Sub Zero is the King of Refrigeration. Period.

No argument from me that SubZero is the best money can buy. Look at Fisher Paykel if you’d like to spend less, though. Sorry, I cannot say more than, “I love mine!”

Sub Zero

@chinacatpeekin A family member owns a Fischer and Paykel that I helped them pick out and order many years ago. It is a great refrigerator. However....Fischer and Paykel is a shadow of its former self these days. Since it's purchase by Haier in 2012 they have since stopped manufacturing in New Zealand and are now made in China and Thailand primarily.

My first FP refrigerator (28 inch, as I recall) was purchased in 2011 and was problem free; I replaced it during a renovation in 2021 with a similar 25 inch model- my kitchen layout is small and that’s the width that fit. So far, so good, is all I can report. To my eye it looks identical; we shall see.

Sub zero is expensive to repair- I had a friend in a smallish town who had to get rid of hers because no one would work on it! That being said, they look the best and I wouldn’t turn one down if someone wanted to give one to me! You can’t deny they are lovely!
We have an LG counter depth and have been quite happy. We didn’t opt for all the bells and whistles- just the water and ice in the door for convenience!

I just took deliv on a white Fisher & Paykel french door 20cf counter depth fridge. model RF201ADW5 N. I am hoping i like it for a long time. no ice maker, no indoor water dispenser, simple refigeration. with past fridges ive not hooked up water so the ice maker was taking up freezing space i was cery happy to find this model it was a long wait as i ordered it august 29. it had good reviews. around 3k.

@enduring curious to hear how you like it--we're waffling between that and the Bosch. We don't need ice, but will plumb for it if we get the Bosch. The only strike against the F&P is the weird setup where you have to open both drawers to pull one of the fruit/veg drawers out. How much does that bug you? The strike against the Bosch are the reports on Houzz of the finish failing (and the fact that it only comes in stainless--we'd prefer white). I postponed the purchase until 2023 since we also hope to upgrade to induction this spring with the new tax credits, and those are coincidentally the two brands we're looking at for that as well so figured better to see if we could get a package deal. I do kind of wish we'd just bought the F&P back when we remodeled in 2010 and they had a single-door 36" model, but we're happy to have gotten an unexpected extra decade out of our ancient Whirlpool!

We have an almost 9-year-old Sub Zero 36" FD and SZ beverage refrigerator, and both have performed flawlessly. I realize 9 years old is almost a baby in the SZ world but I would buy them again in a heartbeat.

I have a four year old KitchenAid 36" counter depth french door fridge. It's flawless. No ice/water through the door, so it's beautiful too.

The old Whirlpool fridge that it replaced lasted nearly 20 years. Family of nine.

Both reliable and a great value.

Love my Fisher Paykel. Bought it mostly because I didn't want to waste any fridge space on an ice maker or a water dispenser. I don't know how the quality compares to the old NZ-made fridges, but my parents have had a Fisher Paykel for 7 years now with no problems.

I have a friend who replaced her 35 year old SZ. She built the house in 1986 and she replaced with another SZ. It's hard to argue with that longevity. I built a new home in 2020 and selected the CD Bosch. So far so good, but it's only a little over 2 years old, so time will tell.

@artemis78, well my only complaint with the F&P is that the door doesn't hold a gallon jug! I was told by someone at a appliance store that it did. I could tell by the photos, the sizing of the jug they showed for advertising, it looked a little small, but I took the gamble. A counter depth is smaller than a reg depth fridge. The drawer to pull out the veg cubbies isn't bothersome but I have only used the drawer once when I put the veggies in. I haven't cooked since the delievery. Parties and outings have fed me.

It doesn't have a temp readout which I miss. I haven't put anything in the freezer yet, but without the, useless to me, ice maker I have about the same capacity I did with my old 25cf fridge.

With the smaller size fridge, it will take some getting used to. I look forward to not losing food in the back though. Its just the 2 of us, so I'm hoping it will work well for us. I kept my old fridge and put it down in the heated farm shop for emergency storage, lol.

GE is owned by Haier. But about half of their frigs are at least built in the US. The way to know is to look for a flag icon under the Claims and Certifications heading.

MADE IN AMERICA: 70 to 90% U.S. Content Choose a model without ice and water through the door for reliability.

GE Profile™ Series ENERGY STAR® 23.1 Cu. Ft. Counter-Depth French-Door Refrigerator - PWE23KELDS - GE Appliances

I've had a counter-depth F&P for a couple of years after sending a horrible seven year old Samsung to the dump to put it out of its misery. Like the OP, I didn't want any extras, including an icemaker. So far so good -- it does exactly what a refrigerator and freezer are supposed to do. I don't mind the single produce drawer pullout, in fact I kind of like it -- I can see everything I have at one glance. If you use a lot of large plastic juice and milk containers, though, it might not be the model for you -- that side shelf is a bit narrow. Of course, a SubZero would have been great but it was never an option due to price.

