Columns

So SubZero is now manufacturing integrated columns. It is similar to their current 700 series just as an all freezer or refrigerator.

Integrated columns allow independent placement, which is a fancy term for placing the fridge/freezer anywhere you want. It is also hidden...have a look at this kitchen...

Have a look now...

Thermador/Gaggenau and Miele columns are available in 24 and 18 inch widths.

Thermador has a 36 inch french door as well

It's a great, but expensive option with panels

Sally's Kitchen

Meet my moms friend, Sally....

This woman can really cook, so lets look at her kitchen.

Perhaps the most interesting feature is the range and hood. Typically, people place a cooktop in the island and wall ovens on an adjacent wall. To save space, Sally has placed a Wolf 48" pro range in the island. You cannot use a range with a downdraft, so Sally opted for a custom hood and blower. I like this. She is also facing her guests at all times while cooking.

SubZero BI36U/O with panel.

Miele dishwasher....Miele has the silverware basket on the tops, so there actually is a ton of extra room for plates etc.

Great kitchen...well designed and thought out.

The Truck

Lets look at this big, ole truck.

This guy travels cross country, so this is part truck and part condo. Have a look...

But what about the appliances(your first thought)...Yachts, Trucks and RVs are interesting because they typically maximize space efficiently

Integrated refrigator. Intelligent choice a regular refrigerator would protrude another 12-14inches into the truck/condo.

Convection/microwave combination..Sharp is a decent choice. This trucker can cook, microwave or do both in combination.

Induction cooktop. Fast, less heat in the condo and induction will shut off without a pan (yes, this is a bad pic)

Have a galley kitchen or tight space and need ideas, look at a truck

How to...Integrate Appliances

Have to admit, I really like the look of a hidden appliance....Have a look.



An integrated appliance is quite simply an appliance, which does not protrude beyond the edge of the cabinet. In other words, the appliance is hidden within the actual cabinet. There are now more options than ever...A couple of considerations:

1. Integrated appliances tend to be more costly
2. Because they fit within 24 inches, there is less capacity
3. Stick to the European or European inspired brands, most of the American companies still protrude

Dishwasher Controls - Front vs Integrated

I am in Chicago sans computer...good time as any to show a couple dishwashers

Regular style: controls on the front.



Integrated: controls on the top.



Love the look, but it will cost you 150 more for the same features.

A word about dishwashers: a cycle is time and temperature...so a delicate cycle is less time at a lower temperature.

Types of Refrigeration

Back in the ancient days, I was the trainer for the new salespeople (to be)...

Third Lesson: Do not use industry terms. This is a rule I violate every day on the ole blog...until today.

Let start with the many types of refrigeration. We have 130+ on display, so lets look at a few.

Top Mount: Fridge on bottom, freezer on top

Advantage: Inexpensive, great selection for smaller spaces
Disadvantage: Stooping for vegetables, fruits, nothing over 21 cubic feet
Best Brands: Frigidaire, GE

Bottom Mount: Fridge on top, freezer on bottom

Advantages: No stooping for fruits/veg, larger sizes available
Disadvantages: Stooping for ice cream, pricier than the top mount
Best Brands: GE, Amana

French Door: Side by side top with bottom freezer

Advantages: Its cool...face it, French is also great in an island scheme, because there is not one wide door
Disadvantages: Pricier than a bottom freezer

Side By Side: Refrigerator on right freezer on left

Advantages: Organized storage, more freezer space(which can also be a disadvantage), smaller doors are better for islands
Disadvantages: Poor lateral storage, not enough refrigeration
Best Brands: Frigidaire, Bosch and GE

Shallow Depth: Can be any of the top configurations, only with the depth being 24 inches plus the door.

Advantages: Looks great in a kitchen
Disadvantages: Pricier with less cubic footage

Professional: Compressor on the top, shallow depth, multiple configurations

Advantage: Impressive
Disadvantage: Impressive price
Best Brands: SubZero, Liehberr, Thermador

Integrated: Fits seamlessly inside a cabinet, cleanest look

Advantage: Freedom to place components where you wish...really the best look with expensive cabinetry
Disadvantage: Most money per cubic foot
Best Brands: Bosch, Thermador

JennAir/Electrolux

When you read this it will be Monday, where I am now will be Tuesday, but I am writing this on a Sunday. Now for more confusion, lets look at the integrated Electrolux and JennAir...

