I truly hate my Wolf dual range. I unfortunately donated my Thermador to Habitat because we wanted more BTU's and the wolf promised that. I regret it.

The Wolf is all smoke and mirrors. Fancy knobs and feet (no drawer, no room).

The oven:

1: it's so low because of the deep front knob area (8") that we can't watch the meal cooking without crouching down and it's so awkward when retrieving food due to the lips on the racks that I constantly burn myself.

2: Although the digital temp monitor shows the temp as it ramps up it takes forever to heat up. At first I thought it only operated on convection due to the constant fan and the heat blowing from the bottom of the oven. The fan stays on forever after being turned off. It's irritating. Ours is an electric oven and gas cooktop which I find is the best way to cook. The radiant pan on the bottom takes some getting used to. i.e.: Cooking thin or thick crust pizza with fresh dough is an example. Outside is crispy at 450 to 475 but the middle of the crust will be mush. Now I know why they recommend a special pizza stone (not included but available. It takes at least 1/2 hour longer to cook due to preheat time.

Stove top:

1: Why 3 large burners at the front and only 1 small one at the back? The flames on the 4" burners only cook the outside of the pot and if the pot is less than large the food will burn on the sides without cooking in the middle.

2: Although the fancy knobs indicate high to low and a simmer mode lit separately there really appears to be little difference. It's either high or low and no in-between.

3: The grates are heavy, scratch the stainless sides while moving to clean and are difficult to keep clean.

4: The top has stainless steel panels on either side of the burner pans and at the back. They are joined to the burner pan by a plastic? strip that due to the heat of the burners actually turned dark in spots on the first use. It's almost like they were an afterthought because they missed the front with a strip and the crumbs love to gather and need a knife to retrieve. Unacceptable.

5:The burner pans. Disgusting. I have never been able to clean them properly no matter what product I use. They are supposed to be a porcelain finish but I don't believe it. (My Thermador had a stainless, seamless pan and simple soap and water made it spotless.) I don't leave the light on above the Wolf after preparing a meal because it's an embarrassment!

The engineering of this product is all appearance and no practical function.

If my comment can help anyone considering purchasing a high end range I would suggest really doing your homework. All the best.

after reading lamiller's post, i'm really glad i have a thermador 5 burner gas cooktop. i love it. i have no place for a 36" range or that could have been me.

I have had seven houses and I am about to begin the joy of building my forever dream home. I'm from Louisiana and cooking is serious business. My last house we put in all KitchenAid Architect Series appliances. I loved to 36" gas cooktop, but the black enamel top discolored around the higher BTU burners that I used often. It has a folded metal edge inside where the stainless steel on the outside joins the enameled inside that I spend countless hours cleaning debris out with a butter knife. The grates are cast iron and a six burner has three grates, two burners per grate. Problem is that the are heavy and large. I would take them outside to clean them in the driveway and then rinse them in my large laundry sink. I had a large 50/50 kitchen sink, but you could only scrub one side and then had to flip them in the sink and it was so messy. I loved how it cooked, but I hated to clean it and it never seemed to look clean after it discolored. I had the double convection ovens and they cooked great and were super easy to clean. But the Whirlpool oven in my rental house now heats up so much faster. Preheating the KA was slow and if you wanted to keep it hot, you had to open the door and get your food I fast and shut the door. But that probably true with all ovens. I would buy the ovens again, but I want a Blue Star cooktop. I love the unsealed burners, the star flame and the higher BTU's. My KA dishwasher was the bomb! But you couldn't unload right after the cycle finished because those were some hot dishes. But all plastic and everything was dry and clean. The upper rack was adjustable which was great. I had the built in microwave too. We bought the French door LG counter depth frig with ice and water with freezer drawer. I lived in that house 5 1/2 years with 2 high school kids and numerous others that lived there practically and never called a repairman! We will probably go with the KitchenAid ovens, microwave and dishwasher. But I want an integrated frig that will look like an armoire furniture piece, but I've heard horror stories about SubZero in recent years. Also, my husband is from Mississippi and everyone there jumped on the Viking bandwagon in the past, (Viking began in Mississippi) and everyone hates their Viking appliances. When they got really big 15-20 years ago you couldn't find anyone to even work on them in the state they were manufactured. But that just my two cents and if anyone has any refrigerator suggestions I would be grateful!

