Big Honkin' New 48" Sub-Zero

[FabulousFoodBabe]

I'm in the planning stages for a new kitchen; namely, approving the final architect's plans this week. I thought I was completely set on the appliances -- hell, the whole project started with me handing them a list of what I had to have in there -- but I saw the new SubZero and I think I'm in love.

Does anyone have experience with this model? I'm assuming it sucks power, I'm assuming it's heavy, and I'm assuming it will dominate the kitchen. But I can't stop thinking about it.

Thanks, everyone.

[budrichard]

Sub Zero has the worst reliability of any brand. I put in two Kitchenaid/Amana Bottom Freezer units.-Dick

[russ parsons]

don't even get me started. when i was editing the section, part of my responsibility was managing the test kitchen, where we had 2 sub-zeros. both averaged 2 to 3 service calls a year. understand that that $4,000 refrigerator will only have a 1-year, parts only warranty. each service call was, iirc, about $250. when we redesigned the test kitchen, we went with kenmore elite: perfect, problem free refrigerators.

[Mussina]

Friends installed sub-zero in their villas on St. Barths. What a nightmare! Ice makers didn't work and then the units conked out completely. They looked great for a short time but are less attractive when sitting outside for months (new GE in the kitchen) waiting for parts and the service person from St. Maarten. Also, we have a walk in in our house which has seen better days. I always dreamed of ripping it out and installing a sub-z (this was pre friend's horror stories) but my commerical fridge person said that they were garbage.

[deltadoc]

Yup, put in a 48" Subzero refrigerator/freezer. Nothing but a headache. Maintenance is unbelieveable. I got to bring in a gas-powered leaf blower to blow out the dust that accumulates in the heat exchanger, which you cannot access anyway. BLows dust all over the kitchen. If you don't do it, it burns up the plastic fan blades. And nothing stays cold. You have to do this a MINIMUM of twice a year!

Just last weekend, I had to remove about a 4 lb chunk of ice that built up in the refrigerator section because the crummy drain tube plugged up.

I have to manually defrost the freezer about every 2-3 weeks in order for the ice cube maker to make ice cubes. The vegetable trays don't keep vegetables very well, and I've tried all combinations of the vents on these drawers.

STuff falls through the wire baskets of the freezer, and you have to remove that dern thing completely to clean under it. It's really heavy and left scratches in my ceramic tile kitchen floor even though we put it on cardboard.

Needs balancing if you move it at all, because you have to screw up the retractable legs to get the wheelie things to work to move the thing. Hard to clean underneath it.

The dials are very hard to turn. I'd never buy another one!

doc

[Daddy-A]

Yeah ... no love lost for SZ on eGullet Makes me wonder why the damn things still sell.

I assume you're looking at THIS bad boy. I'd go with two 700 series (1 x 27" fridge, 1 x 27" freezer) before using this behemoth myself, but I understand the appeal.

But the service issues are still there, and are very real. Consumer Reports gave them a nasty review a couple years back ... sounds like nothing has changed.

A.

[FabulousFoodBabe]

Yeah ... no love lost for SZ on eGullet   Makes me wonder why the damn things still sell.

I assume you're looking at THIS bad boy.  I'd go with two 700 series (1 x 27" fridge, 1 x 27" freezer) before using this behemoth myself, but I understand the appeal. 

But the service issues are still there, and are very real.  Consumer Reports gave them a nasty review a couple years back ... sounds like nothing has changed.

A.

←

Oh, yeah. You nailed it -- I LOVE this monster. It costs too much, and I appreciate everyone helping me talk myself out of it.

I did the 27" setup you describe in my last kitchen and I loved it. We've only allotted 48" for this unit, though, so I"ll see what will have to give if we did something bigger. The placement is a little, well, different. And I do need a side-by-side for the refrigerator. The French-Door refrigerators would be perfect in theory, but I'm not sure I like the styles I've seen.

My comfort in all this is that I lived with the above-mentioned SubZero for maybe 6 months with no problems. We had to sell it to the Buyers From Hell [insert flashback here, and a bit of heartburn] and I can only hope that it blew up on them the moment escrow closed.

Oh, I'm feeling SO much better now!

Shame on me.

