June 3, 2022

What Makes Sub-Zero Refrigerators Worth the Price?

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The Sub-Zero refrigerator brand is considered a design standard and status symbol for many designers, real estate professionals and homeowners. However, the real reason Sub-Zero refrigerators and freezers have stayed at the top of the appliance industry for more than 75 years is simple: American-made quality and innovation. Since Westye Bakke built his first free-standing freezer prototype in his Wisconsin basement in 1943, and founded the Sub-Zero Freezer Company two years later, every Sub-Zero refrigerator manufactured has had to live up to Bakke’s goal of quality without compromise. Here are some of the many ways a Sub-Zero refrigerator is worth the price…

You’ll save thousands of dollars in fresh food.

Sub-Zero refrigerators save thousands of dollars each year with less food spoilage.

Sub-Zero pioneered the dual refrigeration system with separate cooling systems for the refrigerator and freezer. Most refrigerators have just one compressor to push air from the freezer into the refrigerator. This air recycling from one compartment to the other causes unwanted odor transfers, the drying and decaying of fresh food and freezer burn on frozen foods. From the beginning, Sub-Zero refrigerators were engineered with two compressors so both the refrigerator and freezer compartments would maintain optimal temperature and humidity to better preserve your food. In addition, Sub-Zero includes dual evaporators and fans for each compartment as well. This design literally adds weeks of shelf life to your food, reducing spoilage and trips to the grocery store. This equates to serious savings. A study by the Natural Resource Defense Council found that the average American family of four ends up tossing the equivalent of $2,275 of food in the trash annually. That includes 40% of fresh fish, 23% of eggs and 20% of milk, not to mention fresh fruits and vegetables. There’s no doubt that Sub-Zero’s superior food preservation is key to saving both money and important resources.

NASA-inspired air purification in your kitchen.

Certain foods shouldn’t be placed together in typical refrigerators. Some fresh foods, like apples, naturally emit ethylene gas. If carrots are stored near them, they’ll taste bitter and leafy vegetables will decay faster. With this in mind Sub-Zero engineered an advanced Air Purification System with technology pioneered by NASA for the space shuttles. This system scrubs the entire volume of air in a Sub-Zero refrigerator approximately every 20 minutes. This significantly reduces odors, viruses and bacteria – as well as the ethylene gases present in some foods that cause premature ripening and food spoilage.

Sub-Zero’s superior water purification makes drinking water safer and taste better.

Sub-Zero Refrigerators offer superior water purification.

With many homeowners having concerns about water quality, Sub-Zero created one of the most advanced water filtration systems in the industry. While many refrigerators have carbon water filters, Sub-Zero’s design takes water filtration a step further. This microbiological water filter removes suspended particles, chemical pollutants, viruses and bacteria. Water and ice from a Sub-Zero refrigerator are safer and taste better.

Sealed in freshness makes a big difference.

Even the doors on a Sub-Zero refrigerator are made with food preservation in mind. The seals are so secure that some owners report no thawing of frozen foods after a multi-day power outage. With that kind of seal, you can count on Sub-Zero to build not only refrigerators, but freezers that are unparalleled in performance. Sub-Zero refrigerators have precise controls that maintain the temperature within one degree of its setting.

Nanotechnology designed into many Sub-Zero refrigerators prevents spills on glass shelves from spreading. 


Convenience is valuable in our busy lives.

Many Sub-Zero owners find the various conveniences engineered into a Sub-Zero refrigerator to be part of its value. Nanotechnology is designed into many Sub-Zero models, ensuring that spills on glass shelves will puddle instead of spreading or dripping to another level. Service is also made easier with convenient removable grilles, so that your Sub-Zero refrigerator never needs to be pulled out of its opening for diagnosis or repair, saving both time and wear on your floor. And homeowners now enjoy a new level of convenience with Sub-Zero refrigerators and freezers that connect with the free Sub-Zero Group Owner App, allowing you to monitor and control your Sub-Zero appliances from your smart phone or tablet.

Sub-Zero Pro 48 refrigerators have a distinct look and superior performance.

Sub-Zero = Longevity

According to home industry experts, you should expect to get 10 to 15 years out of a refrigerator. Sub-Zero regularly shatters that prediction. Clarke, New England’s Official Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove Showroom, regularly talks to homeowners who have had their Sub-Zero’s for 20 years or more. In fact, Clarke President Sean Clarke purchase a home with a perfectly operating 31-year-old Sub-Zero refrigerator! Sub-Zero expects you to enjoy your refrigerator for 20 years or more. This is one of the most compelling reasons to buy Sub-Zero.

Real estate listings mentioning a Sub-Zero refrigerator sell faster and for more money, according to Zillow.

The refrigerator that sells homes.

If all the reasons above have not convinced you that Sub-Zero is worth the price, then there is one more very compelling fact: real estate listings that mention a Sub-Zero refrigerator sell faster and for more money. Really. An analysis of luxury home listings conducted by Zillow reported that mentioning a Sub-Zero refrigerator in the listing netted a 38% premium over other high-end listings with less prestigious refrigerators. In fact, according to Forbes magazine, “if a kitchen sells the home, then Sub-Zero sells the kitchen.” The esteemed business magazine reports, “Given the primary role the kitchen plays in the home, as a place to prepare meals, gather with family and the room that will sell the home faster and for more money, perhaps no kitchen appliance has more of that cache than Sub-Zero and its sister brands, Wolf for cooking and the new Cove dishwasher brand.”

See for yourself.

There’s nothing like exploring every model of Sub-Zero refrigerators, freezers, wine storage and more in person. The only place you can do this a  Clarke Showroom in Boston Seaport, Milford, Massachusetts or South Norwalk, Connecticut. Ask all of your questions, explore the hundreds of options and learn why, yes, Sub-Zero is worth the price..