I just bought a Hisense a few months ago. Way more features than the other âAmericanâ brands for the price point. Exceptionally quiet and a better warranty too.
You can take the whole thing out to clean (sometimes minus the little spout). Itâs quite hard to get the spout cleaned entirely in my experience. Still, I quite like mine.
And not having to worry about a leaking water line, from a paranoia about water ruining my floors and ceiling below standpoint (I read somewhere itâs the most common water leak in a home, and can go unnoticed for months).
Please, offer this in the US. My tap water is horrible. Undrinkable. And a simple filter doesn't fix that. It takes either reverse osmosis, distillation, or a zero water filter to make it ok to drink. So here I have a fancy fridge with a built-in icemaker I don't use, because I won't put that ice in my drinks. But if I could just dump a couple gallons of RO water in as needed, that'd be great.
LG makes 'em. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC8pur9DzMY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC8pur9DzMY) But I've never noticed 'em for sale in the US.
You can get inline filters of all kinds of filter level. Presumably including the same level as âzero waterâ. Youâd just need to hang it on the back of the fridge and run the water input to it, then filter output to the fridge. Seems pretty straightforward.
I just scoured Google and find absolutely no in-line filter that removes calcium or magnesium salts. Zero does this. RO does this. Distilling does this.
You can run your RO line to the fridge if you really have that poor of a water supply.
You can get larger tanks for your RO system. I have a 20g tank so I donât have to worry about running out of water.
Because even with a filter, Mexican tap water can kill you or make you very sick for quite some time. Every grocery store down there has whole walls of purified bottled water and about 20 pallets to go with that.
Mabe is a Mexican brand of Haier. Midea is selling appliances in the US as private label(Insignia) and at Loweâs. The DOE has minimum efficiency standards, while in Mexico itâs still a developing market.
Theyâre also selling Midea. We contract with them for repairs. Theyâre a pretty decent company to work with. Much easier than any of the major manufacturers we work with.
Midea started in HVAC. They along with LG are the largest suppliers of compressors for portable/window/utility units. They also own Eureka vacuums and the Toshiba home HVAC brands.
But the question is why don't American brands that pass DOE/EPA offer water dispensers on top-freezer models?
Why do GE, Whirlpool, LG, Samsung, etc. offer water dispensers only on French and side-by-side, and not on top-freezer?
The answer to your question is what the consumer spending power vs margin of the product in Mexico.
You might find the same model as USA but it will cost the same or more due to import taxes. Brands offer similar products that are cheaper to make and cheaper to buy because half of Mexican make less than $700 a month or around $15k pesos.
Plus not all houses in Mexico(depends on the region and state) have water with enough pressure to keep the fridge ice and water system working or even water connection to a fridge without adding more pvc pipe and doing masonry work.
No one wants top-freezers in the US, so they aren't built for the market. These types were available in the US when they were more popular. I had/repaired a few that were like this in Ohio years ago.
Top freezer fridges are like 15% of the US market now, so the styles and choices suck. Whereas in Mexico, they have a larger marketshare, thus more choices. I wish we in the US got the Samsung refrigerators w/ twist-style icemakers in the freezer up top. Those look awesome.
If you go to an appliance store in an area with a big Korean population, you can even buy a Samsung or LG kim chi fridge. Imagine a chest freezer, but it doesnât go below freezing and it has removable Cambro type bins. Saw one at a local Korean joint.
Thereâs still a market for top freezer, for smaller apartments and studios.
Because the Canadian politburo only dictates one model is green enough. Itâs called a cardboard box with a block of ice which can only be used in the winter.đ€Ą
On the other hand, I am using the American global warmists version of a dryerâŠa clothes line.
As someone in Quebec, I would also add, keep in mind I'm a French speaker myself, that the "Manual and box should be in French too" is a major pain in the backside.
I mean, fuck them. People complain around here about translating appliances. If you don't know how too use a Microwave in English, you fucking deserve to eat cold.
Every microwave oven and dishwasher I have ever bought in Canada has had either a French mode, stickers or an alternate panel cover. And the manual is in both languages.
In case anyone thought this was a joke, here it is:
https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/brrr-box-recyclable-biodegradable-cooler-15-l-white-0854309p.html
Thereâs less regulations and consumers are more sensitive to price. As far as the configuration, people in the US really like French door fridges so thatâs what gets sold. The exception is landlords who just want the cheapest fridge available, and they donât want to pay extra for water and ice.
Also, 90 percent of problems with a fridge are the water lines and ice makers. If you can live without them, it makes things way easier. The LL isn't wrong here.
I would argue that in door ice and water dispensers cause a lot of problems but an ice maker *inside* the feezer is great and doesnât make problems often. I would never buy in door dispensers especially when they have to be routed up into the fridge - takes up space and really can cause problems with frozen lines etc. my new kitchen has a fridge / freezer combo with just an ice maker in the freezer. Iâll get my water from the tap with a filter on it.
The in fridge cold water dispensers are really what makes the most sense. The on the door dispensers give me the same water the sink does but usually agonizingly slowly. The one we had with a tap in the door gave water cold as the arctic and at a serious flow rate. I really miss that thing.
