Can anyone recommend a Fridge Freezer that will last?

[tinamoo]

We have had two FF in 9 years. The first was a Zanussi which developed a fault which turned out to be something about gas escaping from it if I remember rightly. Second is our current Hotpoint FF200E which has all the faults that have been previously stated in other post ice build up, pools of water and warm fridge.

We have decided to cut our losses and buy a new fridge freezer but this time I want on that is going to last a lot longer than 4 years. I was between a Samsung at £299 and a Bosch at £499. We finally decided on the Bosch hoping that the extra money would mean getting a lot more years out of it. Unfortunately the model we could afford is now out of stock everywhere unless we pay an extra £100.

Is it worth buying a more expensive model or are they just not built to last anymore? Are there any brands that I should steer clear of altogether?

Is it true that Beko ones keep catching fire?

We just do not know what to do for the best. On one hand we don't want to spend too much but on the other I don't want to be having to buy another FF in another 4 yrs.

I did see a nice Hotpoint the other day but I am put off by what we are experiencing with this particular model & am reluctant to give hotpoint anymore money.

Thanks for any help or advice anyone can give.

[chillerman2006]

Hi Tinamoo

believe it not that little box your stuck in is; a big ole american style fridge freezer ! :rolleyes:

I always go cheap & cheerful & get over a decade out of them normally, but must admit the latest (hotpoint) the door seal on the freezer has never been much cop & now after just 4 years has split, so will be interesting to see what others advise, as its in the bin it must go, e i e i e i o

R's chillerman

[spimps]

Buy seperate fridge and seperate freezer.
Hotpoint are an indesit clone so not much quality there.
Very lucky if you approach double figures,stuff isn't built with long service in mind anymore.
Nervous of recommending most makes now,do you buy cheap or expensive? not sure anymore myself.

[tinamoo]

My husband mentioned about buying seperates. We have got a small chest freezer but somebody gave us it last year so I have no idea how old it is and how long it will last so I do not want to rely on it too much. I might look into seperates. Would they be okay sitting on top of each other like a normal FF???

[chillerman2006]

My husband mentioned about buying seperates. We have got a small chest freezer but somebody gave us it last year so I have no idea how old it is and how long it will last so I do not want to rely on it too much. I might look into seperates. Would they be okay sitting on top of each other like a normal FF???

No reason why not, a good idea is freezer at bottom so cooler air is availble to the frezzers heat rejector

[spimps]

Yes no problem,you could put small rubber pads under the fridge feet (fridge on top of course) to ensure stability.
Seperates mean that if one did break you still have the other.
A frost free freezer will have less capacity than a standard (requiresdefrost twice a year),the standard however is less complicated and will generally outlive a frostfree.
Worked for electrolux during the 70's and have a 11 cu ft freezer purchased in 1974 ! ,fitted a compressor some years ago but has been first class.
Generally the small chest freezers are always a good stand by,never dispose of while its in working order!

[tinamoo]

Yes no problem,you could put small rubber pads under the fridge feet (fridge on top of course) to ensure stability.
Seperates mean that if one did break you still have the other.
A frost free freezer will have less capacity than a standard (requiresdefrost twice a year),the standard however is less complicated and will generally outlive a frostfree.
Worked for electrolux during the 70's and have a 11 cu ft freezer purchased in 1974 ! ,fitted a compressor some years ago but has been first class.
Generally the small chest freezers are always a good stand by,never dispose of while its in working order!

Sorry I didn't explain myself very well. My husband thought of just getting a tall fridge because we have the chest freezer but like I say I do not want to rely on it.

We are going to have another look around tomorrow. We still have no idea what we are going to get but we are going to look at the seperates as well as the fridge freezers. It gives us more options :-)

[tinamoo]

We have bought this one in the end http://www.comet.co.uk/p/Fridge-Freezers/buy-HAIER-AFL631CS/U-Fridge-Freezer/540331 Not from comet though, from a small family business. We absolutely blew the budget and it makes the Bosch one look cheap. Worryingly though the only review I can find on it is the one associated with the link I posted and it is not a good one. I hope that it is a one off.

[chillerman2006]

I like frost free..all my previous have been...just unload & turn off twice a year... Beach towel in the bottom, desk fan facing in...between half hour & an hour later...all done for next 6 months :rolleyes:

[paul_h]

I like frost free..all my previous have been...just unload & turn off twice a year... Beach towel in the bottom, desk fan facing in...between half hour & an hour later...all done for next 6 months :rolleyes:

You mean cyclic defrost? ie no fan, no defrost timer, no heating element?
My own fridge is a cyclic defrost 'hoover' brand about 14 years old that I bought when I moved out of home for the third and final time ;)
Every 6 months hit the freezer with a heat gun, defrost takes 15min if you stay on one spot (heat the evap, don't try to defrost all the ice). Once the evap is warm all the ice comes off in sheets easily. No timers, multiple t/stats or heaters and thermal fuses to fail. Just one compressor and one t/stat.


OP
Of course cyclic defrost fridges are impossible to buy new, down here I recommend the electrolux group fridges.
Electrolux, westinghouse, some simpson and kelvinator too (the electrolux group own all those brands)
Only the electrolux upside down fridges are Australian made, both the electrolux and westinghouse side by side american style are locally Australian made.
They're the mains ones I recommend, overall better reliability than the other options (chinese, american, or korean is pretty much it these days beside the australian or thailand fridges, but this is probably no use to you in the UK as I don't even know what they sell there.

