We bought the Samsung CD French Door in May from Lowes ($2479 on sale). It replaced a 20 year old Kenmore that came with the house when we bought it. I also have a galley kitchen. We had a heck of a time fitting it into the space, and it does have a much bigger "presence" in the kitchen than the old one, but I love the french door. It is 36" wide and 70" inch high and boy is it in there tight. We went with Samsung because it has the dual compressors. Also the one they make for Lowe's has dual ice maker (in the door and a bin in the freezer which I find myself dipping into a lot so I don't have to hold a glass and wait - how lazy is that). We also have an old Maytag in the basement for extra space so I don't have to pile the stuff in the bottom freezer and can keep it fairly organized.

We've had 3 water/ice makers in the door with our fridges over the years and we've never had a problem, although that is the #1 complaint about any fridge from what I've read. I guess we've been lucky.

The other day I was in Home Depot and I spotted a Samsung 4 door - 2 french doors on top and 2 doors on the bottom that open just like the top doors. KInd of cool looking and it was about $3000 (regular price).

I have a counter depth but mine is just a SxS. It is almost 8 years old now and so far no problems. Does have the ice/water in the door. Mine is a Frigidaire. They have those at Lowes and all the measurements online if you are interested in looking at those and their other brands.

"We went with Samsung because it has the dual compressors"

I highly doubt that. If you're referring to dual evaporators, pretty much everyone has a model with those.

hvtech42 - sorry, I am not tech savvy when it comes to this stuff but below is what I am referring to.

BTW, hvtech42 - do you have any advice for the lady asking the question to try to help her out or are you just here to try and show off?

"Samsung introduced the Twin Cooling Plus System, they are using a separate evaporator and fan for each fridge and freezer compartment. This allows them to completely seal each area off from the other which will eliminate odor transfers.

The other major benefit provided by dual evaporators like the Twin Cooling Plus System is better humidity control in each compartment. A lower humidity level is ideal in a freezer since you donâÂÂt want ice to form. In the refrigerator a high humidity level is desired to keep produce fresh longer.

The Twin Cooling Plus System is what makes Samsung stand out from the competition. Samsung offers this feature on most of their mid-end and high-end models. However competitors like LG and Kenmore Elite only offer dual evaporators on their most expensive models.

A fridge is designed to do one thing, keep food fresh. If you are not buying a fridge that offers dual evaporators, you are buying a fridge that is built to be inferior in its primary task. For this reason I recommend purchasing a Samsung refrigerator with the Twin Cooling Plus System. Features like this is what makes Samsung refrigerators such a dominate brand in the market."

I can't answer what is the best - but avoid any FD fridges with gasket to gasket closure - last I looked the LG had this configuration.
I have the Elux and it is over 4 years old and going strong. I had an initial valve problem but it was resolved and works fine.
I used to have ice and water through the door - but now just keep a jug in the fridge in the summer. The rest of the year, the water from the faucet if quite cold (37 in the winter!). Both DH and I decided against the space hog and smaller amount of cubes in the FD ice/water through the door.

I was just correcting your statement that it has two compressors. It has two evaporators. Those are two very different things. I don't understand how that could offend anyone or be considered showing off. I don't know where the quote you pasted came from but it looks like a typical marketing piece that makes something look special that really isn't. Whirlpool/KA/JA, GE, Samsung, LG, and others have fridges with 2 evaporators. It's a nice feature to be sure (I personally prefer it), but as I said, nothing unique.

Seashine, I did not answer your question in my original post because I was not aware of any refrigerators that meet your specifications. What do you have now? I think you're on the right track enlarging the space. I prefer GE and the Whirlpool brands for french door fridges. I'm not convinced that Samsungs are any worse than the domestics with regards to quality or reliability BUT the service side of things tends to be more difficult with them.

There are a lot of things with risks associated that people do anyway. Yes, it is a point of failure, but my personal opinion is if you want one with ice and water, get it.

We have a Jenn Air french door. We've only had it for 2 months but I've been more than satisfied with the operations of the unit. We can see everything in it (in our old fridge things would get pushed to the back and lost), it cools uniformly, it has an alarm if the door is kept open too long. The freezer space is small, but efficient.

Hvtech - thank you for your clarification
Your handle gives your answer credence and I appreciate the clarification.
I didn't see it as showing off and led me to some surfing.
I think you are right that others have 2 evaporators. The term used by Samsung is proprietary but others have it by another name.
This is why you can now set very accurate fridge and freezer temps.
In my elux, my ice cream is solid and my fridge holds the correct temp as well.
Thanks

A2gemini, which Electrolux fridge do you have? Thanks.

Have you taken the KitchenAid 72" off your list? I have that refrigerator and am very happy with it. Very clean look with the interior water dispenser and I love the middle rack in the freezer. And at times it is very attractively priced at Lowes.com. Bosch is now selling a clone of this refrigerator with LED lighting, pro style handles, and no nameplate on the front. On the floor at my local Lowe's for under $3,000.