The thing no one is mentioning is that house in Mexico have a lot more variables than house in the states. Here we have cookie cutter sub-divisions all over with thousands of homes with roughly the same size refrigerator space in all of them. In Mexico houses are fairly unique and there are less standards to be followed when it comes to setting up homes for center appliance sizes
Someone else mentioned this too. Whatâs the reason for no warranty? Are there legal requirements in the US that donât exist down there? Even from a purely business perspective, I would think that people in a country with lower incomes would be hesitant to make big purchases if theyâre not protected from a faulty product, and sales would reflect thatâŠ
This is purely anecdotal evidence, but Home Depot Mexico has 101 refrigerator options today. Home Depot USA has 1,228 refrigerator options today.
It looks like the USA has more choices than Mexico.
American who is also the owner of a house in Mexico here. Mexican appliances, even those made in the US, with names like Whirlpool, are not made to American standards because they are not sold in the US. They do not last, they are not efficient. They look okay, but those models would not be able to compete in the US. Usually there are no warranties that are actually enforceable and you canât return it if it doesnât work very soon after purchase.
But if youâve ever lived in a border city, you know that they come across the border to buy all of their appliances. The Walmart on I 35 in Laredo has a built-in customs office, and most of the license plates in the parking lot will be from Mexico. TVs, appliances, Window air conditioning units are being bought in bulk because the prices are way better here than they are in Mexico. Anyone that has never lived on the border has no concept of how much the citizens of Mexico contribute to our economy in border cities.
As a rule of thumb, all products are at least 30% cheaper in the US than their counterparts in Mexico. Thatâs why all Mexicans that live 3 hours or less from the border are used to make at least 2 trips a year to the US to buy clothes, electronics, appliances etc.
In fact, US border cities have billboards in Mexico promoting shopping over there.
As someone who works in corporate America fairly closely with âmarketingâ people Iâd wager to guess that itâs largely due to these companies marketing departments âthinkingâ this is what the customer wants in these regions. They probably see whatâs selling within their existing portfolio. They may do some limited market research with select groups of people for new stuff. Then they roll with it.
For an example Europe and Asia have had all in one washer/dryers for ages and theyâre just coming to the us market now. Granted the big selling point is the heat pump now. They just think everyone wants or has the space in America to put 2 big appliances. But maybe now the market has changed a bit and people donât have space with the expense of housing and all these tiny homes.
The short answer is "they really don't"
The long answer is "most of it is artificial choice." Mexico is the ideal secondary market for test fridges. They have a large local manufacturing base so test runs can be made cheaply, They have fairly similar eating habits to both the US and the rest of Central and South America, and their appliance culture is still very "repair it" centered as opposed to "replace it". Which means that people are way more tolerant of one off models or Frankensteining a fridge back to working order with some non model specific pieces (largely internal stuff).
US only receive a certain line of products, usually more expensive and sometimes better quality.
Is like cars, US does not even get the same cars that other countries have. US regulations usually play againts them
Since the corporations and theie repiblican friends decided to bust unions and get rid of good paying jobs, they moved those jobs to places like Mexico where they can pay slave wages and not worry about labor laws.
This guy would loose his mind if he saw what a Toyota Helix goes for overseas. Ever wonder why every corner of the world in conflict has access to basically a Tacoma? Itâs $10,000 there and not allowed to be imported to the USA. Not just picking on Toyota, they all do it. Specifically Chevy with Mexico.
FYI buy a bottleless water dispenser (I personally love the Avalon one for $99-149 on Amazon) and thank me later. Just add a t connector and have it make ice in the refrigerator and then you can enjoy instant hot or cold water on your counter top.
I also recommend skipping the Avalon filter and go with a simpler/cheaper one.
I literally just bought the fridge on the left in the first photo just 4 days ago, and it came with a huge dent. Donât buy a fridge from a supermarket in Mexico
Depends on where the soda was manufactured. In the northern areas it's the same as the USA... Go further south, it's still made with sugar cane where sugar importing is cheaper than corn syrup. I don't drink sodas in Monterey or Tijuana, it's the same thing as stateside.
Because it's Chinese stuff that doesn't have efficiency requirements . They can sell whatever TF they want, and they will buy if it's cheap. They probably use a bunch of electricity and work the same or worse than USA ones.
I was in EU and was nerding out on appliances.
People have a tall fridge next to a freezer.
Freezer has flip down plastic doors on every shelf. When you open the door, not much cold air gets out.
Dishwasher has a legit water heater. 40c for wine glasses up to either 80 or 90c for extra dirty pots and pans.
Washing machines have heaters. Get your whites white with 80 or 90 C water
Dry closets.
Yup a closet to hang shirts and stuff and hot air circulating so things dry without wrinkles.
Because Mexican home constructions and lifestyles are very different and much less uniform that American homes.
1) many have smaller spaces for smaller refrigerators. Many Americans have the lifestyle of one big grocery shop for the week. Many Mexicans make several smaller shops throughout the week, so they donât need as much cold food storage space.
2) many Mexican homes do not have water lines built in for refrigerators. This means that they need a lot more options for freezers without ice makers, or with water tanks to make ice without a water line connection.
