That CD Electrolux FD model that akchicago linked to --- I think that is the one for which holiday weekend discounts or rebates took the price at or below $2k a few months ago. On akachicago's suggestion to look at Samsung CD fridges: Consumer Reports gives Samsung fridges high marks for quietness, temperature performance, etc. Samsung's fridges seem to have average reliablity in the membership surveys. Note that the LED interior lighting is not to everybody's taste. Good idea to get a look at it. (LEDs are theoretically more energy efficient than other appliance bulbs, but the actual improvement in efficiency of the fridge is going to be negligible unless you have teenagers who hold the doors open for use as kitchen lighting.) AFAIK, the biggest benefit to LED lighting is that the "bulbs" do not get hot. No chance of a broken door switch leaving the light on and heating up your fridge or freezer compartment. (I forget whether it was LG or Samsung, but two or three years ago one of them had a spate a problems with defective swtiches and a lot of very irate owners of SxS fridges. A few of the units reportedly overheated and caused fires. A lot of irate postings about that problem, as you might imagine.) I do not know anybody with a Samsung SxS model, let alone a CD version, but several friends do have CD Samsung FD models and have been very pleased with them. Pretty much everybody who buys a Samsung fridge likes it unless and until they happen to need service. Samsung's warranty service and support practices have been uneven and have sometimes generated a lot of ire. Check them out on www.consumerafairs.com. Check for regional patterns, too, because service and support might be better in NYC than, say, my neighborhood in rural Montana. One of the attraction of the Samsung fridges is having dual evaporators and separate fans. Not quite the same as dual compressors but theoretically the dual-set-up lessens the chances of freeze-ups in the venting system and theoretically makes for better temperature regulation. I say "theoretically" only because I haven't seen any testing or data that shows that they are noticably "real-world" better than the current good WP/KA and Frigidaire/Electrolux models. AFAIK, all of the SxS Samsung CD models have through-the-door ice and water dispensers (TTDDs) which may be an issue given your preferences. This is definitely a YMMV thing, however. As I have said before, TTDDs are so important to some of my friends that, for them, fridge storage is merely a nice accessory to the TTDD. As for akchicago's points favoring FD over SxS, I pretty much agree that FD models have more usuable space and give more flexibility in the use of space. Of course, if those were the sole criteria, we'd be buying top-freezer models. :-) A couple of places that I sorta differ. First, while I can see gary dodge's point -- cited by akchicago --- about some of us older folks maybe having trouble pulling on a bottom-freezer drawer and therefore preferring a SxS model, that point strikes me as a six of one and half dozen of the other kind of thing. I says this as a certified chronic old fart. Us oldsters are as apt to have bending problems as problems pulling on a freezer drawer. My personal preference is for FDs in order to have the crispers and deli-drawers up closer to waist level because those are the things I will use the most frequently. Also, my perception from fridge shopping last fall was that bottom freezer models (including FD fridges) seemed to have a bit more crisper space than the drawers in SxS models. WIth the freezer drawer in my KA FD fridge having a couple of sliding compartments inside the drawer, I haven't had any trouble finding and retrieving frozen goods. Although the capacity is slightly less than the freezer compartment of the top-freezer fridge it replaced, I actually find it easier to sort through and find things. OTOH, freezer capacity in FD models will be reduced -- at least compared to a top freezer model --- by the space needed for the compressor and other sealed cooling system components at the bottom rear of the fridge. In top freezer and SxS fridges, that space reduces the space for the bottom mounted crisper drawers. If you go by specs, the specs for SxS freezer compartments may seem a little bit larger than the specified capacities of FD models. But, when you talke usable freezer capacity, I think FDs are a better buy. (Mind, we are talking about 36" wide units here. It hink it is a completely different story when you get to 48" built-in SxS models and the "twin tower" combos.) For me, the problem with freezers in 36" wide SxS fridges is that they have a series of narrow, small compartments. I call it the "card catalog" effect. Handy for folks who like that arrangement but, for me, however, the full width freezer drawer in an FD model results in more spacious, flexible and useable capacity. All the more so because I don't use the ice maker. This post was edited by JWVideo on Sun, Jun 16, 13 at 16:03

A while back - could be a couple years - someone posted same problem on the appliances forum here. It was also KA - I remember because that's the kind of fridge I have too (fortunately no cracks in four years). If I remember correctly I do think that person was able to persist until they got the fridge replaced. That was not the proposed solution out of the gate though - it was patch it up with what I think looked like some white tape. Hopefully I'm remembering this correctly. I do know that someone did post about this exact problem with KA.

I am looking online at the KitchenAid 5-door Refrigerator KRMF706EBS and trying to compare it to the Whirlpool 5-door refrigerator WRV976FDEM. I was told that Whirlpool makes KitchenAid.... are they identical in all respects except for logo and the fact that the Whirlpool is much cheaper? Also, only the KitchenAid comes in that new black stainless steel finish which is supposedly fingerprint and smudge resistant and easier to clean. Is that true? Is black stainless steel better than regular stainless steel? Does anyone have experience with these models and can speak to their ease of use, reliability, durability as compared to comparable models made by Samsung or LG?

Hi simmtalker, I have the Maytag MBF2258DEM which I think is the same (at least looks the exact same) as the model you are considering. I love this refrigerator and have had zero problems with it in the 4 years I have owned it so far. I had to work with size constraints as well--but I am so glad I went with the single door vs French door. I agree with you, however, that refrigerator drawer quality for this model is obnoxious. But the drawers have not broken down at all for me either--though I was definitely expecting them to. No too warm or too cold spots. Door holds ALOT. Also, I love the ice "bucket" in the freezer so much more than an ice dispenser through the door. It is easy to clean; and easy to remove for parties or large quantity ice dispensing. Lighting for upper "fridge" portion is lovely. Honestly--the reviews are what led me to this refrigerator--and now I am raving along with the rest of them :) Let me know if you have other questions.