Kenmore Refrigerator Model Guide

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Barry began to teach himself to repair appliances as a teenager. In later years, his love of cooking led Barry to learn to troubleshoot kitchen appliances around his home. His background in education allows him to combine his love of repair work and passion for writing to bring the most helpful troubleshooting and repair guides to this site. He encourages appliance owners to plan ahead, think about their goals, and always read the manual!

Types of Kenmore Refrigerator Models

Kenmore sells six types of refrigerators: French-door, side-by-side, top freezer, bottom freezer, single-door, mini-fridges.

French-Door Refrigerators

This modern refrigerator design has a large fridge section with two doors at the top and a freezer drawer below. These models boast a spacious fridge with wide shelves, making them perfect for large food containers. The freezer drawer is often deep, so there’s space for more items than in standard top-freezer refrigerators.

However, these are some of the company’s most expensive models. If you’re looking for an inexpensive refrigerator, these might not be the best choice for you.

Advantages

They have a modern design.
French-door refrigerators have ample fridge space with wide shelves.
It’s easy to organize food in the spacious refrigerator.
The freezer drawers can also hold a lot of food.

Disadvantages

You’ll need to constantly bend to reach the freezer. This is a setback for people with back problems.
They are costly.

Who are these models for?

If you need a spacious refrigerator to store your large stock of food, consider a French-door model as long as you have a budget of over $1500.

Side-by-Side Refrigerators

These are refrigerator models with two doors; the right one for the fridge section and the left side for the freezer. Therefore, the two sections are tall but narrow, thus restricting the width of containers that you can use; most platters can’t fit.

However, both the fridge and freezer are at eye level, reducing the need to constantly bend to reach for food. Most side-by-side refrigerator models – including Kenmore’s – have a narrower freezer, so if you need a lot of freezer space to, these models might not be the best for you.

Advantages

You can place everyday items at the top to limit the amount of bending to reach for food.
They offer a lot of refrigerator space.
The narrow doors don’t need a lot of swing space.
These models have a stylish design.

Disadvantages

Since the shelves are narrow, wide items like platters can’t fit in these refrigerators.
Kenmore’s side-by-side models have narrow freezers.

Who are these models for?

You can buy a Kenmore side-by-side refrigerator if you don’t have wide food containers, but you still need ample refrigerator space. These are also ideal for those who want a stylish refrigerator but don’t have the budget for a French-door model.

Top-Freezer Refrigerators

These refrigerator models are the most common as they have a classic design. As the name implies, the freezer is mounted at the top and the fridge at the bottom. French-door refrigerators are the most affordable in Kenmore’s lineup, making them perfect for those on a tight budget.

However, they often have a smaller capacity than French-door or side-by-side models. Kenmore’s top-freezer models also lack some features like a water/ice dispenser.

Advantages

Top-freezer refrigerators are affordable.
They’re ideal for small spaces.
These models are more energy-efficient than their counterparts.
The freezer is at eye level.

Disadvantages

The design is boring.
Top-freezer models have limited freezer capacity.
They offer fewer food organization options.

Who are these models for?

Buy a top-freezer refrigerator if you have a compact kitchen or you don’t have more than $1000 to spend on a new refrigerator.

Bottom-Freezer Refrigerators

Bottom-freezer refrigerators are growing increasingly popular since we use the fridge more often than we do the freezer. Therefore, with the fridge at eye level and the freezer at the bottom, you don’t need to bend too often to reach for everyday food items.

Kenmore’s bottom-freezer models come with either a drawer-style bottom freezer or a door-style freezer. Moreover, the fridge is spacious, making these models ideal for those who don’t need a lot of freezer space.

Unfortunately, Kenmore’s bottom-freezer models are unavailable at the time of writing this article. If you’re looking for this type of refrigerator, check out our GE refrigerator model guide.

Advantages

The refrigerator is at eye level, making everyday food easily accessible.
They offer a spacious fridge section.
They can fit in small spaces.

Disadvantages

These models are more expensive than the top-freezer models.
You’ll still need to bend to access the freezer.

Who are these models for?

These models are for those who use the refrigerator more than the freezer. We did a deeper dive into the different types of refrigerators in this article so check it out if you’d like to know more.