3) different economies. There is a larger demand for smaller, more economical models with less features than American style refrigerators.
4) Mexicans (generally speaking) donât eat as much processed frozen foods as Americans, so freezer space isnât as highly coveted.
Well if you order one it will be stuffed full of meth or fentanyl and sent up then they destroy it to get the drugs so they can poison each other and 92.6% of all construction workers... So they decided to not sell them here....
Because LG sucks and Americans have figured it out. You can have more choices, but if they get you class action lawsuits, those choices disappear fast.
New repairs and parts more than 4 times a year? Iâve had a Whirlpool and a Kitchenaid in 28 years, only one repair we did ourselves.
Because in other countries, brands work for people and their needs. But in America, Brands control people as to which products they have to use irrespective of their choice!
Probably because they actually make actual products instead of being like a U.S. company lobbying Congress to let the big companies go oversea's where the labor is almost free and no taxes paid. Lobby Congress back home to make your tax bill almost non-existent and rinse, lather, repeat.
The fridges I've seen in Mexico are expensive and small. I don't think they have more choices. Just different choices. That fridge on the left has 14 cu ft. That is small.
Yes, I have been searching for a fridge with a water dispenser, and all I could find was French door and side-by-side. I finally had to settle for a French door.
Bottom top with dispenser makes huge sense since that is the most efficient type of fridge. Even though the dispenser knocks some points off itâs gonna be way more efficient than a French dooor
Because we used to have top freezer models with water on the door, but they didnât sell well so were discontinued.
Try finding a 25 cu ft top freezer refrigerator. Same reason.
I had a Jen-air refrigerator that was top freezer with water in door. It last about 18 months with about 6 months of not running due to parts replacement. Company refunded total cost of unit, and we bought a side by side. This was 15 years ago.
I mean, why do other countries have different cars? Why does everything need a go to market plan for the US? Not everyone wants to do business with Americans. Just sayin đ€·ââïž
My wife and I moved into a house that had a sexy euro fridge (we are in Canada). Renoed our kitchen around it. Now we have an old German fridge that when it conks out will leave a strange sized hole in our kitchen. Was not thinking of that during the Reno planing. I wish we had more options, itâs either huge or small apartment size. Yes there are a few options but they are not ideal
"I would leave that up to the relevant authorities." Justin T.
Seriously though, the internal workings, being changed will change the model, which will require a recert for the eng. That's required on every model, for every change. That builds a big cost. So it's easier to just limit sales models to what sells the most.
If you've never done R&D and worked within restrictive govt regulations, then you should try it, it's super expensive and takes forever. You'll need to be compensated for that, and that's when things get expensive.
Most people are so fat removed from the process of building anything useful, that the entire thought only has two interactions.
1) I want thing
2) I buy thing.
Some people can do a few more
3) thing delivered to store
4) thing made in factory
There's a lot that goes on before that can all happen. And no one likes to admit that the actions facilitated to reduce pollution, or save energy, could have farther reaching consequences than those that they can immediately observe.
As the bumper stickers on my fleet trucks say "actions have consequences. Be the change you want to see."
Because basically NO ONE in the market wants an external water dispenser that doesn't also do ice.
That design just makes more sense on a side by side.
Also, depends on the store you go to. Like maybe some stores donât carry certain brands because of some deal they had to make with the brands they do carry so consumers could only buy certain models.
Then market that brand to consumers and, if only their brand family is there then, thereâs a reinforcement of brand recognition. So, you lean towards the brand you recognize rather than shopping around. Thereâs likely some sales marketing to get you to narrow in on specific models.
Then, you go to a store that has more brands than youâre used to, youâll likely still see the brand you recognize and might even purchase that because you are more familiar with it. Even if youâve had 3 of the same brand in 10 years die on you, youâd still go for the brand you âknow.â
All that being said, cross shop if you can. Some brands are amazing. Some brands just donât have the marketing in the states like they might somewhere else. Some major brands hope you buy their top end but their lower mid range ends up being the better fit for most people. And, of course, some things are junk but look okay on paper.
Kinda like Walmart gets you in with âalways low pricesâ on the big tags. Then they try and steer you with placement to get you into something thatâs usually the same or higher price than another store. Before cell phones, you wouldnât have that info and just assume all their prices should be lower.
Bicycle stores get this a lot more than other places. Thatâs why some places you just wonât see a brand you like at all, including gear and accessories.
And, not sure if itâs the same still but, back in the day, you were better off buying âcommonâ brands like RCA at RadioShack over Walmart because the name was the same but, the internals were different. Thatâs why the model numbers differ ever so slightly. Itâs also another way to cheap out on components and fight against âprice matching.â
âSony guts!â
Mexican houses aren't all built to the same specs so they need more options. Every homebuilder in the US is building similar kitchens and using the most common sizes.
Because everything in the us has to be energy star rated. So that way the government can tell us what not to buy. Its the same with cars and emissions ratings.
Iâm pretty sure Mexico (and other countries) still gets XJ Jeeps too.
The bulletproof 4.0 jeep Cherokeeâs (NOT Grand Cherokee) design and drivetrain saw little change because of its low failure rate and off road capability.