I have the JennAir 72" tall, which is the same as the KitchenAid you reference. I've had it for 3 years. We had the water problem behind the freezer door that many Whirlpool brands seem to have, but my husband fixed it. I totally would buy this fridge again (as a matter of fact, I DID buy the Whirlpool similar fridge for my basement). I love the looks and the function and it holds as much in the fridge and freezer as my previous SBS held. It has filtered water from the inside (which is one of my favorite things) and ice maker inside freezer. I didn't want the ice and water in the door because it took up too much space. I've attached a picture (not the best as I don't have any straight on), but I love the fridge!

Ok, the Bosch is what I'm leaning toward. And yes, it looks very much like the jenn air and kitchenaid 72"/pro models. Do these fridges have the dual evaporators that were mentioned above? Thanks.

The new Bosch is the same as the KA and Jenn-Air, essentially. All are Whirlpool and have the same "guts." The Jenn-Air probably has the nicest interior, but it does not have LED lights (I think; but you should check). My understanding is that the Bosch and KA interiors have been updated, and the Jenn-Air is due to be updated later this year. Of the three, I like the Jenn-Air best and was probably most disappointed in the Bosch, since I had high expectations and liked the external appearance.

I have actually decided to get a Samsung. I really like the side-by-side with the showcase door, because we have a young child. French Doors are just a little too tall for her to reach in and grab a snack.

Overall, I think the Korean brands seem to have more new and innovative features ("bells and whistles," I suppose), while the Whirlpool and Frigidaire models rely more on those who want to purchase matching sets of appliances. That's not to say that the Korean brands are better or the others are bad refrigerators. I have some reservations about buying a Samsung for service issues (and known icemaker problems), but overall their feature sets fit our needs better.

Barb
It is the e123BC51IS2
23 cf with perfect temp drawer and led lights
Not sure if it matches current models

Hi everyone
I am trying to figure this out myself. Our space is 36" wide.
We really liked the set up of the Elux fridges we saw - shelves were deeper than all the others we looked at. Also, the bottom drawer was nice and deep. And we are looking at an Elux induction range, so the styles would match. I haven't seen the greatest reviews of Ellux fridges, however. Anyone care to comment or offer their experience with these?
Thanks

ctbert, we took the plunge and ordered an Elux CD FC frig and it is supposed to be delivered next week. I'll let you know.

It wasn't our first choice though. As vegetarians, we need a lot of room for fruits and vegetables (which we go through quickly) and we felt that these two models (the Samsung CD with the external drawer and Elux CD FD) had the best/deepest drawer arrangements and like you, we liked the layout inside. There is also the issue of how easily the drawers pull out. So many of the other brands felt like they had glue in the runners. It was a struggle to get the drawers open. And if not that issue, they looked/felt flimsy.

We originally wanted to get the Samsung CD FD with the middle external drawer but Lowes couldn't tell us if or when they would be getting more in stock!! I thought that odd since that model is still showing on the Samsung website. We couldn't find one in any store in the Mid-South area and when I called the Lowes customer service (national) line, they said the same thing. They are supposedly on backorder until ??? That was a disappointment.

So we went with the Elux. I'm hoping it's not a dud but we did get the 5 yr protection plan just in case. Stay tuned!

Thanks sippimom!

Which model did you order?

The fridge you ordered should be fine. Electrolux had serious issues with these fridges a while back but they weren't with cooling, they were with icemakers and dispensers. Supposedly they have now completely redesigned those systems for better reliability. Still, based on their shaky past I would advise buying one of their models WITHOUT thru the door ice and water.

Sigh...well now I have my worry beads out hvtech42. We ordered the Electrolux model #EI23BC35KS. However, I'm going to keep my fingers crossed and hope they send us a good one. We did get the 5 yr protection plan.

We're also having a whole house surge protector installed. It seems with all of the electronic panels in appliances these days, it doesn't take much of a surge to blow one out. We've already had to have a (1 yr old) GE dryer electronic switch replaced and I'm pretty sure now it's from the constant power surges/interruptions that we get. That plus the plug-in surge protector should help prolong the life of said frig.

The interesting thing is I was willing to wait for the Samsung but I talked to two different appliance repair people who recommended the Electrolux simply because parts - if needed - are easier to get and faster. We don't live in a large city. We don't have many resources available in that regard so that was a factor.

Sadly, it's replacing a 28 yr old Kenmore refrigerator that still works just fine but the shelves inside are failing (breaking). Back when we bought it we never even looked inside it, worried about reliability, or had to worry about interior or exterior dimensions when we ordered it out of a catalog. In 28 yrs we had to have it repaired once - a drain hole had gotten plugged up. What does that say about the sorry state of appliance quality now? Everyone (sales and repair folks) told us that if we got 6-8 years out of a new refrigerator today we'd be doing well. We sure have become a "disposable" society.

^That is very true about Electrolux vs. Samsung. Electrolux is very open about parts sales and technical info which means more people can repair it and it can generally be done cheaper and faster.

It is sad about how things are cheaply made now, but we can't forget that major appliances are also much less expensive to purchase than ever when you factor in inflation and how expensive they are to manufacture nowadays.

