You might try the appliance forum or the kitchen forum.

I have a side by side and a french door fridge. I LOVE my French door, I can store a lot more in it than I can in my side by side.

I got my French door without ice/water in the door but you can get it with ice and water.

My 8 yr old Whirlpool SxS has always been noisy. And the icemaker just went out. Rather than pay $XXX to fix it, we're just buying a bag of ice every week or so and filling the tub fir the dispenser. Guess this is a no vote.

I have a one year old GE Adora french door with two ice makers. Top one is prone to icing around spout, bottom is very reliable. But I think I would go back to SXS if I could do over. Top ice maker has a small receptacle and you must be sure to use often or the build-up will make it inoperable.

My 8 year old french door Kenmore just bit the dust today. Of course you can't get repair for over a week and one tech guy said that since none of the digital read outs are working, or the light that it's likely the whole motherboard has gone and not worth fixing. It's infuriating that we can't have appliances that last for a longer time. I had to go rent one today because I don't have time to shop or wait for one to be delivered and the rental place could get it to me right away. I'll just keep it a week or so until I can get another.

I hate shopping for appliances, it's such a crap shoot about brands, etc.

I have a very large GE ss side by side with ice and water in the door. I like everything about it but they have a design flaw in the ice dispenser which keeps breaking and you end up with clear plastic pieces in with your ice that is dispensed. Very very dangerous! You can not tell it's not ice because it's clear plastic. I have had them replace the ice dispenser part 4 or 5 times now. They are very aware of the problem and have been sued for it but refused to fix the problem. There are several blogs and people complaining about it on the GE website. Now that mine is out of warranty next time it breaks I am just screwed. It really sucks because I like the fridge, but because of their lack of care about this problem I can't recommend them and likely will no longer buy GE appliances. This is a serious safety health related defect that could kill someone if a sharp shard of plastic got caught in the throat. For them to ignore it is just so irresponsible.

You might make a trip to your local library and check Consumer's Report in the reference section. If I were getting ready to replace a refrigerator, that's where I would start. Appliances seem to change so frequently - who owns/manufactures all the brands - features - energy use - problems - etc. Consumer's Report can give you a lot of information and statistics.

Personally, I will never own a model with water/ice dispenser. They tend to fail or need costly repairs and filters. Overall, they cost more to operate. Since getting rid of my stand-alone freezer 9-years ago (it was a real energy "hog"), I need all the space I can for food storage. My 9-year old Kenmore side-by-side from Sears costs about 7-cents per day to operate (checked with a Kill-A-Watt Meter over 500 hours). I got 25% off the purchase price because it was a floor model.

We have a separate counter-top ice maker ($89) we use about 2-months in the summer (I make ice every 7-10 days). Other than that, I keep one tray of 8 ice cubes in the freezer. We only use distilled water for ice, which is also what we use for drinking water (DIY at home - @ 21-cents per gallon). We've distilled our drinking water for over 25-years.

-Grainlady

I hated the bottom freezer model that came with this house. After the ice maker died twice (metal on/off bar came out of back hole twice-I COULD NOT get to an angle, kneeling on the floor, to get it back in - $100 each for 2 service calls) we went back to SxS with ice & water in the door. Ice maker is easy to get to, BUT, fridge is so deep that things get pushed to the back often. If I ever get another one, it will be (sigh) freezer on bottom and French doors on top with ice/water dispenser.

Texas Gem - I'm looking for a French door frig, no ice maker no water. What brand is yours?

I have an LG French Door - it's about 3-4 years old now, no ice in the door. I really like it. No more "standing on my head" trying to see what's on the bottom shelf. The bottom freezer is much easier for me. The ice maker works fine. I'd buy another like it.

I've never liked my side-by-side. Not only is the opening to the freezer narrow, but the door doesn't open back all the way (hope that makes sense). I don't like the water/ice dispenser because the filter never gets changed, so I avoid using it.

I agree with grainlady, check Consumer Reports. I often do that when making a larger purchase. Even if you don't see exact models which you can find, it gives you things to consider. Good luck.

We have a Samsung French door with a water dispenser on the inside and it's wonderful, I love every single thing about it. It's functional and pretty. They don't make them anymore but I prefer the inside water spout so that a huge part of the door storage isn't "lost" for ice and water. Water is all I drink, but opening a door to get it is an easy sacrifice for the storage benefit. We had a large side by side for years and I absolutely hated it. It was cramped and not even a platter would fit in it. It wasn't practical for 2 adults who don't entertain much, so I don't understand how they can be ideal in a family scenario. The ice maker was a nightmare as well, I couldn't wait for that thing to finally break down so we could replace it. Never again.

