Once you have a FD fridge you will wonder why you ever had anything else. All of your refrigerated items are at eye level or slightly above so there is no getting down on one knee and trying to see what is at the back of the lower shelves. I have the Profile,about 26 CuFt, no water or ice in door and it has been fine. It holds the temp. in fridge and freezer at what the thermostat is set on. I have a half sized sheet pan in it now that has a pork belly I am going to make bacon with and it holds it fine. I finally figured out that S&S did not stand for side by side but Small&Smaller. Go with the French Door Profile.

Look carefully at the specs b/w the GE Profiles & GE Monograms. Many of the Monogram appliances are also offered as Profile w/the only difference the outside styling and perhaps a supposed "freebie" or two (I say "supposed" b/c the difference in price is more than the "freebies" are worth!)

Some here think the internals are different, however, I have spoken to both GE Profile & GE Monogram representatives and they've both admitted that the internals are identical, that the differences are the appeance and occassional "freebie" offered w/Monogram. Sometimes there are differences, so look at the specs.

E.g., my GE Profile Trivection double ovens are identical in specs...the only diff is the outside appearance & the fact that you get a free roaster pan w/the Monogram. (If you're going for the basic double ovens, the Monograms do have the full-extension, self-clean oven racks & the Profile does not...but everything else is the same...which just may be worth the extra 200 or 300 dollars...but probably not much more.)

BTW...I have a GE Profile FD refrigerator w/water in the door (no ice). However, I only have one freezer drawer...but it has the bottom bin + 2 other pullout shelves/bins. So far, no complaints about the refrigerator, everything works as advertised & I'm relatively happy with it...I do sometimes regret the "counter depth" since you loose some space, but I'm adjusting! (My regret would apply to any counter-depth, it's not GE-specific.]

You can see all 3 here...

Thanks to both of you for your responses. I'm definitely leaning to toward the GE Profile fridge described above.

Buehl, thanks for clarification on the Profile vs. Monogram. I'll definitely check out the specs. I gather you're pleased with yours? (Kudos on all the healthy eatin' - I see a lot of frozen veggies in your freezer ;))

Still liking my refrigerator!

We do eat a lot of frozen veggies, especially broccoli as that's my picky eater DD's favorite vegetable! I did some research a while back and based on several studies I read, frozen veggies generally have more nutrients than fresh. The only exception being that locally grown veggies that have been picked in the last couple of days will have the same and sometimes more than frozen.

[The time it takes to harvest & freeze veggies is less than the time it takes to harvest & get the fresh veggies to stores...there's the time it takes to get them to the warehouses, the time they sit in the warehouses, on the trucks, in the back of the stores, and, finally, on the shelves. Fresh veggies continually lose nutrients once they're picked.]

The GE online store has prices about 10-15% higher than you will find at most retailers. There's your "discount" right there. No one pays "suggested retail price". Different stores discount a different amount off of that price, but no one sells at that price---except the GE store. And, the rebates they offer require that 4-5 (I can't remember which, it's on the tearoff pad at work) appliances be purchased in order to qualify for the top tier award. If you just buy 2 appliances, it's either $50 or $100. We (and every other appliance retailer) have the same rebate going, and our prices are about 15% lower than GE online. So, I think you can do better than the "friends and family" discount if you shop around. And, don't let the rebate factor into your decision. By the time you pay the upcharge for the Profile over the regular GE with similar features, you've paid more than they're giving you back by far. Yes, you do get more features with Profile, and more yet again with Monogram, as well as more "styling". But, you pay for the priviledge of the branding too. Assess the features you will actually USE in your appliances, and "up buy" only to the model that offers those. Most people don't use ANY of the complex functions of either their fridges or MWs.

As far as the reliability/features of GE vs any other competitor, I'd definately buy both the fridges or MWs. They are good products in their price range, with few issues other than the "standard" issue of the ice maker being the most repair prone element. Their new french door fridges from their brand new Chinese factory have dual evaporators (Like SubZero) and truly separate fridge and freezer compartments due to this, so you get no odor transfer and more accurate cooling for both. They've had remarkably few problems for being from a brand new factory and a brand new design to the company. Before the Chinese factory, they sold rebadged LGs as their French door units, like "Kenmore" does. Their MWs are roomy and have good power specs. The most often used feature is the "sensor cook" which works in tandem with their "instant action" keys to keep your food from overheating. It works similarly to how the old temperature sensor probes worked, but without the probe. Most of the other features above the level where that is introduced in the line get rarely used and really aren't worth paying more money for. Their OTR convection MW is overpriced for what it is, and really doesn't offer that much of a second oven experience to justify the price. A small countertop version from a cheaper maker for around $100 will fit the same amount of food in it and not cost so much. Of course, it isn't an OTR, but then again, it's not an OTR. :) OTRs are a PIA and safety hazard for any but the smallest kitchen that HAS to have them. If you can go with an actual vent and separate MW, you'll be miles ahead in both $$ and functionality.

LWO, I thought the GE FD fridges were manufactured by Samsung. An appliance dealer I talked with had a book with serial number that showed which rebadged appliances are manufactured by which manufacturer. He shoed me that the serial numbers on the FD GE are from
Samsung, the only differences are the handles and the interior lights. Is this not correct? He was from sears and we talked about this as he did not know that the sears induction cooktops were from electrolux until he looked it up in his book. Told me that you also can look it up online I forgot the website though....

Footballmom, prior to about 12 months ago, GE french door fridges were made by LG, which is also a Korean company like Samsung. Perhaps that where the salesman's confusion originated. However, all of their current french door lineup is made by their own company in their own plant. No rebadging.

Hello,

Any advice on the Marvel 24 inch refrigerator drawers versus the GE Monogram? Consumer Reports rates the GE Monogram as #1, the SZ #2. The Marvel is rated # 4.

The unit we be going into a "beverage penninsula" area that is very open-concept-- between our kitchen and dining room. We have a chance to get as "open box" Marvel for $1800 (origninally $2600; the GE is roughly $2,000.) We have a SZ 42 inch on order for our main refrigerator. Overall, we are looking for an inconspicious, quiet, functional set of drawers for our family of 6.

Thanks!

Hollis6, you will probably get more responses if you start your own thread with an appropriate subject. You might also try the Appliances Forum.

Appliances Forum: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/appl/

Here is a link that might be useful: Read Me If You're New To GW Kitchens!

Jen19083,

I also had the friends and family use of the GE store. I consulted with several stores in our area that were recommended to us as "places that gave great deals" from several of our contractors and friends (not the big box stores). All of the quotes from the local stores, were much more than what we could get from the GE store. I also researched on the Internet and received the same result.

The quotes were less than the suggested retail price but not as low as the GE store.

We are remodeling our kitchen and bought all new appliances. We were not able to take advantage of the rebates because I personally didnÂt like the look of the profile ovens and microwaves. Also, we needed a dishwasher that could take a custom panel and they donÂt make one in the profile line. We did pick the 24.9 GE S/S F/D Armoire style (2 freezer drawers) w/water in the door (but not ice) in the profile line.

So for your peace of mind just get a couple of quotes from area stores and compare.

Best of Luck!