Kenmore 78252: It's lean and clean but could it use more room?
Mr. Fix-it
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AUG
11
2008
Kenmore Refrigerator —
This is a review for model 78252, a top-freezer in white, listed online as having 20.6 cu.ft. capacity (more about this later). This was purchased as a replacement for a 13-year-old Kenmore top-freezer with a 21.6 cu. ft. capacity, so we lost some storage space in favor of a new, clean and, most importantly, more energy efficient model. (By the way, regarding the old refrigerator: it is still working with a very cold freezer and the icemaker was still working but leaking a little causing ice monsters in the ice cube storage. Water was also accumulating in the refrigerator section, which needed to be wiped up about twice a day, and there were temperature fluctuations in the fridge section. The old fridge also had a textured finish, and dirt and mold accumulated in the finish pattern, esp. in the space between the freezer and the fridge section (really gross), and the sides got dirty. Also, a line of caulk at the bottom of the fridge section between it and the outer shell worked loose and needed occasionally to be put back into place. Lastly, this old fridge had a bottom condenser coil which needed to be brushed clean occasionally by getting down on your hands and knees. This old fridge will hopefully find a new home with a charity organization.) The new fridge has fan-cooled condenser coils (so they normally won't need cleaning), no caulking (the outer shell form-fits over the fridge section), uses about 50 percent less electricity (according to energystar.com) than the old fridge, and has up-front temperature controls in the fridge section (so you don't have to reach all the way to the back). The gasketing material on both the freezer and fridge doors are bigger than the old fridge and looks like it will last a long time and provide greater insulation. The new fridge has a flat finish to, hopefully, make it easier to clean when necessary. I thought about a stainless steel finish, which is available for this model, but it would have cost nearly $400 more for the same appliance with a different finish, so I stayed with the basic white. The stainless model had black handles and a black body (only the doors are stainless), compared to the bright white vinyl-covered handles on the white model. I'm wondering how long I can keep the handles clean, or somehow protect them from getting dirty. Even though this refigerator is supposed to save on energy costs, I'm wondering if the energy star ratings take into account the basic freezer/refrigerator operations only. This refrigerator has five light bulbs, compared to only one bulb in the old fridge. There is one bulb in the upper right hand corner of the freezer, two in the upper middle of the fridge section, and two more in the back above the fruit and vegetable compartments. So this refrigerator is much brighter than the old one. The bulbs above the fruit and vegetable compartments protrude into the fridge section, so it eliminates some of the usable space in the refrigerator section. Speaking of usable space, I did not think giving up a cubic foot of capacity from the old refrigerator to the new one would be quite so noticeable, but it is. The freezer seems more cramped compared to the old freezer, magnified by a wider ice cube storage tray in the new machine, and possibly by separate freezer temperature controls in the back of the freezer and by the light bulb in the freezer. I could stick a 16-lb. turkey in the old freezer easily, but I have doubts that I could do this easily in the new freezer section. In the old refrigerator we took out the deli drawer, but for now we left it in in the new refrigerator, so it adds to a cramped feeling in the fridge section, as does a combination wine bottle holder/beverage can dispenser in the fridge section which attaches to the bottom of one of the shelves. This bottle holder/can dispenser could also be removed to add more room for large or bulky items. I read a Consumer Reports article about refrigerators, and based on their methods of reviewing appliances refrigerators that claim 21 cu. ft. of capacity could have as little as 17 cu. ft. of usable capacity, and I wouldn't be surprised that this new Kenmore has usable space that is less than it's listed capacity. Also according to CR, Kenmore has a high reliability rating compared to other brands based on user reports. With refrigerators, new, clean and efficient usually beats old, grimy and less efficient, even if you have to give up some usable space. If the new refrigerator lasts as long as the old one, the money spent will have been well worth it.
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