[NPV]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

We're inclined to look at the usual market leaders in this space such as LG and Samsung. If there are others we must consider, we are open to it, provided service is a non issue in Cochin.

We have a 2 door Whirlpool FF41 SS 405 litre (2010) model (Professional series) and very happy with this - not a single breakdown/issue and never had to call service technicians so far, still going very well
Looking up the whirlpool India site, I see the Intellifresh series with Max capacity of 500 litre and 3 star energy rating (not sure if you're looking for 5 stars only).
Based on my experience, I would suggest you consider Whirlpool also in your shortlist.

[Aroy]

There are two types of refrigerators :

. Direct cool, which are old school. The freezer accumulates ice, but the running cost is minimum.
. Frost free where a heater and fan ensure that the freezer has no accumulated ice. Nice to have but consumes more power.

The advantages of direct cool refrigerator is that with the ice accumulating, in case of a long power shortage the refrigerator will remain cold for a long time. Otherwise frost free is more convinient.

Then there is the normal compressor which is of the on-off type and the latest Inverter Compressor that is always on. Inverter compressor consumes less power, but has more electronics, hence has more chances of failure.

One thing that you should not compare is the reliability of old (> 12 years) with the modern ones. The old ones had no electronics and were of a more robust built to last a long time. The current ones are designed to be replaced every 5 to 6 years. Yes there are robust ones available, but they are in the professional series and cost a bomb.

On a lighter note a friend has a 1955 Frigidair refrigerator that is still running. It has thick doors and consumes a lot of power, but is still running flawlessly. Only the rubber gasget has been replaced a couple of times.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

... their aging Siemens ... This refrigerator has worked between average to okay I'd say. ... Cooling has not been great either. Ice cream hardly ever freezes and I felt the freezer could not bring down temperature low enough.

I wonder if it was an import made for temperate Europe?

When I moved here, I brought my Liebherr fridge, which had been wonderful in London, but it behaved as you describe here. I came to know that part of the model code on the plate was the climate for which it had been made. Of course, mine was temperate.

It is another type of frost free. There is no fan or heating. The coil on the back of the fridge released just enough heat to melt the ice forming on the back/inside, which flowed to a small drain hole. There was a reservoir on top of the compressor and the heat evaporated it.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by NPV

Based on my experience, I would suggest you consider Whirlpool also in your shortlist.

I did ask my folks to look at Whirpool. The catch being service and the same gets repeated when they visit brick and mortar stores. It almost feels like the Koreans have paid every dealer to sell only their products. The moment you mention another brand, they say, you're on your own for service.

The other thing we are observing is there are not many options when you go in store. I guess, with the shift to online shopping, stores are not keeping stock of fridges on display. My folks would like to see a product before they buy, especially when its a refrigerator.

Originally Posted by Aroy

Inverter compressor consumes less power, but has more electronics, hence has more chances of failure.

We are considering a refrigerator only with Inverter drive. Surprised to read about their failure. The tech isn't new anymore.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I wonder if it was an import made for temperate Europe?

The refrigerator is Made in Turkey so I'd say yes.

Interesting you mention Liebherr. There is one for sale, a lot cheaper than LG/Samsung and a size they want. I think the dealer wants to dump it. That's how they got the Siemens too. I am reluctant post the Siemens experience. 90% of the time, their Siemens has an Alarm lamp lit on the outside suggesting outside temperature is too high.

Thanks for the suggestions.
Here's what we have shortlisted so far:

LG Option 1

LG Option 2

Samsung Option 1

Samsung Option 2

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Interesting you mention Liebherr. There is one for sale, a lot cheaper than LG/Samsung and a size they want. I think the dealer wants to dump it. That's how they got the Siemens too. I am reluctant post the Siemens experience. 90% of the time, their Siemens has an Alarm lamp lit on the outside suggesting outside temperature is too high.

Some time ago, seeing that Liebherr fridges were available now in India, I was very tempted. I mentioned that here, probably on this thread, and was put off by the experience of a fellow member. Do do a search.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Some time ago, seeing that Liebherr fridges were available now in India, I was very tempted.

My father likes products Made in Germany or European brands in general. A lot of thought goes in to the design of their products, quite like their cars. At one point, something as basic as an Iron in our house was Made in Germany. We still have a portable Rowenta.

We won't be considering the Liebherr. Its too big a gamble to take and once you buy it, you are stuck. Not like the developed world where you have your rights and can take it back to the dealer if it does not work well. In India, they will ask you to talk to the service representative who will usually wash their hands off the problem. This was our experience with Siemens. It felt as though the electronic control panel was designed to fail every 4 to 5 years.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

My father likes products Made in Germany or European brands in general. A lot of thought goes in to the design of their products, quite like their cars.

There is a thread on German cars here - PICS : How flatbed tow trucks would run out of business without German cars (PICS : How flatbed tow trucks would run out of business without German cars!)!

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I wonder if it was an import made for temperate Europe?

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

My father likes products Made in Germany or European brands in general. A lot of thought goes in to the design of their products, quite like their cars.

After having been in the business of repairing electronics products, one thing is sure. When it comes to European electronic appliances, they are designed for temperate climates and low humidity. The European built TVs suffered from extra complexities which couldn't withstand high humidity in tropical climates. For example, the Philips TV used a complex High Voltage section which not only supplied common voltage (12 V, 5 V and 33 V rails) but also the HT voltage (~33 kV) for the CRT.
No wonder they periodically failed during the monsoon times.

