We just got the KA, which I'm very happy with. But Sub Zero is in a different class of appliance, I think - if it's in the budget, I assume you'd get a SZ.

Hi- We have the sub zero 736 TCI...beautiful frige. However, the salesman failed to mention that it is was, and continues to be, on major major backorder- I mean we ordered in APRIL and got it in SEPTEMBER of last year. I was calling all the time to the distributor, etc. Then the installer (recommended by the appliance store) didn't know what he was doing, totally outrageous, so there were more delays and problems. So if you go SZ, which I would recommend after all is said and done, be certain that the installer has some experience installing the specific machine you buy. But SZ was GREAT with customer service during our problems with installation, and they really did not need to be involved. They footed to bill to send someone to my house to make the necessary adjustments. Good Luck!!

We love our SZ as well, although it has had a couple of service calls in its short life (2 years in). That said, SZ customer service was outstanding in every respect. We got the SZ despite having read about some quality issues (which we have not experienced except for the few things they had to come fix initially) primarily because having just been through a house search, we learned that even real estate listings that said NOTHING else about the kitchen would mention "SubZero" in the listing. So it is the one (and only!) thing we did largely with resale in mind. I don't know that it wholly deserves its topnotch reputation (though customer service certainly does!) but it is nonetheless a fact that in our area of New England, it still sells kitchens, apparently...

However I have the freezer on the bottom and HATE the way the ice cube bin is set up in the upper basket (which gets caught half the time, or else ice cubes drop into the freezer cabinet under the shelves when the bin gets full. ! I was spoiled by my GE ice-in-the-door side by side! But that's my only complaint :)

I have a 42 inch sxs SubZero and I love it! It keeps food fresher longer.

I have KA - since it is a built-in it was expensive - over 4x as much as I'd ever spent on a refrigerator. Being as I'd always been pretty happy with the previous inexpensive Whirlpool fridges I'd had, I figured the KA was good enough for me - didn't need a $1000+ even more expensive fridge (SZ). I've been very happy with it for the last three years - so far no problems.

We had a KA before, and bought another one this go round because it had worked so well for us. We'd had a very cool Traulsen in a prior house and were constantly having problems with it and our Wolf Range, so we decided not to go that route again. We did get a few Dacor appliances, though, and the rest are the KA Architect series. So far so good.

Just wanted to chime in and say, as a rule of thumb, it takes a 42" CD fridge to equal the capacity of a 36" standard depth.

My 36" CD is quite a bit taller than the average CD. It has plenty of space and nothing gets lost in the back. We have had it for about a year, no problems. We really like that the ice container is on the door, which increase the valuable freezer space!

Thermador has a 36" French Door that should be between the KA and SZ in pricing.

We have the KA Architect series 42" CD like the one pictured, except ours is a side by side. I love the actual fridge, but I do have one weird complaint. I am constantly wiping finger smudges off the stainless steel between the handles. I could never figure out how that area was always getting so many finger prints when the handles are right there to use. Then I caught my DH and sons closing the fridge door by placing their fingers on the edge of the door, under the handle.

The KA Architect series has handles that stick out quite a bit from the door panel. So because there is room to place your hand on the side of the door under the handle, that's how the fridge door often gets closed, leaving fingerprints there. If I had to do it over again, I'd probably pick a CD fridge with less room under the handles so that people would actually use the handles to close the doors. The KA seems to have a very easy to fingerprint stainless finish, so the SZ might have been a better choice for me, because trying to train my family to use the handles seems to be a hopeless cause!

pickyshopper - get some Weiman stainless steel cleaner and polish - it's like magic. My KA architect fridge was driving me crazy with the fingerprints, but this polish seems to make it fingerprint resistant. It's awesome. But the weird thing is I have the KA Architect dishwasher, and the polish doesn't work as well on that - must be a different grade of SS on the DW.