Enjoying my Thermador columns. Not sure what panels you can buy. I went for stainless.

anyone recently purchase Viking appliances with positive reviews? We are looking at the lower end models and are hesitant after reading all the reviews...help!

To the person who wasn't sure about upgrading: is your cooktop gas or electric? If electric you might consider a GE monogram induction cooktop, the gold one is extremely sharp looking and performs incredibly well. Other than that Kitchen aid dishwashers are great and I have a Kitchen aid integrated fridge in the country and it's pretty fine. Not as good as Sub Zero at keeping food fresh. I know that there are plenty of Sub Zero nay sayers but they've always performed excellently for me! I have a new model and in my kitchen in the city and I find it amazing. If gas I like the Wolf cooktop but I'm sure Kitchen Aid is good too!

Trying to decide between the Wolf cooktop, the Kitchenaid pro style rangetop, and the Decor Distinctive pro style rangetop - all 36". The rangetops are 6 burners each and the Wolf is 5. Any suggestions?

Just so everyone knows...I have a Blue Star cooktop in my country home. Luckily I'm pretty easy going! The burners have all rusted (pretty quickly) and it's impossible to simmer on it. You need to put a cast iron griddle on (I'm using a Miele one) and simmer on that. Oh, and it's a REAL pain in the ass to clean!!! Unless you're a restaurant I would suggest a Wolff. I have both and prefer the Wolff.

Thanks. On the Wolf countertop one, do you like the configuration of the burners: 2 in front, 3 in back and to the right?

They all have problems. they are so computer driven the boards go. I would just do your research and look at warranty and life on the use of the product

Wandaherron, how could you be looking at cooktop AND range tops? Or are you doing new construction? Update on my new wolf (6-burner range top): I have to have it serviced -- one of the burner's ignition thing won't go off after lighting, and the flame on two of the burners often arbitrarily lowers. I will say that the Wolf customer service people are extremely nice and helpful.

The Wolf offers a 2 year parts and service warranty...unlike other brands. It's good to know the Wolf service folks are good. Thanks to you both for encouraging me to weigh the warranty differences. Yes, we are totally gutting the kitchen and replacing cabinets and some appliances. Hoping to order cabinets this week so need to decide on cooktop or rangetop. Thanks for your help.

Stick to Kitchenaid and save money!

The Wolff 5 burner configuration is fine! I was worried about it but it's great and the fact that you can slide pots around easily is a real plus!

Wonderful! Trying now to decide between the Wolf and the Dacor that is in the same 5 burner configuration...

And good experiences Dacor?

Building a new home for our retirement. I am so confused with all the different comments. Wolf vs Viking... 5-6 burner gas cooktop. Wall oven with warming drawer... any brand with great temperature control??? Please weigh in on this...

Just finished new home build and we used a Thermador 48" Frig/Freezer, 6 burner gas stove, dishwasher, wall oven/microwave/convection combo. So far so good!! Had a Viking 48" Frig/freezer in my old house and within one month had to replace the compressor, door hinges were replaced twice because of recalls and prior to moving had to replace the computer panel, ice maker, coil and compressor again. 11 years old and $2,000 to fix. But had to have a working unit for selling the house.

10 years ago after Katrina we had to redo our entire first floor of our old little bungelow. I chose a Viking 30" cooktop--open style and Wolf oven. WORST mistake EVER! The Viking cooktop is a pain to clean--not only because of the commerical "open" style--but dangerous sharp edges everwhere you need to wipe. The burners have rusted, the writing on knobs has disappeared and the extra low simmer has NEVER worked. The electronic flints continue to go out! I wasn't aware of Blue Star (although I'm surprised about their burners too) or Capitol. I wanted a star configuration burner but only Thermador had it at the time and it got poor reviews.

The wolf oven is so DISAPPOINTING--even after 10 years! I was initially so excited about the thermometer probe w cook time--the probe is WAY OFF. I don't use it after ruining an expensive piece of meat. And yes I double check with an instant digital--much better. The performance just doesn't justify the price. Gods forbid you have to replace a part.

DId you know the timer cook select panel is $1500 JUST FOR THE PART???????????????

But in 10 years many better products are now out there. Based on friends comments on the high-end Kitchen Aid, Thermador and other like products I would pass those up too. I'd probably go based on what the repair man said --Blue Star or Capitol.

Has anyone had experience with Jade or Blue star french door ovens?

