I considered both and, I think that, asthetically, Monogram and Sub-Zero are pretty close, though Monogram doesn't have the separate fridge/freezer compressors, as far as I know. Monogram is a tad larger in the 48" config., but Sub Zero definitely has the name cache, if youÂre considering resale. If the discount makes it attractive to you, IÂd say go for it; if weÂre talking minor money, IÂd probably stick with Sub-Zero just for the name (sad, but true). (PS-I currently am having some issues with Monogram serviceÂnot on a fridgeÂbut hopefully it will eventually get fixed. Some people here have also reported Sub-Zero/Wolf service issues, so IÂd say thatÂs half dozen of one, six of the other.)

-Susan W.

SZ has a better warranty-up to 12 years on some parts. And SZ does have separate cooling systems, and a better (IMO) use of interior space-more usable space.

If all was equal, the SZ is a better machine. But, if the money is right, go with the GE.

I have to disagree. Twin compressors does not make the SZ the better machine. The Monogram uses a much more advanced single compressor on a variable speed drive and 3 evap coils with computer controlled valves to control where the refrigerant goes. This can provide greater cooling capacity to the fridge section when being loaded with larger quantities of food for more rapid cool down if the capacity is not needed in the other compartment. Also the seperately temp controlled lower drawer for fast defrost or rapid chill.

JC,

Where did you find about the details on the Monogram?

I have read about the GE Profile dual evaporator but nothing about the GE Monogram.

I am surprised to hear that the pricing is not significantly different. When I priced both a few months ago the SZ was significantly higher. Maybe our opinion of significant is different.

I am also interested in the comparisons since my wife really likes the Monogram. Of course that may be the only comparison I need but I would still like to hear others. I know the Monogram comes with ice and water in the door which I like. I don't believe the SZ does. I also know there is the compressor difference and as I see here there are different opinions on that. Other than those what else is there?

Some of the details are stated in the Monogram appliance catalog but mostly I lifted the upper cover of my fridge and looked it over real good. The wiring and controls diagram was in an envelope up there too. The Eaton variable speed compressor and controller are easy to see just inside the front cover. Follow the refrigerant tubing to trace the circuit (an exploded view from the GE Parts web site helps) and you will find the control valves.

I just recently had a 42" monogram with dispenser installed in my newly renovated kitchen. Prior to purchasing, I called Monogram to ask about the dual evaporators. They confirmed the dual evaporators. Temperature control is excellent and it is the quietest fridge I have ever owned. Anyone know about cleaning the condenser coils? I didn't see anything in the manual regarding cleaning the coils?

I was intending to go with the Monogram because of the price and because I wanted to rebel against my MIL who insisted SZ was the ONLY fridge to consider. I went to our local Karls and checked the display 48 sxs Monogram out. Two of the pull-out drawers were broken and the salesman couldn't get them to operate properly. This would make me angry if it happened in my own (built-in fridges are SO expensive, they really should be well made!). I asked to see the SZ just for fun, and not only did everything operate flawlessly, everything about it just seemed more solid. In my mind, the comparison was of getting into a really nice car with leather seats and a door that shuts with a "thunk" vs. getting into a compact car. Both will get you where you want to go, but one will do it MUCH more comfortably than the other.

I decided that for a built-in fridge I'd rather pay upfront and hopefully avoid issues/regrets down the road. MY SZ 632O will be delivered Jan. 23!

However, no one was offering me any monster discount on the Monogram. I'm certain that would have mattered in my decision, especially if I could use that discount down the road if the thing broke down, or possibly toward an extended warranty or something. Find out the cash difference. If the Monogram gets anywhere near half the price of a SZ I'd grab the deal!

We are starting our renovations next week on a house we took possession. The kitchen will be my wifeÂs dream kitchen. She knew from the start she wanted the SZ. In December I put a deposit on the Monogram.

We have 5 kids and needed something big. We had planned to have the large side by side SZ and then maybe add the SZ drawer for extra refrigeration. My wife wanted more space for refrigeration and didnÂt need so much for the freezer. I did some research and for the same money we purchased the Monogram 72" (which is really 2 of the 36" units). HOWEVER, the promotion was that you get a free Monogram dishwasher with each fridge (2 dishwashers in our case) and you could choose any model in the monogram line. We were supposed to buy 2 Miele DWÂs so this saved us quite a bit.

We are in Montreal so I am not sure if they offer these incentives in the US. I was told they did this to help increase market share here.

Wow -- what a great incentive! Wish we had that here. I have priced out the 48" SZ and Monogram (with discount) that we have been considering, and the difference seems to be about 2k. That made be lean toward GE but am now concerned about broken drawers, etc. Does anyone out there love their Monogram 48"???

