"cheap" fridge freezer brands - all of a muchness?

[Haggisman]

This is embarrassing...

We've given the kitchen a bit of a refresh, including new flooring - the new floor is about 5mm thicker than the old one, and now the fridge-freezer doesn't fit!

It previously <just> fit under the sloping ceiling below the stairs, but now the gap is too narrow/low - here is my completely not to scale diagram:

It's >10 years old anyway and is looking a bit tatty, so we figured why not replace it (the other option being start taking chunks out of the freshly painted slope under the stairs and hope there's a bit of space which isn't guaranteed!), however have now run into the issue that any of the "decent" brands just don't fit

So far the only options I've been able to find are:

MONTPELLIER MLF1770W (or same model with water dispenser) -277L - 1770mm H x 540mm W (£339)​

HOOVER HV3CT175LFKW (or same model with water dispenser) - 252L - 1760mm H x 545mm W (£329)​

SHARP SJ-BB04DTXWF - 268L - 1700mm H x 540mm W - (£339)​

BEKO CSG3571W (or equivalent Indesit/Hotpoint as these are basically all the same other than the badge?) - 262L - 1740mm H x 540mm W (£329)

Candy CCT3L157FWK (or same model with water dispenser) - 252L - 1760mm H x 550mm W (£329)​

Liebherr CT2931 - 270L - 1571mm H x 550mm W (£544)​

Or silly expensive option:

Liebherr CNd5023 - 280L - 1655mm H x 597mm W (£829)​

​

On one hand, the Liebherr CT2931 seems like it might be a good idea if it's better quality and lasts longer. On the other hand, it still only has the same 2 year warranty as the others, so maybe I just grab the cheapest one and cross fingers!

Thoughts on any of the above?

 

[Haggisman]

Without having read individual reviews, the only thing you can base it off is general reputation for manufacturing for the home country of the company. Sharp is Japanese, and Liebherr is Swiss-German, so those for me are the countries with the best reputation for build quality. You can get some info on the origin of the other companies on this fridges page.

That's sort of what I was thinking, Montpellier is British (which I guess is either a plus or minus depending on your views of British manufacturing ). However when I think of Sharp, I think of cheap Argos TVs, which is what's putting me off somewhat

The Liebherr CT2931 is the most tempting, but at the same time it would need to last a long time to be worth 60-70% more! If it had a longer warranty (e.g. 5 years) like the similar priced Bosch, Samsung etc., then it would be an easier decision, but for that price, 2 years seems a bit low!

 

[Haggisman]

Hmm, just spotted the

Liebherr CU2831 Fridge-Freezer With SmartFrost​

Is available for £449... maybe the front runner so far

 

[Haggisman]

I did check, but I don't think that would work - it has recessed wheels at the back which don't look easily removable, and the feet at the front are at the lowest adjustment

 

[Haggisman]

Is the lid just a lid or are there controls in it. You could remove that for some clearance.

It's a single piece of metal forming both sides and the top - curved over the top corners (the curve is the only reason it fit in the first place! )

 

[Haggisman]

Get the hacksaw out

Haha, I was tempted to take the angle grinder to it tbh

Decided to just bite the bullet and grab the Liebherr CU2831
Managed to get it down to £414 including recycling the old one, and looks like we can extend the warranty to 5 years for £80 or 10 years for £160 directly with the manufacturer if we decide it's worth it.

 

[Haggisman]

I know it's too late but maybe it was something you could have sorted by adjusting the feet.

See above, I did check, but the feet were as low as they could go unfortunately

 

[Haggisman]

Missed that

np - excuse to get a new shiny fridge anyway (oh the things that make us happy in middle age eh? )

To be fair, the old one didn't owe us anything, it was starting to look pretty tatty, and the door seals were going, so it was due a replacement almost certainly sooner rather than later anyway!

Edit: it was an Ariston brand one, which apparently ceased to exist in 2011, so that shows it's age!