These are both really good units. Both have good service. Personally, I lean to SZ in refrigeration. But these are both heavy duty food preservers. I believe the SZ is actually cheaper than the Miele's as well.

IMO, you aren't making a mistake with either choice.

Anthony
Appliance Buyer's Guide

Forget the in-door ice/water dispenser _ ESPECIALLY in the SZ.

They are almost guaranteed to fail and repairs generally are $500+

Dear antss and others who want to chime in: why can't major manufacturers figure out how to make and in-door water/ice dispenser that works without breaking down? It doesn't seem like rocket science. I'd never had this feature until I got my newish Bosch fridge. Water in the door really is super convenient. I wish I could find a manufacturer who has figured out some reliable technology for this feature. No problems so far on my 16 month old Bosch. But looking ahead to my kitchen reno, I'm considering either SZ or Miele for a new larger replacement fridge.

It's not as easy as you think!

Remember the doors are on pivots or hinges that move away from the body of the fridge where the ice maker is located. Second, there has to be a motor to drive the ice into the door dispenser and the whole thing has to be totally enclosed and semi movable. Now add in something like a hinge that moves in an eccentric arc like the miele and others and you have another set of problems to deal with.

The short answer is everything is possible. The public is just not willing to pay for the engineering and parts cost in any great number to warrant a manufacturer beefing up these systems.

Thanks antss! I get it now.

I was choosing between the subzero columns and Miele Columns and ended up with Miele because of the size config worked better for me (instead of a 27" freezer and 27" fridge, I am getting a 30" fridge and 18" freezer). I also thought that the interior drawers of the miele appeared to be larger and also have individual temp. settings which I like alot. All in all, after visiting both models in their nyc showrooms I was impressed with the fit and finish in both. They appear to be very comparable machines. Because I'm having the columns fully integrated behind walnut panels there is no way I would want the indoor water/ice option.

I have a GE fridge with in door ice/water service.

It is 23 years old. Paid about $1K at Sears.

Compressor died 11 years ago.

Replacement is still working.

Not one single problem with icemaker or dispenser.

For the life of me I can't figure out why SZ can't do the same in the $6k plus range.

Yep! Kaismom is right! One of the factors that pushed me to Miele (though the primary one was size in my space) was that there are no gallon door shelves. I hate those! Instead, the lower drawers hold large platters.

Sometimes, it's one little thing like that which makes all the difference.

Deeageaux, my old fridge was a 25 y.o. Kenmore. The light died at 10 years old (unfixable), it pitched forward (I think a foot didn't hold), it froze things on the top shelf, and dried out whatever was in the crisper. Smells migrated from the fridge to the freezer. Still, it worked well enough not to replace it as I moved around, until I remodeled. My folks have a SubZero that's just a bit older. A lightbulb once had to be replaced. I don't remember if the ice maker ever had to be serviced, but in the last twenty years the only problem with it is that the folks don't use ice, and when I get to it it's a bit evaporated and funky, and I have to pick out a few nice pieces and dump the rest so it can make some new.

We had a SZ for over 20 years, the ice maker only needed service once. Almost all fridges will have SOME issue with an icemaker at some point in their life. Its the only moving parts of the fridge, and thats why it will need service at some point. Also, forgot to mention, the doors on the Miele have very large hinges that swing OUT and INTO the room an extra two or three inches. (maybe more i don't remember) The Sub Zero does not have this issue.

P.S. the Miele and the built-in Thermador Freedom collection are the same unit, made in Turkey. The door storage is different and the Thermador is a tiny bit cheaper. Just know Thermador customer service leave much to be desired right now.

Anthony
Appliance Buyer's Guide

dee - part of the problem on that SZ unit is because the dispenser part is actually in the fridge door.

That means you have the ice maker in the freezer, a delivery system that has to exit the storage bin, go through the freezer door and then into the fridge door before exiting. Very complicated.

P.S. - applianceguide - the Miele and T'dor units ARE NOT EXACTLY the same units. They are made in the same factory but on different lines, and Miele supplies a lot of the components themselves rather than using stuff from the Bosch/Thermador/Gaggenau parts bin. Basically the frame and compressor are the same, but after that there are few interchangable parts.

Does anyone know if Sub-Zero has any plans to introduce white halogen interior lighting in their refrigerators anytime soon? Perhaps a minor point, but I love the halogen interior lights in my current fridge, a Bosch linea 800. The Miele/Thermador lighting is one of the things that would make me lean slightly to the Miele instead of the SZ.

francoise - I believe they are moving to a white light, if they haven't already.

antss - I know the parts aren't the same inside the unit, but the main specs of the machines are the same, the compressors and evaporators are the same, and that is essentially the fridge. The computer is different in the Miele as well.

Anthony
Appliance Buyer's Guide

Anthony,

As a user, I can tell you that the Miele and the Thermador are nowhere near the same fridge. That's like saying brothers are the same people just because they look the same and grew up in the same house. I totally hated the Thermador when I was shopping, and fell in love with the Miele on first sight, even though they have a box and compressor in common. All those little details make a huge difference!!

