At the edge of Coyoteville we’re too cheap to subscribe to Consumer Reports. This makes it a little tough to get the straight dope on big ticket durable goods. But with our beer getting warm and Home Depot’s 10% discount set to expire at midnight, we decided to do the best with what we have.
1. Buy Energy Star. This promises to cut fridge energy costs up to 20% compared to a non-Energy Star model. Southern California Edison is offering a $50 rebate on qualified refrigerators and free recycling.
2. Consumer Reports offers a free refrigerator buying guide that gives you a general rundown on features.
3. Kick the tires. We took a whirlwind tour of the fridge lineup at Home Depot and Lowes last night. Looking at heavily abused floor models gives you an idea of how well the plastic bits will hold up to constant use. You also get an idea of how much space those crazy in-door water dispensers take up.
4. Consult the oracle. We gleaned as much as we could from online reviews, such as epinions. I’m skeptical about items with one or two reviews–in the publishing biz it’s customary for authors to have all their friends and relatives post glowing reviews, and I wouldn’t put it past PR corps to do the same for durable goods. You’ve also got to be a little wary of shorts-in-a-knot whiners who lost a piece of trim to a cricket bat and want to punish the manufacturer with bad reviews. But when you keep seeing the same complaint (ie “icemaker jams”) in reviews, then you know you’ve got an issue to deal with.
5. Maybe it would be a good idea to subscribe to Consumer Reports after all.