We just replaced a basic 30" top freezer with a 33" SxS (i.e. very small narrow freezer), and are totally in love! At first we were looking for a French Door, but our cabinets were not high enough for them (unless we chose a 30" unit), a mistake we made when remodelling 5 years ago. We looked into the SxS since it gave us more options, and really liked the idea. Ice & water dispenser in the door (we love ice but I hate to make it, so I would just buy some packages of it every few weeks), easy access to fridge items, and some basic freezer stuff. Bear in mind that I have standalone manual defrost freezer in the basement where I keep most stuff anyways, so here go the frozen turkeys and most of that. Clearly a turkey wouldn't fit in the freezer part, but I can defrost it in the fridge part. We also kept the old fridge as an overflow, for big packs of beverages, and because we need more than just the space available with one unit: I buy tons of fresh produce every week, and pre-prepare meals on the week-end to reheat, so on Sundays my old fridge would be Tetris party, and it also meant some extra stop at the grocery at the end of the week for produce. Regarding the old concern, most platters & cookie sheet fit in my SxS, so I really have no issues with that either. The freezer access is indeed harder, most of all because of the bulky ice maker in the door, but we only store some ice cream, a bread loaf, ice packs, and some vodka & rum bottles in there. Lots of stuff is eye level now, doors are easy to open, fridge part is big, nice produce drawers, easy access to water & ice, we feel very happy with our purchase. We really thought that one out, and all the minus were OK for us. I guess there are many other in our situation.

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.

Avesmor...you described exactly my thoughts/feelings/experiences! We're also a tall family...ranging from 5'10" to 6'6" and still growing. None of us have an issue w/bending down to access the freezer drawer. Our bottom freezer drawer (1-drawer model) has 4 compartments... Deep bottom drawer the entire width of the refrigerator, Middle shallow drawer the entire width of the refrigerator, Ice maker + ice cube bin on top, and Deep drawer on top (next to the ice maker). The bulkier items fit in the top or bottom bins/drawers and the shorter items (like meats, rolls, "keep cold" things for coolers) fit in the middle drawer. As to crisper drawers...no, you only need to open one door to open them (at least in my GE Profile refrigerator)...one one each side...smart design! The only time I need to open both doors is to access the meat/deli drawer...it's the entire width of the refrigerator...which is OK b/c I don't access it nearly as much as the crisper drawers or the rest of the refrigerator. You do eventually get to know where you store things in your refrigerator...we rarely open both doors b/c we all know the milk, OJ, & Jam are in the door on the left; butter, condiments (ketchup, mustard, relish, etc.), BBQ sauce, maple syrup, etc. are in the right door; fruits are in the left crisper drawer; veggies are in the right crisper drawer; eggs, other juices, etc. are on a shelf on the right side; etc. "you get a temperature gradient in the fridge compartment like I described in my previous post" ...Previous post: "where dairy products on the top shelf sour before their BB dates" First...the "temperature gradient" you describe applies to any refrigerator/freezer combination & configuration! Second...the location/configuration of the compressor(s) (2 in many cases today) is(are) different in bottom freezers than top freezers, at least CD refrigerators, so your reasoning does not apply. Third...my dairy products last at least 7 to 10 days past the sell-by date whether in one of the doors, top shelf, or bottom shelf...so I have no idea why you're having so many problems. What temperature do you keep your refrigerator at? That may be the real issue. As to top vs bottom... In a top freezer, you can't "bring the items to you" since they aren't drawers...you have to reach all the way inside and dig around. With bottom freezer drawers, you don't have to "stoop" to access anything...that's b/c they're bottom drawers and pull out. You would only have to "stoop" if they weren't drawers (like stooping to access a base cabinet that has stationary shelves instead of drawers or roll out tray shelves.) But, they're freezer drawers...so no stooping! You pull out the drawer or bin you need, get what you need, push it in, and you're done! Why has the top freezer configuration been around so long...well... Factories are setup to manufacture them in the top freezer configuration......so it costs more to make something different like a bottom freezer configuration......which means it costs more to make a bottom freezer......which means bottom freezers cost more......which means fewer people will buy them (most people, especially in the past, look at price first and convenience & efficiency as very distant seconds & thirds)......which means there's a higher demand for top freezer (cost)......which means there's less incentive to re-tool for bottom freezer which means......(start at the beginning!) Just b/c "it's always been done this way", doesn't necessarily make it the "best"...it just makes it habit, familiar, etc. Obviously, just b/c something is "different" or new it isn't necessarily "best" either...but since people have varying degrees of comfort w/change (and most people don't like change at all...especially as they get older), people generally stick to "what they know" rather than trying something new. In the end, it really comes down to your preference and how you feel about what you currently have (and, to some extent, how comfortable you are w/change)... If I had it to do over and I had the room, I would probably go w/an all-refrigerator/all-freezer pair (24" freezer & 30" or 36" refrigerator). But, I don't have the room for 54" of refrigerator/freezer space (or even 48"), so it wasn't really an option for me. I have a 36" wide, cabinet-depth (CD), french-door, bottom freezer refrigerator. Here's how my freezer generally looks (I actually have a lot more in the drawers now...they're packed): All three drawers: Bottom bin/drawer: Note: ice cream fits in all three drawers. Middle drawer: Top drawer: Yes, we eat a lot of broccoli! LOL!

You'd think the mid price 36" refrigerator manufacturers would keep the right or left swing top doors just for this reason. It's only been fairly recently that they purged them, minus Fisher Paykel (DCS) or adjusting down to a 33" fridge. That said, I have an twelve year old 36" SxS Kitchen Aid which has sat next to a half wall/railing. I see what elofgren demonstrates and jwvideo discusses: handle types can make wall issues even worse. My old fridge has the long european handles, which run close to the door. I think our clearance to the right wall is about 1 7/8" and surprisingly with what ever hinge it has and being full depth, we have had few problems over the years with the subject matter. Kitchen Aid refrigerators are 35 1/2" wide. I read on GW that SxS door clearance is less than that required by a french door refrigerator by a 1/2" or so but didn't bookmark the reference. So you may be right in looking at SxS's given your situation. I'm thinking to delay a new refrigerator purchase, in spite of the new remodel. Our cabinets are going in next week, and that's when I'll have input on refrigerator panels (should be at least 1/2"), as well as how snug the cabinets prior to the fridge may go etc. While everyone is telling me to buy, I'm going to buy time instead. Next years 36" refrigerator models may accommodate a wall better-maybe a maker will have pity on us wall huggers! Good luck with your decision. I sympathize with you, as I've traveled and researched this decision ad nauseam.