The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Welcome and General Discussion => Topic started by: evme on August 07, 2021, 11:32:03 PM
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I need to replace my old refrigerator that died. The space in my kitchen for the fridge is small so I need something not very wide and saw this Samsung fridge that would fit. Only problem is I've heard/read bad things about Samsung refrigerators. Anyone have experience with them good or bad?
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/reviews/samsung-17-5-cu-ft-3-door-french-door-counter-depth-refrigerator-with-wifi-and-twin-cooling-plus-fingerprint-resistant-stainless-steel/6443500
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Short answer: YES!
I bought a samsung fridge about 7-8 years ago. It had electronic control modules, and they fail.
They send out repair guys who replace those modules under warranty, but then they fail again within days. I had that happen 3 times, from memory.
Bought from Sears and was able to return, but it was a massive PITA as Sears does not like to take returns. I ended up on the phone several times and for over 3 hours total. The trick is to get to the right person, and they have several people you will encounter first who seem like they are the right person, but they are not.
After that I had to figure out a replacement brand. The Sears rep couldn't recommend a specific brand or model, but I was able to ask in code: "What would be a brand/model that most people in my situation would end up getting"? Ended up with a Kenmore Elite (I had to check), and it has not skipped a beat.
Never again for me with either Samsung or Sears (did they go out of business? I hope so, it would be deserved)
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Avoid.
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Avoid.
Bought a high end Samsung refrigerator/dishwasher/stove combo.
A terrible mistake.
Never again buying ANYTHING Samsung.
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I bought a Samsung fridge maybe 10 years ago now? It was on sale and the floor model and it fit my space. It has needed no repairs at all.
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Consumer Reports data show Samsung appliances (across all categories) ranked 20th for repair history out of 28 brands. The repair history of their french-door refrigerators are ‘fair’ (the second-to-last rating in a five-point scale). That said, we’ve had two samsung refrigerators in the last two homes and each had exactly one problem (which was the same - the drain clip needed to be replaced to prevent a thaw/defrost cycle).
Also: this is the MMM forums. Refrigerators are perhaps the greatest value in the used market. I come across nearly-new stainless refrigerators for around $200 on CL and Marketplace almost every week. Before you drop over $1400 after tax consider if there’s a better use for that extra $1k+ in your life.
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Just to register the positive experience, I have owned 2 different Samsung refrigerators, in 2 different houses, and not had any problems. The first one we had for 4 years before moving. The second one we have had for just over a year.
I'd second the idea to look at used fridges, particularly now. We were lucky to get ours last year; the first 4 places we worked with, both national chains and local appliance specialists, said we would have a four month wait for a factory delivery. This year, the worst I heard of was someone promised a September 2022 delivery for an order this month. (not Samsung) it also seems like fridges often get moved out when people remodel their kitchens, not because of some physical defect. We will be remodeling late next year, and will be replacing our counter-depth fridge with a full-depth one.
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I wouldn't buy another Samsung fridge. We have a side-by-side that we bought in 2010, so we're lucky in that it's still working.
Four years ago, it started feeling warmer and warmer inside the fridge, and I thought it might need major repairs. I did some research and found a YouTube video on how to fix the problem, which involved taking all the shelves out, removing the interior panel behind the shelves, and then spending an hour or so with a hairdryer melting off the iceberg that had formed back there. I've had to do that once more since then.
Anecdotally, I see local FB posts of people complaining that local service people won't even come look at their Samsung fridges, and the wait list for an approved service vendor is months long.
I would just go with what Consumer Reports recommends. Last time I looked, I believe Whirlpool came out on top.
Check to see who actually owns the appliance company you're looking at. The Sears Kenmore appliances cam be manufactured by quite a few companies, including Samsung.
https://applianceassistant.com/New-Appliances/Who-Made-What.php
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We're replacing our Samsung fridge after 17 years because we can't get repair parts for it and the repair would cost more than it's worth. Given it's age, we opted to put the cash towards a new model. We hadn't had any problems with it previously. Only reason why we didn't go with another Samsung is because there weren't any models available in our price and size ranges.
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Overall we’ve had a poor experience with Samsung products. Our current house was new when we bought it and the builder had installed Samsung appliances (stove, oven, microwave and dishwasher), so we bought a Samsung refrigerator to match. Yes, I’m a bit OCD in that way. While we haven’t had an issue with any of these appliances in the 5 1/2 years we’ve had them, I’m just not happy with the overall quality. The “buttons” on the panels are hard to push, the drawers on the dishwasher don’t slide easily, the fridge is noisy, etc. I’d love to replace them with better quality but I am mustachian enough to not spend money to replace something that works.
My really poor experience with Samsung was back in 2006 or 2007 when plasma TVs were still a thing (and pre-MMM days) and I spent $2500 on a piano black Samsung plasma TV. It is the only time I ever bought an extended service warranty and I was sure glad I did as 18 months in the damn thing completely died. BestBuy tried to repair it once and then said to use the extended warranty to buy a new TV. I asked the repairman which brands he recommended and he told me he couldn’t officially recommend one but that he could say the ones he least frequently performed repairs for were Sony. So, I used the store credit to buy a Sony LCD and it last until just a year or two ago. We replaced it with another Sony. I realize Sony doesn’t make major kitchen appliances but that’s my story for staying away from Samsung when at all possible.
I prefer Whirlpool or Frigidaire, maybe even Maytag or KitchenAid (I think they are all related), kitchen appliances. If I was totally loaded I’d probably do Wolf or Viking, but I’m not, so I’ll stick with the less expensive but still decent stuff.
