how about some pics of them? black stainless?

You can see the Kenmore Black Stainless on Sears.com Model #79737

I will just say that after looking at a lot of refrigerators the cabinet depth looks very nice but they are very tiny inside, especially the freezer. I had a tape measure with me and couldn't believe the difference. We haven't started yet so the plans are to bump my space back 6 inches more to make room for the bigger refrigerator which will be right next to a walk-in pantry. This little adjustment will make my refrigerator look like a cabinet depth with the cabinets on the opposite side of the fridge. We are knocking down walls and taking a 5' by 6' piece from our garage to make our kitchen quite a bit larger, relocating a walk-in pantry. I was happy the way my contractor was able to tweak the plan a bit. But I digress. The Samsung refrigerator is very nice. They have a new 30 cu.ft. model that has a different kind of insulation and has exactly the same dimensions as the 26 cu.ft. model. The cabinet depth one looks nice too. Go measure them and see if you can live with less space and have another fridge in the basement or garage. I have a Consumer Reports Kitchen Issue. I will list the cabinet depth ones for you. #9 Liebherr CS1650 [SS) $4200, 15 cu.ft., 82x30x26 (HxWxD), #16 Jenn-Air JFC2089HP[R] $2800, 20 cu.ft., 71x36x27, #17 Maytag MFC2061HE[W], $2250, 20 cu.ft., 71x36x27, #18 Maytag MFI2067AE[W], $2600, 20 cu.ft., 71x36x28, #19 Viking Professional VCFF036[SS], $3050, 20 cu.ft., 70x36x28, #20 Haier PBFS21EDA[S], $2000, 21 cu.ft., 70x36x28, #21 Fisher & Paykel, RF201ADUX $2500, 20 cu.ft., 71x36x28 All of these were French door models with bottom freezers except for the Liebherr. I have rarely been able to match up actual models in the store with numbers from Consumer Reports so be aware of that. The top 8 (Bottom freezers) were #1 Whirlpool Gold GXSFHTXV[Q], $1700, #2 Amana AFI2538AE[W], $1800, #3 Samsung RF266AB[WP], $1600, #4 Amana ABB2221FE[W] $1020, not a French door, #5 Amana AFD2535DE[W], $1680, #6 GE Profile PGSSSPJX(SS], $2650, #7 Maytag MBF1956KE[W], $1300, Not a French door, #8 Kenmore Elite 7625(2) $1400, not a French door.

I have the new Samsung that has 29 cu. ft with the same footprint as other FD's (not counterdepth). I've had it about a month I guess. Consider this a rave-- I love that thing. And I didn't think refrigerators differed that much. But it's the highest end samsung version-- with a special insulation that is thinner, hence the extra space. It looks very elegant inside because of less bulkiness, and there is great room.

It has a quality feel to the way the doors open and close (a thingy seals the doors when they are both closed, and it works well). The drawer has a huge freezer area that is completely accessible-- many of them have this weird blocky thing that makes it hard to get to the freezer. Also, the handle lifts which makes it easier to open while crouched down.

I also like the water dispenser. Basically, I like it!

I have stainless (maybe all it comes in) with gray on the sides. I thought I wanted stainless on the sides but now I like the gray.

Let me know what else anyone wants to know about it. It's well designed! The ice doesn't get stale and yucky like in my old fridge because it's enclosed, and the water filter works well so ice water from the dispenser tastes great.

Also-- way cheaper than I ever expected to pay for a fridge that really, to me, feels high end. It doesn't have the cache of subzero/miele/whatever and definitely isn't as beautiful as they are (although I like the way it looks a lot) but when I wish I had that miele cache I remember that I spent a third or less of what they cost (enough to buy a Bluestar range).

I would say whoever can afford a Miele should go ahead and get one-- wow, is that a nice fridge. But at the 2K range the Samsung is great.

PS that consumer reports report was really frustrating (to me)! Very few french doors even though that's what many people want these days. I thought they had a very small sample of fridges to test.

It's really worth going somewhere with a bunch of fridges and spending a lot of time looking inside them, seeing what it feels like to open them, etc. I think samsung and LG make a lot of the FD ones out there, and you can see similarities in them. Whirlpool makes the Jenn Air ones, which are beautiful on the outside but I found them awkward to deal with in action. I think Bosch makes their own, which is a good thing (probably) but they don't make a FD one, so it's only side by side. I lived with an LG for about a month and they are nice, but much cheaper feeling (to me!) than the Samsung.

