Sub Zero Built-in alternative? What's wrong w/GE Monogram/Kit Aid
Comments (15)
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10 years agoRelated Discussions
Are Wolf and SubZero worth the price?
Comments (10)Having moved frequently I have had KA, Miele, sub zeroes , may tag and GE refrigerators. The present home's built in was a subzero that failed after 15 years. Shopping around I bought a subzero for just under 9 thousand this past summer. The prices were 8700 with free delivery, 9700 plus a 250 delivery charge, and another store was charging 9700 with free delivery. I had assumed that all stores were selling the unit at the same cost. Husband was pissed that I had to spend so much. I had looked at monogram and LG units along with a few other refrigerator but either I did not like the shelves or the replacement fridge would not fit in the refrigerator cabinet. Back in 2000 I had to replace another failed subzero that was 16 years old. The price at this time was 3 grand. I was stunned to see the six thousand inflation price. I owned a small Miele with a single door and under freezer. The unit was only five feet high but held a nice assortment of groceries while keeping the food fresh for days. This small Miele held more groceries than a side by side GE refrig I had when living in Atlanta. Bigger does not mean better! Having had side by sides and the single door panel I prefer the Miele and the subzero. What makes the difference is shelving space. The subzero is designed to hold a huge amount of food so I can pack a turkey along with all the holiday prep in the subzero whereas with the side by side I had to use the garage shelving as my back up refrig. I live in the northeast so temps are below freezing by November . A few times I had to scramble placing the garage store good in coolers when the temperatures hit fifty. There are many spacious refrigerators out there that are lower in cost than a sub zero but I found that it was only a two grand price difference . I could have bought a less expensive fridge but it would have sat bizarre in the kitchen cabinet. I love my subzero but there are other great options on the market that function just as well. I strongly believe that the single or french door refrigs give you the best use of space and having the freezer below is also an easy stock option. I trimmed by monthly expenses for a few weeks to negate my subzero just to calm the hubby down. Think of buying your fridge with how you will use it and what you can afford. Good luck...See MoreTo Sub-Zero or not to Sub-Zero, that is the question...
Comments (22)I could certainly be wrong but from the sound of your post you sound like someone who has "aspired" to have a SubZero fridge not necessarily for a functional reason but to have the brand. It sounds as if you're going all out - two Miele dishwashers, etc. - so why not just go for the SZ? If you think about all the people who have been keeping their food chilled without investing in SZ, there has to be something people "value" about SZ other than it's functional ability to keep food chilled or frozen that would make them pay the premimum price. Could be appearance, appeal of saying you have the brand, etc. In any case if you want one and want to spend the $ go for it. It seems you can count on repairs with any brand these days - kind of like luxury auto brands. Just because you spend alot doesn't mean it will be trouble free....See MoreSub-Zero or KitchenAid Built-In Refrigerator?
Comments (35)I've had a KA for a little over three years and I've been happy with it so far. I had nothing any more upscale than a basic Whirlpool fridge prior to this - Whirlpool brands have served me well - so this was more than adequate for me. Some good friends needed several repairs on their relatively new SZ fridge and went out of their way to recommend I not get one. Obviously lots of people are delighted with SZ but since people I actually know were not, that did influence my decision. I did want a built in with cabinet panels and KA was outrageously expensive enough - no way I was going to pay thousands more than that. For that I would expect flawless performance for at least 15 years and I just don't think they make appliances that way any more. What might have been great quality 20-30 years ago I really don't think is the same these days - SZ or otherwise....See MoreIs Sub Zero fridge worth it?
