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Original poster

American fridge freezer pro/cons

69 replies

Nomoremoves · 16/08/2023 14:28

Hi im wanting to replace my fridge freezer and chest freezer. I hate the drawers in freezers. They always cracks and they don't hold much. The chest freezer is awful to dig through.

So I was wanting to get an American fridge freezer. I was just wondering if anyone can tell me pros and cons . Thanks 😊

OP posts:
Original poster
Nomoremoves · 16/08/2023 16:16

Cookerhood · 16/08/2023 16:08

As an example I randomly looked at 3 American fridge freezers on AO.com. The freezer capacities were:
Hisense 191 litres
LG: 219
Samsung: 250
A Beko.under the counter one was 95 litres

Thank you. I have read them As well. Then I saw several people say how small the freezer part is. And thought I had missed something 🤣

OP posts:
witch000 · 16/08/2023 16:35

Ours didn't fit through the front door and was a nightmare when we moved house. Also it didn't last long and wasn't cheap to buy.
And the council in this area won't collect them, when you need them to go to the recycling centre.

We did like the look of it and the freezer was better without drawers, but we didn't buy another one.

MonaOrchideous · 16/08/2023 16:41

I had an ancient regular fridge freezer with plastic drawers, and I really wanted an American fridge freezer but the space in the kitchen meant we couldn't.

ao.com/product/htr3619fwmp-haier-fridge-freezer-silver-78492-28.aspx?cmredirectionvalue=HTR3619FWMP

I went for this; the freezer holds a lot more than the old one and it has a top drawer shelf in the freezer which my kids have dedicated to ice creams and lollies. Best thing I've bought!

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

General food Home improvement
Louloulouenna · 16/08/2023 16:44

Yes it’s French Style when it’s underneath and American side by side. I’ve had both and much prefer the first.

BrieAndChilli · 16/08/2023 16:45

we have this one https://www.hotpoint.co.uk/hotpoint-ffu4d-k-1-frost-free-american-style-fridge-freezer-black-f162188/p

as fridge is not at floor level salad etc doesnt languish at the bottom of the fridge at ground level.
ice maker in freezer
the whole of the freezer is a pull out drawer so more robust than the internal plastic drawers you get in normal freezers

We do have a normal chest freezer in the conservatory for overspill/things that arent needed regualrly like joints of meat etc but thats just because we already had it before.

Freestanding fridge freezer Hotpoint FFU4D K 1 - Hotpoint

Hotpoint Freestanding fridge freezer FFU4D K 1 : discover the specifications of our home appliances and bring the innovation into your house and family.

https://www.hotpoint.co.uk/hotpoint-ffu4d-k-1-frost-free-american-style-fridge-freezer-black-f162188/p

Original poster
Nomoremoves · 16/08/2023 16:49

MonaOrchideous · 16/08/2023 16:41

I had an ancient regular fridge freezer with plastic drawers, and I really wanted an American fridge freezer but the space in the kitchen meant we couldn't.

ao.com/product/htr3619fwmp-haier-fridge-freezer-silver-78492-28.aspx?cmredirectionvalue=HTR3619FWMP

I went for this; the freezer holds a lot more than the old one and it has a top drawer shelf in the freezer which my kids have dedicated to ice creams and lollies. Best thing I've bought!

Are they easier than digging through a chest freezer or standard freezer drawers?

OP posts:
Peony654 · 16/08/2023 16:53

They are expensive to run. Depends on your household and how you shop/arrange food. We shop little and often, freeze a lot and tend to have little in the fridge day to day so I'd prefer a chest freezer. I prefer a small fridge to see what is there and reduce food waste.

VelvetUndergrounds · 16/08/2023 16:59

@Cookerhood which make / model did you go for? I'm intrigued as to the type of ice maker you have. Thanks.

MonaOrchideous · 16/08/2023 17:09

@Nomoremoves so much easier; the drawers pull out all the way so you can get to everything. It's been that one appliance that's made me happy haha

SquashPenguin · 16/08/2023 17:35

https://www.currys.co.uk/products/samsung-family-hub-spacemax-rs6ha8891b1eu-americanstyle-smart-fridge-freezer-black-stainless-10220025.html

I have this one and you can get a shit tonne of stuff in it! I’ve never had to scrape so much as a snowflake out of it!

Sparkesy · 16/08/2023 17:36

I love ours, be sure to check the internal size, I chose our Samsung based on that and the filtered water dispenser on the door.
Many we looked at were HUGE on the outside but internal size was poor.
Still going strong 8 years later and would replace like for like

Giantwindows · 16/08/2023 17:44

I’m with you OP. Hate chest and drawer freezers so we have recently bought a Samsung American style one. Even with ice dispenser there is plenty of room.

