I'm sorry Gary, you are just wrong here. I understand you like the variable speed set up, nothing wrong with that. And I'll even get on board that it is newer. But that doesn't make it better ! There just isn't enough acceptance from the engineers designing residential fridges for you to make any kind of broad statement that this is the way to go for the mass market. Your 8 track analogy is pretty stupid. That format has been dead, not produced, sold or serviced for 30 + years. The regualr old embraco system that you loath is still alive and kicking and still has something like 80% + market share. It ain't going anywhere any time soon. Better would be halogen lights vs. HID , vs. LED technology for the headlamps. Or a gas combustion engine vs. an electric would be even better. The elect engine on the Tesla S that's all the rage with the green crowd these days up against that old fuddy duddy gas engine tech of the Maseratti you mentioned. Is the point coming where the variable speed units take over? Perhaps, but it will not be this decade. The majority of manuf. are still using the regular old setups and with sometimes spectacular results. Sub Zero fridges are still going strong that were purchased the same time as your JAir even with their old style compressors. Like I said there are benefits to both types. The fact that YOU feel the benefits of the vari speed type works best for you does not make it a slam dunk for everyone and neither does the opposite. Back to the OP - in his case he'd be silly to base his choice solely on the use of one type of compressor over the other-or-even weigh it that heavily. I bet at the end of the day he's only REALLY interested in the thing working well for 20 years or so - not in how that's accomplished. Good engineering, plain ol luck, superior parts, magic beans or the tooth fairy , few people care. And to throw a wrench in phooey's weekend. Suppose he's swayed by your argument for the vari speed setup and gets the miele only to find out his spouse hates the waaa waaa waaa noise that particular VS setup makes and which is exacerbated by the acoustics in some kitchens ? Or that the hidden controls are just a plain a PIA to use and adjust ? Are you going to send him a check for the thing so he can get something that works better ? FWIW _ I have a fridges with both types. I got them for the purpose they served and my needs - not because of the specific internal parts. Just think if the IT crowd started sticking their noses into the electronics some of these fridges have !

Oh! Single upper door! No, a 42" door would be a huge drag on the hinges. As far as I know they're all French doors. Have you considered getting columns? Thermador or Miele? You could get a 24" fridge column and an 18" freezer column, and have them hinged in series (e.g., both on the right) rather than facing like a standard side by side.

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".

Yes we are putting them side by side and probably don’t want the panels. Yes we are getting 2 dishwashers. I really like the Miele with 3D cutlery tray at the top. I suppose we could still get 1 Miele dishwasher with the Thermador package but if we were to go with a 30 inch Thermador fridge and 24 inch Thermador freezer with external dispenser, with stainless panels and professional handles, would be about $5k more than the SubZero 48 inch builtin fridge for us. And Thermador like Subzero does not have printshield finish. And new Thermador freezer with external dispenser has no shelves on the door so less storage. So even though we really considered Thermador for everything, switched to Miele or SubZero/Wolf because we also want a combisteam oven which apparently are better by Miele and Wolf. Anyways, think I am leaning to Subzero fridge/freezer but worried will be sorry not just getting everything Miele. Miele’s prices just went up today too even though also started back up 10 percent off deal. Miele just seems like excellent quality and ease of use, even though probably more drawn to professional look of Subzero/Wolf. So confused!!!!!