Are you jumping off the ledge or pushing your DH off? :>) For Toyota vs. Cadillac (or BMW/AUdi/Mercedes etc.), that is an endless debate here. Have you seen the threads about "is Subzero worth it?" Do a search (or try google if nothing turns up.) I'll second what Deeageaux said about the Samsung refrigerator Samsung fridges tend to be pretty reliable and many seem to be long lived by today's standards. There are a lot of favorable postings here. The rap on Samsung is warranty service for the FD units that do have problems, as every manufacturer's line of products do. Consumer Reports' surveys of its membership currently show that about 14% of Samsung FD fridges have had problems in the first six years of onwership. That is right on the edge of statistical significance. According to CR, Whirlpool Corp.'s line FD fridges have the best rating with an 11% problem rate but difference of 5% points or less are said to be "statistically insignificant." I know numbers of people who have had Samsung fridges for years and have had no problems whatever. Obviously, all of my friends are among the 86% of Samsung fridge owners who never have problems with their fridges. From what I found at various sites such as Consumeraffairs.com, the problems with Samsung fridges is not that some of them break down but, rather, that Samsung has outsourced warranty service. Some of the service providers seem to be unusually able to provoke numerous irate (and extremely irate) postings about inept, unresponsive, and bad service. Most major manufacturers seem to have followed this fad and are now generating increasingly large collections of irate postings. But, I am curious. The Samsung RF 428 is -- AFAIK -- a standard depth fridge where the Liebherr and SZ models youa re looking at are "built-in" models. Because built-in fridges are sold in far fewer numbers that counter-depth (CD) and standard depth (SD) fridges, they are several times more expensive. Is a wood-clad "intergrated" unit a "must-ave" or a "it might be nice" kind of thing? If we are talking car analogies here, I'm neither Toytoa nor Cadillac. I'm more of Subaru buyer, both stylistically and budgetarily. For fridges, this seemed to put me somewhere between KitchenAid CD and Liebherr CD fridges when I was recently shopping for a new fridge. I would up with a KA model. Personally, I could care less about hiding a fridge behind wood cladding and, if I did care, I would have recessed a standard fridge into a nook and built myself a cabinet around it. (Fine Homebuilding magazine had a design for this about five or six years ago). But, if wood cladding is a "must" have, I would be inclined to go with the Liebherr rather than the SZ as long as you live someplace where you can get decent service when anything goes wrong. One thing about SZ is that, even in rural Montana where I live, SZ service and support seems to have a good reputation. I know six or seven families with SZ fridges and nonbody who has ever had a problem getting SZ service (and several of them have needed it multiple times.) Lieherr does not seem to have any kind of a presence in my part of the state. (Liebherr loaders and heavy equipment? Now, that's a different story.) When I was shopping for a fridge here several months ago, I could not find any local dealers where I could even look at a Liebherr refrigerator, let alone get warranty service. So, Liebherr was not a brand I would consider for where I live. YMMV. For rangehoods, I would suggest a Kobe over Zephyr. I have a Zephyr because I have a very small kitchen and needed a hood that was short rather than tall. The limitation of the Zephyr hoods is that they have flat bottoms, so they do not have the capture capability that a canopy type rangehood does, like the Kobe. Search on Kobe hoods here and you will find that most reviews are very positive. As for induction versus gas cooktops,there is no consensus on which is "best." Too many variables. If you want social approbation for your choice, then it depends on who you friends are and what their individual preferences are. Personally, I have an abstract preference for induction over gas. But, I discovered that I had to compare the units actually available to me when I recently had to shop for a new stove. I wound up with a particular gas stove even though I set out to buy an induction stove. This was because I found I liked working with my particular gas stove (an NXR) a bit more than the induction range (Samsung, Whirlpool) that were within my price range. My choice had virtually nothing to do with the usual gas versus induction arguments. It was all about working with the actual stoves. Where were the controls, how would I like using them, etc. Also look at what else has to be done to accommodate one or the other. (I'm talking about things like such as wiring or running gas lines. Beyond that, unless you have a specific preference for and a collection of expensive tin-lined antiquue copper, do not let cookware dissuade you from considering induction. There is a lot of relatively inexpensive but good quality induction cookware available. (Lots of postings here and on the Kitchen and Cookware forums about this subject. Costco. for example, has several sets of good stuyff for less than $200, for example.) Plus, if you live in a warm climate, I would highly recommend induction over gas. (But, then, I'm far less heat tolerant than I was decades ago when I worked in restauraunt kitchens and, later, when the government could sen me out in the midsummer sun in places like Twenty Nine Palms and Panama.) If it is at all feasible, try out the induction cooktops and see about the noise factor. It affects some people and not others, and seems to vary with the unit selected, the installation, the cookware used, the phase of the moon, and other intangibles. BTW, both GE and the Electrolux induction cooktops units have received favorable reviews here. I've found Gary's many postings on his Electrolux to be very informative. I do not know anything about setting induction cooktops flush into countertops except that I have seen it done. The one concern I would have about insetting a cooktop is that, however finely finished, there is inevitably some kind of seam or gap or ledge. For me, a seam around the edge of the cooktop will create a place for goo to collect, and be hard to clean, as well as creating a crack into which spills can seep and leak. Doubtless you have already thought about this aspect, so I don't need to go on about it. This post was edited by JWVideo on Sat, Jan 12, 13 at 3:36

