VideoBlog

My first iPhone videoblog....It's more of a test, because we can only hope I become more acclimated to this format (to be kind).

This post is about new French Door refrigerators

Intro



Regular Depth



Shallow depth

Frigidaire French Door

Frigidaire has finally marketed a french door refrigerator. This is good for consumers in general. Since they are a quality, yet low price producer, other companies will suddenly re-market their products at lower prices.

Have a gander:

Frigidaire 28 cubic foot french door...

Is $300 cheaper than a Bosch 26 cubic foot...

and $600 less than this GE profile unit (GE does have the cool touchscreen)...

Unfortunately, Frigidaire chose the wrong segment to attack first. Most consumers by the french door smaller or counter depth. Hopefully, they will be on the market soon.

Bosch French Door

Bosch has finally introduced a French door bottom mount. Have a look:

Let's be coolly objective:

Pros: Aesthetically appealling, can be packaged with other Bosch appliances

Cons: Misses 70% of the market, because it is not shallow depth

Game Changer?

Frigidaire is scheduled to have a french door refrigerator available in June. Of course, they will ship their most expensive products first.

Eventually, however, they will market this...

A 26 cubic foot french door at $1500 is way cheaper than their competition. This is obviously very good for you. GE, Whirlpool and LG will have to respond in the future or risk losing this very large segment of the market.

Bosch French Door

Bosch is a different company. These guys can overlook everything important in the appliance business and somehow still succeed. Their formula of unique product has worked along with some great dishwasher and laundry products.

But nobody stays lucky and good forever. Their problem of not marketing lesser expensive products is an issue especially now...Their other issue is not featuring a competitive french door...until now.

Behold (March availability)





Very like-able aesthetically as all Bosch's are...BUT, it is not shallow depth, which is 65% of the market. Ouch.

GE French Doors

I was never a fan of GE. They had tons of products under several different labels with zero value propositions for customers, GE Profile, GE, Hotpoint, the now defunct RCA.

Two years ago, they launched GE Cafe with great new product and very different style. Special note to manufacturers and "branders" alike: People buy products first and labels second, and labels succeed only because of the product.

The success of GE can also be attributed to their new french door products. French doors are side by side refrigerators with a bottom freezer. So while Whirlpool, LG, and Frigidaire were focused elsewhere, GE stole the market with LED lighting, bigger sizes and more current styling.

Have a look at their best: The Profile PFSS9SKYSS







At approximately $2700, this is a little high subtract the all encompassing informational dispenser with just a regular one... and the scaled down piece is $350 less.

French Door Barbie...

Lets look at that beacon of American culture...The Barbie Doll.





As you can see, the Barbie is now packed with a french door refrigerator instead of a side by side. The fine folk at Hasbro have astutely packed the more popular refrigerator.



Here's why French doors are more popular than side by sides:

1. French doors allow for better lateral storage
2. More refrigeration space/less freezer space
3. Refrigerator at waist level...no bending
4. Newer and "cooler"(perception is everything)look

Types of Refrigeration

Back in the ancient days, I was the trainer for the new salespeople (to be)...

Third Lesson: Do not use industry terms. This is a rule I violate every day on the ole blog...until today.

Let start with the many types of refrigeration. We have 130+ on display, so lets look at a few.

Top Mount: Fridge on bottom, freezer on top

Advantage: Inexpensive, great selection for smaller spaces
Disadvantage: Stooping for vegetables, fruits, nothing over 21 cubic feet
Best Brands: Frigidaire, GE

Bottom Mount: Fridge on top, freezer on bottom

Advantages: No stooping for fruits/veg, larger sizes available
Disadvantages: Stooping for ice cream, pricier than the top mount
Best Brands: GE, Amana

French Door: Side by side top with bottom freezer

Advantages: Its cool...face it, French is also great in an island scheme, because there is not one wide door
Disadvantages: Pricier than a bottom freezer

Side By Side: Refrigerator on right freezer on left

Advantages: Organized storage, more freezer space(which can also be a disadvantage), smaller doors are better for islands
Disadvantages: Poor lateral storage, not enough refrigeration
Best Brands: Frigidaire, Bosch and GE

Shallow Depth: Can be any of the top configurations, only with the depth being 24 inches plus the door.

Advantages: Looks great in a kitchen
Disadvantages: Pricier with less cubic footage

Professional: Compressor on the top, shallow depth, multiple configurations

Advantage: Impressive
Disadvantage: Impressive price
Best Brands: SubZero, Liehberr, Thermador

Integrated: Fits seamlessly inside a cabinet, cleanest look

Advantage: Freedom to place components where you wish...really the best look with expensive cabinetry
Disadvantage: Most money per cubic foot
Best Brands: Bosch, Thermador

EnergyStar $169 Rebates

Quick review then a question:

Replacing a 10 year old refrigerator with an EnergyStar will save $100-110 per year...

Replacing a 20 year old refrigerator with an EnergyStar will save $200-250 per year...

Piece of advice: Your second refrigerator...remove it.


Now the question: What does the SubZero built in, GE french door, Frigidaire top mount and Bosch side by side have in common:



They all have $169 instant rebates as a joint venture between Yale, NSTAR and National Grid.

Even More New Stuff

Go away for a couple of weeks and see the store change. Maybe they are telling me something. Anyway have a look at a brand new line for Yale called Liebherr:



I actually really like this line. First, Liebherr is the Greenest appliance company in the world. They were the first company to eliminate CFCs in 1993, and have virtually eliminated hazardous substances out of their manufacturing process.

Liebherr also fills a niche of people who want a little better piece than a built in without having to pay for a SubZero. Look at their french door bottom mount and 48 inch combination side by side.

Buy This, Not That...Maybe

Love that book, Eat This, Not That...especially when I discovered my favorite tuna sandwich was 1200 calories with 75 grams of fat.

