Best Black Friday Refrigerator Deals
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You might not associate Black Friday savings with refrigerators, but this is actually the best time of year for refrigerator deals. Sale prices are also at their lowest in November, even when compared with major appliance sale holidays like President’s Day and Memorial Day.
And a CR market analysis has found that of all kitchen appliances, refrigerators see the biggest discounts at this time of year, compared to dishwashers and ranges.
To help you score the best deal on a refrigerator this Black Friday, we’ve looked through hundreds of deals from major retailers, including Best Buy, Home Depot, JCPenney, Lowe’s, and Sears. Of course, we also checked Amazon, but as of yet, the e-commerce giant had no deals on major appliances. We'll keep this list updated as more ads and sale announcements drop.
The retailer with the biggest discounts—as in, the largest price reductions—by far was Lowe’s, but CR market analyst Min Kim Bryant has a few words of caution. “In years past, we’ve seen Lowe’s has the deepest discounts, but Lowe’s also shows higher full prices for models compared to other retailers.”
That issue—that the “full price” listed by retailers can vary—makes it hard to determine when you've found a great deal. When we examined the Black Friday appliance ads, we kept tabs on the deepest discounts, then compared models with the best discounts to our refrigerator ratings, to make sure you get a good deal on a reliable model.
In general, we found that the best deals are on French-door refrigerators, specifically Samsung models. But we included plenty of other styles and brands, too. Below, our picks for the best Black Friday refrigerator deals, organized in alphabetical order by retailer.
Best Buy
Best Buy is offering up to 40 percent off major appliances, and while there are a lot of fridges for sale, we found only a few worth a close look.
Samsung RF261BEAESG French-door
Sale Price: $1,050
Discount: 40 percent
This Samsung is very similar to the Family Hub models in our ratings. The main difference? This model lacks the giant touch screen and an exterior water/ice dispenser. Both of the Family Hubs performed well as refrigerators in our tests.
Samsung RT18M6215SG Top-freezer
Sale Price: $650
Discount: 24 percent
If you’re looking for a top-freezer model, you might want to consider this discounted stainless-steel Samsung with a built-in icemaker. No top-freezer models saw steep discounts compared to French doors, but it’s still a good deal at nearly a quarter off.
Whirlpool WRF560SEYM French-door
Sale Price: $1,200
Discount: 25 percent
For just $150 more than the Samsung French door above, this Whirlpool model includes an exterior water/ice dispenser, and it performs almost as well overall as the Family Hub models in our ratings.
Home Depot
The Home Depot has dozens of refrigerators on sale, offering up to 40 percent off along with additional savings if you buy multiple appliances.
Frigidaire Gallery FGHF2366PF French-door
Sale Price: $1,398
Discount: 49 percent
At almost half-off full price, this three-door Frigidaire is a steal. It offers an exterior water/ice dispenser in a stainless steel finish along with handy digital temperature controls. It’s not the strongest performer in our tests, but it’s still a good fridge at a great price.
Haier HRQ16N3BGS French-door
Sale Price: $698
Discount: 46 percent
Dreaming of a French door but on a top-freezer budget? This Haier model is just $700 with a stainless steel finish and sleek four-door design. Lowe’s also has this fridge on sale for almost the same price—Home Depot is offering it for one dollar less.
Samsung RF220NCTASR French-door
Sale Price: $998
Discount: 40 percent
If your budget caps out at $1,000, check out this Samsung French door. It’s a three-door model with no exterior water/ice dispenser, but it’s a strong performer worth considering.
Frigidaire FFHB2750TD French-door
Sale Price: $1,298
Discount: 42 percent
Another Frigidaire French door, this is a model we haven’t tested, but at 42 percent off it’s a good deal. Other Frigidaire models we’ve tested have done fairly well in our tests.
Samsung Family Hub RF265BEAESR French-door
Sale Price: $2,198
Discount: 32 percent
This smart fridge is a variant of a Family Hub model from our ratings. At 32 percent off, it’s a good deal on a fridge that should perform well. We weren’t fans of the touch screen in the past, but Samsung keeps making improvements to it. If your heart’s set on the Family Hub, this is the time to buy.
JCPenney
You probably don’t think of JCPenney for appliance sales, but the retailer has re-entered the appliance space and is offering some good fridge deals of its own.
Samsung RF260BEAESR/AA French-door
Sale Price: $995
Discount: 50 percent
Like other retailers, JCP is offering steep discounts on Samsung French-door fridges, including this model for less than $1,000. This model hasn't made its way through our lab, but other Samsung French doors tend to perform well in our tests.
LG LFCS22520S French-door
Sale Price: $995
Discount: 41 percent
This model is also on sale at Lowe’s and Home Depot, but JCP undercuts them both by a few dollars. We haven’t tested this model, but LG French-door fridges are generally solid.
Samsung RF23M8070SR/AA French-door
Sale Price: $1,995
Discount: 43 percent
Similar to a strong performer from our tests, this is a great deal for a stainless four-door French-door fridge. It has an exterior water/ice dispenser and recessed handles, which can give your kitchen a more upscale feel.
Lowe's
Lowe’s is offering discounts on hundreds of models, but keep in mind that we found their list prices were often higher than the competition's.
Samsung RF28HMEDBSR French-door
Sale Price: $1,799
Discount: 45 percent
You’re probably tired of Samsung French-door fridge deals, but Lowe's has plenty to add. A four-door model, this is one of the highest rated Samsung French doors in our current ratings. For $1,799, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better deal on a four-door model.
Samsung RF260BEAESG French-door
Sale Price: $999
Discount: 55 percent
Similar to the Samsung Family Hub models we’ve tested, this fridge comes in black stainless. It lacks the touch screen and exterior dispenser found on other Family Hubs. And at $1,000, it’s one of the best discounts Lowe’s is offering.
GE GFE28GSKSS French-door
Sale Price: $1,699
Discount: 39 percent
Another model that does well in our tests, this GE French-door refrigerator isn't nearly as discounted as Samsung’s models, but it’s still a great deal at 39 percent off.
Maytag MRT118FFFM Top-freezer
Sale Price: $499
Discount: 33 percent
Looking for a top-freezer fridge? This Maytag is on sale for just $500—and comes in a stainless-steel finish. We haven’t tested it, but a similar model from our ratings offered decent performance.
Samsung RS25J500DSG Side-by-side
Sale Price: $999
Discount: 33 percent
If you haven’t been swept up in the French-door craze, you might want to consider this Samsung black stainless side-by-side. It’s very similar to our CR Best Buy pick for side-by-sides. (Models that we designate Best Buys offer solid performance for the price.)
Whirlpool WRS571CIDM Side-by-side
Sale Price: $1,099
Discount: 31 percent
Another good side-by-side option is this Whirlpool, though it costs a bit more than the Samsung and didn't match its performance in our tests.
Sears
While Sears is offering a lot of refrigerator deals, we didn’t find many worth highlighting. Here are a few Kenmore models that made our cut.
Kenmore 51133 Side-by-side
Sale Price: $900
Discount: 52 percent
As $900, this is the cheapest stainless side-by-side we spotted. It performed decently in our tests and offers features like dual evaporators and an exterior dispenser that are well worth the price.
Kenmore 73025 French-door
Sale Price: $900
Discount: 53 percent
While not as cheap as the Haier French-door above, this is great deal for a Kenmore fridge. It even includes an exterior dispenser, which is hard to find on a French-door model at this price point.
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