Maggie, nine years ago I bought the totally untested Thermador Freedom Series Columns. I picked them over the SubZero because they were the first to lift the interior and get rid of the ventilation panel overhead -- something I really hated about the old built-ins, but it also meant the bottom drawer wasn't nearly on the ground and in the freezer the ice was at a convenient height (had two kids in marching band -- we went through at least 2-3 gallons of ice every day during marcing season. Nine trouble free years later, I have no hesitation recommending Thermador (which includes Bosch, Miele and Gaggenau). And I got one of the first ones -- before the bugs were worked out. SubZero is the other top name for full size built in refrigeration with KA being a not to distant 2nd (but chek the opening of the drawers - required a more than 90 deggree open door back then - don't know if it's better now). For undercounter, it's SubZero, Perlick and maybe Uline.

I'm just finishing a kitchen renovation and went back and forth on whether to buy a 48" built in side by side SZ or the GE monogram with custom panels. Loved the sub zero but it had slightly less usable square inches in the freezer than the monogram and it was $1800 more expensive. Read all the problems with mold and cooling for GE and am still concerned, but went with it anyway (model ZiS480NX)because we needed the extra freezer space. The GE customer service reps, who were far and away the most helpful of any fridge manufacturer (throughout this process I talked to Jenn-Air, Kitchenaid, Thermador, SZ, etc), told me that many of the parts are now being manufactured in TN not China because of all the probs they have had. Don't know if that is true, but clearly I hope so. Will report back on the new fridge once I've had it awhile. BTW: my 16 year old GE profile side by side never needed one service call in 16 years and has always done a perfect job keeping foods fresh and at the right temps. All shelves and bins look like new.

