Good question. Subzero/Wolf is certainly an established brand with a good reputation. GE Monogram is also good but their range at least is brand new and manufactured by them - their previous model was made by DCS and was highly thought of. Depending on your time frame, I might recommending waiting for the GE Monogram to be released and see some reviews on it. New products often have bugs that need to be worked out. When GE recently released their Cafe line, initial owners discovered a number of problems.

Easier to clean? You've got my attention. Why is the Monogram easier to clean and was the appliance salesman talking about the burners or the oven? Was he referring the the stainless steel top of the Monogram?

It sounds like you didn't see much to recommend the Wolf over the GE except name recognition -- which doesn't seem like enough of a reason to choose it especially if it costs more (and is less easy to clean!).

Will be very interested to hear what others say as I am going through the same decision process.

Thanks. I have heard that some of the new Monogram products are made in Mexico. Is that correct?

"Heavy-duty, full-extension racks glide smoothly in and out on stainless steel ball bearings for easy access, and are designed to remain in the oven during the self-clean cycle"

This is from the Monogram site. Also, you can clean the range grates in the oven during self clean neither of which is possible with the Wolf.

Hey: anyone know whatever happened with the idea that GE floated of selling off their appliance division? Is that still a possibility? Have they given up? If not, is that a concern to anyone contemplating GE appliances?

I would also like to know what the ramifications of GE getting out of the appliance business are

clineres- it's not a float, they are actively seeking a buyer for that division. Not given up, but multi- bilion dollar companies don't change hands overnite. Even after an agreement in priciple, an army of lawyers, mba's, and accountants pour over the books and real estate. May even peek the Govt. 's interest if the buyer is foreign (very likely) Then the bankers get involved, no one has a few billion dollars just sitting around.

I'd be mildly concerned that the status quo isn't being maintained. The new buyers may or may not keep exsisting mgmt, factories and lines as they are - so I'm sure there is uncertainty among the ranks even if mild. This may/may not translate into production and service errors. New owners may ratchet down or up quality who knows? Same with parts and service units.

bottom line is there's nothing you can do about it. They either have an appliance you like and feel is of suficient quality to buy today or they don't. What MIGHT happen tomorrow is a bit too much worring. Viking might be wiped out buy a hurricane tonite, Sub Zero might discover their steel supplier delivered radioactive stainless to them, does that mean you should buy their products?

Good point.

So, if the price difference is say around $2000 between Monogram and SZ/Wolf, is it worth it?

If you are leary about the new GE being made by GE look at the DCS range. The past GE Monogram's were made by DCS.

antss: did that radioactive SS from SZ come from the same supplier that is selling all that "hot" granite?

After reading endless posts and reviews here and elsewhere, we went for the Wolf. It is a pain to clean (even though they say it will be easy) - and the burners chipped my porcelain sink. Each grate must weigh 5 lbs., and the grill option grate must weigh 8-10 lbs. Maybe all the stoves are like this.

The worst thing about this stove is the oven rack design. They don't glide easily, and are difficult to change out when the oven is cool, deadly when the oven is hot. Their designers missed the simple AND functional concept. Mechanically it is superior - temperature regulation and those sorts of things are engineered well. Flame control is good.

It looks like a tank in the kitchen. Won't buy another one. Only two dealers in our area, service has been horrible. The first stove showed up looking like it had been hit by a train - someone had dropped a forklift load on it thinking we wouldn't notice. They also scratched our wood floors delivering it, and the replacement. I am a year plus trying to get a faulty stainless trim piece replaced - and I bought the entire extended warranty.

Next stove will be LaCanche or KitchenAid. Even if they won't work as well (might work better, not sure), at least they will be more pleasing to look at every day. The problem with these sorts of things (Ranges, Hoods, HVAC, Refrigerators, Toilets, etc) is that you can't really run the full range of use before you purchase.

Thanks for the reply. That is the same sense I got that Wolf=name,solid, performance and Monogram=ease of use, practical. Still a tought decision.

drjay71: look for a SZ/Wolf Living Kitchen in your area. The one near us, for instance, is a SZ/Wolf distributor and has the full line of SZ/Wolf (Asko, Best, Franke too)as well as an upstairs working kitchen. I could see what the Wolf grates looked like after a lot of use, what the trim looks like after being used over time, etc. I was concerned about how everything would clean up in our new space and I was glad I went there, as all of my questions were answered. The rep helped me decide on the height of the hood we would install and what kind of CFM's were appropriate for my cooking style. They host dinners there too so you can see (and taste!) first hand what the Wolf line can do. We have a 36" 6 burner DF Wolf Range (love it) and a 30" Liebherr fridge (SZ was nice, just like the Liebherr better). It's time consuming to research your appliances, but in the end, you make an informed choice. Good luck with yours!

Thanks beachmusic. We have a few here in the DFW area and we will definitely check them out.