Cool As, and Cool Off a Cucumber with the Whirlpool Gold Bottom-Mount Refrigerator
Written: Jun 12 '08 (Updated Jun 12 '08)
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Pros: Precise temperature, efficient, very large fridge, great extra features, good price, very easy fridge access.
Cons: Makes a few odd noises, bottom freezer less space than standard.
The Bottom Line: This refrigerator has accurate temperature controls, great features, low energy use, nice look. Less usable freezer space with the 'shelf' system, but value-wise, it's a nearly perfect bottom-mount refrigerator solution.
customeright's Full Review: Whirlpool Gold Series GB2SHTXTS (21.9 cu. ft.) Ref...
Remodeling a kitchen isn't easy. But the fun part is that you get to choose new appliances! Wait... did I say 'fun'??? Maybe for my wife it is. She just gives the order, and 2 to 3 weeks later she has all new appliances. Easy! She just says "They need to be black, look nice, match, and be relatively inexpensive. Oh, and I want one of those cool new refrigerators with the freezer on the bottom!"
Easy for her to say. But the truth is that she's not the picky one in this relationship when it comes to the kitchen. For me, those requirements aren't good enough. I'm a function man. For big ticket items that actually are needed daily and useful I have to research every little aspect of every appliance available. I need to know features, usability, reliability, user opinion, and of course price. There are so many options and models and accessories out there; and price ranges ... it's enough to overwhelm. And to be honest, I don't exactly love researching appliances like I do electronics, or cars.
So my mission was set: we needed a new microwave, a new dishwasher, and a new refrigerator that are black, nice and inexpensive and hopefully match. (Luckily we're keeping the range and just changing the cook top surface color). Well, this isn't a review on reviewing, so I won't go through the research here; I'll just say that matching the appliances was the toughest part because I liked different brands for each item. So after a lot of web page surfing, comparison shopping, and a slight bit of uncommon (for me) spontaneity, I made the decision, and we finally completed our kitchen renovation.
The First Refrigerator of Second Choice
Our new refrigerator is the Whirlpool Gold GB2SHTXTB and we're very happy with it. But it actually was not my first choice. I couldn't find much information on it, and it wasn't reviewed on Epinions. But, after selecting the dishwasher I wanted, and trying to match brands, I just happened to stumble upon this model on the showroom floor at Lowes. It had everything we wanted, it matched, and they had a good deal on it (that's the spontaneity I mentioned above that I normally am not good at).
Form
This refrigerator is a 21.9 cu. ft. bottom-mount refrigerator, meaning that the freezer is actually a pull-out drawer at the bottom of the unit, and the refrigerator portion is on the top.
Here's a quick run-down of the dimensions:
-Depth, Including Handles (Inches): 33-1/4
-Depth, Excluding Handles (Inches): 30-7/8
-Depth, Less Door (Inches): 28-1/8
-Height to Top of Case (Inches): 68-1/2
-Height to Top of Door Hinge (Inches): 69-3/4
-Width (Inches): 32-5/8
The model we have is black, and has a nice semi-glossy coating. It's not highly reflective, but not flat or roughly ridged either like other refrigerators.
The fridge handle is adjustable right or left, and the freezer handle is a horizontal bar-type handle at the top of the freezer drawer.
Features
Other than the bottom-mount feature of this model, the other features are what really sold me on this unit. While some brands had either removable shelves or sliding shelves, this one was of a few that had both sliding and adjustable shelves that were also spill proof (although 'spill proof' is probably an overstatement. A small plastic lip surrounds the glass, thus providing some resistance to minor spills). So finding all of these shelf features in one unit was a nice plus. Also the water filtration system that works for the cold water dispenser and ice maker are nice as well.
Here's a list of other great features with this fridge:
Built-in automatic ice maker, reverse osmosis water filter, cold water dispenser, frost free defrost, humidity control crispers, dual cooling and dual digital thermostats, adjustable door shelves, refrigerator and freezer lights, and Energy Star compliance.
