Samsung 458L Bottom Mount SRL457MW / SRL458ELS / SRL453DW Series

More spacious than expected – As our new fridge had to fit into the ‘fridge spot’ in our kitchen, and I wanted one with a freezer on the bottom, our choices were extremely limited. The friendly sales person at Good Guys Marion showed us the choices and we settled on choosing between Samsung, Westinghouse and Fisher & Paykel. As all 3 were made in Thailand, had 4 star energy… Read more ·  1

rating, and prices and reviews on ProductReview were similar, the final choice came down to look and feel. The Samsung won out as we preferred the interior, plus it was the only one with a 10 year parts warranty on the compressor.

After living with it for 4 months, I can say I’m happy with it. The temperature is consistent, doors are easy to open / close and also open wide for easy access and cleaning. The exterior markless stainless steel is easy to keep clean and shiny, and matches the stainless steel finish of my other appliances.

The interior light is bright and the LED panel at the top is an easy way to check that the temperature is as it ought to be. The glass and plastic shelves are sturdy, and the fold-up bottom shelf in the fridge compartment is extremely handy when needed to accommodate taller items.

I am especially delighted at the storage space in both the fridge and freezer compartments. I was a little concerned that the freezer compartment would offer less storage as the manual ice maker and storage tray is built in, unlike my old fridge where I can remove the ice tray to free up shelf space. I was happy to be proven wrong. Although the capacity is about the same as my old fridge, I seem to be able to pack more into the Samsung. This is especially so in the fridge door shelves as these are deeper than in my old fridge.

August 14th 2019 Update: Good enough that I bought a 2nd one

My old Westinghouse was showing its age at 23, and though it seemed pretty robust I was afraid of a sudden death as it was making weird noises. So after researching these pages, other online forums and asking around, we finally made it to a Harvey Norman and Good Guys Store to check out our shortlist physically.

Frankly, there wasn’t much of a difference between the Samsung, Westinghouse, and Fisher & Paykel models that would fit the fridge cavity in our older style kitchen. The insides were also pretty similar in terms of layout and sturdiness I.e. not as sturdy in comparison to our old Westinghouse. The glass shelves, plastic components etc were all nice and shiny, but they felt, well, flimsy in comparison to my old fridge.

We finally settled on the Samsung as it had (not in any particular order): 1. The best warranty of 10 years for the inverter 2. Easy to read panel & controls at the top for temperatures in the fridge and freezer, alarm and holiday mode 3. A foldable shelf that could be adjusted to fit in taller items 4. A removable metal bottle rack 5. Full width vegetable crisper 6. Handles on the doors 7. Adjustable, deep containers on the door 8. The most efficient kWh of electricity use 9. Markless stainless steel

That was in Dec 2018. Our experience of the fridge after using it for 6 months: 1. It was a lot quieter that our old noisy fridge, but not as silent as expected (maybe our expectations are unrealistically honed by our very quiet Bosch dishwasher) 2. Temperatures are good and the LED temperature reading provides an assurance that all is well 3. Internal lay out, shelves, door containers and drawers (veg crisper and freezer drawers) are surprisingly roomy and do hold a lot BUT I am nervous that the glass shelves may not bear the weight of heavier items e.g. Costco-sized bottles of olives or sundries tomatoes 4. The bottle rack takes up too much space 5. The vegetable crisper works well to keep veggies nice and fresh 6. The stainless steel on the front door is easy to keep clean with a microfibre lots, BUT is very thin - we got 2 dents in the door within the first couple of weeks

We kept the old fridge as a spare, but that filled up quickly and as the noises were getting louder and stranger, we bit the bullet in July and bought a second Samsung.

So far, so good. Fingers crossed we get a fair number of years out of them.

Any cons? It could be quieter. I took away 1 Star as it seems a little noisy.

Perfect for small family – Very happy with the features and distribution of the fridge. There is space for pretty much everything you might need. My suggestion to the manufacturer: -The fridge door is slightly loose. -Vegetable compartment is a little bit tight (I guess this is a matter of personal preference) Show details ·  1

Great then total disappointment – I initially gave this fridge a glowing review but after 5 years I'm so disappointed and frustrated with Samsung's customer service. The door has many dents in it that appear for no reason, the shelve brackets cracked within a year and the freezer middle draw constantly comes off its runners and then won't close properly. All things I could live… Read more

with. When the compressor with 10 year warranty stopped working after 5 years and 4 months, we tried to get it repaired in line with Australian Consumer Law and customer guarantee. Samsung has been extremely difficult to deal with, a complaint has been made to Fair Trading, meanwhile we live with basics in an esky with ice, trying to feed 2 kids while we wait for the 3rd week for someone to contact us to instigate repairs.

