Are Dacor ranges and 'fridges any good?
I was considering Sub Zero and Wolf but I actually don't love that Wolf has so few features (no preheating reminder; no digital display... at least on the all gas option). Meanwhile, Dacor is considerably less money and I actually thought their range and their column fridge/freezer combo look pretty sharp. Am I crazy to consider this option? It's a very large house/kitchen in a fairly "high end" neighbourhood( but we are not planning to sell for years to come....).
Comments (56)
- 7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
Re the comments about the Samsung and Dacor ranges looking alike. There's a reason for that. Samsung acquired Dacor about 3 years ago.
This was partly because Samsung was looking to break into the premium luxury appliance market where Dacor has a foothold in the super-premium priced showrooms. (Samsung had been unable to make much headway with its own line of premium priced appliances). It was also because Dacor had already been producing Android-based hi tech stuff thereby making it a good fit for Samsung.
Opinions here on both brands have varied. Some posters have been fairly positive --- at least until the unit needed service. (Used to be hard to get Samsung parts, too, but that seems to have changed.) Others here have taken the dimmer views reflected above. For a more detailed look at the stoves, check out this thread about the using a Dacor range bought shortly before Samsung's acquisition. Don't recall seeing much of anything written here recently about the Dacor ranges and cooktops. You'll probably get more recent results if you search on Dacor in the kitchens forum.
FWIW, Dacor still has its own facilities for making the cooking products (albeit incorporating Samsung technology). Dacor has always outsourced the fridges and dishwashers. The fridges used to be made for it by Whirlpool and the dishwashers by Asko/Gorenje. The fridges and DWs are now made by Samsung.
- 7 years ago
The appliance salesman was perhaps not getting as much commission on Thermador or GE. Just a thought.
I've had SZ (loved that refrigerator - not one problem in 11 years) in one kitchen with Asko dw (loved that dw), all Thermador appliances in a kitchen with Bosch dw, and now have all Bosch appliances with the exception of a Thermador microwave/convection oven.
You'll find that the higher end brands don't do "bundled" deals, such as buy 4 appliances and get xxx off. Didn't get any discount at all for buying all Thermador or all Bosch.
The Bosch fully integrated refrigerator I have now was less than the SZ by about $2000 but still not cheap, obviously. And I'll always choose a Bosch dw.
Oh wait, the question, lol. I've never had Dacor anything, or Samsung. Did have a GE Monogram double oven about 20 years ago and it was fine. Related Professionals
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Original Author7 years agoTo be honest, reading all the blogs and consumer ratings.... it seems any brand has its fair share of fans and haters, and you can get a lemon among any of them. I guess I'm just wondering if I really need to spend huge amounts on a stove or fridge/freezer just to get the look of a high-end custom kitchen. Another option is Miele... but it's not much of a difference in price from the Wolf/SZ line of appliances.....and it's a different look (more "European").
Right now, SZ/Wolf is offering 10% off but so is Miele but Miele is also throwing in a 5 year warranty.
Yes, I know.... now I'm totally off Dacor.... but according to all that I've seen above, it seems like maybe that's not going to cut it for this kitchen!
AW
Original Author7 years agoBTW, Lawrence, I was also looking at Consumer Reports.... part of why I reconsidered Wolf/SZ is because they don't get fabulous ratings either. For that kind of $, I'd expect at least in the70s on CR!!
- 7 years ago
We are impressed with Dacor almost as much as well as SZW products. We especially like the styling of the Dacor products. The high end appliance companies do offer bundled deals. We purchase appliance packages all the time–
- 7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
I purchased my Thermador appliances bundled and got a dishwasher at no extra cost; with the purchase of a built in refrigerator and duel fuel range. I was considering Wolf and SZ, but I love to cook and a friend who is a retired professional chef said Thermador all the way for cooking. I've been very happy with all of these appliances. Also FWIW Bosch and Thermador are owned by the same company, so both are good solid German engineering.
- 7 years ago
Dacor integrated fridge and freezer columns have some awesome features that nobody else in the high end space has. For me, they handily win the feature war.
But what concerns me is that Dacor is owned by Samsung, and Samsung's reputation for customer service and warranty coverage is terrible. And from things I've read, I'm not so sure Dacor was much better before Samsung bought them.