Hvtech, which group does Bosch fall into, as I am looking at them for a fridge, cooktop, and oven (the latter may be changing to ge). It just occurs to me though, if they (the refrigerators anyway) are made by whirlpool, it shouldn't be a problem to get parts, right? Thanks.

^Bosch has open parts distribution for the most part, but they are restrictive in terms of technical info. Last I checked you needed to be an authorized servicer to get onto their website with the service manuals. Electrolux has free access to PDF service manuals online for technicians which isn't too common in this industry.

Which Bosch fridge are you considering? Whirlpool only makes french door models for them. The side by sides are a Bosch design made in China. Overall I'd say Bosch dishwashers and cooking products are very good, but refrigeration is their weak point.

Yup, it's a French door model with the internal water dispenser. I think it's b22ct80? I'm also getting their induction 800 series 30" CT, which I just read one great review about. I'm not so worried about it because the reviews on the older models were pretty great. But the fridge and the wall oven-both a gamble.
Sea shine, have you decided anything, yet?

One more thing. Is it safe to assume that if I'm buying an appliance from a local appliance store that carries bosch, they'll also have authorized service people to work on them? Guess I should ask? Thanks.

IMO that is the one good non-built in fridge in Bosch's lineup. The ovens should be good.

Many smaller appliance stores do not have a service department. If they do have a service department, they should surely be able to work on whatever they sell. If they don't, however, you should make sure there is an authorized servicer nearby before buying. However, Bosch is not really an exotic brand; unless you live in the middle of nowhere there should be SOMEONE around who can fix it.

My Elux is 4+ years old and I have been quite happy with it. (I mentioned this above)
It keeps food so much better than my old side by side piece of junk.
It has enough bells and whistles to be fun and effective without being over the top.

When I was shopping, I took my favorite items to see how they would fit and Elux was the only one that worked for my needs in the size that I needed.

I do remember someone had a lemon - but all appliances have lemons - it just you hear about them more than the positive reviews.

I had a lemon Miele - but in reality, I think it was a lemon repair company - Miele took away there repair license.. 92-94% of Mieles are fine, but 6-8% will have problems. Don't assume if they sell something, they are qualified to repair it!

Enjoy your new fridge

It's funny, a2gemini. I originally was going to buy an Electrolux fridge until I started reading reviews - I remember a miz lizzy in particular. This was a while ago but you get this vision in your head that has water leaking on the soon to be installed hardwood, or a fridge full of food going bad a week after the warranty runs out and you say no way. Then you start to pick other contenders and low and behold they get nasty reviews too. Lol, I think I picked the Bosch partly because I can't find ANY reviews!
I do know this. Anything will be better (storage wise, and big/bulky wise than what I have now- which btw is a rebadged electrolux/Frigidaire SxS. One of the things I hate about this one (other than what's mentioned above) are the wire racks in the freezer that keep falling off the rails. And guess what? The bosch has wire baskets too. I haven't seen an elux in a long time but I do remember the drawers in the fridge section were very smooth and easy to pull out. What's the freezer like? I did like the fridge portion of the bosch as well.
Oh, and thanks for your post hvtech. It reminded me to call the store and ask who services the appliances and about extended warranties.

If ALL the Elux fridges broke then they would not be in business. But the failure rate on those was higher than average. However, as I said they have made many improvements since those issues and I think they're a safe bet. All the brands break down.

Barbara
The freezer has two compartments but a single drawer. When you open the freezer, the upper compartment sticks to the lower compartment until you get to a certain point and then it separates and the lower drawer is accessible.

The top is wire - I did see bins that you can use to organize - I just use cheapo food storage bins but maybe I will upgrade some day. Although wire allows for better air flow which might explain why they use the wire.

Yes, the drawers are so nice - they roll easily. I am sure the Bosch will be great as well. I think all fridges are much better than years ago in keeping things cool and temps even. Balance the improved function with less longevity in the newer appliances due to the electronics.

As HVtech says - if all failed, they would no longer be in business.

I have been intensively lurking on gardenweb ever since deciding to redo my kitchen. I am finally ready to start posting. You guys are all great.

In my kitchen research, I have had multiple salespeople from all over tell me that the Korean brands, LG and Samsung, despite great CR reviews and initial wow factor, don't hold up and have terrible, horrible, no good, very bad customer support/repair. We bought a top of the line LG front loader last year, and can vouch for the terrible customer support.

In an appliance store with very extensive selection husband (What is DH anyway?) and I literally walked from identical Viking to Jenn Air to Bosch to Kitchen Aid french door 72" frig. All made by same company. Are ordering Kitchen Aid because it is the least expensive of the identical ones due to least fancy name. Fingers crossed about water problem. CR didn't mention it in their reviews.

We also have small kitchen, and extra basement frig.

kts 1952, DH = Dear Husband, said in the nicest possible way. (Don't feel bad. It took me a while to figure out some of the abbreviations used on this forum also.)

We also looked at Kitchen Aid, which I am partial to since we have KA dishwasher that has been stellar but it was too tall for our refrigerator space.

Seashine, since you started this thread, did you find a CD frig? I hope the comments here were helpful to you.