I have 30 inch Marvel drawers, with a panel. The 30 inch drawers are very roomy, so you should be able to fit that much in the 24 inch drawers. Not noisy at all. I like them.

Also, Fisher & Paykel has a single drawer 36". I've seen it, plugged in and operating. It has multiple temperature settings. It can even be a freezer. Great as a fun appliance that gives you powerful options.

By mid-June I'll be able to comment on the Ariston 36" drawer fridge since I will have had it delivered and operating for a few days. I've already seen it in operation as a working fridge in a cafeteria and in an office. It seemed quiet in those acoustic environments.

It has a toe kick. Having a toe kick is important to me. (In the other thread http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/appl/msg091631251955.html one experienced GW contributor said that only Subzero had a toe kick.) I think several others have toe kicks.

I saw the Marvel. I plugged it in at the showroom and I was underwhelmed. I saw a 72"wide Perlick (six drawers), not plugged in (not operating as a fridge). I've seen many Subzero, GE, and U-Line drawer fridges plugged in (operating, but empty, in showrooms). I was reasonably impressed.

In terms of space, the net volume you get in Any drawer is a lot when the drawer is wide. E.g. Ikea fans often say two 18" drawers gives you a lot less that one single 36" drawer. It's partly because the drawer sliders need space, but also for a couple other reasons, we could discuss, if we wanted to discuss space. _-_ Furthermore, a fridge has an insulated exterior needing about 2" so increasing the width of your proposed drawer space will give you a lot more real useable volume.

Some 27" drawers are available. Subzero, GE, etc. They give you a lot more room than the same makers' 24" drawers. Those additional three inches go directly into the drawers' net useable volume.

I find 15" door fridges to be cute. Like toys, they can make me happy. Nothing wrong with cuteness. A 15" _drawer_ would be very small inside.

I got 36" drawers because I wanted the storage. Almost an oxymoron but not quite, it is possible to have both: a lot of storage space, and a small appliance.

If your house is already climate controlled, and if the fridge is not in the sun, you won't need the world's most advanced cooling systems. This is one reason why I didn't pop for Perlick and others who claim to be great under extreme circumstances. All that power is a cost to begin with, and it can product more noise, "imo", unless they say specifically the opposite, and they_don't make any significant effort to say how low-noise they are... . . . Drawers are often in open environments so being low-noise is one of the main criteria.

The Ariston has lightcolored powdercoated metal sides, Blum glides (the same as Ikea drawers, whichever that one is, Metasomething), And A Glass bottom in its upper drawer. I like that. Even though it will show drops crumbs and dirt, I like seeing light enter from all around.

HTH.
-david
p.s. hot link to your other thread.

Here is a link that might be useful: 2007 thread called

I have the Fisher & Paykel CoolDrawer that David mentioned. It's one very large drawer, 36 inches, holds lots of food. The ability to change it into a freezer or a wine chiller is kind of a neat concept I guess, but not very practical. I've only ever used mine as a fridge to hold all my produce and other items needed for cooking. I can't imagine ever emptying it out to change it to another mode.

I've got Perlick. I think they are the best built and most serious refrigeration in drawer form -- not something cute or gimmicky. For the heavy daily sue we give ours, that's what I was after. The fact that the 24"' size is more standard for small appliances gives some versatility down the road, but we have no plans to change anything.

When I was shopping I liked Marvel and Perlick the best, and chose Marvel (24") because I liked the interior sizes of the drawers.

If I were you, I'd take some empty bottles of the brands you use and try them out. Mine aren't installed yet, but I'm pretty sure the bottom drawer on the Marvel is the deep one.

Perlick doesn't quite fit a tall 2L soda bottle or at least didn't when we bought -- I though we had tested it, but apparently didn't. Not a big issue for us. They do fit gallon milk and juice jugs, half gallon cartons and bottles. Much more important to me that these things fit and milk is kept really cold consistently, even after opening and closing the drawer a lot.

If you are limited to 24"-36" and were considering putting refrigeration in or near a DR or FR like the OP, would you recommend the drawers over a beverage/small refrigerator? (To hold what the OP mentions plus yogurt, cheese, condiments, and other snack-type items.) Do the drawers work better? I suspect they cost more...

(Just trying to get all options out there!)

Everybody's talking about the Perlick. They sound like great drawers. I admit, if it got drawers, they would probably get a work out from the kids everyday. However, I'm concerned about price. For you Perlick owners, what's the best price you found and where?

Also, the closest dealer to me (Wash, DC Metro area) is Baltimore, so it's a smaller company with a limited dealer network. Do you think their smaller size would have any impact on the availability of authorized repair companies in my area?

Buehl, the reason I went with drawers was remembering getting down on the floor to dig into the small dorm fridge I had in college and thinking about how much I enjoyed having to dig into base cabinets for something in the back where you can't easily see it or reach it -- the bases I couldn't wait to replace with drawers and don't miss at all.

Ours are in the breakfast room -- between the kitchen and the family room as part of a hutch coffee/breakfast bar. Not a reason for the choice, but I also like that the drawers look more like furniture.

Good point! Thanks Lascatx!

Now that I think about it, it's just like the "standard" base cabinet vs drawer base cabinets...drawers are much more useful!

KitchenAid and U-line do have the drawers also, but they are a bit loud. GE Monogram is much quieter - ZIDS240P for instance the costs less than $2000.

Here is a link that might be useful: refrigeratorexpert

I have the u-line as my sole fridge. I haven't noticed any ongoing noise issues (and am super noise sensitive) so I'm not sure what he's referring to. The only time there was ever a noise issue was when it wasn't leveled properly.