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Comprehensive Refrigerator Review

Brand: GE
Product Name: Adora Side-By-Side Refrigerator
Model: DSS25KSRSS
Model Year: 2005
Amount Paid: $1299 at The Home Depot
Date Purchased: May 2005
Product Description:

• Stainless doors
• Black sides and top
• Capacity 25.4 cubic feet
• Approximate dimensions (HxDxW): 69 ¼ x 33 ¾ x 35 ¾ inches (Check your fridge opening dimensions before buying!)
• Adjustable, slide-out glass shelves

Necessary Accessories: Filters – $39.95 each, or three-pack for $105 on the GE website

Summary:

I couldn’t have made a better choice when buying a refrigerator. I went with the stainless look, which is what I’ve always wanted. At first, I was afraid all you would see is fingerprints, but not so. It never makes any noise, which is an important factor if it is near a bedroom. I’m very pleased and would recommend the GE Adora fridge. I have not had any problems with the refrigerator. When comparing features and prices, the GE Adora was the best for the money.

LizRating

Each of the following 8 criteria were rated from 1 to 7, with 7, where:

1-1.9 = Product is not competitive in this specific area.
2-3.9 = Product is somewhat competitive in this specific area, but other products are considerably more competitive. Product needs improvement.
4-5.9 = Product is competitive, but some products may outperform it. Minor details when it comes to possible improvements.
6-7 = Product clearly oupterforms the competition in this specific area.

Rating Criteria

• Functions as Designed: 7
  The refrigerator seems to be efficient. According to the Energy Guide, it uses approximately 613 KWh/year, which translates to a yearly operating cost of about $51. A comparable Whirlpool refrigerator uses 616 KWh, which translates to a yearly operating cost of $56. A comparable LG refrigerator uses 713 KWh/year, which translates to a yearly operating cost of $65, which is at the upper end of the scale for all the comparable refrigerators.
• Robust: 7
  I have not had any problems thus far. The buttons on the water/ice dispenser window are still working perfectly and show no signs of wear.
• Aesthetic Appearance: 7
  The refrigerator is a pleasure to look at. Even the ice and water dispenser window looks stylish. Although the sides are not stainless, nobody knows since the fridge is pretty much covered on the sides in my kitchen. Plus, my fridge magnets won’t stick to stainless facade on the doors, so I’m glad the sides aren’t stainless so I have a place for my magnets. The doors don’t show finger prints nearly as bad as I thought they would, which is good because I’m a little lazy about cleaning them. When it comes to style, I actually prefer the GE Adora over the GE Profile. I especially like the tubular stainless steel style handles.
• Number of Possible Improvements: 2
  • The door shelves in the freezer could be deeper. Although it would decrease the shelf depth in the main area, the deeper door shelves would be more practical for the typical frozen product size.
  • If there were a way to design the ice bin such that it didn’t have to be pulled out to reach the ice cubes, it would be helpful. I always feel like I need to set my cup down and put two hands on the ice bin so that it does not slide off of the guides and fall. The ideal situation would be one-hand operation when retrieving ice by reaching into the ice bin.
• Pricing Competitiveness: 6.8
  The GE Adora refrigerator seems to be priced pretty competitively. The lower priced refrigerators that are comparable to this one seem to be less efficient. For example, the LG electronics model SC26905 refrigerator is nearly the same and costs $1199 (versus$1299), but is near top of the energy use scale for comparable refrigerators. The LG uses 713 KWh/year versus the GE Adora’s 613 KWh/year. If you find a refrigerator priced lower than other comparable products, there is probably a reason that is worth finding that you may or may not care about.
• Easy and Convenient to use: 6.8
  • The refrigerator is on wheels, so moving the refrigerator to clean underneath it or pulling it out a little bit so you can open the doors all the way is effortless.
  • The doors are heavy and close easily. I don’t want to have to slam the door shut. These doors close on their own if you just get them started.
• Brand: 7
  So far, I’ve been happy with GE. GE’s refrigerators rate well on the Energy Guide’s scale of power consumption when compared to other comparable refrigerators. The quality is good and I have not had any problems. Since I haven’t had any problems, I can’t tell you how the GE refrigerator customer service is.
• Overall Performance: 7
  • Recovers extremely quickly after a ten minute grocery loading session.
  • The Water tastes very good. I never have to buy bottled water anymore. The filter lasts 6 months and is very easy to change. A replacement filter costs $39.95, or a three-pack of filters costs $105 on the GE website. To me, it’s a small price to pay for good water at the touch of a button.
  • This refrigerator is quiet, which is important to me since it is pretty close to my bedroom. I don’t want to hear the compressor cycling on and off all night long
  • The door in the refrigerator has great capacity. It will fit gallons of milk, jugs of orange juice, gatorades, and still has room for all of the usual condiments. This leaves gobs of much needed space on the shelves in the main area.
  • Water and ice dispenser buttons are easy to use. You never have to press a button more than once.
  • You can’t just reach in the ice bin and grab some cubes if you get impatient with the ice dispenser. You have to pull the ice bin out a little and tilt it down as opposed to having an open area at the top of the bin.
  • The freezer door shelves are a bit small. It would be helpful if they were a little bit deeper. I would sacrifice shelf depth in the main freezer area to gain more depth on the door shelves. I don’t typically put much in the door because there are not many frozen products that will fit.
• Level of Recommendation: 7
  I highly recommend the GE Adora refrigerator. It’s been a great buy.

Based on the ratings of the 9 criteria above the GE Adora refrigerator received an overall LizRating of 6.7 out of 7, where:

1-1.9 = Pick another product: The product is just not competitive in the market. May as well start from scratch.
2-3.9 = There may be better products out there: somewhat competitive, but missing a major aspect of the performance or functionality or are outperformed by the competition severely in an area of performance or functionality. Product needs improvement. May have one terrific aspect, but weak in other areas.
4-5.9 = Recommended: competitive, but may be slightly outperformed by some products in the market in minor aspects.
6-7 = Highly recommended: outperforms other products in nearly all aspects; down to the nitty gritty on what could be improved.

Other Comments and Suggestions:
Pay attention to the shape of your refrigerator opening in your kitchen when deciding on a refrigerator style. I wouldn’t recommend putting a side by side refrigerator in a space with a wall that extends far past the door hinge on the freezer side because the door won’t open all the way, making it difficult to get the ice bin and other larger objects in and out. However, since the fridge is on wheels, you can pull it out as far as the cord will allow without any effort, which may or may not give you the clearance necessary to open the door based on the shape
of your kitchen’s fridge opening.

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