SMEG fridges. Are they really as bad as the reviews suggest?
Discussion
I’ve been searching t’internet web sites & dealers for a tall, black, retro-style larder fridge. But, I need one with a left-hinged door which seems to restrict most of the options as not many are reversible.
Tried Gorenje and Baumatic but they don’t make left-hinged doors.
SMEG do make one that perfectly fits the requirement but virtually all the reviews I’ve read say how rubbish the build quality is, with failing seals / flimsy handles / shelves / trays etc. So far I’ve not found anyone with anything good to say about them. All style, no substance – and at a grand a pop I want one that works!
Anyone here have any positive experience of the brand or should I heed the warnings?
Thanks.
Tried Gorenje and Baumatic but they don’t make left-hinged doors.
SMEG do make one that perfectly fits the requirement but virtually all the reviews I’ve read say how rubbish the build quality is, with failing seals / flimsy handles / shelves / trays etc. So far I’ve not found anyone with anything good to say about them. All style, no substance – and at a grand a pop I want one that works!
Anyone here have any positive experience of the brand or should I heed the warnings?
Thanks.
i've got the beige smeg left hand hinge, sounds like the one you are after in black
looks great. its crap as a fridge.
plastic shelves in the doors have cracked.
seals around fridge door have failed. fridge forms ice on the back wall due i guess to condensation build up, therefore fridge doesnt get cold near the top. has to be defrosted every couple of weeks.
not great for an £800 fridge
if anyone knows where to buy spare parts, like the shelves and seals let me know....
looks great. its crap as a fridge.
plastic shelves in the doors have cracked.
seals around fridge door have failed. fridge forms ice on the back wall due i guess to condensation build up, therefore fridge doesnt get cold near the top. has to be defrosted every couple of weeks.
not great for an £800 fridge
if anyone knows where to buy spare parts, like the shelves and seals let me know....
macp said:
My brother in law up until July this year was the Smeg UK sales manager and I never heard of any quality issues from him.Just my two penneth.
He's hardly impartial now is he! 
In 18 months my brand new washing machine broke twice. Apparently they have quite common manufacturing faults relating to how the drum spindle is cast (this was from the - SMEG-authorised - repair-man's mouth). My SMEG oven and dishwasher also had faults, although to be fair, my fridge was absolutely fine!
I wouldn't waste my money.
Bill Carr said:
macp said:
My brother in law up until July this year was the Smeg UK sales manager and I never heard of any quality issues from him.Just my two penneth.
He's hardly impartial now is he! In 18 months my brand new washing machine broke twice. Apparently they have quite common manufacturing faults relating to how the drum spindle is cast (this was from the - SMEG-authorised - repair-man's mouth). My SMEG oven and dishwasher also had faults, although to be fair, my fridge was absolutely fine!
I wouldn't waste my money.
We're in the quoting/planing stages of a new kitchen and the OH wants 'intergrated' units so it means that we're replacing all but the recently bought cooker & hob. The kitchen companies seem to quote for Siemens (which our cooker and hob is), but I figure that once they're 'hidden' is it really worth paying the extra? We've been impressed with the cooker (if you ever say you were impressed with a piece of kitchen equipment) but that might be like saying "Yamaha make good motorbikes, so their keyboards must be good too" (not that I know anything about motorbikes 
). I wonder if we'll be any worse off buying the 'standard' brands for fridge/freezer, dishwasher and washing machine....It seems like Smeg don't have the reputation I though they might have had, so I could be wrong about other 'premium' brands. At least we've had good service from the Hotpoint stuff we have now (including being able to get a spare door handle for the washing machine within 2 days of it breaking), so I'm thinking we just buy the intergrated versions of those models; though it does all seem a bit of a waste to me, I guess the OH thinks the same about some of my spending.
). I wonder if we'll be any worse off buying the 'standard' brands for fridge/freezer, dishwasher and washing machine....It seems like Smeg don't have the reputation I though they might have had, so I could be wrong about other 'premium' brands. At least we've had good service from the Hotpoint stuff we have now (including being able to get a spare door handle for the washing machine within 2 days of it breaking), so I'm thinking we just buy the intergrated versions of those models; though it does all seem a bit of a waste to me, I guess the OH thinks the same about some of my spending. Edited by OldSkoolRS on Thursday 24th September 14:46
Smeg is very much form over function (and quality).
OldSkoolRS said:
We're in the quoting/planing stages of a new kitchen and the OH wants 'intergrated' units so it means that we're replacing all but the recently bought cooker & hob. The kitchen companies seem to quote for Siemens (which our cooker and hob is), but I figure that once they're 'hidden' is it really worth paying the extra? We've been impressed with the cooker (if you ever say you were impressed with a piece of kitchen equipment) but that might be like saying "Yamaha make good motorbikes, so their keyboards must be good too" (not that I know anything about motorbikes ). I wonder if we'll be any worse off buying the 'standard' brands for fridge/freezer, dishwasher and washing machine....It seems like Smeg don't have the reputation I though they might have had, so I could be wrong about other 'premium' brands. At least we've had good service from the Hotpoint stuff we have now (including being able to get a spare door handle for the washing machine within 2 days of it breaking), so I'm thinking we just buy the intergrated versions of those models; though it does all seem a bit of a waste to me, I guess the OH thinks the same about some of my spending.
Have a look at Bosch or Neff, all made at the same factories with the same parts, usually with a few less features than the Siemens, usually a fair bit cheaper, but the same quality. ). I wonder if we'll be any worse off buying the 'standard' brands for fridge/freezer, dishwasher and washing machine....It seems like Smeg don't have the reputation I though they might have had, so I could be wrong about other 'premium' brands. At least we've had good service from the Hotpoint stuff we have now (including being able to get a spare door handle for the washing machine within 2 days of it breaking), so I'm thinking we just buy the intergrated versions of those models; though it does all seem a bit of a waste to me, I guess the OH thinks the same about some of my spending. Edited by OldSkoolRS on Thursday 24th September 14:46
Don said:
Is it just me or does eveyone else think
<kryten>Smeeeee. Smmmmeeeeeeeeeg heeeeeeeeeeead</kryten>
when they see SMEG applicances.
Worse: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smegma<kryten>Smeeeee. Smmmmeeeeeeeeeg heeeeeeeeeeead</kryten>
when they see SMEG applicances.
Simpo Two said:
From white goods to white fluids in 13 posts - gotta love PH 
We bought the tall big daddy in cream for around £1400 and have found it brilliant. I would much rather have a fridge that has a few issues that looks sweet than a excelent fridge that looks out of place. We have a old fashioned look to our kitchen so it fits in a treat.
Only had it a few months mind!
Only had it a few months mind!
David1975 said:
I would much rather have a fridge that has a few issues that looks sweet than a excelent fridge that looks out of place.
It won't look sweet with a puddle of defrosted ice cream, etc underneath it if some of the negative posters are right. Thanks for the info regarding the Bosch and Neff substitutes further up from Pokethepope.
Edited by OldSkoolRS on Thursday 24th September 18:10
Harry Flashman said:
Now used in a spare room as a secondary beer fridge, replaced with an AEG Santo, which is awesome.
It's a FRIDGE, Harry. It keeps stuff cold. It doesn't inspire awe!Mount Everest: Awesome. Concorde taking off: Awesome. Saturn 5 blasting off: Awesome. AEG Santo: mildly cool (4C to be precise).
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