"Can anybody give me some insight that I'm missing?"

1. size isn't everything.

2. you're asking total strangers that know nothing about you to synthesize a value for YOU.

3. do you only make it to the grocery store once a month because you live in a remote area or an island or have 6+ kids? If not then just about any fridge on the market can work for you. The extra room - or lack - really won't make a difference in your quality of life. You may need to adjust your ingrained habits but fresh food doesn't really last that long - even in a SZ.

4. If you REALLY NEED, or simply WANT the xtra space , two separate units will better serve than one x/large one.

My question isn't really about getting the largest fridge - because both fridges seem to have about the same capacity.

My question is about whether the performance of a SZ (albeit used) would be worth the extra money and lost of counterspace when compared to an LG.

I have seen a lot of mixed reviews on the LG and if it's not as reliable, then maybe the loss of storage and counters would be worth it...

BTW - we are a family of 4 with 2 teenage boys and extra kids in and out. We don't live in a remote area but do have to keep a lot of fresh foods because my hubby is allergic to many things and I do a lot of cooking from scratch. I have had a hard time keeping fresh foods very long in my current fridge...

"... have had a hard time keeping fresh foods very long in my current fridge." Ah ha. Now we know something about you. Fresh foods, cooking from scratch, and unsatisfied with your fridge's fresh storage.

I'm confident in telling you to think about getting TWO 24"w fridges that were made in Asia or Europe. One could have passive cooling. Whatever one fridge does well, you use it more for that purpose.

In this size, a fridge holds a lot. You can get extra shelves and extra door bins too.

people really seem to love their SZs and brag about how long foods stay fresh. Of course I think they keep really well in our KA too. LG does seem to have some quality issues, If those were my 2 choices I would go for the SZ.

This is true. People seem to love their recent expensive purchase (SZ) and brag about how well it performs. Of course it DOES perform better than the previous appliance it replaced.

This happens, with SZ, and with other manufacturers too. In the case of SZ there may a dose of self-convincing groupthink along with the normal human propensity to self-justify any large questionable decision. It's a subjective never ending argument to say that the extra dough spent to get an SZ is worth it because of the heads of lettuce saved.

In all these modern fridges, foods stay fresh longer than otherwise... up to a point. Sooner or later it gets a bit silly to brag about leaving green produce alone for weeks and weeks. Of course I think that greens keep really well in (__) too. Insert brand name here.

I'm impressed to discover that each of my two modern fridges is slightly different in its abilities to keep things "perfectly" ready for eating. One of the two fridges has more humidity inside it, and / or allows more temperature swing (high and low range of Normal operation). These two factors mean that one fridge or the other is better suited for long term ("fresh") storage of radishes, or chicory, or brussels sprouts, or parsley, or spinach!!! Ultimately our response now is "who cares" because we have two fridges simultaneously available and we know that one fridge puts a half-life on parsley that is a shorter span of days than the other fridge's imposed half-life. Having two fridges, we get the mental security advantage knowing that there is still one good fridge running if either one needs servicing. Plus, we spent less on two small ones than we would have spend on one larger fridge. I think that the Asians have produced so many billion of these smaller models that they are willing to sell them for a low margin, even in the US and Canada. I think they could raise margins and still sell a lot. The fact that GE came out with a 24"w fridge means they think there is a market for this size. GE's fridge is about $1000.

If the OP has an old fridge, they will be glad to know that all modern fridges are much better at regulating temperature than before. I think there is still a great range in the humidity levels; dehumidified air = greens wilt and then rot. But still they are all far better than before.

OP: Definitely look into non-American fridges. This is because you buy fresh stuff and cook from scratch. If you look into the guts of the Liebherr, Miele, and Blomberg you'll see they are all similar in this 24"w size.

I think it may also be useful to get a Summit Commercial CP171 or LG LRBP1031 and use it to see how well it works for your usage. The cost is minimal. You could buy one of these models and team it up with any old craigslist find; you will use them totally differently.

Many people have a second fridge that is near the kitchen but not in the kitchen. This is useful too.

The models mentioned above are all bottom freezer models.

Hth

Regarding keeping food longer...

I have a new Thermador with digital read out. It is set at 37F. it seems to be right on. I have a constant digital read out of the temp every time I open the door.

On my previous el-bottom-grade model of GE, I had a dial that was marked 1 to 5 or something else. When I set it too cold, the lettuce froze. I tried to adjust and it felt too warm.

I felt that the temp swing was wider on the my old frig.

Is refrigerator capacity or freezer capacity more important? Don't compare just the overall cu ft, also look at the fridge versus freezer. In this case, the Subzero you are looking at has significantly less fridge capacity, but more freezer capacity than the LG.

