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Wolf DF range - tell me the truth

16 years ago

We are getting close to purchasing our range - we want a 36inch DF range with grill. I love the Wolf but I am hearing mixed reviews.

Are these puppies really high maintenance? I don't want to have to call for a repair every six months - especially at that price!

I would really love to hear from Wolf DF range owners - some posts indicate the problem is with the All Gas range not the Duel Fuel.

Comments (14)

  • 16 years ago

    From all I've read here, the problems were with the AG range, not the DF.

    Having said that, my friend (sample of one) had a problem with the control unit on her DF. Wolf fixed it immediately. Wolf also sent her new grates for free when she noticed marks -- they came from her pans.

    All in all, it seems that the Wolf DF is about the safest thing you could buy from a customer service and dependability point of view. It is very appealing for that reason. I think other ranges are more interesting and fun to use, and less expensive, but the Wolf DF would be the "no worries" choice.

  • 16 years ago

    Happy Wolf owner here.

    We built our home in 06-07 and put in the 60" DF range with the grill and griddle. I have thoroughly enjoyed it and I cook a lot - for both large crowds and small and have used all the functions at least once (No, I do not have hired help that cooks for us, as was suggested in another post regarding those snobbish "Wolf" owners).

    The only thing that is great to use but a pain to clean is the grill. I do still use it when it is just DH and me, for larger amounts or really messy things I go to the outdoor grill. (We live in CA so that is most always an option.)

    I have never needed a service call or needed to even call Wolf with a question. I have Bosch dishwashers and W/D and they had to come once but they have been great appliances as well.

    This was not the case when we remodeled our last kitchen. The only thing that worked was the Viking cook top, the Kitchenaid repair guy was alway there as was the Maytag repair guy (for the second generation Neptune W/D)

    It seems that Wolf gets trashed a bit in this forum for some reason, I am very happy with ours. I also considered Dacor and Viking at the time but the Wolf seemed to fit the look of the kitchen and overall feel of the house. No regrets whatsoever.

    {{gwi:1372942}}

  • 16 years ago

    I wanted a Wolf AG more than anything after watching comments for 5 yrs. Just as we were about to do this kit wolf had a major problem with the AG. Lots of people here had them replaced and eventually I assume the problem was resolved. Too late for me. Again it was only the AG not the DF

  • 16 years ago

    I agree with lvr golden that Wolf receives lots of snide comments on this forum, and it's been my observation that few (if any) of the people making the comments have lived with a Wolf.

    Since 2005, I've lived with the 30-inch DF range I installed when I remodeled. I've never had a minute's problem with the range -- the burners, or the oven. I love the DF oven...the baked goods that emerge are just excellent. More so than any other range (gas or electric oven) I've used in my decades of cooking. I'm delighted with the roasting (especially with the probe) feature, and the results are amazing. I was not prepared for how wonderful the burners are. The 15,000 BTUs on 3 of the burners are plenty for me, because I don't wok cook....I do sautee a lot, and the 15,000 BTUs are totally satisfactory for that. The back burner (max output 9,000 BTUs) that has such an incredibly low simmer is amazing. I use it all the time...for making and holding delicate sauces, slow simmering soups or stews.

    This is a first class range. And, the Wolf people stand behind the product and are so very responsive. While I've never had a problem with the range, I could not figure out how to remove the baffles from the Wolf hood. My call to Wolf resulted in a technician who walked me through the process. He totally solved my frustration!

  • 16 years ago

    I've been a very content Wolf DF 30" (no grill or griddle) owner for about 6 months. Seems like a dream machine so far. I love the oven, the cooking mode features, broiler, and spot on temperature control. The gas burners don't have the BTU of the Bluestar and Culinarian, but I've found it more than satisfactory for all my cooking needs. (Cook's Illustrated has run some interesting articles/recipes on stir fry at lower temps that work very well and show that stir fry doesn't always require the super high BTU we usually associate with stir fry.) The Wolf DF seems like the opposite of "high maintenance" to me.

  • 15 years ago

    I've had problems with my Wolf 36" dual fuel range, installed Feb 10. The range works great. But I got it for the large oven, researched it and saw that it is slow to preheat, which is ok wth me. But once it heats, this oven is really slow, takes an hour and a half to bake a butternut squash. I've had the service folks out 6 times now, they've replaced sensors, pulled apart the baking elements, tested it, say it works fine. Wonder if anyone out there has has a similar experience with a Wolf DF?

  • 15 years ago

    SoKalGal,
    Do you have an oven thermometer? How does the temperature run compared to the setting?

  • 15 years ago

    I have a 30-inch DF Wolf range -- since 2005 -- and have had no difficulties with lengthy heating. Whether I use convection or "regular" heat, the oven heats quickly. I bake butternut squash all the time -- 30-45 minutes, depending upon the size of the squash, max. Since it's a 30-inch range, I only have one oven, but it's large and holds a large roast/turkey easily.

    I love my Wolf DF range.....Have never regretted splurging for it, and would do it again in a heart beat. I've never had any difficulties with it...ever, and the cooking/baking I'm produce using this range continue to delight me.

  • 15 years ago

    We had a Wolf DF in our last home. I don't think there is a better range for the "Wow" factor. We only had one issue and it was corrected by Wolf. That being said it had alot of feachers that we never ever used, and the performance of the burners was just ok. My sister has a DF Jenn-Air and the performance was very comparable to the Wolf and about half the price. In our new home we are going with the CC.

  • 15 years ago

    wekick, I do have a thermometer, and tested it alongside the repair guy's. Turns out the problem was that one of the baking elements would not kick in after the temperature dropped. The oven would preheat, the temp would drop when I put something in, then it would take forever to reheat/ie cook. Since one element was working it seemed hot and the repair guys never stuck around long enough to see it wasnt coming back up to the temp. They finally saw it about 4 visits in, replaced the data cable and other parts. Didn't work. Next visit they found an unplugged fuse looking thing (pardon my lo-tech) and tried plugging it in. Didn't work. Next visit they noticed its prongs were broken. By then we were convinced we had a lemon. Even the repair co thought we should just replace it. But Wolf said they needed one more try to replace 4 more parts, and the customer service rep there said they just have to honor the warranty, but weould expedite sending the parts. That was the last straw and my hubby got on the phone to them too. At this point they've agreed to replace the range . . . we're hoping that goes thru and we can start using it . . . we'll see

  • 15 years ago

    SoKalGal, They should replace it. You have been very patient with them. They should also restart your warranty because you have never had a working range this whole time. I had a similar experience with a different brand and they never could provide an oven that would work. My service people never even turned the oven on. They eventually bought my range and oven back. Just make sure you get it resolved before the end of your warranty period.

  • 15 years ago

    Wolf just replaced our 36" DF - that was fast - also has a new warranty, whew. We tried the oven out tonight, review is mixed - preheat was good, and it held a 350 temp according to my thermometer but bake time was still slow. Going to test it some more -

  • 15 years ago

    Did you move the thermometer around to make sure the heat was even? If the temp is right and things are cooking slow then it has to be something else like the thermometer is off, or it is unevenly heating which would be unlikely in convection if the fans are working or something else.Maybe your old oven just cooked a little too fast! ;)

  • 15 years ago

    could be, all good suggestions - we'll probably have the bake elements checked out too just to rule out having the same problem twice :)