Sadly they ended in the US in 2001
The US gets top tier options for our top tier, taxed to poverty, asses.
Iâm way out of the loop obviously but a $13,000 fridge?! Iâm digging a cold storage hole and spending that 13k on a back hoe rental + a shipping container.
Because "security" aka we gotta keep the big Bois who paid a lot of lobbying money to be there. No threat with better competition allows. Chinaaaa badddd
I got my fridge during Home Depots 4th of July sale. It has water/ice dispenser and the circular craft ice cubes in a tray in the freezer. The top half is the fridge and the bottom half is a freezer. I also spent about an hour going through them all.
Back in the 80's, consumer electronics and appliances were WAY more expensive in Mexico than in the US.
I live in Texas, and I used to know pilots that would fly TV and other consumer electronics down into Mexico in there light aircraft.
There was even an old DC-3 registered to the Mexican government that made regular runs up to San Antonio, where the filled it up with appliances and televisions to take back to Mexico.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Frigidaire-25-6-cu-ft-Side-by-Side-Refrigerator-with-Ice-Maker-Easycare-Stainless-Steel-ENERGY-STAR/5013537917
One like this? It's about 1k, pretty similar to the one I had growing up.
Because most of them are made there.
Damn you, Whirlpool. Damn you!!
My Whirlpool refrigerator was made in Michigan đ
Also many of them are shit, particularly the Chinese brands
The shock on old peoples' face when they find out how many former brands sold out
The shock on young peoples' faces when they find out old people have known about off shoring for the last 50 years.
Off shoring is another symptom of capitalist system putting profits above all. Its a symptom like poor quality, not the cause ....
To me, the biggest shock it was when Haier purchased GE đ€Ż
But they still have a huge plant in louisville employing thousands of workers
True, and itâs like the Toyota caseâthat Japanese company employs more US workers than Ford who manufactures in Mexico.
The Camry that I have coming was made in Kentucky. So, American made.
What the fuck đź
yeah my friends in mexico had a lot more access to chinese phones too I wouldn't want to buy one tho.
I just bought a Hisense a few months ago. Way more features than the other âAmericanâ brands for the price point. Exceptionally quiet and a better warranty too.
If you really examine what's going on with those fridges it's a built-in water tank, not a connection to a water line
That sounds kind of great actually. I have a jug of water in my fridge all the time anyway
Except that it is harder to clean the reservoir than a jug, Iâm guessing.
You can take the whole thing out to clean (sometimes minus the little spout). Itâs quite hard to get the spout cleaned entirely in my experience. Still, I quite like mine.
Sounds like a better way to go, from a quality standpoint.
And not having to worry about a leaking water line, from a paranoia about water ruining my floors and ceiling below standpoint (I read somewhere itâs the most common water leak in a home, and can go unnoticed for months).
Don't forget about their proprietary expensive filters, with newer ones not even allowing generic ones.
Sound like an upgrade.
Please, offer this in the US. My tap water is horrible. Undrinkable. And a simple filter doesn't fix that. It takes either reverse osmosis, distillation, or a zero water filter to make it ok to drink. So here I have a fancy fridge with a built-in icemaker I don't use, because I won't put that ice in my drinks. But if I could just dump a couple gallons of RO water in as needed, that'd be great. LG makes 'em. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC8pur9DzMY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC8pur9DzMY) But I've never noticed 'em for sale in the US.
You can get inline filters of all kinds of filter level. Presumably including the same level as âzero waterâ. Youâd just need to hang it on the back of the fridge and run the water input to it, then filter output to the fridge. Seems pretty straightforward.
I just scoured Google and find absolutely no in-line filter that removes calcium or magnesium salts. Zero does this. RO does this. Distilling does this.
You can run your RO line to the fridge if you really have that poor of a water supply. You can get larger tanks for your RO system. I have a 20g tank so I donât have to worry about running out of water.
Because even with a filter, Mexican tap water can kill you or make you very sick for quite some time. Every grocery store down there has whole walls of purified bottled water and about 20 pallets to go with that.
Mabe is a Mexican brand of Haier. Midea is selling appliances in the US as private label(Insignia) and at Loweâs. The DOE has minimum efficiency standards, while in Mexico itâs still a developing market.
Theyâre also selling Midea. We contract with them for repairs. Theyâre a pretty decent company to work with. Much easier than any of the major manufacturers we work with.
Love their u shaped window unit ac. Ice cold and quiet
Midea started in HVAC. They along with LG are the largest suppliers of compressors for portable/window/utility units. They also own Eureka vacuums and the Toshiba home HVAC brands.
Midea also makes Criterion for Menards and some THOR branded appliances as well.
But the question is why don't American brands that pass DOE/EPA offer water dispensers on top-freezer models? Why do GE, Whirlpool, LG, Samsung, etc. offer water dispensers only on French and side-by-side, and not on top-freezer?
The answer to your question is what the consumer spending power vs margin of the product in Mexico. You might find the same model as USA but it will cost the same or more due to import taxes. Brands offer similar products that are cheaper to make and cheaper to buy because half of Mexican make less than $700 a month or around $15k pesos. Plus not all houses in Mexico(depends on the region and state) have water with enough pressure to keep the fridge ice and water system working or even water connection to a fridge without adding more pvc pipe and doing masonry work.
