Miele 405L Upright K 12820 SD Series

Exemplary partner to the Miele FN 12827 S, Reliable, great looking, and perfect! – So I wrote a review for this great fridge some time ago but it was never published, so apologies for the lengthy delay in catching up on my reviews. This fridge is the perfect match for the Miele FN 12827 S. I will make this one not as long, because to be honest everything I said in the review of the matching freezer is true about this fridge.… Read more ·  2

While not the top of the line Mastercool, it honestly does its job, and does it well. This pigeon pair was bought to replace a 1-2 year old LG bottom mount fridge/freezer. And you'd think from going from a combined 306l to two separate fridge and freezer with a combined total of very usable 800l of space, one would obviously think energy consumption would at least increase some, being only 2.5 stars versus the LG's 2.5 as well, but having TWO appliances instead of one. But to our surprise Origin bill came in shockingly low for the quarter. And this was Spring/Summer. So on that front absolutely amazed that Almaty tripling the storage space, the energy usage actually dropped. Typical German efficiency.

The shelves are extremely strong and are infinitely adjustable. The wine rack the same. The door bins can be easily washed in the dishwasher or simply wiped with a damp sponge.

All in all a wonderful fridge that I'd recommend to anyone.

A few small qualms however, but, they are similar to the freezers "cons".

The shelves are no spill proof as in the glass is flat and of something were to spill it would leak to other shelves below. And to be honest, I'd have to say that's about all, and that digging for a con.

It does have few "normal functions" I had never seen before. Water often gather on the rear inside of the back wall of the fridge, usually ice and then melts with its self defrost cycle which drains out a small hole and out to the top of the compressor where it evaporates. Odd at first, but after reading, completely normal operation.

All in all food lasts longer than any fridge prior including the former LG. it has a wonderful LED light which diffuses the light to reach every nook and cranny. So I'll put a short pros and cons list for comparison, as I said the freezer review is extremely similar.

Pros: Astonishingly efficient Build quality Even temperatures throughout Extremely quiet Heaps of space (quite hard to actual fill) Great LED light Strong shelves Infinite adjustibility "Dynacooling" a fan circulates air throughout for even temps Strong easy to clean and adjust shelves Brilliant white matches all other Miele white appliances Easily joined to make "one" large built-in look fridge freezer Door handles that make opening so easy

Cons: Lack of "spill proof" shelves Non adjustable crisper bins (temp and humidity) No door alarm as the freezer has Lack of the "soft close" hinges Old handle design; has been rectified with a new design which is significantly thicker

So overall a must look at if you budget and space allow. But overall an amazing pair for $4k. Don't think I could have made a better choice. Similar, and I mean almost exact (as the Mieles are made by Liebherr) but cheaper. No reliability issues on either to note to date on either, a good sign this far. Customer service is stellar as usual, and recently was invited to join Miele 4 Life. I honestly can't fault the fridge in anyway, other than the few, at which I was grasping for in the first place. And I have to say, absolutely nothing wrong with the KFN 14842 SD ed/cs which was the other option we looked at, but for the price, and having the space for 800l of fridge and freezer, I don't regret not getting the other one bit. Both great products and although not made by Miele, and many peoples complaints of Liebherrs less than stellar reliability, I doubt Miele would rock their name for a product that is truly horrible. And, touch wood, there have been zero problems what-so-ever.

So if you budget is $4-$5k and you have the space for 1.2 metres of width, or even space to have them separately, go for it. I wouldn't hesitate once second. With the volume to price ratio, it's hard to beat.

If you have any questions on either the fridge or freezer, don't hesitate to ask, I plan on keeping up my reviews as 2016 rolls around. And Miele truly build, and stand by their motto "Immer Besser"!

**Update**

We purchased the pigeon pair in 2015 and both handles broke (once on the fridge, once on the freezer), like so many others have noted. However Miele replaced them and the design of the new handles is much better. It's easy to see the thickness of the weak part has almost doubled in thickness. The first handle was the fridge which snapped at 4 years old, and the freezer just snapped last month. Have attached photos of the difference in them so you can see they have been redesigned. I can't take away any stars as the fridges main purpose is to keep things cold, which it has done flawlessly. The handle was a poor design but seems to have been rectified. This has been the only weak point on both, but no other issues to name of, and I stand by my original review of the pair. Will happily recommend to friends and family and will buy another if the occasion arose.