I got 36" 6 burner range top and exhaust system that pops up and 24" microwave that mounts in cabinet all new kitchen aid for sale in Sacramento area 7074809743 ,3500 let's talk never used for cooking just model for a while

I am considering the GE Cafe Series 6 burner 36 inch range top and although I have hear via this forum Kitchenaid is a solid choice I have also been told GE does "heat" exceptionally well! Does anyone have experience with the Cafe series?

I finally bought a Wolf 4 burner range last month, and I have to say, that it is fabulous! The burners can all be adjusted to the barest simmer, and the oven works great .I almost bought a CAPITAL because that is what my sister has, but I didn't like her simmer function- too me- it cooked too hot still. Not to mention- my Wolfie is so beautiful.. :-)

I have had the GE cafe series in my kitchen for the past 6+ years and I LOVE them. The range is awesome to cook with and I've never had a bit of problem with any appliance. They give the kitchen the nice, professional look at a fraction of the cost. My only minor dislike is that the range top is stainless steel. Tough scrubbing can leave scratches. I highly recommend the Cafe series.

We recently completed a kitchen remodel and my husband loves to cook!! With that being said, we thought long and hard about appliances, with money being not being a factor. We decided on all KitchenAide appliances; double oven, warming oven, refrigerator, dishwasher, EXCEPT for a his 6 burner Thermador gas stove-top. As the stove-top sits on an island and separated from the other appliances, esthetically they all do well together. The KitchenAide ovens are superb, as is the Thermador! Therefore, selection based on results AND esthetics resulted in pure happiness!

I noticed that no one is really mentioning Induction? Works better than regular electric tops and gas. Very safe with amazing heat output. Has anyone used a KA 36" induction cooktop?

I absolutely love my induction KA 36"! Have been using induction for the last 12 years and prefer KA to Viking appliances in general - specially the cooktop!! Will build a new house and use KA induction again. Miele is also superbe and so is gaggneau.

10 year old house -- we have Monogram 6 burner cooktop (propane) with griddle. So far it has been perfect. Cooks well, cleans well, use the griddle for pancakes. Also have Monogram convection wall oven, warming drawer, and Advantium/microwave. The convection oven is good, but wish it was double ovens. Love the convection. Warming drawer gets used once a year at Christmas. Advantium gets used for microwave only, making it a very expensive microwave. The GE Profile dishwasher died on Thanksgiving Day last year (main board) and was replaced by a Bosch from Lowes. The Bosch is quiet and cleans well, and it doesn't break dishes like the old Profile. All were installed when the house was built. No service calls of any kind. I do most of my own repairs, hence the Thanksgiving Day dishwasher install.

If things go well we will be remodeling a lake house soon and gutting the kitchen. Much prefer wall ovens to bending down to work in range ovens. Cooktop will be another Monogram or Wolf most likely. Ovens will be double convection, Monogram probably. Microwave will be just a microwave built in. Biggest change will be a 36" all fridge/all freezer, and an ice maker that will produce Sonic style ice. Fridge/freezer will be Monogram or Sub most likely.

I feel good better about mixing up the appliances in our soon to be total kitchen re-model

I went to the appliance store today. They were closed Saturday. Come to find out they're remodeling. I wanted to compare the wolf, thermador, and blue star 36" ranges. I did this twice in my past but needed to refresh in person. I have a 36" cooktop at home. Love it. The range will be for a 2nd home (vacation home) that we hope to retire at. They didn't have the thermador in due to the remodel but will be getting one in very soon. I know it's a porcelain top. The 36" wolfs have gone to porcelain tops. The blue star was blue and beautiful, marked down and is a workhorse. It may be more than I ask for. I do a lot of cooking so dilemma, dilemma. She said a lot of people nowadays are going back to all gas. And less costly. More dilemma. I'm still stuck as to which. Open or closed burners. Duel fuel or all gas and which brand. And it's quite alright to mix appliances. I think I'll do a Miele DW. She also showed me a sharp drawer microwave. Fridge ? This is a great post to person who started it.

Steer clear of Kitchenaid Fridges!! I had one counter-depth delivered a months ago. It quit cooling the fridge on day 5. Lowe's replaced it and the second one quit cooling the fridge on day 7!! Lowe's asked me to order a different brand instead of risking a 3rd dud. :(
My dishwashers aren't hooked up yet, I am hoping and praying they work!!:/

The new kitchen-aid line is quite good! We've had great feedback from customers that have chosen to use it. Also - I am a kitchen designer/remodeller and use kitchen-aid appliances in my own home. Their products have come a long way, and the new design with the red medallion on the handles really adds a touch of class to the kitchen (starting to resemble sub-zero and wolf in some ways).

