Decor is not in the same league as SZ and Wolf. Look at Thermador perhaps.

PS by not in the same league, I don't mean status wise- I mean quality and longevity and customer service/reparing-wise.

Compare the Dacor DRF36C100SR ($3700) with the Samsung RF23M8090SR ($2700) and you'll see that they're identical except for the handles and price; and with the Samsung RF23M8070SR ($2400) whose handles and interior material are slightly different, and price is lower.

The Dacor DR30G range achieved a score of 60 (out of 100) and a predicted reliability of "Poor" in CR's testing.

Why not go to a good appliance store that has a weekend promo to see how these function for you.IMO Wolf and Sub Zero are both overrated and over priced.You buy appliances for how you cook and store food and wash dishes that is why stainless is always the best finish it allows you to get what you need and they all look good together. A commercial range has none of those features you want IMO so don’t go commercial. In my experience Dacor was a low end product .

You have selected two brands at opposite ends of the spectrum. There are many very solid brands, like Bosch and Thermador (same parent company.) Plus lots of good values from Whirlpool, KA and Electrolux/Frigidaire and GE. Dacor, Samsung and LG, I would avoid.

I was told to stay away from Thermador and GE Monogramm by an appliance salesman. He said he'd consider Fisher & Paykel or Dacor (if not Wolf/SZ etc) over Thermador and GE. So now I just don't know!

The appliance salesman was perhaps not getting as much commission on Thermador or GE. Just a thought.

I've had SZ (loved that refrigerator - not one problem in 11 years) in one kitchen with Asko dw (loved that dw), all Thermador appliances in a kitchen with Bosch dw, and now have all Bosch appliances with the exception of a Thermador microwave/convection oven.

You'll find that the higher end brands don't do "bundled" deals, such as buy 4 appliances and get xxx off. Didn't get any discount at all for buying all Thermador or all Bosch.

The Bosch fully integrated refrigerator I have now was less than the SZ by about $2000 but still not cheap, obviously. And I'll always choose a Bosch dw.

Oh wait, the question, lol. I've never had Dacor anything, or Samsung. Did have a GE Monogram double oven about 20 years ago and it was fine.

To be honest, reading all the blogs and consumer ratings.... it seems any brand has its fair share of fans and haters, and you can get a lemon among any of them. I guess I'm just wondering if I really need to spend huge amounts on a stove or fridge/freezer just to get the look of a high-end custom kitchen. Another option is Miele... but it's not much of a difference in price from the Wolf/SZ line of appliances.....and it's a different look (more "European").

Right now, SZ/Wolf is offering 10% off but so is Miele but Miele is also throwing in a 5 year warranty.

Yes, I know.... now I'm totally off Dacor.... but according to all that I've seen above, it seems like maybe that's not going to cut it for this kitchen!

BTW, Lawrence, I was also looking at Consumer Reports.... part of why I reconsidered Wolf/SZ is because they don't get fabulous ratings either. For that kind of $, I'd expect at least in the70s on CR!!

We are impressed with Dacor almost as much as well as SZW products. We especially like the styling of the Dacor products. The high end appliance companies do offer bundled deals. We purchase appliance packages all the time–

That is good to know Smith & Ragsdale. /s

I purchased my Thermador appliances bundled and got a dishwasher at no extra cost; with the purchase of a built in refrigerator and duel fuel range. I was considering Wolf and SZ, but I love to cook and a friend who is a retired professional chef said Thermador all the way for cooking. I've been very happy with all of these appliances. Also FWIW Bosch and Thermador are owned by the same company, so both are good solid German engineering.

Dacor integrated fridge and freezer columns have some awesome features that nobody else in the high end space has. For me, they handily win the feature war.

But what concerns me is that Dacor is owned by Samsung, and Samsung's reputation for customer service and warranty coverage is terrible. And from things I've read, I'm not so sure Dacor was much better before Samsung bought them.

At this price point, great customer service is of the utmost importance. You might be willing to suck it up and replace a problematic cellphone when Samsung isn't responsive but it's a lot more expensive to replace a fridge and freezer if you can't get them repaired.

If anyone has experience with them I'd love to hear how Dacor handles appliance issues since Samsung bought them. Are they responsive and easy to work with or do they give you the run around? I have had to get warranty service from Miele and Subzero and it's been a VERY pleasant surprise! I'm very afraid that dealing with Dacor/Samsung will be a nightmare if I ever need support.

