Need Refrigerator Help!

J.,
I have to chime in with a "must avoid". We got a new fridge about 2 years ago, and went with the counter-depth Kitchenaid with french doors. I absolutely hate it. The doors don't close consistently (but it beeps to remind you to return and re-close). The water dispenser is inside, and awkward to use. Finally, you need THREE HANDS to remove cheese from the fridge (one for each door, and one for the cheese drawer)--lame. If I had it to do over, I'd get a top and bottom fridge with no french doors. Plus with kids, I really wish ice and water was in the door.
Good luck,
J.

Hi J.,

We shopped around for our fridge and found Sears to be the most helpful with a good selection of what we were looking for. You can look up Consumer Reports online, but our Sears guys seemed to know what he was talking about. We have a bottom freezer (LOVE this so now my vegi drawers are waist level and not on bottom) with water spout on inside. It's a GE. We love our fridge. The bottom fridge was better for us as we don't freeze much (it has an ice maker though).

Good luck!

First off, I am very happy with my JennAir French doors, freezer on the bottom combo. The only thing I don't like: The freezer space is limited and I am feeling the need for a separate freezer to have food stored to my quickly growing family!
More importantly, I pulled out my Consumer Reports for you to give your their opinion of refrigerators. I will list a couple, feel free to email me back if you want more options in a different style or price range.
Bottom Freezers:
1. Kenmore 7628(2) $1370
2. Amana AFD2535DE $1700
3. Maytag Ice20 $2200
(and lots more)

Side-By-Side
1. Amana ASD2627KE $1350
2.Samsung RM255BA $2500
3. Maytag MSD2656KG $1400
4. GE GSH25JFT $1100
5. LG LRSC26941 $1700
6. JennAir JCD2290HE$1930

Good luck.

Hi J.,
I happened to have just purchased a new refrigerator but this is only MY opinion; that is, this may not work for you. I decided on a KitchenAid, french door on top with pull-out freezer on the bottom. Since I had a traditional depth refrigerator before (and didn't want to lose any cubic feet of frig storage), I went with the same (which is cheaper than the counter-depth style). Standards of Excellence in San Jose has been very helpful with all my appliance purchase, so if they are close enough to you, I'd highly recommend them. They have a large showroom where you can see and "test" many models. They have salespersons who are more like "consultants" explaining the differences between styles, brands, etc. They don't do any high-pressure sales, which I really appreciate. They have excellent delivery and installation service. I've had the new frig for 2 weeks and love it! Good luck and enjoy your new refrigerator!

Dear J.....
Having just purchased a refrigerator for my kitchen I thought I'd share a couple of ideas..
Number one is if you go with the counter depth realize you will need to consider a wider fridge as you lose cubic feet.
Secondly, if you decide on what you want, consider taking a Home Warranty Protection Plan with AHS, which, as far as I know, the only one that offers a purchase program... This saves you quite a bit... They deliver but you need to find someone to install.
Anyway, they have a purchse program for their clients. You call with model number, etc. and they will give you a quote over the phone.... GE is apparently their best deal but they do most manufacturers......
Hope this helps... If you are interested in more info. just email me and I will get back to you.
____@____.com .........

We purchased our kitchenaid stainless steel refrigerator about 4 years ago and LOVE IT! We wanted the look of a built-in without the cost of a built-in. It is a side by side, counter depth with water and ice in the door. The doors open really wide and stay open until you close them. We did some research before purchasing and Kitchenaid has a good track record. Our old Kitchenaid dishwasher lasted 20+ years! Don't be shy when you go shopping...open doors and compare features, and make sure to choose one with features you like.
The task can seem daunting, but you'll narrow it down quickly once you compare features and ease of use.
Good luck! L. A.