Best Early Black Friday Deals on Refrigerators
The holiday season is a great time to invest in a new fridge from brands like LG, Samsung, and more—and get a great price
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Black Friday is an ideal time to purchase a new refrigerator, as prices often reach their lowest point of the year. In the weeks leading up to Black Friday, many prices are back down to the same lows we see during long holiday weekends, and some are already even lower. Especially with Veterans Day weekend next week, you may see prices falling earlier in the month. This year, with concerns about tariffs and inflation, there’s no certainty that prices will drop even further for Black Friday, but it’s more than likely they won’t increase. This is the time to do your research and become familiar with current costs, so you can determine if you’ll be saving even more during the big sale weekend.
We will also be tracking prices and helping to provide that context so you know exactly how good a deal you’re getting. And a good price doesn’t mean it’s a good refrigerator. That’s why we’ve combed through the sales to find the best deals on CR Recommended refrigerators—that is, reliable models that perform well in our tests.
For more information on refrigerators, see CR’s refrigerator buying guide and check out our refrigerator ratings to see how over 250 models performed in our tests.
And if you want to see all the other Black Friday deals, head over to CR’s Deals hub, where we’ve got the latest finds on everything from small kitchen appliances to mattresses to headphones and TVs.
Top-Freezer Refrigerators
This model tends to drop to $500 for holidays, so it may dip down again around Veterans Day or Black Friday. Keep an eye on it.
At just 24 inches wide, the Whirlpool WRT112CZJZ is one of the smallest top-freezers available, yet it delivers strong performance all around. This refrigerator garners stellar ratings for temperature uniformity and noise output, making it one of the quietest top-freezers we’ve tested, and it receives a strong rating for energy efficiency. But it gets our lowest rating for ease of use. In surveys of our members, Whirlpool top-freezers got a top-notch rating for predicted reliability but a poor rating for owner satisfaction, a common combination with top-freezer brands.
The 28-inch Samsung RT16A6195SR is still available for its Labor Day price, which is $50 higher than the lowest we saw this year, so it might get cheaper for Black Friday. This model turns in solid, above-average performance among top-freezers, notching our highest possible scores for thermostat control, temperature uniformity, and energy efficiency, while earning a middling rating for noise. (Ease of use gets a less-than-satisfactory rating, but that’s typical for top-freezers.) Features are scarce here, per the norm, but it does come with gallon storage on the door and spillproof shelves. In our member surveys, Samsung top-freezers received an exemplary score for predicted reliability but just a passable one for owner satisfaction. This model has an optional icemaker.
The LG LT18S2100W delivers strong performance all around, and given its price, it’s also an incredible bargain, especially since Lowe’s still has the same price we’ve seen for the last few holiday weekends. This refrigerator, 28 inches wide, garners stellar ratings for energy efficiency and thermostat control, and it’s also a great performer when it comes to temperature uniformity and noise output, making it one of the quieter top-freezers we’ve tested. But this model receives our lowest rating for ease of use. In surveys of our members, LG top-freezers got a top-notch rating for predicted reliability and a middling score for owner satisfaction.
The budget-friendly 28-inch Frigidaire FFHT1425VV is a great top-freezer fridge for performance. Right now, the price is $80 more than it typically has been this year for holiday weekend sales, but it was the same for Labor Day, so we don’t expect it to change for Veterans Day. It may get cheaper for Black Friday if you’re able to wait. It’s extremely energy-efficient, and it garners solid scores in all other tests except ease of use, where it receives an unsatisfactory rating (although that’s similar to many other top-freezers). According to our latest member survey, Frigidaire top-freezers are reliable but have poor owner satisfaction.
The Frigidaire FFHT2022AW, just $20 more than its best price, earns top-level ratings for thermostat control and energy efficiency, and a pleasing one for temperature uniformity. Though it has a poor rating for ease of use, the Frigidaire has features like an optional icemaker and gallon storage on the door that should make it more enjoyable to use. In member surveys, Frigidaire earned a very good predicted reliability rating but an abysmal owner satisfaction score.
