Bloody fridge

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Originally posted by Mick Parry:
I suffered a minor domestic crisis tonight. I have a 1.75 metre high larder fridge and when I opened the door to treat myself to some grapes, the bloody top hinge fell out and the door came off.

I had milk and goodness knows what all over the place with the door lying on the kitchen floor. It was a bit of a shock to say the least.

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Leaving aside for a moment the memorable mental image of Mick dressed in shirt, tie, cufflinks, various assorted vegetables, washed salad, remaining potatoes from last w/e's roast, whilst wading through a lake of milk and Canada Dry in order to flip a record on the Garrard, don't for goodness' sake buy a fridge on looks! It's very easy to end up with something which won't fit comfortably, since much practicality can be sacrificed on the altar of trendy, yet dated design.

Measure your available space, and work out which way you want the door(s) to open. Particularly, know what the litre capacity of your current fridge is, then go to John Lewis or somewhere and browse for something with the space you want inside, which won't hog kitchen space. Most European white goods are based on a 610mm wall to front-of-box dimension -- anything deeper than this will protrude if slotted into a run of fitted units. A family member who bought a fridge with a curved front recently is now cursing the thing. As in other fields, flatness is good!

The cheaper Bosch and standard Zanussi ranges are built in the same factory (they're all AEG, as are Flymo). They're maybe a better bet than Hotpoint, or Candy. But below Miele level, there is isn't a lot dividing them, except when you get to the American-proportioned Westinghouse or various Far Eastern double-door units where the price goes really mad. Go for the finish you want, but be careful with brushed metal as it can show every single fingerprint. Actually, I think Smeg do a piano black -- mmmm.

Fun, eh...

Best;

Mark

Mick my good man,

Please, please do not buy a retro Smeg. I have one and they are cosmetic junk. The after sales service is a disgrace and the UK MD is a tosser. They don't employ Smeg service engineers, instead they send Silver Back Gorillas to solve your problems, and then don't solve them.

If you want a retro fridge, go for the Bosch one. It's a little gem, not particularily big, but a gem. Thick walled, large exterior hinges and nice door release.

Don't be misled that Stainless steel finishes mean a stronger unit. The finish is what it says, just a cosmetic finish.

This is just brief, but straight to the point, advice on fridges. Please ask more if you need to.

Mick

I've just removed a Neff larder fridge and replaced it with a slightly bigger one to keeo the wife happy and to get the fully integrated kitchen look. This fridge has done 22 years service and has had one light bulb and one thermostat. It is still working perfectly. My problem is what do I do with it. I hate adding to the landfill.

We have just completed a refit of most of our kitchen appliances aftyer 22 years and they were all still perfectly servicable which I think is pretty impressive. I would suggest you check out the Neff Bosch Miele ranges. Genuine (Made in Sweden) Electrolux are also very well made.

Eddie

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whilst wading through a lake of milk and Canada Dry in order to flip a record on the Garrard,

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So that is what Mick waters his malt whisky down with...



Regards,

Steve.

Hi Mick,
I went through this search last year and initally we fancied a retrostyle fridge. Smeg looks good, but from what I gathered is of lousy quality; the Classic Line by Bosch seems better (a bit too small for us), but technically speaking not top of the range. We finally went for an ordinary-looking Liebherr model in white (well, being German I have a tendancy to buy German), they have a very good reputation and so far we have no regrets. They also do stainless stell models. Good luck,
Uwe

(who bought another Liebherr fridge just for the wines)

The repair I done with isopon is remarkably good although it looks a bodge. Red isopon does not look good on a white door.

The good news is that due to the repair, I can take my time in selecting a good solid model.

I must admit I take Marks point on flatness and thanks to Count'd for the revelations on the Smeg.

I tend to go for German stuff lately and will seriously look into Miele. I have one of their dishwashers and that is excellent.

If you have any more information please keep it coming.

Regards

Mick

Mick,

As Uwe pointed out go for a Liebherr, they're build to last. Low noise and a solid door. BTW the fridges from Miele are made by Liebherr.

Regards,
Rob.

Mick

IMO it will have to be frost free, regardless of make.

In case you where not already aware.

Regards

Mike

My name is Mike and I am a Floydaholic

Maytag

We would never consider any other make now. Fabulous fridges.

Our large American fridge-freezer went on the blink last year and we replaced it with a 22 cubic feet beauty from Samsung. How folk in this country manage with a standard sized UK fridge I just do not know. It’s no wonder the incidence of food poisoning is increasing as these things just don’t keep food cold enough.
Anyway our new Samsung can keep a couple of week’s supply of beer beautifully cool and you hardly even notice it’s there. It also plays “Oh Susannah” if you leave the door open for too long. I used to come home to find my teenage son and a couple of his mates standing in front of the open fridge waiting for it to sing to them!

Mick,

It's the Bosch retro if you like the retro or Liebherr, Miele or Bosch if you like a "flat" one. I'm surprised two guys have mentioned Liebherr as they are not particularily common, but are regarded as the one of the best fridge makes. My brother has a stainless fronted one and it is very good.

Regarding the retro versus "flat"; a kitchen really does benefit from making a feature out of the fridge. It's one of those products that actually adds character. Our retro is a talking point for many people as they first come into our kitchen. Sad, but true.

Mick/Count.d,

I've worked in a Genetic Lab for 12 years and all the fridges for storing human tissue, blood etc. where from Liebherr. Even the -86 C was from Liebherr. Never one of them ever failed. Says it all, really.
For domestic use they make some very nice looking fridges btw. But they're quite expensive in comparison to the competion, but then quality never comes cheap.

Regards,
Rob

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Originally posted by TomK:
Anyway our new Samsung can keep a couple of week’s supply of beer beautifully cool and you hardly even notice it’s there. It also plays “Oh Susannah” if you leave the door open for too long.

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Right - that's it. When I move into a place with no kitchen appliances, I'm getting one! Funny thing is I was automatically going to get the Samsung large jobbie anyway - it's definite now!

I have one of their fully combi microwaves as well; build well and nice to use - only it's a bit odd; it won't allow you to preheat to a temperature above 200 degrees C. If you do, the oven will then not maintain temperature after that; methinks its got buggy firmware...

__________________________
Don't wanna be cremated or buried in a grave
Just dump me in a plastic bag and leave me on the pavement
A tribute to your modern world, your great society
I'm just another victim of your highrise fantasy!

Another vote for Liebherr.

Mike

Mick

My American friends used to speak highly of the "SubZero" range.
I'm not sure whether they come in British sizes

Eddie

The temporary repair is holding out well thus I am not in a position of having to rush out for a distressed purchased.

I quite fancy either a Miele or Liebherr and I notice that they are both made in the same factory.

Does this mean that the quality is the same or is the Liebherr made to a higher specification.

Many thanks

Mick

Just a quick update to let you know that I ordered a Liebherr yesterday afternoon.

There is no doubt about it, this forum is the place to come for advice on buying the best products on the market.

Many thanks to you all.

Regards

Mick

Use this opportunity as an excuse to totally replace your kitchen units and all equipment and perhaps add an extension as well.

SKIing makes sense <g>

Derek

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There is no doubt about it, this forum is the place to come for advice on buying the best products on the market.

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I keep telling people that, but would you believe Mick, that some people just don't listen.

You've always listened to good advice and that's why your successful. Congratulations.

My unexpert impression is that Bosch used to be "better than average"

from a few stories I`ve heard recently, they seem to have moved"downmarket" in price AND quality

Any comments?

laurie S