- Ice Master Produces Up To 12 Lbs. Of Ice
- Twin Cooling Plus System
- High-Efficiency LED Lighting
- Dimensions (WHD): 35 6/8" X 70" X 37 6/8"
A bit of history... We purchased the Kenmore Elite 31 cu.ft. version last December (2011) from Sears. After dealing with multiple failures and constant service calls (all on the ice machine), we finally traded it in for this one. We basically had three choices for a large capacity French door fridge the Kenmore Elite, the LG and the Samsung. After nearly a year of dealing with constant service calls and erratic ice, I wasn't willing to give that ice machine set-up another try. So we went with the Samsung. (The LG has the same mechanisms as the Kenmore).
The Good:
I have to say I was a little disappointed at first. I like the open shelf space that the in-door ice machine affords. I also like the three layers of drawers in the freezer. That all changed once I loaded up the new Samsung. The extra space in the door of the Samsung turned out to be WAY more than I anticipated. The Kenmore and LG have the slim shelving on the ice machine side. That seems like it would be enough, but let me tell you, it's not. Those shelves are so slim, that hardly any condiments fit in them. And you can only fit one row. It doesn't seem like a big deal until you are rifling through a full refrigerator looking for a small but too-round-to-fit-in-the-door jar of jelly that has made its way to the back of the bottom shelf because you don't use it that often. Having all of my myriad of condiments, jellies, dressings and miscellaneous jars of whatever that those side shelves are meant for, is worth the less than open feel of the interior of the fridge. And although the interior seems smaller because of the ice machine, the Samsung is actually one cubic foot larger than the LG and the Kenmore that doesn't seem like a lot, but my full Kenmore Elite was noticeably less full when I transferred everything to the Samsung. That additional one cubic foot along with the extra side shelf space made a HUGE difference.
The other big plus is that you can open the right side drawer on the Samsung even if the left door is closed. You couldn't do that with the Kenmore. To open the drawer on the right side, you had to open BOTH fridge doors. Who's bright design idea was that?
Mixed Review Features:
The doors are SO easy to open. With the Kenmore, there were times I had to really pull to get them open. And sometimes the kids couldn't even get them open which can be a blessing or a curse. Now my six year old is easily able to get herself another glass of milk... unfortunately, so is my two year old J
The only noticeable difference with the doors is how they close. The Kenmore was difficult to open, but easy to close. That meant a LOT of unintentionally slammed doors. The Samsung has a sort of catch before the door closes. Basically it just means that you have to want to close the door. It definitely won't be closing on its own. Again, that could be a good point or a bad depending on your preference. Also, the left door is configured in a way that it doesn't stay open on its own. If you can open it and hold it open for a minute, it will stay. But if you just push it all the way open, it WILL close on you. I spoke to a technician and that's how it is nothing can be changed. It's only a big deal with I'm loading up the weekly groceries. I move a bar stool over to hold it open and it works fine. Small inconvenience.
The ice dispenser (the few times is actually worked) on the Kenmore was fine, but I really am not a fan of push one button, get some ice, push another button, get the water. The Samsung has two separate "paddles" one for ice, one for water. Very convenient especially for the kids. Not very convenient is the location of the water dispensing tube. I've already soaked the kitchen floor three times. It is very close to the front. I actually find myself holding the glass forward and pushing the water paddle with my finger. Not very convenient. It works fine for large glasses or pitchers, but not standard glasses, and definitely not sippy cups or smaller glasses. Speaking of pitchers this one is big enough to fit our Zero Water pitcher and the water container for our coffee maker. The Kenmore, while tall, was just barely too short to fill either all the way.
Another nifty feature is that the ice maker will push extra ice down into the bottom freezer into an ice bin. This is a good and bad. It's good because the upper ice bin is small. If you have a large group of people who all use ice, you will probably run out. However, this fridge will automatically fill an ice bin in the top drawer of the freezer. That bad news is that it takes away from some space in your freezer. Even if there is a way to turn this function off (I haven't looked into it yet), there is a chute to contend with. If you put food too far back on that side of the top drawer in the freezer, it will prevent it from closing.
The ONE thing I don't like:
Only having two layers of drawers in the bottom freezer. The bottom section is DEEP. There really is no way to organize such a deep drawer with the irregularly shaped frozen food products. At least no way to organize it and keep it that way while actually using it. I find myself constantly reorganizing or digging for things.
Overall:
Even though it was a pain, I'm so glad we had to exchange our Kenmore. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this Samsung. Having had both, I would HIGHLY recommend the Samsung over the Kenmore and probably the LG since it is configured basically the same way. If you are looking for a large capacity French door with a bottom freezer THIS is your fridge!
