The Thermador is probably one of the best built-in refrigerator you can get today.

Ive owned the Gaggenau version of this fridge going on 4 years and it’s great. Would highly recommend. Would do it again.

I have that exact fridge (the Thermador 36" built in french door bottom freezer). We've had it for two years and haven't had any problems except the ice seems to meld into a bit of a block. Perhaps we just don't use it up enough. The fridge is a lot taller than what I was used to, so at first it seemed awkward to use the upper shelves, but I've gotten used to it. It's much easier to pull the shelves and drawers out to clean than my old GE was. Sometimes I miss having a cold water and ice dispenser on the door.

Does this have a separate compressor for the fridge and the freezer?

@Ann Is the ice dispenser at the bottom freezer? How often do you need to have the fridge maintained? Heard that built in fridge maintenance call is much more expensive than free standing ones. I'm petite, so is it hard to get stuffs from upper shelf (can you adjust shelf so upper is not so high). Thank you.

@c9pilot I'm not sure. Can someone chime in?

The ice dispenser is at the bottom freezer. I'm not sure about separate compressors. We haven't had to call for maintenance on the fridge. We did have someone out (a thermador repair person) when the hood acted up and they had to replace the electronic control panel. It was under warranty so no cost to us. It started acting up again this summer but now it's mysteriously fixed itself. I've used the vent religiously every time I use a burner so it's already gotten a lot of hours of usage. The sales person told us to use it even if we were just boiling water, and I have to say there is absolutely no residue anywhere on any cabinets so I think thats good advice.

The upper fridge shelf can be lowered but that would reduce the space above the next lower shelf. Right now the upper shelf is at my eye level and I'm 5foot 4 inches. So the orange juice pitcher or whatever I keep on the upper shelf is pretty high up there. My next lower shelf right now has 51/2 inches of clearance and the clearance to the drawers ie the next shelf area is 6 inches.

@minimalist183 Can you educate me as is it better to have two compressors vs. one compressor?

With 2 compressors each compartment (fridge and freezer) can maintain the proper temperature with no temperature fluctuations. This should prolong food freshness.

2 compressor refrigerators have been a hallmark of Sub Zero units for years but have recently appeared on other brands of built in units.

The Thermador T36BT920NS Freedom Series 36 Inch Built In Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator ($9300) was very highly rated by Consumer Reports and, per CR, Thermador's built-in refrigerator predicted reliability is "Excellent". However Bosch's reliability for a similar product is also "Excellent" and it's one-third the price or less:

• Bosch B36CT80SNS 800 Series 36 in. 21 cu. ft. French 3 Door Refrigerator in Stainless Steel with Dual Compressor, Counter-Depth ($2789)
• Bosch B36CT81SNS 800 Series 36 in 21 cu ft French Door Refrigerator in Stainless Steel with Dual Compressor, Pro Handles, Counter-Depth ($3149)

@wdccruise Are the Bosch built in or non-built in? I can't decide if I should a pay a premium for a built-in. Since I'm doing a new kitchen, I'm not sure if built in looks nicer with all new appliances.

They are counter-depth but not built in. The installation instructions show that the gaps between the appliance and surrounding cabinets can be very small (e.g., 1/8" to 1/4" on each side). The installation instructions are linked to the Home Depot web pages linked above.

Two years ago we looked at Thermador and Subzero 36" built-in and went with the Subzero. Our decision was likely because subzero is made in the USA, and because the repair company that services subzero in our area got excellent reviews. Have you looked at who services each brand in your area and reviews?

I would confirm with Bosch on the 800 series on having “dual compressors”. I believe they have dual evaporators not dual compressors.

The Bosch, Thermador, & Gagganeau built in bottom freezers all have dual compressors.

The Thermador T36BT920NS Freedom Series 36 Inch Built In Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator ($9300) was very highly rated by Consumer Reports and, per CR, Thermador's built-in refrigerator predicted reliability is "Excellent". However Bosch's reliability for a similar product is also "Excellent" and it's one-third the price or less:

Bosch B36CT80SNS 800 Series 36 in. 21 cu. ft. French 3 Door Refrigerator in Stainless Steel with Dual Compressor, Counter-Depth ($2789)

Bosch B36CT81SNS 800 Series 36 in 21 cu ft French Door Refrigerator in Stainless Steel with Dual Compressor, Pro Handles, Counter-Depth ($3149)

If you're going to compare fridges, you should compare apples to apples. A counter depth is NOT the same thing as a built in.

The Thermador is NOT the same as the two Bosch ones you show. The comparable Bosch is the B36BT930NS. It's listed for $8299.

I have the panel ready built in Bosch version of this fridge and I think it's excellent. And yes the Bosch has dual compressors. We went with the Bosch over the Thermador because we got a rebate (well we were supposed to until the builder screwed that up too) because we were doing a Bosch cooktop and oven, so with the third piece, we were supposed to get a 12% discount. There are only very slight differences between the Thermador and the Bosch and it has nothing to do with performance.

OP knows built in and counter depth are different. Maybe she'd like to save 5-6 grand.