OTOH I had a fairly basic question for Thermador prior to installing a cooktop and it was so frustrating I started yelling at the woman on the phone who couldn't understand what I was asking and refused to escalate my call to someone who could provide the information I needed. It was unbelievable. Before that I emailed a more technical question to Thermador which was answered handled professionally, so Thermador is a mixed bag in my experience.

Thanks for the comments. I've started looking more closely at Miele because they have a good reputation, fit the 'high end' modern look requirement for the kitchen and yet are priced less than SZ/Wolf (albeit still $$)

FYI, I recently heard some issues with Miele service from a distributor.

Wow, those Miele ranges are big bucks! You may have noticed that CR rated the LG Signature LUTD4919SN well at $3100-$3200 dollars: AC, HD.

I've had no trouble at all with Miele service as recently as two weeks ago. I couldn't turn on my wall oven and it turned out to be an electrical issue that was diagnosed by the Miele service tech who came to fix the oven. I didn't have any trouble getting them to come look at it in the first place and they did not try to charge me when it turned out the oven didn't have a problem.

Miele service has been terrific.

LOL Smith & Ragsdale. Dacor is better than SZ and Miele has poor service.

WHAT??? LOL Dacor is better than SZ and Miele has poor service? Not on planet Earth...

What happened to Sophie?

USC, my comments were sarcasm aimed at Smith & Ragsdale who is flogging that nonsense.

Sophie was banished for something that happened on Hot Topics. Houzz allowed her back 7nder the proviso if one person ever reported one of her comments she would be banished for good.

Sadly, Sophie is quite unwell now. This was an important part of her social life due to a stroke affecting her hearing. Another stroke sadly has made online communication difficult too.

I'm sorry to hear that. She often had good advice and insights, but she was a bit combative. I wish her all the best!

Zalco you didn't follow my comments above or you wouldn't have written what you did about my comments. "We are impressed with Dacor almost as much as well as SZW products. We especially like the styling of the Dacor products. The high end appliance companies do offer bundled deals. " I use SZW all the time and was at Kbis this year and was impressed with the styling of Dacor. As a kitchen designer we pay attention to ALL the details!

Smith & Ragsdale - How is Dacor service? That is the scary thing here. It's easy to spec Dacor for someone else but what about for yourself? Would you take that chance in your own home?

I'm now leaning towards Miele over SZ/Wolf. It saves me money.... but also... the range in particular has way more features than the Wolf range. Unfortunately, I think all the Miele ranges require plumbing... so I'm not sure if that is good or not (potential for issues an additional costs).

I believe plumbing a Miele oven is optional, but it is a great feature to have. I haven't utilized the steam burst feature yet but it supposedly helps keep foods moist when cooking. Think turkey...

I'd be interested to hear back from you when you use the steam burst! I just don't know if I'd ever actually use it. And again, not sure if the plumbing would be an extra cost that basically makes the Miele the same price as the Wolf anyway.

We renovated our kitchen and as part of this had installed the new Dacor Modernist Fridge and Freezer columns at a VERY hefty price tag. We were going to get a subzero and changed our minds when we saw these products - the styling, design and function looked so much better than Sub-Zero, despite the higher price tag. Well, fast forward about 8 months and we don't have a functioning fridge. It stopped cooling out of nowhere. We had to throw everything away.

After FINALLY getting a repair person to the house, they told me that it was because the fridge had run out of gas (freon or whatever the coolant is that's used). When asked how that happened they said they didn't know, but that they couldn't repair it as they needed a part from Dacor. A WEEK later, they finally got the part and came back to repair the fridge. 4-5 hours later it still was not repaired and they said they needed another part. It's been almost two weeks since then and the part has still not arrived.

We had a BlueStar range installed when redoing the kitchen and when we had a problem with that, they overnighted the part, so that they could fix it right away. This is not the case here - the customer service has been absolutely horrendous and Ferguson Appliances (where I bought the fridge from) has been at their wits end with this (I can't say enough about how wonderful Ferguson has been to deal with). This has been a nightmare. Now the repair place won't even schedule a repair date because they don't want to lose the time again in case the part doesn't show up again... DO NOT BUY THIS FRIDGE. I should have known better not to buy a Samsung (yes, Samsung bought Dacor a few years ago and these products are glorified Samsung units).