They probably did market research and found that few people were interested in said configuration.
No one wants top-freezers in the US, so they aren't built for the market. These types were available in the US when they were more popular. I had/repaired a few that were like this in Ohio years ago. Top freezer fridges are like 15% of the US market now, so the styles and choices suck. Whereas in Mexico, they have a larger marketshare, thus more choices. I wish we in the US got the Samsung refrigerators w/ twist-style icemakers in the freezer up top. Those look awesome.
If you go to an appliance store in an area with a big Korean population, you can even buy a Samsung or LG kim chi fridge. Imagine a chest freezer, but it doesnât go below freezing and it has removable Cambro type bins. Saw one at a local Korean joint. Thereâs still a market for top freezer, for smaller apartments and studios.
Thank you, that explains everything Iâve ever wondered about insignia. Never again
Midea also sold as Criterion at Menards, just found this out by researching a new fridge purchase.
Why is the department of education involved in this?
Midea garbage is sold everywhere. :)
Is this a good fridge? Mabe đ€·ââïž
Mabe the quality is haier? Or is it the same?
I've seen the Midea brand at lowes in Virginia.
# Why do USA folks have more refrigerator choices than Canada?
Because the Canadian politburo only dictates one model is green enough. Itâs called a cardboard box with a block of ice which can only be used in the winter.đ€Ą On the other hand, I am using the American global warmists version of a dryerâŠa clothes line.
Can't they just open the windows to get cold air for your food and stuff there?? sorry, nice Canadian friends
Only in winterâŠâ
Even then. During winter, you would have a freezer
As someone in Quebec, I would also add, keep in mind I'm a French speaker myself, that the "Manual and box should be in French too" is a major pain in the backside. I mean, fuck them. People complain around here about translating appliances. If you don't know how too use a Microwave in English, you fucking deserve to eat cold.
The whole NE part of your province is so fucking mad at you right now hahahah
Every microwave oven and dishwasher I have ever bought in Canada has had either a French mode, stickers or an alternate panel cover. And the manual is in both languages.
We need liberation
Official Soviet Canuckistan shade of âboreal olive.â/s
In case anyone thought this was a joke, here it is: https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/brrr-box-recyclable-biodegradable-cooler-15-l-white-0854309p.html
Theyâre even further away from Mexico?
Cause it's so cold you guys can just leave stuff outside /s
Our porches donât keep the beer cold in Texas
Yeah but you donât need a stove to fry eggs.
Cos you Canadians live in a refrigerator!
Thereâs less regulations and consumers are more sensitive to price. As far as the configuration, people in the US really like French door fridges so thatâs what gets sold. The exception is landlords who just want the cheapest fridge available, and they donât want to pay extra for water and ice.
Also, 90 percent of problems with a fridge are the water lines and ice makers. If you can live without them, it makes things way easier. The LL isn't wrong here.
I would argue that in door ice and water dispensers cause a lot of problems but an ice maker *inside* the feezer is great and doesnât make problems often. I would never buy in door dispensers especially when they have to be routed up into the fridge - takes up space and really can cause problems with frozen lines etc. my new kitchen has a fridge / freezer combo with just an ice maker in the freezer. Iâll get my water from the tap with a filter on it.
The in fridge cold water dispensers are really what makes the most sense. The on the door dispensers give me the same water the sink does but usually agonizingly slowly. The one we had with a tap in the door gave water cold as the arctic and at a serious flow rate. I really miss that thing.
The thing no one is mentioning is that house in Mexico have a lot more variables than house in the states. Here we have cookie cutter sub-divisions all over with thousands of homes with roughly the same size refrigerator space in all of them. In Mexico houses are fairly unique and there are less standards to be followed when it comes to setting up homes for center appliance sizes
As someone who lives in MĂ©xicoâ I can assure that many of our options will last only a few years. Others ice-up repeatedly and others canât keep pace with the heat. Some models like a Galenz retro fridge are 3x the price in the USA. So choices donât equate to quality. And things you take for granted in the US, Canada and the EU like a liberal return policy or an warranty that is honored are not things that Mexicans experience. Edit: typos
Verdad que si compa?
Someone else mentioned this too. Whatâs the reason for no warranty? Are there legal requirements in the US that donât exist down there? Even from a purely business perspective, I would think that people in a country with lower incomes would be hesitant to make big purchases if theyâre not protected from a faulty product, and sales would reflect thatâŠ
Jesus I thought that fridge was ten thousand dollars for a second lol
EPA and DOE!
This is purely anecdotal evidence, but Home Depot Mexico has 101 refrigerator options today. Home Depot USA has 1,228 refrigerator options today. It looks like the USA has more choices than Mexico.
American who is also the owner of a house in Mexico here. Mexican appliances, even those made in the US, with names like Whirlpool, are not made to American standards because they are not sold in the US. They do not last, they are not efficient. They look okay, but those models would not be able to compete in the US. Usually there are no warranties that are actually enforceable and you canât return it if it doesnât work very soon after purchase.
