I like my Thermador.

I love my Liebherr, fully integrated, and 2.5k less than the same size SZ

The KitchenAid is affordable, just don't expect it to look built in. It will stick out much further then a built in SubZero. The way that it is hinged makes it impossible to have a built in look, you'll need to be able to open the doors past 90 degrees in order to open up the middle tray. As long as you don't have the expectation of a built in look, and you're only looking for a panel ready design, it's a great option.

I'd really suggest that you skip the panel ready. They're more expensive, and really do not look as nice as a simple stainless model. If you would up your budget to a fully integrated model, that's another story.

Looks are subjective.

Paneled has the nice advantage of not needing to clean if you so much as look at it the wrong way.

"They're more expensive, and really do not look as nice as a simple stainless model."

I've had both SS and now I have a built in a paneled.

To me , it looks great, and is sooooo much easier to keep looking nice than my former GE SS fridge. My built in sits flush with the adjacent cabinets, but it does have an SS frame that does not bother us in the least.

Some like to play the game, "Let's hide the fridge", yet I've never seen a kitchen where I can not tell immediately where the fridge is, (Integrated or not!).

I in fact, watch a lot of home buying shows, and you wanna hear some complaining by potential buyers, listen to them when they discover there's no fridge in the kitchen!!!

So, if you like your's integrated, great, but don't run down built ins for those of us that like those!!!

"Different Strokes for Different folks"

(Next time just say "really don't look as nice as a simple SS model, to me.)

Gary

There IS a difference between a fridge with a Halloween mask and one that is 007 disguised as cabinetry. Other than the 8K price difference. And there is absolutely nothng wrong with a fridge looking like a fridge. In stainless. It is NOT difficult to keep stainess nice looking at all.

Yes it is, had both SS fridge and DW, 2 PITA's I never want again, but note "I Never want", other folks may have a different experience than I did, but especially the dishwasher would take a ton of work to keep it spotless, every single drop of water seemed to run down to the very "soul" of the SS.

Now keeping the paneled DW and fridge is in the same "League" as keeping an induction cook top clean , It's a "non event""

I doubt we've had to clean those panels even a couple times in the 8 + years we've had them, just an occasional kwik swipe.

Gary

Nobody is saying there is NO difference between paneled and integrated fridges. We are just saying that everyone has different aesthetic preferences and there is no need to project our own preferences into other people's kitchens which we will most likely never set foot in. There are some people who don't want to pay for an integrated fridge, but don't want a large stainless steel surface either.

The blanket statement "It's not difficult to keep stainless nice looking at all" must have been written by someone who either doesn't do the cleaning or who doesn't see smudges and fingerprings and water streaks. I've had stainless and I have paneled and I will never wilfully go back to stainless. PITA in my opinion.

Kept 150+ stainless appliances spotless, even with grubby children handling them. All you need is Pledge and a microfiber cloth.

Actually I used Pledge and a microfiber cloth. But I had to use them far too often, and the appliances still never looked all that perfect. Just a difference of opinion (or willingness to spend time scrubbing)

We looked at getting panel ready refrigerator, but we're going with stainless steel. The panels for the refrigerator were going to cost us $1,000! Not worth it my opinion, and we've had them before, at two other homes. Look into what the cabinet matching panels will cost you, before you order the refrigerator.

Thanks guys. Always learning a lot here as usual.

I was interested in panel ready because I did have SS in my previous home. The water spout always dripped and stained the fridge. I thought a paneled fridge would hide more. I will have white cabinets, so I don't want white appliances (almost certainly will be a different shade of white than the cabinets.) I doubt I can upgrade to a fully integrated. But you never know, if I come in under budget in other areas. The kitchen is completely open to the family room, one rectangle, and where the fridge probably will go is centered opposite the fireplace in the living room. But the kitchen isn't very large, and I thought it might look choppy with all the punctuations of SS dividing up the cabinetry. So the reasoning isn't necessarily to hide the fridge, it's to have a less choppy look if that makes sense.

Cudjoegal I hadn't considered that so thanks for bringing up that point.