KitchenAid 21.9 Cu. Ft. Stainless Steel French Door Refrigerator - KBFS22EWMS

We've had our refrigerator for 1.5 years. I like the french doors and pull out tray for convenience. It fits a lot of food for a small refrigerator. I like the pull out freezer too.

My complaint though is that at 1.5 years, we've already had a problem where we started to get water leaking into the freezer area. Of course this is after the 1 year warranty. We had to pay a repair person $125 to come out and spend 10 minutes clipping a factory problem tube.

Why is it that manufacturers, like Kitchenaid, really don't stand by their work or have good quality products beyond 1 year for basic repairs? I think it's really a downfall of overseas manufacturing.

We have a relatively small kitchen and this model fits with about 5" of horizontal space to spare in the small nook that it fits into, while the french doors make access easier. Despite it's relatively compact dimensions, it's quite capacious. My wife and I have never filled the fridge area more than half way.

One feature that was important to us is the integrated water filter for the ice maker and interior filtered water dispenser. This one integrates a large plastic bottle of water in the fridge compartment behind the crisper drawers, ensuring that lots of cold water is available. It also has a filter life indicator that apparently measures actual water volume rather than just time. The owner's manual states, "The filter monitor system measures the amount of water that passes through the filter and alerts you to replace the filter." Although, it also says to replace the filter at least every 6 months. This model uses the Maytag UKF8001 PUR Refrigerator Water Filter. KitchenAid is an upmarket brand of Whirlpool, which also owns Maytag.

I like that it has digital controls and numeric temperature readout, so, for example, instead of setting the "coldness" to "3," I can set the temperature to 38°F. Plus, it tells me what the current temperature in the refrigerator and freezer compartments are at any given time. There is also a door alarm that beeps if you leave the door open for 5 minutes or more, and a temperature alarm that beeps and flashes the maximum temperature reached if the temperature in either compartment rises outside of the normal operating temperature range for an hour or more. The temperature alarm actually works following a power outage too, displaying the maximum temperature reached during the power outage once power is restored. There is a "Max Cool" button to more rapidly lower the fridge temperature. It's meant to be used when adding a large number of items to the fridge, or when adding warm items. I haven't had a need to use it yet. And there is a "Max Ice" button that more rapidly makes ice. I haven't had a need to use that either. It seems to me like this fridge has three sound levels--silent, fan running, and compressor+fan running. We like the fact that the refrigerator is magnetic despite being stainless steel, and the fact that it's assembled in the USA.

So far the only draw backs that I find are: The center door seal panel (mounted on the smaller of the two fridge doors) collects moisture even in the relatively low humidity of Southern California. There is a "Humidity Control" button that activates an integrated heater to prevent moisture build-up, and it works effectively. Unfortunately, that means the fridge uses more power. Also, the full-width deli drawer can be accessed by lifting the cover if only the smaller of the two doors is open. But if only the larger of the two doors is open, the deli drawer cover is blocked by the center door seal, so it will not lift. And finally, it might have been nice for the water dispenser button to be located below the dispenser nozzle instead of above it, as this arrangement means you can't just push a cup into the button to dispense water, but must instead use one hand to hold the cup and the other to push the button. Also, you have to remember to hold the cup there a second or so after you release the cup as the dispenser drips one or two drops after the button is released.

Overall, though, we've been very pleased with this unit.

[Edit 7/10/12]

I've recently noticed that the deli tray lid is not actually blocked by the magnetic center strip. It can actually be opened when only the right side door is open, but it requires some extra effort and the lid will rub against the door frame. This is because the cutout that serves as the handle for the deli draw lid is in the center of the drawer, and the door frame for the larger right hand door is lined up with it and so the lid opens without resistance when the right hand door is closed. But the left hand door frame is not lined up with the cutout, so the lid rubs against it when opening. Overall, we're still really pleased with this fridge.

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