Do not buy Samsung fridges if you want it to last more than 4 years – After 3 years the main hinge holding the top door broke off. There was a similar reviewer that had this issue. Paid to repair. Then after 4 years I had to replace the Power Control Board (PCB) then the Inverter Board and the Display Board also required replacement. All after just 4 years! Samsung no help whatsoever despite responsibilities under… Read more

Australian Consumer Law. Just awful consumer service via overseas call centre... avoid. Repair guys nominated Fisher and Paykel or Mitsubishi fridges as what they would buy. Will never buy Samsung again

Loud motor noise and Drawer falls out – After a year we’ve noticed the motor giving off a noise. It is rather audible especially when the rest of the house is so quiet. Another major problem is that the freezer drawer falls off its hinges all the time. It’s not like we’re pulling it out forcefully. Just normal usage and the upper drawer just comes off its rails. Makes it very… Read more

inconvenient to get things out because you end up having to have one hand to support the drawer in case it drops. It’s been 4 years nows since we bought it. Works well in terms of it being cold and keeping food fresh but just the motor noise and the falling drawer that takes the shine off this product.

Was good, until it wasn’t. Samsung don’t care – Bought new from retailer in 2018. Over past year up to beginning of 2021 there has been a decline of freezer performance. Samsung don’t care. Struggles to maintain even -4degC let alone -15. Never again, abysmal non existent customer service and local repairers won’t touch it.  Show details

Worst fridge we've owned & so much money down the drain. Broke within 3yrs of buying brand new & Samsung won't help! – Faulty thermostat causing the freezer to turn everything into snow, regardless of the temp setting. The fridge section is no longer working at all, so we lost a weeks worth of fresh food. It's basically just an expensive cupboard now. The fan or gas lines aren't working/burnt out, so nothing we do can fix it and the refrigerator mechanics quoted… Read more

$980 to fix it but couldn't guarantee it won't happen again in a few months. The fridge thermostat keeps flashing on 7° even though we tried everything to fix it! We e-mailed Samsung, called Samsung and they just said we can't be helped as it's been more than 2yrs since purchasing so our warranty is gone. We can't even go back to the store we purchased from as everything is shut in Melbourne due to Covid! We'll never buy another Samsung product again after the way we've been neglected with our faulty fridge/freezer- especially during this pandemic when we needed help most!

4 years in needing to replace shelving – I've owned this unit for spot on 4 years. The draws in the freezer now need replacing and the shelving in the fridge door now all need replacing. It was my concern in purchasing the unit that the draws and shelving felt average. I wish i had of followed my initial feelings and picked a unit that freezer draws were wire and door shelving was of a… Read more

higher quality. By the time I replace all that needs replacing I've paid 1/3 of a new fridge. Disappointed.

Freezer Draw Issues – I began experiencing issues with the freezer draws of my fridge approximately a month after I purchased it. The top draw falls off the hinge every time I open it and I have to physically lift it back on to the hinges to close the fridge. This happens every time I use the draw, very annoying. Show details

Door seals broke and fridge is still under warranty but doesn't cover – bought this fridge in 2015, it is till under extended warranty till 2021. after 4 years the door seals have cracks, i contacted the seller and got a reply that this is not covered under warranty, lol they said it is a tear and wear issue.i was using cheap Simpsons fridge for 15 years and never had any issues, this is a branded fridge and paid extra for extended warranty but what is the benefit? Show details ·  3

Good at first. Then the problems started – We bought our fridge in January 2014, from Appliances Online, to replace a 15 year old American made G.E. fridge. The interior layout is well thought out and the bottle rack was a plus, allowing even more room for other items by keeping bottles out of the way. The fridge is quiet and holds temperatures well. All went well for the first 3 and a… Read more

half years, then we noticed that it was beginning to leak water into the bottom of the freezer and onto the floor under the fridge. This would freeze into ice and prevented the bottom freezer drawer being opened unless considerable force was applied. Too much and the drawer breaks. The ice was/is easily removed but within a week, it is back. Other reviewers of this fridge have also had the same issues and further research points to it being due to a design flaw, in that a crucial pipe within the compressor compartment is not insulated at the factory and overtime ices up, creating this issue. Now after some 5 and a half years and 2 freezer drawers, we are totally fed up with the problem and have decided to replace the fridge. But not with another Samsung.