From my experience, GE has very good cooking products, OK refrigeration & laundry products, and not-so-good DWs. When we built back in 1995, the builder only provided GE products, but allowed us to upgrade - so we upgraded to all Profile appliances: Smoothtop Convection Range, DW, Refrigerator, and washer & dryer (OK, the last two were our purchases...). Or experiences: Range...Wonderful! It was still going strong and looked like new when we remodeled in 2008. We donated it to our church for a family who was in desperate need of a new range. We heard through the grapevine that they were overwhelmed and couldn't believe how it was in such perfect working condition & appearance. (Yes, we used it all the time for the 13 years or so that we had it.) It was so easy to keep clean (it had a speckled gray top that never looked dirty even when it was!) Refrigerator...For the most part, very good. It is a 36" x 36" top freezer...very large and spacious. It's still going strong in our basement (almost 17 years - of course, it's not energy star rated...) My only complaint is the ice maker & dispenser (one of the few top-freezer Refs that had one back then.) The dispenser kept freezing until we finally stopped using it. We had GE out several times over 2 or 3 years and they admitted they had had many problems with them...none that anyone could solve...other than to tell us to occasionally defrost it with hair dryer. They did replace the entire refrigerator once on the off chance that we had a lemon, but it had the same problems. After about 8 years, the water line to the ice maker sprang a leak and rather than get it fixed, we just disconnected it. The rest of the refrigerator has been very good. I love the fairly large meat compartment, the two crispers, the large tilt out compartment that I store cheese and similar items in, etc. GE customer service, in my experience, was very good to work with...at least back then. I have not had any dealings with them in the past 10 years or so. Dishwasher...This one was a disaster. We had to replace the motor twice in about 5 years. The third time we scrapped it and got a Maytag. Like the GE Profile range, the Maytag DW was wonderful! Everything came out clean no matter how much we crammed into it! :-) It was also going strong when we remodeled and it was also donated to our church for another needy family (never heard about their experiences though - I do not know who got either of our appliances). Clothes washer...OK, but not great. It did last 7 or 8 years, as I recall. But, we had to replace the bearings (??) once. (Not sure what it was!) We also had to replace the switch that allowed the spin to be on or off depending on if the lid was closed or open several times (we learned how to do it ourselves after the second replacement). The second time we started having major problems, we bought a Whirlpool Gold - it was fine. No problems for about 8 years or so. When it died we replaced it with a Kenmore Elite front loader. It's OK, but it leaks if even one hair is on the door...even other times as well. It didn't start happening until it was out of warranty, of course! Clothes dryer...Again, OK, but not great. The sensor dry died after about 3 years, but it worked fine on timed dry. We finally had to replace it after about 10 years. We gambled and got another GE b/c it was a great sale. Other than than the sensor not being the greatest at detecting when something is dry, it works fine. I find that if I put it on "extra dry" and then "extended tumble" everything is dry when it's done. I probably won't get another GE dryer, though. ... Fast forward to 2007 when we were ordering appliances for our remodel.... I started looking around at various manufacturers, primarily GE, Wolf, Viking, Dacor, and, once I discovered them, Miele. I did look at KA and Whirlpool, but dismissed them pretty quickly for cooking appliances based on reviews and what was available (functionally). Cooktop...We have a GE Profile cooktop that is OK. It works fine, it's just that with the all black surface, it's harder to keep looking clean than our range was. Ovens...Initially, I was just looking at double convection ovens. As I was researching, I discovered the GE Profile & GE Monogram Trivection ovens (GE's speed cook ovens). I watched Alton Brown's video about it and was hooked when he baked potatoes in 17 minutes - with crispy skins! I looked at other manufacturers, but based on cost and my great experience with my range, I ended up with the GE Profile Trivection double ovens. I also looked at Advantium, but preferred the Trivection ovens. At that time, both the GE Profile and GE Monogram lines carried the Trivection ovens (today, only Monogram has them). I researched both and other than looks and cost, could not find anything different. I even called both GE Profile and GE Monogram customer service to ask if there was any difference other than the external look. Both told me the internals were identical. The only differences were (1) Monogram came with a broiler pan, (2) different external look, and (3) price. I preferred the Profile look to the Monogram and I didn't need yet another broiler pan (nor was it worth the thousand-dollar or so difference in price). I will say the GE Monogram rep was a little offended when I told him I didn't think the look was worth the price difference. He seemed to think the "prestige" of the Monogram name was worth the extra money...NOT! I have been very happy with my ovens and would definitely buy them again! Refrigerator...We have a 36" french-door bottom drawer freezer, counter-depth, water-in-door refrigerator No complaints. Dishwasher...I was very adamant about no GE DW. I wanted a Miele, but I couldn't convince my DH that we should spend the extra money for one! So, we ended up with a KitchenAid....everyone was raving about KA here at that time. Since my DH does most of the dishes, I let him pick the DW (and cleanup sink). Our experience...not so good. It doesn't clean very well. We have to put it on "Heavy Duty" for every wash and be careful how we load the DW...and some silverware still comes out dirty most of the time as well as the occasional dish if we haven't rinsed them well enough. This may be more than you wanted to know, but I got on a roll! Sorry it's so long-winded!

How timely a thread! I was just cursing at my Monogram piece of **** dishwasher with the third touchpad failure in 3 years. I am trying to decide whether to bite the bullet and order another touchpad (I know how to install them at this point) or get a Miele. It doesn't even clean the dishes on top of it and it never has. The dispenser is always full of detergent (and I use only a TB) and the the dishes are dirty. Plus, my cabinet panel cracked in half because the steam generator in the door was leaking. The tech guy told me to call GE insurance since it was a defect but I don't think I am keeping it so it's not worth the aggravation. However, I LOVE my 3 year old GE Monogram range. But, it was actually a rebranded DCS at that time. It does take a long time to preheat but that's part of the tradeoff with a 36 inch oven I think. They are now made by someone else so I wouldn't buy that again. I think I would go with Wolf or Bluestar in the next remodel. My Monogram compactor (a rebranded Kitchen Aid it turns out) motor failed 3 weeks out of warranty. When I was told the price of the new motor ($800), I freaked out on GE and they actually replaced it for free. Sometimes, freaking out helps. The fact that it is Monogram means you so get slightly better warranties and service when you complain. My Advantium touchpad died also 3 weeks out of warranty too but has been okay for 2 years. I am at the point where I don't know which brand of appliances are actually designed to last. I will likely handwash dishes for a month or two and spring for a Miele. Consumers need to get tougher on these companies. I expect an appliance to last between 7-8 years-I don''t think that is asking a lot. But it seems like 3-5 years is what you get nowadays.