My Siemens Washing machine suffered main drum failure and the rubber gasket around the front door also failed within 4 years. A Panasonic Washing machine still grinds away for well over 12 years.

The Japanese appliances were/are better designed in this respect and rarely suffered humidity issues. The Koreans followed Japanese practices and this is the primary reason why Japanese/Korean appliances work anywhere.

However European electrical appliances, tools and optics have a long life. Your German toaster may last several generations.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by Prowler

The Japanese appliances were/are better designed in this respect and rarely suffered humidity issues. The Koreans followed Japanese practices and this is the primary reason why Japanese/Korean appliances work anywhere

True that.

A nice reminder about Philips. A friend had a Philips Matchline widescreen crt tv. There was no TV like it in those days. Sadly, it failed over and over for the exact reasons you have mentioned. It was not tropicalized and Philips India admitted to this. They finally dumped it and replaced it with a high end BPL which was essentially a Sanyo underneath. This was the last crt TV they bought and was trouble free. The next upgrade was a modern lcd.

We've had the same experience with National. My father carried a V-NA 711 fully automatic washing all the way from Japan. It worked flawlessly for a good 15 years. Then it needed a new electronic board and guess who had this board? Videocon. Cause they sold rebadged National Panasonic washing machines at one point. After that, it needed a new drive belt. Videocon had the part. It now sits in our backyard after serving us for 22 years! A Korean machine sits in the laundry now.

[s4ch]

Has anyone used a washer-dryer combo? Our washing machine needs replacing and so thinking of this Samsung Washer Dryer combo: Samsung WD80T604DBX Washer Dryer Combo.

Any thoughts on this model? Seems to work out to approx 44k with some EMI cashback and discounts + exchange.

Similar models from LG and IFB are way more expensive, 60k+. Would love to get some advice on this as looking to purchase within the next day or two.

Thanks.

[meerkat]

Originally Posted by Aroy

There are two types of refrigerators :

. Direct cool, which are old school. The freezer accumulates ice, but the running cost is minimum.
.
.

The advantages of direct cool refrigerator is that with the ice accumulating, in case of a long power shortage the refrigerator will remain cold for a long time.

This assumes that a lot of ice was allowed to build up, which should not be the case if periodic manual defrost cycles are run (as recommended by the manufacturers). If a lot of ice is allowed to build up, the compressor can not run efficiently, reflecting on the power consumption as well as the compressor life adversely.

... a friend has a 1955 Frigidair refrigerator that is still running. It has thick doors and consumes a lot of power, but is still running flawlessly. Only the rubber gasget has been replaced a couple of times.

I wonder what would be more cost-effective over a lifetime of usage, -- a power-guzzling long-life fridge (needing occasional repairs), or several frugal, modern ones with shorter lifespans! The latter would also have the added advantage of getting to use a new unit every few years. The flipside, of course, is the concern over adding to the trash problem more frequently.
.

[Sebring]

Should I keep a dehumidifier near the TV? I mean what's advisable. These days you silica in tiny boxes

Originally Posted by Prowler

No wonder they periodically failed during the monsoon times.

[LobsterB]

Originally Posted by s4ch

Has anyone used a washer-dryer combo? Our washing machine needs replacing and so thinking of this Samsung Washer Dryer combo: Samsung WD80T604DBX Washer Dryer Combo.

Any thoughts on this model? Seems to work out to approx 44k with some EMI cashback and discounts + exchange.

Similar models from LG and IFB are way more expensive, 60k+. Would love to get some advice on this as looking to purchase within the next day or two.

Thanks.

Unless you have a space constraint I would not recommend a washer/dryer combo model. I have a 5+ years old variant of Samsung WD90K6410OX and it is not very useful. It is a condenser type dryer and takes more than 3hours for dry cycle and still it will not be dry enough. Also there were two repairs under warranty in first two years

The Galanz model recommended by itwasntme is infinitely better than that as a dryer. It doesn't have the finesse of Samsung in fit and finish, but dries the same clothes in a bit more than an hour (less than half the time as the Samsung condenser combo). But this is a vented model, so needs to plan where to place it.

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Update on the Galanz tumble dryer. Works far far better than my existing IFB EX one. Clothes are nicely dried without over-drying and are so much less wrinkled than earlier. . Further, it is really silent compared to the IFB again.

Still trying out the options though. Will also connect it to a power monitoring switch to check power consumption.

If there are any heatpump based washer/dryer combo machine then that might be a good option. But currently the heatpump based standalone dryers are in the 60k- 90k price range.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Update on the Galanz tumble dryer

I had used a Haier dryer for a few years inherited from someone. It was as good as the IFB one I currently use. But the problem with non-popular products is that spares become a problem. 6-7 years down the line, even the company service center won't have spare parts for 6-7 year old model because it never sold that much & they only stock parts for more recent products. This was true for Haier dryers because even though many of their other products sell well, their dryers aren't really that popular.

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Clothes are nicely dried without over-drying

What does over-drying mean?

[s4ch]

Originally Posted by LobsterB

Unless you have a space constraint I would not recommend a washer/dryer combo model.

Thanks for the info. Space constraint is a problem as we have a small utility room, hence the combo makes more sense. Only plan to really use it during rainy seasons anyway. Got it for 37k after exchange so pretty happy as really only worked out 10k more than a similarly specced standalone front load.