Whirlpool - 36 in. Wide 20 cu. ft. French Door Bottom Mount Counter-Depth Refrigerator - Black

If you're considering this refrigerator, it's probably because you have other black appliances and need a counter depth fridge and you know there are about 4 other choices out there that meet those parameters. Unfortunately, all 4 choices are pretty lousy. We accepted delivery of a different manufacturer's fridge (more expensive, more sturdy) that was defined as "Matte Black" and it was most certainly not black -- at best, a graphite gray with a bit of a sheen to the texture of the finish. We had to return it because it didn't match the other appliances and looked out of place. This Whirlpool is indeed pure glossy black. The pictures on Whirlpool's website might make you think it's a dull finish, but nope, it's nearly as shiny as a mirror and shows every fingerprint. The good news is that its compressor is much quieter than the more expensive fridge I described earlier. The other fridge had enough vibration that it transmitted throughout the kitchen and adjacent rooms. This fridge has no vibration at all -- you can hear the thing running in the kitchen if you're listening for it, but that's expected. It's not loud or distracting. Now, onto the bad things: * The interior is so flimsy. The drawers are so sloppy that they come out crooked and it feels like a matter of time before something cracks or breaks because of the poor quality drawer rollers/tracks. * The light at the top and the water filter protrude down into the usable space on the top shelf. See attached pic. That means that a normal half gallon of milk has to be to the left or right of it so that it doesn't bump. Sure, you could move that top shelf down one more notch but you can see how little space is already available for the two shelves beneath the top one. I can't figure out why they didn't move the water filter up against the back wall and use lights in the back of the fridge like my old fridge had. * This may be normal for all french door fridges but the right side vegetable drawer can't open without opening both of the doors. I don't know why they can't make the drawers just narrow enough so you can get them open without having to open both doors. And along those same lines, I'd prefer two narrower deli drawers rather than a big wide one that requires opening both of the doors * Minor, but worth noting: The tape that they use to secure all of the pieces for transit leaves behind adhesive residue that took me a full hour of rubbing alcohol and some plastic-safe adhesive remover to get off the inside and outside of the fridge. The right side door does open and close more easily than the left side one (the left side one has the mating panel that has to rotate into place when you close it) so you'll probably find yourself favoring the right side for the high usage items since you can mostly get the door to close with a gentle push. Like I said, the choices for cabinet depth black fridges are so limited that this might be the best option out there. We considered a couple of the side-by-side models that are available but they all seem to have poor reliability reports so I will have to say I recommend this even though I'm not happy with it.

Love the new refrigerator. It’s quiet, has a lot of space, and am getting used to the water dispenser that is located inside of the appliance. It’s a nice change up.

Kind of noisy. I like the look of the refrigerator. The size is better for me than my previous refrigerator. Sometimes the door does not shut all the way so I have to remind myself to check if it is shut tightly.

This was the only pure black (not black stainless) counter depth refrigerator I could find. (my other appliances are straight black) I liked the roomy space of the french door style, and I always like Whirlpool's sleek handle design. The unit didn't protrude like other brands. The downsides were a few. The veggie drawer offers no humidity opening, so vegetables are ruined within a day or two. The design at the top, with a big drop in height inside the hinges showed too much of my cabinet interior. The glossy finish made it look cheap, even though it was considerable expense. The Whirlpool logo is also just a thin piece of metal that bends easily. Lastly, the water filter inside the fridge failed and started leaking like mad. For all of these reasons, I decided to return it and get a KitchenAid instead. Whirlpool isn't as well made as it used to be. I loved my previous one, which served me well for 25 years.

It was an open-box item. It has been working perfectly; it’s quiet, and fitted perfectly in the assigned area of my kitchen. Love the color and the french door. Highly recommend the brand too, my stove is a Whirpool and has lasted me almost 40 years now. Never any problems with the brand.