Gaggenau vs. Viking Integrated Refrigerators (Reviews / Ratings)

Integrated refrigerators typically are available at 18-inch, 24-inch, 30-inch, 36-inch, 42-inch and 48-inch wide to fit standard cabinets.

Sub-Zero currently produces one at 27 inches but this model will be discontinued in coming years. They are available in French doors, bottom mounts, side by side and column configurations. 

Integrated refrigerators differ from other shallow depths because the door and handle do not protrude from the cabinet. It leaves a much more flush, seamless look in your kitchen.

Integrated refrigeration is the highest cost per cubic foot than any other type of refrigerator. This price will probably remain high until bigger companies like Whirlpool and/or GE produce this segment of refrigerators in quantity.

Below is a comparison of Gaggenau and Viking 36-inch Integrated bottom freezer refrigerators. 36-inchis the most popular integrated refrigerator size in the Boston market.

Gaggenau

Gaggenau is the premium appliance brand owned by the BSH Corporation. BSH is a German company and the Gaggenau products are manufactured in Europe. Gaggenau integrated refrigerators are made in Turkey in the same factory as other leading brands (Thermador, Miele, and Bosch). In terms of service history Gaggenau has earned its reputation as one of the highest quality appliance brands out there. Gaggenau stands behind the quality of their products by offering one of the best warranties in the appliance industry, 2 years of full coverage (as of July 15, 2014).

Gaggenau 36-inch Integrated Bottom Mount Refrigerator RB492701 - $7,999

Features

• Dual compressor and dual evaporator
• Stainless steel interior gives your kitchen a luxurious appearance and is more sanitary than plastic refrigeration
• LED interior lighting illuminates your refrigerator interior
• Solid aluminum door bins
• Integrated automatic ice maker with fixed water connection
• One motorized glass shelf, adjustable when fully loaded is really useful for accessing the top refrigerator shelf
• One asymmetrically split glass shelf makes it easier to store products of
• Fully extendable freezer drawer with practical divider
• ENERGY STAR(R) qualified
• Dynamic cool air distribution with Multi-Flow Air System.
• Automatic defrosting with defrost water evaporation.
• Activated charcoal air filter eliminates gasses that cause food to spoil
• Energy-saving vacation mode
• Open-door and malfunction warning system

Viking

Viking is a luxury appliance brand known for manufacturing professional-style ranges. Their company was recently acquired by the Middleby Corporation, a commercial cooking company. Viking also offers a good warranty, 3 years full coverage. However, you cannot talk about Viking without mentioning service issues. Hopefully, the new ownership can change the reputation and manufacturing competence.

Viking 36-inch Integrated Bottom Mount Refrigerator FDBB5362L - $8,799

Features

• Electronic controls for precise temperature management
• Plasmacluster Ion Air purifier eliminates odors, enhances food preservation, and does not require a filter required
• Two adjustable humidity crisper drawers allow foods to be stored 3-5 degrees cooler than the refrigerator
• Quick chill feature quickly cools down foods to preserve freshness
• Spillproof glass shelves help contain spills for easy clean-up
• Two in-the-door dairy compartments for easy access
• LED interior lighting makes it easy to see all of the items in your refrigerator
• Four metal door bins for extra durable storage
• Fully extendable freezer drawer
• Ice maker comes out with freezer drawer for easy access to ice
• Adaptive defrost adjusts the timing of defrost periods which maintains food storage
• ENERGY STAR(R) qualified
• Open-door and malfunction warning system

Which is Better?

Many of the built-in refrigerators have several high-end features in common such as: a door alarm to let you know when the door is open for too long, an air purification system and humidity controlled crisper bins. To me, this comparison is really easy, and it's not because we stopped selling Viking. I still like the ranges, but their refrigerators in my opinion are just not competitive.

Here's why:

Gaggenau refrigerators have separate compressors and evaporators for the refrigerator and freezer, the idea behind this is to completely separate the refrigerator and freezer cooling systems. The lack of air transfer between the refrigerator and freezer results in very precise temperature control (better food preservation) and no odor transfer between compartments (your ice cubes won’t taste like salmon from last night’s dinner).

• The stainless steel interior in the Gaggenau refrigerator is modeled like the commercial refrigerators with the idea that stainless steel is less porous than plastic. It will repel bacteria better than refrigerators with a plastic interior. On any refrigerator, the warmest place to store foods is on the door. This is scary, especially because many brands including Gaggenau have “gallon door storage” for milk and dairy. Gaggenau designed a system to cool down the door to preserve the products you want easy access to on the door without compromising freshness.
• From an installation perspective the hinge system on the Gaggenau refrigerator is designed to pop forward when the door opens. This allows you to install this refrigerator completely flush into a 25’’ deep cabinet with a very seamless look compared to many other integrated refrigerator brands.
• Gaggenau is one of the top performing brands in service history. Along with Miele, they have a 2.1% service incidence in the first year. Viking was over 50%.

Related Articles

• 5 Best Integrated Refrigerators
• What Are The Best Appliance Brands?
• Sub-Zero vs. Thermador Integrated Columns

Additional Resources

Download the Yale Counter Depth Refrigerator Guide with features, specs and inside tips to every shallow depth refrigerator including integrated, and professional styles. Well over 65,000 people have read a Yale Guide.