As far as brands go....an Amana I had years and years ago, was great, it was just a basic single door model though. The Fridgidaire that replaced it, a side by side sucked in every way. Mom didn't listen and bought a counter depth one a couple of years ago, nothing but problems as well. So far, after 4-5 years, the Samsung has been problem free, even the ice-maker. (I say this as I knock on wood)

MIne is an Amana side by side and it has only had one service call. Its about 8 years old. It wasn't cooling and we thought it was dying. Called a service person and he said well I can do this or you can. The coils all needed cleaning. So my husband got out the vacuum cleaner and cleaned those dirty coils and now it is running like new. Just a little maintenance. I used to do this chore on a regular basis. I guess my husband didn't know I did this. Now he does. lol

I have had my Whirlpool side by side for 15 years and it is still working strong. It has a water and ice dispenser in the door and I have never had any problems with it. I guess the worse thing about it is the ice dispenser plastic has turned a little yellow. I'm not sure it is the most ideal refrigerator for organization, but I'm happy it has lasted 15 years.

I've had GE side-by-side models with in-the-door ice & water for about forty years. I never had a problem with any of them, including the in-door feature.

I replaced the GE at the Maui condo this spring -- just as a precaution. I can't have a fridge fail on a guest when a replacement can't be delivered to the island for six weeks. The fridge was running fine at age 14. Although the water in Kihei tastes OK and is perfectly safe to drink, having filtered and cooled water is a plus. (I was unhappy to see that the new fridge has a plastic 'screw' to push ice out of the ice compartment; old one was metal. Also, the delivery guys struggled more with the considerably heavier older model.)

Our fridge at home is a GE Monogram (42" counter-depth), also 14 years old. The freezer side is "frozen pizza box wide". This one had noise issues when new for no reason that could be found, but it just stopped making the noises after about nine months. We vacuum the overhead coils every few years.

I left another GE side-by-side in perfect working order when we sold our former house. It was at least 12, and I'd had one before that.

When I had a tech at the house a few years ago for another appliance, I asked about this "seven years for refrigerators" rule. He said most people don't keep the coils clean and (children especially) destroy the interiors, but that the 'innards' can run twenty years. DH and I are not rough people. I hope my *built in* Monogram will run a long, long time.

I will think twice before ever again having a built in fridge or dishwasher.

I bought a refrigerator in July, the compressor failed in the 25 cu ft Amana bottom mount that was in this house when we bought it - for the second time (somewhere around 10 yrs old). Maybe those of you living in larger shopping areas have more choices, but it was hard to find a refrigerator without ice and water dispenser in the door (and I find that takes up more storage). We don't have reliable service here for Samsung or LG so those were out of the running.

I bought a 25 cu ft KitchenAid French door, bottom mount freezer. Ice and water are dispensed inside, not through the door.

The warranty on the KitchenAid was remarkably better than any of the others.

I'd always been a loyal Amana customer and had been pleased to find that appliance in this kitchen. I don't think that matters so much any more, all brands have way more plastic, lighter construction. In the 5 days it took to find a refrigerator and get it here and installed, I had my food in the vintage GE side by side in the garage that a divorcing friend is storing. It's ugly. It holds refrigerator and freezer temps accurately. And now I've quit complaining about it being here because I really needed it ;)

FYI - When the KitchenAid was being uncrated and installed, I saw wine rack had Amana on the packaging and some of the door shelving read Whirlpool.

I had a GE Profile SxS with ice/water in the door for 15 years. It is in the garage now (last 3 years) but the freezer part no longer works. I did not like the freezer because you couldn't fit large pans or a turkey, etc,

When we remodeled the kitchen 3 years ago we bought a counter-depth , French door, bottom freezer, ice/water in the door. It is a Kenmore Elite but I'm not sure who actually makes it. No problems so far. I grew up with a bottom freezer fridge and just think it's more sensible since you're in the freezer a lot less than the fridge. Everything is at eye level in the fridge, no bending down. I would never go back to a SxS but next time I would prefer one door as opposed to a French door, but I'm not sure the one door models have ice/water in the door, and that is a must-have feature for me....I use it all day long.

I have a Samsung French door refrigerator with ice and water in the door and an ice maker in the bottom freezer. I like it, but wish I had gotten one with a bigger refrigerator. I have a freezer in my garage and can always use more space! I think mine is about 3 years old maybe 4.

Sue

Meris- I got this Samsung and I've really enjoyed it.

