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I personally liked it Owns LG refrigerators for 15 years. When I bought my first LG (short for “Life’s Good”) refrigerator, in 2011, the French door model was highly rated, and the combination of price and features was unmatched by other brands. In fact, I loved it so much that I bought another similar one when I moved in seven years later. That’s why I was horrified when the weather suddenly stopped freezing earlier this year. “We get this call all the time,” the mechanic explained as he replaced the apparently faulty compressor.
Unfortunately, he was not wrong. Even a quick internet search turns up a wealth of compelling evidence of LG’s history of faulty linear compressors. Class action lawsuit Settled in 2020 regarding LG compressors in refrigerators manufactured between 2014 and 2017 (my second refrigerator, unfortunately, was within this range, and I was not aware of the lawsuit), but more have been filed in subsequent years for refrigerators manufactured in 2018 and later, Both compressor problems and Faulty artisanal ice makers. It’s not a good look.
However, LG sells hundreds of thousands of refrigerators a year, and LG’s sales make up for that A third of the hardware marketbehind only Samsung, according to data platform OpenBrand, and other brands They are on the hook For class action lawsuits as well. (In fact, Consumer Reports says that of all new refrigerators purchased since 2014, regardless of brand, 50 percent encountered a problem.)
I decided to give LG another shot by testing one of its new Studio refrigerators, from the brand’s design-focused premium line that was introduced around 2015. LG’s latest refrigerators have smart capabilities through LG’s ThinQ system, and according to LG, Linear compressor From my old model. The Studio Smart 2-Door French Door 3-Door Refrigerator has been installed in my home kitchen for the past five months, with my family using it like any other refrigerator. There’s no denying it looks good both in person and on paper, but will it last?
Color interests me
Photo: Kat Merck
I specifically settled on studio testing in LG-owned Essence White, where I noticed that stainless steel was showing up less frequently in high-end home construction and remodels. (If you’ve ever had any kind of stainless steel appliances, you know they’re a magnet for fingerprints and smudges.) Cabinet-front SubZeros have always been a must-have in luxury custom homes, but until recently, there haven’t been a lot of non-stainless options for what appliance manufacturers call the “mass premium” market, aside from vintage-inspired designs from brands like Smeg and The big cold. In fact, the trend toward lighter woods and colored cabinetry is paving the way for a more modern version of white, softer than the institutional tone of the 1980s and 1990s.
“Essence White is not a traditional stark white,” explained Dean Brindle, head of product management at LG. “It’s not the blue and white you traditionally see in white appliances. It’s a warmer white, so there’s a little bit of yellow.”
In fact, I can see it – Essence White Studio is matte, almost glowy, with sharp edges and square bronze highlights. It wouldn’t look out of place among luxury European appliances like La Cornue or Bertazzoni. I’m in it. I’ve read complaints that the device looks gold in promotional photos online but it’s actually rose gold, and that’s true – the color is not what it appears in the photos. It certainly wouldn’t be a direct match with the gold hardware anywhere else in the kitchen. The unusual tone of the appliances was intentionally matched to the color of the refrigerator, Brindle said.