French-Door Refrigerators
The 33-inch GE GNE25JYKFS is back down to the best price we’ve seen this year. It’s a strong performer with a ton of useful features. In our tests, it receives excellent scores for thermostat performance and temperature uniformity, great scores for energy efficiency and ease of use, and satisfactory scores for its noise output (it’s not the quietest fridge but also not the loudest), icemaker performance, and crisper drawer performance. Its many features include an internal water dispenser, a built-in water filter, spillproof shelves, uniquely adjustable shelves that you can raise and lower without removing food, split shelves for better organization, and digital temperature controls.
The 33-inch-wide LG LF25H6330S is $100 more than the best price we’ve seen this year, so there’s a small chance the price will drop for Veterans Day or Black Friday. It does very well in our lab tests, receiving top scores for thermostat control and temperature uniformity, very good scores for low noise output and ease of use, and a midlevel score for energy efficiency. This WiFi-enabled fridge features a stainless steel finish, an icemaker, a through-the-door water/ice dispenser, a built-in water filter, split shelves for better organization, and digital temperature controls. In our latest member survey, LG French-doors received midrange scores for predicted reliability and owner satisfaction.
Side-by-Side Refrigerators
Best Buy still has the best price of the year on this side-by-side model. Equipped with an external water/ice dispenser, touchpad controls, and gallon-sized storage bins on the doors, the low-priced 33-inch Whirlpool WRS321SDHZ hits our thermostat control test out of the park. This side-by-side fridge also earns a solid rating for temperature uniformity, midlevel ratings for noise output and ease of use, and a substandard rating for energy efficiency. In our member surveys, Whirlpool’s side-by-side models earned a passable rating for predicted reliability and a rock-bottom rating for owner satisfaction.
The 33-inch GE GSE23GGPWW earns stellar ratings for temperature uniformity and thermostat performance. This side-by-side model also receives a strong score for ease of use, and it’s equipped with some nice bells and whistles, including digital controls, a built-in water filter, and a through-the-door water/ice dispenser. In our latest member survey, GE side-by-side refrigerators received a very good rating for predicted reliability but a lousy score for owner satisfaction.
The 36-inch, budget-friendly GE GSS25GYPFS is $200 less than it was for Labor Day, making now an excellent time to buy. This model is a strong performer in our tests, with a top score for thermostat performance and strong scores for temperature uniformity and ease of use. It also receives satisfactory scores for energy efficiency and noise output. This GE has a stainless steel finish and features an icemaker, a through-the-door water and ice dispenser, a built-in water filter, and digital temperature controls. In our latest member survey, GE side-by-sides received a very good rating for predicted reliability but a poor rating for owner satisfaction.
The GE GZS22IYNFS, now $200 less than on Labor Day, is a 36-inch-wide side-by-side stainless steel refrigerator that performs well in most of our tests. It receives a top-level score for thermostat performance and very good scores for ease of use and temperature uniformity. However, it receives just satisfactory ratings in our energy efficiency and noise tests. As for features, it includes a built-in water filter, a through-the-door ice and water dispenser, and digital temperature controls. It also has edge-to-edge shelves and full-coverage LED lighting.
Bottom-Freezer Refrigerators
The 30-inch GE GDE21EYKFS earns top scores in our temperature uniformity and temperature control tests. Its energy efficiency is good, too, though it receives only passable scores for ease of use and noise. As for features, the GE offers a stainless steel option, an icemaker, a built-in water filter, spillproof shelves, gallon storage on the door, and digital temperature controls. According to our survey results, GE bottom-freezers receive a strong score for predicted reliability but an unimpressive score for owner satisfaction.
The LG LRDCS2603S is one of the highest-scoring 33-inch bottom-freezers and is first-rate when it comes to thermostat control and temperature uniformity. In addition, the refrigerator earns strong ratings for energy efficiency, noise, and ease of use. It features a built-in water filter, an icemaker, gallon-sized door storage, and a freezer light. With 17.5 cubic feet of usable capacity, this LG has the most space of any bottom-freezer we’ve tested, and it’s among the cheapest to operate on a cubic-foot basis. In our member surveys, LG bottom-freezers receive an excellent rating for predicted reliability and a passable rating for owner satisfaction.
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