The JennAir is $1149, and the Electrolux is $699.









This is curious, because it is the same dishwasher. JennAir sells them to Electrolux, but then they can't move them at $1299 and close them out at $699.

Do I like this dishwasher at $1299, heck no, at $699 however, for a fully featured integrated dishwasher...its a pretty good price.

SubZero 736 VS The BI36

For people new to the market and the blog, SubZero has introduced a new refrigerator series called the BI. So what is the difference between the BI and the newish 736.

The 7 series is integrated or flush to the cabinet with two freezer drawers.



The BI has a water purifier and a new air scrubber, which keeps food fresher by scrubbing food gases out of the inside of the refrigerator. The unit does, however, protrude past the cabinet, and is not a true integrated product like the 7 series.

Free With Purchase.

You remember Cracker Jacks. Back in the day, I would buy boxes of that stuff just for the free prize (still love caramel popcorn).

Anyway, in a recession manufacturers have two solutions to declining sales. They could build more compelling products, which is a long range fix.

In the short term, however,they could package current products and bonus an item at no charge. Have a look...

Dacor..Buy a wall oven and a cooktop, and the $1300 warming drawer is yours for no extra charge.



Thermador...This company seems to have a whole bunch of promotions. For simplicity sake, buy any 36 or 48 inch professional stove, and receive a integrated $1300 dishwasher with their compliments.



Starts in February....

Great Lighting...Part 8

The YaleBlog is probably 70% appliance related. In this sequence, you will see a SubZero integrated refrigerator, Wolf cooktop, Bosch dishwasher, Franke farm sink, Best hood and Bosch dishwasher in an island setting.

Looks great.

Now look at the lighting. As I have posted previously, task lighting can be accomplished with recessed or track. In this slope ceiling application, we used bendable monorail track with cable supports and track heads with custom color accessories.



In an upscale environment, lighting sets the mood.

Features, Gadgets and Gizmos

Have a look at this Bosch integrated dishwasher



The Bosch does not protrude into the room like most of the others, which ironically defeats the purpose. But why the three tags?

Its the same dishwasher with different features. When you typically step up within a brand, additional features not quality of manufacturing is the additional cost.

In this case, a cycle on a dishwasher is control of time and temperature.

Integrate

Before you buy that stainless kitchen consider integrating or hiding the unit. It is an interesting understated look, and can now be carried through all the products except for cooking.


Have a look:

Yale PSA..Outlet

About 6 months ago, we turned our first floor into an outlet for all returns, minor scratch and dent, discontinued and obsolete products. With our hassle free return policy, products can start to accumulate. After all, we deliver about 175-200 appliances per day.

Luckily, this part of our business has developed a quite a following with the locals even without any advertising. The logis is simple. I look at this as sunk costs, and 60-80% of something is better than 100% of nothing. Customers seem to like paying 20-40% less, because the unit does not have a box or has a minor scratch...So it seems to work for everyone

Outlet is open Saturdays 9-12. We will be opening it during the week as well.


Here is a small sample of product and pricing:

GE white cooktop $125
Bosch white integrated dishwasher $499
GE black glass 36 inch cooktop $200
FRigidaire Gallery electric convection stainless range $499

How To Buy...A Dishwasher

The dreaded How To series continues....How do people actually buy a dishwasher?

After all, we display 45 or so models.

Have a look at a few:



European Vs American: Europeans have a filter. Americans have an eviscerater, which shreds the leftover food.

Integrated: Controls on the top. Cooler look, but it will cost you.

Quiet: Strange fact; brands cannot claim the quietest product. The difference between manufacturers is not detectable by the human ear.

Cycles: The amount of wash, rinse and dry time. A pots and pans cycle, for example, is the longest cycle at 99 minutes.

Racks: In some brands, the top rack can adjust 16 positions.


My favs...

Frigidaire: Great low cost supplier.

Bosch: Reasonable, quiet and efficient.

KitchenAid: My Mom had one.

Miele: Great repair record.

SubZero

I actually visited SubZero in Madison, Wisconsin last weekend. I am a big fan of this company. Like us, SubZero is a third generation business. They have dominated the cooking business by buying and reanimating the Wolf brand. Similar forays into wine and integrated refrigeration have been equally successful.

