Here's the link for the Samsung fridge.

Here is a link that might be useful: Samsung

One factor to consider depends on where you live. Who would service the Samsung or the KA, if needed, down the road?

KA may have a larger network of repair people than Samsung, especially outside of larger metro areas. But if you find there is local service available for both models, then you can make your decision on other issues.

FWIW, I've been very happy with my Samsung (a different model CD FD fridge), for nearly two years now. But I looked into finding local repair people first.

Our son and his wife have the KA and we have the Samsung. Same thing, except ours was less expensive. You can get a "Toyota" or a "Lexus" but they pretty much have the same life span. IMO We have had ours as long as they have had theirs, >2 years, both are working perfectly.

Chac_mool- thanks for that tip. I never would have thought about that. I'll be sure to ask the appliance shop guy about maintenance.

LovesPurple- that's really good to know. I didn't realize one was considered more high end than the other. SInce the appliance quote didn't include a price for the Samsung, it's a bit hard to compare. I find lots of different prices online. I'm not interested in impressing anyone. I need functional.

One major difference I see is that the KA is only 25cu ft, but the Samsung is 28cu feet. I'm sure how the space is organized and allocated between fridge/drawer/freezer matters more than overall size, but I wonder if anyone has an opinion on that? I guess I will have to hope someone local has these fridges in stock so I can compare storage. Would love opinions here.

I'd love to read more opinions too! :-)

Thanks so much!!!

First all, don't rush yourself on a $2-3K purchase if you don't feel you have the facts you need. I have no idea what your construction schedule is, but another day or so surely wouldn't hurt. Do they need to know specs for rough-in plumbing prior to drywalling?

Second, absolutely get the quote on the Samsung and then decide for yourself what makes more sense. FWIW, we just picked out the KA french door (sans ice / water in the door). I love the AJ Madison compare feature to quickly see the differences. Good luck.

Have you actually seen both of the fridges in person? When we were shopping for a new fridge, I had to see them in person. I can't remember which it was, perhaps the LG, but it was very similar in size and capacity as the Samsung we ended up getting. However, the drawers on the inside were different. I think there were three across the middle, with a smaller one in the middle. I realized that the other two bins wouldn't be large enough if I had heads of romaine or something similarly large. I realized having two larger drawers was better than having three smaller ones (for me). I also was particularly interested in the door storage. The way some are designed did not seem as convenient to me for the things I needed to store.

We have had a Samsung for 2-3 years and for the most part, I'm happy with it but I wish that we had not done water/ice on the door. I thought I wanted it that way b/c all we drink is water and I didn't want my kids opening the fridge constantly for water. However, it's too messy and in hindsight wish we just had the auto ice dispenser inside (we have filtered water at the sink as well).

Anyway, everyone has different ideas as to what they want out of a fridge so I highly recommend that you look at both in person to ensure that you are actually getting what you want, and not what the builder thinks you should have. The KA probably has a better reputation as someone suggested with the Toyota/Lexus comparison, but in the end, you need to get the fridge that fits your lifestyle. Good luck!

The Samsung has dual evaporators. The drawer has a temperature setting capability from slightly below freezing to somewhat above (like 28*-35*). It is somewhat larger.

The KA is a Whirlpool unit (I think). It has a single evaporator. The drawer has a manual slider for temperature airflow. It is somewhat smaller.

If you check those links and look at the specs, I think you will see the relative sizes.

Go to someplace like HHGregg. They may have both on the floor.

We're looking into these 2 brands also.
One thing that came up in our research.

KA dual evaporators can be seen usually referenced as:"Preserva Food Care System"

While Samsung is usually marketed as:"Samsung's Twin Cooling Plus System uses two evaporators while keeping the efficiency of a single compressor."

Here is a link that might be useful: Compressor & Evaporator discussions

We looked at everything when we went out to buy. We were replacing a SubZero side-by-side. I looked at features in refrigerators based on what I hated about the SubZero. On of those things being not being able to put a cookie pan in it. Maybe it is just me, or the way I cook, but there are times I need the wide low space. The Samsung was the only one that would work. With a lot of them all the junk on the doors ate up the space. Take your tape measure, or better yet the pans and bowls you use during the holidays, and see how they fit. We got ours at Lowes - between a coupon, a holiday weekend sale, and the 5% for using their card we saved a lot of money. I know it was less than the $2,400 we were quoted to fix the SubZero!

We had the same decision to make and went with the KA (32") as it was better appointed inside and better use of door storage. It was a little more expensive but Lowes had a great sale on that week.

Three months in and we are very happy.

