My house has a 2-door Samsung bought many years ago, still working great. I was planning to get a smaller fridge for my apartment and noticed that the price of Samsung fridges is now higher than the Panasonic equivalent which is certainly something new. Koreans pricier than Japanese. Would would expect that. Comparing Samsung 2-door to Panasonic 2-door or Samsung side-by-side to Panasonic side-by-side, the Samsung is more expensive.

Most likely I'll be getting Panasonic for a change, hugely because it's cheaper other than being Japanese.

This post has been edited by ryder_78: Jun 5 2017, 08:47 AM

The retail prices of the fridges are all stated on the Panasonic and Samsung webpages.

I'm getting the smaller Panasonic NR-BV368XSMY in about 2 to 3 months too when my apartment is ready. It's a slimmer and taller model than the NR-BV468XSMY which is larger and a little fatter thus taking up more space in the kitchen. Good to hear that the performance is good.

This post has been edited by ryder_78: Feb 9 2018, 08:05 AM

I just had a look at this Panasonic model. WIth this model the freezer is located at the top whereas with the costlier(larger) models the freezer is located at the bottom. I do not have any experience with fridges that have the freezer located at the bottom but hope it performs well. I am considering the freezer-at-the-bottom models as they look better than the freezer-at-the-top and practicality wise it may also help a little since the freezer is usually not as frequently used as the normal fridge area so there is better access for the frequently used items without having to bend the body down a little to access those food stuff in the fridge.

I hope you would get the noise issue of your fridge sorted out. Not too sure if it is normal or otherwise to have the loud compressor sound.

For Panasonic fridges, check out Jintexelectronics where the shop is in PJ. The prices are lower than Tan Boon Ming.

From the website, delivery is free for purchases above RM300.

I've surveyed between Jintexelectronics and Tan Boon Ming. For the particular fridge, air-cond and washing machine models that I have shortlisted, the prices from Jintexelectronics are lower. Only for TV Tan Boon Ming is cheaper and has a wider selection. But for TVs, the latest information is Home Desa Theater in Kepong gives the lowest price possible for TVs.

I just noticed for Panasonic fridges, model NR-BV368XSMY has been discontinued and replaced by NR-BC369XSMY. Further checking revealed on these major differences:-

1. Type or refrigerant. BV368XS uses R600A while the new BC369XS uses HFC-134a.
2. Size of Prime Fresh Freezing compartment. The new BC369XS now has an additional compartment for Prime Fresh. As a result, one compartment is now smaller.
3. Energy consumption of the new BC369XS at 380kWh/year is lower than the BV368XS at 405kWh/year.

Not sure how the energy consumption of the new BC369XS is lower since the 134a refrigerant is reported to register higher energy consumption than the R600A in some studies. Perhaps Panasonic tweaked some of the other features to make the new BC369XS to be more energy efficient. Any thoughts>?

This post has been edited by ryder_78: Apr 25 2018, 10:10 AM

I have been using this fridge for about 8 or 9 months now. Works fine. When I was selecting a fridge, my criterion was a slim profile(but with fairly large capacity) to maximise the space in the kitchen of my apartment. The 468XSMY fits the bill as after comparing this model with all other Panasonic models, the height of this fridge is taller than the other fridges which are mostly wider/fatter and shorter.

The fridge actually looks quite elegant in its form. Trays are all practical as there is a tray for eggs which are covered (some fridges has no cover foot eggs). There is an ice box where there are 2 trays for ice cubes. With a turn on the knob all the ice cubes will fall down to a tray. Basically all the useful features are available.

*for eggs, not foot.

I have a Panasonic NR-B368XSMY in my apartment for about 4 years now, no issues yet touch wood. My Samsung 560L fridge has worked for more than 10 years without any issues also. If my Panasonic can last up to 7 or 8 years without any issue, my next fridge will likely be a Panasonic as well.

I think the design of most brands of fridge is almost the same, meaning you can find almost any design you like from small to big, 2-door bottom freezer, 2-door top freezer or multidoor etc. from Panasonic, Samsung, LG or Sharp etc. Price and reliability may be the next criteria since one can basically find the design that is suitable with any brand.

I didn't survey much but so far the price seems to be quite close. If I move to a new house, my next fridge will likely be Panasonic as it looks good. Haven't really surveyed other brands. The larger fridges 500L or 600L and above are mostly in the range of RM5k to 10k and I'm not sure if the equivalent Samsung or LG will have a lower priced equivalent.