Curto's Appliances – Westchester County NY: 1-800-966-2878

Electrolux has finally rolled out their new french door counter depth refrigerators without the ice and water on the outside of the door.
What Electrolux did with this fridge was create a clean, stainless look on the outside, and then they moved the control panel to the side of the door(which is pretty unique, as most appliance refrigerator companies will host the control panel in the upper portion of the refrigerator). The models sport all of the features found in the original line of Electroluc french door fridges that were released earlier this year:
- luxury-designed glass shelves
- air and water filters
- ice maker
- LED lighting
- Star-K certification
- Perfect Temp drawer in some models

The biggest advantage of the new Electrolux refrigerators is that without the ice and water in the door, Electrolux was able to move the ice machine out of the main refrigerator area. This in effect has freed up a tremendous amount of space in the fresh food compartment.
The refrigerators have literally just rolled out the door here at Curto’s so it’s early in the game to report on how they are performing in the homes, but customer’s have been very happy with the styling and other appointments. As the refrigerators gain more time in people’s homes, we’ll follow up with a performance report.

All models are available in stainless, black or white and available at Curtos.com:
Electrolux EI23BC51I
Electrolux EI28BS36I
Electrolux EI23BC36I
Electrolux EI28BS51I

Electrolux french door refrigerator at Curtos.com

Electrolux french door refrigerator with open door, at Curtos.com

I was handed literature drawing a comparison between a new Bosch 800 series refrigerator and a KitchenAid Architect II model. I wasn’t going to post this in light of the alleged faulty information that Bosch passed along for their 800 series dishwashers, but I opted to run it since these are fact and not subject to tests.

Bosch and KitchenAid have frequently competed against one another when it came to dishwashers. Now both offer full kitchen suites in different lines so the battle has been taken across the entire kitchen. Here’s a rundown as to why Bosch thinks their new 800-Series refrigeration is hands-down better than a similar offering from KitchenAid.

Models compared are a Bosch B22CS80SNS and a KitchenAid KSCK25FVSS.

Bosch 800-Series offers the following (and the KitchenAid doesn’t):
- Dual evaporator
- Air filtration
- Long Door Design
- Hidden Water Filter
- EasyLift Shelves
- Full Extension Drawers
- Color matched LCD dispenser

Here’s a peak at the Bosch Linea fridges:

I can’t say that people have been jumping to drop huge $$’s on built-in refrigerators over the last 9 months. No shocker there.

A far cry from a few years ago, when customers already had their credit cards out when it was time to look at the built-ins. Now, when I bring Curto’s customers from Westchester County, New York City or Fairfield County ’round to the Sub-Zero appliances display, after hearing what the prices are, most people nowadays ask “Why should I spend that much on appliances?”.

Sub-Zero Pro48 Refrigerator available at Curto's Appliances

I think that the Sub-Zero offerings are worth their price, so here is a quick rundown of the top reasons to buy a Sub-Zero refrigerator, especially in the light of their release of the new feature-laden Built-In series.

1. THE BRAND – It’s also the most recognized quality refrigeration brand and still is the strongest statement to make if you are gunning for a high-end kitchen (and looking for home resale value)

2. MADE IN THE USA – Every product that roles out of the factory in Wisconsin is quality checked by a human being and tested for a minimum of 5 hours, some for 24 hours or longer.

3. IMPROVED LIGHTING SCHEME provides brighter, whiter light in fridge, crispers and freezers.

4. DUAL REFRIGERATION provides a shield against odor transfer and a 60-70% humidity level so foods don’t dry out

5. NEW AIR PURIFICATION SYSTEM makes food last longer and eliminates odors, viruses bacteria and ethylene gas

6. FAMILY-OWNED AND OPERATED from 1955 through today

7. GREAT WARRANTY – 2 years parts and labor, 5 years on sealed system, 12-years parts on sealed system.

8. NEW MAX ICE FEATURE increases rate of production by 40%

9. ENERGY EFFICIENCY largest model (PRO48) uses less energy than a 100 Watt bulb

10. EXACT TEMP microprocessor keeps every compartment at +/- 1 degree

Today I brought in a slew of new Bosch appliances for the Curto’s appliance store showroom.
We have their lower-priced Bosch freestanding gas ranges (HGS5053UC, HGS3023) for those looking for value, the new 800-series dishwasher, a new price-buster dishwasher that is around $699 as well as the vaunted new Linea refrigerators.

