Refrigerators: Expert and User Reviews

Our AssessmentThe editors of ConsumerReports.org test about 60 refrigerators each year. The results are published on their website, which currently provides ratings for hundreds of top-freezer, bottom-freezer, side-by-side, built-in and compact models. No other reviewer comes close to testing this many refrigerators. Each is rated based on temperature performance, energy efficiency, noise, usable capacity and ease of use, and results are reported in chart form. User reviews are also now available for many models. The accompanying buying guide -- which can be viewed without a subscription to the site -- notes that refrigerators with through-the-door ice and water dispensers generally have the most problems.

Our AssessmentThis Australian website is very similar to ConsumerReports.org, and its tests are every bit as thorough. Here editors evaluate more than 60 refrigerators for energy efficiency, noise, temperature control and ease of use. A few of the brands tested are available in the United States, including Samsung, LG and Whirlpool. However, none of the recommended refrigerators corresponds to any model sold in the U.S.

Our AssessmentIn the latest customer satisfaction survey from J.D. Power and Associates, more than 5,000 consumers rate the refrigerators they have purchased in the past two years. Each brand receives scores in seven categories: overall satisfaction, ease of use, performance and reliability, styling, features, warranty and price. Luxury brand Sub-Zero is rated the best refrigerator brand overall, earning top scores in every category except price. Samsung comes in a close second with high scores in every category. LG, Maytag and Whirlpool are also deemed "better than most," while Hotpoint, Bosch and Frigidaire receive the lowest scores overall. Survey respondents are asked only about brands rather than specific models, so the results are more useful for gauging brand loyalty and associations than for judging specific refrigerator models.

Our AssessmentThis retail site makes searching reviews easy. You can view the complete collection of refrigerators sold here on a single page, or sort them by type and rearrange the entire list based on average rating or number of reviews. Like HomeDepot.com, this site has a specific page just for reviews, but it doesn't accurately reflect the full selection of products available. Brand names, model numbers and even color choices are easy to see at a glance. The most popular refrigerators sold here are French-door and bottom-freezer models from LG, most of which sell for $2,000 or more.

Our AssessmentHomeDepot.com allows users to post reviews of products they own. Although most refrigerators receive only a few comments, several have 50 or more. However, navigating the reviews is a challenge: Not only are refrigerators split up into several pages by type, but the average rating and number of reviews for each product don't appear on the main page, requiring users to click on each fridge to compare ratings. While a separate section does allow users to browse product reviews by rating or number of reviewers, this page isn't up to date and doesn't show the actual number of reviews for most products.

Our AssessmentViewpoints.com allows users to review brands and models of numerous products, including refrigerators. While the site provides a handy summary of pros and cons for each unit reviewed, the total volume of user comments is too small to be very helpful. Most refrigerators have no more than a handful of reviews, and many of the rated models are discontinued. The only currently available refrigerator to earn a significant amount of positive feedback is the Samsung RFG297AAWP.

Our AssessmentWhile there's a lot of useful information here, there's also a heavy emphasis on marketing. Although editors say the refrigerators they recommend have undergone "in-house RefrigeratorPro.com testing," they don't describe their testing methods or provide ratings. A visit could be worthwhile for information gathering, but specific refrigerator recommendations should probably be taken with a grain of salt.

Our AssessmentGardenWeb.com features forums where users can discuss household questions and issues. There are several posts about refrigerators in the appliance section, but it takes some time to search through the hundreds of topic threads. The focus here is primarily on luxury appliances, and most threads dealing with refrigerators aren't very long or detailed. Samsung fridges and freezers get a fair amount of positive feedback in one recent thread, but one owner calls the company's customer service "abysmal."