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Sub-Zero Alternative?


Stone

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Ours has needed repairs twice in 7 years which is unheardof for a (less expensive) refrigerator. In the next house I think I'll block out the space for a Sub-Zero but I'm definitely not getting another one. I know this does not answer your question, I'm confirming what you have heard.

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Whatever you do, DON'T buy a SubZero.

They're just like their name says "Sub Zero", that's NEGATIVE territory mathematically speaking!

My Model 550 has been a total pain.

The ice maker has to be manually defrosted about 1-2 a month.

2-3 times a year, I have to bring the gasoline-powered leaf blower in to blow out the dust that collects on the unreachable heat exchanger (looks like a radiator grill).

The "plastic" fan blade melted down and had to be replaced.

It iced up because the little drainage tube at the bottom by the drawers for vegetables clogged with dust. I actually had to hammer away at the ice block for several hours to dislodge it all.

The enameled interior is chipping away.

The metallic trim components of the door and freezer drawer dent if you drop a grape on them.

The temperature differentials throughout the refrigerator portion are wildly inconsistent.

The freezer drawer is a total pain to remove to clean out underneath it. Everything falls through the wired freezer basket.

Did I mention I have to actually turn off the freezer, leave the drawer open until water is all over my kitchen floor, before I can shut the freezer drawer and wait 3 days for ice to appear again. A couple of weeks later (if I am LUCKY) I have to do it all over again.

SUBZERO??? NEVER again, sayeth the doc!

doc

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hana hou to deltadoc! My SZ is a pain in the............Can you say LEMON? Well I can echo his

problems and probably add to them but I haven't taken my Toprol yet today. Anyway suffice it to

say I was so outraged by the thing that I was able to contact the local showroom and get an

extended 5 year warranty to cover both parts and labor due to my dissatisfaction with all the

problems. Thankfully though, the repairman is a raelly neat guy who I've come to know after

all of his visits! When we redo the kitchen I hope to move this 600 pound piece of trash outside

into the garage. It's sad that something I wanted for so long has been such a source of

major irritation :angry:

"You can't miss with a ham 'n' egger......"

Ervin D. Williams 9/1/1921 - 6/8/2004

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Having dealt with SZ for almost 15 years now, I can honestly say I see nowhere near the problems with them in my professional life as I do here on eGullet. I've read the Consumer Reports, and have in fact had SZ's go "lemon" on my clients ... but not as much as seems to happen here. I think it's a case of "I just spent $10K on this fridge ... why the hell doesn't it work PERFECTLY?"

My point is, SZ didn't get it's reputation and market share by building crappy fridges.

Having said that ... Thermador, GE Monogram and Viking all offer really good product. Do they have the "name" offered by SZ? Nope. But imo they offer much better bang-for-buck.

A.

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I had a sub zero for almost 15 years that I had no problems with until the final six months when I needed repair and probably should have just replaced it. I bought a Kitchenaid, side by side. My subzero was freezer on the bottom. Whatever you do, don't buy a side by side. It's useless!! If I didn't have a refrigerator and freezer in my basement, I wouldn't have any place to put cookie sheets, turkeys, even frozen pizza. Also, my cheese/meat drawer is useless since even on its lowest setting, it freezes everthing (it's been adjusted twice to no avail). I will be replacing it with a Subzero.

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I think it's a case of "I just spent $10K on this fridge ... why the hell doesn't it work PERFECTLY?"A.

For $10,000 for a "fridge", it oughta better work perfectly!

My point is, SZ didn't get it's reputation and market share by building crappy fridges.

A.

Singer sewing machines built up a reputation over 100 years and then sold out. That's why you can buy little Singer sewing machines for $19.95 that are crap.

The point being that any company can spend years building up a reputation, and new management can spend 1 year wrecking that reputation. Sub zero is permanently off my list of ever being considered for anything except the junk pile when this one finally goes belly up for good.

:)

doc

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I think it's a case of "I just spent $10K on this fridge ... why the hell doesn't it work PERFECTLY?"A.

For $10,000 for a "fridge", it oughta better work perfectly!

Well, with that POV you'd better not go buy a Ferrari either :cool:

A.

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My point is, SZ didn't get it's reputation and market share by building crappy fridges.

Exactly.

Of all my refrigerators (and yeah, I've had a few), only the SZ didn't freeze where it shouldn't, pop open at 3 a.m., go into some bizarre cycle where all the ice cubes would wind up stuck together, etc. etc. I'm getting the big one for the new remodel.

I think the reason SZ pisses people off so much, is that they don't deal much on their prices.

"Oh, tuna. Tuna, tuna, tuna." -Andy Bernard, The Office
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