Fridge Freezer Recommendations

[Blackeyez09]

Hi guys
So my fridge freezer has just died
Inherited it with this house but it is about 13 years old by John Lewis
Engineer says it is beyond economical repair...
I need your expert recommendations for new fridge freezer preferably frost free with a budget of around 300-400
I would love to match with other Miele/smeg appliances i also inherited but expensive and I don't know if I will be here past 5 years (I don't think moving fridges is a good idea)

TIA
Ps I'm sure there is a better forum for this so please move if you can but posting here as it ties in with the recent move :)

I have this Bosch and I have been very happy with it.

It replaced the fridge that features in the John Lewis ad of a couple of years ago (with 'Always a Woman' as the song), which was nothing but trouble.

I too have been happier with Bosch than anything else. I also like the biggest I can possibly get. If you are not tall, check that you can reach the top shelf. Free-standing are much easier to install or service, and better VFM, than integrated/built in.

Press-buttons and indicator lights, for both fridge and freezer, are better than knobs.

If you're hitting the budget, look for a model without frost-free-freezer, if it is noticeably cheaper. The frost-free is the part that most often goes wrong and is a real nuisance when it does. Simpler freezers usually last for decades without problems.

A new one will noticeably cut your electricity usage.

Thanks for your replies will look into getting a Bosch :)

Miele.

The one we've got is taller than other FFs too - same size fridge but bigger freezer at the bottom.

I do have to stand on a chair to reach the top shelf though (am short)

Thanks but I don't think my budget would stretch to a Miele though I know they are very good... If I was planning on staying longer I would invest in one but they seem to start from 700 pounds!

Sadly you havent got a chance in hell of getting a decent frost free fridge for under £8-900.

I would highly recommend Miele or Liebherr (the latter manufacture for the former to their specification).

Unfortunately even Bosch will be around £600 for a very basic fridge. Get a John Lewis product with 5 year warranty. Its a very very basic fridge (not worthy of the JL badge TBH) but the 5 year warranty will give you some piece of mind.

That is not true.

Whatever you do, please don't be tempted to buy a "graded" model. These have often been dropped when being unloaded and whilst they might have small superficial dents there may be internal damage that cannot be seen.

Bosch. If you can't afford new, get a secondhand one. I disagree (respectfully) with the last post, several of my appliances are secondhand/graded, arrived good-as-new and with a warranty and work perfectly. Our Bosch Exxcel fridge freezer was in the Co-op sale, was a manager's special and still going strong 10 years later.

e.g. here

We were advised against getting a Smeg fridge. Sadly, they're more design and less function (apparently) although we were told that their dishwashers were stand out in terms of quality.

3.5 years later, we have a second hand Smeg dishwasher and a Bosch fridge (also second hand) both are still going strong.

It's possible to move a fridge by the way, as long as you are careful and leave it to settle down afterwards. People do it all the time.

Nothing wrong with buying an ex display model or one that has been returned by a customer. I worked for several years for a firm delivering white goods. A good many are dropped and not sold onto the designated customers ie Curry's ; however, they are bought by traders who "fix" them up and sell them on with a short warranty.

Always buy from a reputable shop

Ah, you have seen the "dark side" of white goods!

Thanks guys
KMdesign thanks but I don't think anything is built to last forever but the John lewis fridge currently here managed 13 years according to vendor and bought for around 500 pounds so I'm sure it is possible!
If I get 13 years out of a fridge I would be happy
I've also known people with smeg fridges that complain they are rubbish for the price
I think I will go form the line of Bosch and I have seen a few nice models for under 400-500 pounds

I'm not keen on my big Miele. The door seals are wearing out after 6 years & the freezer space seems too small for the size.
I love my other Miele appliances but probably wouldn't have the FF next time.
I like Siemens.

As an alternative to the usual suspects miele, bosch, Siemens, neff I can recommend Gorenje appliances.

They are a Slovenian brand known for great quality but really well priced against the other bigger names. They are starting to get brand awareness in the UK - eg harrods now stocks them - and they're great quality products but without paying a premium just to have the miele name

See here a fridge freezer roughly in your price range

www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/nrk6192jw

Oops link didn't work - search for 'gorenje frost free fridge freezer' on appliances direct and there's one for £478 or thereabouts

Agree with previous post. Paying top whack doesn't always mean you get a better product nowadays. Most brands are made in the same factories. That said I saw some fridges in Curries and they looked ok for the price, on closer inspection the door seals look like they'd been fitted by a 3 year old, the mitred edges were not even joined.
Agree with piglet about not getting a frost free version, they are forever going wrong.

I will confess to having both a Bosch and a Siemens frost-free FF. I have been through the Frost-free problem and wasted a fair bit of money buying a replacement, but know how to fix it now.

The Siemens was slightly more expensive, but the Bosch is actually better.

Because Bosch and Siemens jointly own BSH which designs and builds these appliances, they probably were made in the same factory, however most other brands are not.

I have fridgesreviews.com/midea-whs-65lb1-compact-single-reversible-door-refrigerator-and-freezer-1-6-cubic-feet-black/ at my home. I like its features like it has adjustable legs, energy saving mode and separate compartment. I got it in my budget. I am using this fridge from last year and I am very happy with its performance.