Other Kenmore Refrigerator Types

Single-Door Refrigerators

Kenmore also has models with a single door that are branded as upright convertible freezer/refrigerator. These have a single section that can be used as either a fridge or a freezer; they are able to be set to as low as 10 degrees Fahrenheit. You can consider these models if you’re looking for a refrigerator/freezer to complement the one you currently have. Sadly, none of these is available for sale at the time of writing.

Mini-Fridges

These are compact refrigerators that have a capacity of between 1.7 and 4.5 cubic feet. If you’re looking for a secondary refrigerator then you can consider Kenmore’s models. At the time of writing this piece, there only seemed to be one Kenmore mini-fridge available for sale.

Main Features of Kenmore Refrigerators (And What to Consider)

Prices

Before considering other factors, your budget has already narrowed down your options, especially if you don’t have much to spend.

Kenmore’s cheapest refrigerator is a top-freezer model that costs about $550. With a budget of between $500 and $1000, you can only get a top-freezer Kenmore refrigerator with a few extra bells and whistles.

If you’re looking for a side-by-side refrigerator model, you’ll have to spend from $1200 to $1700. The company’s most expensive model that’s currently available is a Kenmore Elite French-door model that costs about $2900. This is also a smart refrigerator with two drawer freezers.

If you’re looking for a smart refrigerator, the lowest-priced one in Kenmore’s lineup costs $2700.

Refrigerator Capacity

You need about five cubic feet of refrigerator per adult in your household plus a little bit extra. Kenmore’s top-freezer models have a capacity of 11.6 cubic feet to 21 cubic feet. The freezers alone have a capacity of between 3 cubic feet and 5.8 cubic feet, while the refrigerators in this category are from 8.6 cubic feet to 15 cubic feet.

The company’s side-by-side refrigerators have a capacity of either 21 cubic feet or 25 cubic feet. These refrigerator types have freezers from about 6.7 cubic feet to 9.6 cubic feet. Their fridges have capacities from 13 cubic feet to 15.5 cubic feet.

Kenmore’s French-door refrigerators are the biggest, with capacities from 25 cubic feet to 30 cubic feet.

Design

Standard Depth vs Counter Depth

Counter-depth refrigerators have a shallow depth that sits almost flush with the kitchen cabinets. They only slightly extend outward to allow room for the doors to open. This design creates a somewhat built-in look that’s considered modern. They often have a depth of between 24 and 30 inches.

Standard-depth refrigerators are the most common, with a depth that extends beyond the kitchen counter. Kenmore only has one counter-depth refrigerator at the moment; it’s a side-by-side model with a depth of 27.5 inches.

Colors and Finishes

Kenmore’s refrigerator models come in black, white, silver, stainless steel, or black stainless steel. You can also choose a model with fingerprint resistance, but these are going to cost more. The black and white color options are $50 cheaper than the stainless steel options and $150 cheaper than those with a fingerprint-resistant finish.

Performance

Kenmore’s refrigerators have several features that improve their performance. Here are just a few;

GeniusCool – This is Kenmore’s fancy name for their dual-cooling feature in some of their refrigerator models. Dual-cool refrigerators have two separate cooling coils, thus maintaining two different climates in the refrigerator and freezer. Therefore, these models maintain the ideal level of humidity required to keep food fresh for longer.

CleanFlow Air Filter- The air filter branded CleanFlow, is carbon-based, which is known to be quite effective at eliminating odors. Kenmore tells us that their CleanFlow filter is 15 times more effective than baking soda.

Smart Features

With a smart Kenmore refrigerator, you’ll be able to connect it to your home WiFi network and pair it with your phone. Using the Kenmore smartphone app, you’ll be able to monitor your refrigerator remotely or even adjust the temperature straight from your phone. The app also sends you an alert if the refrigerator door is open.

If you’re hardly ever at home, having these features helps you to keep tabs on your home.

Storage Options

There are several options for food organization in Kenmore’s refrigerator models. These include adjustable shelves (Kenmore calls them SlideAway shelves), multiple-tier freezer drawers, door bins, crisper drawers, and deli drawers among others.

Think about the types of foods you commonly need to store in your refrigerator and consider a Kenmore refrigerator with the appropriate storage solution that fits your requirements. For instance, if you buy lots of fruits and veggies, you’ll need a model with a spacious fresh-produce drawer.

