French door refrigerators

Models combine a side-by-side fridge with a bottom freezer

French-door refrigerators are a fairly recent design twist, combining side-by-side refrigerator doors (French doors) atop a single pull-out freezer drawer. Although they have a bit less usable interior space and cost more than other types, French-door refrigerators are gaining in popularity, fueled partly by their frequent appearance on home and garden TV shows. While initially priced at over $3,000, prices for French-door refrigerators are now considerably lower.

The Amana AFD2535DEW (*Est. $1,500) doesn't have a through-the-door ice maker or water dispenser, but it is one of the least expensive French-door refrigerators. Testing reveals that this model performs just as well as others for temperature consistency. The interior shelving is the full width of the unit. It has pull-out shelves and bins, a temperature-controlled meat and deli bin, an interior ice maker and internal filtered water dispenser. Some say it's a bit noisier than other expensive French-door refrigerators, but user reviews are plentiful and mostly positive. The Amana model has a 25.1-cubic-foot capacity. It was formerly Energy Star-qualified, but it does not meet the latest standard. It comes in white, black (AFD2535DEB) and bisque (AFD2535DEQ). The Amana AFD2535FES (*Est. $1,800) is a stainless-steel version. Note that although this refrigerator is manufactured by Maytag, it's not affected by recent recalls.

For the fourth year in a row, Samsung French-door refrigerators are the highest rated for customer satisfaction in a large-scale survey of appliance owners conducted by J.D. Power and Associates. One such refrigerator, the 26-cubic-foot Samsung RF266ABWP (*Est. $1,600), performs very well in tests and is recommended by PlanetGreen.com as an eco-friendly choice for large families. It also receives excellent average scores from users posting reviews to Sears.com and BestBuy.com. Like the Amana discussed above, the Samsung skips the through-the-door ice maker and water dispenser. Instead, it has a filtered water and ice dispenser inside the refrigerator. Owners say this refrigerator is exceptionally quiet and does a great job keeping food cool. The very few complaints we read centered on water leaking from the ice maker immediately after installation. The Samsung refrigerator is available in white, black (RF266ABBP), stainless steel (RF266ABRS) and platinum (RF266ABPN). While choice of finish is mostly an aesthetic decision, it's interesting to note that several users at Sears.com report that the platinum finish doesn't smudge or show fingerprints.

The Samsung RFG297AAWP (*Est. $2,100) isn't included in professional tests, but it is very highly rated in owner reviews at BestBuy.com and Sears.com. A few users report that the ice maker is loud and slow, but the vast majority say they are very happy with the refrigerator's performance. Owners especially like how spacious this 28.5-cubic-foot model is, and say the interior is well lit and easy to clean. Samsung receives the highest rating among manufacturers of French-door and side-by-side refrigerators in J.D. Power and Associates' customer satisfaction survey, and experts say Samsung refrigerators are generally quite reliable. This model includes a through-the-door ice maker and water dispenser, sliding glass spill-proof shelves, LED lighting and several bins and racks for organization. It is Energy Star-certified, and is available in white, black (Samsung RFG297AABP) and stainless steel as the Samsung RFG297AARS (*Est. $2,400).