Counter Depth Side by Side Help

7 years ago

We are buying new appliances, woohoo! I am most likely going with all Bosch (dishwasher, cooktop, double ovens) except am lost on the fridge. We currently have a Samsung side by side and have had ice maker issues (currently doesn't work after deciding not to shut off when at capacity and squirting water all over the freezer) as well as water line issues in the beginning. My search started with Kitchen Aid but the reviews have been AWFUL that I have read on the counter depth side by side models. Attached is a picture of our placement which makes having a french door really hard because of the island
. I am looking for a counter depth, stainless model with water/ice in the door (yeah I know) that is either 4 door like the Samsung flex or a side by side. Anyone have a model they love or at least don't want to kick constantly? We have a fridge/freezer in the garage as well so reduced capacity isn't that big of deal.

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jwvideo

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

Fridge shoppers have my sympathy. It is not just Kitchenaid SxS models getting "awful" reviews these days, but it does seem to be the currently least reliable line of SxS models.

A few of years back, LG was the worst, with a one in four failure rate. Then, as LG got a bit better, Electrolux/Frigidaire started showing 40% defect rate (over one-in three.). The Yale Appliance blog reported that they were seeing even higher service rates for Elux and the "Pro" line of Frigidaires.

Now, according to the latest membership survey results published by Consumer Reports , Frigidaire/Elux is the "best" with "only" a 32% failure rate (a "mere" one in three!) while KA is showing a 40% rate for SxS models and everybody else in between. There may not be much comfort in those figures for any brand, however, because the fine print on the survey report says that rate differences of less than 8 points are not statistically significant. The fine print also says the survey is not counting fridges with "service contracts" apparently meaning that they are not counting he responses from people who had defects covered by extended warranties.

It is just as bad with French door models except that all Whirlpool brands are showing defect rates over forty percent (some even reaching one out of two!). With plain bottom freezer fridges, the only difference is that LG is now the reliability leader with a one in four failure rate and everybody else with one-in-three rates except for Whirlpool whose brands are showing a one-in-two defect rate. Apparently, ice-maker problems are the thing that makes the Whirlpool
brands worse than others. CR is recommending against any kind of
Whirlpool-branded fridge with an ice maker

It was a much different story when I, Rob30 and Anglophilia bought our KA fridges five and six years ago. Back then, LG was showing the same one-in-four failure rates for its fridges (as was GE, btw), but the Whirlpool brands' rates were down around one-in-ten for BF/FD models and slightly higher for the SxS models. You still saw a lot of awful reviews but that was mostly attributable to Whirlpool's large market share. With that market share, ten or fifteen percent of Whirlpool buyers was still a very large number of folks who could and did write complaints and reviews.

Nonetheless, those rates meant that 80% to 90% of us KA/WP owners did not have problems with our fridges.

Seems to be a very different story today.

Dunno about the "boutique" brands of premium priced fridges as they apparently do not sell enough of them to CR members to generate a statistically large enough response to show up in the survey reports. Have not found anything else that reliably indicates problems rates and longevity.

As Landsdowne points out, Bosch fridges in the North American market are made by Whirlpool. Presumably, those would have comparable problems rates. As would Dacor fridges which, I believe, were contracted from Whirlpool. (Now, with Samsung acquiring Dacor, that will likely change, as you might imagine.) Viking fridges have long had a terrible reputation in this forum. (Made in-house in a former Amana plant acquired from Whirlpool, IIRC.)

Miele and Liebherr seem to have something of a following here, but I don't think they make SxS fridges. Neither does Fisher & Paykel/DCS which also has had some favorable reviews. If you are going to consider FD or BF models, none of these brands seem to have a lot of user reviews and manufacturer warranty service can be geographically spotty.

FWIW, I have often opened and closed my KA's freeezer drawer from the side and have never had a problem torquing the drawer. That's not much consolation given the other problems with the make's current products.

Looks like a bad time to be shopping for a new fridge.

