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About Whirlpool
The Whirlpool Corporation is an American manufacturer of major and small home appliances that was founded way back in 1911(108 years ago) by Louis and Emory Upton. This makes it one of the oldest refrigerator brands around. The corporation has more than 70 technology research and manufacturing centers around the globe.
The Whirlpool Corporation has its headquarters in Benton Charter Township, Michigan. Whirlpool also owns and markets sub-brands including Maytag, KitchenAid, Amana, and Roper. It is worth noting that Whirlpool also manufactures some Kenmore refrigerators.
Whirlpool is viewed as very reliable and its appliances as durable and high quality. The company's main focus is on innovative design and simplicity to make the users' lives easier. The customer service is also good.
The Reliability of Whirlpool Refrigerators
Whirlpool has been building reliable major and small home appliances that last long for more than a century. The high-quality of their refrigerator brands has been part of the headlines. No matter what style or size you opt for, if you are buying a whirlpool fridge, you can rest assured that you have invested in a highly reliable brand.
A survey involving appliance repair technicians that was carried out in 2019 offered some insight into the reliability of fridge refrigerator brands. Appliance repair technicians are probably well versed in the brands that manufacture the most reliable home appliances. Puls, a home services firm with a national network consisting of hundreds of appliance repair professionals, conducted the major in-house survey.
The survey sought to rank the major application brands regarding aspects such as reliability, ease of use, and value. The technicians at Pulse have decades of experience in appliance repair and insights into the weaknesses and strengths of each major fridge brand. For this reason, their take on fridge brand reliability holds a lot of weight.
According to the survey, the top three ranking fridge brands for reliability were Whirlpool, Maytag, and KitchenAid. Whirlpool Corporation owns Maytag and KitchenAid.
It is not a surprise that the two familiar sub-brands come in at second and third. Interestingly, Whirlpool also came out on top for ease of use and value for money. The runner ups for these categories were also sub-brands of Whirlpool.
This year, Yale Appliances published a report detailing the most reliable or least services appliance brands. In order to calculate appliance reliability, Yale Appliances leverage data collection from their huge service department. The company receives tens of thousands of service calls every year. Based on their data, Yale Appliances rated Whirlpool as the most reliable and least serviced refrigerator brand in 2020.
In February this year, Ranker, a major product review platform, invited its users to take a poll on the most reliable refrigerator brand based on a number of factors. Ranker users voted for Whirlpool as the best refrigerator brand. Interestingly, KitchenAid came in third just slightly behind LG.
Kitchen Fold, a site that reviews and compares kitchen appliances, recently compared top French door and Side by Side refrigerator models (Whirlpool and Samsung) on a variety of factors including design, reliability, storage, and features.
The results of this comparison were quite interesting and insightful. This is because while the other factors were a toss-up for both brands, all the whirlpool models came out on top when it came to reliability.
These are just some of the reasons why Whirlpool is renowned as the most reliable refrigerator brand. Numerous user reviews from the top appliance and product review sites place Whirlpool fridges as the least serviced.
Important Things to Know When Purchasing a New Refrigerator
- Fridges that feature ice makers are likely to have more servicing problems than those without them.
- Fridges with bottom-placed deep freezers are likely to have more repair problems than the top freezer ones.
- Side by side fridges are very popular but tend to have more servicing problems
- Some brands that are known for reliable fridges will have models that have problems. Conducting proper research on the actual models before purchasing is very important.
- Bottom freezer fridges with ice dispensers tend to have more repair problems than those without.
Other Reasons Why Whirlpool is considered the Best Refrigerator Brand
It is worth noting that reliability is not just the only reason why most people consider Whirlpool to be the best refrigerator brand. Below are some other factors that stand out about Whirlpool fridges.
Storage Options
Whirlpool definitely puts a lot of energy and effort into the design of their fridges. The manufacturer offers a range of customizable shelf options. These options enable maximum storage capacity.
Whirlpool purposefully designs every storage space for the items that you will use frequently. These fridges can store a lot more due to their pantry-inspired layouts.
Great Climate Control
Your refrigerator must have an advanced temperature, humidity, and airflow control features in order to keep your food items fresh. Your food will go bad at a fast rate if you can't control the climate properly. With regard to temperature, Whirlpool fridges feature a number of unique temperature control options. The features include:
- Total Coverage Cooling - This option helps keep a uniform temperature throughout your fridge. It keeps each shelf cold and eliminates any warm spots.
- Accu-Chill - This is a system that utilizes ice for water cooling. It allows you to easily make cold water even during the hot summer days.
- Adaptive Defrost - Whirlpool models utilize the defrost feature when needed to help keep your utility bills down.
- Freeze Shield - Whirlpool invented the Freeze Shield feature. This feature helps to reduce freezer burn by reducing temperature fluctuations from the defrost cycle.
Humid air is necessary for optimal preservation. Some items such as vegetables require more humidity when compared to foods like meat. Whirlpool fridges feature crisper drawers with increased humidity.
Some models feature a dual cooling system to maintain the humidity inside your fridge. This helps keep your vegetables and fruits fresher for longer and increase the energy efficiency of the refrigerator. Additional climate control features in Whirlpool refrigerators include Fresh Flow air filters.
Convenience Features
Whirlpool also provides user-centric conveniences that you can choose from. They may include a range of water and ice maker features, custom shelving styles as well as LED and panoramic lighting.
Whirlpool's most novel water and ice maker option is the measure fill feature. This is an automated system that enables you to choose the amount of filtered water that you require. You also have the option of dual ice makers.
The Types of Whirlpool Refrigerators
Whirlpool fridges come in four distinct designs. These are French doors, Side by Side, Bottom Freezer, and Top Freezer.
- French door - French door fridges are made to put the most frequently used food items at eye level. The freezer items are kept below. The
Whirlpool standard French door design has two doors which open to a sole refrigerator compartment at the top.
They feature a sizable deep freezer at the bottom with a pullout door. The company also manufactures innovative four and five-door models. Since these fridges utilize the newest and best technologies, they generally cost more than the other Whirlpool designs.
- Side by Side - Side by Side fridges have the refrigerator on the right and freezer on the left. Whirlpool's side by side models feature specialized storage (such as can caddy) and a space-saving ice and water maker located on the freezer door. Whirlpool offers much of the same features as the French door designs.
- Bottom Freezer - Bottom freezer fridges feature a deep freezer at the bottom and single door refrigerator compartment at the top. Whirlpool bottom freezer fridges are smaller than the side by side and French door models.
They also tend to have fewer features. While they are ideal for narrow spaces, these models are pegged as the least reliable of the Whirlpool refrigerator types.
- Top Freezer - Top freezer designs are the most common. They feature a single door refrigerator at the bottom and a single door freezer at the top. This design prioritizes the freezer as it is easier to access.
Whirlpool's top freezer refrigerators (and most other brands) tend to be smaller and lighter on features. However, they are the most reliable of all Whirlpools' refrigerator types.
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