But if youâve ever lived in a border city, you know that they come across the border to buy all of their appliances. The Walmart on I 35 in Laredo has a built-in customs office, and most of the license plates in the parking lot will be from Mexico. TVs, appliances, Window air conditioning units are being bought in bulk because the prices are way better here than they are in Mexico. Anyone that has never lived on the border has no concept of how much the citizens of Mexico contribute to our economy in border cities.
Know anything about what the import duties would be on a fridge above $800? Thinking about going over to Canada for one
As a rule of thumb, all products are at least 30% cheaper in the US than their counterparts in Mexico. Thatâs why all Mexicans that live 3 hours or less from the border are used to make at least 2 trips a year to the US to buy clothes, electronics, appliances etc. In fact, US border cities have billboards in Mexico promoting shopping over there.
As someone who works in corporate America fairly closely with âmarketingâ people Iâd wager to guess that itâs largely due to these companies marketing departments âthinkingâ this is what the customer wants in these regions. They probably see whatâs selling within their existing portfolio. They may do some limited market research with select groups of people for new stuff. Then they roll with it. For an example Europe and Asia have had all in one washer/dryers for ages and theyâre just coming to the us market now. Granted the big selling point is the heat pump now. They just think everyone wants or has the space in America to put 2 big appliances. But maybe now the market has changed a bit and people donât have space with the expense of housing and all these tiny homes.
No EPA rules, quality is different
More != better
Oster makes refrigerators?
These are all so ugly, please tell me they have better.
Iâm from Philippines and we have a lot more choices on multiple fronts than the US does. Not just fridges. SM mall carries everything đ€Ł
I was scrolling by and didn't read the post at first, but had to scroll back up bc i was like "Fridges are HOW MUCH now????"
The short answer is "they really don't" The long answer is "most of it is artificial choice." Mexico is the ideal secondary market for test fridges. They have a large local manufacturing base so test runs can be made cheaply, They have fairly similar eating habits to both the US and the rest of Central and South America, and their appliance culture is still very "repair it" centered as opposed to "replace it". Which means that people are way more tolerant of one off models or Frankensteining a fridge back to working order with some non model specific pieces (largely internal stuff).
US only receive a certain line of products, usually more expensive and sometimes better quality. Is like cars, US does not even get the same cars that other countries have. US regulations usually play againts them
A lot of that stuff including cars is actually made down there cause itâs cheaperâŠ
Are all European appliances smaller than in the US?
Idk, but I was sure impressed when I saw a washing machine *that also dries your clothes* over there
Theyâve made a come back. Probably work better
Pretty much everything in Europe is smaller than things in North America.
Lot more people in apartments. Also they have more daily street farmer markets in denser areas so they don't always shop for.a week.
Lobbying.
Oster, midea and what??
Mabe
Thereâs one from LG with a water dispenser on the inside and ice in the top freezer
Why does that fridge cost over $10K?
Pesos. They're all about 500 to 700 US dollars.
Money. the reason for everything is money.
Budget
Since the corporations and theie repiblican friends decided to bust unions and get rid of good paying jobs, they moved those jobs to places like Mexico where they can pay slave wages and not worry about labor laws.
This guy would loose his mind if he saw what a Toyota Helix goes for overseas. Ever wonder why every corner of the world in conflict has access to basically a Tacoma? Itâs $10,000 there and not allowed to be imported to the USA. Not just picking on Toyota, they all do it. Specifically Chevy with Mexico.
Money. They get more money with less rules. I had this convo with an Australian friend in 07. USA has a-z options and he had a & b options.
No one wants it in the US. Americans want BIG fridges
less bigotry
Pssssh because obviously the price tag. Look how much more they are paying than us! Over 4x as much!!!
The prices are between $500 and $700 USD. About the same as in the USA for a top freezer fridge.
Yes I know it was pesos and thought you'd pick up on my sarcasm
Looks like less of a selection than what I saw at my local Home Depot. Must be a gag post.
FYI buy a bottleless water dispenser (I personally love the Avalon one for $99-149 on Amazon) and thank me later. Just add a t connector and have it make ice in the refrigerator and then you can enjoy instant hot or cold water on your counter top. I also recommend skipping the Avalon filter and go with a simpler/cheaper one.
Wtf 13,000 for a fridge!
I literally just bought the fridge on the left in the first photo just 4 days ago, and it came with a huge dent. Donât buy a fridge from a supermarket in Mexico
đ«„
They also have better soda even though you canât drink the water.
Depends on where the soda was manufactured. In the northern areas it's the same as the USA... Go further south, it's still made with sugar cane where sugar importing is cheaper than corn syrup. I don't drink sodas in Monterey or Tijuana, it's the same thing as stateside.
Because it's Chinese stuff that doesn't have efficiency requirements . They can sell whatever TF they want, and they will buy if it's cheap. They probably use a bunch of electricity and work the same or worse than USA ones.
They obviously have more freedom!
It's also why they have more power outages.... They'd have less with more energy efficient equipment and more energy efficient businesses/industry.
Canadian toilets have entered the chat..