Our adaptation is Buy this, Not that.....(am I reaching?)

Buy this: The french door refrigerator will allow for greater lateral storage and more refrigerator room than a side by side. The doors are also split, which is better in tighter spaces and island installations.





Not That...Maybe. The side by side used to be the standard. It is not as hip, cool or functional as the french. It can be, however, almost $1000 cheaper in a shallow depth configuration. Some people have a different idea of cool with another $1000 in their pocket

New Bosch

Bosch has introduced a new side by side refrigerator. Sure, side by sides are being out sold 10-1 by french doors, and Bosch does not market that popular category...





At $1599 after rebates, it is $700-1000 cheaper than the comparable french door. This is a good, less expensive alternative for people who want to renovate/sell their units for less.

Kelly Rippa is Wrong?

I will be in New York tomorrow talking with Electrolux about their advertising campaign (like my opinion should count). They spent 250 million dollars advertising their brand featuring Kelly Rippa in one year.

That's right $250,000,000...

At the end of the day, did they receive a return on a huge investment? Then I was thinking what if I was the CMO...What would I do? Leveraging strength in my opinion is the way to market anything, whether its Yale or Electrolux:

My campaign would feature the following:

The Biggest





Their laundry is the largest at 4.7 cubic feet. They also have a 18 minute wash and dry cycle, so they are the fastest. They also have the shallowest vented dimension, so they fit in more closets...

The Fastest





Induction is faster and better than even professional gas ranges. I would show a comparison on Youtube with boiling water (I think we do)...Costs $350 for a good camera with video, so I am way under budget....The Electrolux induction is also the least expensive unit...Multiple themes could be generated here.


Technological





Their control panels allows consumers to cook anything at any cycle...allowing for multiple themes here.


French





So far, I have spent $350. I would probably spread out a few more dollars on the internet content spends as well as blogger alliances and maybe some paid Google searches...and spend the rest on manufacturing a french door refrigerator, which has dominated this segment. They have it out now, but Electrolux has lost package driven consumers for almost 3 years.

How did I do?

Energystar Refrigerators

They don't make them like they used to is a common refrain. It is however somewhat inaccurate especially in the appliance industry. Product has always been manufactured well with notable exceptions....The GE compressor recall in 1988 and The Maytag Neptune issues of 1996, but in general appliances last about 10-12 years.
You probably have not kept cars, clothes or furniture as long.

Over the last 10 years, there has been a push towards efficiency in appliances. California mandated it in 1986 (our present Energy Secretary) and the EnergyStar program was publicized. If you were replacing a 10 year old side by side with a new french door, what would be the savings?



With the recession, its a pretty interesting answer. First, there is $110 in energy savings. Secondly, there is a $50 Nstar rebate. For many manufacturers, there is an instant $100 rebate in May with a Yale matching rebate of $100. Then there are a few with individual rebates of $50. If you buy a refrigerator as part of a kitchen package, there could be yet another package rebate of $150-300.

Quick answer: At least $350 in energy savings and rebates on side by sides and french doors and up to $750 in packages.

Not a bad time to change your refrigerator.

Finally A Completed Line

Electrolux debuted last year in the US after being the biggest player worldwide. Their emphasis is cooking with induction range tops and pretty interesting ovens.

But something was missing. I tried to tell them 2 years ago, but they were confident in the 150 million spent on market research. When I inquired about the omission of a french door refrigerator, they went blank....Heck all I would have charged was the price of a Chianti.

It is a big deal. People want coordinated kitchens especially in the upscale market right down to the handle.

Now you can match...

Split It

French door refrigeration(defined as a side by side top and bottom freezer) has replaced straight side by sides as the new upscale refrigerator of choice. The reason for said purchase: The product looks good.

A couple other reasons for the purchase:

1. More refrigeration than a side by side
2. Better lateral storage
3. Better access to the refrigerator(don't have to stoop for fruit and veg)
4. In an island setting, the shorter doors allow for more space

Pics:

New Appliances

Every April, there is always a new appliance show for the regional dealers. This years winner is Electrolux with their french door refrigeration. Fisher Paykel was interesting, as was Bosch.

Have a look at the future:

Owens' Renovation

This is Owen, my next door neighbor.




I like Owen. He is a great next door neighbor always polite, mostly quiet and just an all around likeable person. One day Owen asked me to help with his renovation. He had a number of lighting and appliance related issues which are my specialty.

Lets look at the appliances first.

Issue 1: Old Appliances....Did not want to spend a ton of dough replacing.







Answer: GE Cafe....It has style for a fraction of the price of SubZero/Viking/Wolf. We could have substituted Bosch (he liked the GE range better plus Bosch does not have a french door) or Frigidaire. As I have posted previously, you can renovate affordably and still have very good products.

Small Spaces For Less

Meet Dave Kiley. Dave serves many purposes. He is (the best) part friend and part customer. Dave is also my next door neighbor and is a nut about home improvement, especially lighting and appliances.

He is also extraordinarily talented and perhaps the best contemporary renovator in Boston. Look what he does in a small space.



Samsung French door refrigerator, Miele dishwasher, Bosch cooktop, Thermador wall oven and Best hood.

Dave is a style conscious, upscale guy. In a $4500 per month rental, it is somewhat expected...but lets spend less and still have a great look.



By replacing the Thermador with a Bosch oven, Zephyr for Best, Bosch(or GE Monogram) for the Miele and LG for Samsung, we can save about $3500.

Surprise, Surprise

Just when you thought Whirlpool stopped manufacturing innovative products, they actually impress you...Have a look.



The Worlds first 22 cubic foot shallow depth product is the new KitchenAid...It is taller and 2 cubic foot bigger than anything else.