I'm so sorry to hear this but thank you so much for sharing it. I recently had to choose between replacing SZ with new SZ units or changing brands. I was interested in Dacor for the same reasons you chose them. But Dacor didn't have the best customer service reputation to begin with and Samsung's reputation is absolute s*it. I decided to stay far far away from Dacor because I feared a situation like yours.

I hope others will see this warning before they take the plunge with spending so much money on Samsung appliances.

We’ve had two SZ fridges. The first, a 36” over under was 26 years old and still going strong, when we sold our house 4 years ago.

For several reasons, SZ was the only fridge we considered for the home we moved to. Their fridges have the best insulation in the industry. With Hurricane Sandy, we lost power for 2 weeks. That old unit kept the food cold for 3 days. SZ also has the best Customer service. Repairs are reasonably priced, too. If you’re lucky enough to live near a Wolf/SZ distributer, you can call SZ, describe the problem, and they’ll tell you what part it needs. After returning home with the part, SZ will then talk you through the repair...how to remove the old part, and install the new one. Over 26 years, we had to do that 3 times.

For the new house, we got the 42” FD SZ. Fantastic machine, and It fits a ton. After 3 1/2 years, not a lick of trouble.

Our other appliances are the Miele CSO, over a Miele convection oven. Love both. Our Thermador rangetop is a dream to cook on, and easy to clean...not induction easy, but easy for gas. We also have a Bosch 800 series DW, which does a great job cleaning, and is ever so quiet.

We purchased all the appliances from an independent dealer. They have their own repairmen, all of whom are certified to repair all the brands they sell. If ever we have a problem, we just have to call the store, (Appliance World, Huntington, Long Island, NY), and they’ll take care of everything. Thus far, knock wood, we haven’t had the need.

Thanks for all the info and feedback!

Well...in the end, I ordered a Miele fridge/freezer, Miele cook top and Miele double wall oven. (I was going to order a range with a separate wall oven but I was talked out of it by the designer I’m working with.)

My microwave is a plain old Panasonic.
Still haven’t ordered the dishwasher but I have Bosch now and I think that I will get another one.

Kitchen still isn’t built, but fingers crossed these choices will work out!

Hold on, your kitchen still isn't built? When will it be? This advice is going to be too late for you, but for others reading this thread, it is not a good idea to buy kitchen appliances well in advance of installation.

First, because the warranty begins upon delivery, not upon installation. The warranty is built into the price, so you've paid for several months that you aren't going to use. Several reports on this forum of an appliance needing repair after, say, 6 months of use, but the warranty has already been used up because it was bought so far in advance.

Second, things happen to appliances when they are stored and waiting for installation, even at the best jobsites or the best warehouses. They get bumped into, knocked over, wet, even stolen. We've seen all of those things reported on this forum. There have even been occasional reports of an appliance store holding the appliances for the customer until ready for installation, and then going out of business, with the appliances nowhere to be found.

Many people buy too far in advance because they see an irresistible sale. Please know that there will always be another sale. If you miss the 4th of July sale, there'll be a summer sale, then an end-of-summer sale, then Labor Day sale, then "early Black Friday" sale, then Black Friday sale, and so forth.

Not to worry- the appliance store just orders them but they’re at Miele still. Just a deposit- no delivery yet!

Sorry Shannon but that's not exactly true. When I built my house we waited to buy the appliances for about a year. Sub Zero and Wolf. The price went up about $4k.

Without getting into the details, customer service from SZ, Miele, Kohler and Hansgrohe have been off the charts. Whirlpool and Thermador have been abysmal. This stuff matters when it matters. Don't make an investment like this in Samsung.

As for buying appliances early, I am one who purchased appliances like two years early. Not by plan, but because I had an endless string of unexpected delays. And I'm no worse off for it.

I never took delivery on any of these items so the warranty didn't start. In that time Miele contacted me to let me know they had a new model of my dishwasher and I would be upgraded to the new model at no cost. Thermador came our with an improved Freedom induction cooktop and syncing hood, which I was able to upgrade to. The only thing I didn't get was a smart washer & dryer that I purchased (I don't even recall the brand) which were discontinued with no direct replacement, so I didn't get them. But I got a refund. If they had been replaced I'm sure I would have received the replacement but perhaps I dodged a bullet because I'm thinking there must have been some issues if they weren't replaced.