I've been going through a similar process but with models without the second external drawer and or through-the-door water and ice.

The Kitchenaid is a Whirlppol product and, as far as I can tell, is assembled with Whirlpool's other FD fridges at the factory in Amana, Iowa. Even though i apparently shares compoents with the other Whirlpool products, KA offers a ten year warranty on the sealed systems but the other Whirlpool fridges only give you a 1 year warrranty. KA's warranty is 1 year everything, parts and labor on the sealed systems through year five and parts only for years six through 10. Equally interesting, most Samsungs only give you a one year warranty like Whirlppols but the particular "four door" model has 5 year warranty on the sealed system.

All of that being said, the warranty is only as good as the service companies you can call when you need help. Some places, you have choices. Others, you do not. Some service companies are good and some are terrible. The warranty isn't worth much if you have to wait three weeks to even get somebody to come out and look at your dead fridge.

Do, do check on the warranty coverage and find out if you have choices. Samsung seems to have had particular difficulties in that area but Whirlpool brands often use the same low-bid service companies and can be equally bad.

Getting some "hands-on" time is also excellent advice for making a choice. Look what what you like to keep in the fridge and how you can arrange the shelving to hold it. That fourth drawer may be very useful to some folks and a royal pain to others. Until you lay hands n it and see how the unit works for you, it can be really hard to tell if it will work for you or not.

For instance, are you somebody who needs to store gallon jars of pickles? Maybe you will want to stash a 3 gallon pickle crock? Will you be brining 20 lb. turkeys? If so, can you arrange the shelving so that you can store these things conveniently? Do you need to supply milk to whole platoons of kids? If so, where are you going to put the containers? Maybe you have a world-class collection of mustards? Do you need slide-out shelves to access that half-acre collection of small condiment jars? How do the tempeature and humidty controls work for you? Sliders are fine for some folks and anathema to others.

I had a Samsung french door with interior water dispenser; it had a 5 year warranty on the sealed system. It developed a unrepairable leak in the sealed system after roughly two years of use. I initially had a terrible time with their customer service department and their authorized repair folks but eventually, Samsung did refund the entire purchase price. Despite the leak and poor customer service, I liked the interior layout of this fridge very much--especially the shelving on the doors.

I live in Canada and bought a Maytag, which I don't see too much about on this site. Anyway, the thiing that sold us on that one was the fact that the drawer was tall enough to hold pop cans! Many of the others aren't deep enough for that.

Thanks so much for everyone's advice and opinions. It sounds like both refrigerators are good appliances, but it's a matter of preference and price. Right?

I really like the drawer feature since we have young kids who eat fruit and yogurt nonstop. That drawer will be stocked with all sorts of fresh produce and snacks. We don't drink pop or regular milk (dairy-free house) so a lot of the traditional storage "features" are useless to us. Based on youtube videos and website pics, I see pros and cons of the interior storage of both refrigerators.

Thanks again! :)

Just thought I'd chime in real quick.

I have that Samsung fridge. I love it. The middle drawer I keep cold drinks in it at 29 degrees.

Now my advice is wait.... This fridge I have seen at both sears and lowes with a price tag over $3,000. We waited until black Friday time frame (I think it was the week before for us) and paid $1,799. Quite a savings. Also got a Samsung washer and dryer for $999 at the same time.

I just need to add that I do have one little thing about the french doors that makes me nuts. One of the doors has an extra little piece that is supposed to fill the gap between the doors when they are closed. It does not always go in and lay flush against the refrig frame, so there is a small gap on the top and bottom that leaks cold air.

G look at them both in person. I haven't seen the KA, but I have seen the whirlpool version (which, BTW, is significantly cheaper at lowes and sears) and I much preferred the Samsung. I prefer the layout and shelving in the freezer of the Samsung. Also, the KA drawer seems to be designed to be your fresh fruit and veggie drawer, with only one small drawer in the main compartment of the fridge. The Samsung has 2 drawers for fresh fruits and veggies inside the main compartment in addition to the flex drawer. Another small drawer like in the KA would be great for lunch meat, etc, but IMO 2 large drawers are always better than one small one. I also liked the adjustability of the Samsung flex drawer. I've been watching the Samsung for about 6 months and haven't seen it below $2061 (sears, but their extended warranty is sooooo expensive). I'm waiting for labor day or black Friday.

I also liked the Samsung a bit more in person, especially the 2nd drawer in the main compartment. But I really liked the see through feature of the KitchenAid (FreshVue).

Also, can't ignore the fact that KA is American Made, cheaper, and uses a lot less energy than the Samsung.