31-01-2023, 10:00 AM
We had F&P 17 years then Westinghouse 12 years. It broke down not long ago and we were glad to see the back of its noisiness - which had been a problem from day 1.
For the current fridge I looked at Canstar https://www.canstarblue.co.nz/appliances/refrigerators/ and read reviews. Some of the "good" brands had complaints about noise which was a primary driver for our new choice, along with expected trouble-free longevity and fitting the space. We chose Mitsubishi but had to downsize one size or wait 6 weeks+ for delivery (which we thought would likely end up being longer). The difference was just a sacrifice in the height of the actual fridge space so we decided going smaller was better than having no fridge over Christmas.
Each new generation of fridge is bigger on the outside and smaller on the inside - they call it efficiency. Each new generation of fridge has less flexibility for arrangement of internal shelves. Each new generation of fridge has more features, some of which are good, and some of no interest to us but maybe somebody wants/uses them.
For the new Mistsubishi, the freezer is a drawer with 2 layers. Works well and is easier to get things out. The fruit/vege drawer gives us more/better space for fruit/veges and I like it. The main fridge has next to no flexibility in shelf arrangement. There's a "half" shelf that would be good at the top back but can't go there, it only fits the middle shelf, which I do need as a full shelf. The door arrangement is similarly annoying.
I was able to remove the ice-maker and that made a convenient pocket to keep the big block of cheese. It also has a couple of funny drawers that are intended for things like a couple of small packs of meat and can be cooler than the rest of the fridge. I left the extra cooling turned off and took out the lid and they work well for things like eggs and small containers.
The door is not counterbalanced to automatically close, but does have an alarm if you leave it open. The alarm is so high pitched that anyone with age-related hearing-loss won't hear it (I can hear it, DH can't).
I should add that the Mitsi is extremely quiet. You only hear it if you stand right next to it.
So with some changes in work flow I'm happy with it. For someone looking to buy, I certainly recommend thinking about some of that sort of thing before committing. The days of an open space where you can put shelves anywhere you want seem to be long gone.
For the current fridge I looked at Canstar https://www.canstarblue.co.nz/appliances/refrigerators/ and read reviews. Some of the "good" brands had complaints about noise which was a primary driver for our new choice, along with expected trouble-free longevity and fitting the space. We chose Mitsubishi but had to downsize one size or wait 6 weeks+ for delivery (which we thought would likely end up being longer). The difference was just a sacrifice in the height of the actual fridge space so we decided going smaller was better than having no fridge over Christmas.
Each new generation of fridge is bigger on the outside and smaller on the inside - they call it efficiency. Each new generation of fridge has less flexibility for arrangement of internal shelves. Each new generation of fridge has more features, some of which are good, and some of no interest to us but maybe somebody wants/uses them.
For the new Mistsubishi, the freezer is a drawer with 2 layers. Works well and is easier to get things out. The fruit/vege drawer gives us more/better space for fruit/veges and I like it. The main fridge has next to no flexibility in shelf arrangement. There's a "half" shelf that would be good at the top back but can't go there, it only fits the middle shelf, which I do need as a full shelf. The door arrangement is similarly annoying.
I was able to remove the ice-maker and that made a convenient pocket to keep the big block of cheese. It also has a couple of funny drawers that are intended for things like a couple of small packs of meat and can be cooler than the rest of the fridge. I left the extra cooling turned off and took out the lid and they work well for things like eggs and small containers.
The door is not counterbalanced to automatically close, but does have an alarm if you leave it open. The alarm is so high pitched that anyone with age-related hearing-loss won't hear it (I can hear it, DH can't).
I should add that the Mitsi is extremely quiet. You only hear it if you stand right next to it.
So with some changes in work flow I'm happy with it. For someone looking to buy, I certainly recommend thinking about some of that sort of thing before committing. The days of an open space where you can put shelves anywhere you want seem to be long gone.