On shopping.com the GE Monogram® ZISS480DRSS is given terrible ratings. I am trying to decide what to buy for our kitchen remodel and am torn between my husband wanting the GE Monogram and the fact that I want the Sub Z. It seems that they all have bad marks somewhere. HELP. I still really believe that the Sub Z has food preservation design features that GE never thought of.

rbll

I would take those reviews with a grain of salt, just like I do the CR reviews.

High-end appliances are small production items, consequently finding reviews of them is difficult. People tend to vent more about negative experiences than positive ones, so there is a definite skewing of reviews on low-production items.

I have a 36" bottom freezer Monogram. We've only had it installed for around 1 month, but so far I love it. I'll keep people posted on it as time goes on.

If we have problems, I'll get it fixed. I look at it the same way as a person purchasing a MB or Jaguar. You have to go in knowing it will be in the shop a bit, but that's the trade-off you make for style and performance. If that doesn't suit your needs, Acura and Lexus are very dependable options.

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a "Lexus" of built-in fridges. All of them seem to fall into the MB category. At least GE and SubZero have long track records, and service people who can fix them.

wwe have a 42" SxS Monogram and had it since September 2006. No issues, love the fridge! Only complaint that it was making a squeeky noise when the freezer door was opened, but WD40 took care of that right away.

Not sure about the SZ, but Monogram has a rapid chill/thaw option in one of the drawers, very handy!

As far as the discount (which we got since DH works for GE), it is absolutely fantastic for the employee (and it is limited to 1 fridge purchase every 3 years) but not too big for "friends and family". However, the best "friends and familuy" discount was offered for Monogram, for the Profile line it was just ok. considering that Monogram (at least in US) never has any substantial sale promotions in stores, the discount from GE could make a big difference.

You are right about those GE F&F discounts.... Some Monogram appliances (eg, DW) end up being less than comparable Profile ones. Bizarre.

Yes, I love my GE all fridge/all freezer. That is one decision I was most nervous about (spacewise). I was so nervous, I kept my extra fridge and freezer in the basement. Now, they are just taking up energy and room. I have no experience with the SZ (although we did consider it - price won) so I can't comment on those. I was more concerned about storage space for large parties.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my GE Monogram side-by-side!!! The food keeps for a long time and the features like the quick chill/fast defrost are great. The parts are very well made. There is a lot of room in the freezer because the ice maker is on the door not inside the freezer compartment. I would highly recommend it.

We truly love our Monogram 48". Its going on 3 years old now. Performs beautifully. 3 independant climate control zones, digital control variable speed compressor, built like a tank. The drawers are very well built. The likely problem with the monogram the poster above saw with the floor model was a salesman that did not know how to reinstall the bin into its steel frame. They remove for easy cleaning but the reinstall, while easy if you know how, is not intuative. I have reinstalled these on floor models in stores several times and the salesfolks thought the fridge was broken. The drawers have very well build roller bearing glides on the drawers.

We also installed the refrigerated drawers. Don't know how we got along without them. SOOO convienient to store salad fixens under the prep counter!

I'm glad to see all the positive comments on the GE monogram side by side. The Kitchen Aid is another brand we were considering. Can anyone comment on a 48 inch sxs KA compared to the GE Monogram. One has a tower light. The other doesn't. I guess I am mainly concerned with reliablity, noise and the ability to keep foods fresh longest. We have been shopping for all new appliances for our soon to be newly built kitchen and I have been analyzing appliances for a year now. I need to finalize my selection and just now discovered gardenweb and all the great folks with so much great information. I did not want to spend the money on a SZ or Viking SxS and hope that the savings that comes with the monogram or KA does not mean sacrifice in quality. Also, I am not crazy about the amount of space that an ice dispenser requires on the freezer door. Are there any that have just a water dispenser? Any advice would be appreciated.

Check out the availabilty of "Scratch and Dent" discounts in your area. I purchased a 42 inch Monogram for $2500 a couple years ago. Report said the refer was stored on its "side". I noticed large scratch on the stainless steel compressor panel, which appliance dealer replaced free of charge before delivery. Make sure refer is upright for at least same length of time it was stored incorrectly.

My local appliance dealer quoted me prices on the GE 48" Monogram and the 48" SZ and the price difference was $150. Can that be right? I thought the Monogram was supposed to be quite a bit less than the SZ.

I have not priced them. But consumer reports says GE Monogram ZIC360NR[SS) cost them $6,400 and Sub-zero 650F, $5,700!

In terms of price, with Subzero the price is the price... dealers do not have the ability to cut you a deal below the minimum retail price set by the distributor (if they do, they risk losing their ability to sell the product).

It is very different with GE. Dealers have a lot more flexibility. I ended up paying $2500 less for my GE bottom freezer (equivalent to the SZ 650) than the SZ, but I had to shop pretty hard to get that price. I found a HUGE variation in the GE pricing and no variation in the Subzero pricing.

Does anyone have the free standing SXS Monogram? It's beautiful , but very pricy. I'd love to hear your experience with this model.