Warranty

Kenmore offers a one-year warranty on their refrigerators. You can have the refrigerator repaired at no extra cost within this period if the damage was a material or workmanship defect. In case they can’t fix it, the refrigerator will be replaced. The company also offers a lifetime warranty on refrigerator or freezer storage bins.

Recommended Kenmore Refrigerators

Selection Criteria

Top sellers: I considered Kenmore refrigerators that are top-sellers on the company’s official retailer, Sears.
Customer reviews: I also checked customer reviews to identify the models that are regarded positively. Sadly, most Kenmore refrigerators have ratings of 3.5 or less. These models have at least 50% of the ratings being four-star or more.
Value for money: The refrigerators on this list offer the greatest value for money in their class.

Kenmore 60512 18 cu. ft. Top-Freezer Refrigerator

The first Kenmore refrigerator on our list is also the company’s most affordable. Its price is certainly the main reason it’s a top recommendation, but that’s not the only reason. First, this isn’t a refrigerator that will win awards on looks.

It has a boring facade with a top-freezer design. You can get it in three color options: black, white, and stainless steel. The stainless steel option looks the best, but it also costs $100 more. At this price point, every buck counts, and an extra $100 for a cosmetic upgrade isn’t worth it – just buy either black or white, and you’ll be good.

Looks aside, this Kenmore refrigerator offers standard refrigerator features like adjustable glass shelves, crisper drawers, and large door bins. Here’s a list of its main features.

Main Features

The Kenmore 60512 has a capacity of 18 cubic feet.
The freezer has 5.07 cubic feet, and the refrigerator has 13.12 cubic feet.
There are gallon-sized door bins in both the refrigerator and freezer.
The refrigerator has three adjustable glass shelves.
There are humidity-controlled crisper drawers in the refrigerator section.
It has an LED light in the fridge.

Pros

The Kenmore 60512 refrigerator is affordable.
The freezer and refrigerator sections are both frost-free.
Its doors are reversible.

Cons

There’s no light in the freezer.
The freezer’s temperature control dial is placed at the back, so it gets hidden behind the stored food.

Kenmore 61212 21 cu. ft. Energy Star Top-Freezer Fridge

If you’re looking for a larger top-freezer refrigerator, the Kenmore 61212 offers slightly more space than the option above. However, it’s also about $200 more than the first option. This Kenmore refrigerator is packed with a couple of features that make it worth its price, earning it top reviews on Sears.

In fact, this model has the highest rating among all Kenmore refrigerators, with most users praising its reliability and value for money. Whether you want to use this as a garage fridge or your main fridge, you’ll love its storage versatility, marked by adjustable shelves, large door bins, and deep crisper drawers.

Most users also laud the refrigerator’s simplicity since it doesn’t have too many bells and whistles that complicate it.

Main Features

The Kenmore 61212 is a top-freezer model.
It has a total capacity of 21 cubic feet: the freezer has 5.8 cubic feet, and the refrigerator has 15.04 cubic feet.
Its doors are reversible.
There are gallon-sized door bins in the refrigerator.
The freezer has two door bins.
It has two crisper drawers at the bottom of the refrigerator section.
The fridge has four shelves with two split shelves.
Its freezer and fridge are frost-free.

Pros

This refrigerator maintains a consistent temperature – it doesn’t over freeze food.
Its refrigerator has a bright internal light.
It is Energy Star certified.
It’s affordable.
It’s quiet.

Cons

There’s no internal light in the freezer.
Its freezer’s dial is at the back, making it hard to reach when the freezer is full.

Kenmore 50043 25 cu. ft. Side-by-Side Refrigerator

Kenmore’s 50043 model is one of the company’s best side-by-side refrigerators, but as you’d expect for this model, you’ll have to part with over $1000. You can choose either the black or white options if you want to save about $50 over the stainless steel model.

There’s also a fingerprint-resistant option that’s $150 more than the basic models. Regardless of the finish you choose, you’ll get a sleek side-by-side door design with a water/ice dispenser on the freezer door (the left side).

You’ll get ample storage options in this Kenmore refrigerator; there are multiple adjustable shelves in both the freezer and refrigerator, crisper drawers, large door bins, as well as a dedicated dairy shelf. If you’re upgrading from a top/bottom freezer model, you’ll find this refrigerator to be quite spacious.

