Take a look at KA - I've had one for 5 years and I'm very pleased. Mine isn't counter depth but KA has plenty of models. KA also has good warranties.

I had the worst experience I've ever had with an appliance with my Kitchen Aid refrigerator. Architect series, bottom freezer drawer. I would say I just got a lemon, but the fact is it wasn't just one box. Kitchen Aid had to replace the fridge TWICE with brand new ones, because they couldn't fix the first one or the second one. And it was horrible dealing with them. I still have the third one and it works, but not great. Very noisy, doesn't seal properly. It's now about five years old. I'm sure they've worked out the kinks in that line, but I wouldn't buy another one.

weissman thank you i will take a look.

zaneg thank you as well i'm sorry u had such a gross experience.

i'll take as much info as i can get. is maytag any good in the refridge market as of late? wifey saw one she liked and fit's her needs(hmmmmm did i say that?)
thanks again!
john

Maytag is now owned by Whirlpool - before the acquisition, their fridges got mixed reviews for uneven cooling and poor reliability. Don't know if the acquisition has improved their product yet.

Are you familiar with Consumer Reports magazine? They rated 74 fridges in their May 2007 issue. Probably more data than one needs, but they do have tons of good info and recommendations. They also have brand repair histories that show how well they are holding up. As you might guess, higher price does NOT necessarily mean higher quality. If you need more specifics from that issue, let me know. Good luck!

ok i went out with wifey today and looked at refridgerators
she liked the samsung, ge profile FD w/freezer draw. also looked at the double draw dish washers,kenmore & fisher paykel. any thoughts on these.
john

The new fisher paykel 36" with french doors is counter depth. You never mentioned dimensions you needed. Lots of folks like samsung.

We have GE Profile, Stainless Steel, side by side, counterdepth, about two years old, we are very happy with it, looks good too!

Johnny - we have a Samsung French Door model and really like it. Very quiet, efficient, well made. Seperate cooling units for the refrig and freezer sections. Also prcied very competitively.

And Samsung in the JD Powers annual major appliance survey has "Samsung has earned an award in a refrigerator segment for three consecutive years. This is especially impressive considering the high levels of quality and reliability that many appliance manufacturers attain". I attached a link to the JD Powers survey below

Also, if you are buying from Lowes - be sure to sign up on

http://lowesmoving.com/

and they will email / mail you a 10% off coupon in a few days good on pretty much anything up to $5,000. Use the coupon on your refrigerator purchase

Here is a link that might be useful: JD Powers survey

Liebherr is a model that people on GW seem to like. Check out the past posts. Goodluck.

Well thank you all for your replies, it seems that wifey wants the samsung and i have read posts that were favorable and the draws seem to be heavier made then the others.now i hear they are coming out with a 29 cu ft in the same size with different insulation. anyone else hear about that?
john
p.s. is it true the best sales are memorial day weekend?

If you are willing to wait a few months I'm sure you will get a great deal, starting April 28th companies must comply with the new energy star rating of an increase to 20% and all manufacturers must have at least 1 refrigerator in that category--check the energy star webstite for more info.

i signed up for the lowes 10% coupon. but are the refrig's sold in those big box stores made of lesser quality? i have heard that they are.
john

You need to check the EXACT model number - if it's the same as those sold in other stores, then it's the exact same model. If it's different by even one digit, then it could be "specially" made for the big box store. This applies to plumbing fixtures and other items as well.

i signed up for the lowes 10% coupon. but are the refrig's sold in those big box stores made of lesser quality? i have heard that they are.
john

I haven't decided yet but the saleslady at Lowes told me she would order the appliance I wanted and I could uee the 10% coupon.
Janice

for a rangehood try the futuro futuro line; very cool looking and high CFM's available and quieter than many other brands

Here is a link that might be useful: Futuro Futuro website

I thought I read that johnny was looking for counter depth. While I absolutely love the Samsung FD I bought it is anything but counterdepth. With the handles it is almost 36". I am lucky that I will be able to recess the wall behind to make it appear counter depth.

thanks kas, they look a little high tech for my remodel but i sent the wife the site. i'll let her check it out.

moose i like the samsung as well and i'm pretty sure thats
what i'm gonna go with. i'll look into recessing it but honestly i just wanna get it done. being realistic i know it will eat away at me if i don't recess it. in order to recess it, you cut the area out behind the fridge as you would a door way(header etc.)? i guess you have to cut the sill plate too? any thoughts? i was also thinking of leaving a 1" space between the sheet rock and outside wall to at least put some insulation since it's a bareing wall with the garage.all this after i just finished taping before christmas.
john

ooo, sorry johnny! You caught me, sounding like I might know something about taking down walls. I am lucky that our house is just being built, that the wall behind the fridge is part of the garage and that the framers will be taking care of it. Sorry I can't be of more help.
Love that fridge though!

Johnny - yes, to recess it you frame it just like a doorway with a header. As to cutting the sill plate - that will depend on how the floor abuts the sill plate (ie same height or lower).

Since its a weight bearing wall - to be safe I would double up on the 2x4's on either side of the header

oh yeah, king and jack studs on either side.i will probably be doing that next week.grrrrrrrr, but thank you.
john : )