Comments (72)hvtech42 - I'm looking at refrigerators now and agree with you. My situation is my almost 20 year old KA side by side is still working fine (has some very minor cosmetic issues). But I'm replacing my kitchen floor. So - if I ever want to replace the KA before it dies - now's the time to do it. When I look at the build quality of refrigerators (at least the stuff I can see and handle - drawers - shelves and the like) - the current SZs seem to have the build quality of my old KA. The new KAs are a lot worse. Some models of some brands like Samsung and LG seem to have better build quality than KA. So I am confused at this point. Also - when I got price quotes - the cheapest SZ quote was $7400 for a 36" side by side. Is that reasonable? I find it kind of maddening that getting price quotes on these things is like pulling teeth. Nothing on line or over the phone. I don't have problems getting price quotes on $75k cars or $1000/night hotel rooms. I think the notion that if you have to ask what something costs you can't afford it is ridiculous. Most people who wind up having money to spend didn't get there by being cost-oblivious. I live in a somewhat higher end house - but don't give a hoot about resale. I'm in my late 60's - and figure my next stop is a nursing home.or grave. My primary concern is build quality that leads directly to reliability. In the end - a refrigerator isn't a design statement. It's a utility stream. I have never had a refrigerator fail. Not even the low end harvest gold one in my first condo. That I gave to my late mother in the mid-1970's when I remodeled my kitchen (it was still humming when that house was sold in 2005). Or the super cheap ($175) bare bones absolute bottom of the line 20 year old one from Montgomery Ward that we use in our garage to store things like beer and water. Have needed some repairs on ice makers over the decades - but that seems to be par for the course with any brand. Refrigerators that fail seems to be a new phenomenon in recent years. Is my perception wrong? Finally - when I moved where I live now (almost 20 years ago) - there was no outfit that serviced high end appliances in terms of warranty work. Now there is. And it's the same outfit that will do the warranty work not only on your $10k SZ - but someone else's $800 Whirlpool. First come - first served. This alone would give me pause about a SZ (the repair outfit in question isn't the worst in town - but it's far from the best either - the best today IMO doesn't do any warranty work at all now). It's kind of like paying for concierge medical care - and having to wait a long time in waiting rooms to see doctors who are also seeing lots of Medicaid patients. Perhaps this sounds snobby. But - if I paid such a large amount of money for an appliance - I would expect not only a superior product - but superior service as well on the hopefully few and far between occasions when I needed it. Robyn...See Morebeantownrenovator
10 years agobreezygirl
10 years agoHi Beantown. I would have loved having a fully integrated fridge in my new kitchen but it was out of my budget many times over. I didn't want a regular fridge, though, either. Even a regular BI unit was out of my budget so I called appliance stores for floor models and scoured ebay and CL for a couple of months. I scored a 36" BI KA on ebay for just over $3K. I've been very happy with it. I've never had an ice maker--what a luxury! Since we live in a colder, rainier climate mass quantities of ice aren't necessary. This ice maker more than keeps up with us.
The freezer has enough of an organizational system that I don't really have to dig around much. I also keep a regular fridge and an upright freezer in the garage.
The crisper drawers are large but aren't quite enough to hold all our produce. No fridge would, though, as we go through large quantities. All my veggies and fruit stays fresh for a long time if I forget something needs to be cooked.
I'm still shocked after 18 months at how quiet it is. I'm very noise sensitive, and in our whole house reno, we opened up the kitchen to the FR. I was nervous about hearing a fridge run whilst enjoying a read in the FR. I'm very pleased at rarely hearing the unit run, and even then its very quiet. Of course, you can hear the ice maker drop ice.
I'm very happy I splurged on this KA. I'd happily buy it again if I had to make the choice again.
c9pilot
10 years agoattofarad
10 years agoredoingit
10 years agoUser
10 years agoWhen you can build in a standard depth refrigerator, what
s the point of the expense of going to a built in that isn't that disguised to begin with? Sure, a fully integrated fridge is a HUGE visual difference, but a standard built it, not so much.Standard regular depth refrigerater "built in". It's not difficult to design your kitchen with extra deep counters or to recess a regular fridge to achieve this look. And you get a LOT more storage.
Built in. (Doesn't fool anyone and costs a lot extra.)
Fully integrated. The whole reason to pay for an upgraded "invisible" fridge. It's playing hide and seek and removes itself from the appliance category into the furniture one.
(It's the mirrored cabinet, fully invisible.)
(The "armoire" is the fridge.)
cookncarpenter
10 years agoLiebherr is another fully integrated option that hasn't been mentioned yet. Ours was about $2k less than the same size SZ. We have had it about four months now, and absolutely love it. The height did take a bit of getting used to, as it is a full foot taller than the 27 year old "built in" Amana it replaced.
FmrQuahog
10 years agododge59
10 years agocookncarpenter
10 years agoFmrQuahog
10 years agoxedos
10 years agowekick
10 years ago
FmrQuahog