Other Notes:
I purchased this from Sears and I cannot emphasize how happy I am with Sears Service. I had the Blue Crew out 6 times over the span of 11 months. During those 6 visits, I only saw two different technicians, both of whom were very knowledgeable and patient and willing to do anything to help get my ice machine to work. One of the techs even went out of his way to take some of the parts outside to assemble them because it would be noisy and my two-year old was taking a nap! Talk about Customer Service!! When I finally threw in the towel on the Kenmore, it was a very quick and easy process to return the old fridge and get a new one. The Customer Service Rep was extremely nice and apologetic and made the return process completely hassle-free!
Buy Samsung RF323TEDBSR 31.6 Cu. Ft. Stainless Steel French Door Refrigerator - Energy Star Now
I have done a few months research before buying this model and have had it for over a month now. I would buy it again.
CDI's earlier review is absolutely spot on (please read it), I do not want to repeat but will add a couple of points.
Design it is a sleek looking, clean design. We went back and forth between this and the LG and thought this one wins. It is personal of course. For example the water/ice dispenser cavity edges do not protrude out or overlap with the stainless steel face think of a under-mount sink in your kitchen vs regular one. Display is cleanly organized and the blue lights are cool.
Noise it is a fair bit quieter than the old side by side Whirlpool it replaced. Consumers report has the fridge in their top choice category overall and rates noise to be Very Good. Very few have Excellent in that category. Noise level probably depends on the specific setup. My fridge is in a cavity and that muffles the noise for sure. If one of the sides is exposed, noise will be more noticeable. Perhaps going into a quiet store and giving it a listen can help.Not a concern for me though.
A piece of advice. Both LG and Samsung have stainless steel covered ice and water dispenser plates/buttons. If you push the plates a few times with a glass or ceramic cup, plates will scratch. I bought tablet screen protector, cut two pieces shaped like the plates and it worked very well.
The only thing that could be improved is freezer layout. As pointed out before, bottom drawer is deep and could have been split in two levels, i.e. have three levels in the freezer as opposed to two. It would not be fair if I deducted a star for that as there are so many other things done right on this fridge, hence my rating.
Read Best Reviews of Samsung RF323TEDBSR 31.6 Cu. Ft. Stainless Steel French Door Refrigerator - Energy Star Here
This replace a 5 year old GE. Have had this model for 6 months. The interior set up is the best we could find, it is quiet, and flexible and works well for a family with 3 boys. It has only 1 flaw that keeps us from giving 5 stars. The Icemaker doesn't perform as we would expect for a high $$ fridge.
Samsung 31.6 Cu. Ft. Stainless Steel French Door Refrigerator RF323TEDBSR
Want Samsung RF323TEDBSR 31.6 Cu. Ft. Stainless Steel French Door Refrigerator - Energy Star Discount?
I love this huge fridge I don't even know where to put stuff there is so much room. It is much quieter than the whirlpool I had. Crushed ice and cold filtered water for every one, no more can you get me water? all day. The lighting is awesome and all the different thing to do with shelving just awesome. Samsung just keeps making my house awesome, TV, BlueRay,Tab, Cell and now Fridge Samsung you rock now make then all talk to one another.
Update 2months later love even more this is why. My 2 year old found out where everyones water comes from and as independent as she is gave it a try. Yep! unsupervised and unfazed by the gallons of water on the floor. The water dispenser is non age discriminatory however there is a fix just hold the lock button and presto kid proof. Our friends have all had this problem we are told (after the fact of course ) but they don't own Samsung with the lock button.
The unit is big. Lots of storage space. I thought two ice makers was overkill, but I use both daily. The water seems to flow faster than our old unit. Inside the refrigerator the shelves adaptability are comparable to most units in this price range. I like the French door design with the freezer on the bottom. Finding items in the freezer is relatively easy with two drawers. What I don't like: it is on the noisy side. The door ice maker is slow to start. The freezer door pulls out farther than one would think, but you have to pull hard for the last bit. Lastly, the freezer door does not always shut all the way. I feel the pros out way the cons and would buy the unit again. I got it on sale at lowes with a five year warranty for around 2500. I hardly ever get the warranties but i feel the quality of appliances have degraded over the years to the point that necessitates getting one. Unfortunately, I have had to use my warranties on most of my new appliances. When this one fails I will move everything to my 30 year old refrigerator in the basement like I did with the last one
I think this beverage cooler is the best portable, convenient, user-friendly refrigeration system for the mid-level needs of my student customers. I enjoy the item, and it is a great product.