I have the 48" side-by-side built-in, and we are having many problems with it. We had it delivered in August, 2007. Here is a pic:

The most serious problem we are having is that the temperature, which we are tracking with commercial refrigeration thermometers on the top shelf and in the deli drawer, hovers around 46 degrees while the temperature indicator in the refrigerator states that the interior is 34 degrees. As I said, there are/were many other problems.

We have been working with Whirlpool customer service on this. They have been responsive and are pleasant to work with, but they have now sent two different independently-owned local service companies to my house, neither of which has been able to either fix or definitively identify the problem.

This experience has been the source of major inconveniences and disappointments, considering that we spent over $5,000 on the refrigerator and chose it over SZ, based, in part, on the salesman's representation that KA is the most reliable brand of built-ins.

This morning, I gave Whirlpool a laundry list of issues that arose from the third repair call to my home. I also asked for an RA number to return the refrigerator, which, in my opinion, is not fit for its intended purpose. I was told that my request for an RA would be evaluated by others at Whirlpool.

All I will say at this point is that I cannot recommend the KA. Good luck.

Do you have hard water? Or, do you care if the water for your ice is filtered? The Sub Zero comes standard w/an icemaker, as I'm sure the KA does. However, the Sub Zero does not come w/ a filter - you'll have to set that up externally if you want it. I know the Thermador, and our KA filters (as many other brands) screw into the bottom of the refrigerator.

We have an older 48" built in KitchenAid. We bought the house a little over two yearfs ago and about 8 months ago the freezer stopped freezing. I found the original paperwork from the fridge and apparantly it was bought in 1999 and it was still under warranty. The good news was that all the parts were under warranty but the bad news was that the labor was not. The labor was about $700 -- costly, but a lot cheaper than replacing it. All in all, I am happy with it.

Wow! Thank you all. I have been repeatedly sneaking in to PC Richards to look again at the refrigerators and DW's every time I find out about a new feature to be concerned about! I'll look into the SZ water-filter thing and, whichever I decide on, I'll get me some Weiman!!!!
Decisions, decisions, decisions!!

As a realtor, ANY built in refrig has lots of value. Personally, I just put in a Kitchen Aid. I think the SZ is way too over priced for what you get.

I can't speak to KA, but Sub Zeros last forever and keep the food better than other fridges I've experienced. The real estate come on is as true in So Cal as New England :)

Ctlady, the ice bin shouldn't overflow! Have you called customer service? Is yours the kind with the little feeler thingie at the back that drops the ice when it gets low enough?

I have had a KA for three years and the only complaint I have is that the water filter is nearly impossible to replace. I have to lie on the floor on my stomach and it is hard to get it to snap into place. I have had no mechanical problems at all.

However, mine is a sxs and I don't like the set up so much. I wish I had the one shown above -- bottom drawer freezer and french doors. I think that is the perfect design.

My brother has a SZ and it is a pain. The seal on it is so tight you have to use two hands to open and tug hard. He also had to have multiple repairs. He has some old clunker out in the garage that runs like a champ! I would not spend the money on SZ.

Hmmm...still thinking about the water filter, or lack thereof, in the SZ. I e-mailed SZ about it and they said we would have to have an in-line filter or a reverse osmosis deal installed externally if we were set on a filter for the ice. I'm not sure it's that important. Our water is, supposedly, very safe to drink. It should be for all the taxes we pay! Even so, I've been using a Brita for years and I'm going to have a water filter installed at the sink anyway for drinking. I looked again at the KA and really didn't like the freezer bins. This is in the 36" right-opening freezer-on-the-bottom model. Add this to the list of decisions I have to make!
Thanks again for your input - it really does bring up important considerations that never occurred to me!

check out the Liebherr - not quite as pricey as the SZ but definately a great refrigerator. We bought one about 6 months ago and I love it.

Definately Sub Zero is the Best Brand of Refrigeration! Just make Your life happier with Sub Zero king of Cool. Refrigeration experts suggestion :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Sub Zero refrigeration service experts of South California