Main Features

This is a side-by-side refrigerator with a capacity of 25 cubic feet.
Its refrigerator section has 15.46 cubic feet, while the freezer has 9.11 cubic feet.
There are gallon-sized door bins in both the refrigerator and freezer.
Both the freezer and refrigerator have four shelves each.
There’s a water/ice dispenser on the freezer door.
You can get a fingerprint-resistant finish as well as black, white, and stainless steel.
The freezer and refrigerator have interior lights.

Pros

This is a stylish-looking refrigerator.
Its water dispenser is easy to use.
The refrigerator is spacious.
It also dispenses crushed ice.

Cons

The ice dispenser section isn’t tall enough for bigger glasses.

Kenmore 73025 26.1 cu. ft. French Door Refrigerator

This is one of Kenmore’s top-selling refrigerators, and for a good reason; it’s an affordable French-door refrigerator model. Certainly, a price tag of $1800 isn’t anything to sniff at, but this one isn’t too expensive compared to other French-door refrigerators in the market.

It’s also worth mentioning that this is a sleek-looking appliance that will jazz up your kitchen. The best-looking fining, in my opinion, is the stainless steel option, but black stainless steel doesn’t look bad either. Thankfully, the stainless steel model costs the same as the black and white options, so you don’t have to fork out extra for elegance. Moreover, there’s a fingerprint-resistant finish in both the stainless steel and black stainless steel models.

Still, the Kenmore 73025 does refrigerator things quite well, thanks to features like dual cooling, humidity-controlled crisper drawers, and spacious door bins.

Main Features

The Kenmore 73025 is a French-door refrigerator.
It has a total capacity of 26.1 cubic feet: the refrigerator has 18.3 cubic feet, and the freezer has 7.8 cubic feet.
There are four color options: black, white, stainless steel, and black stainless steel.
The stainless steel and black stainless steel are fingerprint-resistant.
It has dual cooling.
There’s an in-built icemaker.
There are two humidity-controlled crisper drawers and a full-width pantry drawer in the refrigerator.

Pros

This is a stylish refrigerator.
It has a large capacity.
You can get a fingerprint-resistant option.
There are ample storage options.
It’s a reasonably priced French-door model.

Cons

It produces small ice cubes.
It takes a while to make ice.

Kenmore 75035 25.5 cu. ft. French Door Refrigerator

This Kenmore French-door refrigerator differs from the one above in a few areas. First, this one has an ice and water dispenser, second, this model is slightly smaller – its capacity is 25.5 cubic feet – and third, this model is significantly more expensive, costing $2000.

To justify its higher price tag, Kenmore added a couple of extra bells and whistles in this model, including an air filter to reduce odors in the refrigerator. Other than that, you get standard features at this price range, like dual cooling, humidity-controlled crisper drawers, and fingerprint resistance. Above all, it’s an Energy Star certified refrigerator, so you don’t have to worry about a bloated electricity bill.

Main Features

This is a French-door refrigerator model.
It has a total capacity of 25.5 cubic feet: 15.6 Cu Ft for the refrigerator and 9.9 Cu Ft for the freezer.
There’s an ice and water dispenser.
There are three color options: black, white, and fingerprint-resistant stainless steel.
It has dual cooling.
There are five adjustable shelves in the refrigerator.
It has an air filter.
This is an Energy Star certified refrigerator.

Pros

This refrigerator looks sleek.
It has a large capacity.
It is Energy Star certified.
It’s silent.

Cons

It’s costly.

Bottom Line

Kenmore’s refrigerators are well built, perhaps because their manufacture is contracted to reputable companies like Whirlpool and LG, who build reliable appliances of their own. With a budget of at least $600, you can get a good Kenmore refrigerator that is expected to last you about 15 years if well taken care of.

Since the refrigerator will be in your home for decades, consider buying one that will meet not just your present needs but your future needs as well. For instance, if you foresee having a bigger household, get a slightly larger refrigerator to accommodate this change.

Sadly, there’s no Kenmore bottom-freezer model available at the time of writing this piece. If you prefer this type of model, consider Whirlpool, one of the most reliable brands in the market. Check out our Whirlpool refrigerator model guide.