Curto's Appliances – Westchester County, NYC

Because Liebherr’s US web site may be the absolute worst when it comes to consumer experience (message to Liebherr – I have about 16 years of experience in designing web sites that focus on “usability”, please call me to arrange a consultation!), I have taken it upon myself to post a few pictures of Liebherr product that I am frequently asked about.

For starters, many folks ask about Liebherr handle options. Here we go….

This is Liebherr's squared-off handle. Kind of Euro, modern looking.

This is Liebherr's thinner tube handle. Looks eerily reminscent of another refrigerator manufacturer's handle, ehh?

I dragged my sick and sorry butt through this taping…would not let the cold take me down! People need info on the BioFresh fridges…let’s roll!

Part 1 will be a general overview…stay tuned for Part 2

was regarding the ice production (or lack thereof). Take a look at the picture of the actual
ice bucket in a CS-2062 or a CS-2060. The ice will fill up about 30-40% of the way.
Liebherr figures this is plenty of ice for normal consumption + it actually makes the refrigerator
incredibly “green” or energy efficient. If you’ve been to Europe you probably know that ice cubes aren’t filled to the brim
in glasses (if you can get them at all). Ice cube production is extremely taxing from an energy standpoint and being a
German company, Liebherr just doesn’t prioritize it. And the truth is, you will probably see more American refrigeration
manufacturers following suit as tamping down on the ice production will allow for better energy ratings on the fridges.
As I told my customer who complained about the ice production, if you entertain frequently, don’t rely on the fridge for
your ice. Buy a dedicated icemaker, or invest in a couple of $1 bags of ice!

Ice Bucket on Liebherr CS2060 and CS2062

Liebherr refrigerators are great. However, they aren’t the easiest refrigerators to sell. Hopefully this vid will help demystify the difference between Liebherr freestanding and integrated models.

Here we go!

Update 04/13/12 – booty shots of the new SubZero french door refrigerator BI36UFD

Psyched about this news…love this fridge and did not want to see it go bye-bye.

I’ll add to this list as I draw closer to my Fall buying show and I receive a complete list of what’s new….

- Liebherr CS-2060 36″ single door fridge: This shares a similar design to the smash hit CS-2062 french door model. 20 cu ft, LED lighting, 2 compressors…winner!
The CS-2060 is definitely headed for my showroom floor.

- GE Monogram 30″ Integrated Refriegrator What’s not to love about this fridge?
The seamless integrated look that melts into your cabinetry, the options (84″ or 80″ height, Euro or Pro handles), and pricing that won’t surpass the GDP of a Central American country.

- The new GE Cafe line of appliances – no pics to link to, but I’ve seen the dishwasher, new refrigerator, double oven, double oven range and cooktop. Nice stuff, won’t break the bank. Pics to follow.

- DCS pro dual fuel ranges – DCS rebooted the entire line of indoor appliances back in the Spring but the dual fuel ranges lagged the rest of the line in obtaining UL approval. Well I’ve been told they’ve received that stamp and product is rolling out now. You can’t mess with DCS’ reputation for making killer pro cooking ranges. I think the new ones look sweeter than before and they’ve made a few tweaks which will let them hold their position as one of the premier pro range manufacturers.

Liebherr's New CS-2060 Single Door Refrigerator.

The popularity of Liebherr 36 refrigerators has skyrocketed in the last year. Appliance shoppers seem to be smitten by the Liebherr French door fridges’ great looks, reasonable price points (for built-in looking refrigerators) and quality craftsmanship.

With the increase in attention and sales also comes a bit of confusion as Liebherr is not the easiest line
to sell. For instance, every single consumer I have dealt with that eventually bought their most popular fridge – the CS-2062 – ultimately asked what the differences were between that model and the HC-2062 and the HCS-2062.

