Large & in Charge

So remember back to this post?  The post I wrote last November where I was having the great debate over which fridge to buy.  There were sooo many really cool vintage-inspired fridges to choose from.  BUT....they all had not so cool price tags and none were counter depth.  Boooo....

Enter the Kitchenaid KFCO22EVBL 
I wrote briefly about this fridge in my original fridge dilemma post back in November.  So why did this big 'ol beast win?  Well, he's:

• counter depth (but still will stick out about 4" beyond counter depth).  We thought that true depth would stick out like a sore-thumb.  Would have loved a truly built-in fridge but those are truly over our budget.
• has an internal water dispenser & ice maker (my must have)--> didn't want it on that outside because nothing about that fits into a vintage-styled kitchen
• got french doors (I didn't want this, Steve did.  I actually wanted side-by-side but they don't make panel ready side-by-sides without external water/ice).  Not vintage style but will have to do.
• panel ready.  We almost went with a white fridge because the cost is sooo much lower but we want to paint our cabinets a creamy white and the bright white of the fridge might just clash.  We feel that having panels will make it look less large and in charge in our tiny kitchen.
• energy star rated.  enough said there.

So I originally passed this model up because of price.  It goes for $3400 retail.  yikes! and that doesn't include cost of panels and handles.  We found new models on sale for as low as $2700 but still didn't want to pay that much.  However, when googling around for the best deal, we came upon Sears outlet.  And on there we found them for as low as $950!!!! Shut the front door.  sold!

Of course, I then did some research into Sears outlet and read pretty good reviews overall.  Some people warned of ordering them online (you pay shipping which for us was ~$250 from CA), which we did because our local sears outlet did not have any.  They reported that sometimes the items that they ordered weren't even in stock.  Others warned of receiving a different fridge than ordered with different types on damage.  I first called the store and made sure they had the fridge I was looking to buy and then discussed the damage with a sales associate as she was standing in front of the fridge.  No dents on the side of the door (which will show) and no damage inside.  I didn't care about damage to the front and sides because we plan to have it slide between two cabinets and it will have a panel on the front to hide any minor damage.  I also felt better about ordering the unit because it comes with a 30 day sears warranty and the full manufacturers warranty.  I do wish I had downloaded the online pictures of the unit when I ordered it in case there was significantly more damage than described. 

See the black slivers?  via

So my qualms?  the fridge is black so there will be little slivers of black showing on the sides of the doors which may look sorta funky with white cabinets.  But maybe hopefully the black countertops  will balance that all out.

We received the fridge today and delivery was a breeze. They let me choose the day and then gave me a 2 hour delivery block.  They called 45 minutes before to confirm time.  The men were professional and set it all up.  Would have been nice to have them hook up the water but he don't yet have a water line-boo.  The damage-same as listed except for a couple little black marks inside that might come off with a magic eraser and one tiny (~1/2" long by 2mm wide scratch).  While they don't bother me much, I still called the 1-800 number to see what could be done about them.  The man said that I can choose to get a new fridge (same price and may be new-in-box or another floor model) or have them send me a $50 gift card and keep the fridge.  Decisions, decisions.  Guess it was worth the call.  We need to decide soon whether we want to keep the fridge and collect $50 or switch it out because I want to load it up and move the old one to the basement.

Overall, really happy with the experience and am super glad we took the chance of ordering from Sears Outlet to save a boat-load of $$$.  Total cost: $1189.90  Saving off of original cost: $2210.10

Ohh, and let's play a game.  Can you count how many appliances we currently have in our kitchen?

8.  That's right, eight.  Crazy, I know.  We have our 1. old range that is currently up for sale on Cragislist (I know, boo-hoo-she's a beauty but we popped a fuse on her this weekend and decided, that even though it is easy to replace, we need to start clearing for the remodel that will happen in a couple months) 2. electric counter-top burner 3. coffee maker 4. coffee grinder 5. new fridge 6.  old fridge, 7. toaster oven 8.  microwave.

****How did the black slivers and panels work out?  See HERE****