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I've had two Samsung refrigerators. The first one came with my house. The fridge was likely several years old at that point. They made the absolutely boneheaded decision to put the temperature control panel on the outside of the fridge right at toddler eye level. The buttons made a kid-pleasing beeping sound, so they were of course a popular plaything and we therefore needed to check from time to time to make sure the settings were still reasonable. The front of the cheese drawer was cracked when we got it, and so were two of the shelves in the door. At one point the cracks in the bottom door shelf got so bad that I had to shore it up with some thin pieces of wood. That repair bought us several months before the plastic bits holding up the shelf gave way. No way to repair that without replacing the whole door. That's when we decided to replace it.
We lucked into a free fridge from friends who had just purchased a house that they intended to gut and remodel. They didn't really want to store it in the interim, and it wouldn't have looked right in their carefully designed new kitchen anyway, so we took it off their hands. Unluckily, it was another Samsung, basically the same as the one we had just jettisoned. It seems like in between manufacturing the two fridges they realized their mistake with the temperature controls. Instead of moving them to a different location they added a child lock button, so that's something at least. So far all the plastic bits inside the fridge are mostly intact, but the middle shelf on the door is showing a baby crack, so we'll see how much longer it lasts.
So far the main mechanical cooling functions of both fridges have been perfectly reliable, but I still probably wouldn't be inclined to buy a new Samsung fridge.
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My Samsung TV only lasted 4 years, so I am not a fan.
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Avoid. Hard stop.
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Dang. Didn't know Samsung had such a bad rep for refrigerators. We've had ours for basically 10 years, and it's only needed one minor fix to it. Hopefully we're an exception.
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Based on the experience of my SIL who is on her 4th (5th?) icemaker fix in under 2 years, yes, you should avoid Samsung.
If you simply must get a Samsung, by all means get an extended warranty.
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DO NOT BUY ANY SAMSUNG APPLIANCE ESPECIALLY A REFIGERATOR!!!!!!
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I had forgotten that our TV is also a Samsung. It's at least 15 years old. A couple of buttons on the remote control don't work so well, but that's the only problem we've had.
I wonder why we've had much better than average luck.
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I had forgotten that our TV is also a Samsung. It's at least 15 years old. A couple of buttons on the remote control don't work so well, but that's the only problem we've had.
I wonder why we've had much better than average luck.
I've never heard anything one way or the other about refrigerators until now. However, I have heard positive things about Samsung TV's (and ours are and have done great), and I'm thinking the "don't buy any Samsung electronics" is based more on kitchen appliances than TV's.
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I had an LG dishwasher (but I think Samsung is very similar repairwise) in a rental and the tenant said it wasn't washing very well. It seemed to me the spray was weak. I figured some part was failing and a repair would be easy but the appliance repairman I've worked with for years said he couldn't work on it because the manufacturer did not share troubleshooting info or part numbers or anything. I asked if he could suggest someone else who could work on it - his response was "look for the firm with the least awful online reviews." Reviews for the factory authorized repair companies (there weren't many) were all terrible. So I took the dishwasher to the dump and bought a Whirlpool.
I don't know that Samsung appliances are any less reliable than other brands but if it's a nightmare to get it fixed that's pretty important!
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I’d like to add an exclamation point or +1 to every one of these. AVOID SAMSUNG LIKE THE PLAGUE.
They are bad products and they don’t stand behind them. Fixes to problems are better off searched on YouTube with macgyvered solutions. 2/3 fridges in the family have been bad. Whirlpool products would be my suggestion, as they have held up at 15+ rentals and other homes.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Samsung: All sizzle, no substance. Completely unmustachian, IMO.
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Four years ago, it started feeling warmer and warmer inside the fridge, and I thought it might need major repairs. I did some research and found a YouTube video on how to fix the problem, which involved taking all the shelves out, removing the interior panel behind the shelves, and then spending an hour or so with a hairdryer melting off the iceberg that had formed back there. I've had to do that once more since then.
https://applianceassistant.com/New-Appliances/Who-Made-What.php
I have that exact same problem with mine. I have to do this every 6-12 months on average, but my fridge is still alive. Also had some ice maker issues but I've since been able to fix it. Unfortunately, I inherited the fridge when I bought the house, but I would NEVER buy one after this.
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We just bought a Samsung refrigerator in June... my partner specifically wanted that brand because it's done well for him appliance-wise in the past. I guess we'll see how it does for us! These replies are not encouraging, haha.
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Avoid!
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I forgot to mention... Our first Samsung fridge had a layer of ice gradually build up on the bottom of the freezer. This must have been condensation from somewhere because there was no water connection to the appliance. Every month or two the bottom drawer in the freezer would stop closing all the way and that was my cue to take out the drawer and use a screwdriver to pry up the big ice chunk underneath.
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I forgot to mention... Our first Samsung fridge had a layer of ice gradually build up on the bottom of the freezer. This must have been condensation from somewhere because there was no water connection to the appliance. Every month or two the bottom drawer in the freezer would stop closing all the way and that was my cue to take out the drawer and use a screwdriver to pry up the big ice chunk underneath.
A couple people have posted this, and it's a known problem with a lot of Samsung refrigerators (including two of my own). It's caused by the drain clip being too short, and the condensation plug icing over. That's the bad news.
The good news is there is a cheap and easy fix (though still annoying). First you have to completely defrost your fridge, which - given the insulation along the back panel - can take a couple of days. Then remove the back panel (it's just a series of screws), find the defrosting coil and then add a longer metal wire which extends down into the drain hole. This prevents future freeze-ups as the defrosting coil heats the wire, which then melts any ice that builds up in the drain hole.
Stupid design flaw, easy fix, now several years later and I've had no issues with either unit.
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I forgot to mention... Our first Samsung fridge had a layer of ice gradually build up on the bottom of the freezer. This must have been condensation from somewhere because there was no water connection to the appliance. Every month or two the bottom drawer in the freezer would stop closing all the way and that was my cue to take out the drawer and use a screwdriver to pry up the big ice chunk underneath.
