I was never happier to be rid of my side by side. I never used any of the space below about halfway down because we would never remember it was there and it was too hard to clean and nothing ever fit in it. I really did not like it. The freezer side same thing, anything low was not remembered. But then everyone is different. I so much appreciate the extra wide tray accommodation as we entertain a lot and it really comes in handy. I have a KA without ice/water in the door. I didn't want it and do not miss it either. We use ice a LOT and I like just scooping it up in one big scoop and putting in a glass or pitcher. If I could have my choice of refrigerator configuration I would want a single door upper with drawer on the bottom. I don't really like dealing with the double doors on the FD and seem to put everything on one side of the fridge. It's only my husband and I so it's fine but a little extra aggravation at times. The trade off for me is having all the refrigerated items at eye level, I just love that so much and I can't even tell you how much I love the extra width of the deli tray. While it's not perfect I would never go back to a sxs. IMHO they seem prehistoric to me now.

I'm pondering the same question: SxS vs FD. Despite the narrow issue, the following keeps pulling me towards the SxS. First: the FD reminds me of the chest freezer we used to have. Stuff just kind of finds it's way to the bottom, no matter how hard you try, and it gets lost. True, they have them with 2 drawers now, but the bottom one is still deep enough for this to occur. Second: my SIL bought my MIL a bottom freezer. Then she injured her back and couldn't get ANYTHING out of the freezer -- my husband has a back issue and I need him to get his own waffles for as long as possible. I've measured the widest items in our freezer and frig, and take a measuring tape with me when I look at appliances. So far the sxs seem to fit what I typically have. TYPICALLY. Brining the thanksgiving 14 lb bird could be an issue, though. I think we'll end up with a s by s with a little upright chest freezer in the garage. The thanksgiving bird may end up in the cooler with ice packs.

Just wanted to share that we recently bought a Samsung FD floor model to replace our SxS at our beach place and we love it! I thought it would be nice to have the FD fridge layout at the beach but, like you, wondered how the freezer setup would work. I have found out that I like the freezer space much better than my SxS. The clever design with sliding drawers makes it easy to find/reach anything in the freezer - nothing "disappears" in the bottom. It seems to me to hold as much as my SxS freezer. My only complaint is the smallish icemaker which doesn't make/hold much ice. It is not an issue if you have a second icemaker but it might be one if you are counting on this for all your ice or use a lot of ice. When we have guests for dinner in addition to our family of five, we use the SxS now serving as a drink fridge in our storeroom for additional ice so it's not an issue for us.

I vote SxS. . We have the Kenmore Elite badged Samsung CD SxS. Initially, we were worried about the fridge not having enough space as we were used to a full depth SxS & we are a family of 4 (DH, myself and DS1&2--who try their best to eat us out of house and home), but we quickly found out that those worried were unfounded. It has plenty of space, lots of storage bin room, is well lit with LEDs and keeps produce fresh for at least 2 weeks! It also has a can rack in the door and a bottle rack in the main compartment. Ice and water through the door work great. We do have a backup fridge in the garage, but really we only use it for extra gallons of milk (we buy 3-4 at a time) and leftovers in those giant styrofoam boxes from restaurants. I think we had a pie or two in there at Christmas too. Other than that, everything fits nicely in the CD SxS. Overall, very pleased and would purchase it again in a heartbeat. I posted the link to our model below. We also thought it would be a nice change to go FD, but after really analyzing how we use the fridge, SxS made the most sense for us. These are the things we figured out: -Unless you're always making up really long platters/pans of food and storing them in the fridge that way, the extra width didn't really make a difference. What you gain in width you lose in height. Regular size pans (ie 13x9) fit just fine in a SxS CD. -As mentioned above, having to open & close 2 doors can be a pain. Depending on the model, the door may have to be closed in a certain order or the mechanism may inadvertently keep the fridge from closing all the way as well. -Having to bend over and rummage through all the freezer stuff seemed like a nightmare waiting to happen (think chest freezer). The only one that we even considered once we figured out the freezer issue was the 4 door version. -The vast majority of CD FD models require you to open the fridge doors to fully access the freezer space. I maybe could have pulled a bag of veggies through the space between the edge of the open freezer door and the edge of the closed fridge doors--maybe. Anything larger would have required opening the fridge to find/remove anything from the freezer compartment. Not very energy efficient if you ask me. So definitely check this before you buy. -No matter which style you buy, make sure the internal set-up will work for you. Hope this helps! Here is a link that might be useful: Kenmore Elite Badged Samsung CD SxS Fridge