I wanted a white fridge and they are few and far between. Now that I've had my F&P for a few days, all is well and I love the added room I have on my porch. Pull outs are fine.

I have the stainless F&P with ice maker and we love it. I can wash produce, put it in the drawer, and it lasts and lasts. We’ve only had it a year so I can’t speak to longevity.

Glad to hear this Lee M about your experience. I am hopeful too. I love looking at my new fridge, lol

@Rachel, have you had any problems with the stainless finish on your Bosch? I had hoped to push this purchase till later in the year once the induction tax credits are finally in place, but apparently our existing fridge had other plans and the freezer gasket is failing so having to fast-track this decision. The Bosch is in stock while the F&P is not (though they're saying delivery in a couple of weeks, which would still work) so now we're down to the nitty gritty details. Would love to hear from you or other Bosch owners on whether the problems with the easy-clean finish peeling seem to have been addressed--thanks!

And I think I have turned over every stone, but there really aren't any single-door 36" counter-depth freestanding models left, are there? (I know SZ makes one but that's beyond our budget.)

The Bosch 800 series with dual compressors (same setup as Sub Zero and other built in fridges) are arguably the highest quality - they are taller than the average 69 inch fridge so factor that into the cabinets if there’s an enclosure. Generally, avoid ice/water dispenser in door (especially for French door where the dispenser isn’t isolated to freezer side like a side by side), and “smart” features (electronics are the features that age fastest and are most likely to break)

We got a Bosch B36CT80SNS in April 2022. So far so good. The finish is not peeling. We did not want an ice and water dispenser at first, but finally, our family enjoys it. It contains a lot and it is easy to organize its content.

I have a Kitchenaid French Door - no water in the door. Mine was panel ready but the same model also came in stainless. It is virtually identically to the Jennair that was a bit more money. Mine is 72" high which is a bit higher than the standard height but gives it a more built in appearance.

Mine has been installed since 2018 and has worked without any issues at all.

When I was shopping for refrigerators, the very knowledgable appliance person (not from a Big Box) did not recommend Bosch refrigerators as he said they were not made to the same quality as their dishwashers. FWIW, I have Bosch Benchmark induction cooktop and Bosch Benchmark side opening wall oven as well as a Bosch dishwasher.

Obviousy the SubZero is the absolute highest quality and no comparison with other refrigerators that are marketed to consumers. The SZ refrigerators can run for 30 years as my friend's did.

@Mel thank you--that is the same model we're considering, so that's good to hear!

Plenty of recent threads here, with complaints of Bosch fridges. Veggies turning icy, doors peeling and showing wear, poor customer service. For anyone to claim Bosch fridges “are arguably the highest quality”, (I’m looking at you, @Joseph Babcock), knows not of what he speaks.

Sure, Bosch and some other brands now have dual processors. However, they were quite late to the party. SubZero, the originator and innovator of high end fridges, originated the dual processor system 50 years ago. The built-in consumer refrigerator was first developed and manufactured by SZ, and they still own that market.

Why? Because SZ refrigerators last a looooong time. Our first SZ, purchased in 1990, was still going strong when we sold our former home in 2016. That’s 36 years old, and still in fine condition. Our present SZ, a 42” paneled FD, is now 7 yo, with not one issue.

Furthermore, SubZero has the best customer service in the business. In fact, call SZ with an issue, and if you live in a major metropolitan area with a SZ distributor nearby, someone will diagnose the problem and tell you what part to purchase. Purchase the part, call SZ back, and you will be guided through the repair. No service fee. Just the cost of the part…which for us, back when we had the first SZ, never was more than $50.

Bosch fridges are not inexpensive. They’re just a few thousand less. Quite frankly, taking into account the history, efficiancy, and longevity of SubZero fridges, buying the best in refrigeration, SZ, is more cost effective than buying a Bosch.

The question was about counter depth; clearly sub zero has the highest quality overall, but it’s not counter depth, it’s integrated/built -in

It's a $9K difference for the SZ vs. the Bosch, so far more than just a few thousand, LOL! We can spend $4K max and would like to spend closer to $3K (but certainly welcome suggestions of other brands in that price range that are 36"w and counter-depth). The cheapest SZ in that size that I see locally is $12K, so not even in the ballpark. We like the interior design/build of the Bosch best but are wary of the issues some have had with the finish given its relatively short warranty; haven't read of many people having issues with other aspects but will check again. For the Fisher-Paykel, the major strike against it is the drawer design. Otherwise we like that one a lot, especially since it is white and has no ice maker or water. Kicking myself for not just buying the F-P last month when they had a five-year warranty promo, but ah well.

