Electrolux Vs. GE Café Counter Depth Refrigerators (Reviews/Ratings/Prices)

It was so easy to buy a counter depth refrigerator at one time. Maybe you remember from 20 years ago.

Amana and GE were the only companies offering counter depth refrigerators as early as the 1990s.

Now you have tons of choices. You can buy one from a number of manufacturers offering different types of French door, 4-door, and Smart refrigerators.

In this article, you'll learn about two of the most popular brands in New England - GE and Electrolux.

We'll review their best counter depth refrigerators, their features, and then compare them.

We'll also cover French door refrigerator reliability overall.

Let's get started by first introducing Electrolux's and GE's best counter depth refrigerators. 

Electrolux Counter Depth Refrigerator EI23BC82SS - $3,233

Features:

• Ice in freezer - No water Dispenser
• Perfect Temp Drawer - Refrigerator drawer with independent temperature range 28-38 degrees
• Self Closing Doors - Doors will shut on their own in case you forget to close them
• IQ Touch Controls - Controls are always illuminated, so they are easy to find
• Luxury Glide Freezer Drawers - Freezer Drawers that glide smoothly and effortlessly
• Refrigerator Alert System - Alerts you if a door is stuck open, high temperatures, etc.

Electrolux makes two versions of their refrigerators defined by their controls. This one is the entry-level called the "IQ touch."

"IQ Touch" simply means the controls are always visible as opposed to their higher-end "Wave-Touch" where the controls are hidden until you touch the screen.

The self-closing doors are good for kids or if you're running on overdrive. Most refrigerators have alarms for when the doors are left open, but not all will close the doors for you.

The "Perfect Temp" Drawer is a neat feature. This allows separate temperature independent from the rest of the refrigerator so you can store your goods at the ideal temperature.

GE Café Counter Depth Refrigerator CWE23SP2MS1 - $2,999.99

Features:

• Ice in Freezer - Internal Water Dispenser
• Internal Water Dispenser - Has a water dispenser on the inside of the refrigerator tub.
• Twin Chill Evaporators - Helps keep your food longer
• Temperature Controlled Drawer - Allows you to store goods at an ideal temperature
• Showcase LED Lighting - Beautiful lighting to showcase your items
• In-the-door controls - Allows you to change refrigerator settings without opening both doors

Twin evaporators are the new feature for French Door counter depth refrigerators. Samsung has touted twin evaporators for a few years. Bosch now has two compressors in their new French door refrigerators.

Two evaporators will help regulate the amount of humidity and temperature in your refrigerator.

You want moist air in your refrigerator and colder, drier air in your freezer. For example, frost crystals in your freezer can be a result of too much humidity.

Also, odors and tastes don't transfer. Your food, especially frozen, will taste better because it will not trap the refrigerator air, tastes, and smells inside the freezer.

Electrolux Counter Depth Refrigerator EW23BC87SS - $3,729

Features:

• External Ice and Water
• External Ice and Water - Access water, ice cubes, and crushed ice with ease
• Perfect Temp Drawer - Refrigerator drawer with independent temperature range 28-38 degrees
• Self Closing Doors - Doors will shut on their own in case you forget to close them
• Wave-Touch Controls - Controls are hidden until you touch the display
• Luxury Glide Freezer Drawers - Freezer Drawers that glide smoothly and effortlessly
• Refrigerator Alert System - Alerts you if a door is stuck open, high temperatures, etc.

The better Electrolux refrigerator will have the Wave-Touch controls. This means the control panel on the front won't be illuminated until you touch the screen for a more seamless look.

GE Café Counter Depth Refrigerator CYE22TP2MS1 - $3,080

Features:

• External Water and Ice
• External Water and Ice Dispenser - Has ice cubes, crushed ice, cold water, AND hot water on the door.
• Twin Chill Evaporators - Helps keep your food longer
• Temperature Controlled Drawer - Allows you to store goods at an ideal temperature
• Showcase LED Lighting - Beautiful lighting to showcase your items
• In-the-door controls - Allows you to change refrigerator settings without opening both doors.

What I love about this refrigerator is that it has both cold AND hot water on the door. There is no other refrigerator with this option. It also has removable rubber mats under the door bins for easy cleaning!

If you add on the Keurig feature, you can control your Keurig from your phone through Wi-Fi.

Electrolux Vs. Ge Café Counter Depth Refrigerators

Best For Features: Ge Café

Both refrigerators look nice, have beautiful lighting, and are efficient. However, there are some better features for the GE Café.

The door bins in the GE Café refrigerators have rubber bottoms which are removable for cleaning.

This is a nice option when cleaning up spills from drinks, condiments, etc. The GE Café offers many different color options, including stainless, matte black, matte white, and you can pair them with different color handles.