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Comments (13)

User
7 years ago
We have the Kitchenaid CD side by side and it has been flawless for us. It is a little over a year old and replaced a SD Kitchenaid that was 13 years old. Other than the limits of a CD size, the only thing I wish was better is the freezer shelves. Perhaps I need to look at it again but the spacing could be better.
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PRO
Lansdowne Appliance Gallery
7 years ago
Last time I checked Bosch was OEM from Kitchenaid on the fridges.
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I just bought a new one a month ago. I was almost crazy looking at different ones and going over measurements and prices. I looked at the KA and also at the Whirlpool and GE thinking I would get the Whirlpool. Lowes would have to order it so I happened to check this place closer to me, an independent guy that was a Maytag dealer and since they are now Whirlpool he could get me one but he also sold Frigidaire. He had one in stock--just what I needed and it was $400 less than Lowes(for the same model) plus free delivery and haul away of theold one. This ref. makes more ice than any I have ever had.(also has setting for extra ice if needed). It has an air filter inside to keep out odors, sliding, spillproof shelves, also an elevator shelf rolls up/down plus adjustables in the door. Has a meat drawer that you can even set to keep the meat at 32 if need be-this is in the ref. side. The freezer has door shelves and tilt out racks plus baskets in the freezer plus it holds frozen pizza's(Digorno size).This guy also services so I figured I could get him quick if need be--hope not needed! I talked to a couple of servicers before and they said they are all about the same now days. I did go through several on line repair forums reading about fridges and there wasn't that many bad things about Frigidaire. Did read that a few years ago they had some problems but got those worked out now so I hope so. I would think a KA would be good also. Check the repair forums and see if you see many people write in about KA. Hope this helps and good luck shopping. For the money I couldn't have gotten more features than I did with the Frigidaire.
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The Ikea Datid or Nutid S23 are worth checking out - basically the same thing as the Whirlpool WRS965CIAM with different handles and missing the beverage rack (which can be ordered from the parts department if you must have it), but with an excellent 5-year warranty, and often a lower price. Similar refrigerators are also sold under the Kenmore, KitchenAid, and Jenn-Air brands, the latter two which Whirlpool owns. There are two heights available, the taller ones are about 72"h, almost 3" higher than the shorter ones for a bit of extra space inside if you have the height available. The Ikea is short only, Jenn-Air tall only, and the Whirlpool and Kitchenaid available both ways. These are new designs, with sleek LED lighting, wide glass shelves, and icemakers that don't take up any room in the main freezer compartment. There are minor feature differences between the different brands, but they're all the same basic design, and a vast improvement over the outmoded refrigerators Whirlpool was making until last year. The Electrolux Icon (and less-expensive Electrolux, Kenmore, and Frigidaire offshoots) are also worth a look, as are Samsung and LG.
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Hi! I am a Personal Assistant/Household Manager, and one of the homes I worked in had GE profile counter depth fridge and freezer. They are probably 6+ years old, and I don't know the model numbers, but the fridge was a nightmare. It would over cool itself if the door was open longer than 1 minute (how can one unload groceries?!?), and once it was over-cooled it had some mechanism that would blow hot air into the fridge to rebalance the temperature. Hot air, on foods kept in the fridge... When the service guy told me about it I did not believe him. Spoke with GE and it turns out he wasn't lying. Anyhow, the freezer was fab, but I personally wouldn't get the profile fridge because at some point they thought it smart to blow warm air into a fridge and that concerns me :) However, maybe that is not a 'feature' any longer, which would negate this whole post. Best of luck finding the right fridge for you!
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Why Hamma? Because most Americans say they need humongous refrigerators/freezers. I hear people say they need to store the meat they killed on a hunt. They have very large parties every weekend. They cater large parties. They have many children who need many snacks all day long. Maybe they live many miles away from the nearest grocery store or supermarket. One of the posters above mentioned pizza boxes and soda/beer can boxes. (Not sure why you'd need to put a whole pizza or beverage box in the fridge.) Personally I have none of those issues. I do not like nor need a large hulking refrigerator. Counter depth is a cost-effective way to avoid the behemoth fridge look in the kitchen. Yes, they do protrude a few inches, but not as much as a conventional depth one. I have the same KA counter depth fridge (cost $2,000) as Anglophilia in my vacation rental home, and after 7 years it's still working fine, and looks great. In my primary residence we went for a 42" side by side built in Subzero, which protrudes only about 2", but is much more expensive ($9,000 retail). Fully integrated Subzeros are totally flush with the cabinets, and require expert installers.
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PRO
Anglophilia
7 years ago
I adore my KA - probably about 6 yrs old.
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AvatarWalt
7 years ago
Is your concern about a French door because the island would make the freezer drawer difficult to use? We don't have anything in the way, but I find that it's just as easy to get access the drawer from side, so you might weigh that somewhat-minor inconvenience against the shortcomings of a side-by-side.
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andria564
Original Author
7 years ago
My issue I think is opening it and organization. It would have to be opened from the side and I am worried about wrecking it from not opening it the correct way, like torquing the drawer. Also, I just don't like the drawer style organization. We have a 26 cubic foot (our old side by side) that will be in the garage right near the kitchen so smaller isn't an issue. The cabinets in the island open toward the fridge so I am always prepping on that side so I would have to move anytime someone wanted to get in the freezer. Right now, even with our huge side by side, people can access both sides with me standing there, it's tight but doable.
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H B
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
We have a counter-depth LG french door (but only water in the door). The bottom is a freezer drawer. I can't recommend it.