Delighted to find this thread as I too am knee deep in a new kitchen build, with similar specifications for the fridge as the person in the original post. I am considering an LG refrigerator- without the peek-a-boo window and as few electronic gadgets as possible. They have a few French door options without the water/ice in the door. Price point in $2k to $4k. Thoughts?
Also, many of the other models mentioned above do not have handles - just indent edges to grab and pull. Any pro/con with that? I thought a handle would be preferable for aging hands?

I've been looking at counter-depth Fisher Paykel and Bosch refrigerators, so this thread is interesting to me.

I'm interested in subzero too, but the brand has one failing from my and probably OP's POV: if you are in the market for a "counter-depth refrigerator" then you are probably looking for a freestanding or built-in refrigerator that is something like 36" wide x 68-72" tall. I think subzero is only selling 84" tall refrigerators and discontinued their 72" a few years ago.

(If I'm wrong, someone tell me because if there is a 72" tall subzero available or coming soon I'd really like to consider the brand.)

The positive of having indents instead of pulls could be if your fridge is against a wall (gives you precious inches of clearance).

LG has a reputation of parts being hard to order for servicing, though the overall repair rate statistics on Yale Appliance’s blog are the lowest (they replace their linear compressors a few years ago after a law suit).

Thermador also makes a 36 inch wide / 72 inch tall model that is similar to the Bosch (I believe it has dual compressors). Monogram also has a similar sized model but only single compressor IIRC.

If you want a “short” subzero I think under-counter fridge/freezer cabinets are your only option.

Pulls v. indents also seems somewhat a personal preference thing--I dislike the indents enough, especially on a french door model, that I just eliminated brands/models where handles were not an option. (There weren't too many though--most seem seem to offer at least one model with handles.)

We have friends with LG refrigerators who are happy with them (though theirs are only a few years old). We skipped them only because our refrigerator opens into the main aisle through the kitchen so the depth matters a lot, and with the door their counter-depth model is a couple of inches deeper than some of the other manufacturers' counter-depth options.

Not a luxury level product, but we bought the new model LG large counter depth 36 inch wide unit. It has 26.5 cubic feet. I think it is going to force all manufacturers to follow. It's very good, I'm happy with it. Highly recommend if counter depth capacity smallness is putting anyone off. Of course, it's not as shallow as high end units, but much shallower than standard 26+ cu in units.

After more homework today, for me it boils down to either a single processor LG with few frills and bigger capacity that comes from being right on the big end of counter depth OR a dual processor - Bosch, Fisher Paykel, or some other product. Since most everything is not as deep as LG, I’ll give up capacity but gain a dual processor and some upgrade shelving / drawer flexibility.
Tell me if anyone knows different, but LG doesn’t make a dual processor.

Go with the dual processor. With a DP, if something goes wrong with the freezer, the fridge section will not be affected, and visa versa.

With a single processor, the freezer goes kerflooey and needs repair, the fridge section is toast. The contents will have to be discarded…unless you can get a service call within hours…which is unlikely.

Actually with my SZ, I got a service call within hours, on New Year's Eve no less. But that was probably a dozen years ago.

Yes, @palimpsest. SubZero has the best customer service in the business. It’s one of the big reasons, after 43 years of experience with the brand, I constantly extoll its virtues.

However, the OP is looking for counter depth, not built-in. And, he/she said they’re deciding between LG single processor unit, or the dual compressor lines of Bosch, Fisher Paykel, or…

Also, my comment about same day service specifically referred to single processor fridges…and that the entire appliance will cease working, if either the freezer or fridge section needs repair. The contents of the unit will have to be garbaged…unless they can get service within hours.

I have a Maytag French door counter depth. We had the dealer remove the ice maker from the freezer. It is 18 years old and still going strong. i would advise anyone against blocking the air flow especially in the back of the freezer.

This YouTube video has great thoughts on fridges:

https://youtu.be/rKJgYVhZ6-w

i am surprised no one mentioned Liebherr.

we have had our 36" CD since 2013 and its been flawless, quiet, easy to clean and you can see everything! produce stays fresh with their 'biofresh'.

more $$ than Bosch but less than SZ. just make sure u can get service, just in case u need it.

Thanks sprtphntc7a….you’re right - from a price standpoint it’s in between Bosch and SZ. I considered Liebherr, but at $7k -$8k it seems like a big cost leap from Bosch without a noticeable benefit.

I’m not sure which liebherr model you’re looking at, but several of those are 84 inches tall and even if “freestanding” require an anti-tip bracket. I’ve read good things about the monolith line.

We installed the Bosch 800 series counter depth fridge w/ French doors + plain front (B36CT80SNS) in July: I have nothing but good things to say about it. Spacious inside and the organization (esp. in the freezer) works really well for us. Seems efficient in its temp regulation and is completely quiet. The dual compressors seem to work really, really well. Love the internal water dispenser (no issues with leaking). We've had no issues at all with the stainless finish. All in all, we couldn't be happier. No regrets.