A couple people have posted this, and it's a known problem with a lot of Samsung refrigerators (including two of my own). It's caused by the drain clip being too short, and the condensation plug icing over. That's the bad news.
The good news is there is a cheap and easy fix (though still annoying). First you have to completely defrost your fridge, which - given the insulation along the back panel - can take a couple of days. Then remove the back panel (it's just a series of screws), find the defrosting coil and then add a longer metal wire which extends down into the drain hole. This prevents future freeze-ups as the defrosting coil heats the wire, which then melts any ice that builds up in the drain hole.
Stupid design flaw, easy fix, now several years later and I've had no issues with either unit.
I'll second this in its entirety. It's been the only problem I've had in roughly 10 years (ridiculous though it was that it was there in the first place), and once fixed, it has caused no more issues.
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We bought a Samsung fridge when we refreshed our kitchen appliances a few years ago. Other appliances were Whirlpool; the Samsung was purchased because it was an oddly sized space and that was the only French door fridge that would fit the space. Mostly we were very pleased with the fridge; the sole problem was a plastic bracket that broke and required replacement. Can't say whether it was faulty or poor design. One other annoyance was the difficulty in cleaning some of the shelves in the event of a spill, as liquid could seep into areas that could not be cleaned without destroying the shelf.
We moved a few months ago, and inherited a high-end fancy Samsung fridge. Lots of broken shelves inside that needed replacement, but the previous owners damaged nearly everything in the house, so I can't say if that can be blamed on Samsung. The ice maker is also completely frosted up and nonfunctional, which is another project on my to-do list.
Not sure if the anecdotes are helpful or not, but overall they've been ok. I wouldn't seek out another one, but I wouldn't avoid like the plague either.
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I put all new appliances in my kitchen over the past 2 years, all Samsung. The fridge was first. It's a pretty high end bought from Home Depot. Has water/ice on the French freezer door, deli pull out draw in the middle, freezer on the bottom. No problems so far and I really like the deli draw because it's just above freezing temp. The unit is very, very quiet also. I replaced an old miserable Sub Zero (that came with the house). I would never, never recommend a Sub Z. I would have no problem recommending the Samsung fridge based on my experience.
The other appliances are Stove/Range, dishwasher and microwave. All over a year, not issues so far.
My beer fridge in the garage is a 25 year old Amana, still going strong.
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For about the past 10 years, we've been all Samsung all the time. Two different houses. Stoves, friges, washers/dryer, dishwasher, TVs.
Never had a complaint, look great, and all still working like champs.
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As one who associates with those in the appliance field, I would absolutely avoid Samsung. Hard Stop. In fact, there's a class action lawsuit in the works, and a FB group has sprung up with over 76,000 members specifically regarding dissatisfaction with their fridges.
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As one who associates with those in the appliance field, I would absolutely avoid Samsung. Hard Stop. In fact, there's a class action lawsuit in the works, and a FB group has sprung up with over 76,000 members specifically regarding dissatisfaction with their fridges.
I should find this group haha
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As one who associates with those in the appliance field, I would absolutely avoid Samsung. Hard Stop. In fact, there's a class action lawsuit in the works, and a FB group has sprung up with over 76,000 members specifically regarding dissatisfaction with their fridges.
Not to excuse Samsung, but it appears Whirlpool recently settled their own class action on drain tube problems.
https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/consumer-products/appliances/906971-whirlpool-agrees-21m-leaky-refrigerator-class-action-settlement/
Even Apple has its haters:
https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/1/22360781/apple-flexgate-stage-light-class-action-lawsuit-defective-cable
I don't think you will find a major manufacturer today that doesn't have a group of dissatisfied people. This is all mass production, and there will be "acceptable" levels of defects, given the economics of eliminating all of them. It is a fair thing to do your research, and Consumer Reports is one of the best places in the world to do so. But if you are hunting for the unicorn that will guarantee satisfaction, such a beast does not exist. It's always a roll of the dice to some extent. And given the supply chain strains of the last two years, my professional opinion as a manufacturing engineer is that defects over the life of products will rise, for those built in 2020 and 2021.
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To anyone that does have a Samsung fridge and it's freezing up in the back, there is a fix to the problem that I have found. You have to remove all the shelving and the back panel on the inside of the fridge that will expose the cooling coils. It's simple trust me. The reason they freeze up is that dumb Samsung put the defroster at the very top of the coil. It's attached with black sticky tape. Remove the tape and place the heating element at the very bottom of the coil. It will never freeze up again and you won't have that annoying sound of the fan hitting the ice that is built up on the coil.
On the crappy ice maker design unfortunately there is not a fix. The only thing that will work is you have to keep emptying the ice bin to keep it from filling up. Once it's full and it stays full for over 3 days it will cause the ice maker to freeze and than it all stops working..
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I had bad experience. Avoid Samsung refrigerator.
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Avoid
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I forgot to mention... Our first Samsung fridge had a layer of ice gradually build up on the bottom of the freezer. This must have been condensation from somewhere because there was no water connection to the appliance. Every month or two the bottom drawer in the freezer would stop closing all the way and that was my cue to take out the drawer and use a screwdriver to pry up the big ice chunk underneath.
A couple people have posted this, and it's a known problem with a lot of Samsung refrigerators (including two of my own). It's caused by the drain clip being too short, and the condensation plug icing over. That's the bad news.
The good news is there is a cheap and easy fix (though still annoying). First you have to completely defrost your fridge, which - given the insulation along the back panel - can take a couple of days. Then remove the back panel (it's just a series of screws), find the defrosting coil and then add a longer metal wire which extends down into the drain hole. This prevents future freeze-ups as the defrosting coil heats the wire, which then melts any ice that builds up in the drain hole.
