I didn't get to see the Miele yesterday, but poked around at SZ and many other fridges, and I agree. The SZ was significantly sturdier than the Liebherr, in a class by itself in that showroom. The Thermador integrated columns had the best fit. I liked the shelves and other usability features of the Electrolux. There were some nice Frigidaires. And the Jenn-air had the flimsiest shelves in the showroom, I thought.

A 48" counter-depth or built-in is not that big, capacity-wise. I don't remember any SZ fridge on bottom models.

I have had a Liebherr 36" fully integrated model for nearly two years and am very pleased with it. It has great fit and finish, is quiet, well laid out and I love the cocktail type ice cubes much better than the crescent shaped ones that are produced by most refrigerator icemakers. I find the Liebherr to be sturdy enough for its intended purpose, so I don't know what parts would be sturdier out of necessity in Zub-Zero or Miele models.

I have had a sub-zero for the past 5 years, and it's been fine, however, just the whole look and shelf extension of the Miele knocked my socks off. We are going with the 36" inch freezer and the 36" refrigerator.

36+36=72" of food storage...yikes! I thought 48" was a lot, but I am getting more used to the idea. For the amount of $$, however, I want to make sure I am getting the best of the best and can live with the configuration...too many decisions. Anyone know about Dacor?

Hey, a question I might be able to field! I feel so smart today!

I was in a Dacor showroom two days ago and the rep told me that Dacor has contracted with Liebherr to make their refrigeration and Asko for their diswashers, but these items are not out yet. I thought he said an October release. The refrigerator would be a french door style similar to the Liebherr 36"--larger units would incorporate the "tower" concept. I don't know about other sizes. The dishwashers would have 3 pricing levels and then a selection of doors to match the various Dacor lines.

Currently, Kitchenaid makes their refrigerators and Dacor makes their own dishwashers.

And for what it is worth, I've decided on the Liebherr over the SubZero mostly on the price point issue. I really like the SZ, but I thought it quite insane to spend almost half my appliance budget on a refrigerator--and that was $2000 I could use to upgrade my range.

I think the Liebherr will be just right, although I do wish they offered the option of right and left swinging doors along with the French door. The Miele, the Gaggeneau were absolutely beautiful, but $8000? I just couldn't go there.

I own a Liebherr and am very happy with it. DD has SZs -- the full fridge and freezer + drawers and they like them.

SZ and Miele are in a slightly different class than Liebherr I think from the standpoint of build quality.

I examined the Miele and feel it equals and edges out the SZ however. The lighting is superb. I prefer the interior configuration. The freezer basket is made from a special material. There are electronics that no other fridge has. It just won a JD Power award (if you put any weight on that) for energy savings.

Any of the 3 is a good choice. Price is always a consideration so if you ask for best value there is one answer, most popular is another answer and overall best a third. Don't feel you can go wrong with any of these.

I'm not so much for Dacor as I don't see anything they do value or quality wise to pull the choice in that direction though designers tend to like the brand.

Right now I am just considering these 3. I just don't want to be sorry after-the-fact. I want to make sure I have enough space in the refrigerator section, especially. I have never had counter-depth and this is what worries me....

We weren't *going* to replace the fridge in the remodel, but then DH saw the Miele and all was lost. He gave up replacing his '97 Altima this year, and I gave up 12" of pantry. So far, he still thinks it was worth it.

We opted for the 18" freezer + 30" fridge. Unless you have a *very* small family/don't shop much/only buy for parties, I'd be loathe to go smaller. We have a family of four and cook *a lot* - I felt like my old French Door was always crammed to bursting.

It really feels different than a standard fridge - being shallow and wide makes a huge difference. I don't feel like I could cram as much in there, but I also don't feel like I have to - there's isn't any place for the old stuff to lurk, so it always gets thrown out. We're still working on layout, but with the CSA basket this summer, having one drawer for fruits and one for veg is working out really well - it all fits, even in massive quantities. (Of course this causes meat/deli/cheese to divide up between the shelf and drawer, but it still seems okay.) I also like that when winter hits, I can change one of the drawers to "meat" and condense my non-root veg and fruit down to one bin.

