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.
At the bottom is the video for House Beautifuls "Kitchen of the Year" which is being shown outside Rockefeller Square.
How about a nice long post on how to do this differently?
Appliances...
Refrigerator: House Beautiful: JennAir JDB36NXFXRW Yale Beautiful: SubZero Bi-36
The House Beautiful (HB) is a one-compressor bottom mount. The Yale choice has two compressors and vacuum seal for evenness of temperature. SubZero also has an air scrubber, which scrubs the air keeping food fresher for a longer period of time. It is available in stainless or panelized as shown
Wall Oven: House Beautiful: JennAir JJW2830 Yale Beautiful: Miele MasterChef
Both have computers, but the Miele has multiple, advanced settings for almost every food imaginable, and is very simple to use.
Cooktop: House Beautiful: JennAir JED3536 Yale Beautiful: Thermador(or any induction cooktop) with a componentary downdraft unit
This is no contest. JennAir is a radiant with downdraft in the unit. We employ induction technology(faster, less heat retention, child safe, etc) with a more powerful and separate downdraft unit...You can almost pick any induction. I like the Thermador or Bosch with the powerful burner in the middle.
Sink: House beautiful: No idea Yale Beautiful: Majestic M33, M2433
Have to admit the island one with the flushing system was cool. Ok very cool, but spend your money elsewher. Island sinks are for veggies, etc...You dont need a flusher. Majestic is big, square with a 17 gauge and cheap.
Decorative Lighting: House beautiful: The German thing you can not buy in the US Yale Beautiful: Holtkotter
Kind of torn between a whimsical shaded light and an adjustable LED light...so why not both? BTW, ours are German as well, only you can buy them...here
Overall, the Yale Beautiful has a better, more functional set of appliances, sinks and lighting. Yet it is also more expensive.
How did we do?
Part 2, we will do it again only for way less money.
When I was an appliance lad, our display was very similar to what you see everywhere....rows and rows of stuff lined up by category. That's fine if people want to buy just one piece....if they need to renovate a space, however, you need to create an environment...
I always partner with a granite shop (Adamo in Boston, great guy) and try to show people radically new products and ideas for their consideration
This is our latest environment...
Cooktop is a Bosch, Thermador and Gaggenau steamer...Look at the downdraft, it is self circulating and is vented back through the toe kick
36 inch pizza ovens from Gaggenau
Cool monorail track and pendants from Tech....I like track as an option to recessed lighting, especially in modern spaces
Cool faucet
Stainless island counters look good, but we will see once they have been used(and abused)...interestng rock backsplash
Thermador started the upscale rebate stampede last year. Evidentally, they must have been successful or imitation is the highest form of flattery (or both).
The program is different, because it involves free product instead of cash back. The minimums are lower than the other programs and the percentage of discount seems to be better as well.
Here is the explanation:
Buy a professional range or wall oven and cooktop...
...And receive a free dishwasher
Add a refrigerator...
...and receive a free hood (as well as a dishwasher).
Really easy post. Cooktops really accomplish two functions. They heat and simmer. Typically a high output burner on a professional unit is about 15,000 BTU in comparison, a 10 year old range is 10-12,000 BTU. A lower simmer should be around 700BTU
Professional cooktops are great at both, but before you spend $2300 dollars, look at this Miele with two high output burners at almost $1000 less as regular cooktops are becoming more powerful
For a versatile high output with low simmer 15,000 at the high and 500 BTU at the low
look at Wolf
For the best simmer, look at Thermador, which is intermittent at an almost frigid 200 BTU
This site is tied in with Google Analytics. Yesterday, I was looking at keyword search details, and 7 out of the 10 reasons people look at our blog in the last 30 days is for shallow depth refrigeration, which may be a good reason for a post.
Quite honestly, shallow depth looks aesthetically cleaner in a kitchen, as the black or gray sides are not shown. The refrigerator is 24 inches deep, so it is also dimensionally similar to standard cabinets.
There are two types of shallow depth products: Regular (there is no official name for this) and integrated.
Regular shallow depth products are 24 inches deep plus the door. This is the largest segment of the shallow depth category. It includes SubZero, KitchenAid, GE among others...
Integrated fits within a 24 inch panel and is best for paneled applications. Best brands include: Thermador, Liebherr, Miele, Gaggenau and SubZero...
Our new site needs work, and it does have issues. We are working to address, but to clarify: All EnergyStar refrigerators for NSTAR and National Grid customers from GE, Frigidaire, Electrolux, SubZero, Thermador and Bosch have $169 instant rebates...Its a little confusing at the present time without question
Had a great blog set for today...I was posting the new introductions on appliances from an industry show held at Foxwoods yesterday, but I forgot the pictures. So now the post is about: How to buy appliances now:
Some of this is a review
1. Look for rebates: Its still number one. Sears, Lowes, Home Depot and every appliance store has some kind of rebate offer. Example: Viking and Thermador pro ranges have similar specs, but Thermador is also adding a dishwasher for free with purchase...advantage Thermador.
