I have the freedom columns in my kitchen but I have only had them since February and I have had not problems. I love them, everybody loves the clean lines. I will say that my local thermador dealer said to have them professionally installed because the doors, handles and unit came seperately. There is a guy here that does so that so no problem - but not exactly cheap, he also installed my double oven, dw, icemaker, refrigerator drawers, compactor and cooktop. He was very precise and it took him and 2 helpers at least 1 1/2 hours to do just the fridge and freezer, mostly because he was so picky, he noticed how imperfect the cabinet door was above the units - I never would have seen it. Can you say OCD? But he is perfect for installation. Anyway my guess is the bad experience was based on the fact that you don't just unwrap it and plug it in.

Thermador now offers some "framed and pre-assembled" packages for easier installation, but I don't know which models specifically have it. Check out their website.

I'm in Oklahoma too and was steered away from the Thermadors. The dealer I visited in Oklahoma City said he'd had installation issues and recommended the Sub-Zero 700 series instead. I'm still planning on the Thermador columns. I figure if no one around here will sell them, I'll order online and just hope I can get them installed.

The problem with the doors is that they aren't plug n play like the installers are used to. May not be so much an issue with custom panels since the cabinet installer generally puts those on, but with stainless, they are shipped separately. That protects them in transit and the initial part of the installation when so many SS doors and side get dinged or scratched. When mine were installed, they shipped all the brackets and seals separately too. The guys said it was a lot different than the typical built-in fridge that was more like a DW -- plug it in, slide it back and set a couple of screws. If it needed panels, the cabinet guy would come back to do those. Mine are stainless, so it was a lot different.

The fussed a bit over the installation since it was the first they'd done, but they took the time to look at the instructions and do it right. My contractor's guys didn't want to look at installation instructions, the guides to make sure they got wiring placed correctly, etc. They got to do a few things over. My fridge was installed once and correctly. I've had it 2-1/2 years now and love it.

I say you salesman has installers that can't bother to read directions or try anything new. If it is different, you don't need it. So he thinks.

nutherokie, if you have problems getting anyone to install them, the instructions are quite detailed and complete. A couple of folks here have done them DIY and they looked fabulous. I know I've seen them in a light wood, contemporary kitchen that was DIY installation, but I can't remember the name of the owner. Good luck -- you'll love the columns.

Lascatx -
You were one of the very first that I recall getting Thermador Columns and I followed all your postings regarding them. And now I have them and have been very happy with them...but, just recently my freezer unit started to be quite noisy. Until that time I never knew if the units were running or not they were so quiet. And a couple days ago another person posted the same thing...

So I was just wondering if you ever encountered that and if so what the outcome was? Thanks! Deb

Thanks Lascatx for the tip on the Thermador installation instructions. I looked them up on the website and while they look complicated, they also look very thorough!

I just saw that thread about the noise. Mine are still running quietly. I can sometimes hear the freezer, but not very much and I suspect it is during a defrost -- not regular operation.

Check to see if you might have hit the super chill button to the left of the temp window. That drops the temp to something like 27 below. I have used that setting a couple of times and you do hear it running then. I haven't looked it up, but I thought that setting was supposed to shut itself off after 24 hours or some period. If that were it, I would think you might have noticed really hard ice cream or something too. Anyway, that's the only thing I've noticed.

I can get a Thermador freedom 24" freezer and 24" fridge that is a floor model from a local dealer for $5,400. They will need panels. Can't make up my mind... should I go for it??? I need to decide quickly.

Here is a link that might be useful: Thermador Freedom column quality

I love mine, but that didn't seem like such a great deal. I paid about $6700 incl the stainless panels and handles when they first came out but that was part of a package and I knew it was a good price. I went and looked and it looks like those are selling for about $4000 each now, plus $250 each for the stainless panels and more for the handles. You can get the stainless panels and handles if you want, and that might be less than cabinet panels -- but at least you know what it would take for one option. If you are good with that, I'd go for it. I love mine.

BTW, do they have panels on them? Would they work as a contrasting finish in your kitchen -- if you painted? Just another option to consider since they probably won't be able to use them either.

The only major problem with the Thermador Freedom columns is having a qualified Thermador installer. They are very difficult to install and it is not a job for the weekend handyman or someone that just installs run-of-the-mill refrigerators.

My 30" refrigerator column and 24" freezer column have been problem free for 2 years. My only gripe was that a fairly insignificant part was made of poly foam and not of substantial plastic or metal. The doors are incredible with aircraft quality hinges. I weigh 200 lbs and I can do pull-ups on the doors.

Mine are very quiet. Sometimes I have a problem with the door edges becoming unattached. Not that hard to reattach them.

I purposefully bought the freezer without the ice making machine through the door. The icemaking machine is inside the freezer however. I much prefer it that way since the clean and sleek look of the stainless doors is unmarred by the disruptive look of the out of door machine. Plus I bought a Scotsman icemaking machine which I use all the time anyway.

Greg

babu - I disagree about the weekend handyman being able to install these. If you have a screwgun, some metric wrenches and a bit of muscle and here's the biggie - the ability to read and understand English or Spanish or German you can install a Freedom column correctly the first time. It will take a few hours but nothing is too complicated.

You re right about the wham bam fridge slam guys from Sears or BrandSmart, they generally aren't suited to this type install. Allow time, it's not gonna happen in the 26.25 minutes most co.'s allot for a fridge delivery.

I do't know if they have changed the instructions, but they were incredibly detailed. We had ours installed as part of our package so we were watching, but I looked at those instructions. Yeah -- you would have to actually read them but they seemed very detailed (19 pages comes to mind). And they were online in case the book got lost.

We have had our 24'' and 18'' fridge and freezer now about 1.5 years. They have been great in general but enough little issue to make me somewhat nervous. They cool great, ours remain virtually silent, keep very stable temps, and look fabulous.

Issues to date:
1) Ice maker died. Took three visits to fix, eventually entire unit was replaced.
2) The little plastic clips that are glued to the glass shelf that sits over the vegetable crisper fell off. Super easy to fix: one call to the customer service line, they took name and address and a few days a new panel arrived in the mail.
3) the fancy movable upper fridge shelf almost immediately stopped working. Sounds like a gear has stripped out. Too much hassle to try and fix and we never used it anyway.

So, not bulletproof but so far the guts of the machine are holding up well. I'm nervous about the reports of abrupt increase in noise from freezer but we'll see. As of today I'd still choose them, particularly as the closest alternative (SZ 700 series) didn't work for us--fridge too small, freezer too big. The SZ BI's are not fully integrated and would have looked terrible in our design. So, we'll keep our fingers crossed.