My work hours didn't used to allow me to cook on a daily basis. My new kitchen was designed for nothing but cooking. The only fridges that stood up to my standards for that were Miele and SubZero, and I looked at all of the "better" ones.

BTW, that swing out door hinge, which is shared with the Thermador, I believe, is one of the things I liked a lot better about the Miele. I mentioned over in Cooking, and will repeat here, that so far the negatives I've found to the Miele are that it's hard to get the filters in and out, and that while the rails with latches system for the drawers is easy to use, it can get a bit out of alignment and squeak.

Anthony - I'm intimately familiar with the Miele and SZ untis both inside and out.

On the Miele the computer makes a noticeable difference with user interaction, and then there's the already mentioned lighting and the drawer circulation that the siblings don't have and there's the fact that gallon jugs don't fit in Miele's door, and the WiFi unit, and monitoring service, and single piece door mounting bracket, and no motorized shelf to break and no ice/water in the door and there is little size overlap between brands.

Folks, while these are made in the same place there is a very broad distinction between the models produced there under the Bosch / Thermador / Gaggenau / Miele labels.

It is not like GM in the 70/80/90's in which the only real difference between a Chevy/Pontiac/Olds/Buick/Caddy was the style of the hubcaps, and the paint and interior colors..

Thank you Everyone! This forum is great!!!
I really love the look of the Miele but I think it requires Two power outlets behind the units and I only have one. I'm Thinking it will be too difficult to schedule delivery of new a Refrigerator/freezer, removal of the old one, get an electrician here to put in another outlet and then finally install my new set.
Sub Zero says they offer a flush inset installation, would that make it look more intergrated? If I currently am pulling out a GE Monogram 48 inch built in can I do a flush installation? Sorry for all the Questions but You guys know way more than my appliance stores in town!

lol... ok guys, I wasn't looking to get into a pissing match over who knows more about which fridge. All I was saying is that the compressors and evaporators I believe are the same on the units. To me, that is where much of a fridges reliability comes from. If I am wrong about that information, by all means correct me. The way those companies have laid out the interiors and computers of the units are vastly different and that surely leads to vastly different user experiences. The OP was talking about not making an expensive mistake, and I was just commenting on some of the other lines that would also share some of the same essential parts as the Miele. I personally love the Miele computer better as well, but it does have some drawbacks, for instance -- here in my store, our display model computer goes on the fritz sometimes for no reason. It doesn't affect the unit from cooling, but it does lock us out of changing the temp sometimes. Miele came out recently and replaced the board and voila, problem solved.

As far as service is concerned, IMO Miele is the better of Thermador and Bosch.

Anyways, I think the OP found the information they were looking for. Please don't take offense to any of my comments. I'm never trying to assert myself as any more of an "appliance guru" than anyone else on this forum.

All the best,

Anthony

If the Op is indeed considering 48" built in fridges, as well as columns, Why not look at the Jenn-airs?

Consumer Reports consistently ranks these at the top for "Reliability"! Not talking about "CR Ratings", as we know for ratings, CR takes price into account and both Miele & SZ come out even bigger losers there.

Why the Jenn-air?
Better and more modern lighting, but most important the variable speed compressor. Much quieter, more efficient, etc runs at just the speed needed,not "Full on/Full Off. I can not tell when my JA is running, but I sure can the Elux wine fridge, that uses the "Old Style compressor" that the Miele, SZ and Thermador do, maybe even the same one, ---definitely dated techmology.

You could also look into the Liebherr columns, they also use the variable speed compressors and like Jenn-air some have the new modern LED lighting.

You should certainly look up the power usage for some of the column freezers----staggering to say the least, some times as much as 3x the power usage of combo fridge/freezer.

Glad I not paying your lectric bills.

Trevor may have some videos of the Liebherrs, -- don't you think you owe it to yourselves to at least look at these other 2 options (Jenn-air & Liebherr), before pushing the BIG SZ or Miele buy it now , button??????

Ya, lotta money, very old technology---Status?? maybe for some,---those that don't know much about refrigeration--- but can read an SZ or Miele label might be impressedÿ

Gary

"Sub Zero says they offer a flush inset installation, would that make it look more intergrated? "

jj - the answer to that question is yes but it won't totally disappear.

*********************** Before proceeding **************************

check the specifications because the flush inset model requires xtra depth - about 2 more inches, and a bit more width than a standard BI model. IT IS NOT a good candidate for a replacement / swap.

I was just in my local appliance store looking at microwaves and decided to take another look at the Miele refrigerators and Sub-Zeros. Just thought I'd chime in again: the Miele are aesthetically stunning. The Sub-Zeros are super solid and look great on the exterior, but struck me as totally lacking in aesthetic pizzazz on the interior. The bins seemed more fragile and plasticky than the Miele's. Hmm.... Wish Miele made a 24" wide fridge column to pair with a 18" wide freezer like the Thermador Freedom Columns.

