Company:Sub-Zero (brand)

Exterior of a subzero unit

Control console of a Sub-Zero

Sub-Zero is a brand of residential major kitchen appliances including refrigeration and wine preservation products built in the United States by the Sub-Zero Freezer Company, Inc. The company also manufactures kitchen appliances under the Wolf brand name.

History

The Sub-Zero Freezer Company was founded in 1945, by Westye F. Bakke in Madison, Wisconsin. Westye Bakke is survived by his daughter Elaine. In 2000, they acquired the domestic appliance line of the Wolf Range Corporation, a California-based manufacturer of professional-style ranges, cooktops and grills for both home and commercial use.

Wolf Appliance Inc., Sub-Zero's corporate companion, expanded the few products acquired from Wolf Range Corporation. It now sells domestic cooking appliances from kitchen stoves, cooktops, wall ovens, warming drawers and ventilation equipment. The company's products compete with those made by Viking, Dacor, Thermador, GE Monogram, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air and Miele.

Innovations

According to the official company history, Bakke invented the first free-standing freezer in 1943. They also claim to have been the first to manufacture built-in refrigerators, beginning in the 1950s, and consequently many people still associate the look with Sub-Zero.

Sub-Zero's wine coolers incorporate the ability to be connected to a household security system. This feature is intended for those with substantial sums invested in their wine collections.

Appliance models

Sub-Zero manufactures two series of built-in refrigeration as well as wine storage and under counter units. Each refrigerator model usually comes in two variations, namely a stainless steel exterior or a customizable exterior in an overlay version. The latter option allows the buyer to install kitchen cabinet panels on the door(s) to match with the rest of the kitchen. Its refrigerators are designed with a 24-inch (61 cm) depth and can be installed flush with kitchen cabinets of the same standard depth to provide an integrated look. This kind of built-in refrigerator is usually wider than normal to compensate for the shallower depth in order to maintain acceptable storage volume.

The Sub-Zero 424 Wine Cooler has held virtually the same design since the early 1990s. It is the only under-counter wine cooler in its class to be able to keep wine as low as 38 °F (3 °C). It has two temperature zones and can be connected to a house alarm.

A Sub-Zero refrigerator is heavier than most refrigerators offered by GE, Frigidaire, or LG. An average refrigerator weighs 250–300 pounds (110–140 kg), but a Sub-Zero can weigh as much as 800 pounds (360 kg) and can require four delivery people to move the refrigerator unit into a kitchen, while most refrigerators usually only require two delivery people. Also, a typical Sub-Zero unit is taller than the basic home refrigerator. Most Sub-Zero full-size models are 84 inches (2.1 m) tall and 48 inches (120 cm) wide.

The company currently has production facilities in Madison, Wisconsin; Phoenix, Arizona; Richmond, Kentucky; and Fitchburg, Wisconsin.

Along with many other major prestige appliance brands, Sub-Zero follows a practice of restricting dissemination of the prices of their refrigerators. Their dealers are strictly vetted and must closely follow advertising and pricing procedures supplied by the manufacturer in order to maintain the ability to distribute their products.