Door handles – Great fridge /freezer but the door handles really let this product down. Not the first broken handle and feel it won't be the last. Cheap and flimsy. Definitely not well engineered. Show details ·  3

Great fridge BUT Handle snapped off – This is the 2nd handle that has snapped on our fridge freezer combo. It looks as though the metal is too thin. Our replacement handle for our freezer was a slightly different design but over $200 direct from Miele. I would hesitate to purchase another fridge had I known this was a problem I think the fridge is fine otherwise. Show details

Broken handle AGAIN – After much research Miele Was the brand For me. I love, love my Miele fridge and freezer. I love the design and function. But the handle has broken 2 times. Why do they make them out of plastic. There is so much stress on the handle and for a product that is used often why plastic. I know I can buy a new handle but they are still plastic and I know the handle will continue to break. So disappointed. Show details

Design flaw in handles and drain blocks - seems Miele's standards are slipping – The handle on this fridge and the matching freezer (FN 12827) is clearly a design flaw. I am starting to lose track of how many broken handles there has been. This is the second handle that's broken on the fridge and I think I am on my second for the freezer. The freezer completely failed after about a year and needed to be replaced - I worry… Read more

over each summer if it will die again as it sometimes seems to be not coping - but so far it comes good. There is also the drain problem discussed below.

Otherwise I do really like the organisation, particularly the dual crisper and multiple tough glass shelve organisation - nothing has broken yet inside! The SuperCool function is handy when you put a big pot of warm food in. The matching freezer with draws is great. I couldn't stand the old days of everything falling out of the top freezer shelves. But back to the handles:

I have read about Consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law at: https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/consumer-rights-guarantees/consumer-guarantees - where there is a clear flaw the problem needs to be resolved. Specifically "Products must be of acceptable quality, that is: safe, lasting, with no faults; look acceptable; do all the things someone would normally expect them to do." Clearly this handle is not. This is really poor. My 8 year old son nearly hurt his hand on the nasty remnants of the broken handle before i could remove it this time.

Looking at it closely, it relies on very small pieces of metal on either side of the release mechanism and the base is not fixed on the front so when you pull it always puts a bending action on those little pieces of metal, instead of just direct push action. Eventually it bends, cracks and then snaps. I really hope the design has changed on the next replacement when I contact Miele soon. They should have sorted this out by now. I would rather some way of just a fixed handle that will go the distance, rather than this fancy but inept design.

In the past so far Miele has replaced it, but previously implied we may not have been opening the fridge properly and this would be the last replacement. I have since then kept instructing my family to be careful to wait till the pressure equalises before opening, but even being very careful it has still broken after 4 years instead of 2 but I still consider this is completely unacceptable. I will not be paying for a replacement, I expect it to be replaced by Miele at no charge.

I have also had the problem with the drain blocking and water going in the crisper and floor - it needs to be cleaned every so often - last time I put in some dish washing liquid and warm-hot water and jiggled it with a pipe cleaner and it cleared it out well - but we really shouldn't have to do that.

I have bought many Miele products over the years - washing machine, dishwasher, vacuum cleaner - and this fridge and matching freezer (FN 12827). In the past I was impressed with the quality of the products overall and service, but it seems Miele's standards are slipping. I recently replaced our Miele washing machine - we got 15 years out of it so pretty good, but looking at reviews saw a number of bad reviews on Miele ones, so decided to go with Bosch based on very good reviews. Funnily, or not during COVID 19 pandemic, the electrics died after 3 weeks - has just been replaced - so here's hoping (future review). I always try to buy things that last for long enjoyment, convenience (not replacing stuff), sometimes financial benefit and sustainability. It is a shame for Miele to lose its reputation.

Miele really need to improve their fridge handle quality – This is my second one broken, replaced it few years ago, and now still have to get other one from Miele website. We bought all the kitchen and laundry appliance from Miele, because their reputation, but didn't expect this kind the quality for the money that we spent, so disappoint. And seems like there lots more customers had same defect issue like I do. Show details

Broken handle - disappointing Miele – Purchased in 2017 as a pigeon pair fridge and freezer. We’ve had continuous problems with water ponding and flowing onto the floor. The vacuum seal once the fridge door closes seems too strong combined with a flimsy handle design, if you go back to the fridge straight after closing the door it’s difficult to open..... However it was my 65yr old… Read more

mother who snapped off the handle while visiting. We purchased Miele thinking it was a quality brand - however I would only describe as a LEMON and poorly designed. Ultimately I regret the purchase.

I thought Miele was a quality brand but it seems it sources parts from the cheapest supplier – After a couple of years of domestic use the door handle broke off. The handle is poorly designed and constructed of cheap, thin cast metal. I replaced the door handle and this replacement handle has also now broken in the same place, despite careful use. A new handle is $250+. If you are thinking of buying Miele, add about $80 per year for… Read more

handles to the running cost of Miele when comparing brands brands to buy. I am extremely disappointed as our Miele dishwashers have all been good.