of failure.
I have an Electrolux fridge myself (French door, freezer on the bottom), but we looked at Samsung and it seems a good buy. I do like that snack drawer - pretty keen.
Oh! If you have the time, think about running to your local appliance store or big box home improvement store and trying out your preferred brand of appliances - open the doors, slide out the drawers and racks, that sort of thing. This really influenced us, even more than simple specifications. We selected our fridge largely on fit of the interior - the drawers are on casters that roll out smoothly instead of plastic sliding over plastic, the shelves are glass, the drawer racks in the freezer are coated metal; that sort of thing.
You have to live with the day-to-day performance; the little annoyances can add up. Give it a test drive, if you can.
All depends on your family needs. I’ve got three kids who are very athletic and big water drinkers. They won’t touch faucet water, but the fridge tap is constantly in use. We’ve had the fridge for 8 or 9 years now and that is probably our most used feature in the kitchen.
I just bought a Samsung oven and OTR microwave! Kudos on those. I looked at that Fridge, but at the time the appliance store had a big sale on a comperable Maytag model, so that pushed it over the top and we mixed and matched.
I’d see how easy it is to pull out the refrigerator shelves and drawers for cleaning purposes. A top-refrigerator certainly aids cleaning just in the location! (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve pulled a stool over to the fridge and parked my butt, with the bucket of water and the Magic Eraser and a Scotch Brite pad and lots of towels…sigh)
If you have cold water dispensed through the door, find out where the tubes are that hold the water. Usually they are at the very bottom of the refrigerator, in the back. And that is a HORRIBLE area to clean, when somebody “accidentally” spills a take out container of barbecue sauce down the back of the fridge and “forgets” to mention it. It will dry to a nasty taffy that takes industrial demolition to remove.
Shelves in the refrigerator doors are NICE…but some knothead designer put the brackets low on the shelf, but made sure it was wide enough to hold a gallon milk jug. If you have anything that is narrower than a gallon milk jug, it slides between the bracket and the bottom of the shelf every time you open or close the door.
This posting has exhausted me. I think I’m gonna take a Xanax and a nap.
~VOW
Ditto! The contractor who renovated our place (2 years before we bought it, so we had no say in the layout) installed the refrigerator in a corner, smack up against a wall, so the left door (it’s a French door, freezer-on-bottom model like yours) will only open about 75%. This means that the crisper drawer on that side and the big internal drawer that runs the width of the fridge won;t open all the way, and can’t be taken out for cleaning unless we pull the fridge out of its built in cubby. Which we don’t do often because it’s just asking for the hardwood floors to get scratched all to hell. Grrrrrrrrrrr.
My fridge is in a corner, too. I could move it, but it’s the only place it can be and not interrupt counter space. Right now I have a standard side-by-side setup, so I can’t open the freezer the whole way. With the french door setup, I’ll be able to get at 75% of the fridge really easily. It’s a major win.
The store I’m probably buying it from is across the street from my Wednesday sushi lunch place…I’ll go in after lunch and check out the drawers, and door shelf/bucket thingies, and coils.
If there aren’t any flags, I’ll probably throw down the credit card.
The other question I had was about the service plan. The store is offering me a 5 year all-inclusive type (100% parts and labor, no deductible, in house service…) service plan, also at 20% off normal cost. That adds up to $640 of the $5000 total cost. The manufacturer’s warranty is 1 year.
I see conflicting advice on the web, but not much from the last few years. Has the conventional wisdom (don’t buy the warranty) held up? Any comments?
Thanks…
A LOT of the appliance extended warranties feature an annual “check up” visit by a technician. If you cross your heart, stand on one foot, and spit at the moon and PROMISE FAITHFULLY that you will actually USE those “check up” visits, then the warranty will pay for itself.
~VOW
Ooh, a Samsung fridge! A little over a year ago when I was shopping for a new fridge, a Samsung that looks much like the one you’re considering caught my eye. Unfortunately I was working with a small space for a french door fridge and had to get a different one. I do love it, though. I can fit just about anything in my fridge – there was still space with a turkey in there!
One thing I did read about when researching my fridge was that a french door fridge with an ice dispenser basically meant housing another mini freezer in the refrigerator portion of the thing. I can’t remember if that affected energy consumption, though. Just make sure you’re aware of how much space that may take up on the inside.
They’ll be delivered on Friday. And will sit in my garage for a week or two while we finish other parts of the remodel. (Because I’m being treated as a contractor, they have to deliver when I purchase, instead of holding it for me to be ready.)
A friend of mine met me for lunch, and I took him with me to do a ‘final’ walkthrough of the stuff…just to get a different perspective. No red flags.
**VOW **- Yes, they will do a free check-up, on demand. The salesman suggested that I have them come out once a year on the fridge to clean the coils for me. I never would have thought of asking…so thanks!
**Courk **- The new fridge is bigger than my old one…I’d actually buy the smaller one, except this is on sale and is cheaper. So good point, but I’m not worried about how much I can fit in there.
Thanks again, Dopers! I feel like I’m crowdsourcing my remodel, but it’s working so far!