I've been happy with my Samsung RGF238AARS model counter depth French Door fridge (~7 months now), but its not the model you're considering. Some problems were reported with the wide coolselect pantry drawer on some different Samsung's FD fridges (not your model). You may want to actually check how that drawer is supported (see photos in the thread linked below) on the RF217ACRS before deciding about it. With any appliance, its best to verify that you can get good local service -- the store can tell you who services these appliances. Because Samsung is relatively new, they may not have the repair coverage that Kitchen-Aid does -- but what matters is if there's decent service locally available to you. As for the finishes, I tend to not worry much about it. You might find that the finishes on two KA appliances don't match exactly either, even stainless ones. I'd say get the fridge you really want. Here is a link that might be useful: Appliance forum thread on samsung fridges

Since you asked for views, I will say for the hundredth time how much I love my Bosch induction top, and it was not expensive. My kitchen designer pal says she is installing almost no gas ranges and that gas is over, from a design and utilitarian perspective, or will be in another 5 years as the US trails the EU. Young people want a sleek, clean look, and they demand energy efficiency. I can highly recommend Bosch dishwashers but racks vary so look them over. Decide, too, if you want that upper third rack. I liked my old Bosch's racks better but no disputing the quiet cleaning power of a Bosch. We went with panel ready, so there's another decision for you. It adds weight to the door but I love the look. Bosch ovens are excellent, too, and doubles are fab if your kitchen is large. I did not have room as I use a warming drawer a lot and my kitchen is small by GW standards. Too small for 2 large ovens + drawer. I was warned here to think carefully whether I really needed two, and to consider a Breville as backup, and boy has that worked well for me. (I roast a lot but rarely bake.) Our oven and WD are Electrolux Wave Touch - much beloved here -- and they are awesome. The WD will slow cook wonderfully. No comparison to my old KitchenAid I thought I wanted the micro drawer for its looks but that required me to give up my cat food prep space. (Nooo!) So we stacked ours like gooster ( except lift up) and I love it. Here is a pic. But we use the micro once per day on average so where it was stationed didn't matter to us. YMMV. This does give flexibility in size and brand you can use since, as has already been pointed out here, micros fail alarmingly. Still, if you have space, or if your kids will be using the micro, go for the drawer, or are least something lower. Fridge? Good luck. I hate mine. Electrolux. Everyone seems to hate their fridge. We went with a basic because all my friends with SZ spend their days waiting on the repairman. Seriously. My appliance guy, trustworthy, says get Liebherr. I don't know. Trust the folks here to guide you -- and study AJMadison. Good luck!

"They have the responsibility to provide consumers step by step instructions on where the water line is, how to shut it off and how to change the water filter from the time the refrigerator is installed. The manual provided is unclear so I called their customer support and still got no clear explanation other than to call (and pay for) a plumber to shut off the water line." Anyone living in a house should know where the water shut offs are ... that's one of the first things you should be finding/shown when you move in or are old enough to be home alone, along with gas shut off (if applicable) and the breaker box ... What do you do in case of a leak? I mean, if that water line broke, you'd need to go turn the water off; you wouldn't be looking for instructions from the refrigerator manufacturer then (that would be a plumber or the fire department) ... same difference without the emergency.