Our fridge freezer is on its last legs: various plastic shelves have
broken, the door seals are packing up and now the thermostat has gone. I
could replace the 'stat and possibly the seals but if the horrid
plastickey bits are even available I expect they'd be exorbitantly priced,
and the appliance is old enough that a new one is probably a lot more
energy efficient anyway.

So I'm looking at kelkoo and thinking what of the 1001 makes and models to
go for. Since the plastic shelves etc seem to have been a weak point on
all the fridges & f-fs I've ever come across are there any makes which do
a decent job of them? Ideally at moderate price - maybe Bosch?

I had the same search dilemma last year and went with Bosch. Impressed
so far and discovered much cheaper online than instore. Powerhouse was
very good and best price, easy to check with pricerunner. Which
magazine also do a free test subscription online which allows you to
read their reviews of fridges.

On Fri, 21 Jul 2006 07:27:00 -0700, bartlett_jane wrote:

I had the same search dilemma last year and went with Bosch. Impressed
so far and discovered much cheaper online than instore. Powerhouse was
very good and best price, easy to check with pricerunner. Which
magazine also do a free test subscription online which allows you to
read their reviews of fridges.

Did you do that and were they any use?

I gave up on Which? years ago: their product reviews usually covered only
a miniscule proportion of the products available, and many of the makes &
models they did review were no longer available by the time their reviews
came out. Also I was less than chuffed that, having subscribed to the
paper copy of the magazine for years, they still wanted to charge me extra
for access to the same content online (which would have been useful when,
inevitably, I'd mislaid the paper copy of the magazine I wanted to refer
to).

The final straw for me was that whilst being all self-righteous about
not accepting advertising or donation of product samples to test they then
started selling their own credit card and ISP services, and advertising
them in their magazine, and still claiming that they could be impartial
when they reviewed such services!

On Fri, 21 Jul 2006 15:18:38 +0100, John Stumbles wrote
(in article ):

Our fridge freezer is on its last legs: various plastic shelves have
broken, the door seals are packing up and now the thermostat has gone. I
could replace the 'stat and possibly the seals but if the horrid
plastickey bits are even available I expect they'd be exorbitantly priced,
and the appliance is old enough that a new one is probably a lot more
energy efficient anyway.

So I'm looking at kelkoo and thinking what of the 1001 makes and models to
go for. Since the plastic shelves etc seem to have been a weak point on
all the fridges & f-fs I've ever come across are there any makes which do
a decent job of them? Ideally at moderate price - maybe Bosch?

Liebherr.

I looked very carefully at all the things you describe and especially the
construction quality of the interior and how the doors operate etc.

The exercise then is to choose the model you want and find the cheapest
supplier. Like many manufacturers they ship directly from the distributor
(Coolectric) who also provides service and spares.

http://www.liebherr.com/hg/en/default_hg.asp

On Fri, 21 Jul 2006 17:59:09 +0100, Andy Hall wrote:

Liebherr.

I looked very carefully at all the things you describe and especially the
construction quality of the interior and how the doors operate etc.

The exercise then is to choose the model you want and find the cheapest
supplier. Like many manufacturers they ship directly from the distributor
(Coolectric) who also provides service and spares.

http://www.liebherr.com/hg/en/default_hg.asp

Thanks. They look expensive - are they?
(I mean: are we talking MAN Micromat sort of prices? :-)

On Fri, 21 Jul 2006 18:16:32 +0100, John Stumbles wrote
(in article ):

On Fri, 21 Jul 2006 17:59:09 +0100, Andy Hall wrote:

Liebherr.

I looked very carefully at all the things you describe and especially the
construction quality of the interior and how the doors operate etc.

The exercise then is to choose the model you want and find the cheapest
supplier. Like many manufacturers they ship directly from the distributor
(Coolectric) who also provides service and spares.

http://www.liebherr.com/hg/en/default_hg.asp

Thanks. They look expensive - are they?
(I mean: are we talking MAN Micromat sort of prices? :-)

Certainly not the cheapest brand John, but not such a big delta as the
Micromat vs. others.

You would pay more for the stainless steel models, of course.

However, say you want a 200cm high model fitting a 60cm or so appliance
footprint, in white.

Bosch has KGU35115GB at £500

Liebherr has CN3366-20 at £570

Both are energy rating A but Liebherr has a few more features and better
build quality. These were prices picked from an online site -
electricshop.com - which seemed reasonably priced and has easy comparisons.

There are A+ rated ones as well but these tend to be more expensive and/or
have smaller freezer sections.

I bought one of Liebherr's upright freezers a couple of years ago and have
been very pleased with it.

You probably wouldn't be disappointed with Bosch either.

It's probably worth calling a few bricks and mortar places (Comet, John Lewis
- Wycombe come to mind) and see what they have and go take a look at the
internal designs and finish

Then look for the best price.

