What are you getting quoted for the FD samsung 23 +/- cubic foot unit counter depth unit. I was looking at the same one with the water/ice in the door and it was about $2100 for the counter depth. Some retailers are charging much more. I never had a side by side, but I think I would have issues putting in large items.

Side-by-side makes sense to me if a lot of your meals come from the freezer to the microwave. We could probably do without a freezer in our kitchen entirely, since very little ever needs to come out of it while cooking. The upright in the basement would be "just fine" for our style of cooking.

I prefer being able to get a full sheet into my fridge, or a big pot of stock to cool, without having to unload the fridge completely, which I would find hard to do, if not impossible, in a side-by-side.

I have had a SXS for the last 10 years. I am waiting for it to die! I will NEVER get another one of these again - EVER! Its not that it is unreliable or doesn't keep food at proper temp (10 years and still going strong), or is too loud or whatever. It is the INCONVENIENCE I can't abide. I have 3 kids and the storage space is the pits (and this is a BIG fridge). Stuff gets pushed to the back all the time and is lost forever. Its replacement will be a freezer on the bottom unit. With or w/o FD's remains to be decided. I will go with counter depth.

Consumer Reports managed to malign my new Fisher & Paykel bottom-freezer model in the August 2009 issue, but their article was helpful in pointing out that most side-by-side models cannot store a large pizza box. So, unless you have made a solemn vow never to buy a large pizza, stick with the bottom-freezer.

I have a 35" wide side-by-side now. I like the side-by-side layout in theory, but the narrow compartments are very frustrating. Every shelf turns into a deep narrow recess - kind of like accessing a shoebox from the end - and I cannot chill large things without major moving operations. That big pot of coq au vin that needs to sit overnight? Sometimes I've simply left it on the back deck all night (and prayed for no raccoons) rather than deal with unloading the fridge.

My next fridge will be a side-by-side - but its going to be 50" wide . . .

Uggg, the RFG237AARS seems to have jumped in price by $600. This will take me out of the market. AusTex had it last month for $2100, now it is $2800? I guess they have been too popular. The discount club where I worked stopped offering discounts too, you only get what everyone else pays for it now.

You have to decide whether you want a stick out fridge, or do some rearranging from time to time with a S/S. If it is at all possible calculate the distance the FD frig will stick out and push your current frig out to that point so you can visually see and live with it.

Personally, what I like with a S/S is more order in the freezer and no bending. My S/S is not large, but with a little effort I can manuever almost anything in either compartment. If you usually have alot of large items go with the FD. or you'll be unhappy with the S/S. I don't have that problem. Good Luck

In August I bought my first ever sxs (a counter-depth Bosch Linea 800 series -- love it). Previously we had always had a bottom mount freezer. I went fridge shopping thinking my heart was set on a French door/bottom freezer. After opening dozens of french door displays at appliance stores I realized that I strongly prefer the sxs. I like being able to see everything in my fridge, from top to bottom, by just opening one door (not two doors as you'd have to do with the French door). I also like how well I'm able to organize the freezer. Previously my bottom-mount freezer was one big jumbled mosh pit of cans, bags, and boxes. I've heard all the complaints about sxs refrigerators in terms of the layout of space, so clearly they are not for everyone. But for our family (a family of four, with one son off at college for much of the year) the sxs is perfect. Maybe it is because we are past the frozen pizza stage?! I recommend that you open a lot of refrigerators and think carefully about how you would use the space. We also considered the Samsung sxs. It has a lot of useable space, more than the Bosch we ended up buying. So in that sense it is a better deal.

The CD sxs's have much larger freezer space than the FD CD's, 7-9 cy ft compared to 4-6 cu feet. Also I too like the smaller door opening and the lack of bending for most objects.

I hate, hate, hate my regular depth Side-by-side. Not enough space in the freezer for a pizza box. Everything is stacked up and falls out onto my toes with a loud thud.

I cannot wait to get a new FD unit.

optimal use of space, and the best ergonomics:

big square volumes.

This is FD.

This is not SxS, which have already been described above as impractical.

I have an old top freezer....and I hate it, so I know I do not want a SXS because the concept is the same...you stack on shelves. Now, everything falls out with just one shelf. Frozen food does not stack too well so it always slides. I could not imagine having this issue with more shelves on a SXS.

I've had a SXS for 20+ years, and can't wait to move to the house we're remodeling, in large part because of the Samsung RFG298 we've bought.

I second the issue of "accessing items in a shoebox from the narrow end". I want to be able to store a large pot, pizza in a large container, ... and I wind up re-organizing left-overs, or even moving from one container to another, to be able to have room for the pineapple, large pot, or left-overs from a restaurant. I keep losing small items in the back. And, I look forward to not having to bend over as often to get to the items in the meat/veg bins.

However, note that not all FD fridges are made the same. I had fallen in love with the RFG 29 cu ft, but the appliance stores we'd visited often hadn't had it. My DH had HATED the FDs, he said, ... and it's because all he had looked at were Kitchenaid, LD ones with cracked plastic bins, misaligned bins, etc.

And then I realized that Samsung's bin layout may look very similar, but the construction seems much more solid. Plus it has the freezer drawer handle that requires very little force to open, which my back really loves.

As I said, we've not yet been using our Samsung, but, since it's such an oft-used appliance, I've spent a few hours in appliance stores over the months, pulling open drawers, shelves, etc. on different fridges, imagining where we'll put things. And am SO much looking forward to having the 29 cu ft FD one!

I've had a SXS for 20+ years, and can't wait to move to the house we're remodeling, in large part because of the Samsung RFG298 we've bought.

I second the issue of "accessing items in a shoebox from the narrow end". I want to be able to store a large pot, pizza in a large container, ... and I wind up re-organizing left-overs, or even moving from one container to another, to be able to have room for the pineapple, large pot, or left-overs from a restaurant. I keep losing small items in the back. And, I look forward to not having to bend over as often to get to the items in the meat/veg bins.

However, note that not all FD fridges are made the same. I had fallen in love with the RFG 29 cu ft, but the appliance stores we'd visited often hadn't had it. My DH had HATED the FDs, he said, ... and it's because all he had looked at were Kitchenaid, LD ones with cracked plastic bins, misaligned bins, etc.

And then I realized that Samsung's bin layout may look very similar, but the construction seems much more solid. Plus it has the freezer drawer handle that requires very little force to open, which my back really loves.

As I said, we've not yet been using our Samsung, but, since it's such an oft-used appliance, I've spent a few hours in appliance stores over the months, pulling open drawers, shelves, etc. on different fridges, imagining where we'll put things. And am SO much looking forward to having the 29 cu ft FD one!