At this price point, great customer service is of the utmost importance. You might be willing to suck it up and replace a problematic cellphone when Samsung isn't responsive but it's a lot more expensive to replace a fridge and freezer if you can't get them repaired.
If anyone has experience with them I'd love to hear how Dacor handles appliance issues since Samsung bought them. Are they responsive and easy to work with or do they give you the run around? I have had to get warranty service from Miele and Subzero and it's been a VERY pleasant surprise! I'm very afraid that dealing with Dacor/Samsung will be a nightmare if I ever need support.
OTOH I had a fairly basic question for Thermador prior to installing a cooktop and it was so frustrating I started yelling at the woman on the phone who couldn't understand what I was asking and refused to escalate my call to someone who could provide the information I needed. It was unbelievable. Before that I emailed a more technical question to Thermador which was answered handled professionally, so Thermador is a mixed bag in my experience.
AW thanked uscpsycho AW
Original Author7 years agoThanks for the comments. I've started looking more closely at Miele because they have a good reputation, fit the 'high end' modern look requirement for the kitchen and yet are priced less than SZ/Wolf (albeit still $$)
- 7 years ago
FYI, I recently heard some issues with Miele service from a distributor.
- 7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
I've had no trouble at all with Miele service as recently as two weeks ago. I couldn't turn on my wall oven and it turned out to be an electrical issue that was diagnosed by the Miele service tech who came to fix the oven. I didn't have any trouble getting them to come look at it in the first place and they did not try to charge me when it turned out the oven didn't have a problem.
Miele service has been terrific.
AW thanked uscpsycho - 7 years ago
LOL Smith & Ragsdale. Dacor is better than SZ and Miele has poor service.
- 7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
WHAT??? LOL Dacor is better than SZ and Miele has poor service? Not on planet Earth...
What happened to Sophie?
- 7 years ago
USC, my comments were sarcasm aimed at Smith & Ragsdale who is flogging that nonsense.
Sophie was banished for something that happened on Hot Topics. Houzz allowed her back 7nder the proviso if one person ever reported one of her comments she would be banished for good.
Sadly, Sophie is quite unwell now. This was an important part of her social life due to a stroke affecting her hearing. Another stroke sadly has made online communication difficult too.
- 7 years ago
I'm sorry to hear that. She often had good advice and insights, but she was a bit combative. I wish her all the best!
- 7 years ago
Zalco you didn't follow my comments above or you wouldn't have written what you did about my comments. "We are impressed with Dacor almost as much as well as SZW products. We especially like the styling of the Dacor products. The high end appliance companies do offer bundled deals. " I use SZW all the time and was at Kbis this year and was impressed with the styling of Dacor. As a kitchen designer we pay attention to ALL the details!
- 7 years ago
Smith & Ragsdale - How is Dacor service? That is the scary thing here. It's easy to spec Dacor for someone else but what about for yourself? Would you take that chance in your own home?
AW
Original Author7 years agoI'm now leaning towards Miele over SZ/Wolf. It saves me money.... but also... the range in particular has way more features than the Wolf range. Unfortunately, I think all the Miele ranges require plumbing... so I'm not sure if that is good or not (potential for issues an additional costs).
- 7 years ago
I believe plumbing a Miele oven is optional, but it is a great feature to have. I haven't utilized the steam burst feature yet but it supposedly helps keep foods moist when cooking. Think turkey...
AW
Original Author7 years agoI'd be interested to hear back from you when you use the steam burst! I just don't know if I'd ever actually use it. And again, not sure if the plumbing would be an extra cost that basically makes the Miele the same price as the Wolf anyway.
- 7 years ago
We renovated our kitchen and as part of this had installed the new Dacor Modernist Fridge and Freezer columns at a VERY hefty price tag. We were going to get a subzero and changed our minds when we saw these products - the styling, design and function looked so much better than Sub-Zero, despite the higher price tag. Well, fast forward about 8 months and we don't have a functioning fridge. It stopped cooling out of nowhere. We had to throw everything away.