I need a counterdepth fridge. I just don't have the space to put a full size one in, especially the new ones that are so deep. Would stick out quite a ways beyond countertop. I haven't seen the new Samsung FD counterdepth, but like the other Samsungs I have seen. I also need to mention my other appliances are black. That narrows down my choices.

Have you tried the Appliances Forum?

Neumamom...we call it "recessing the refrigerator into the wall and/or room behind the refrigerator". This is a common way to make a full-depth refrigerator look counter-depth. However, you do need to remember that the refrigerator doors in a full-depth or counter-depth must extend past the surrounding counters to be able to be opened fully.

BTW...to complete the look, surround the refrigerator with 3/4" finished end panels and install a full-depth cabinet above the refrigerator b/w the end panels. This will give the refrigerator a "built-in" look. (If you cannot get a full-depth cabinet for over the refrigerator, use a standard-depth pull it forward so it looks like it's full-depth.)

I have the same Samsung that Nesting12 has and after a couple months of using it, am very satisfied. We recessed it into the pantry so it looks built in.

I particularly like the wide drawer for meats/cheeses and the extra drawer in the freezer.

This is one purchase we're really happy with!

We've been fridge shopping too. Due to space constraints we'll have to have a counter depth and we do NOT want ice or water in the door. That really seems to limit your choices.

We think we've settled on either the KitchenAid or Jennair 72" french door counter depth. These are two new models that are about 4 inches taller but still counter depth. According to the size specs, these have about 2 sq ft more than the standard counterdepth.

We looked at the Liebherr 36" french door but the shelves were much shallower than the JA or KA. Plus, it was substanially taller and somehow configured in a way that made the top shelf almost unusable for me.

My only experience thus far is reading reviews -- but people who have them seem fairly pleased.

I thought I had to have a cabinet depth, but once I measured the full depth was fine- I guess I have extra deep cabinets. Plus the fact that the doors have to stick out a little to be open-able was something I learned along the way (after spending quite a bit of time pricing built-ins and their panels and getting really depressed).

Good morning!! I love the FD CD Samsungs, particularly the two brand new models which have @ 25 cu of space. The 29 cu is a dream! After much thought and soul searching, I could not justify spending the big bucks on just a fridge. Went with the water/ice on the door Samsung SxS (which I swore I would never do since I had a Frigidare SxS 22 cu and loathed it for these past 15 years)- thing is, I paid $1600 for it and it is very large inside. For the $ saved, I bought a second fridge for the cellar.

Take a look at the SxS CD Samsung - it's large inside, a great bargain and the lighting is very cool (LED). I'm very satisfied and happy. Love having a CD fridge, so much nicer than the ones that stick out (I couldn't recess into the wall).

I also got the CD SxS by Samsung. I am happy so far, of course I have not even had it 24 hours...

We have been having fun checking the temp. That may be because our old fridge wasn't sure whether it wanted to work, or not. The Samsung got to recommended temps within 3 hours. The one possible drawback of this fridge is that it only makes 6 ice cubes at a time, and the ice bin is in the door, so it does not hold much. We thought that would make it less likely that we'd get stale ice, but it is something to consider.

gsleader -- ha! My plumber can't hook up the ice and water for another week, so I can't speak to your experience. I will watch to see what happens with the ice once it's hooked up. A good choice is the new Samsung FD CD which is designed to make ice twice as quickly - has two ice bins. I think the price is 'good' - mid 2k's but I couldn't wait for it to come to Lowe's and the price on the SxS CD was too good to pass up.

We bought a Thermador SS 48" side by side. However, we bought it at Sears Outlet. It had a tiny little scratch on it, but for 1/2 price, we were willing to deal with it. I absolutely love this thing. My DH thought it was a monster when we were at the store--but now he loves it. We can fit all of our condiments and beverages in the door, leaving the fridge part for food. Since it isn't very deep we can see everything and don't lose stuff like we used to do all the time.

Regarding the price--once we started looking at fridges we were in sticker shock. So when I realized I could get this one for the price of a French Door model, we had to go for it.

Here is the best part--they only sent 2 men out to deliver it. There should have been 4-6 men. It ended up getting scratched and dented a bit more. So I negotiated with the store manager and suggested they buy new skins for the doors and new handles rather than sending a crew out to lug it back to the showroom. He agreed, so we are ending up with a perfect Thermador. It's great!

DH and I both like the Samsung CD SXS. Right now it is probably the leading contender.

Now if we could have the Big Chill or Northstar retro fridges, that would be OK too. :)