Any other fridges compare to Sub-Zero?

Hey all,
We are looking at a kitchen remodel. The refrigerator we are looking at is a Sub-Zero.
The reasons are pretty simple. Good seals, serviceable and a good warranty. The bad is obvious, it is around $8K.:eek1

SO, my question. Is there another refrigerator out there that compares?
I don't want to buy a new one in 5 years, or have it start falling apart (my current ones shelves are getting brittle after 5 years).

What say you?

Thanks.

I bought a samsung for less than a thousand. After 5 years my shelves are fine. At 8 grand, your shelves better last 40 years.

our sub-zero needed a new compressor in 3 years -- not worth the money

now I have a samsung - its better and cost $1500

That is what I am hoping for.
Our current fridge is a Maytag. It is a piece of shit after 5 years.

Interesting.... Did they give you any idea why? Do you know if it is common?

Thanks for the info.

Look at Leibherr.

Will do. There is a dealer close.

I dunno if it's common, and I don't know the details, but my sis did not have particularly stunning experiences w/ her subzero either, and I think had the service guys over several times during the first year of operation. Since then, however, it's been a bit more consistently reliable. But that first year annoyed the hell out of her.

We have Sub-Zeroes at a few of our fire stations. There is no fucking way I would pay good money for one of these inefficient noiseboxes. They have very little insulation, so they run eight minutes out of ten, and they're so noisy we have to turn the TV volume up. The one at my station has already eaten a couple compressors over the past ten years (no wonder, since they're rarely not running).

We'd be better off with a middle-of-the road Kenmore.

Thanks for the feedback guys. I really appreciate it.

Keep it coming.

Seems the more you pay, the more headaches. My wife had her heart set on a DCS commercial style gas range. It's had some problems while my moms run of the mill gas range has been trouble free.

Sometimes the price is just bullshit. No better.

It appeals to those who wish to purchase on a luxury price curve thus establishing their sophistication over we mere mortals.

i'm a firm believer in the idea that cheap appliances and electronics actually last longer, as they have fewer bells and whistles. my $350 best buy special that i bought in jan '99 finally died last summer, after never having any sort of service done whatsoever, including not removing any dust or sand from it. as for your criteria, good seals? really? as for serviceable and warranty, it's better to simply not need it, and i've not heard great things about sub-zero in that regard.

Almost 12 years on our Sub-Zero and I have no complaints. Just recently had to put a compressor in it but that was the only issue we've had. Wasn't even that expensive of a repair. It's quiet and the separate cooling units for the refrigerator and freezer work great (as opposed to just passing cold air from the freezer to the frig). Yes it was expensive but if you don't want something that sticks out into the kitchen (ours is 24" deep, same as cabinets) and has large storage capacity then you have limited options.

Really comes down to what you want in your new kitchen. If you're looking at a built-in unit then you're choices and price range are going to be more limited. Since you're considering a Sub-Zero I'll assume this is a mid to high dollar remodel. If you're getting custom cabinets, high end counters and other top end appliances, do you really want to stick a $300 white box in the middle of it? You're not likely going to remodel your kitchen again for a long time to come. IMO it is worth it to spend a little more now to get what you want as long as it is within reason and your budget.

PS, those noisy fire station units are probably the commercial versions. While the manufacturer's like to tout their commercial heritage, there's lots of differences between the commercial lines and the consumer lines.

My experience with the subzero's was poor, as was my parents. I would go further and say I would never get another "built in" refrigerator of any brand. They don't perform any better and there are plenty of nice options in non-built in models. If you are remodeling a kitchen you can easily make an off the floor model look "built in".

SO, I have been reading.
It sounds like Consumer Reports doesn't think that highly of them, and I have talked to a couple more people that my parents know that are less than impressed.
The consensus is definitely you are just paying for "the status". That is not at all what I am looking for, I was hoping for "you get what you pay for".

I have some others that are alot cheaper and perform better to check out now.

Hmmmm. . . . . My experience with Maytag is just the opposite.

I've got the model with the freezer down below - It's been flawless and shelves are fine after five years . . . . .

My folks had both a full size refrig and a freezer separates - been a long time but I do remember both of them being less than stellar in reliability.

Frankly, I'm not into high design, I think our fridge in this house cost about $800 at Home Despot. Maytag maybe? I don't even care - we buy basic hardware - top freezer, no door dispensers, an ice maker was my sole concession to the wife.

I'm jealous.
Ours is the freezer on the bottom, french door cabinet depth.
The drawer plastic is cracking and broken in some spots, I have glued some stops back in place. The seal in the middle of the doors is wearing our, and the doors no longer close unless you actually CLOSE them...
If I get anything back by the vent in freezes, it makes the top shelf almost useless and if I turn the temp down so this doesn't happen, the temps are not cold enough..... and it isn't packed full.

SO, not so pleased I guess.

I am going to keep it, it is just going in the basement as overflow.

When I redid my kitchen back in '97, I got a Sub-zero side-by-side. Back then, I think it was about $3K. It's a small kitchen, so instead on the optional panels, I put 1/4" mirrors into the doors. Makes the thing practically disappear, and adds a little better insulation to the front.

Except for the ice maker, which has never really worked right (and which I suspect is due to an inept installation by my GC), I have had no problems whatsoever with the unit. I would get another happily.