It is *really* hard to lose something in the Miele, and given that I'm the condiment queen, that's saying something. (I'm one of those people that has soy sauce, fish sauce, and three kinds of mustard - the door trays are great for that.)

The freezer definitely holds more than your standard side by side freezer, even with the ice maker. I think the weirdest thing is that the door bins are actually useful - the freezer is so cold that we can put gelato in the door and it's still hard as a rock when we take it out. Like the fridge, it's easy to be well organized and have high visibility. But there is no way you're going to fit a standard size cookie sheet in there - if that's crucial to you, keep looking. And if you're a big freezer user, you're going to want a something bigger than the 18" or a deep freeze. I have a small chest freezer, though I'm beginning to mock it for being so inferior. ;-) If I had the wall space, we would have opted for two 30" and I would have gotten rid of the chest freezer.

I've always hated side by sides with a passion and never want one again. Luckily, the 18" x 30" layout doesn't feel like one - it feels like what it is: a giant refrigerator with a skinny freezer. So the layout is working for me, much to DH's delight - I fought long and hard against it, and just a couple months later, don't know if I could ever go back. It's just soooo good at keeping food fresh and keeping us organized.

Last note - how tall are you? The Miele top shelf is pretty high - well out of my kids (and MIL's) reach. I've got long arms, so it doesn't bother me - I made it a shallow shelf and wedge cartons of eggs up there. But if reach is a problem, then a fridge with a lower reach might be better.

We seriously considered the Miele French Door, but ultimately decided we needed just a little more room. I think if it had been just the two of us (or if we didn't entertain so much) it would have been fine.

Good luck!

I have a 30" built-in Liebherr. I've had it for less than a year and a half. I have had the service technician out a number of time on freezer issues. I am NOT happy. There have been many others on this and other consumer websites echoing problems with the freezer. I cannot recommend the Liebherr as I feel two malfunctions that required multiple service visits and time-off from work, on a high-priced unit, in such a short period of time unacceptable. Couple that with the nonchalance of the Liebherr service representative as poor customer service or disregard, for me, equals buyer beware. I believe Liebherr had to recall some models for door problems a little while ago. I wouldn't be surprised if this freezer issue finds them doing likewise for freezer problems.

I keep hearing about freezer issues with Liebherr....it scares me!

I love my Liebherr HCS 2062. It's a first generation of the 36" FD, fully-integrated units. It was installed in November '08 and I've had approximately 4 service calls on it (mainly for the doors) over a 2 year period. In fact, the 2062's doors have now been completely re-engineered since the first generations hit the field. On the last service call, just a few weeks ago, Liebherr replaced my doors with the new ones. So far, they work just fine! This model has never been recalled and I know of no other Liebherr model that has been.

I must say that I've had a great relationship with Liebherr National Service (which is actually Adco Service). The local appliance tech is both knowledgeable about Liebherr products and competent. Although I wish I would never have to place a service call on such an expensive product, I am rather philosophical about the service history thus far -- especially given that it's a first generation machine. What I do know is that my Liebherr is a much more sophisticated, complex cooling machine than the $600 Maytag it replaced! It keeps my food fresher longer, has great capacity, is super quiet and is gorgeous to boot. Moreover, despite frequent comments to the contrary by some posters, its innards are sufficiently "sturdy." And so far, in the few times I've had a performance issue, that issue has not been further complicated by problems with service.

I think that, in the world of consumer appliances, user mileage can vary greatly. In most cases, there are just way too many factors beyond the manufacturer's control to say that every machine off the assembly line will be a lemon or a dream machine. Now, of course, we all know there are bona fide appliance lemons on the market. (Indeed, based on my individual experience alone -- I think I can name one or two.) :-) However, there are also those consumers whose claim of product superiority for certain appliances can resemble some kind of cult worship. My own experience with my Liebherr is probably that of substantially moderated "adoration." That is, despite a few kinks so far, I remain a highly satisfied customer in general. I certainly don't think I made a mistake in buying a Liebherr and I still recommend the product to others. But again, YMMV.