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Refrigerators and more: SubZero? Dacor? Others?

2 months ago

last modified: 2 months ago

I'm getting ready to commit to appliances for what I hope will be a long-lasting kitchen renovation!

In my hunt for a "true counter-depth" 36 inch French door refrigerator, my salesperson guided me to Dacor and Subzero for both refrigeration and cooking. I was about to commit to Dacor, partially due to price and a current 10% off promo, but then I read lots of worrisome reviews online.

And so I wonder, is the investment worth it to commit to SZ/Wolf? In the end, their fridge, range top, wall and speed oven will run me close to $10,000 more than Dacor. Should I consider Wolf for cooking and a different brand for the fridge -- or is the SZ product unbelievably head and shoulders above the rest?

I am total novice at this and would love to hear your voices of reason! Also, is there another brand, preferably American, that I'm failing to consider?

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Comments (7)

Kim G
2 months ago
last modified: 2 months ago
I love my subzero. It is very pricey but it has been an ecellent fridge/frieezer. I have a 36” fridge and 30” freezer. I just got home from a 2 week trip and the produce that was in there is still viable. It was there likely a week or so before we left. I did Miele ovens (wall/CSO/Speed) due to the chipping issue of Wolf. I have a wolf induction cooktop that has been geat. I am 7+ years into use on all. I am not familiar with current Dacor so I can’t comment on the compare. Different level of appliances and obviously price point.
Cq Bk
Original Author
2 months ago
Thanks, Kim! Can you explain the chipping issue?
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I could certainly be wrong but from the sound of your post you sound like someone who has "aspired" to have a SubZero fridge not necessarily for a functional reason but to have the brand. It sounds as if you're going all out - two Miele dishwashers, etc. - so why not just go for the SZ? If you think about all the people who have been keeping their food chilled without investing in SZ, there has to be something people "value" about SZ other than it's functional ability to keep food chilled or frozen that would make them pay the premimum price. Could be appearance, appeal of saying you have the brand, etc. In any case if you want one and want to spend the $ go for it. It seems you can count on repairs with any brand these days - kind of like luxury auto brands. Just because you spend alot doesn't mean it will be trouble free.
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I've had a KA for a little over three years and I've been happy with it so far. I had nothing any more upscale than a basic Whirlpool fridge prior to this - Whirlpool brands have served me well - so this was more than adequate for me. Some good friends needed several repairs on their relatively new SZ fridge and went out of their way to recommend I not get one. Obviously lots of people are delighted with SZ but since people I actually know were not, that did influence my decision. I did want a built in with cabinet panels and KA was outrageously expensive enough - no way I was going to pay thousands more than that. For that I would expect flawless performance for at least 15 years and I just don't think they make appliances that way any more. What might have been great quality 20-30 years ago I really don't think is the same these days - SZ or otherwise.
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Not for everyone and there is no freezer but the quality is impeccable and it is built with commercial components and since the compressor is remote from the fridge, it runs cooler and the kitchen is absolutely silent. My primary fridge and freezer are Perlick drawers under my island Bluestar 60" rangetop which offers the unrivaled convenience of having of having my most used ingredients where I am using them. The Klondike can hold nine gallons of milk on a single shelf and is used for refrigerating leftovers in pans/dishes etc as well as beverages where you want strength and space. I don't believe plastic shelving belongs in a fridge and this is what initially attracted me to this besides the beautiful woodwork. This unit is the proverbial brick outhouse and I love it. The Klondike and Perlick drawers hybrid solution worked best in my situation. Similarly, I have F&P dishwasher drawers flanking either side of my main sink and a Bosch Integra 800 for party cleanup etc since hybrid solutions offer the flexibility and convenience I need. I grew with the integrated side by side freezer/fridge and while the integrated nature of it was nice, the reliability could have been better and the design suffered from use of plastic in the door which I consider a design flaw. Quite simply, given enough and wear, they break, crack and can't hold the same weight. In addition, having all my refridgerative capacity in one unit was a problem since in my mind once you get beyond a certain size kitchen, the kitchen triangle concept gets long in the tooth and is no longer relevant. Designing kitchens around stations makes more sent to me in all but the most constrained kitchens. This makes the idea of concentrating a function in a monolithic form factor outdated to me. Some food for thought... Here is a link that might be useful: Klondike Fridge
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It sounds to me like you want the SubZero but are having trouble justifying it. It's by far the best fridge of the ones you've named. You seem to have very realistic expectations and a good understanding of the context and variables. If you have plenty of cash and the SZ is a luxury you're thinking you will enjoy even though it's above the grade of the rest of the appliances and neighborhood, go for it! If you're financing the remodel, and will be paying interest on many thousands of dollars more for a luxury that's above the grade of the rest of your appliances and neighborhood, take a really good look and make darned sure it's worth the debt. I adore high end fridges with their high end performance, but the marginal difference per dollar is quite low. For most people, it's just not worth it. Are you confident in your choice of cooking appliance(s)? That's the one that usually has the biggest impact on pleasure in cooking and the kitchen, and that's usually where people will put their extra luxury money. One thing about the SZ is that with some maintenance and perhaps occasional repairs as parts wear out, it should last you for as long as you're in the house.
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Kim G
2 months ago
Just put Wolf Chipping in the Houzz discussions search bar - you will see multiple threads. Lawsuit filed with Wolf in 2015. I am sure you can also do a google search on the same topic and get many hits.
dan1888
2 months ago
SZ for refrigeration is a good choice. I would choose the other appliances based on individual quality.
theotherjaye
2 months ago
last modified: 2 months ago
We went with Sub Zero in our new house. Everything I’ve read indicates that it does a far, far better job of keeping food that pretty much anything else. I’ll second the ”chose on individual quality” approach for appliances. We wound up with Bosch for our induction cooktop and dishwasher (same models we had in our last house, actually) and Thermador for a double steam oven. I’ve heard not good things about Dacor and repairs - looked closely at their double steam oven as well, but the repair issue looked like a problem.
Helen
2 months ago
If this is a high end home that you intend to live in for awhile then get Subzero. I don't think any other high end refrigerator is close to them in terms of both actual quality and reliablity PLUS resale in the event you actually have to move.

With the other appliances I would get whatever one is rated the best in the individual category. As I recall the Wolf ovens are problematic so you might want to rethink those.
PRO
Jeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor
2 months ago
Our Subzero refrigerator & freezer experiences over 30 years have been unblemished.

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