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Sub-Zero Built-In Refrigerator
by Sub-Zero
14 endorsements on r/BuyItForLife first recommended in Jan 2025
Sub-Zero is a high-end American manufacturer of built-in refrigerators and freezers, often installed during kitchen remodels and known for tightly sealed doors and separate compressors for the fridge and freezer compartments.
Added Jul 5, 2026, Updated Jul 6, 2026
Why it's buy-it-for-life
Some owners report units still running well after decades of use (including one from the 1980s) and praise Sub-Zero's customer support for walking them through repairs. Others report expensive compressor/part failures, rust, and ice-maker issues on 2000s-2010s units, making longevity dependent on maintenance history and how the unit was treated.
What redditors say
Recommended on reddit as recently as July 2026
Show 18 more mentions
- 4r/BuyItForLife comment
They're fantastic machines and 100% worth it if you can afford them.
- 3r/BuyItForLife comment
I hate my subzero for the sole reason that all the drink containers don't fit.
- 3r/BuyItForLife comment
Sub zero can be had for ~$1,000 on FB marketplace.
- 3r/BuyItForLife comment
if you have the space in your house and bank account they're amazing
- 1r/BuyItForLife comment
I bought a used Sub several years ago... I adored it. It was worth every penny.
- 1r/BuyItForLife comment
We're still nursing along our Sub Zero model 2811 that was installed in our house in 1985/6... the freezer shut off this week (failed starter relay, we hope).
- 1r/BuyItForLife comment
Yes. Yes, it is.
- 1r/BuyItForLife comment
eh, unless it's for a commercial kitchen, no... i'd go for a common, reliable, easy/cheap-to-repair model with great reviews and energy efficiency.
- 1r/BuyItForLife comment
May nieces grandmother has one from the 80s. Hard to open but works great
- 1r/BuyItForLife comment
Yes, 100%
- 1r/BuyItForLife comment
Does this model have an ice maker? I'd suggest never using and not connecting it up if you buy it.
- 1r/BuyItForLife comment
The cost to fix a bad compressor is more than the cost of a typical, disposable fridge... From 2013, I wouldn't touch it.
- 1r/BuyItForLife comment
The cost to repair high end appliances is ridiculous... our sub zero started to rust after a few years.
- 1r/BuyItForLife comment
From what I understand appliances, particularly refrigerators, degrade quickly when they are not in use.
- 1r/BuyItForLife comment
Had a subzero... I lost track of how many times we repaired it... I'd never buy another.
- 1r/BuyItForLife comment
My SubZero 650 is 25 years old and works fine but the condenser runs more often than it used to so it's probably at the end of its lifetime
- 1r/BuyItForLife comment
the subzero is from the early 2000s. They are both rock solid.
- r/BuyItForLife post
2013 subzero refrigerator. Worth the $2000 price tag?
It's BIFL because it can be repaired, but you would have to replace a LOT of residential fridges before you ever broke even.
My Sub-Zero fridge from over 25 years ago
This thing is a tank. Works better than any other fridge I've used, new or old, fancy or plain.
If you really want something that outlasts all those brands you have to look into the high end market like Sub Zero, Monogram, Thermador.
Sub zero. The one in our prior house was 10 when we bought it 20 more years when we sold it. Had it serviced prior to sale and was told it would easily go another 20 years
What about actual buy it for life's, examples SubZero & Speed Queen.