samsung or bosch? fridge or fridge freezer?

[forgottoremember]

Our much hated John Lewis fridge freezer has died, and we have to get something new.

We now have a chest freezer, so the freezer bit isn't essential.

We're a family of 5 - 3 small children at the moment, but they'll grow (!). We cook almost everything from fresh, and get a veg box most weeks.

Our old f/f had a fridge that was about 140cm tall, and that was fine-got really full sometimes, but not at all often.

Now dithering about what to replace it with. Advise me!

1. Under-counter fridge.
   
   Pros: economical. We'd gain some nice shelves above it, or perhaps some wall-hung cupboards
   Cons: we could make do with a little fridge for now, just - would need to buy milk more often - but would it be realistic even in the medium term? Also would involve Works: new bit of worktop, cupboards/shelves (hassle and expense)

2. Mid-height freestanding fridge
   Pros: the right size for us. No 'works' needed
   Cons: ugly. We also store cake tins on top of the fridge (no alternative place) and they'd be more in sight

3. Mid-height integrated fridge
   Pros: right size. Would look nicer, as fridge is hidden and we could maybe have a cupboard above and below
   Cons: hassle. Might have to get a carpenter to make a carcase for us, as I've not seen a standard one for sale.
   Also am suspicious of integrated appliances.

4. Huge enormous super-tall fridge
   Pros: we'd never run out of space. We'd gain cupboard storage as stuff we currently keep in cupboards could go in fridge (jam, that sort of stuff). Would look like what we currently have, so tins remain high
   Cons: oh god, are we really the sort of people who need/want a massive massive fridge? Not sure I can bear it. Also veg is always stored at the bottom so we'd be digging around on the floor for it all the time.

1. Fridge freezer again

Pros: it's what we already have Cons: don't really need the freezer bit any more, and given the fact that last one broke in just 6 years I am dubious about them...

This is my longest post ever! Very cathartic...

now look i know this is boring but surely somebody has a view???

I think total pennies needs to be looked at... If its going to cost extra to modify the kitchen, is an undercounted or built-in type actually cheaper?
Have a look round the brands (& the retailers), see who's offering the best overall value. We ended up getting a tall Seimens fridge (effectively a Bosch), but they were doing a free 5yr guarantee, so the £30 extra more than made up for ~£180+ on a separate guarantee contract.
Kids only eat more as they get bigger, so I'd suggest getting as large a fridge as you can. If you need to keep storage above it, don't get a 6ft one!

I wouldn't have another undercounter fridge.

A greater propertion of space is lost from the compressor under the back, and unless you are very short, you will tend to lose things at the back of the shelves because they are out of sight or hard to reach. I would go for a tall one. If your chest freezer is not close, it is useful to have a least a smallish FF for the stuff you use frequently and want close at hand. I like a big tall FF.

If you are not very tall, make sure you can reach the top shelf.

BTW frost-free freezers are much less reliable, as the ducts at the back get blocked. There is an easy DIY fix to this, but if the heaters have failed, it is usually uneconomic to repair. They are also more expensive to buy.

non-frost-frees have hardly anything in them to go wrong.

oh that's v interesting abt non frost free ffs. the engineer who first came to see our dead one said something about that - to do with the forced air system and sensitivity to the freezer ever getting even a small bit too warm and therefore icing up somewhere inside (?)

we are both v tall, so no issues w top shelves.

had pretty much decided on a med-to-tall fridge, but will go and have another look at ffs as well now.

thank you!

oh, and I didn't know siemens was practically bosch! will look at them as well now.

Bosch and Siemens jointly own the company that designs and builds them, BSH (Bosch Siemens Hausgerate)

Sometimes they are identical and sometimes slightly different. Siemens usually aims a bit upmarket and I hear their Tumble-driers, for example, are better (and more expensive) than Bosch.

BTW I recently swapped to a Siemens FF, and it is less roomy, I suppose because the frost-free ducts and fan take up some room at the back of the cabinet, behind the liner. I only noticed when I tried to fill it up with the frozen food from the old Indesit, and had food left over at the end.