[MichaelB]

You need a 48" model? Get the Traulsen shown here:

Trauslen pdf datasheet

I have had this model for 16 years with nary a problem. Well, once with the icemaker but we won't go into that.

I do hope that you were looking at stainless for the face of the SZ.

[FabulousFoodBabe]

You need a 48" model?  Get the Traulsen shown here:

Trauslen pdf datasheet

I have had this model for 16 years with nary a problem.  Well, once with the icemaker but we won't go into that.

I do hope that you were looking at stainless for the face of the SZ.

←

You have one in your home??? [jealous, jealous] What about noise? How in the world did SZ manage to make a home version of this, which is what it looks like to me ... and make it heavier? I don't understand the electrical stuff; does this mean it works with standard household electrical? (We already know we'll have to do some electrical revamping, but the house probably needs it anyway. )

My kitchen is going to be open to the wet bar/sitting room, the front foyer, and the outside. Trying to decide now if 40 acres of stainless is going to work. We need to keep it professional but soft. I'd considered glass doors, which I love. My last SZ was built into cabinets and I loved it.

[MichaelB]

You need a 48" model?  Get the Traulsen shown here:

Trauslen pdf datasheet

I have had this model for 16 years with nary a problem.  Well, once with the icemaker but we won't go into that.

I do hope that you were looking at stainless for the face of the SZ.

←

You have one in your home??? [jealous, jealous] What about noise? How in the world did SZ manage to make a home version of this, which is what it looks like to me ... and make it heavier? I don't understand the electrical stuff; does this mean it works with standard household electrical? (We already know we'll have to do some electrical revamping, but the house probably needs it anyway. )

My kitchen is going to be open to the wet bar/sitting room, the front foyer, and the outside. Trying to decide now if 40 acres of stainless is going to work. We need to keep it professional but soft. I'd considered glass doors, which I love. My last SZ was built into cabinets and I loved it.

←

Yes, I do and have had it for 16 years now. I have never noticed any noise to speak of. Electrical is the same as every other refrigerator -- standard 120 volt, 15 amp circuit.

When I bought mine, glass doors were available on the unit. There is even a front panel switch to leave the light on all the time. I could never keep my fridge tidy enough to get by with glass doors.

[Ducky]

I have never quite understood the SZ bashing on eGullet. Could it be that the newer models are more cheaply made - a bit like all the cheap Cuisinart c__p appliances that are flooding the market?

We have a large built-in SZ that has been absolutely trouble free for the past eight years. Yes you have to vacuum around the heat exchangers once or twice a year - but that is all.

[chezcherie]

i'm a thermador fan, and they have a fairly new 48" model.thermador clickety

the interior is gorgeous--curvy lines and a little silver-y trim...it's really pretty (for a fridge).

[FabulousFoodBabe]

i'm a thermador fan, and they have a fairly new 48" model.thermador clickety

the interior is gorgeous--curvy lines and a little silver-y trim...it's really pretty (for a fridge).

←

Oh, very nice! I guess, though, it's really a SZ? Or the same guts, at least (Thermador/Wolf/SubZero)? Since my cabinets are going up on legs, though, I want the refrigerator to be up on legs too.

Even when I haven't had "done" kitchens, I've installed some sort of Thermador range. I got hooked on them when they were the only dual-fuel I could find. The new ones with their blue knobs and little analog dial bother me, a lot, and I doubt I'll get one in this kitchen.

[DTBarton]

Count me among the SZ bashers from personal experience. Both my in-laws (separate houses) have SZ fridges and the things are never very cold and they make about 7 ice cubes a day.

My neighbors have had nothing but trouble with their SZ, expensive maintenance, repeated problems. Definitely not worth the premium price, from what I've seen.

[rooftop1000]

I have to assume they used to be made better....my grandmother's is 24 yrs old. I know of 2 service calls and the ice cubes always smelled....funny....

tracey

now the Jenn Air has totally fallen apart in this amount of time

[Daddy-A]

now the Jenn Air has totally fallen apart in this amount of time

←

DON'T get me started on Jenn Air!

Where I'm doing most of my work, the trend is towards smaller fridges (Smeg, Liebehr or LG). Lots of condo's and lofts owned by daily market shoppers or daily diners.

I have to admit, I like the look of the Traulsen! I've heard good things about them too. Very reliable.