Stupid design flaw, easy fix, now several years later and I've had no issues with either unit.
I'll second this in its entirety. It's been the only problem I've had in roughly 10 years (ridiculous though it was that it was there in the first place), and once fixed, it has caused no more issues.
We have the same known problem, but ours is a 10 year old Samsung French Door bottom freezer, and the condensation freezes under the deli drawer. Our problem is that we can't seem to pull the fridge out (yes, we know about the feet). The pantry is on one side of the fridge and we just can't wiggle the fridge out, even after emptying it.
So every few weeks I pull out the drawer and sweep away the ice. :: shrug ::
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I forgot to mention... Our first Samsung fridge had a layer of ice gradually build up on the bottom of the freezer. This must have been condensation from somewhere because there was no water connection to the appliance. Every month or two the bottom drawer in the freezer would stop closing all the way and that was my cue to take out the drawer and use a screwdriver to pry up the big ice chunk underneath.
A couple people have posted this, and it's a known problem with a lot of Samsung refrigerators (including two of my own). It's caused by the drain clip being too short, and the condensation plug icing over. That's the bad news.
The good news is there is a cheap and easy fix (though still annoying). First you have to completely defrost your fridge, which - given the insulation along the back panel - can take a couple of days. Then remove the back panel (it's just a series of screws), find the defrosting coil and then add a longer metal wire which extends down into the drain hole. This prevents future freeze-ups as the defrosting coil heats the wire, which then melts any ice that builds up in the drain hole.
Stupid design flaw, easy fix, now several years later and I've had no issues with either unit.
I'll second this in its entirety. It's been the only problem I've had in roughly 10 years (ridiculous though it was that it was there in the first place), and once fixed, it has caused no more issues.
We have the same known problem, but ours is a 10 year old Samsung French Door bottom freezer, and the condensation freezes under the deli drawer. Our problem is that we can't seem to pull the fridge out (yes, we know about the feet). The pantry is on one side of the fridge and we just can't wiggle the fridge out, even after emptying it.
So every few weeks I pull out the drawer and sweep away the ice. :: shrug ::
We did that for years before DW jumped on the problem, researched it, bought the part, and made the fix. I'm kind of lazy about stuff like that that can be worked around, but she rocks :-)!
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Please have her come over and help us move the fridge ;-)
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And given the supply chain strains of the last two years, my professional opinion as a manufacturing engineer is that defects over the life of products will rise, for those built in 2020 and 2021.
So you're saying those products built specifically since COVID hit are likely to have more defects in general? Why is that?
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Also: this is the MMM forums. Refrigerators are perhaps the greatest value in the used market. I come across nearly-new stainless refrigerators for around $200 on CL and Marketplace almost every week. Before you drop over $1400 after tax consider if there’s a better use for that extra $1k+ in your life.
I've always heard the opposite -- that the efficiency of refrigerators has been going up so fast that it's practically always a net win to buy a new rather than a 10-yr old used model because they use so much less energy.
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I'm going to add to the chorus. Avoid them. I bought a side by side with an ice maker and water dispenser in 2010 and the freezer failed in 2013. My buddy also had a Samsung refrigerator where the freezer failed.
I bought a plain Whirlpool to replace it and It has run like a champion. Fewer features means fewer things to fail.
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And given the supply chain strains of the last two years, my professional opinion as a manufacturing engineer is that defects over the life of products will rise, for those built in 2020 and 2021.
So you're saying those products built specifically since COVID hit are likely to have more defects in general? Why is that?
1) Workplaces everywhere are having difficulty staffing entry-level positions, so people are working understaffed, which may mean unfamiliar jobs, lack of training or lots of overtime driving fatigue. All of which increase the likelihood of errors.
2) Global, just-in-time supply chains have been severely disrupted, so alternatives have had to be deployed: alternative suppliers, alternative materials or parts, alternative transportation. All of this is untested: like unintended new product launches, for everything, all at once. And the speed necessary to adjust will particularly impact engineering timelines: think accelerated FDA approvals, but instead for certifying motors, hinges, and electronics for use.
One benefit of JIT manufacturing was quality. Things were repeated many times, so defects are made easier to spot. And the small inventory meant any new defect found would have a smaller impact, whether with work-in-process inventory or finished goods.
All that is out the window, now. It's improvise or shut down.
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Also: this is the MMM forums. Refrigerators are perhaps the greatest value in the used market. I come across nearly-new stainless refrigerators for around $200 on CL and Marketplace almost every week. Before you drop over $1400 after tax consider if there’s a better use for that extra $1k+ in your life.
I've always heard the opposite -- that the efficiency of refrigerators has been going up so fast that it's practically always a net win to buy a new rather than a 10-yr old used model because they use so much less energy.
What about my comment makes you think I’m talking about 10 year old refrigerators?
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Also: this is the MMM forums. Refrigerators are perhaps the greatest value in the used market. I come across nearly-new stainless refrigerators for around $200 on CL and Marketplace almost every week. Before you drop over $1400 after tax consider if there’s a better use for that extra $1k+ in your life.
I've always heard the opposite -- that the efficiency of refrigerators has been going up so fast that it's practically always a net win to buy a new rather than a 10-yr old used model because they use so much less energy.
What about my comment makes you think I’m talking about 10 year old refrigerators?
Exactly. I've never purchased a new appliance, people are always getting rid of practically new ones. I can't tell you how many people get rid of excellent appliances that are in houses they buy when they immediately gut the kitchen and replace all of the appliances.
It's crazy. I honestly don't know why people in major urban centers ever buy new appliances. I got my last fridge for $400.