I have the miele columns, 30" frig and 18" freezer, and love them. The refrig easily can handle 2 gallon jugs of milk, front to back. You could have 6 gals of milk in the frig and still have room.The fact that the door does not hold a gallon jug is a plus as you can fit a large tray on the shelf. The only down side for me is that the water filter is nearly impossible for me to swap out, and the shelves are quite high. I arranged the shelves so that little used condiments are on the top. Note that the doors swing wide open, so plan accordingly when you are thinking about appliance placements etc.The only other comment is that the 18" frig would be a bit small for our family of 4 if we didn't also have a garage freezer. The icemaker takes up a fair amount of room

Thank you everyone for all your input! I did end up ordering the sub zero. Can't do flush install due to my cabinet depth :(
Funny or not so funny story but The delivery people couldn't get the Refrigerator up into my house. After juggling it for 90 minutes, they dropped it on my front steps. After much debate I made them take it away and told them I wanted a new one. Now It's Thanksgiving and I'm Fridgeless, lol!

Thanks everyone...I had the exact same question regarding both of these fridges.

The complete integration seems to be the clencher for me. Funny I had a sneaky suspicion that SB was not truely integrated in the same way as miele...

None the less SB still seems like a fab fridge

jjudd - we compared the same and went back and forth. We are more than likely going with the SZ for a few reasons.

1) The 18" freezer space stinks in all options. But, with the ice dispenser in the SZ fridge side, it gives you a little more space in the freezer, not much, but still more. (If I were going w/the columns, I would have gone with the Therm over Miele bc Therm makes a 24" freezer)

2) We liked the bulk ice dispenser the SZ has...it just works for us bc of the entertaining we do and I just prefer it.

3) I was originally going to have the kitchen designed with the freezer/fridge separate. But, once we started fiddling with the design, we ended up putting them together. And, that's when I thought, if they are together, it's basically a 48...and the SZ was less expensive. We are doing the flush inset which does need a couple extra inches.

pllog and lucypwd, we just had to change our Miele water filter for the first time and it was really easy. Maybe call Miele and ask about why its hard?

Thanks Marcydc. Changing the first filter was hard because the installer used big honkin' working man muscles to tighten it so tight we needed tools to unscrew it (I had psychologist man muscles working on it, but he needed pliers for leverage).

The real difficulty, however, is changing the filter, and fixing the filter code, without warming up the freezer. After my third change I've learned a few things: The book says that when the filter light first comes on it's just a warning, and when the light changes state (starts or stops blinking--can't remember which), it's time to change. Tech help told me I should change as soon as it comes on, and that the trouble I've had resetting the filter indicator comes from letting it go to the end. In that case, it has to be changed in program mode rather than customer mode.

The other thing I've learned is not to even try to reset right after changing the filter. My unit won't go into customer mode if it's even a little warm, and if it loses too much cool, it won't go into program either. It's basically trying to say, "Shut the door, idiot!!!" It's easy enough to change the filter and wait a number of hours. I always set aside some ice, because you're supposed to throw away the first 24 hrs. worth, so waiting another 6-12 hours is no biggie.

But what defines "hard"? For me, it's the procedure to get into customer mode or program mode. It's arcane in a way that only a German engineer could like. It's like looking for easter eggs in a computer game. I can't hold the instructions and do the routine at the same time. That's "hard".

So.. it's 2015 now and I'm looking at this. Useful discussion. I want separate refrigerator & freezer columns and have seen the SZ, Viking and Thermador in a local show room. I'd love to see the Miele, but will need to find out where I can see it in person where I live. Not sure how much has changed in the last few years, but I thought I'd get a SZ (I miss the huge one from my last house) but am leaning toward Thermador. They both look great on the outside but the inside of the Thermador looks so much better. Plus - the Thermador is the only one of the 3 that you can put a gallon jug in the door - which is super important to me too. The other thing I struggled with was I really want 30" columns for both, but Thermador only has a water dispenser in the 24" freezer, and you lose a TON of storage space. I struggled with that one for a while until I found an under-counter cold water dispenser that I can put at my sink. I was planning for a superhot anyway, now I'll have a superhot and supercold at the sink. So... less stuff to go wrong on an expensive freezer, more storage, and no dripping water down my freezer when my kids are messy. I'm still working on my remodel plans and have a few months before I actually have to finalize anything - so if people are still reading this, I'd love to hear their thoughts in 2015!

Five years in and I still love my Miele columns. The customer service guy gave me a different routine to reset the filter, which I find much easier. It is important to get it on the first try, or shut the door and try again later. If it gets too warm, it won't work, in a Shut The Door Already way. :) I also managed to freeze the fan and evaporator by using Supercool for too long, too often. It's a great little gizmo, but best to just keep the freezer shut and cool things in the fridge before freezing. I had really liked some features on my mother's SubZero and was kind of sad they weren't on the Miele, which is very simple inside. Over time, however, I've learned what to put where and have the shelves adjusted just so. A remarkable amount of stuff fits in there!

I am looking for a replacement to my Jenn-Air 48". It was a lemon that has been repaired more than 10 times in the last 8 years. I would never buy a Jenn-Air or another refrigerator from the same manufacturer - I think its Whirlpool. The last repair, just over a year ago was a full motor replacement that gave us a full year without service. Then a couple weeks ago, the power stopped, repair company ordered some components that didn't work. Now looking for new one. Considering Leibherr, Miele (which I think is very costly) and Thermador.