As long as you don't take delivery I don't think there is any harm in locking in the model and price you want.

My personal experience with a package of Dacor appliances - range, wall oven, microwave has been poor. I found their customer service to be non-existent and frequent repairs were needed.

DO NOT EVER BUY A DACOR! We bought a 36" range in 2014. Loved the look and price tag $6k) and didn't want to spring for a Wolf or higher end. Boy did we make a big mistake. We have had SEVEN service calls so far. They replaced the oven once (the whole oven, on their dime) bc we got such a lemon. New one doesn't function much better. Oven turns off when it gets too hot - then it won't turn back on again unless I take off a handle, use a special tool to pop a button in the front panel). Every holiday when I'm baking a lot, we end up calling for service while I have a house full of family and no functioning stove. It's become a joke in the house. We've replaced the oven door 2x - it's designed so it doesn't close all the way. We have replaced the broiler ignitor 2x, and the whole broiler unit once. It SUCKS. Looks good. But SUCKS. The customer service is non-existent. Rude, combative and basically generally has a tough sh*t type of attitude, especially once out of warranty.

I agree. NEVER BUY DACOR> I put more info into other posts but want to add for any new readers too. WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE. WORST PRODUCTS.

Not worth the money or the price tag. I wouldn't want them even if someone told me they were free. My ovenes still don't work. Fridge water line freezes all the time and can't get them to honor their warranty on brand new products.

What a disaster. So sorry to hear this and relieved I trusted my gut on not buying Samsung appliances.

For these reasons I have shared my customer service experiences on Houzz for the benefit of others.

So far Miele and Subzero are fantastic. Robern, Hansgrohe and Kohler are great. Thermador was off-the-charts awful until it wasn't. Whirlpool was/is terrible but after more than a year it seems like they are finally going to fix the problems I'm having.

We had a Dacor oven which frequently broke down; even the door fell off. Dacor has NO CUSTOMER SERVICE. I even went to their "offices" once and was not allowed. The oven was very expensive and the repairs cost several thousand and the thing still kept breaking down. This oven has bee replaced and NO MORE DACORS EVER!!!!

I DO NOT RECOMMEND DACOR or it's 42" Built In Refrigerator. I'm sitting here with one that stopped working less than a month old. It's almost two months old and still trying to resolve. Dacor does not operate like a high end luxury appliance company. Does not care about their customers or stand behind their products.

I have a Dacor column fridge and at 18 mths old, it won't cool. It's been 5 weeks, 3 service calls and the thing still is not working and is under warranty. DON'T BUY DACOR!

I agree. DO NOT BUY DACOR!!!!!!!!!! My dual ovens had many, many issues (electrical panel FAILED tree times ,necessitating in well over $2000 in replacements and installation and one oven DOOR FELL OFF, shattering the glass). DACOR WOULD NOT EVEN RESPOND!!!!!

Sorry to hear all the issues with Dacor! Glad you all post to let us know–

Thank you, was leaning toward Dacor Fridge, Not Now

Dacor is the worst! DO NOT BUY! We have had nothing but trouble with our stove, stove hood and fridge. Service is terrible thorugh DACOR and to top it all off, was refused the ”rebate” we were offered at time of purchase.

DON NOT BUY DACOR! We have had nothing but problems with our stove, hood and fridge. Even the clock on our wall oven dosnt work. Service through DACOR is terrible. Stay well clear no matter what the price. And to add insult to injury, we were refused the ”rebate” at time of purchase!

We weren't given the promised rebate either.

I know this is old, but one thing to consider with anything you buy, What and who is available locally to fix them. I can tell you many tech wont work on Stuff from I have a Dacor fridge I love. Had a few problems over the years. But thank goodness it was made before Crapsung bought them so I can easily buy Whirlpool parts locally. I mean sure you can buy the latest and greatest Crapsung or Lots of Garbage(LG). But when you need to buy a part for them, expect to wait for an order with no information on how long it will be to for your parts to get here, plus they are expensive parts. If you want something that will last don't buy all the features. It may be cute and fun that your fridge has a little tv screen and can connect to internet. When that cute screen breaks be prepared bust out about another 2k to fix it. If you buy simple appliances they are simple to fix.