I had the 48” sz side by side in my last house. It performed flawlessly for years. But, I wasn’t crazy about the size of the freezer. This time I went with the 36” sz with two freezer drawers on the bottom. Smaller refrigerator overall but I added sz frig drawers which we love.

Eta..no water on door. I personally would not want this.

ILoveRed - Thanks - I have a freezer in my basement so the freezer size isn't a concern for me. I'll rethink the water on the door. However, it's nice to know you had no problems overall with dependability.

Didn’t make myself clear. My apologies. It wasn’t so much the cu ft of the freezer as it was the narrowness of the space. Some items just didn’t fit well.

very good as far as dependability. One service call for very minor issue in the 15 yrs we owned the house.

ILoveRed - I'll check that out again. I currently have a 42inch Monogram side by side, so I would think the freezer would be about the same or a bit bigger since I'm going up to a 48 inch. - I do agree that the freezer section is narrow which is why I have a freezer in my basement. All the big stuff goes there.

No clue about the 48". I did have the 36" fridge (with 2 freezer drawers) in my last house. We also had the internal water dispenser (loved this feature). Freezer was really small, which remains my biggest complaint. If I remember correctly, one of the freezer drawers was taken up almost entirely by the ice maker. We also installed 2 fridge drawers in our island to gain some fridge space, and had an old side by side in our basement for extra freezer space.

We moved a few years ago and we're in the middle of a kitchen reno now. We are installing a 36" fridge column and 36" freezer column. Crossing my fingers. BTW, I'm only 5'3". Yes, it's a stretch to reach the top shelf, but I will make do. That freezer is so small and I do cook soups, spaghetti sauce, etc in bulk.

We had a 48" side by side (not Sub-zero) and I hate that size/design. The freezer is just too narrow.

When we remodeled, I rearranged the space and was able to fit a SZ 36" all fridge column (with upper door and 2 drawers) and a 24" all freezer column (single door). Both paneled and integrated. Very happy with the function and looks.

Next project, I don't think I will have the space or want to spend as much. I just went to look at the 42" SZ french doors Fridge/freezer and it might be a good option. I have really loved not having to clean that big expanse of stainless, so whatever I get will be paneled.

We will also do a 24" under counter beverage fridge as DH drinks lots of sparkling water and they would take up too much space in the main fridge.

Forgot to add, we also have the internal water dispenser and it works well. We will get that option again in the next SZ model we pick.

Hi Brian, we are still remodeling (3/4 of the house) but our kitchen is almost finished and our 48” Side by Side Sub Zero has been in place for a few months now. Ours is a built-in (27” deep base cabinets) with flush inset install. We love ours. As you already have a counter depth, I won’t talk about those advantages. Previously I’ve always had an ice and water dispenser in the door and wondered how I’d feel about the ice dispenser inside the freezer only. I love it and prefer it. The ice drawer is lit up with its own light, opens nicely and has a soft close. It is easy to regulate how much or how little ice you need. We bought an Oxo ice scoop (not metal so no freezing hands, and you can squeeze it for smaller glasses). We keep it in the ice bin. The ice never gets clumped together, nor does it get old, and the filter for it is incredibly easy to reach and replace. It also always falls into the bin, not on the edges or anywhere else. I used to hate that about our old fridge!

Did not go with the water dispenser (inside or out) as I felt it would take up needed room. Plus we installed an under-sink water filter. I just keep a glass pitcher of filtered water in the SZ.

The unit is very quiet. I’d read the doors could be a booger to open (heavy). That’s not been the case for ours, and it’ loaded, all shelves and door shelves. On occasion you do have to wait a moment if you wish to open it immediately after closing, but that’s rare, and not an issue.

The interior is well-lit, and the vegetable and meat/cheese drawers have dividers in the middle which can be removed if you prefer wider drawers. Also soft close on our unit. Unlike our older fridge, i've yet to find frozen produce, and I keep ours filled with produce. SZ gives you a handy guide as to where to store your produce.

The fridge and freezer temps (which are displayed at the inside top of our fridge) have thus far been spot-on.

I think you’d be very happy with the layout and function of the Sub Zero 48” side by side – I do prefer side-by-sides.

2manydiversions - Thank you for your thoughts. I'm thinking the same thing about the water on the door. I was thinking about the interior water and ice, but something about that bothered me as well. It's funny that I had the same thought about putting in a filter under the sink and just getting ice from the freezer and using the faucet like we did way back in the dark ages (haha). I'm glad you are happy with the layout and functionality of the unit. I know the freezer isn't huge, but I have one in the basement for larger items and overflow. I did think about the 42 inch french door, but I my daughter has a french door ( not Sub Zero), and I hate having to use 2 hands to open it. Thanks again.

I had a built in Sub Zero side by side and hated it because despite being 48”, it stores so little especially in the freezer side. The fridge side is shallow shelves. We barely have room to keep any food in fridge.

During the remodel, I ripped it out and replaced with Electrolux column side by side and have loved it.

