We have the Kitchenaid CD side by side and it has been flawless for us. It is a little over a year old and replaced a SD Kitchenaid that was 13 years old. Other than the limits of a CD size, the only thing I wish was better is the freezer shelves. Perhaps I need to look at it again but the spacing could be better.

Last time I checked Bosch was OEM from Kitchenaid on the fridges.

I adore my KA - probably about 6 yrs old.

Is your concern about a French door because the island would make the freezer drawer difficult to use? We don't have anything in the way, but I find that it's just as easy to get access the drawer from side, so you might weigh that somewhat-minor inconvenience against the shortcomings of a side-by-side.

My issue I think is opening it and organization. It would have to be opened from the side and I am worried about wrecking it from not opening it the correct way, like torquing the drawer. Also, I just don't like the drawer style organization. We have a 26 cubic foot (our old side by side) that will be in the garage right near the kitchen so smaller isn't an issue. The cabinets in the island open toward the fridge so I am always prepping on that side so I would have to move anytime someone wanted to get in the freezer. Right now, even with our huge side by side, people can access both sides with me standing there, it's tight but doable.

We have a counter-depth LG french door (but only water in the door). The bottom is a freezer drawer. I can't recommend it.

eta: ours is about ten years old. It sucks.

You are so right, I have been putting off our appliance overhaul because of the fridge. The KA counter depth side by side issue is so bad, you have to read through all the promo reviews to get to the real ones, that they are requiring door replacements that are on back order for weeks because of the sheer number of replacements being sent out. Some of the door rusting issues aren't covered in extended warranty claims because they are being considered cosmetic as well. I didn't want to go boutique because of having issues getting timely repairs in our area. I saw one of them last week that was in from Orlando (4 hours away). Its a pick your poison kind of battle.

One thing I can suggest that may help is to buy from a local vendor with a reputation for strong customer support and maybe its own satisfaction guarantee. You will pay a bit more (even with a contractor discount if that is how you are buying) but good service and support, and having a good ally in working with a manufacturer, can be worth paying for.

FWIW, the "rusting" issue with the WP/KA stainless can be avoided by not using ammonia based spray cleaners like Windex. This had been an issue for years before I bought my KA. I will say that, even though I know better, I sometimes have spritzed with windex to clean the front. So far, I haven't had the rusting problem. It may be because I live in an area of relatively low humidity. It may be just blind luck. YMMV.

We recently had to replace our auxiliary refrigerator when the old one but the dust. I asked the repair man which brand was least trouble prone and his answer was Whirlpool. It was not a counter depth, although CD is what we have in our kitchen and will have to buy whenever the current one goes. I follow the CD topics for this reason. Good luck!

Don't know if you've purchased yet but I have a KA counterdepth side by side that is 3 ½ years old. No problems as of yet (knock on wood)!

We have a kicphenaid CD/SS that is 9 years old. We only have the inside water- no ice maker in the door and have zero issues.

I'm pretty happy with my Samsung RH22H901-SR/A. We liked it so much when we sold our house we made sure they were sill available for purchase in the new house. If not, we'd have taken the one in our old house.

We have had zero problems with either of them. We used a better water connection than the standard kit, including braided stainless hose, have not had any problems with the icemaker or the electronics. We do have a whole house surge protector as we live in a rural area with older electric power lines, so the electronics are protected from power fluctuations.

Probably my only complaint is the veggie drawers do not have adjustable humidity, and they can dry veggies out. I go through veggies fast enough it is not really a problem for me.

I love the stainless finish, the integrated handle, and the awesome showcase door. I would buy one again in a heartbeat.

Samsung Showcase Fridge