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And given the supply chain strains of the last two years, my professional opinion as a manufacturing engineer is that defects over the life of products will rise, for those built in 2020 and 2021.
So you're saying those products built specifically since COVID hit are likely to have more defects in general? Why is that?
1) Workplaces everywhere are having difficulty staffing entry-level positions, so people are working understaffed, which may mean unfamiliar jobs, lack of training or lots of overtime driving fatigue. All of which increase the likelihood of errors.
2) Global, just-in-time supply chains have been severely disrupted, so alternatives have had to be deployed: alternative suppliers, alternative materials or parts, alternative transportation. All of this is untested: like unintended new product launches, for everything, all at once. And the speed necessary to adjust will particularly impact engineering timelines: think accelerated FDA approvals, but instead for certifying motors, hinges, and electronics for use.
One benefit of JIT manufacturing was quality. Things were repeated many times, so defects are made easier to spot. And the small inventory meant any new defect found would have a smaller impact, whether with work-in-process inventory or finished goods.
All that is out the window, now. It's improvise or shut down.
Makes sense, thanks.
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Avoid Samsung appliances in general. My home came with all Samsung kitchen appliances. In 7 years I've replaced the microwave and the dishwasher. The stove had a heating element go out, which I just live with. The fridge is okay... for now.
I know appliances breakdown and have problems sometimes, but I went in on a washer and a dryer from Kenmore with some roommates back in 2008. When we moved out and went our separate ways, I bought out everyone of their share in the appliances. Three moves and 13 years later, they still work.
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Also: this is the MMM forums. Refrigerators are perhaps the greatest value in the used market. I come across nearly-new stainless refrigerators for around $200 on CL and Marketplace almost every week. Before you drop over $1400 after tax consider if there’s a better use for that extra $1k+ in your life.
I've always heard the opposite -- that the efficiency of refrigerators has been going up so fast that it's practically always a net win to buy a new rather than a 10-yr old used model because they use so much less energy.
What about my comment makes you think I’m talking about 10 year old refrigerators?
Exactly. I've never purchased a new appliance, people are always getting rid of practically new ones. I can't tell you how many people get rid of excellent appliances that are in houses they buy when they immediately gut the kitchen and replace all of the appliances.
It's crazy. I honestly don't know why people in major urban centers ever buy new appliances. I got my last fridge for $400.
Because frankly, the prospect of renting a truck and hauling a refrigerator up/down stairs and not actually having any recourse if it doesn’t work is not all that attractive?
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Also: this is the MMM forums. Refrigerators are perhaps the greatest value in the used market. I come across nearly-new stainless refrigerators for around $200 on CL and Marketplace almost every week. Before you drop over $1400 after tax consider if there’s a better use for that extra $1k+ in your life.
I've always heard the opposite -- that the efficiency of refrigerators has been going up so fast that it's practically always a net win to buy a new rather than a 10-yr old used model because they use so much less energy.
What about my comment makes you think I’m talking about 10 year old refrigerators?
Exactly. I've never purchased a new appliance, people are always getting rid of practically new ones. I can't tell you how many people get rid of excellent appliances that are in houses they buy when they immediately gut the kitchen and replace all of the appliances.
It's crazy. I honestly don't know why people in major urban centers ever buy new appliances. I got my last fridge for $400.
Because frankly, the prospect of renting a truck and hauling a refrigerator up/down stairs and not actually having any recourse if it doesn’t work is not all that attractive?
I have a delivery guy who charges $40-60 for simple deliveries, and I included that in the price.
Sure, there's a risk of losing money, but with the several thousand I've saved over the years in appliances, I've always been willing to risk a lemon along the way, which did happen, I had a stove that needed a control panel replaced about a year after I bought it.
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Also: this is the MMM forums. Refrigerators are perhaps the greatest value in the used market. I come across nearly-new stainless refrigerators for around $200 on CL and Marketplace almost every week. Before you drop over $1400 after tax consider if there’s a better use for that extra $1k+ in your life.
I've always heard the opposite -- that the efficiency of refrigerators has been going up so fast that it's practically always a net win to buy a new rather than a 10-yr old used model because they use so much less energy.
What about my comment makes you think I’m talking about 10 year old refrigerators?
Exactly. I've never purchased a new appliance, people are always getting rid of practically new ones. I can't tell you how many people get rid of excellent appliances that are in houses they buy when they immediately gut the kitchen and replace all of the appliances.
It's crazy. I honestly don't know why people in major urban centers ever buy new appliances. I got my last fridge for $400.
Because frankly, the prospect of renting a truck and hauling a refrigerator up/down stairs and not actually having any recourse if it doesn’t work is not all that attractive?
I just can’t see paying 5x (or more) the price. As for not working, meh - everything appliance I’ve ever bought the sellers have been more than willing to plug it in and show that it works, and most private sellers don’t seem too keen on screwing someone else when you see where they live.
Some people love brick and mortar stores because it gives them a sense of security that they can return it, but it seems most make you jump through a bunch of hoops. Often it seems to involve scheduling a technician to come to your house to ‘diagnose’ the problem (typically within an ill defined 4-6 hour repair window), potentially a second visit to either fix or remove the appliance, and then a third to get the new appliance in. Or you are still stuck lugging the broken one back to the store. And the fight over whether you go through the store you purchased or the manufacturer that made it.
As MalCat said, there are numerous delivery services that will move heavy appliances for a flat fee.
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You’ve bought more appliances that I have. LOL I’ve bought two fridges in 25 years, both cost well under $1k. Current fridge came with new house.
We’re looking for a basement fridge (big family) and there are still plenty of basic, new, refrigerators available at less than $1k.
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You’ve bought more appliances that I have. LOL I’ve bought two fridges in 25 years, both cost well under $1k. Current fridge came with new house.