There is also a GE Café model with a built-in Keurig! The models with the external water dispensers already have a hot water feature, so this add on is a no brainer.

GE Café  Counter Depth Refrigerator With Keurig Add-On Feature

You can also preheat the Keurig from your phone, so it's ready to brew by the time you get out of bed!

Best For Reliability: Hard To Say

Usually, we compare reliability as a determining factor between brands. However, at the time of this post, we don't have enough data for GE or Electrolux to make a valid claim.

We stopped selling Electrolux in 2017, and we started selling GE mid-year after a 6-year hiatus.

In the past, refrigeration has been a tough category for Electrolux. Their Generation One refrigerator was almost a 100% fail due to the ice makers. GE is hard to say because of our lack of data as of now.

Most Reliable French Door Counter Depth Refrigerators For 2019:

To learn more about our most reliable refrigerators, their most common issues, and how the best brands compare, start with our free Counter Depth Refrigerator Buying Guide by clicking here.

Best For Price: GE Café

Both brands make a quality freestanding refrigerator, but let's get down to the bottom line. The Electrolux will always be more expensive. Some comparable models are over $600 more compared to the GE Café.

Yet, it's hard to understand why. GE Café will have more features and especially keep food fresher with the dual evaporators. You have Wi-Fi to adjust the temperature remotely as well as make a cup of Joe in the morning.

Best For Refrigerator Package Deals: GE Café

Many people and perhaps you do not buy just a refrigerator replacement. So which has the better package deal?

Without question, GE is better in other categories, especially in slide-ins, double ovens, and induction. Neither one is a dishwasher company per se, but the GE Café has interesting new features like more a specialized spray arm in their dishwashers.

The GE Café is also offered in a ton of colors and trim options.

GE Kitchen Appliance Package In Matte White At Yale Appliance In Framingham

So if you want matte white with copper accents, you can do that in GE.

Which Counter Depth Refrigerator Should You Buy?

The GE Café, as long as its more reliable, will be a better choice.

It has more features, options, and styles at a lower price. Electrolux almost has to go back to the drawing board for kitchen appliances.

Either focus on their less expensive Frigidaire line or a laundry company because a $3,700 French door with no real features is no match for the better products available today.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What Is A Counter Depth Refrigerator?

A counter depth refrigerator usually means the tub (not including doors or handles) is about 24" deep.

Refrigeration Learning Center At Yale Appliance In Framingham

This means the doors are the only thing that will stick out from your countertop. These are a great option for smaller kitchens or kitchens with an island as it promotes better foot traffic.

2. What Are The Most Reliable Counter Depth Refrigerators?

The most reliable counter depth refrigerators are not necessarily the ones that are the most expensive.

Also, they are not always the ones that are American made. Reliability comes down to quality control within a company.

3. What's The Difference Between A Standard Depth And Counter Depth Refrigerator?

Standard Depth (Right) Vs. Counter Depth (Left) Refrigerators At Yale Appliance In Framingham

A counter depth refrigerator is simply more shallow than a standard-depth refrigerator. A counter depth refrigerator's doors and handles will be the only piece sticking out past your countertops.

A full-depth refrigerator will have the tub along with the doors and handles sticking out.

4. What's the difference between Counter Depth vs. Integrated vs. Professional Style Refrigerators?

The doors of a counter depth refrigerator will need to stick out past your countertops or the cabinet you build it into. This is necessary due to the way the hinges on the refrigerator work.

An integrated refrigerator, however, has hinges that allow the refrigerator to be the same depth as the cabinet or countertops. Keep in mind that these refrigerators can sometimes look big, but they are shallow since they are built to fit in a 25" deep cabinet.

Professional style refrigerators are usually defined by their working components like compressors, evaporators, filtration, etc. This is where we talk about food preservation. In short, a professional style refrigerator will look professional and keep your food fresher and longer.

5. When Is The Best Time To Buy A Counter Depth Refrigerator?

The best time to buy a counter depth refrigerator is on holiday. Manufacturers will start their sales days or weeks before the actual holiday.

This means you don't have to rush in on a specific date. With Yale, you don't have to take delivery of the product at any certain time.

You can lock in sale pricing with a deposit and choose a delivery date down the road. If the pricing gets better before you take delivery, we can match it!

Additional Resources

Want some more information about counter depth refrigerators? Get the Yale Appliance Counter Depth Buying Guide with features, specs, and detailed profiles of the major brands. Well over 620,000 people have read a Yale Guide.

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• Best Counter Depth Refrigerators
• Most Reliable Counter Depth Refrigerators
• Samsung Vs. LG Counter Depth Refrigerators
• Samsung Vs. Bosch Counter Depth Refrigerators