For smaller fridges, LG isn't too bad. Got one that's run for a long time fault free, I wouldn't pay big dollars and get a korean made side by side american style fridge from LG though, (prefer the electrolux owned brands), but for simple small fridges, LG better than the chinese stuff like no name brands, haier, hotpoint etc.

[tonto33]

HAIER are cheap chinese crap be lucky if get 12 months out of it have written off loads of them due to poor design,no support, one outlet for spares Chinese and not the best I'm afraid.Haier theme tune. My old mans a dustbin

[paul_h]

True.
My personal preferences are Australian (electrolux, some westinghouse), Thailand (sharp and electrolux), LG, american, samsung, and then chinese.
But I'd rather keep my old cyclic defrost hoover than buy chinese. Edit: not a blanket statement and I am not against everything chinese, just their fridges as it stands currently right now, not good.

[install monkey]

http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/3420/dscf10339uz.jpg

http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/5268/dscf10318aq.jpg

http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/8/dscf10322jr.jpg
no moving parts last a lifetime !!!

[chillerman2006]

HAIER are cheap chinese crap be lucky if get 12 months out of it have written off loads of them due to poor design,no support, one outlet for spares Chinese and not the best I'm afraid.Haier theme tune. My old mans a dustbin

Hi Tonto

cant remember what you wrote...by sure do remember your avatar....phew...nice !!! :D

R's chillerman

And now he has a new one .... look at the legs on that :eek:

[install monkey]

been on facebook and ive searched for tonto and theres no profile pics like that!!!
Hi Tonto

cant remember what you wrote...by sure do remember your avatar....phew...nice !!! :D

R's chillerman

[spimps]

We have bought this one in the end http://www.comet.co.uk/p/Fridge-Freezers/buy-HAIER-AFL631CS/U-Fridge-Freezer/540331 Not from comet though, from a small family business. We absolutely blew the budget and it makes the Bosch one look cheap. Worryingly though the only review I can find on it is the one associated with the link I posted and it is not a good one. I hope that it is a one off.
"Made the Bosch look cheap" can't see that.
Haier are as tonto said are crap, possibly worst make on the market,cheap cheap cheap.
When calls come in and that name is mentioned,I usually say no thanks.
Still cross your fingers and hope you get a few years out of it.
Just had a thought that if the haier looked better quality than Bosch the nameplates must have been swapped,simple:D

[Yuri B.]

It's not advertising - just the facts of a personal experience.

We were constricted in the former USSR to the local products - could not dream about Boschs, Samsungs, or other resounding names. I bought a Snaige fridge in 1984. A simple one - needed to be defrosted once a month.

Nowadays I have the choice, but, strangely, when I wanted to buy recently a new fridge/freezer, I've again chosen a Snaige (2005, self-defrosting), and, wishing to change the former fridge, bought yet an other one of the same brand at 2008. So, the first one have run for 24 years, and, would probably work without problems more years on. The both new ones, as was expected, are giving me also no headache.

[taz24]

.

In my opinion, if that is worth anything :) keep the fridge and frezzer or fridge freezer as
cheap as posible and as simple as possible.

The bells and whistles that come with new fridges and freezers do not make them reliable and
only add to the cost.

Go to Comet, Currys, Argos, and all the others, buy the biggest and cheapest and don't worry
about them.

Don't buy extended warrentee and if it fails in 3 or 4 years scrap it and go and buy another.

For the cost of some of these so called badged brands you could buy 2 or 3 cheaper versions.

All the best

taz.

Oh and by the way, after all that, my wife went out and bought our last fridge freezer and she bought
an all singing all dancing American type jobby that won't even let you open the door without shouting at you :)

.

[chillerman2006]

Hi Taz

Exactly as I see it...only difference I go for middle of price range as some real cheapies can fall over in a year or so

I never look at frost free...digital control, etc etc ... just more to go wrong & I find as technology improves, they (manufacturers) dont consider longlivity, just we gotta offer that cause they do,

I had a zannusi freezer, never missed a beat in twelve years, only problem the mrs decided to paint it :eek: (Duh) same colour as kitchen, so I gave it away, this was about five years ago, thats still running strong today (17 years!!!) and I have had two modern units since then.....I think build quality has fallen, just to make more profit !

And also as Taz said, just bin it, when it goes wrong & get another....only thing I ever do to my own is keep condensor clean & regulary defrost, every 4-6 months

Tina, your have to come back when your unit does eventually fall over & let us know how long it lasted,

R's chillerman

[chillerman2006]

Off topic - needed removing

[install monkey]

the author is probably dead-sorry cm i will not recommend a reliable frige again

[chillerman2006]

Off topic - needed removing

[tinamoo]

I hope to god you are all wrong about the fridge freezer I bought. We paid a lot more than we intended as we were told it was a top make that made for others. It is a bit late now as we have got it installed. It does come with 2 years parts and labour guarantee if we can find where the serial number is!!!

[tonto33]

serial number should be on sticker inside the fridge pull out salad draw normally on the left side but some Haier have it on the back and others dont have any at all good luck with the 2 years guarantee u will need it and find someone to repair it when breaks down thats another story