We’re looking for a basement fridge (big family) and there are still plenty of basic, new, refrigerators available at less than $1k.
Yes, I've bought two old condos that had old appliances that all eventually needed to be replaced. So I've saved thousands by buying barely used appliances for about a third of retail, and they've all been very nice appliances.
If new $1000 fridges work for you, then go nuts. But I stand by my statement that I don't understand why more people don't buy used because even compared to the "basic" new appliance, the price savings for a premium appliance are significant.
Granted, they're only so incredibly cheap because no one buys used appliances.
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I forgot to mention... Our first Samsung fridge had a layer of ice gradually build up on the bottom of the freezer. This must have been condensation from somewhere because there was no water connection to the appliance. Every month or two the bottom drawer in the freezer would stop closing all the way and that was my cue to take out the drawer and use a screwdriver to pry up the big ice chunk underneath.
Ditto. That's the one we have.
After we first got it the circulation fan in the back wall froze up a few times. After a couple of years, somebody posted a YouTube fix for that. Seems that the factory placed a sensor on the wrong end of the condenser coil, which I simply unclipped and moved to the correct side.
The electronic temp display crapped out, so we have to "guess" at it and use a thermometer to confirm the setting.
We thought we were "lucky" when we found this fridge for 50% off at Lowes. It was a $3000 unit for "only" $1500. And it's so "pretty". What a turd it's been.
It's time to pull it out and remove the 2" thick slab of ice.....again!
Samsung fridges suck.
Edit: I just read the rest of the posts and see that there's a "simple" fix for my ice slab issue. So, I guess I'll keep the damn thing a while longer.
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You’ve bought more appliances that I have. LOL I’ve bought two fridges in 25 years, both cost well under $1k. Current fridge came with new house.
We’re looking for a basement fridge (big family) and there are still plenty of basic, new, refrigerators available at less than $1k.
Yes, I've bought two old condos that had old appliances that all eventually needed to be replaced. So I've saved thousands by buying barely used appliances for about a third of retail, and they've all been very nice appliances.
If new $1000 fridges work for you, then go nuts. But I stand by my statement that I don't understand why more people don't buy used because even compared to the "basic" new appliance, the price savings for a premium appliance are significant.
Granted, they're only so incredibly cheap because no one buys used appliances.
I was moved to take a look at refrigerators available on Craigslist, and I’m guessing that demand is currently up, because the few available there are not all that cheap.
But again - I think for many people, the issue of how to move a refrigerator on your own is going to be a significant barrier to buying used. You’ve got to have access to a truck and labor, and that can get expensive, too.
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I was moved to take a look at refrigerators available on Craigslist, and I’m guessing that demand is currently up, because the few available there are not all that cheap.
But again - I think for many people, the issue of how to move a refrigerator on your own is going to be a significant barrier to buying used. You’ve got to have access to a truck and labor, and that can get expensive, too.
Given the scarcity of new models, that's not surprising. I had a neighbor who was promised delivery of a new order by *September 2022* (not a typo)
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But again - I think for many people, the issue of how to move a refrigerator on your own is going to be a significant barrier to buying used. You’ve got to have access to a truck and labor, and that can get expensive, too.
And again - it's easy to rent a truck and hire movers, and it still comes out far, far cheaper. UHaul partners with companies that will supply the labor, or you can literally call any moving company and ask to hire a couple of movers and a truck for two hours. This is literally what they do. But unless there are stairs involved, a good quality hand truck (also available as a rental) will move large appliances around no problem.
When appliance stores advertise "free delivery" - it's not free. It's part of the cost. And that cost is so substantially higher even after factoring in renting a truck (if you need) and movers (if you need).
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It’s easy to rent a truck and labor, but it’s also $200, so there goes your savings. ( And I just rented labor as part of my move, so I’m not pulling numbers out of the air.)
I completely agree that if you find the right deal at the right time, second hand appliances can save you money. I just can see why people, including myself, don’t do that. It is much harder to arrange for a lot of people than marching into Home Depot.
I’ve never, ever spent $1k on an appliance though, because I look for basic models with less stuff to go wrong. So if I spend $600 on a Craigslist refrigerator and $200 to move it, I’m back to the price of a new fridge but with no warranty.
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This fridge thread just reminded me of a friend whose wealthy parents are moving into an independent living facility & doing a little remodel before moving in. The husband proudly complained to me that his DW was getting a new $10K Subzero for a kitchen that she'll probably never even cook in. Like he said, "What else are we going to spend it on at this point in life?".
At least they knew better than to buy a Samsung, right?! ;)
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It’s easy to rent a truck and labor, but it’s also $200, so there goes your savings. ( And I just rented labor as part of my move, so I’m not pulling numbers out of the air.)
I completely agree that if you find the right deal at the right time, second hand appliances can save you money. I just can see why people, including myself, don’t do that. It is much harder to arrange for a lot of people than marching into Home Depot.
I’ve never, ever spent $1k on an appliance though, because I look for basic models with less stuff to go wrong. So if I spend $600 on a Craigslist refrigerator and $200 to move it, I’m back to the price of a new fridge but with no warranty.
I'm not going to argue individual cases and circumstances.
I personally have never lived in a city where I couldn't hire a cheap, on demand dude with a truck for well under $100 cash for a small job. As I said before, my $400 fridge included delivery.
Perhaps US cities don't have as many enterprising folks with trucks willing to do low cost deliveries. I have no idea. But my personal experience doing this many times has resulted in enormous savings.
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Also: this is the MMM forums. Refrigerators are perhaps the greatest value in the used market. I come across nearly-new stainless refrigerators for around $200 on CL and Marketplace almost every week. Before you drop over $1400 after tax consider if there’s a better use for that extra $1k+ in your life.