The best part for me has been nothing has gotten lost and gone bad.

That used to happen all the time with my old top mount freezer.

I have a Subzero built in and while it looks nice it has had lots of issues and frankly not worth the price when compared to some of the nicer GE, Samsung and Kitchen aid.. The warranty is excellent, but I won't be doing it again. We have a GE Profile at the ski house and it has been great.

That plastic screw thing that pushes out the ice is exactly the part that breaks into sharp shards and gets pushed out with your ice. I have ended up with pieces in my mouth and almost swallow one. My old GE which I still have in the sun room has a metal screw mechanism which worked perfectly fine and still would if I had water hooked up to it. I asked why did they change from the metal to the cheap plastic that breaks so easily and was told that in some cases the metal would discolor! I would definitely prefer a little discoloration on the metal than someone being seriously injured by the broken plastic pieces. And once that plastic screw mechanism starts breaking up it no longer pushes the ice out rendering it useless.

Chisue be aware of this defective part which likely is the same as the one you have. It could lead to a law suit against you if a person who is renting your condo has a piece of the plastic choke or cut them. There are several lawsuits against the company for damages done to people including children. I have a pile of the broken pieces I showed to the reps that came out to replace the broken parts. I also emailed to the company the pictures of the dangerous pieces. I have also kept each of the replaced parts. There should be a recall for this.

I don't want the freezer on the bottom because when I am in my wheelchair or kitchen rolling chair I would only be able to reach the freezer, with the side by side I can reach many of the shelves in the fridge and freezer. We use the ice and water in the door constantly that I would never give up.

Here's some of the pieces. So anyone buying a fridge check the ice maker for the plastic screw part especially GE.

holy moly Raven! I'm not at all surprised that people are suing them, I hope GE looses where it really hurts. I don't understand how GE can stay so popular when they refuse to fix design issues or even stand behind their products. Remember Shee was having problems with her GE stove, brand new and they didn't want to assume any responsibility for it.

I should add, fixing a broken ice-maker back to it's original state when it has an obvious design flaw (over and over again) to me isn't really standing behind their warranty. It's just buying time until the warranty no longer covers the defect. I wonder if the consumer's protection agency is aware of their dangerous design flaw.

I suggest referring to multiple information sources to find a suitable model to buy. Many of the old names ain't what they used to be, so brand loyalty is sometimes not a good idea. With some companies, some models are good, others aren't, choosing one can be like rolling dice.

For those who refer to Consumer Reports, do so with skepticism. I don't think it's as objective as it used to be. I think I speak with experience, I've been a subscriber to the magazine for over 30 years.

I can think of a number of wonderful major purchases I've made of items they gave low marks, when my gut sense was that those rankings had subjective biases. When they report recurring (and objective) problems with a product or manufacturer or reports of serious issues, fair enough, I heed those. Otherwise, they have opinions and others may have different ones.

As for drinking distilled water, that's not something that's without controversy. Those who advise against it suggest that not only does drinking it deprive the body of a normal source of minerals, but drinking it tends to demineralize the body as well, double whammy. I don't know enough about it to say either way, I just know a doctor cautioned me against drinking it so I'm happy buying (and enjoying) spring water.

I currently own 3 side by sides. LOVE them all! Kitchenaid counter depth(my oldest,12 years) and the Frigidaire digital read out counter depth(costs less then the others, from Home Depot) both have ice & water on the doors. Then a GE.

No complaints about any of them! The Frigidaire has a no finger prints SS finish.

Grainlady, thank you for the reminder that CR is available through the library. I checked and our library makes it available online, so I didn't even have to go in. But I have to agree with Snidely that I'm not sure their ratings are all that valuable, especially for reliability and customer service, which seems to be abysmal for every brand. I do like seeing ratings for things like noise in appliances. I look at Consumer Affairs ratings (although I don't know much about them and their mission) and every single brand is rated at about a 1 star. Seems like no one likes any brand these days.

I had a GE bottom freezer model before my current Kenmore French door model, and the drain in the bottom continually plugged and then froze/thawed and leaked all over my floors. I finally pitched a fit with GE and they agreed to give me 1/2 off a new refer, however they had discontinued the model I had and they didn't manufacture one that was short enough for my space.

We bought a BIG Maytag with the bottom freezer. I love it. The freezer holds a lot and is very easy access. Two pull out racks.. The best one I have ever really liked. The last one was a side by side and I hated it. Couldn't wait to replace it. Hubby used it in the barn until it died. I really like the French door ones. Son just bought one and it is really nice. Next time aye!!