With freezer drawers we found we wasted a lot of space. We didn’t always know what was in the freezer as stuff was hidden under other stuff (and I’m quite disorganised). With the shelf style we definitely don’t waste any space as we can see everything we have. It feels more efficient. I don’t end up with three half-full boxes of fish fingers anymore.

We paid more for a C energy rated one.

Giantwindows · 16/08/2023 17:45

Oh and we paid an extra £20 to have the doors removed by the delivery men to get it through the front door, then they put them pack on when it was in position. That was by buying through Samsung directly.

PacificState · 16/08/2023 17:52

It's true you never have to de-ice them - that hadn't even occurred to me until I read this thread but I've had my Samsung for 6 years and never needed to defrost it.

The ice makers can be temperamental if they're not used frequently and you occasionally have to go at them with a wooden spoon to unblock the chute.

Get a plumber to put the water filter somewhere east to replace (it is not easy to access the back of an American fridge, they weigh a ton)

I like mine though, have never regretted buying it.

Original poster
Nomoremoves · 16/08/2023 18:05

Giantwindows · 16/08/2023 17:45

Oh and we paid an extra £20 to have the doors removed by the delivery men to get it through the front door, then they put them pack on when it was in position. That was by buying through Samsung directly.

That's great to know. I will look on the Samsung site
And yes definitely food to see through food without digging through.

OP posts:
Giantwindows · 16/08/2023 18:15

Nomoremoves · 16/08/2023 18:05

That's great to know. I will look on the Samsung site
And yes definitely food to see through food without digging through.

Show quote history

From memory the £20 charge to remove doors became available via a link from the delivery company after making the order, rather than seeing it as an available option at the checkout.

Original poster
Nomoremoves · 16/08/2023 18:26

Giantwindows · 16/08/2023 18:15

From memory the £20 charge to remove doors became available via a link from the delivery company after making the order, rather than seeing it as an available option at the checkout.

Show quote history

I looked on samsung site its way out of my price range . I just measured my kitchen door. And ones I'm looking at will go through without removing doors 👍

OP posts:
Spacecowboys · 16/08/2023 18:48

Absolutely love my American style
fridge freezer. Really spacious, doesn’t need defrosted, ice dispenser gets lots of use. It’s easy to see what’s in the freezer due to plenty of shelving rather than just drawers. I can’t think of a single con.

Cookerhood · 16/08/2023 20:05

VelvetUndergrounds · 16/08/2023 16:59

@Cookerhood which make / model did you go for? I'm intrigued as to the type of ice maker you have. Thanks.

It's a Samsung one - family hub or something. Possibly the RF9000. The ice is s dispensed into two containers at the top of the freezer. Our old one broke due to the Samsung ice maker problem (it's a known issue) so was replaced by Samsung under the warranty. It's is brilliant - it's the third American fridge freezer we've had & by far the best (& v expensive)

Nomorebollocks · 16/08/2023 20:10

We’ve got one, can’t remember the make. The freezer drawers are brilliant, and the spacer in the fridge ditto. Only complaint is… It’s much bigger than I thought it would be 🤷‍♀️ even though we measured it out. And it gives off a lot of heat in hot weather, trying to cool itself down.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 16/08/2023 20:23

As a pp said, the freezer spaces in American FFs are small. And unless you’re a big family, IMO there’s too much fridge space. As I’ve found when staying with a Dsis in the US, you’re all too apt to have various items you’ve forgotten about growing interesting fur at the back.

Original poster
Nomoremoves · 16/08/2023 20:32

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 16/08/2023 20:23

As a pp said, the freezer spaces in American FFs are small. And unless you’re a big family, IMO there’s too much fridge space. As I’ve found when staying with a Dsis in the US, you’re all too apt to have various items you’ve forgotten about growing interesting fur at the back.

I don't get why people keep saying the freezer is small . When they are around 175 litre . But an under counter freezer is 85L -100litre.

Or do you mean in comparison to the over all size of the American fridge freezer?

OP posts:
MissJoGrant · 16/08/2023 20:33

We bought ours on Facebook marketplace. It's great and I would recommend.

EmmaGrundyForPM · 16/08/2023 20:38

I ended up.buying an American style FF when our previous 24 year old upright one finally died.

I wasn't intending to.buy something so huge, but it was April 2020 and buying a f/f was almost impossible as people were buying them to stockpile extra food. The one we bought was the only one I could find.

It's absolutely brilliant. the freezer has shelves, not drawers, and there is no ice dispenser. I love it. I wouldn't go back to a standard fridge freezer.