PLEASE research the purchase of a Viking refrigerator extremely well. We have a Viking refrigerator that's only 9 years old and are going to replace it. We have spent the last 14 months with repair problems. There were so many visits from the service man that I lost count. The refrigerator NEVER sealed with a strong seal but we were told by Viking that that's the way it should be. Besides the closing problem we've had the freezer stop defrosting not once but three times and lost ALL the food three separate times and it was supposedly fixed each time. I read a post on this website where someone wrote that his Viking refrigerator was the most expensive stainless steel bookcase he ever bought ~ now I'm writing that I SECOND that statement !! We're sick that we are now in the market to buy another built-in refrigerator with another expensive price tag because of the shoddy workmanship from Viking. I purchased the cheapest Kenmore for our downstairs that's just as old as the Viking and it seals, defrosts and purrs like a dream ~ what's wrong with this picture. I feel that Viking just doesn't care about customer satisfaction. As for the salesman that is pushing the Viking really check into this ~ maybe the salesman gets a bigger commission for selling a Viking ~ please do your homework !!!!! I learned a VERY expensive lesson by taking the salesman's word for it.

"Our friends have a Kitchen Aid counter depth S X S and love it . LG and Kenmore are the same...LG makes the Kenmore... LG is not American made and it may be hard to get parts if they break...you will have to wait longer. Although Kenmore is made by them you can get those parts sooner. That is what Sears told us" ============================================================== Pretty much every body makes something for Sears. Our Refrigerator is definitely made by Samsung though. It says it right on the model # sticker, made in Korea and the model # starts with "401" which means made by Samsung. Up until this year it used to mean just a Microwave made by Samsung but now they also make Ref. Also just for the sake of saying so "Kichenaid" is made by "Whirlpool". In fact if its an American Made appliance you want then you basically have 2 main choices, either Whirlpool or GE, and I think most Viking stoves are still made in Miss. but many of their Refs, DW and MW are made elsewhere. Whirlpool makes basically everything because they have bought out several other companies. I know they own Admiral, Amana, Jenn-Air, Magic Chef, Maytag and Kichenaid and probably a few others. So when you buy that Kichenaid you are actually buying a Whirlpool. That isn't a bad thing though because if you look at and believe Consumer Reports whirlpool is usually one of if not THE most reliable brand for several appliances. On the flip side though GE is usually one of the worst. Samsung is usually right in the middle or in the top 3 for reliability. I bet there are probably about 25-30 "brands" of appliances out there and all are being made solely are at least in part by about 5-6 actual manufacturers. Most American brands have been bought up and monopolized by Whirlpool. http://www.appliance411.com/purchase/sears.shtml

>>>"1) I will have the ice maker installed. With the bottom freezer basket being wire instead of solid, if an ice cube fell out of the ice bin where would it end up?"In my freezer, it would wind up on top of something else. My freezer is usually pretty full. If you have an otherwise empty freezer, I suppose an ice cube could fall through the baskets to the floor. Does not seem likely as the wire bail/arm thingie projects down in side the ice bucket. I have not hooked up the ice maker so I'm not able to comment further. >>>"2) Does your freezer drawer extend out beyond the open french door? Whirlpool Customer Service says that depth with freezer drawer open information is "not available" for the KBFS20EVMS. I realize your refrigerator is 33" and I am looking at 36", but I suspect a wider freezer drawer would not open further than the one you have."Well, actually, mine will project out further than with a KBFS20 because mine is standard depth, not counter depth. As I pointed out in your thread, the CD model will only project out about 18 or 20 inches. The KBFS22 model that I have is several inches deeper to there is more room freezer drawerr. With a CD model, the drawer will project out about as far as the larger door. >>>"Any negatives you have noticed with wire rather than solid freezer basket?"Had not given it any thought but, now that you mention it, I think a solid basket (inner drawer?) might hold the cold a bit better, as with a chest freezer. On the other hand, I think wire baskets may give better air flow for more rapid cooldowns and more even temps throughout the compartment.

There is a knocking now and then but since our previous fridge, a 19+ year old Kenmore badged Whirlpool, did the same, much worse and more often, I haven't given it much thought. It was louder before we placed the fridge cabinet back in place but now it doesn't even register with me unless I consciously make an effort to hear it make that sound. Since we're still within the 1st year of ownership, I should call for a service call and see what they have to say about it, just for the heck of it. We looked at the GE model, as well as many others including a Whirlpool since we'd had such good luck with our previous fridge (not one service call in 19+ years). Unfortunately, Whirlpool didn't offer a CD version. KA is now owned by Whirlpool (and Amana and a bunch of others) so we opted to stick with that appliance arm and not go with GE. According to Consumer Reports, GE does really well with ovens and cooktops but their rep slips down the list with fridges. But honestly, I felt as though we could have chosen our fridge with a dart throw since I could find bad reports on any fridge I researched. One other reason for our choice is that, according to my research, the KA is made in the US while the GE is made in Mexico. Not sure if this is still true. I couldn't find out where parts came from - both could come from overseas. If all else is comparable, we're trying to make an effort to choose appliances made, at least in part, in the US.