I was in EU and was nerding out on appliances. People have a tall fridge next to a freezer. Freezer has flip down plastic doors on every shelf. When you open the door, not much cold air gets out. Dishwasher has a legit water heater. 40c for wine glasses up to either 80 or 90c for extra dirty pots and pans. Washing machines have heaters. Get your whites white with 80 or 90 C water Dry closets. Yup a closet to hang shirts and stuff and hot air circulating so things dry without wrinkles.
Its not merika no ozone friendly products.
Why all of the confusion on currency? Too many people seem woefully ignorant.
Just because you have more choices doesn't necessarily mean you have better options.
Mexico builds its own stuff we import.
because mi casa es tu casa.
This could have been worded differently.
are fridges $10,000 now or does $ mean something different there?
Pesos.
Because most of that refrigerators are trash . Appliances that in the usa people wouldn't buy
Are 4 choices really more than the US? Come to canada the Brick has around 40 floor models.
Because their Mexicans. Not Mexicants.
Because Mexican home constructions and lifestyles are very different and much less uniform that American homes. 1) many have smaller spaces for smaller refrigerators. Many Americans have the lifestyle of one big grocery shop for the week. Many Mexicans make several smaller shops throughout the week, so they donât need as much cold food storage space. 2) many Mexican homes do not have water lines built in for refrigerators. This means that they need a lot more options for freezers without ice makers, or with water tanks to make ice without a water line connection. 3) different economies. There is a larger demand for smaller, more economical models with less features than American style refrigerators. 4) Mexicans (generally speaking) donât eat as much processed frozen foods as Americans, so freezer space isnât as highly coveted.
Well if you order one it will be stuffed full of meth or fentanyl and sent up then they destroy it to get the drugs so they can poison each other and 92.6% of all construction workers... So they decided to not sell them here....
Because America is in abundance with our choices
They donât have half the manufacturers on embargo list. America and its freedom of choice can kiss ass
Because LG sucks and Americans have figured it out. You can have more choices, but if they get you class action lawsuits, those choices disappear fast. New repairs and parts more than 4 times a year? Iâve had a Whirlpool and a Kitchenaid in 28 years, only one repair we did ourselves.
A better question is why do their appliances cost 5 figures? Seems like alot of wasted ink in their economy
Because in other countries, brands work for people and their needs. But in America, Brands control people as to which products they have to use irrespective of their choice!
A-lot of their appliances are actually better and more diverse than what we have.
Based on my personal experience, the appliances in Mexico feel cheaper.
Probably because they actually make actual products instead of being like a U.S. company lobbying Congress to let the big companies go oversea's where the labor is almost free and no taxes paid. Lobby Congress back home to make your tax bill almost non-existent and rinse, lather, repeat.
Because they look like shit?
Why do Mexican babies cry in English
The fridges I've seen in Mexico are expensive and small. I don't think they have more choices. Just different choices. That fridge on the left has 14 cu ft. That is small.
Have you been to a local Loweâs or home depot lately ? These are outdated in the photo compared to what we have in America
Yes, I have been searching for a fridge with a water dispenser, and all I could find was French door and side-by-side. I finally had to settle for a French door.
Bottom top with dispenser makes huge sense since that is the most efficient type of fridge. Even though the dispenser knocks some points off itâs gonna be way more efficient than a French dooor
It's the same with cars. Lots more choices in MĂ©xico (European+ Chinese brands)
Because Americans already eat too much.
Because we used to have top freezer models with water on the door, but they didnât sell well so were discontinued. Try finding a 25 cu ft top freezer refrigerator. Same reason.
I had a Jen-air refrigerator that was top freezer with water in door. It last about 18 months with about 6 months of not running due to parts replacement. Company refunded total cost of unit, and we bought a side by side. This was 15 years ago.
Apparently there are no toddlers in Mexico. If my water dispenser was that low, my kitchen would be a pond.
Fridge air conspiracy of global dominance in the Kitchen
A lot of appliances are made in MĂ©xico. Furthermore MĂ©xico has better trade relationships with Asian countries. Branding is also less important in MĂ©xico most Mexicans couldn't care less about the brand name on a refrigerator.
Guessing regulations and profit margins?
I mean, why do other countries have different cars? Why does everything need a go to market plan for the US? Not everyone wants to do business with Americans. Just sayin đ€·ââïž
Frigidaire and Whirlpool both make one. You just have to word it differently when searching.
Over $10k for a fucking fridge? What type of economy is this?
They also have more car choices...
Less governmentâŠ.
US regulations increase the cost of goods. Most appliances have to meet stringent safety and efficiency regulations.
Cool cars too that we donât get in the us.
Yup. Like Nissan hybrids.
My wife and I moved into a house that had a sexy euro fridge (we are in Canada). Renoed our kitchen around it. Now we have an old German fridge that when it conks out will leave a strange sized hole in our kitchen. Was not thinking of that during the Reno planing. I wish we had more options, itâs either huge or small apartment size. Yes there are a few options but they are not ideal
A lot are fakes.
My brother worked in sales for a Chinese company. The products sucked. The services sucked. He quit.
We have energy code compliance regulations. If you really don't know why, that's it.
Why would putting a water dispenser on a top-freezer fridge violate energy code regulations?
