Help with counter depth french door refrigerator

7 years ago

Hello all:

We are building a new house and unfortunately, the fridge box size requires a counter depth fridge. This is frustrating as they are far more expensive and we get much less space for the money.

We have narrowed our choice down to 4 and would like feedback if anyone has any thoughts on these brands. Our budget is no more than $2,300 so please don't come back recommending high brands that we can't afford.

Choice #1: Frigidaire Gallery

http://www.frigidaire.com/Kitchen-Appliances/Refrigerators/French-Door-Refrigerator/FGHF2366PF/

Pros: This is the most cost effective at $1,800. Love the smudge proof finish.

Cons: The shelving in the freezer is cheap, ice maker takes up a lot of space in the door. Feels cheap.

Choice 2: Samsung

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-22-5-cu-ft-counter-depth-french-door-refrigerator-with-thru-the-door-ice-and-water-stainless-steel/3518106.p?skuId=3518106

Pros: Good price at $2,000. Like that it holds the most ice. Has a pantry drawer.

Cons: ice maker takes up space in the back of the fridge and in the door. Shelves seem hard to configure. Feels cheap.

Choice 3: GE Profile

http://shop.ferguson.com/decor/product.pl?Ntt=GE+PYE22KSKSS&Ns=AvailabilitySort%7C0%7C%7CPrimary_Finish%7C1%7C%7CSort_Order%7C1&term=GE+PYE22KSKSS&mid=456140&fh=Stainless%20Steel

Pros: I like the removable mat in the trays for cleaning. Ice maker is in the door and doesn't take up room in the fridge. Like the autofill feature in water dispenser. Has a pantry drawer. This one felt the most substantial.

Cons: Pricey on sale for $2,300 which is right at the top of our range. The freezer pull outs are just okay. The bins on the left side of the fridge door are pretty narrow.

Choice 4: LG

http://www.costco.com/.product.100146708.html?krypto=R9dFoxEUTIzUwT9gbVtaklnxXdW%2BK2t8BkPKjXVWySmLk0yXnvgquOYjIkmNWIDWtxEuZ3My7DxD%0A8urs9b45VqzRSLWNOS64pdZNvmPj0mj4Di71TCU5CkDcIPdLr4tS

Pros: Space! At 24 cubic feet this is the largest. Like the 3 drawer options in the freezer. Ice maker in door does not take up space.

Cons: Reviews of LG as a company are bad. The water dispenser looks complicated with too many buttons. Cost $2,200 near the top of our budget. Feels cheap and the floor model had a dent in the stainless.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

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Comments (5)

friedajune
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Look at the Fisher Paykel brand as well. If you do not get water in the door, the RF201ADX5 is $2300. Regardless of the brand, think hard whether you really must have water/ice in the door: that is the first thing--and most often thing--to break. Plus, since the counter-depth fridge is space-constrained, you are using up quite a lot of valuable fridge space on the water dispenser.

Also, have you looked at recessing your fridge cabinet space? Depending upon your construction, you may be able to carve out the back for another 3 or 4 or more inches of depth to put in a regular-depth fridge.
octoberdana
Original Author
7 years ago
We are building a standard home with a builder so we aren't able to alter the space for a different size fridge. The Kenmore is made by LG. We are definitely looking to get a plain white freezer for down in the basement to account for the missing space, particularly in the freezer!
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We had a full size sxs before, replaced it with a counter depth french door, and couldn't be happier with it. Aesthetically, I like the fact that the fridge doesn't jut out. Functionally, I know that it is smaller, but appreciate the fact that things aren't getting shoved into the back and forgotten about. The crisper drawers keep my veggies much better than my old fridge did. My husband loves it because his frozen pizzas fit in the freezer (they didn't fit well in our old s x s). Organizationally, I feel like the freezer drawer is a vast improvement with the sliding top compartment and drawers on the bottom. Overall I can say that we would likely not get a s x s again. With all of that being said, here are the cons. We are only a family of two so obviously don't have the storage needs of many people. The large items that we store on a regular basis are a gallon of milk (in the door), and pitcher of tea on one of the shelves. I can see that if you have a lot of "big" items, they just wouldn't fit. There is much less door space for condiments. I am a cooker and like to prepare most things fresh, but I love love love my condiments and find I struggle to fit them all in. I like mostly fresh veggies, and after my weekly grocery shopping trips, I have trouble fitting my purchases into the two crisper drawers (and yes, this is for 2 people) but after a meal or two, the space opens up. This could obviously be remedied by me just buying my fresh veggies on a more frequent basis, but I get by. FYI - I got a Samsung French Door Counter Depth (http://www.samsung.com/us/appliances/refrigerators/RFG238AARS/XAA). Even with the cons, I like it very much.
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5birdy
7 years ago
Something to consider is to get an energy efficient fridge in the basement. We too needed more freezer room (thanks to french door design limited storage). Most freezers have horrific problems and don't self defrost. I bought a simple top freezer/bottom fridge and did not install ice maker to put in garage. It has a huge self defrosting upper freezer portion (larger than most stand alones!) And found that having extra fridge space most appreciated. Cost no more than a chest freezer. HTH
James May
7 years ago
How deep is your refrigerator box? Our existing fridge is counter depth. However I have discovered that if I simply remove the drywall from behind the fridge. I can fit a full size fridge. Saving me money and giving me more room. Plus no one will ever notice the missing drywall unless they remove the fridge.
Brett
7 years ago
We decided on a Samsung RF23HCEDBSR counter-depth. Been running fine for the last month and seems like a nice refrigerator to us (high ratings in Consumer Reports).

Not sure what your standard is for "feels cheap." Champagne taste and beer budget usually doesn't work when it comes to appliance selection and you'll likely end up sorry if you decide on that basis.

Help with counter depth french door refrigerator

Comments (5)

friedajune

octoberdana
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Help with counter depth french door refrigerator

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friedajune

octoberdanaOriginal Author

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octoberdana
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