The manufacturers have different ways of measuring and accounting for space -- like one measures to the wall and one measures to the end of a shelf. I'm told they don't necessarily reflect usable space. Even if they did, you are talking about a tiny fraction of an inch down the back or side. When you are talking about a cubic foot or less, you may well find that the one with the smaller stated size has more usable space. I think that's what you ought to look at -- how well the space looks like it will hold the things you need and make them easily available to you. You do lose a little space in the columns because you have basically one more wall -- one on each side of the fridge and the freezer (all exterior walls) as opposed to a wall on each side and one (sometimes thinner) between the fridge and freezer. I have the Thermador columns. Mine are 30 and 18. If you have the space for a 24" freezer, I'd go for it. I'm happy enough with the 18" in the kitchen, but we do have another freezer. The Thermadors are great looking, well-lit, well arranged -- love the higher bottom drawer. They are virtually silent, chill well, have a super chill that is great. I love the full-extension drawers and that the door only has to be at 90 degrees open to allow the drawers to open fully. I think the space is very well designed and utilized. I didn't like SZ's ice maker at the very bottom - not good for a tall person with a back and neck issues and Texas summers. I really like the ice drawer in the Thermador right in the center although I wasn't sure about it when I first saw it. I didn't have the option of 54", so I didn't really compare a pair of SZ 700's. They were the only SZ'z I liked and the choices I had didn't work as well for me. I can't say anything negative about Thermador though. I really love mine.

Hi Schwester5, Thought I'd throw in my 2 cents about Miele dishwashers. I have the Diamond, not the Futura, but apparently they're really similar except for a few bells, whistles and extra cycles, and the Diamind comes with a 5-year warranty (here's a helpful link on the difference between Miele DWs): http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/appl/msg0510233530587.html Anyway, I'm thrilled with the Miele dishwasher. Even though I did have a frustrating problem with a bent prong on a connector, but Miele sent a Master Miele tech 8-hours round trip and he fixed it. It cleans like a dream. My lipstick is kind of a sticky pink gloss that sticks like crazy to the rim of mugs and glasses. My previous DW (Kenmore Elite) didn't even touch those lipgloss marks. With the Miele, everything comes out perfectly clean. I adore the cutlery tray, and although the Miele appears smaller than some, you really can pile up dishes like crazy--I load bowls on top of each other in a big stack--and they all come out perfectly clean. I love all of the wash cycle options, although I like to use the longer Pots and Pans cycle. It looks great, it's quiet, and the overall operation is great. FWIW, I'm also the very happy owner of a 36" Wolf (DF Range) that I love. It was clear from peaking with the appliance people during my research on Wolf, Thermador and Viking that Wolf had the best repair record, was the heaviest (as in well-built, quality steel, etc.), and was favored by a lot of serious cooks. Thermador would've been my second choice, I love the star burners with all that BTU flexibility. Good luck!

Thanks Marcydc. Changing the first filter was hard because the installer used big honkin' working man muscles to tighten it so tight we needed tools to unscrew it (I had psychologist man muscles working on it, but he needed pliers for leverage). The real difficulty, however, is changing the filter, and fixing the filter code, without warming up the freezer. After my third change I've learned a few things: The book says that when the filter light first comes on it's just a warning, and when the light changes state (starts or stops blinking--can't remember which), it's time to change. Tech help told me I should change as soon as it comes on, and that the trouble I've had resetting the filter indicator comes from letting it go to the end. In that case, it has to be changed in program mode rather than customer mode. The other thing I've learned is not to even try to reset right after changing the filter. My unit won't go into customer mode if it's even a little warm, and if it loses too much cool, it won't go into program either. It's basically trying to say, "Shut the door, idiot!!!" It's easy enough to change the filter and wait a number of hours. I always set aside some ice, because you're supposed to throw away the first 24 hrs. worth, so waiting another 6-12 hours is no biggie. But what defines "hard"? For me, it's the procedure to get into customer mode or program mode. It's arcane in a way that only a German engineer could like. It's like looking for easter eggs in a computer game. I can't hold the instructions and do the routine at the same time. That's "hard".

Does anyone know if Miele has plans for a 24 inch freezer like their others? Apparently the current 24 is Liebhor designed and not he same as the others (do door shelves)? Is that how the other sizes were as some point? I am planning a 36 inch column fridge and 24 freezer. Prefer Miele but don't like that freezer. I'm still a year away from my project so hoping that 24 is temporary filler for a 24 Built and styled like the other sizes. Would a paneled Thermador 24 look like a match to the Miele fridge? Or go to 30/30 like the original poster but I think I could use the fridge bigger, I have a garage freezer but don't want to go as skinny as the 18 inch. 24 seems the right size for me. Or I might go sub zero as I also like their over under all fridge (all fridge but with 2 separate drawers at the bottom). I currently have produce in undercounter refrigerator drawers and like the one step pull out access. But I'm more of a Miele fan. Had a subzero in my old house and knew my repair man a bit too well. But that Miele 24 freezer is a problem and I would love if Miele did the separate drawers on the bottom style for the fridge.