I've always heard the opposite -- that the efficiency of refrigerators has been going up so fast that it's practically always a net win to buy a new rather than a 10-yr old used model because they use so much less energy.
As far as I know, there have been no great gains made in the last 20 years in refrigerator efficiency. ECM fan motors would be about it. Even a 90's fridge would be fair game, especially if you factored in the purchase cost compared to a new unit which you'll get less than 10 years out of.
Folks are always astonished that refrigerator efficiency was actually very good up through the 1950's. It's a combination of oversized compressors, vertical condensers (no fans needed), thick insulation and lack of heaters that make them so economical. Where efficiency took a nose dive was the introduction of frost-free refrigerators*; the designers went crazy with mullion and strip heaters, and the promise of electricity 'too cheap to meter' was right around the corner. Things really got out of hand as the 60's came to a close. Basically any frost-free fridge from '65-'75 is an energy hog. Post '75, manufacturers put an emphasis on efficiency, and the nameplate ratings settled down in the '80's. The biggest trend I've seen in the last two decades has been undersizing the compressor and running it much more frequently. Yes, it will wear itself out prematurely, and the reject heat is crazy, but "average" power consumption is slightly lower.
*GE had a clever hot-gas design with a reversing valve that would melt the frost off the evap coils without any heaters. Very efficient and effective, but not as cheap to produced as adding a few more heater strips.
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Also: this is the MMM forums. Refrigerators are perhaps the greatest value in the used market. I come across nearly-new stainless refrigerators for around $200 on CL and Marketplace almost every week. Before you drop over $1400 after tax consider if there’s a better use for that extra $1k+ in your life.
I've always heard the opposite -- that the efficiency of refrigerators has been going up so fast that it's practically always a net win to buy a new rather than a 10-yr old used model because they use so much less energy.
As far as I know, there have been no great gains made in the last 20 years in refrigerator efficiency. ECM fan motors would be about it. Even a 90's fridge would be fair game, especially if you factored in the purchase cost compared to a new unit which you'll get less than 10 years out of.
There might not have been any significant novel technical improvements, but there's still a huge difference in performance of different models.
Last time I bought a fridge and freezer was in 2014 and I carefully compared the energy consumption of potential purchases. The consumption varied from 0.22kWh p.a per litre to 0.52kWh p.a. per litre, a 2.4:1 range. The 1990 fridge that was being replaced consumed 0.81kWh p.a. per litre.
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Also: this is the MMM forums. Refrigerators are perhaps the greatest value in the used market. I come across nearly-new stainless refrigerators for around $200 on CL and Marketplace almost every week. Before you drop over $1400 after tax consider if there’s a better use for that extra $1k+ in your life.
I've always heard the opposite -- that the efficiency of refrigerators has been going up so fast that it's practically always a net win to buy a new rather than a 10-yr old used model because they use so much less energy.
As far as I know, there have been no great gains made in the last 20 years in refrigerator efficiency. ECM fan motors would be about it. Even a 90's fridge would be fair game, especially if you factored in the purchase cost compared to a new unit which you'll get less than 10 years out of.
There might not have been any significant novel technical improvements, but there's still a huge difference in performance of different models.
Last time I bought a fridge and freezer was in 2014 and I carefully compared the energy consumption of potential purchases. The consumption varied from 0.22kWh p.a per litre to 0.52kWh p.a. per litre, a 2.4:1 range. The 1990 fridge that was being replaced consumed 0.81kWh p.a. per litre.
Also of note, neither nereo nor I were referring to buying 10 year old refrigerators in our discussion of buying used appliances.
I've personally never bought a used appliance more than a year or two old. Most of them near new or even unused for a quarter or a third of the price.
I don't know why people assumed we were talking about decade old appliances.
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Also: this is the MMM forums. Refrigerators are perhaps the greatest value in the used market. I come across nearly-new stainless refrigerators for around $200 on CL and Marketplace almost every week. Before you drop over $1400 after tax consider if there’s a better use for that extra $1k+ in your life.
I've always heard the opposite -- that the efficiency of refrigerators has been going up so fast that it's practically always a net win to buy a new rather than a 10-yr old used model because they use so much less energy.
As far as I know, there have been no great gains made in the last 20 years in refrigerator efficiency. ECM fan motors would be about it. Even a 90's fridge would be fair game, especially if you factored in the purchase cost compared to a new unit which you'll get less than 10 years out of.
There might not have been any significant novel technical improvements, but there's still a huge difference in performance of different models.
Last time I bought a fridge and freezer was in 2014 and I carefully compared the energy consumption of potential purchases. The consumption varied from 0.22kWh p.a per litre to 0.52kWh p.a. per litre, a 2.4:1 range. The 1990 fridge that was being replaced consumed 0.81kWh p.a. per litre.
Also of note, neither nereo nor I were referring to buying 10 year old refrigerators in our discussion of buying used appliances.
I've personally never bought a used appliance more than a year or two old. Most of them near new or even unused for a quarter or a third of the price.
I don't know why people assumed we were talking about decade old appliances.
Maybe they are thinking as mustachians and their initial assumption would be why would anyone get rid of an appliance newer than 10 years old....? It bumfuzzles me why people would, myself, but I understand that it happens and hope to find some good deals myself if I can find any when mine inevitably break.
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I just browsed our local Craigslist. Mostly "new" and over $1000, or ancient for $50. Lots of Samsungs! LOL
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I just browsed our local Craigslist. Mostly "new" and over $1000, or ancient for $50. Lots of Samsungs! LOL
This thread inspired me to take a look myself. I'm not seeing great deals - a few pretty new ones for like $900 and change, some ones that look around 7 years old for $400, and some super old ones for $100. Alas, it doesn't seem that this will work in my area.