I’m 4’11” and have no problems with reaching anything. The shelves are deep and I can put an entire sheet cake in fridge. The cost was a fraction of my Sub Zero and I don’t complain every day like I did with the Sub Zero.

Storage was the #1 criteria for me since I make everything from scratch and the fridge has to accommodate a lot of jars on top of regular food. I have 7 different kinds of pickled vegetables alone. It also needs to be roomy enough for me to chill large sheets of dough etc..

Our eating habits changed dramatically from the Sub Zero. We went from eating out all the time because our fridge could only hold leftover and a few sodas to eating from scratch with a wide variety of food/vegetables from farmers market.

To give an example, I had to stuff the fridge with 10 different vegetables two days ago including leeks, celery, cabbage etc. Some of these were huge (16” long and 6-8” diameter). I also had 18 lbs of round slabs and ground beef. This is on top of all the regular stuff, our leftovers, herbs and two gigantic tubs of Pre washed spring mix. At best my Sub Zero would have held only one tub of lettuce or one vegetable.

The top shelf held the two tubs of spring mix, 8 1 liter water bottles, the meat, two gallons of milk, 8 quart bottles of kefir (homemade), 1 qt dashi, 1 qt egg whites, 1/2 gallon heavy cream and something else I forget.

After making the soup which half filled a 20 qt stockpot, I filled the freezer with 38 single serving containers and it only took up one shelf.

I would recommend writing down how you use your fridge then visit showrooms with measuring tape in hand. Our needs all differ and the Sub Zero may be right for your needs vs. mine. I just wished I had done that with the Sub zero because I never would have bought it.

I agree with all 2manydiversions said. Our 48” classic Sub-Zero is working perfectly for us. We have had it for about 3 month and find it has plenty of room. We had a party for 40 that we cooked for. I used my garage fridge to hold the extra. Otherwise the garage fridge is off.

We have the 48” with no water.

beacham makes some good points. I should have added that we live in town and go to the grocery store a couple of times a week so we are not storing or freezing a ton of stuff.

Suzanne, thanks for your feedback. I just came home from the appliance store and I believe the 48 inch will be fine for my needs. I have also decided against the water on the door or inside. Since I currently have a 42 inch side by side and managed with 2 kids, now that the kids are gone, the 48 should be fine.

Jalarse - Thanks - looking good.

I love it when someone asks about others’ experiences with the 48” SZ; it gives me a chance to “brag on” mine. ;)

Here goes!

I‘ve had my 632F for 19 years and it’s been a real workhorse. With only two repairs in 20 years, I’d say the quality has exceeded my expectations. It looks great, too!

Sammy, That's great to know. One decision done. Now for the double ovens and cooktop.

Brian, I see you have made your decision but I just wanted to add my 2c. In my main house I have the first model of Subzero 48 with water and ice dispenser in the door. it is now 28 years old. . The iceline has finally died but it is not worth the cost of replacing it. Otherwise It is still working well. I do have an additional small undercounter refrigerator for sodas and a freezer in the basement. That freezer would never be enough. In a different house we had the 48 inch without the internal dispenser and it was such a pain. I missed that dispenser in the door. I am doing a kitchen reno in my beach house and replacing the 4th french door refrigerator i have had in this kitchen and which I loathe with a passion. No question; I am only considering a subzero. I want the dispenser in the door again as this is a feature we use all the time. However the dispenser on the subzero is short and cannot accommodate Yeti 30 oz cups which is what we use so I might land up having to open the door for water and ice anyway.

waverly6 - Thanks for your thoughts. Since I have a freezer in the basement and will continue to have one, the freezer space isn't an issue for me. I have seen the somewhat new internal ice and water (in the fridge section) and don't think I'd like that. Takes up room in the fridge and you have to open the door anyway. I'm now convinced of the 48 side by side but still debating the ice and water on the door vs. none. I don't use the door for that but my wife does. One thing that bothers me a bit is that the dispenser is on the fridge side which I am not used to. It also seems low to me where kids could more easily reach it. Some on this forum have complained that it doesn't work that great and that ice goes everywhere. I will continue to explore but am glad to know some enjoy the external water dispenser.

• Cafe CSB48WP2NS1 48 Inch Built In Counter Depth Side by Side Refrigerator ($7,580)
• Sub-Zero 648PRO 48" ($16,615)

wdcruise - Thank you but you are comparing the Cafe to the Pro SubZero - The Pro is an industrial looking fridge and much more expensive than the one I'm looking at. I like the look of the Cafe, but the SZ has two compressors and I feel is a better fridge.

I have the 48" Classic Side-by-Side Refrigerator/Freezer with Dispenser - purchased in 2017. I would urge you NOT to get the external water dispenser. Ours started to malfunction after about 3 years. Now, about 75% of the time, the water dispenser does not work, about 10% of the time, it dispenses water and DOES NOT STOP when you release the button. It only works properly about 15% of the time. We had a certified technician come to look at it, and he said there was an electrical problem in the door and the entire door would need to be replaced for >$2k. It's ridiculous in a $15k fridge. Definitely not worth it.