For really good appliance info, give THIS site a visit.

A.

[chezcherie]

Oh, very nice!  I guess, though, it's really a SZ?  Or the same guts, at least (Thermador/Wolf/SubZero)?  Since my cabinets are going up on legs, though, I want the refrigerator to be up on legs too.

Even when I haven't had "done" kitchens, I've installed some sort of Thermador range.  I got hooked on them when they were the only dual-fuel I could find.  The new ones with their blue knobs and little analog dial bother me, a lot, and I doubt I'll get one in this kitchen.

←

i know it isn't a sub-zero--iirc it's whirlpool innards? (thermador is affiliated with bosch, not wolf/sub z, but i don't think the fridge is made by bosch, either.) the thermador fridge has only been out about a year or so, though, so there won't be much feedback on long term use/repair, etc. ah, well, in any case, have fun with the remodel! btw, you can still get the "old school" black knobs with the stove---i agree the blue knobs are odd. red=wolf, blue=well, just goofy.

[FabulousFoodBabe]

i know it isn't a sub-zero--iirc it's whirlpool innards? (thermador is affiliated with bosch, not wolf/sub z, but i don't think the fridge is made by bosch, either.) the thermador fridge has only been out about a year or so, though, so there won't be much feedback on long term use/repair, etc.  ah, well, in any case, have fun with the remodel! btw, you can still get the "old school" black knobs with the stove---i agree the blue knobs are odd. red=wolf, blue=well, just goofy.

←

Oh, man. You're right. Thank you for the gentle correction, Chezcherie! I'm definitely in the throes of appliance fatigue, getting my ranges mixed up!. (that Thermador dial bugs me more than the blue knobs. My last Thermador was in brass trim and I loved it, every bit of it.)

Daddy-A, thank you for the clickie. It's a great site. Traulsen was on my list of "Have to Have," and I do like the way they look; the noise was presented as an issue so I fuhgodaboudit. Now, it may be a possibility ...

Good grief, this was easier when there was less to choose from. The remodel has gone from "BTDT, never again" to "OMG! The cabinets are pulling out of the walls, I've had to unload dishes from two upper cabinets already; the drawer fronts come off in my hands, and that lovely cream color was pure white, 20 years ago." So, I've stopped cursing about it, bit the bullet and hired a couple of architects who listen to me, and who "get it." It's a lot of fun. Now.

[Ducky]

now the Jenn Air has totally fallen apart in this amount of time

←

I have to admit, I like the look of the Traulsen! I've heard good things about them too. Very reliable.

For really good appliance info, give THIS site a visit.

A.

←

Brilliant link Daddy-A!

Those Traulsens look very cool. Do you know anywhere in our neck of the woods where one can have a look at a Traulsen?

[FabulousFoodBabe]

Well: the issue has been resolved. Liebherr, two 24" units, top refrigerator and bottom freezers. Four doors, total. Lookie Here --

Yippee skippee!

[chezcherie]

oooooh, purty! plus, you might get a chance to say "liebherr firmengruppe" a few times, which i think would be worth the purchase price...whatever that might be!

[Ducky]

These are very beautiful units. We know the Liebherr brand from Europe - but I had no idea they were being sold in North America with 110-120volt power. They are beautifully built. The Porsche of refrigerators!

FFB: Can I ask where you found these????

[crouching tyler]

I have a Liebherr that I bought at Albert Lee Appliance. I would recommend both the refrigerator and Albert Lee.

We just have one 24" unit, with the freezer on the bottom. Super quiet, and very sleek.

[FabulousFoodBabe]

These are very beautiful units. We know the Liebherr brand from Europe - but I had no idea they were being sold in North America with 110-120volt power. They are beautifully built. The Porsche of refrigerators!

FFB: Can I ask where you found these????

←

Of course! Albano Appliances in Pound Ridge, NY. They've got one on the floor that they just installed. We'll have to do a major electrical upgrade in the house as it is.

Mmmm ... Porsches.

[FabulousFoodBabe]

I have a Liebherr that I bought at Albert Lee Appliance. I would recommend both the refrigerator and Albert Lee.

We just have one 24" unit, with the freezer on the bottom. Super quiet, and very sleek.

←

And I love to hear this, too. Thank you!