Think Practical and No-Frills
Jan 29 '00
Recently, our refrigerator required formal burial arrangements... it was dead. It had served us well, but considering it once belonged to Carol Brady, it was time. So now came the task of shopping for a new one. What a chore and half. Some had crispers and removable shelves, some had temperature controlled meat trays, water filters, ice makers, water dispensers... the options were endless.
It was obvious we had outgrown our old one, so we needed a larger one. We opted for a 25.2 cubic inch side-by-side, but which one? Well, we decided we needed to have the chilled ice and water dispenser. In our area, the water is hard so it was to our benefit to get the water filtration system. Did we need pull out shelves? Not for $100 more! That wasn't practical. The shelves were deep but not deep enough that we needed pull-out shelves. What about the crispers... did we need temperature controlled or not? Nah, the fridge should be well enough made that any veggies or meat would be kept at an acceptable temperature. Another $100-200 off! One thing we REALLY liked was the two liter bottle holder. A removable piece of plastic that simply hang down from a shelf and the bottle sits on its side, in the way of nothing! This was the frill that we liked the most and it was free! We found what we needed and placed our order.
The only thing we did not do, which EVERYONE should do before ordering a refrigerator, is to measure the narrowest point of entry into your kitchen. We have double door entry into the house... No problem. Entry into the family room, no problem... The problem came when the delivery men went to actually move it into place in the kitchen. When you go into the kitchen area, the narrowest point is where one counter comes at an angle towards the other counter. The opening is only 23 inches. Our fridge was more than 25 and weighed more than 300 pounds. The delivery men refused to lift the fridge on their shoulders and carry it into the kitchen (can't understand why!) so we were stuck until we got some friends to come help. We got it done with a hassle, and now the fridge sits in place for the life of the house, hopefully.
So, be sure to look past all the frills, bells and whistles and think what is most practical for your family. If you have the money to spend and don't care, that's fine. But if your like us and on a budget, don't waste your money for things you don't need. You'll save money and get good use out of your purchase. Ours has saved us money on our electric and water bills. I think we did our best and made a great decision on our Whirlpool.
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Epinions.com ID:
KariCotton
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Member: Kari Cotton
Location: San Jacinto, CA
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 13 members
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