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Sub-zero vs Miele

6 years ago

We are down to these two choices--we've owned sub zero in the past and have always liked them but they were existing in homes we purchased. Until now, I've never had to look at a refrigerator or freezer. We love the interior lighting, bins and extended door hinge of the Miele over the Sub-zero, but am concerned that the Miele doesn't have an "air scrubber". Do the ice cubes taste "clean" in the Miele or do they acquire the odors of the freezer? How about the service of the units? From what I understand, Sub Zero tests every single unit that they make, Miele doesn't. Would love any input! many thanks!

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plllog
6 years ago
I have had the 30" Miele columns about seven years. I'd gone in expecting to get SubZero because that was what I was used to, and I loved the fruit basket and some other little features, but they didn't have an overall size that fit. I love the Mieles. The ice is good, though I think my ice maker may need a little tweak at this point. It may be dripping (or it may be ice cubes the family has lost in the back. I like the pillbug shape better than the SZ long crescents. It's not as sharp and fits in glasses with less care. For being fatter, I think they last longer, though the greater surface area of SZ's ice may cool the drink a bit faster. They don't stick together out of the tray the way older SZ's sometimes do (I can't vouch for newer ones).

The weakest point on the Mieles is the drawer latch assembly, though that might be changed since mine. I've pulled the ends off, and broken one latch. Fixable, but I have to get around to calling. It still works fine, winged. :) And some of my bulbs are out so when I do get around to it, I'll have them replace all of them.

So, as fridge faults go at the seven year mark (supposedly the average life for a fridge), that's pretty darned good!

Re odors, I sometimes have some pretty rank stuff in my fridge. I could not find anything gone rotten one time, and finally traced the smell to a small piece of very French, very stinky cheese in the butterbox on the door. In the settable drawers (all fridge has two big ones), there are air filters but I think they're more for freshness than smells. When we were sick recently, however, a number of vegetables got really rotten, and a chicken was there too long, though I don't know for sure if it was actually stinky. We just couldn't face cooking or cleaning. The fridge smelled like the trash. :) After everything bad was tossed the fridge smelled bad for about five hours, then it smelled fresh and clean. It wasn't cleaned. It was just shed of the rot. So that's pretty impressive, I think.

There is a (expensive) water filter for the icemaker that needs to be changed a couple times per year. That helps keep nice tasting ice. You can bypass it if you have RO or similar.

Generally, the consensus here is that SubZero and Miele, while in some ways quite different, they're equivalent top tier choices, and you'll be fine with either choice.
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