John Stumbles wrote:

On Fri, 21 Jul 2006 17:59:09 +0100, Andy Hall wrote:

Liebherr.

I looked very carefully at all the things you describe and especially
the construction quality of the interior and how the doors operate
etc.

The exercise then is to choose the model you want and find the
cheapest
supplier. Like many manufacturers they ship directly from the
distributor (Coolectric) who also provides service and spares.

http://www.liebherr.com/hg/en/default_hg.asp

Thanks. They look expensive - are they?
(I mean: are we talking MAN Micromat sort of prices? :-)



Don't forget to see if a minimum outside ambient temperature is
specified. The freezer I bought last year specified 16degC - not very
suitable for an unheated outside utility room (or even for our
kitchen). Have a good look at the manual before buying.

Edgar

On Fri, 21 Jul 2006 18:46:09 +0100, Andy Hall wrote:

Bosch has KGU35115GB at £500

Liebherr has CN3366-20 at £570

Gulp!

I was looking at Bosches around the £300 mark.
The Liebherrs - superior product that they undoubtedly are - are a bit OTT
pricewise for us in that context :-(

On Fri, 21 Jul 2006 21:28:38 +0100, John Stumbles wrote
(in article ):

On Fri, 21 Jul 2006 18:46:09 +0100, Andy Hall wrote:

Bosch has KGU35115GB at £500

Liebherr has CN3366-20 at £570

Gulp!

I was looking at Bosches around the £300 mark.
The Liebherrs - superior product that they undoubtedly are - are a bit OTT
pricewise for us in that context :-(



OK.

Then the percentage does become a bit larger

170cm Bosch KGN33V00 £325

159cm Liebherr CU2721-20 £350

179cm Liebherr CU3021-20 £370


If you want to compare, the main factors are

- height

- proportion of freezer vs. fridge

- frost free or not.


You do have to watch that you are comparing apples with apples and the things
you care about

Andy Hall wrote:
Liebherr.

I looked very carefully at all the things you describe and especially the
construction quality of the interior and how the doors operate etc.

They make all of Miele's fridges and freezers btw, apparently, at least
according to a Miele service man.

On Fri, 21 Jul 2006 22:12:11 +0100, Andy Hall wrote:

Then the percentage does become a bit larger

170cm Bosch KGN33V00 £325

159cm Liebherr CU2721-20 £350

179cm Liebherr CU3021-20 £370


If you want to compare, the main factors are

- height

Liebherrs unfortunately have a range of wrong sizes for us: I
butchered our kitchen units to fit the present one which is 170 high so
we'd have to lose fridge space to accomodate their smaller one, or butcher
the units some more in which case we'd probably go for a 200 or so, but
then we're getting into very serious money for the f-f. Hmmm.


- proportion of freezer vs. fridge

- frost free or not.

The Bosch ones we've been looking at are.

The more expensive Liebherrs also had separate cooling circuits
for the fridge and freezer, which is obviously A Good Thing but AIUI not
so critical for a CH indoor location.

Bolted wrote:
Andy Hall wrote:
Liebherr.

I looked very carefully at all the things you describe and especially
the construction quality of the interior and how the doors operate etc.

They make all of Miele's fridges and freezers btw, apparently, at least
according to a Miele service man.

A mystery solved! Looking at a Liebherr and Miele model side by side in
John Lewis recently it was obvious that they had come from the same
factory, but not which.


--
David Clark
http://www.publishing.ucl.ac.uk
$replyto = 'an.rnser.is.reqird'

On Sat, 22 Jul 2006 00:41:58 +0100, John Stumbles wrote
(in article ):

On Fri, 21 Jul 2006 22:12:11 +0100, Andy Hall wrote:

Then the percentage does become a bit larger

170cm Bosch KGN33V00 £325

159cm Liebherr CU2721-20 £350

179cm Liebherr CU3021-20 £370


If you want to compare, the main factors are

- height

Liebherrs unfortunately have a range of wrong sizes for us: I
butchered our kitchen units to fit the present one which is 170 high so
we'd have to lose fridge space to accomodate their smaller one, or butcher
the units some more in which case we'd probably go for a 200 or so, but
then we're getting into very serious money for the f-f. Hmmm.


- proportion of freezer vs. fridge

- frost free or not.

The Bosch ones we've been looking at are.

The more expensive Liebherrs also had separate cooling circuits
for the fridge and freezer, which is obviously A Good Thing but AIUI not
so critical for a CH indoor location.



OK, then I think that it pretty much makes the decision, doesn't it unless
you want to look at products from the other side of the Alps.

I've just been through the same process.

After only a couple of years with a Indesit fridge freezer. I had to
call out the repair man, who quoted me £130 for its repair. In asking
him the question which are the most reliable.

He told me that he does not see any Bosch's at all of any type of
domestic appliance.

So we bought a Bosch Fridge/Freezer KGU311 from Coop, a Bosch
Dishwasher from Comet and a Bosch Washing Machine from Argos.

