I need to choose between the Summit (and its alteregos) and the LG, which as far as I can tell are the only refrigerators out there that are about 24 x 24 and over 10 cubic feet. Are there any others I should look into? Has anyone had any particular problems with the LG? I would choose the Summit because of the extra space, but it seems like it might end up being more trouble than its worth with the maintenance problems. Suggestions appreciated!

And on a side note, how have you handled the issue of stainless steel appliances that don't quite match, are made by different companies? Is this a major design faux pas?

I too have the Summit model that looks identical to the Conserv. Although I love it, the manual defrost is a bit of a pain. I've only had to do it once in the last three years, but it is icing up again. It too makes noises on a fairly regular basis.

I bought the LG bottom-mount when I moved into my apartment almost 2 years ago. It is not energy-efficient but it was hundreds of dollars less expensive than other counter-depth options. I still feel guilty but I love it and have had not trouble with it at all. I had been yearning for a bottom-mount for ages -- this has 3 slide-out drawers, and it's very attractive and well-designed. All its inside bits snap out and are easy to clean. It is a good size for one person -- I'm not sure how well it would work for 2 or more people. It's much smaller inside than most American fridges. It forces me to review the contents of the fridge regularly, which is a good thing! However, if you regularly have dinners for 10 or cocktails for 50 this is probably not the fridge for you.

Wow. People are really into their fridges. However, I cannot believe you can run one of these on $2.50 a month. Make me a believer. Also, it isn't frost free? Yikes.

I know these are old-ish posts, but I am in week 2 with my vestfrost and love it. Its quiet, and lovely and keeps wonderful temps, and I ordered it online with Home Depot and they did a fine job in arranging the delivery. I do notice that Equator in Houston, who was the distributor, is blacked out on the manual and they list another company for repairs (if needed) so it does seem Equator may have lost the distribution. It does indeed have 2 compressors but they seem to run so infrequently that I'll be interested to see what the electric usage is. I just ordered a watt meter, so I will report back.

I too have considered this fridge--but in the 24" wide category I think I am going with the LG--it is titanium instead of stainless though. But for $800 the price is better and I don't think I can deal with manual defrost. I love the drawers in the freezer and the little tray for ice.
The LG has a great vacation option for saving electricity also.
I have found aj-madison.com online a great source-- I like that you can search by appliances sizes--very important in NYC.

I've had my ConServ about a year now and LOVE it. It's only now time to defrost - not bad to go a whole year without that. I bought mine for about $800 from Salestore dot com, but it was a scratch and dent model - it's dinged on the side where a cabinet hides it anyway.

Whoops that should be Salestores dot com. That extra "s" makes a difference!

does anybody know if there are stores that stock these (in the dc area, preferrably)? i would love a super-skinny fridge like this, but am a little wary of making such a large purchase online. i'm weirdly old-fashioned, and i like to see things in person!

I've got the Liebherr CBN3856. Love it. We plugged it in two years ago and haven't had to deal with a single issue. Works like I just plugged it in. It is frost free and has an ice-cube maker. It's counter depth, which is nice too. And it looks damn nice too. The only downside is that it's more expensive, but IMO worth it.

I haven't read thru all 40 posts but this is my dream frig. But I just looked at how high 79.5" is and I can't reach that high. Are there shelves up that high? I wouldn't be able to reach them. But I LOVE this refrigerator - THE FREEZER IS ON THE BOTTOM!! LOVE THAT!

OK look- I decided to go with a small fridge in my new place and y'all come out with this. Of course at that price, I won't feel bad for passing on it. Not that I could get it easily up here in the middle of nowhere.

Anne- On top there is a removeable bottle rack, so I keep wine, seltzer, etc. up there. Stuff that I don't necessarily use every day but easy to grab by the neck.

My only dislike is the bottom drawer of the freezer. It's small and doesn't pull out enough to really reach into. So I end up removing the whole drawer when I want somethng out of it. As a result I only put less-used items in there (hot dogs) or items I need a small deterrent from eating (ice cream!)

this fridge is on costco.com for $1100 sold under the vestfrost
name.

Carolyn-

Can you let us know what brand washer/dryer you have &
if it's ventless. Thanks.