After FINALLY getting a repair person to the house, they told me that it was because the fridge had run out of gas (freon or whatever the coolant is that's used). When asked how that happened they said they didn't know, but that they couldn't repair it as they needed a part from Dacor. A WEEK later, they finally got the part and came back to repair the fridge. 4-5 hours later it still was not repaired and they said they needed another part. It's been almost two weeks since then and the part has still not arrived.
We had a BlueStar range installed when redoing the kitchen and when we had a problem with that, they overnighted the part, so that they could fix it right away. This is not the case here - the customer service has been absolutely horrendous and Ferguson Appliances (where I bought the fridge from) has been at their wits end with this (I can't say enough about how wonderful Ferguson has been to deal with). This has been a nightmare. Now the repair place won't even schedule a repair date because they don't want to lose the time again in case the part doesn't show up again... DO NOT BUY THIS FRIDGE. I should have known better not to buy a Samsung (yes, Samsung bought Dacor a few years ago and these products are glorified Samsung units).
- 7 years ago
I'm so sorry to hear this but thank you so much for sharing it. I recently had to choose between replacing SZ with new SZ units or changing brands. I was interested in Dacor for the same reasons you chose them. But Dacor didn't have the best customer service reputation to begin with and Samsung's reputation is absolute s*it. I decided to stay far far away from Dacor because I feared a situation like yours.
I hope others will see this warning before they take the plunge with spending so much money on Samsung appliances. - 7 years ago
We’ve had two SZ fridges. The first, a 36” over under was 26 years old and still going strong, when we sold our house 4 years ago.
For several reasons, SZ was the only fridge we considered for the home we moved to. Their fridges have the best insulation in the industry. With Hurricane Sandy, we lost power for 2 weeks. That old unit kept the food cold for 3 days. SZ also has the best Customer service. Repairs are reasonably priced, too. If you’re lucky enough to live near a Wolf/SZ distributer, you can call SZ, describe the problem, and they’ll tell you what part it needs. After returning home with the part, SZ will then talk you through the repair...how to remove the old part, and install the new one. Over 26 years, we had to do that 3 times.
For the new house, we got the 42” FD SZ. Fantastic machine, and It fits a ton. After 3 1/2 years, not a lick of trouble.
Our other appliances are the Miele CSO, over a Miele convection oven. Love both. Our Thermador rangetop is a dream to cook on, and easy to clean...not induction easy, but easy for gas. We also have a Bosch 800 series DW, which does a great job cleaning, and is ever so quiet.
We purchased all the appliances from an independent dealer. They have their own repairmen, all of whom are certified to repair all the brands they sell. If ever we have a problem, we just have to call the store, (Appliance World, Huntington, Long Island, NY), and they’ll take care of everything. Thus far, knock wood, we haven’t had the need. AW
Original Author7 years agoThanks for all the info and feedback!
Well...in the end, I ordered a Miele fridge/freezer, Miele cook top and Miele double wall oven. (I was going to order a range with a separate wall oven but I was talked out of it by the designer I’m working with.)
My microwave is a plain old Panasonic.
Still haven’t ordered the dishwasher but I have Bosch now and I think that I will get another one.Kitchen still isn’t built, but fingers crossed these choices will work out!
- 7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
Hold on, your kitchen still isn't built? When will it be? This advice is going to be too late for you, but for others reading this thread, it is not a good idea to buy kitchen appliances well in advance of installation.
First, because the warranty begins upon delivery, not upon installation. The warranty is built into the price, so you've paid for several months that you aren't going to use. Several reports on this forum of an appliance needing repair after, say, 6 months of use, but the warranty has already been used up because it was bought so far in advance.
Second, things happen to appliances when they are stored and waiting for installation, even at the best jobsites or the best warehouses. They get bumped into, knocked over, wet, even stolen. We've seen all of those things reported on this forum. There have even been occasional reports of an appliance store holding the appliances for the customer until ready for installation, and then going out of business, with the appliances nowhere to be found.
Many people buy too far in advance because they see an irresistible sale. Please know that there will always be another sale. If you miss the 4th of July sale, there'll be a summer sale, then an end-of-summer sale, then Labor Day sale, then "early Black Friday" sale, then Black Friday sale, and so forth.
AW
Original Author7 years agoNot to worry- the appliance store just orders them but they’re at Miele still. Just a deposit- no delivery yet!