eta: ours is about ten years old. It sucks.
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andria564
Original Author
7 years ago
You are so right, I have been putting off our appliance overhaul because of the fridge. The KA counter depth side by side issue is so bad, you have to read through all the promo reviews to get to the real ones, that they are requiring door replacements that are on back order for weeks because of the sheer number of replacements being sent out. Some of the door rusting issues aren't covered in extended warranty claims because they are being considered cosmetic as well. I didn't want to go boutique because of having issues getting timely repairs in our area. I saw one of them last week that was in from Orlando (4 hours away). Its a pick your poison kind of battle.
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jwvideo
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
One thing I can suggest that may help is to buy from a local vendor with a reputation for strong customer support and maybe its own satisfaction guarantee. You will pay a bit more (even with a contractor discount if that is how you are buying) but good service and support, and having a good ally in working with a manufacturer, can be worth paying for.

FWIW, the "rusting" issue with the WP/KA stainless can be avoided by not using ammonia based spray cleaners like Windex. This had been an issue for years before I bought my KA. I will say that, even though I know better, I sometimes have spritzed with windex to clean the front. So far, I haven't had the rusting problem. It may be because I live in an area of relatively low humidity. It may be just blind luck. YMMV.
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Cavimum
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
We recently had to replace our auxiliary refrigerator when the old one but the dust. I asked the repair man which brand was least trouble prone and his answer was Whirlpool. It was not a counter depth, although CD is what we have in our kitchen and will have to buy whenever the current one goes. I follow the CD topics for this reason. Good luck!
Lisa
7 years ago
Don't know if you've purchased yet but I have a KA counterdepth side by side that is 3 ½ years old. No problems as of yet (knock on wood)!
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dwk2
7 years ago
We have a kicphenaid CD/SS that is 9 years old. We only have the inside water- no ice maker in the door and have zero issues.
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mabeldingeldine
7 years ago
I'm pretty happy with my Samsung RH22H901-SR/A. We liked it so much when we sold our house we made sure they were sill available for purchase in the new house. If not, we'd have taken the one in our old house.

We have had zero problems with either of them. We used a better water connection than the standard kit, including braided stainless hose, have not had any problems with the icemaker or the electronics. We do have a whole house surge protector as we live in a rural area with older electric power lines, so the electronics are protected from power fluctuations.

Probably my only complaint is the veggie drawers do not have adjustable humidity, and they can dry veggies out. I go through veggies fast enough it is not really a problem for me.

I love the stainless finish, the integrated handle, and the awesome showcase door. I would buy one again in a heartbeat.

Samsung Showcase Fridge
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Counter Depth Side by Side Help

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