Recently, they have discontinued the most popular built in refrigerator ever manufactured. The 650 was the original bottom mount pull out drawer on the market.
With two compressors and a vacuum seal, the 650 was the best product in its class.

Lets look at its successor, the BI36.

First they re-engineered the hinges for a more flush installation.




Secondly, a water filter was added. This filter can even eliminate viruses from the water.




You are looking at an air scrubber. As food begins to spoil, it emits gasses. The scrubber eliminates these gasses allowing food to stay fresher for a longer period of time.

Integration And The Bobby Joyce Rule

Have A look at a few integrated refrigerators.



As we have posted before, integrated refrigeration fits inside the cabinet. It is the shallowest of refrigeration, and the best looking.

But how hard is it to install?

For this, I use my infallible Bobby Joyce Rule. Bobby and I have worked together for 22 years. He is the type of guy who owns every tool known to mankind. We once built a deck together. I carried the wood. He pretty much handled the rest.

The Bobby Joyce Rule is this: If Bob cannot install it, then homeowners, contractors and builders cannot or will at least drive themselves mad in the process.

Bob Joyce cannot install the panels on Bosch, Thermador or Gaggenau columns.

In our corner of the universe, we have found and paid a master carpenter to effect installation to our customers(we pay for it out of our marketing funds).

Lesson of a very distracted post: Line up installation before you buy these products.

Seriously.

A Few Of My Favorite Things

LED recessed from Cree: First, for a $30-40 more per can, LED uses 1/5 the power, emits zero heat(saving HVAC and electric costs) and has a 20 year lamp life.




Bosch integrated refrigeration: Integrating a refrigerator is a great design idea. Bosch is the most affordable way of achieving the look.




GE Cafe French Door: GE refrigeration has staged a huge comeback in refrigeration. Dumping LG as the source may be a reason. Deciding to build a better product may be another reason. I am just speculating.




Frigidaire slide in: Frigidaire has not been hurt by the recession, because they manufacture nicely styled yet affordable products. This gas range has power and simmer burners as well as convection and warming drawer for about $600-100 less than their competition.




Induction: Any induction, really. Induction is 90% efficient versus 60% for gas and 55% for electric. The technology is vastly superior in heating, simmering, child safety and does not emit heat like the others. A hybrid unit starts at $1500, which is way less expensive than a Pro.

Its Whats on the Inside That Counts

2007 was the year of the integrated refrigerator with Thermador, Bosch and Gaggenau introductions. Miele has entered the fray this year (last month actually).

Integrated refrigeration is actually shallower than even shallow depth refrigerators, so it is the same depth as the cabinet. In this case a picture helps the explanation:



Anyway, we now have 4 new products to choose...which is best?



Well, your decision is easier than expected, because they are essentially the same box...

Differences...



Bosch: Basic

Thermador: Hydraulic shelves

Gaggenau: Stainless interiors and hydraulic shelves

Miele: Masterchef controls, better lighting and easier installation

Advertising, Package Rebates and Other Stuff

As you know, I ceded my spot as CMO to a very capable Igor Muravyev. Our styles could not be more different. I was a radio guy. He is a print person. I am about leveraging our competitive difference. He is about shopping experience as a purchasing driver. Store environment is important for me, but in recessionary times price has to be a main driver. I also think you can price and brand in the same ad.

As I have said, he wasn't hired to be me. So he wins...for now.

But he doesn't write the blog (yet).

Seriously, the only silver lining to a recession is the rebating from manufacturers. The sole intent is to maintain the factory output....For people renovating, this becomes a huge purchasing advantage.

For example:



You are looking at the Frigidaire Professional series: 5 burner gas range with convection, integrated dishwasher, over the range microwave and matching top mount refrigerator. After mail in rebates of 25%, the price becomes $1799 for the package.

Refrigeration Part 12

A simple product designed to keep food cold has become complicated. Back in the late 1960s, SubZero designed the first shallow depth refrigerators. Designers loved the concept, because at 24 inches deep the refrigerator was in line with the cabinets.

Now there are several different types of shallow depth refrigerators: Professional with the compressors on the top, counter depth refrigerators or shallow regular refrigerators and integrated which are refrigerators less than 24" depth.

I have posted this information before now I will show you more definitely...

Integrated VS Pro



Pro and Pro Vs counter depth



Integrated