Also, the Subzero 648 Pro is a counterdepth model. This is a big change. It will mean that more of the stored items are visible and accessible. It may also mean you can't fit extra large pizza boxes in it easily. If you have cramped kitchen aisles, what you give up in counter space might be offset by improvement in flow and elbow space in front of the fridge (so double check the door swing impact, this fridge isn't as deep).

Honestly, unless you have a need (spacewise or otherwise) or strong desire for a counter-depth fridge, you'll probably be better served by the capacity available in the standard depth.

The real value proposition with any built in but especially SZ is that you are buying a unit that will last 20-30 years vs. one that you'll likely replace in 5-10.

The 6 week old lettuce is just a bonus for those that need long term storage. You are buying aesthetics, and sometimes creature comforts like electric shelves , gee wiz lighting, network monitoring, and ethylene filters to name a few.

You are also paying for (like it or not) snob appeal.

You are not going to re-coup the xtra cost in saved produce. David has hit the nail on the head there, old radishes are just old, no matter how "fresh" they look.

It really boils down to this: DO you want an appliance for the long haul or do you want the latest and greatest and enjoy that "new car smell" you'll get with the purchase of several units ?

Thanks for all the input.

I had considered the benefit of not losing things in the back of a counter depth, but hadn't thought about the inability of putting larger things (pizza box) in it.

I think, bottom line, I don't think the benefits of the SZ outweigh the storage and counter space I would have to give up for it.

The idea of another small refrigerator is interesting. I have a small area in the hallway to my dining room that is basically just wasted space and I planned to have a small cabinet/serving area there. I could put a smaller fridge there with panels to give me that extra space I think I'll need and I'll keep all of my kitchen storage.

Thanks again for the advice!

I was gonna reply to your post title by recommending box wine...

:P

When I was fridge shopping I decided against a built in or integrated because I could only give it 36" of kitchen width and I'd need very inch of interior space and...I'm not tall enough to use all of it so I'd end up with not enough fridge. I'd go with your original plan. Used fridges are gross. Hehe! (And builtins are expensive to repair and replace.)

Fori - What a great idea, choosing a fridge that will hold my boxes of wine and pizza! Priorities need to be considered!

I hadn't thought about the height either. I'm not tall and my husband has taken to calling me Trex because I have short arms ;) I can't imagine having to get a step stool every time I need an egg.

Out of curiosity, what fridge did you end up with?

Millions of future readers might end up reading about losing things on the highest shelf. It might become a big thing in their list of things to watch out for. Oh, no!! Talk about misinformation, misdirection, and mismanagement! The top shelf is not a problem! Please, people, no exaggerating. Let's not write out silly talk about putting small things like loose eggs at the back of the highest shelf.

If eggs are in a carton, the front end of the carton is reachable when you are a small person with small arms. Before posting any resistance, go look at a fridge. A top shelf may be at a height that is surprisingly reachable. Also, a top shelf can be used for things you DON'T reach for. Long term stuff. The lighting inside modern fridges helps you see everything easily.

ayerg73 get the LG you posted about.

Yes, you can arrange the top shelf to be low and hold tall items like milk. And in my house, the loose egg WILL get behind there. Or the jelly or an old yogurt. I'm not proud of it but that's the way it is. Do lots of embarrassing reaching and grabbing with the taller appliances in a store. (The SZ built ins I looked at were alright, their integrated ones were less short-friendly, and the Thermador/Miele/Gaggenau/Bosch columns were bad.)

I ended up doing cabinets for the KA KFC 36" something--the tallest counter depth available at the time. I just never got around to purchasing it and then I moved and two kitchens later still have the fridge that came with my old house.

I totally admit that it was hard for me to justify paying Sub Zero prices for a stupid fridge, especially since the only one I liked wasn't the sleek integrated model (which almost looks good enough to justify the price). It was entirely within budget, but not within the common sense limits I was born with. (Now if I'd found a good deal like you...hmmmm....)

fori - I totally agree with you. Thanks for your input.

I love that it's possible to get some friendly advice and insight from many different perspectives.

It sounds as if your perspective is very similar to mine. Anyone that has had to ask their 12 year old son to reach something for her will certainly have a different perspective than someone who has never experienced that...

Glass shelves are great in tall fridges. :) You can see what's in the back by looking up the under side. But I'm lucky enough to be able to reach if I stand on my toes. ;)

I actually do like the quality and features of the high end fridges, but I agree with your reasoning not to go for the CL SubZero. It's the wrong size for your space, and giving up twelve inches of counter and cabinet storage for it is a poor tradeoff in a tight kitchen. Even in my not so small kitchen, because of layout constraints, I decided against SZ because of a similar 12". I could have shoehorned it (6 feet instead of 5 feet), but am very happy with my choice of Miele. Just now, though, with the holidays, I kind of miss the fridge and freezer space, but otherwise I have plenty.

For your hallway, you might also want to look into getting fridge drawers. If they have enough extra cold storage for you, you could still have the serving counter and an upper cabinet for serving pieces.