Amana Refrigerator
Pros:
One refrigerator in a series. Excellent professional reviews. Read other reviews for complete picture.
Cons:
Not much.
The Bottom Line:
Amana name is still reputable. Consider all reviews for this product and similar models.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
Amana Refrigerator
Preliminary Note
First, the model reviewed here is the ABB1922F. However, it is best to think to this model as one in a series: ABB1921Q, ABB1921D, and so on. Purchasing a refrigerator is similar to purchasing a particular model car where options (six or eight cylinders, for example) make the car more specific. Consider reading as many reviews of Amana refrigerators to get a larger perspective.
Reviewing a refrigerator after only having it three months may be premature, but if I reviewed my former refrigerator that lasted seventeen years what good would that do? That model isn’t even made anymore.
For many people, buying a refrigerator only occurs when the old one starts to break down. This is what happened to me. Just after Christmas, I noticed water collecting at the bottom and knew the old one wouldn’t last. I usually do research when buying big-ticket items but two years ago my daughter bought a larger model (22 cu.ft.) in this Amana series and she had done the research. She has had her refrigerator for more than two years now and is quite satisfied.
Consumer Reports (online, April 2007) has a similar, but smaller, model (ABB1921DE W) listed at an overall grade of 77 out of 100. This particular model wasn’t on the Consumer Reports site in April but it was when I looked it up in January it was, and was highly rated. No refrigerator at Consumer Report was rated higher although some were cheaper. This number, for Consumer Reports, reflects two major criteria: energy efficiency and temperature control and gives less weight to ease of use and noise. The Energy Star information said this model would cost about $41 a year to run. This model (ABB1922 FE Q) comes in several colors (white, black, beige, and stainless steel) and each color has their own model number and may have its own section here at epinions.
After years of having the freezer at the top, it took a while to get accustomed to the freezer at the bottom but after two months I realized that for each time you open the freezer you may have opened the refrigerator section ten times. The only drawback to the freezer is the ice cube section that is difficult to access. It is fixed to the side of the freezer and above the top shelf.
The refrigerator section has lots of room in the door and the door compartments are easily removable which is great for cleaning and possible rearrangement if you have a particularly bulky item. Two door compartments are large enough for a gallon container and a two-liter bottle. The shelves are also adjustable and removable for easy cleaning. Accessibility for items in the rear of the refrigerator is easy since there is room to temporarily place items in front of the bottom shelf when the door is open. The bottom shelf level is high enough so a person does not have to bend down to get something from that shelf.
I maintained the factory settings for temperature, both for the refrigerator and the freezer, and after two months did not see any reason to change them.
The handle can be installed on either the right or left hand side. An icemaker is optional. An egg container is included but not a butter dish. The manufacturer guarantee is for one year. I didn’t purchase an extended guarantee.
At 12.9 cu. ft for the refrigerator and 5.6 cu. ft for the freezer, this model is adequate for two people. If you have a family of three or more you might want to consider the larger models of 21 cu. ft. Be sure to measure the space for your new refrigerator to be sure it will fit in that location.
The Amana website “http://www.amana.com” has a suggested retail price for $1,029 plus tax, delivery and haul-away fees. I bought mine at Sears for $1,219 including tax, delivery and haul-away fees. The rebate for the delivery arrived promptly and Sears had a promotion of no interest for twelve months if you used the Sears MasterCard. I have purchased at this Sears store (Yorktown, New York) for almost thirty years and have always been satisfied with the service at this particular store. It took eleven days from ordering to delivery but that included the New Years weekend where a Monday was a holiday. Sears installed it quickly and efficiently and cleaned up thoroughly.
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