We have a 30" GE wall oven installed under the counter on our island. The oven is screwed into the wood frame of the cabinets surrounding the oven and it sits directly beneath the countertop. That's as high as it can get. My controls are located on a panel above the door. It's really quite similar to the controls on a dishwasher. We have a shallow drawer beneath the wall oven.

The only drawback is that you will have to bend more to place items in the oven - but it again it's similar to loading a dishwasher.

I have an Elux Icon mounted under counter but about 4 inches or so above the floor.

The Elux works out for undercounter mounting, better than
most ovens for the following reasons:

(1) Fully glide out racks on ball bearings, saves a lot of
bending,
(compared to the GE).

(2) VERY LARGE, Easy to read and use, controls & Display.
(I don't need to "fetch me spectacles" to operate it!

(3) Very large window, (at least on the Icon) and well lit, so you
can easily see inside with a minimum of stooping.

(4) Very quiet fans, both the cooling & convection fans.

HTH's

Gary

I have a 27" 500 series Bosch wall oven installed under counter with a Bosch induction cooktop mounted above. Like you two, I do not care for the looks of a range, but was quite concerned about the discomfort of using an oven mounted that low. My only other oven experience has been wall mounted ovens, which I love. However, this patio home, which was purchased for retirement, has a kitchen too small for wall ovens. Much to my surprise, the under counter oven hasn't been at all uncomfortable. I specifically chose the Bosch for the dials, which to me seem a breeze to operate for a lower mounted appliance. Also,the oven racks slide so easily that the ball bearing racks were not special ordered as had been previously planned. I believe the Bosch has one of the largest internal oven dimensions on the market, if not the largest. This has been a great oven, quiet and reliable after two years.
I can't answer your question about oven height without a cooktop above but would like to pass on a tip. My Kraftmaid cabinets have a taller than usual toe kick which then made them too short to allow the required 3" between the oven and cooktop. The installer added 1" wood strips to the tops of my cabinets to provide the added inch which was needed. By accident, I found the taller counters to be a more comfortable working height (I'm average ht.). I don't know why you couldn't use the same strategy to raise your oven an additional inch. Anyway, good luck and let us on GW know how things worked out with your oven decision.

Thank you all for your responses. I know many people have used them this way so I don't think I should be concerned. I found the Bosch last night. I was searching for an oven that has dials and not touch or membrane. We think it might be easier to see them. I'm glad you told me the racks slide easily. That will be a big deal. I'm looking at the 30", since I have a 27" now and it won't fit a regular cookie sheet. Didn't know they had different size wall ovens. I like the height of my wall ovens now but don't like the closed in feeling it gives the room. We are gutting the kitchen and are changing the layout. It will have a much more open feeling. There are so many choices out there that I am having trouble deciding. Will let all of you know what we decide.

I just measured my cookie sheet which is stored in my oven lengthwise. It measures 16 3/8" long and does not touch the oven door. The greatest usable width inside the oven is 21" wide. Usable height is 17.5". I would not buy more oven than you need since the smaller one will preheat faster and cost less to operate. Why not try laying out your pans on a paper that size and see what you think.