I took my favorite platters to the store with me. The Elux was the only one that fit my favorite things. It was slightly over budget but had worked well. The Fridgedaire might be less and might have the same set up.

Ours is 3+ years old - we do not have water/ice through the door - I wanted this but all took too much space.

We had a minor issue with the ice feed freezing recently. The tech says the newer version has been modified so this does not happen. They retrofit ours with the newer fill system

Also, you can cut out for the plug on the back wall to move the fridge further back.

You said Counter Depth 36".

Counter depth is 24" for the cabinet, then add another 4" for the doors not including handles. The width would be 36".

I have a Kitchen Aid side by side counter depth from 2006. The total is 24.5 cu ft. Even today, the largest internal space for a counter depth fridge is 24-25 cu ft. That is why standard depth models go to 28-31 cu ft because they go 6-8" deeper.

Thanks everyone.

Fauguy, I meant counter-depth and 36" width, which is the most common width. My friend does not want a side by side.

She does not expect a counter-depth fridge to have as much space as a full-depth fridge, but is hoping for the most space available in a counter depth. Also, I had already suggested to her that she recess the wall behind the fridge, but due to set-up of that wall, she cannot recess into it.

I went on the AJ Madison website, and saw a variety of cu. ft. for the same exterior size, or almost the same exterior (counter-depth, width of 36", height between 70-72"). That website shows the LG fridges as having the most cu. ft. for the same size exterior. I am not sure about the quality though.

Some models may have more CF capacity but the layout might not work for her. She should have a couple of models to choose from within a range of a few cubic inches and not just buy the largest, because it will depend on the items she buys and needs to store as to which may work better. Have her look at the new Samsung models, not the Chef Collection but the one just under that - we are going with one of those. It is a 4 door FD, counter depth and has drawers in the bottom for the freezer, and one can be configured as a refrigerator space instead.

If interior space and counter depth are the priorities, reconsider water dispenser in the door. Really!

She should pick the 3 interior layouts she likes best in fridges then compare cubic feet. It's too variable otherwise as so much depends on door layout, drawer layout and shelf style.

This requires a trip to several appliance stores. It gets confusing so best to charge the phone and take a notebook. Unless once stands out and is instant love, go over the pics at home.

No one can tell someone else what to buy. She can get the largest capacity and end up hating the interior layout.

The new GE made in Ky, or one of the Korean models will have the most square footage. If she can go for a plain Brita pitcher inside the fridge, she'll gain a lot more room. And reliability.

I would suggest these models.

http://www.ajmadison.com/product/compare/?skus[]=LFXC24726&skus[]=RF23J9011SR&skus[]=PYE22PSHSS&skus[]=LSFD2591ST

Thank you everyone! I am showing my friend this thread, and we will go look at a bunch of these.

Tell your friend to note the height of each fridge she looks at, particularly if she has cabinetry directly above the fridge. Some counter-depth models are a bit taller to compensate for the space lost because of the reduced depth. And I agree with zwizzle1 -- eliminating the in-door water dispenser adds a bit more interior volume (not much, but a bit).

LG is rated pretty high in consumer reports and also user ratings on their website. Seems to consistently higher than any other brand.

@sahmmy_gw Here's a link to the counter-depths we've reviewed: http://refrigerators.reviewed.com/types/counter-depth

Our top is the Frigidaire Professional FPBC2277RF French door, followed closely by the Whirlpool WRS571CIDM, which is a cheaper side-by-side.

It's only a handful since we've found that while many people search for counter-depth, few actually buy them when the see the huge increase in cost and decrease in storage space. But for some, yes, it's the right choice.

I'll add that in our reviews, we measure the usable interior space relative to the claimed interior space. So if we say it's spacious, that means you can actually fit foot in it. (The current legal standard for advertised interior space really just measures displacement. Essentially, it asks how much water or foam could you fit in a given fridge, including every useless nook and cranny.)

@David,

The website is confusing. There appear to be many other counter depths that have a higher rating. The Frigidaire has a rating of 7.1 and right below it is a picture of a Samsung french door counter depth rated at 7.8 that has the "Editor's Choice."

@anoop Oh, jeez. Sorry, you're right! The site's only confusing if I tell you completely the wrong thing first, which I did. If you sort by the score (http://refrigerators.reviewed.com/types/counter-depth?sort=rating,desc) the top-ranked products come first. You can see that a Euro-styled Liebherr was actually the best performing counter-depth. Though at that height it may not fit all kitchens.

The only Liebherr that would have fit my space was the 24" one and I decided against it, perhaps more so because getting it installed and getting service for it would have been a chore. I keep rethinking my decision on the LG...probably will until it is actually delivered.

http://www.lg.com/us/refrigerators/lg-LFXC24726S-french-3-door-refrigerator

The ones I keep thinking about would be missing an air filter. But I do prefer the shelves and bins in the Whirlpools (and their affiliates like KitchenAid and Bosch).

My ideal fridge would have:

- The quietness and reliability of the LG

- The EZ open handle of the freezer from the LG/Samsung

- An air filter and a water filter (for ice)

- The shelf material and organization of the Whirlpool

- The exterior design of the Electrolux

- No in the door water dispenser

The LG compromises #4 - #6

Add to that smudge proof stainless. Only a few models have that such as Frigidaire, Samsung 4 door, Miele. I do wish it was on LG and GE.

Yes, very true. Smudge resistance would have been great. Fortunately, I live alone, so I don't anticipate too many finger prints since I will be using the handles. But I did notice the plethora of fingerprints on the floor model and it did make me think twice. But as as I could tell, fingerprints were a problem with most of the units (some more than others, this LG being among the worst...or maybe people just like to touch this one :)), with Frigidaire being the only one that was advertised as smudgeproof. Also, with smudgeproof finishes, I have heard that the finish itself can get damaged/peel over time. I just hope it's not too hard to wipe the stains off. If it was my choice, I would have gotten a white kitchen. Unfortunately, the builder put in stainless appliances as standard.

I have the same issues at this person because DH wants the dispenser, we both want counter depth and more refrigerator space. He fell in love with the Samsung RF23J9011SR 4 door with Cool Select Zone and can be a fridge or freezer. The previous generations (1 &2) seem to have issues with compressor longevity but according to the sales person, this new generation (3) is supposed to have address the problem and that the second generation was definitely better than the 1st. I would love input on what people think. This new generation has only been out since February and there is no telling whether the issues have been successfully corrected?

Looking at online reviews of the RF23J9011SR, the most critical look to be on the Home Depot site, with a few people saying they had repair issues with this new model. But over on BestBuy the reviews are all good.

I switched my order from LG to Bosch. It's a bit more expensive and has fewer features, but I decided I just like the look and the quality. When I saw the LG powered up, I didn't like the way the lights looked.

when you go to SW, look for their brochure on Whites. It has color chips for lots and lots of white/off white to help you compare one white to another.

What is SW?

SW = Sherwin Williams. BM - Benjamin Moore

Just had the Bosch delivered today. Aside from a loose handle, it seems to be working OK. The store said they would send someone out to look at the handle in a week. There's a good amount of room in this fridge and it has a clean design. It's still trying to reach the ideal temp because of which it is quite noisy. I lived in the house for almost a month with no fridge and so it was super quiet...not used to having a refrigerator hum.

PS: I should say after reaching the ideal temp it is still very noisy and there's a constant whistle from the fridge. Not sure what to do now.

What is the model # of the Bosch that you sent with?

http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/B22CT80SNS.html