- 7 years ago
Sorry Shannon but that's not exactly true. When I built my house we waited to buy the appliances for about a year. Sub Zero and Wolf. The price went up about $4k.
- 7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
Without getting into the details, customer service from SZ, Miele, Kohler and Hansgrohe have been off the charts. Whirlpool and Thermador have been abysmal. This stuff matters when it matters. Don't make an investment like this in Samsung.
As for buying appliances early, I am one who purchased appliances like two years early. Not by plan, but because I had an endless string of unexpected delays. And I'm no worse off for it.
I never took delivery on any of these items so the warranty didn't start. In that time Miele contacted me to let me know they had a new model of my dishwasher and I would be upgraded to the new model at no cost. Thermador came our with an improved Freedom induction cooktop and syncing hood, which I was able to upgrade to. The only thing I didn't get was a smart washer & dryer that I purchased (I don't even recall the brand) which were discontinued with no direct replacement, so I didn't get them. But I got a refund. If they had been replaced I'm sure I would have received the replacement but perhaps I dodged a bullet because I'm thinking there must have been some issues if they weren't replaced.
As long as you don't take delivery I don't think there is any harm in locking in the model and price you want.
- 7 years ago
My personal experience with a package of Dacor appliances - range, wall oven, microwave has been poor. I found their customer service to be non-existent and frequent repairs were needed.
- 6 years ago
DO NOT EVER BUY A DACOR! We bought a 36" range in 2014. Loved the look and price tag $6k) and didn't want to spring for a Wolf or higher end. Boy did we make a big mistake. We have had SEVEN service calls so far. They replaced the oven once (the whole oven, on their dime) bc we got such a lemon. New one doesn't function much better. Oven turns off when it gets too hot - then it won't turn back on again unless I take off a handle, use a special tool to pop a button in the front panel). Every holiday when I'm baking a lot, we end up calling for service while I have a house full of family and no functioning stove. It's become a joke in the house. We've replaced the oven door 2x - it's designed so it doesn't close all the way. We have replaced the broiler ignitor 2x, and the whole broiler unit once. It SUCKS. Looks good. But SUCKS. The customer service is non-existent. Rude, combative and basically generally has a tough sh*t type of attitude, especially once out of warranty.
- 5 years ago
I agree. NEVER BUY DACOR> I put more info into other posts but want to add for any new readers too. WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE. WORST PRODUCTS.
Not worth the money or the price tag. I wouldn't want them even if someone told me they were free. My ovenes still don't work. Fridge water line freezes all the time and can't get them to honor their warranty on brand new products.
- 5 years ago
What a disaster. So sorry to hear this and relieved I trusted my gut on not buying Samsung appliances.
For these reasons I have shared my customer service experiences on Houzz for the benefit of others.
So far Miele and Subzero are fantastic. Robern, Hansgrohe and Kohler are great. Thermador was off-the-charts awful until it wasn't. Whirlpool was/is terrible but after more than a year it seems like they are finally going to fix the problems I'm having. - 5 years ago
We had a Dacor oven which frequently broke down; even the door fell off. Dacor has NO CUSTOMER SERVICE. I even went to their "offices" once and was not allowed. The oven was very expensive and the repairs cost several thousand and the thing still kept breaking down. This oven has bee replaced and NO MORE DACORS EVER!!!!
- 5 years ago
I DO NOT RECOMMEND DACOR or it's 42" Built In Refrigerator. I'm sitting here with one that stopped working less than a month old. It's almost two months old and still trying to resolve. Dacor does not operate like a high end luxury appliance company. Does not care about their customers or stand behind their products.
- 4 years ago
I have a Dacor column fridge and at 18 mths old, it won't cool. It's been 5 weeks, 3 service calls and the thing still is not working and is under warranty. DON'T BUY DACOR!
- 4 years ago
I agree. DO NOT BUY DACOR!!!!!!!!!! My dual ovens had many, many issues (electrical panel FAILED tree times ,necessitating in well over $2000 in replacements and installation and one oven DOOR FELL OFF, shattering the glass). DACOR WOULD NOT EVEN RESPOND!!!!!