Function
In general our satisfaction with the functionality of this fridge can be summed up as really great although it does have some little annoyances as well...
Positives
First, this fridge is very easy to use and it looks good which makes it a great addition to our kitchen. Also on the plus side, after initial installation, the refrigerator cooled off quickly and has held its temperature well. We left the factory default settings for a week as recommended, and found no need to adjust it later. The fridge stays cold, and the freezer stays frozen. I've never had a fridge with a digital temperature setting before, and I find the feature to be quite nice. It takes the guesswork out of those analog dials. No more trying to figure out whether the dial is too far or not. With this, you just set the number for fridge and freezer, and let it go.
With the reverse layout of this refrigerator, it really does make getting to the place you access the most, the fridge, very easy. The food is all at eye level. Drinks are all on the door at eye level. No more bending if you're tall, and no more stretching if you're short. Everything you need is right there. And there's a lot of 'right there' because with this configuration there seems to a lot more room in the fridge. We have room for everything, and then some.
Another nice feature is the easy accessibility of the water filter. It's located inside the fridge at the top right of the unit. This makes changing very easy and convenient.
The cold water dispenser for this fridge is just inside the door on the left. The water is cold, filtered, and having the dispenser is a nice added feature.
The two crispers have individual humidity control settings, and below them is a lower full width shelf. This is similar to most refrigerators, but with this one they put a clear window on the shelf because you actually 'can' look into it without having to get on your knees.
Each shelf in the door is adjustable, and some of the shelves have a durable rubber-plastic liner that can be removed and washed.
Negatives / Nice to Have's
Of course there are a few drawbacks with the bottom-mount freezer. First unfortunately, is the bottom-mount freezer shelf. Now, I wouldn't buy a top freezer again after my experience with this one if I can help it. The fridge placement is so nice that I don't mind bending over to accesses the freezer. But the freezer is accessed by pulling it out like a dresser drawer which I believe sacrifices quite a bit of storage space. The door on this unit is basically part of the freezer assembly, and when you pull on the handle, the whole thing slides forward. The reason I think space is limited although the cubic feet listing is normal, is because the food is actually kept in two smaller baskets. There is a lower, large basket, and am upper-shelf smaller basket that slides independently. Those baskets while convenient, need quite a bit of clearance to the left, right and top. If even the tip of a frozen food box sticks out to far, it will prevent the freezer from closing and sealing completely. Also the ice maker sits on the top shelf basket, and while it's rather convenient, it reduces some of the usable space on that basket.
Other little annoyances about this refrigerator are that it makes some odd noises. Sometimes it's just faint clicking, but sometimes there's a distinctly louder gurgling sound that's a bit unnerving late at night. We do have tile all over the house so perhaps the noises are amplified for us, but the noises are relatively noticeable with low surrounding noise.
Finally, my last little gripe with this fridge is the water dispenser. While it's placed in a decent location just inside the door, you need two hands to operate it in order to fill a cup. There's no holder for the cup, and no cup pressure button that you can push your cup into to turn on the water. Instead you have to hold your cup in one hand, and push the dispenser button with the other.
Conclusion
After about a month of use, our conclusion is that we like this refrigerator very much. The bottom-mount freezer is great because mounting the fridge portion on top makes it very convenient. Why manufacturers didn't think of this before I don't know. This fridge has the convenience of a side-by-side, but it can still fit a full pizza without tipping it. There is ample room in the fridge portion, and the fully adjustable, sliding, spill-proof-ish shelves are great. The digital thermostat takes out the guess work, and the adjustable, plastic lined door shelves are a nice touch. The water filter and the placement of that filter are great, although adding a cup-depressible button would be nice. Another nice-to-have would be an indicator as to when to change the water filter, and of course the main negative is the reduced usable space in the freezer due to the basket system. Otherwise, this refrigerator was the best combination of bottom-freezer, extra features, and quality manufacturer that I found. While not the tip-top of the line, it's certainly not the bottom, and to do over again I would buy this same model.
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