KitchenAid Architect® II KBFS25ET (24.8 cu. ft.) Compact Wine Cooler Side by Side Bottom Freezer French Door Review

This is a really nice refrigerator. The french doors make access easy and let out less conditioned air than conventional refrigerator. Filtered water is available through a dispenser inside on the left side wall. This adds additinal door storage space since regular through the door dispensing uses up so much space. However the water filer at the top prohibits taller items from being put there even if the shelf is otherwise adjusted to allow them to fit since the finter hangs down a few extra inches. Four (4) adjustable are included of which two (2) slide in and out. I may ultimately need to remove one shelf to better accomodate taller items. The freezer is located on the bottom which prevents the need for stooping all of the time to look into the refrigerator compartment. The freezer has two drawers which is really nice since most refrigerators like this only have only one big drawer. The control panel at the top tells current freezer and refrigerator temperature and offers other options such as door alarm, holiday mode, and more. There are also two bright lights that really work well but can also get in the way of tall items. The most surprising thing is the outer dimensions of this unit compared to its internal volume. My old refrigerator unit was 24.7 cubic feet, but was physically smaller by several more inches in all dimensions. This unit is only 0.4 cubic feet larger in volume, but is phsyically much larger. It more than fills the space that my older refrigerator easily fit in with lots of extra space on all sides. This must be due to the increased amount of insulation now. However, please note that the minimum dimensions given in the installation guide are exact if not a bit too small. The given dimentions are correct if measure at the upper or lower corners, but the top and sides actually bulge out a bit at in the center (probably from how the insulation is blown in) so you may want to make sure your space is a little bit larger than the minimum specifications otherwise you will stuffing it into place like I had to rather than just easily sliding it in! There are several things I am disappointed about: (1) The only accessory included is a utlity bin (that doesn't even include the egg tray insert or a lid). I would have expected the egg tray insert, bottle holder, etc. Other versions of this unit sold under different brand names (Maytag, Amana, Kenmore) include more if not all of the available accessories. (2) No liners in the door storage shelves. Again, other versions of this unit (some cheaper in cost) sold under different brand names (Maytag, Amana, Kenmore) include more if not all of the available accessories. (3) Shelves cannot actually be used in lowest available hold due to a design oversight that results in the shelves not sitting level in this position. (4) Only one divider in the bottom freezer drawer. A second would have been nice and one for the top drawer would have also been very useful. Overall I am pleased with this refrigerator and really like the french doors and the freezer on the bottom. It will take some time to get used to the freezer drawers as well as the best way to organize and fit everything in both the fridge and freezer, but I think it will definitely be worth it in the long run.