Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I should have known better! My old Kenmore died and I bought this noxious import because it a) fit in a 32" nook; b) I didn't want an ice maker; and c) it looked great. ("Sleek European styling") I didn't know that it has a DC compressor and emits a constant whine (or bass hum, buzz or hum, depending on the cycle). At its worst it is like having a truck idling in your kitchen. But you always hear it. The noise kicks in even if you haven't opened the door in an hour, and cycles last from 30 minutes to what seems like hours. The sales rep I finally reached via the escalation dept. confirmed that it's not a question of decibels, but of frequency. As for noise complaints I found after it was too late, he reluctantly admitted that, yes, there are some people who find the noise really disturbing. Or as the repairman told me, "I know it's loud, but that's normal for this thing. That's just the way they make them these days," he said, and showed me how the high speed compressor was attached to the back of the machine with a few screws and with absolutely nothing to soften the sharp whine it makes most of the time. My Kenmore rumbled a bit but it never, ever made that awful shrill piercing relentless whine. I can hear it in my office or bathroom adjacent to the kitchen but not upstairs or in the shower. I can't even imagine what this thing would be like in an apartment!
These new compressors are a known issue, which is something I wish I'd found out before I bought this thing from Albert Lee appliances in Seattle. You'll find complaints about GE, Frigidaire, Kenmore and others. But at 17.3 cf, most of them are half the price of this sleek European mediocrity.
Not everyone is sensitive to noise. If you're oblivious to tv test patterns, dentists drills, high tension wires or a speaker when you leave the stereo on, you might think it was pricey but okay. At least it's prettier than the white molded plastic you usually see.
But if you think that hearing your fridge when you're in another room at twice the price, either buy a mid-priced fridge with the same or more features, or get a Sub Zero for $3,000, and steer clear of Fisher & Paykel products. This is by far the worst appliance I have ever owned.
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Fisher Paykel E522BLXFD 17.3 cu. ft. Bottom-Freezer Refrigerator - Stainless Steel Left Hinge Door
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