P.S. We were also considering getting the Kenmore Pro Elite 48" side by side for around $3k less than the Thermador 48" sxs. Any opinions on Kenmore Pro Elite vs Thermador? Is the Thermador really that much better or am I just paying for the name?

I can't comment on the 48" Therm, but I would think you give up a little storage with the columns. I have the 30" columns and I LOVE them. They are super quiet, they look fantastic when covered in cabinetry, and the layout is very well laid out. I can't get over how much they hold yet you can still see everything. Also having the compressor on the bottom means I don't have to bend over as far to get stuff out of the bottom drawer. The only minor gripe is it makes ice relatively slow. (it does hold a ton of ice though).

I had a 42" GE Monogram fridge before these and I can say it was the absolute worst fridge I've ever had. Ice always clumped up and turned into a block within a few days, reliability was poor, the layout stunk. The day I got rid of it was such a happy experience.

Went through this same dilemma a few months ago as part of a new construction. Needed a Thermador fridge because we did the full Therm promo package. Was interested in the 48" SXS, but was told it's not a "real" Thermador, i.e. it's out sourced from another maker, Kitchenaid? Couldn't afford the freedom columns so did the 36" bottom freezer model. It, like the columns, is Thermador-made and has the dual compressor/evaporator systems. The 48" seemed fine, but I must say it didn't seem to have the build quality of the 36" and it was more money. I liked the layout of the 36" and it looks like it holds a lot. Got a small apartment size fridge for any spillover for another room.

We too have the Therm columns, 30'' fridge and 18'' freezer dating back almost 4 years now. In general we like them a lot. They provide rock solid cooling. Love the dual compressors and the bottom location so there's no obtrusive grillwork above the doors a la SZ. The configuration is great, much more useful than a traditional full depth fridge.

They have not been perfect though. Early on, the glitzy movable upper shelf in the fridge stopped working--I think we stripped out the gears. I never dealt with it, as it was a feature of absolutely no use to us. We had to replace the entire ice maker unit (under warranty). We had to replace one of the glass shelves that sits above the produce bin when the plastic mount broke off (under warranty).

Overall I'd buy them again, especially considering what was available to us when we did our renovation--we were looking for fully integrated units, and the SZ units only came in one width for freezer and fridge, which gave us too much freezer storage and not enough fridge. The BI's (if my memory is correct) still had the exposed grills above the doors which did now work with our design. I am still a bit nervous about longevity, given the little issues that have arisen, but knock wood, so far no major issues.