Liebherr CS-2062
If you want a freestanding unit, wrapped in stainless, buy this one.
If you want to save money, put the fridge in-between cabinets and still get a “built-in” look,
buy this fridge. It’s about $1000 less than the HC series that I will describe next.
Biggest difference is that these units 1) have the “Liebherr” logo faintly emblazoned on the front of one of the doors and 2) use a different hinge system than the HC series. The hinge system difference is very important bc if you want the CS-2062 to appear built-in, you need to compensate for it’s hinges which stick out on the top.

Hinge on Liebherr CS 2062 refrigerator

Liebherr logo on CS 2062 refrigerator. This is not visible on the HC 2062 integrated stainless model.

Liebherr HC(S)-2062
This is the 36 French door refrigerator that Liebherr classifies as their “integrated” refrigerator.
To me, it’s called a built-in. Similar to the SubZero 700 series, these fridges are meant to be flush with your cabinets. If you are paneling your fridge with custom cabinetry, buy the HC-2062. If you want the flush look but opt for stainless, buy the HCS-2062 AND the stainless panel kit. They are NOT sold together so make sure your salesperson includes the kit or you will be staring at a fridge with no front on it.

Lots of people asking about Liebherr refrigerators so it’s time to break it on down…

Liebherr offers a wide variety of built-in, freestanding and undercounter refrigeration products, so much so that some customers have told me that they find the line to be a bit confusing to research. What I want to do isfocus on the the three most popular Liebherr refrigerators, thus enabling you to get a snapshot of what the line offers.

# 1 Seller:
Liebherr CS-2062
The CS-2062 is Liebherr’s freestanding 36″ stainless French door refrigerator.
We have this bad boy on display and this is the piece that draws most of the foot traffic in the showroom. It’s big, commanding, stately, and a fraction of the price of a comparable built-in fridge. (Why am I comparing it to a built-in when the CS2062 has been defined as freestanding? It can actually be made to appear as a built-in by tweaking your cabinets and adding an optional grill up top which would take the height up to 84″. I’ve actually had numerous customers who were shopping for a built-in 36″ fridge, saw the CS2062, then opted to go with the Liebherr and saved about $1500.)

Pros: Price compared to built-ins, performance (two compressors, glass shelving all lead to increased energy efficiency), beautiful-looking fridge!

The Liebherr CS-2062 Refrigerator

Cons: Icemaker does not produce vast amounts of ice. The limited ice output is more “green” and you’ll probably see other refrigerator manufacturers following Liebherr’s lead down the road). If you entertain often and need copious amounts of ice, buy a standalone icemaker.

NOTE: Liebherr also makes a 36″ French Door fridge that can take custom panels – HC-2062.

I keep getting asked questions about the Liebherr CS-2062 French door refrigerator. Interest has definitely spiked on this piece and I think it’s because Liebherr is doing a great job convincing the influencers (designers, high-volume appliance showrooms) that there is great value in the fridge, plus it seems to be gaining some positive steam on blogs and forums.

The cool thing about the CS2062 refrigerator is that it provides great flexibility and value considering what it brings to the table and what the price point is. First, it’s flexible – it can be used as a freestanding piece, or you can push it into a cabinet and achieve a built-in design (make sure to check the roughs on the CS2062 so you have the correct cabinet dimensions).

What else does it boast? How about two compressors (this has been one of SubZero’s calling cards for years) which allows the air in the fridge to stay in the fridge and likewise for the freezer. End result: your ice cream or ice cubes don’t taste like last night’s leftover herb-crusted sea bass.
The CS2062 is also Energy Star certified and boasts LED lighting which consumes less electricity than halogen lamps plus it looks cooler.

However what I really dig is the design flexibility. I just did a kitchen in NYC where the CS2062 was used in a freestanding application with only one side adjoined to cabinetry. I also recently did a kitchen in Scarsdale where I was instructed to come up with a built-in French door solution for a price that wouldn’t make them faint. At $4999 (contractor pricing) the CS2062 can’t be beat when you consider the lack of built-in French door fridges (SubZero doesn’t offer one) and the higher price tag on the Thermador Freedom built-in model. Two months after delivery and my Scarsdale customers LOVE IT!