Because they were all offering the cheapest prices, on the internet.

We have had no problems with any of them.

Check out http://www.gb-online.co.uk/indesit-error.html for problems.

On Fri, 21 Jul 2006 18:46:09 +0100, Andy Hall wrote:

I bought one of Liebherr's upright freezers a couple of years ago and
have been very pleased with it.

You probably wouldn't be disappointed with Bosch either.

It's probably worth calling a few bricks and mortar places (Comet, John
Lewis - Wycombe come to mind) and see what they have and go take a look
at the internal designs and finish

Then look for the best price.

SWMBO & I have just been down to look at ffs at COMEoffiT. We were
disappointed to find flimsy perspex salad crispers and drawer shelves etc
on Bosch and even Liebherrs. The best-engineered-looking were on a
Hotpoint where they were made of a more resilient white plastic (PP?).
The tinpot also had slightly better designed freezer drawers (with handles
in the sides to lift them out with). The door-mounted bottle holders
& stuff seemed much the same on all the makes so the boss may just have to
give up trying to ram oversize bottles into them.

Anyone have any horror stories about Hotpoint? Otherwise looks like
they'll be getting our money.

Also anyone know a source of bottle-racks that you can hang from under a
fridge shelf? We[1] were very taken with those on some of the more
upmarket models.




[1] that's the Royal 'we' i.e. her :-)

John Stumbles wrote:

Anyone have any horror stories about Hotpoint? Otherwise looks like
they'll be getting our money.

I've had a pair of Hotpoints for almost 9 years - an undercounter
freezer and larder fridge - and so far, I've had no problems (hurriedly
knocks wood).

Sheila

In article ,
John Stumbles wrote:

The more expensive Liebherrs also had separate cooling circuits
for the fridge and freezer, which is obviously A Good Thing but AIUI not
so critical for a CH indoor location.

Our bosch has seperate circuits as well - it's a few years old now and I seem
to recall it being something like a 50quid premium for the dual circuits.

Well, 50 quid and a bit less capacity obviously.

The OP may want to have a look at the JohnLewis own brand ones if he is
on a budget. No experience but I think they are offering a longer warranty
and the customer service from JL is normally pretty hot. I'd certainly
consider one when ours is up for replacement.

Darren

dmc wrote:
In article ,
John Stumbles wrote:

The more expensive Liebherrs also had separate cooling circuits
for the fridge and freezer, which is obviously A Good Thing but AIUI not
so critical for a CH indoor location.

Our bosch has seperate circuits as well - it's a few years old now and I seem
to recall it being something like a 50quid premium for the dual circuits.

Well, 50 quid and a bit less capacity obviously.

The OP may want to have a look at the JohnLewis own brand ones if he is
on a budget. No experience but I think they are offering a longer warranty
and the customer service from JL is normally pretty hot. I'd certainly
consider one when ours is up for replacement.

Darren

Dunno if they do a fridge freezer, but my Liebherr fridge is the dogs
*********..also excellent service.


*interestingly whilst browsing the web I came up with the following
derivation.

"In the twenties certain toys and kits (Meccano in particular) came in
'box, standard, and 'box, deluxe' forms: These became corrupted into
'bog standard' and 'dogs ********' respectively"

John Stumbles wrote:

Anyone have any horror stories about Hotpoint? Otherwise looks like
they'll be getting our money.

Also anyone know a source of bottle-racks that you can hang from under a
fridge shelf? We[1] were very taken with those on some of the more
upmarket models.

I thought all the Hotpoints had the metal bottle racks as standard -
ours certainly does and it's nowt fancy. Could it be that the
shop/display models were just missing them?

On thing I did like, which I'm sure is certainly not exlusive to the
Hotpoints, is the deep doors (as in front-to-back) and large door
compartments - 6 packs fit in no problem (as do filter jugs etc).

Mathew

On Mon, 24 Jul 2006 12:23:42 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

*interestingly whilst browsing the web I came up with the following
derivation.

"In the twenties certain toys and kits (Meccano in particular) came in
'box, standard, and 'box, deluxe' forms: These became corrupted into
'bog standard' and 'dogs ********' respectively"

(If it was on the web it must be true ;-)

I can see the former but the latter's a bit harder to grasp. A jokey
Spoonerism, perhaps?

On Mon, 24 Jul 2006 12:23:42 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Dunno if they do a fridge freezer, but my Liebherr fridge is the dogs
*********..also excellent service.

Surely you want a machine where you don't ever find out what the service
is like? :-)

On Mon, 24 Jul 2006 09:35:50 +0000, dmc wrote:

The OP may want to have a look at the JohnLewis own brand ones if he is
on a budget. No experience but I think they are offering a longer
warranty and the customer service from JL is normally pretty hot. I'd
certainly consider one when ours is up for replacement.

Looked at them on the web but they were dearer than the equivalent Bosch
etc we were looking at.