- 4 years ago
Sorry to hear all the issues with Dacor! Glad you all post to let us know–
- 4 years ago
Dacor is the worst! DO NOT BUY! We have had nothing but trouble with our stove, stove hood and fridge. Service is terrible thorugh DACOR and to top it all off, was refused the ”rebate” we were offered at time of purchase.
- 4 years ago
DON NOT BUY DACOR! We have had nothing but problems with our stove, hood and fridge. Even the clock on our wall oven dosnt work. Service through DACOR is terrible. Stay well clear no matter what the price. And to add insult to injury, we were refused the ”rebate” at time of purchase!
- 2 years ago
I know this is old, but one thing to consider with anything you buy, What and who is available locally to fix them. I can tell you many tech wont work on Stuff from I have a Dacor fridge I love. Had a few problems over the years. But thank goodness it was made before Crapsung bought them so I can easily buy Whirlpool parts locally. I mean sure you can buy the latest and greatest Crapsung or Lots of Garbage(LG). But when you need to buy a part for them, expect to wait for an order with no information on how long it will be to for your parts to get here, plus they are expensive parts. If you want something that will last don't buy all the features. It may be cute and fun that your fridge has a little tv screen and can connect to internet. When that cute screen breaks be prepared bust out about another 2k to fix it. If you buy simple appliances they are simple to fix.
- 2 years ago
My Decor range oven leaked at every joint. gas company had to fix the problem. Another issue with the oven is, takes forever to get to temperature.
My Decor frig/freezer works but the freezor drawer pull out handle is the worst. when you pull to open, you apply downward force which eventually causes the drawer to stop opening. I
- 2 years ago
We bought our DACOR duel fuel range 7 years ago when we remodeled our kitchen. Touch pad went out and they no longer have parts for it. We thought we were buying the last range we would need in our lifetime. Looking for a replacement and am almost paralyzed in making a buying decision from so much research because the quality just isn’t there anymore.
- last year
From a Builders perspective, and for anyone who cares, Dacor refrigerators prior to 2017 were build by Fhiaba an Italian company and are the full equivalent of Sub-Zero in terms of performance and build quality. Simple, stout and elegant, dual compressors and singular electronics board. The Modernist line forward, Oh, beautifully slick, no doubt but they're all Samsung crap, electronics boards galore and an utter nightmare to get fixed and you WILL need service calls, go ahead and ask me how I know.... I would stay far away from all of it. The Ranges as well prior to 2017 are substantially built (by them actually) and amazing units and value. (I was surprised above to hear someone got a lemon of a unit in 2014- but I suppose it can happen to any manufacturer). I've outfitted three builds $5+ mill projects with these appliances (Dacor Discovery Line) and If I find them left over as displays on E-Bay-snatch them up because they're that good. I've moved on to Thermadore in my more recent stuff but too many dumb issues. Perhaps migrating over to Miele/Gaggenau next, as a slightly better value than SZW.
Has to post when I saw this..... Dacor discovery line.... grab them if you find them. - last year
I have a kitchen of Dacor and what a bad product. nothing but problems from day one. The quality controll had verification tags on every gas joint. I had the gas company come out to locate the gas leak coming from the stove. Every joint leaked gas and had to be fixed.
Refrigerator freezor ice maker freezes up and can’t deliver ice. continual problem. I gave up having it fixed because I can’t remove it, froze in place.
freezer won’t open without using my foot to apply upward pressure while pulling to open.
dacor is an inferior product and should be avoided at any cost.
- 8 months ago
Dacor is garbage. High priced Samsung. Refrigerator broke down after 3 years out of warranty. $3100 + tax new. Buying GE. Dacor dishwasher is pooresr design ever. Won't fit dishes properly. RUN AWAY!
- 8 months ago
Dacor is garbage. High priced Samsung. Refrigerator broke down after 3 years out of warranty. $3100 + tax new. Buying GE. Dacor dishwasher is pooresr design ever. Won't fit dishes properly. RUN AWAY!
- 6 months ago
We installed all Dacor appliances in our new home four years ago and have had many issues with the Dacor column freezer. The ice makers stopped working and the freezer started sending multiple error codes. We got little or no support from Dacor customer service. They are pretty useless. We have spent over $1,000 on replacing various parts and the ice makers are still not working. I would stay away from Dacor/Samsung appliances.











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