My husband and I purchased this refrigerator when re renovated our kitchen and love it. At 7 feet tall, we call it the tower of chill. We gain so much counter space and I love the freezer drawers.

Gretchenalexis-I got my conserve about 4 years ago at Candy Hardware at Dupont Circle. I took over some tupperware containers, bowls, dishes to get a visual sense of what fit. Give them a call.

I have the LG (in white) that I bought from AJ Madison and I love it. The freezer drawers make it very easy to keep things organized, and I also find that I review the contents regularly. My one complaint is that you do have to conciously close the doors - they don't gravitate closed on their own. The fridge door has an alarm, but it's easy to not hear it if you have music on.

Thank you for this post. I just bought my first apartment (brand new construction) and the fridge is HUGE for the space. My first comment was "Do we all live in the suburbs! geezus"! It takes up half of a very small kitchen. My first order of business is to replace the refridgerator and this would be a great option.

If you want an efficient but larger fridge, and don't mind paying a fair bit more, this one looks interesting. If a bit much. They also have gas and kerosene powered fridges on the site.

Gretchenalexis -- this is where I bought my LG

http://mm.homeappliances.com/hadealer/DealerDisplay.do?url=mm.homeappliances.com/

If you can't open the link for some reason:

M&M Appliance Sales & Service
6201 Blair Rd NW
Washington, DC 20011
Phone: (202) 882-7100 Fax: (202) 882-7104

The Liebherr CS1650 is pretty much the ideal small space fridge. It is free-standing as well. It is quite expensive but it should last forever.

Can anyone comment on the availability and service-ability of this refrigerator in Canada? Or any other good options for a tall, skinny fridge?

hannah b & deborah - thank you! this is why i love apartmenttherapy :)

Today's Post (July 26th) announced that Candy's is closing. Alas.

I don't live in a NYC apt but I do live in a house that's only about 400 square feet so space is just as precious. I love my Conserv and feel like an infomercial when I rave about it to folks. Although all my neighbors in their McMansions don't seem to get the idea of small & efficient. Their loss.

I bought mine from an appliance guy on craig's list who ended up with two when the guy who ordered them backed out. At $575 I got a steal. He still has one for sale. Unfortunately it's in Vermont - but I thought I'd mention it in case anyone was thinking about a vacation up this way.

One other thing - I still have the "meat keeper" for my fridge. I won't ever use it and can't come up with an alternate use for it. If anyone here wants it email me your mailing address and I'll post it to you. There's only one and, like freecycle, it's first come first served. But I hate to see it go to waste if someone out there wants it.

Message for Vlad on Conserv fridge comment from 7/29: Do you have the contact info for the guy from VT with the extra Conserv fridge?

FYI, Summit now has a frost-free version of the 13.8 cubic foot model.

I realize I'm jumping in pretty late in the discussion, but I just found the Summit frost-free version searching online @ AJ Madison. This one is also Energy Star rated. Anyone out there have this model? It got positive reviews on the Aj Madison page. I'm in DC & pretty sure I won't be able to look at this in person, but I might take a chance & order it anyway. It's a little larger than the LG & I can't afford a Leibherr.

Fridge question:

Hi, does anyone have a French-door, bottom-freezer fridge you love? I've looked at many and am getting very confused!

I'm particularly interested in the one(s) 'Haier' has (http://www.haieramerica.com/en/product/PBFS21EDAS) but online reviews on Haier are more scarce compared to more common brands.

I really love the sleek design of this fridge, but need to know how it performs and that it competes with other fridges, especially energy-wise & ease of service.

I'm also open to other brands/suggestions.

Any insight/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
~ n2

update on my vestfrost....just started having an issue with the freezer as it won't freeze (age =2yrs , 3 months.) I have had to go through a zillion phone calls and the service situation is grim. Home Depot doesn't carry them anymore and i'm betting it's due to service issues. So far, only commmercial repair people service these and won't come to a residence. eeek!

So I'm a solid week without a freezer. Updates to follow.

Tall and skinny is great. I don't know much about fridges, but I prefer a fridge which has space for you to put high bottles in it. I collect wine high bottles and have a separate GE wine refrigerator for them, anyway it would be more convenient to have a fridge which is suitable for everything you can think of putting in it.

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