You will hate this answer ... it depends.

Shallow drawers are easier to find things in, but deep ones give you the option of storing things on edge.

The shallow drawers are just too shallow to keep much in, IMHO.

I'm always going 3 from now on.
The only thing for me is that it gives another, coordinated line in the kitchen.

Christine

It depends on what you will have in your drawers. My advice is to have your 36" base as 3-drawer and the two 24" bases as 4-drawer. Depending on where they are in relation to each other, the 24" could be one 3-drawer and one 4-drawer.

We have frameless cabinets.

I find we use Our top shallow drawers a LOT - they have 4" high useable space with a 6.25" drawer face. We have them all full of stuff ... silverware, spatulas and all the other kitchen gadgets, foil wax paper cling wrap and plastic baggies, in-drawer knife block and potholders, dish towels, etc. All of those things fit with no problem in these drawers including the ladle.

In our two 3-drawer stacks (30" and 21" wide) the top drawer is the 4" drawer mentioned above, and the next two drawers have 10.5" and 9.5" high useable space, both with 12" drawer faces. Interestingly, the middle drawer is the 10.5" deep drawer. The 10.5" drawers are tall enough for all of the casserole dishes and pie tins (in 21"wide), the roasting pan, and almost all of the pans pots and lids to stand on edge (in 30"wide). The 9.5" drawers are not tall enough for a few of those items to stand on edge. Obviously, neither are tall enough for my 12" pans/skillets to stand on edge. Those are in the bottom 30" drawer with the big pots. Both depth drawers are definitely deep enough for all of the pots (even the 8qt stockpot) that I own except the huge "canning" pot. The bottom drawer of the 21" base is currently empty.

In the two 4-drawer stacks (36" and 17" wide) the top drawer is the 4" drawer mentioned above, and the 2nd 3rd and 4th drawers are 4.75" 6.75" and 7" high useable interior space. The top 2 drawers have 6.25" drawer face and the bottom 2 drawers have 8.75" drawer face. The 2nd drawers at 4.75" we use for more kitchen gadgets and a junk drawer. The 3rd drawers at 6.75" holds all of our tupperware (any deeper would have been wasted space for us) and another junk drawer. The bottom drawers are currently empty except for plastic grocery store bags.

I would definitely not recommend having 3 equal size drawers which would give you 3 drawers with approximately 8" high useable space ... way too tall for gadgets and stuff, but not tall enough for things on edge.

Thank so much for the replies. I think I might use one of the 24" as a 4 drawer, maybe both. I feel like I have a lot of deep drawer storage. The 36" base. Two deep drawers under the separate dish drawers flanking the sink. Two blind corner super pull out things that can store larger items. A 5'x 16' pantry off the kitchen for W/D and shelving units for larger less used appliances and dishes. A 27" wide rollout pantry and two 15" pantry pullouts. We are forgoing uppers for $$$ costs and also b/c we have an open floor plan and do not want to be feel boxed in. We may put up an open shelve to store plates, cups, bowls that we use daily.
We only have the three base cabinets that are not housing something (trash, sink, dishwashers, or corner cabs.) and I want to be efficient with them.
We are using Shiloh semi-custom inset, I wonder if there is an upcharge to switch those two to 4 drawers, that might be the determining factor, I am not sure if they even offer it.