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I just browsed our local Craigslist. Mostly "new" and over $1000, or ancient for $50. Lots of Samsungs! LOL
This thread inspired me to take a look myself. I'm not seeing great deals - a few pretty new ones for like $900 and change, some ones that look around 7 years old for $400, and some super old ones for $100. Alas, it doesn't seem that this will work in my area.
It might be a temporary aberration. The supply chains are a mess after all. The price of used cars is through the roof, why not used appliances? If that's the case, in a year or 2 it should settle down.
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I just browsed our local Craigslist. Mostly "new" and over $1000, or ancient for $50. Lots of Samsungs! LOL
Not surprising right now, it's also a terrible time to try and buy a used bike or car.
You can't generalize about the market during a supply chain crisis.
I already acknowledged in previous posts that I don't know if it's any different in US cities, but I've lived in 3 major Canadian cities and over the past 20+ years, have been able to find excellent value buying barely used appliances.
People are constantly getting rid of perfectly good appliances, the same way they're constantly getting rid of tons of other perfectly good things.
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I just browsed our local Craigslist. Mostly "new" and over $1000, or ancient for $50. Lots of Samsungs! LOL
Not surprising right now, it's also a terrible time to try and buy a used bike or car.
You can't generalize about the market during a supply chain crisis.
I already acknowledged in previous posts that I don't know if it's any different in US cities, but I've lived in 3 major Canadian cities and over the past 20+ years, have been able to find excellent value buying barely used appliances.
People are constantly getting rid of perfectly good appliances, the same way they're constantly getting rid of tons of other perfectly good things.
Absolutely. I know you weren't talking to me specifically in your post, but I wanted to say I wasn't meaning to criticize your post, because I knew you said that you were just talking about your situation. I was just a little disappointed that it didn't line up with what I was seeing now, lol.
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Yeah, right now everything is wonky. I wrote a whole thread about my quest to find a mid-tier bicycle in my size for anything even close to 2019 prices (spoiler: it hasnt’ gone well, and most shops have literally zero options.)
But excluding our current supply-chain crisis I’ve always fund new or ‘like-new’ appliances at screaming deals online. New homes come equipped with appliances to match the fit and finish (and price-point) of the home, but a shocking number of buyers immediately renovate the kitchen to be more to their style. Others seem oddly attached to their particular appliances and move with them from place to place (e.g. they love a particular frige for it’s color, door position or ice-making functions). At the same time appliances last so long (often decades) that there’s normally a surplus of older-but-functional ones available for $25-50, which limits what one can sell barely used models for.
I’ve bought appliances in four different US states and two Canadian provinces, and I’m still baffled why frugal people would ever buy new (outside of COVID supply-chain times). Particularly when I also hear so many horror stories about how difficult it is to get a large appliance repaired under warranty - buying new just doesn’t seem to bring any real increased security.
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Yeah, right now everything is wonky. I wrote a whole thread about my quest to find a mid-tier bicycle in my size for anything even close to 2019 prices (spoiler: it hasnt’ gone well, and most shops have literally zero options.)
But excluding our current supply-chain crisis I’ve always fund new or ‘like-new’ appliances at screaming deals online. New homes come equipped with appliances to match the fit and finish (and price-point) of the home, but a shocking number of buyers immediately renovate the kitchen to be more to their style. Others seem oddly attached to their particular appliances and move with them from place to place (e.g. they love a particular frige for it’s color, door position or ice-making functions). At the same time appliances last so long (often decades) that there’s normally a surplus of older-but-functional ones available for $25-50, which limits what one can sell barely used models for.
I’ve bought appliances in four different US states and two Canadian provinces, and I’m still baffled why frugal people would ever buy new (outside of COVID supply-chain times). Particularly when I also hear so many horror stories about how difficult it is to get a large appliance repaired under warranty - buying new just doesn’t seem to bring any real increased security.
This is my experience as well. I usually get things from newer subdivisions where the people who move in immediately replace all of the appliances.
I just picked up a brand new, unused range hood for $50 from someone who took it out of a new build because they wanted a stainless steel one instead of a black one.
I have particularly good luck with black appliances that people have swapped out for stainless steel ones.
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I just looked at Home Depot and there are multiple basic refrigerators for <$700.
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I have particularly good luck with black appliances that people have swapped out for stainless steel ones.
Tell us the truth now--you are looking to have your kitchen match your cat!
As it should be.
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I have particularly good luck with black appliances that people have swapped out for stainless steel ones.
Tell us the truth now--you are looking to have your kitchen match your cat!
As it should be.
My avatar is not my cat.
My cat who has fur is orange, and yes, my entire house has decor that complements my cat, as it should be.
Nothing matches the hairless cat, he's just ugly.
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We love our Samsung, best fridge we ever had - great space and divider options.
We had a Kitchenaid before and it was nothing but trouble, leaks and what not.
Even the plastic pieces inside broke and the handle for the freezer was a huge problem.
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We own two Samsung TVs - never a problem. Samsung range - no problems for many years at our previous address. Currently own a kitchen with Samsung appliances - no problems yet. Also have a Samsung laptop. No problem aside from a bad hard drive several years ago. Its about 6 years old now. The battery is even still pretty good. Runtime is about 3 hrs with Kubuntu Linux.
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When I bought my house last year, the kitchen came loaded up with Samsung appliances. I’m mostly happy with them but the microwave isn’t very powerful. The fridge seems fine overall, though the ice maker is a little weird and it’s easy to not close the freezer drawer properly, causing things to get a little icy. The gas range and oven work great. I hope they all last so I don’t need to replace them any time soon.
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Dont buy samsung refrigerators. Also don't buy any kenmore refrigerators that the model number starts with 111. these refrigerators are not made by kenmore they are made by daewoo and you have to wait 6 months for parts.