Refrigerators

Summary: The refrigerator I love most can't be had for love or money around here. Meanwhile, the refrigerator which got the highest Consumer Reports (CR) rating and which had the most usable (as opposed to claimed) space was a Kenmore. Lowe's and Sears seem to be having a "musical stock" game with two other Whirlpool refrigerators; one or the other keeps showing up as not being in stock at any given store.

  1. The one I like most is not available at Lowe's or Sears from what I can find, and Home Depot doesn't carry Whirlpool.

  2. The absolute highest rated at CR and the one with the most usable space (17.2 usable) is a Kenmore for $1320 carried only by Sears.

  3. The Whirlpool GS6SHAXMB, suggested retail: $1729 black/$1849 stainless
    1. Lowe's, $1400
    2. Sears, stainless/$1850; last night $1634/black.

  4. Andy's favorite, the Whirlpool GS6SHEXMB, suggested retail: $1929
    1. Lowe's, $1731
    2. Sears, $1770


Freezers

Summary: The freezers are basically identical and are, incidentally, both made by the same company, one of two which produces most freezers in the US according to CR.

  1. GE 20.6 cu ft manual defrost, Lowe's, $449
  2. Kenmore 20.6 cu ft manual defrost, Sears, $480


Washers

Summary: Whirlpool Duet versus Kenmores, the latter of which rated highest in CR. One feature the Kenmore has which the Duet doesn't is a stain remover feature which begins with cold water so as not to set the stain in as hot water will often do.

  1. The highest rated of all washers and the one with the extra stain-removal feature is a Kenmore for $1320 carried only by Sears.

  2. The Whirlpool Duet GHW9250ML, suggested retail $1299
    1. Lowe's, $1187
    2. Sears, $1300


Dryers

Summary: Again, Kenmore rated highest. I'm not sure what the added feature(s) for the Kenmore dryer is/are.

  1. The Kenmore for $820

  2. The Whirlpool Duet GEW9200LL, suggested retail $799
    1. Lowe's, $744
    2. Sears, $800


Additional Notes

The pedastels for both sets of washers/dryers come out to about the same amount; $300.00. I suppose we could try to see if there are any more generic pedastels which could hold both machines since I really don't forsee ever using the rollout drawers (I'd rather reach up to cabinets than bend down to the floor).

Sears offers a match +10% for items they also carry, but since Kenmore is their private brand and they always contract extra features with those who manufacture it, they can't be price-matched for Kenmore items. I really do like the Kenmore refrigerator and stain-removal system best, so we would have to figure out if it's worth the extra few hundred dollars or whether they're epsilon when making a purchase this large.

Both Lowe's and Sears alternate credit card offers; on some months it's N months no interest, on others it's 10% off of any purchase made on the day you apply for the card. The woman at Lowe's did say a manager might be convinced to do both, and since I believe the guy who helped us at Lowe's was an appliance manager, we might look at that angle. If we can get 10% off of our order at Lowe's, we don't even have to worry about price-match headaches if we decide to just go with Whirlpool. On the other hand, I heard one of the Georges doing a price match the other night whilst I was taking notes, and it didn't seem to be that bad. Since all of the Whirlpool items have the same number down to color coding, it would be hard to deny that they are, in fact, identical.

I think that's all for now, but I will add as necessary if I think of anything.