All, I bought a Marvel beverage center 6 years ago for our kitchen to replace a no-name cheapo that froze over (ice sheet on back wall). Frustrated to have paid $1,500 for the Marvel only for it to suffer the same fate 5-3/4 years after buying it. See pic of it below sitting, turned off. Unfortunately, Marvel wouldn't honor the 5 year warranty, so I'm stuck with a decision - pay the $750 (yes, $750) to repair it and risk it failing again, or ponying up $2k+ for one that might last longer. I've been researching these the last few days. After talking to two repair companies, several retailers and the technical folks at SubZero, Perlick and True, I've learned quite a bit about these expensive little bastards. There seem to be three price bands $1000 and under (Danby, GE, Avallon, etc.), the mid-tier ($1k - $2.5k) brands like Marvel, Uline, Frigidaire, Sub Zero (high end of the middle, around $2,500) and Perlick and True (top end, around $3,500). My opinion (I'm not an expert, just synthesizing what I've learned) is that the low and mid tier brands have comparable internals. They differ mostly in terms of features (lighting, stainless, shelving, temp control unit, etc.) Some of the low end ones (like Avallon) do a convincing job of looking like high end professional ones. But as one of my appliance repairpeople said, looks can be deceiving. She (Maywood Appliance Repair in Chicago, Chicago Heating and Cooling) said that there's a difference in the internal, sealed system parts (evaporator, condenser and coils, compressor, etc.) . Some use cooling plate technology (rather than forced air) to cool the inside of the unit which is both inefficient and works the compressor and internal components harder (shortening service life). Some are also marketed as undercounter, but in the fine print (or installation instructions) insist on 3" - 5" around the unit (or the back, at least) to allow it to breathe and to dissipate. In short (according to repairwoman), the low end brands are engineered to be throwaway. Unfortunately, that was the experience I had with my mid-tier Marvel. My father in law has had bad luck with U-Line, too, so lump them in that category. The high end brands like Perlick and True are overengineered and seem to be engineered to last between 5 and 12 years (based on warrantys offered). Both can be bought with stainless interior and exterior, larger and upgraded coils and compressor and better, forced air cooling. This helps them cool down faster, work less hard when doing so, and maintain temp longer. The both claim coated coils to reduce the effects of corrosion. The Perlick Signature has a variable speed compressor that (like newer Air Conditioning compressors) is variable speed so it is more efficient, quieter, cools down faster and uses less energy. SubZero's less expensive, but it has a small (215 BTU) compressor, which worries me. But they have a good warranty and excellent customer service, and claim they are engineered to last 20 years (so why don't they offer a 20 yr warranty?) so maybe it's worth saving $1k versus True and Perlick to get one. I think both of my units failed because they worked too hard to keep cool (my house is set at a normal temp, nothing else unusual about it). I'm still struggling paying a massive premium to get a unit properly engineered for my space. I'll let you know what I decide in the next couple of days. Hope this was helpful!

So, here's my story on Futuro Futuro. I found a range hood that I really liked. Of course, not knowing the brand, I did my research. They had on their website manual for the range hood that the warranty is provided by the DISTRIBUTOR (NOT the manufacturer) - RED FLAG. I was also concerned because all of the pictures of the range hood I had wanted showed a range hood over 2 burners (not 4 burners) and I saw the range hood was very small in diameter - RED FLAG. I did see that they had a limited lifetime warranty on their blower motor which I thought was great! I emailed Futuro Futuro at their email address which is an "optonline.net" address (as opposed to a normal corporate address) - RED FLAG. I quickly received a response that the range hood they are selling in the US was designed for Italy and Italians normally have only 2 burners!!! When I asked if the range hood I was looking at was designed for 4 burners (as is normal in the US) I received no response). I also wrote to them about their limited lifetime warranty on the motor blower that was listed on their "ABOUT US" page on their website and also asked who the distributor was who would cover the warranty. Well, they responded that there was no limited lifetime warranty and that they CHANGED THEIR WEBSITE TO ERASE THAT LANGUAGE right then and there! I still have their old website photo as I'm guessing anyone who purchased their range hood prior to today would have that limited lifetime warranty. (By the way - as of now it's still listed on their Newegg shop that they provide a limited lifetime warranty on the motor although according to them that's not true). They wrote to me that their distributor is Air Forte. Air Forte appears to be a company owned and operated by ONE Russian guy who is from Brooklyn, NY. He appears to be the one who started this import business importing Italian range hoods. I'm going to bet he won't do much when it comes to warranty work. Manufacturers generally have the bucks to back up warranties - individual people generally do not. While I appreciate the quick responses from Futuro Futuro - there were enough red flags in this process that I will be avoiding them. They are not listed with the BBB and there's something fishy going on here....

Hi Gillylily, I don't have one but I did look on line and found this : http://www.fixya.com/support/t3041496-am_getting_flashing_message_e5_temp They answered a similar question by saying it meant that the temperature dropped by more than 12 degrees. I read somewhere else that after the door was shut for awhile and the temperature returned to where it should be the code went away. Hope this is the case for you. Tracy

Justin, I believe Nomen's point regarding the Euphorbia is in reference to the common nursery practice of grafting cacti/succulents to obtain faster, easier growth of the scion. (Or in the more extreme case of the bright red, yellow, or pink Gymnocalycium, simply making it possible for them to survive.) As you are no doubt aware, at some point the scion will break free of the rootstock. (For that matter, most members of John Q Public will likely not even be aware that the plant is a graft to begin with.) Most of the general public would be unaware of this, and will likely be dismayed when this occurs and have no clue as what to do (if anything) to salvage the situation. This, in turn, can lead to disappointment and turn them off from trying again. Unfortunately, there is a very real limit to how much info can feasibly be included on a tag. Tags for such plants really should mention the fact that it is a graft. The more observant novice, noticing such, might take it upon themselves to do some research so they know what is in store for their plant's future, or later , when they start seeking help, they'll have a search term to help. Nomen might suggest that the plants sold should not be grafted at all. And I understand that viewpoint. However, looking at this from a nursery's standpoint, I can also see the efficacy of grafting. Some plants like the aforementioned chlorophyll free Gymnocalycium are popular novelty plants that can survive no other way. Other plants commonly used as scions grow much more vigorously when grafted making it possible to grow up saleable (or salable depending on one's spelling preference ;-) ) plants faster and at significantly lower cost to the consumer.