Bethv, is your's the freestanding model?

did any of you consider the liebherr? the new 36" model is out - I've been considering it instead of the SZ650...

Jab913
In my research, the Subzero 695 has the external ice and it's actually ncie because the ice comes from the fridge portion which doesn't require the freezer side to lose as much area for the dispenser part. Just thought I'd let you know cuz I have seen the Subzero 48" side by side with external ice. If I wasn't on a tight budget and could stomach paying $8500 for a fridge I would definately go for it but even if the fridge lasts 20 years....it's still $8500!

I've been offered the 48" GE Monogram for $5500 and now am debating whether this is a deal to good to pass up because I ahve been looking for these exact dimensions for fridgeration. either 30" fridge 18" freezer columns or 48" SZ.

anyone- any advice on whether to rush and get the GE 48" or wait to be 100% sure.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I will tell you that I work for Monogram. That said, I will refrain from giving my opinion and will stick to facts.

Monogram has recently upgraded their built-in side by sides. They now have better lighting and more usable capacity than the previous versions. There are now two light towers in the freshfood section (vs. 1) as well as LED lighting added to the ceiling of the two drawers at the bottom. The old models had 3 1/2 shelves while the new one have 5 full shelves and an additional drop down shelf. These are available now. These are "X" model year units.

You mentioned that the dispenser on the Sub Zero does not rob space from the freezer section. That is true. However, it does take space from the fresh food section. If capacity is a concern consider the following: the Monogram 48" with dispenser has a total of 30.7 cubic feet of capcity while the Sub has 28. Another consideration is that the ice and water on the Monogram is filtered. The Sub has no water filtration.

If you are energy conscious, the Monogram is Energy Star qualified and the Sub Zero is not.

There has been some discussion of reliability in this thread. The May 2007 issue of Consumer Reports had a Brand Repair History report. In this report, they surveyed over 950,000 consumers regarding the repair history of their appliances. In the side-by-side with ice/water dispenser category, Monogram was rated 2nd (Whirlpool #1) for lowest % of units requiring a repair (15%). Sub Zero was ranked dead last (24%).

What is interesting about this report is that it is not the opinion of Consumer Reports but the actual experience of hundreds of thousands of consumers. A more recent survey of brand repair history came out about a month ago and Monogram is now ranked #1 for reliability in this category. Sub Zero was not on the list of brands in this most recent report.

I hope this helps. Both are fine refrigerators and I hope are pleased with whichever one you chose.

I do not work for for anyone just a consumer. Is the Monagram a new model? From what I can tell the difference in cost/year is about 6-8$/yr not a deal breaker. The new Subs appear to have upgraded lighting on the top and at the bottom at the back. The Subs will have water filtering and air filtering of the fresh side.

Statistics/numbers are real interesting if you doubt it check how the Politicans play with numbers. How many of the 950,000 people were Sub responders vs Whirlpool responders. Example 100,000 Whirls pool and 5,000 Subzero. 24% is 1,200 people the 15% of 100,000 is 15,000 people. Who do you think would complain more someone who paid $2500 or someoine who paid $7,000.

What I would like to know is what were the problems of each and how quickly was it repaired.

For size I measure the shelve space, drawer opening WxDxH and how far it opens (Full or Partial) and door shelves length and width. The measuring also should include the freezer. Check the Thermador Columns small door LxWXH shelves in both freezer and fridge. Keep all the misc items on the doors and leave the fridge for food is my goal.

I also like the new Inset design of the Subs that allow you to get the doors truely flush with the cabinet face and still have the same room in the fridge.

The crisper/delii drawers of the Sub is 2-3 deg cooler than the main fridge so the main is 37-38 deg the bottom section is 34-35 deg which is ideal for lots of different products.

The drawers open fully as compared to 2/3 by most manufacturers do not know about the Monogram.

Just my 2 cents

I think that asking what the service techs' think is a better approach: Tech Recommendation

I agree about the Techs opinion on what they see and what they fix and how big a deal it would be.

OK almost to much information to process. We are looking to purchase a CD 36" model and want to know more about the new CD 36" unit from Liebherr. Anybody with any information on this new model from Liebherr. We understand it is out this month. Thanks

"Monogram has recently upgraded their built-in side by sides. They now have better lighting and more usable capacity than the previous versions. There are now two light towers in the freshfood section (vs. 1) as well as LED lighting added to the ceiling of the two drawers at the bottom. The old models had 3 1/2 shelves while the new one have 5 full shelves and an additional drop down shelf. These are available now. These are "X" model year units."

The additional shelves are nice but you did not mention that you lose the rapid defrost/cool drawer. I never thought I would use this as much as I do. When we have parties or guests you can keep chilling drinks in the drawer. It will actually take warm beer/soda and have it cold in about 15 minutes. The defrost function is not as useful. The fridge works great but probably could have gotten at least one more shelf from its 30 sq ft.