The serial number is not accessible from the front of the machine or without pulling the unit out ??? That's ridiculous. David - are you saying you got each of those units for less than $3250 ea. ? That is an exceptionally good price, and probably worth the hassle you've gone through. FWIW - that is approx 50% off of what those Northlands sell for normally. There is only about $200-$250 difference list price between the same SZ 36" all fridge/freezer in stainless steel and the comparable Northland model. SO, like for like, it's pretty much a wash unless your dealer is giving you some sort of steep discount. Re: the racking. SZ has the full length channel too, they just choose to offer less customizable bins and shelves. The stainless of the Norhthland is more durable than the SZ plastic all things being equal, but it puts off some people also because it looks too commercial. As far a unreliable - I've read that EVERY SINGLE BRAND OF REFRIGERATOR IS UNRELIABLE (including Northland) , on the internet of course. And they are, no company makes makes totally reliable products year in and year out and satisfies all customers. Here's what I can say about the two: Over the last 40 years or so SZ has consistently produced high quality high priced built in fridges that last 20+ years. They have also continued to innovated their offerings like the first fully integrated fridges for the U.S. market, the drawer concept for residential. Other companies are starting to catch up though. Their sales go up and up , which allowed them to buy WOLF to expand their business. Northland on the other hand has flat sales and pretty much has the same box, technology and offerings they had last century. They are quality units to be sure even with their quirks. They just can't seem to crack the built in fridge market that has been dominated by SZ, GE Monogram, and now the offerings from BSH's Turkish plant. In fact they have done so well that they were acquired by the AGA group. We'll soon see just how good the product really is as AGA's marketing machine will certainly try to jumpstart sales to keep the new factory running and has the network to flog the product in place. Bottom line for me is- I would rather deal with privately held companies with long track records and family members involved in operations rather than - companies that have managers that are worried about short term goals (and their compensation) and their board's agenda and ultimately shareholders and the market, more than they are concerned with delivering a quality product to market.

The main drawback for the standard recessed fridge is that it will not be able to ventilate properly.The compressor will work harder(noisier),cost more to operate than its energy guide would suggest,and compressor will fail earlier than anticipated. Most people who have done it don't seem to mind the noise and the extra operational/repair cost will not equal $4-5K over the lifespan of the fridge. Builtins tend to be higher end and have nicer bins and drawers,sometimes better lighting like LED,ulta-violet air scrubbers like on Sub-Zero, no frost options, better temperature consistency overall,24 remote monitoring via wifi on Miele, NSF type SS interiors on Gaggenau and Northland and other high end features. Plus they look cool and make your kitchen look high-end :) Still,a standard recessed fridge is a better value vis-a-vis the built-in fridge as almost all standard products are versus luxury products.

"Jenn-Air is a Whirlpool built product that is much the same as all the other brands that are sold under the corporate umbrella. Liebherr has the cachet and engineering of a world class refrigeration product." Perhaps a little more research could have been done here? Are you saying since Mercedes Benz, built a 240D that all their cars are much the same? Or since GM usta make multi-brands of cars, they were all the same. Or Since Bosch ownes Gaggenau and several other brands, and at least as of right now, the Miele Fridges are manufactured under the Bosch Umbrella, that these products are "All The Same"? Quite a claim! But, lets look at the facts. Jenn-air was one of the first, and they still do, use the variable speed compressor. Look at some of the new Liebherr adds, They now "Tout" "THEIR" varible speed compressor. As far as I can tell, none of the other Whirlpool fridges use that compressor (alto it is entirely possible I missed one). Anyway, point is, evaluate each appliance on it's own whether it be a Miele, Bosch, Kitchenaid, etc etc. Yep we can put them all under "One Umbrella" but I suspects somebody that spent 4X the price of a regular oven to buy a Gaggeneau and you call it an "Umbrella Bosch"---well You might hafta beat a "Hasty Retreat" from their kitchen!! Personal experience with a Jenn-Air 48" built in and panneled Fridge, 4 years trouble free, quiet, love the way it is laid out inside, Love the 3 different digitally controlled and displayed temp zones in the Refer compartment and No pulled back muscles trying to reach stuff on that very high shelf that the competition has. Good Luck with your decision!!! Gary

We are looking for a 30" built-in fridge for our kitchenette, and seem to have narrowed it down to: Sub-Zero BI-30U Miele KF 1811 SF Liebherr C 1651 Unfortunately, I can not find the prices online for neither Miele nor Sub-Zero, but Liebherr is quoted at about $4800. I'm sure, the others will be more... Sub-Zero, actually, has one feature going for it (besides being American-made)  the compressors are on the top. This means, that while being the same height, more of the usable interior is reachable to a short person. My significant other is 5' tall, so this is a concern... But if it is as hard to open as comments suggest ("shoulder dislocation" is already mentioned here), then she may prefer Liebherr anyway, and just surrender the top shelf to me... Miele is an enigma, though  any feedback on that? Thanks! Yours, doofus