American Fridge/Freezer...with or without ice/water dispenser?

katelje

Is the water/ice dispenser a gimmick or do you find it really useful?

Any brands to recommend...around the £1000 mark?

GlynD

We just had one installed last week, a Samsung with a water dispenser. We declined the ice machine as we rarely if ever use ice. The actual quality of the Samsung (£850) seems superb. It has a 10 year guarantee and the controls are simple to work. So far it appears to do what it says on the box and it's got so much room in it.

You need to bear in mind that the ones with the ice machine need to be plumbed in.

rockitup

katelje wrote: »

Is the water/ice dispenser a gimmick or do you find it really useful?

Any brands to recommend...around the £1000 mark?

We bought an Admiral (US made owned by Maytag) side by side F/F back in 2004, It wasn't a fancy looking unit but was very good quality and bought it for £700 on the internet.

This has the water/ice cubes/crushed ice dispenser and a decent inline water filter (saves on Brita jug and filters). The water tastes good and ice on tap is very handy.

Great variety of models around and not sure on their reliability now. One thing I did notice was that the Korean models some years ago seemed a bit lightweight back then. Check out some reviews online too and do some searches for the US makes, our unit was listed at£1130 but we saved the £430 as it was the previous model but unused and had a 5 year warranty (think they only have 2 years now)

shop-to-drop

Definitely get it with ice/water if it didn't have that I wouldn't want to give up the space in the kitchen to such a large fridge freezer. We have had ours for 10 years now so our kids grew up with it and drink almost exclusively water. When we were on holiday last summer they said on return how they had missed the chiled filtered water, The ice is brill for making smoothies it would be a pain to have to make ice the traditional way in those quantities. If you have the space and it is close to a water supply I wholeheartly recommend. We are looking for a new house and even large detached 5 beds rarely have space for our beloved FF and it is a sticking point for us as it is so important to our family.

shop-to-drop

Just to add ours is a Whirlpool. The first one we had kept having breakdowns/problems and was replaced in warranty. The replacement one has also needed a new ice maker and a couple of other problems but we have had extended warranty to cover cost which I would reccommend on these. Ours is stainless with black trim and still looking fab in the kitchen.

I think ours was £1300 or more but the price of these has come down in the last 10 years I believe. If you like the Samsung and it comes with a 10 year warranty that may be the way to go.

arkwright01

We have an LG with a water and ice dispenser which doesn't need to be plumbed in, just has a large (2L) jug inside. Great for us (only 2 of us) but I suppose if you have a lot of kids then you'll be filling the jug a lot!

http://www.lg.com/uk/fridge-freezers/lg-GS3159WBHV-fridge-freezers

katelje

Thanks, the water filter does sound useful. I have my eye on Samsung RSG5UURS or RSG5UCRS, both large capacity and have a water/ice dispenser. I will check out the guarantee on these.

Waterlily24

We've got an old Hoover one, it doesn't have an ice dispenser and is plumbed in. The water dispenser has stopped working recently and as it is at least eight years old we have decided to replace it but we can't find another plumbed in one and I wouldn't consider one with a refillable unit inside. We did have one with a refillable unit inside it many years ago and I hated it(you had to open the fridge to use it). lol

londonlydia

Hi,

I bought a Samsung American Fridge Freezer in Dec. Like others have said, I wouldn't have bothered if it wasnt for the fact I wanted the ice maker. I love having ice in my drinks and its fab for entertaining.

Specifically, this is the one I bought £944:

http://www.appliancesonline.co.uk/product/RSH7ZNBP-Samsung-H-Series-American-Fridge-Freezer-Black-21582.aspx

I wanted black, because all my appliances are black, but I think silver is available for cheaper.

Although getting it into my kitchen was a nightmare (involving removing parts of a bannister), it was worth it. I LOVE it. I love the sounds it makes, I like the special drawer that has separate temp control from your fridge (I use quick cool for drinks in glass bottles, and defrost for meat). I like the special panel that opens up, even though it is a gimmick (my partner not so much).

I like appliances online because you can watch the videos and they have free delivery, 7 days a week (apart from next day)....which works for me as I only ever want weekend delivery...but I still went and physically saw the product in currys before purchasing.

GlynD

The Samsung we took is a gunmetal grey so that colour is obviously available too.

mummyroysof3

i only had a one with a water dispenser(not plumbed in type) as i thought they looked like a wardrobe without lol..i paid about £600 for mine