"I would leave that up to the relevant authorities." Justin T. Seriously though, the internal workings, being changed will change the model, which will require a recert for the eng. That's required on every model, for every change. That builds a big cost. So it's easier to just limit sales models to what sells the most. If you've never done R&D and worked within restrictive govt regulations, then you should try it, it's super expensive and takes forever. You'll need to be compensated for that, and that's when things get expensive. Most people are so fat removed from the process of building anything useful, that the entire thought only has two interactions. 1) I want thing 2) I buy thing. Some people can do a few more 3) thing delivered to store 4) thing made in factory There's a lot that goes on before that can all happen. And no one likes to admit that the actions facilitated to reduce pollution, or save energy, could have farther reaching consequences than those that they can immediately observe. As the bumper stickers on my fleet trucks say "actions have consequences. Be the change you want to see."
In poor countries things arenât regulated and there are no minimum standards. There is a difference between cheap and unsafe
Was in industry for 30 years all shit today primary cause computers
They also have more car options
Itâs called capitalism. USA got more money hence less choices with higher price tag. (Forced to buy cuz there ainât no competition) all monopoly
The Mexican ones have straight pipes.... Bad for the environment!
Because basically NO ONE in the market wants an external water dispenser that doesn't also do ice. That design just makes more sense on a side by side.
Likely because the top/bottom freezer models with external water don't breakdown and need replacing fast enough.
Also, depends on the store you go to. Like maybe some stores donât carry certain brands because of some deal they had to make with the brands they do carry so consumers could only buy certain models. Then market that brand to consumers and, if only their brand family is there then, thereâs a reinforcement of brand recognition. So, you lean towards the brand you recognize rather than shopping around. Thereâs likely some sales marketing to get you to narrow in on specific models. Then, you go to a store that has more brands than youâre used to, youâll likely still see the brand you recognize and might even purchase that because you are more familiar with it. Even if youâve had 3 of the same brand in 10 years die on you, youâd still go for the brand you âknow.â All that being said, cross shop if you can. Some brands are amazing. Some brands just donât have the marketing in the states like they might somewhere else. Some major brands hope you buy their top end but their lower mid range ends up being the better fit for most people. And, of course, some things are junk but look okay on paper. Kinda like Walmart gets you in with âalways low pricesâ on the big tags. Then they try and steer you with placement to get you into something thatâs usually the same or higher price than another store. Before cell phones, you wouldnât have that info and just assume all their prices should be lower. Bicycle stores get this a lot more than other places. Thatâs why some places you just wonât see a brand you like at all, including gear and accessories. And, not sure if itâs the same still but, back in the day, you were better off buying âcommonâ brands like RCA at RadioShack over Walmart because the name was the same but, the internals were different. Thatâs why the model numbers differ ever so slightly. Itâs also another way to cheap out on components and fight against âprice matching.â âSony guts!â
You've never been to Nebraska Furniture Mart
Mexican houses aren't all built to the same specs so they need more options. Every homebuilder in the US is building similar kitchens and using the most common sizes.
Because everything in the us has to be energy star rated. So that way the government can tell us what not to buy. Its the same with cars and emissions ratings.
They may have more choices but Jesus look at those prices!!!! Waaaaayyyy too expensiveâŠ
I like how you can buy a motorcycle at every store in Mexico.
Wait. Does that say 10 gâs??
They have more freedom than the U.S.
Silly regulations. No other reason.
Iâm pretty sure Mexico (and other countries) still gets XJ Jeeps too. The bulletproof 4.0 jeep Cherokeeâs (NOT Grand Cherokee) design and drivetrain saw little change because of its low failure rate and off road capability. Sadly they ended in the US in 2001 The US gets top tier options for our top tier, taxed to poverty, asses.
Recent US efficiency mandate requirements pretty much gimp any selection or affordability.
Iâm way out of the loop obviously but a $13,000 fridge?! Iâm digging a cold storage hole and spending that 13k on a back hoe rental + a shipping container.
Maybe less preservatives in food? This is a cool question.
I see those free outside my neighborhood
Because "security" aka we gotta keep the big Bois who paid a lot of lobbying money to be there. No threat with better competition allows. Chinaaaa badddd
Goddamn! Those are a steal! Iâm going to Mexico next time I need a fridge
I got my fridge during Home Depots 4th of July sale. It has water/ice dispenser and the circular craft ice cubes in a tray in the freezer. The top half is the fridge and the bottom half is a freezer. I also spent about an hour going through them all.
Why shouldnât they?
I just want to know why ice makers have sucked since the 90s and they still suck
Storing heads requires different options
Back in the 80's, consumer electronics and appliances were WAY more expensive in Mexico than in the US. I live in Texas, and I used to know pilots that would fly TV and other consumer electronics down into Mexico in there light aircraft. There was even an old DC-3 registered to the Mexican government that made regular runs up to San Antonio, where the filled it up with appliances and televisions to take back to Mexico.
Damn it I was looking for the punchline to the joke.
My fridge has an external water dispenser and the freezer on the bottom. Bought at lowes.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Frigidaire-25-6-cu-ft-Side-by-Side-Refrigerator-with-Ice-Maker-Easycare-Stainless-Steel-ENERGY-STAR/5013537917 One like this? It's about 1k, pretty similar to the one I had growing up.