I have had issues with temp fluctuations in mine. I have one w/icemaker and one without. Both, have the temp issues. I would have to say it is likely because they have only one compressor. You really don't have a very good seal with these particular units. A dollar bill easily passes through the seal and the housing. From what I understand it is the dual compressors that keep this seal tight on the 30" model and the Sub Zeros, but I could be wrong. I can't say that food spoilage has been a problem, because things do stay fresh longer than in my old Electrolux and Amana, mainly due to higher humidity levels in the refer section from the passive cooling (frost builds up on the back interior wall, then melts). If I could do it over again, I would find something with dual compressors. (BTW, when I bought this I was led to believe it had dual compressors - I was incredibly ticked off to find out it LATER that it does not -only dual evaporators)

thanks so much, baver - although sorry to hear it (and to hear that your fridges are giving you problems) , this is very helpful.
barbara

thanks, dan - i'll look again at the vestfrost/summit.

I have the 24" Fagor and like it very much. You may want to check it out.

thanks, joycedc - i'll rethink the fagor also. i'd discounted fagor because it's less common here (in the us) and so i hadn't seen many reviews other than the '09 thread you participated in. but i will do more research.
barbara

joycedc - how quiet/noisy is your fagor fridge? i've read a posting or two on other sites complaining that the 24" fagor is noisy. since this is a small apartment with the kitchen open to the living/dining space, our fridge needs to be quiet.
i'm going to look at one this afternoon; hope i can plug it in and listen. (i know the showroom acoustics will be different from those in our apartment, though.)
thanks!

The Fagor fridge is new to the US market. I had a real problem finding one to see in person. Finally found one at the Porcelanosa in rockville, MD, but couldn't purchase through them. I dealt with fagor in NJ, and they were great.

The first night I had the Fagor, I freaked out when I suddenly heard these popping, cracking noises. I grabbed my manual and was very relieved to find out the noise was normal. The noise seldom happens now. I did hear noise yesterday after going to the grocery to restock my freezer (as my screen name implies, I live in Washington DC, and snow had prevented me from hitting the grocery store for a few weeks). I really don't notice it any longer.

I have a friend in NoVA who just redid her kitchen in November 2009 and after seeing my Fagor, she got one for herself and she is very happy. Where are you located? If you are near me, you are welcome to come visit and listen!

I love the huge deli and veggie/fruit drawers, too!

My downtown condo is very small. My kitchen is a whopping 56 square feet. My bed is within 15 feet of the Fagor, and I sleep fine. I'm attaching a link to some photos, and in the second row, second grom the left you can almost see my bed.

I hope this helps!

Joyce

Here is a link that might be useful: Joyce's tiny urban kitchen

Joyce - what a beautiful kitchen! and kind offer! (but we're in NYC and won't be in DC in the foreseeable future.)
Reassuring to hear your noise report. I was able to see a (not plugged in) Fagor yesterday - very nice fridge.
Thanks so much for your help. I hope you don't get snowed in again this winter - you DC folks have had so much more than your share!
best,
Barbara

Thank you for the compliments on my kitchen. It is almost 2 years old now, but I think it will always be the "new" kitchen for me!

Have you gone to the AJ Madison site and compared all the 24" brands? I found that to be very helpful. If I could have afforded a SubZero, I perhaps would have gone with it, but it was too expensive for me and it is 27" wide. With door clearance, that would mean alotting 30" while with Fagor I needed 27" In my small space every inch counted.

There is now a very cool looking black Fagor option. However, I personally wouldn't have spent the extra $520 for it.

Let me know what you decide!

There are two compressors in the 24" Vestfrost (= rebranded as Conserv, and several others , and one Summit model : the CP 171 )

Blomberg has two 24" models. Are there two compressors in the larger one?

GE has a 24" as well. Single compressor.

LG has two 24" models. Single compressor. I bought the bigger one.

Do the Fagor, Summit or Liebherr 24" models hold a gallon milk jug upright?
It seems like the Fagor and Liebherr are priced similarly and the Summit is almost half the cost of the other two. Is there a good reason (assuming you are fine with the aesthetics of all three) to spend another $1K on the Lieb or Fagor?

The Fagor doesn't hold a gallon jug in the door. I don't know about the others.

Fagor and Liebherr both have 13 cf of space (9.89 [Fagor]and 9.7 [Lieb]to the fridge, and 3.11 [Fagor]and 3.3 [Lieb] to the freezer). The Summit CP171 has 12 cf. Fagor and Lieb are frost freeze and the Summit is not.

The Fagor (at least on thre AJ Madison site costs $1979, the Lieb CS131 $2799 and the Summit CP 171 $1129.

For me the extra cf of space plus never having to defrost the freezer is totally worth the $850 difference in price between the Fagor and the Summit. I personally couldn't justify the $820 price difference between the Fagor and the Liebherr.

Everyone is different in what they like and what features are important to them.

In my opinion, Davidro1 has cornered the market on the mechanical knowledge of and differences between these appliances, so I defer to him for more technical observations.

The Liebherr will hold a gallon jug on the door.

I measured all these fridges. Inside. I multiplied the inches and divided to get cubic feet. I did the same exercise for many commercial fridges too.

Commercial fridges always had accurate documentation.
Residential fridges never did.

In commercial fridges, the stated capacity is an accurate volume number.
In residential fridges, the stated capacity is just a number. Anything "nominal". Nothing related to reality. They are still being honest, since the number is a general indication of order of magnitude.

It gets a bit dishonest when they start dividing the "general" and "nominal" number into decimal parts. It misleads us all into thinking there is a correlation with real capacity.

Executive Summary:
(Or, all you really need to know:)

Inside the Summit is as much space as inside the competitors' fridges, and nobody has lied.
It's either the same volume, or just about.

Thanks for your responses. I should've been clearer. Can you fit a gallon of milk upright somewhere in the refrigerator that is not on the door?
Maybe these refrigerators are better than the ones I grew up with, but I never liked putting my milk on the door because it didn't get cold enough there.

Yes, a gallon of milk will fit upright in the Fagor. The shelves are adjustable (and I believe the shelves in the others are adjustable, too).

Yesterday my husband and I saw the Liebherr, Fagor, Blomberg, and 27" Subzero. I think we'll go with the Subzero, despite the higher price and wider width. Dual compressors, sturdiness, no manual defrosting, icemaker, interior dimensions, and layout all appealed to us, as well as reports we've heard about good service in our area.
Thanks so much, everyone, for your help with this decision!
Barbara

That will be beautiful, Barbara! Please post pictures when you are done!

barb4000, how big is the price difference between 24" Liebherr and 27" Subzero?

The freestanding Liebherr w/o ice maker was about $2,500 or 2,600 IIRC and the SZ 700 TCI is about $6,600 + panels.

The SZ is my first choice but my budget scowls upon it. The price delta versus the Liebherr gets me a 24" Bluestar and a bottom of the line Miele DW.

thanks for supplying the pricing info, wolfgang80.
revisited fridges yesterday and realized that the subzero 27" won't provide enough access in its width if the door is not able to open much beyond 90 degrees. it's possible that will be our situation, so we are reconsidering...i guess we'll decide eventually...