2. Have a Bottom Line Mentality: 30% off $1,000 is still more expensive than $650. As consumers, we pay with dollars not discounts. The price at the bottom of the invoice is the only relevant item
3. Free is...?: Free Delivery is a great idea, unless there is a charge of $30 for removal, another $60 to walk up two flights of stairs and $25 for a range cord(which costs $3). Ask these questions before you buy
4. Buy what you use, will use and more importantly understand: The over the range GE Advantium is a great piece cooking at 4-8 faster than a regular range. If you use just the microwave only feature, you have overspent by $400-500...same with convection or any other step up feature.
5. Be Social: Angies List is worth the subscription, some free resources like Yelp and Citysearch will have reviews. Quick Note: There are issues with every store...Look at the responses from the stores to the problems as an indicator of your future experience...Also, ask friends, neighbors and tradespeople where they shop
6. Selection is good: Meaning you want to see it. Do not be pushed into store brands without a reason as salespeople typically are paid a higher commission for selling a store brand
7: Service: Establish who will fix it BEFORE you buy. Appliances are not cars. Every major car dealership has service, not every appliance store does the same. You will need service on a new product 15-18% of the time, so prepare beforehand
8. Walk: There are plenty of stores who want your business if someone is being unreasonable or unaccommodating(or both)
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
Wall ovens like most appliances fit cabinet specifications. New construction typically fits a 30 inch cabinet, and older sizes can be 27 or even 24 inch.
In 1975ish, convection became the new feature in high end cooking. Convection as you know is fan forced heat for more even cooking. 35 years later, there hasn't been much in the way of significant inprovement from the original design.
With this much easier task at hand, I would consider the following:
Super Premium:
Wolf and Miele - Wolf has two convection fans and a ton of cooking modes for people who want to cook. Miele has the best controls, which eliminate the guesswork out of almost any recipe.
Premium:
Thermador and Electrolux - Both have good controls as their value proposition. Thermador has the best rebate program (yes a free dishwasher would help sway me as a consumer)
Sleeper:
Bosch - I dont understand the marketing, but their products are attractive, functional and a great value.
This week will focus on intelligent buying. Its about buying products not necessarily names. So pay attention to these next two induction cooktops(as a review induction is the fastest and most energy efficient cooking surface):
Top piece is the ultra chic Gaggenau cooktop complete with knob control. The other is the ever popular Thermador cooktop with didtal controls....The Gaggenau is $4159 and the Thermador is about $3000.
So Whirlpool is Maytag, GE Cafe is GE Profile (in some cases), Bosch, Thermador and Gaggenau can also be similar. Here is the one uniform feature difference...
The Handle
Quick suggestion to save you money: Forget the brand, buy the least expensive yet similar model. Unless of course you did not like the style of the handle.
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.
Meet Dave Kiley. Dave serves many purposes. He is (the best) part friend and part customer. Dave is also my next door neighbor and is a nut about home improvement, especially lighting and appliances.
He is also extraordinarily talented and perhaps the best contemporary renovator in Boston. Look what he does in a small space.
Samsung French door refrigerator, Miele dishwasher, Bosch cooktop, Thermador wall oven and Best hood.
Dave is a style conscious, upscale guy. In a $4500 per month rental, it is somewhat expected...but lets spend less and still have a great look.
By replacing the Thermador with a Bosch oven, Zephyr for Best, Bosch(or GE Monogram) for the Miele and LG for Samsung, we can save about $3500.
The GE bridge element or the Thermador Professional Star Burner.
Have a look:
Answer is GE at 18,000 versus 15,000 for the Thermador.
Guess what...regular non professional stoves have at least one high btu burner of 15,000 or greater. These units start typically at about $600-$700 rather than $2900 from a pro.
The Monogram from last post is certainly new. There are plenty of other new products now available to early adopters of the appliance industry.
Thermador 5 burner 30 inch cooktop....Hey 5 is better than 4.
Remember Thermador has $1000 package rebates.
Electrolux 4.7 cubic foot washer and dryer. Front load is now twice larger than top loader and still uses a fraction of the electricity, water and detergent.
42 inch built ins have been around for 18 years....Electrolux is the least expensive at $4959 with a trailing rebate program.
Over the last week, the Yale Blog has detailed different products to save electricity and of course money. For new construction and remodelling, induction is the greenest cooking technology and a great way to save both.
Every day, I eat oatmeal and have the choice of boiling water on a Thermador 22,000 BTU wok, a Viking prfessional cooktop or an induction burner. Induction is by far the fastest to a boil...
Other attributes:
1. Simmer: Boil to simmer in seconds 2. Control: Induction is immediate response 3. Child safety: Induction is instant on/off, so there is much less residual heat 4. Efficiency: Induction is 90% efficient, gas 60% and electric 55%. 5. Less Venting: Less heat escaping means less venting as well as less of a drag on HVAC systems, which is a further savings of electricity
Induction cooktops now start at about $1399 versus $2200 for a pro cooktop.
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.
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