The Bosch Linea refrigerators are worth noting for several reasons. Bosch expanded the line so now they are coming in at price points ranging from $2099 up to $3199 (mind you those are MSRP prices and not the typical discounted appliance prices that Curto’s offers).

Also, the Linea refrigerators mark the first time that Bosch is manufacturing their own counter-depth units (which was formerly handled by Samsung). I did my own quality-control check of the new 500 series Linea refrigerator B22CS50SNS and compared it to the older B20CS50SNS (Samsung model) which is housed right next to it.
The new fridge was noticeably more sturdy.

Bosch Linea B22CS50SNS refrigerator

The EW23BC70IS french door refrigerator (stainless) is being replaced asap by the EW23BC71IS.

Fridges cost the same and features are identical. The difference is that that the EW23BC71IS is Energy Star certified.

I keep getting peppered with this question as people try to decide between the Electrolux EI23BC55I ($3199) and the EW23BC70IS ($3699) . Basically these refrigerators are identical save for the following:

EI23BC55IS – IQ Touch Controls

EW23BC70iS – WaveTouch Controls – Wine Bottle Holder – 3 drawers in freezer

Electrolux EW23BC70is French Door refrigerator - Curtos.com

Here is a quick rundown on Sub-Zero’s flush inset application on their new-ish Built-in Series of refrigeration:

- Classic stainless steel, framed and overlay units are designed for a 24″ cabinet.

- The new flush inset application is designed to sit flush with surrounding cabinetry at 26 3/16“

- The flush inset cabinet width opening is 2.5″ wider than a unit that is sitting on top of the cabinetry.

How to Order a Sub-Zero Flush Inset Refrigerator

- When specifying a flush inset application you must order an overlay unit.

- The cabinet panel sizes on a flush inset application are wider than overlay cabinet panels.

- When specifying a flush inset application with a stainless finish on the unit you must order the overlay refrigerator and the Sub-Zero accessory panels in classic, platinum or carbon  stainless steel. The Sub-Zero accessory panels can be order with the following handles – tubular, pro (thicker) or curved.

SubZero Bi-36 Refrigerator in Flush Inset Application With Curved Handles - Curto's Appliances

In the world of kitchen appliances, one of the best stories of 2009 has been the introduction and stellar sales performance of the Electrolux refrigerator line. Curto’s has sold a ton of these refrigerators and so far there hasn’t been any complaints, problems or bad reviews for any of the Electrolux refrigerators. In particular, the counter depth french door style, introduced a few months ago has been one of the top sellers on Curto’s appliance showroom floor. It seems that consumers are backing away from spending $5000-$9000 on a built-in refrigerator, and instead are opting for the counter depth Electrolux fridge which looks right at home in kitchens boasting other high end appliances. The recent top-seller has been the EW23BC70IS which has a UMRP price os $3699.

Take a ride through one of these Electrolux french door refrigerator models below!

Since the economy crashed last fall, it’s been amazing to watch how consumers appliance preferences have changed.  The high-end lines have been displaced by the upper-middle tier. Bad news for Viking et al, good news for KitchenAid, JennAir and especially the new line of Electrolux appliances and the GE Cafe line.

At Curto’s we’ve extensively trained our sales force on both lines,  placed the GE Cafe and Electrolux displays back to back in a premium spot in the showroom and maintained the notion ‘let the best line win”.

We just had the GE cafe and Electrolux french door refrigerators added to the displays and it’s been interesting getting customer’s feedback. Here’s what I’ve heard from consumers:

Electrolux French Door Pros

- gorgeous design, interior lighting is “amazing”

- box seems well built

Electrolux French Door Cons

- price tag is a joke ($2899-$3699, set by Electrolux via UMRP policy)

- ice machine takes away valuable space in fridge (good point – why is the ice machine located in the refrigerator?)

GE Cafe French Door Pros

- Nice price! (over $800-1000 less than comparable stainless in Electrolux)

GE Cafe French Door Cons

- Feels “cheaper” in comparison to Electrolux when opening doors and drawers

GE Cafe French Door Refrigerator - Curtos.com

Electrolux Ew23bc70is French Door Refrigerator at Curtos.com