I'd also suggest maintaining consistency with the brand you choose. This way it's clear that all your appliances were upgraded (and carefully selected). When there are many different brands it seems as though each unit was changed as the previous one failed.

Hope this helps!

my kitchenaid counter-depth fridge is at least 2 years old and still working fine. A friend had the same model and the compressor blew after a few years. Kitchenaid replaced the fridge. My friend may have had to pay something but not much. I have a kitchenaid wall-oven (with the red medallions) and so far it's working fine - coming up to a year. My range is a 36"DF Wolf. I ended up taking the extended warranty on these two ovens. If I don't use it, I get the money back in a store credit.

Maintain consistency so people don't think you replaced them as they broke? How about picking the best appliance for each job so people see you put effort into designing a functional and enjoyable kitchen to use instead of a showroom?

I think I have a question for any future kitchen designers now - I want help designing the best working kitchen, not the one that looks like an ad for a specific appliance brand.

I agree so did my husband. He compared it to buying a stereo outfit. I thought I wanted matchy matchy. But I don't have to and who says I'm selling we have moved all of our lives and this next place will eventually be where we will retire. I want pieces that if I put my money into will be worth it.

I've got 3 brands: Kitchenaid fridge & wall oven, Wolf range and Miele DW. Oh and a Vent-a-Hood over the Wolf. Each chosen for specific reasons, to PirateFoxy's point.

I just want to say many people posted very good points. My one point is I want a wolf but didn't want to buy a sub zero fridge so I started to explore other options and found this post. Everyone has good points.

I just want to say everyone has good points in this post. I want a wolf range but didn't want to buy a subzero fridge,etc so I started exploring all of my options in all appliance brands to compare everything. It is possible to match different brands together.

Hi all, I may be able to snatch a "lightly used" Wolf 6 burner rangetop for $400.. seller claims its 3-4 year old. Good deal?

Is there a way to figure out how old it actually is from the serial number (11356284)? Or when was the RT366 model produced and/or discontinued?

Also, does anyone know if I could convert two of the burners to a griddle or grill?

Nikko:

Call Wolf customer support?

Yeah, that crossed my mind but I hate talking on the phone in general, let alone with customer reps. :) But I guess I may have to bite the bullet.

As someone mentioned, the Sub Zero fridge often locks you out. It's some sort of energy saving feature, I think, because sometimes when closing it I hear a sucking sound and then can't pull the door open again without waiting for a while. It's CRAZY irritating. Meal prep often means several door open/close cycles in a row so you end up with these stupid wait times imposed by the fridge. As far as Wolf ovens, mine does NOT have a self cleaning feature. What? In this millennium they make ovens that don't self clean? Yup.

okramar, we have a Bertazonni 48" gas range. I love the range but it doesn't have a self cleaning feature either. They recommend using a non-abrasive type cleaner but it literally takes hours to clean. Because of this, I end up not cleaning it as often which isn't good. What products have you found useful to clean your Wolf oven?

I spend a lot of time researching before I buy anything that has to last and I don't settle for anything that I don't love. 2 Years now with my Bosch dishwasher, Frigidaire twin (separate pieces with trim pkg) fridge and freezer, and Bertazonni range. so far no problems with any of them. As someone mentioned above, the produce drawer in this fridge does an excellent job keeping fresh veggies lasting longer and I don't think you can beat the storage capacity for counter depth units. The Bosch dishwasher also cleans very very well while being super quiet.
The versatility of the 6 burner Bertazonni is amazing. Simmer is perfect! And the high heat double flame burner is just the ticket for searing a steak. Only thing I would change is I wish I had opted for dual fuel for the electric oven. I don't have any problems with the gas oven temp accuracy, but if I put things in the center, the bottom of the food tends to brown too fast. Not a big problem- I just moved the rack up. I don't know if the electric may be better for center baking but I have a feeling it might be.
As for Matchy matchy, I got a chuckle out of some comments on the matter. In my house the only thing matchy are the bedside dressers. I think things are better if it they are unique on their own, while at the same time not competing with the rest of the room. Takes more time to- -say, choose coffee and side tables, but so worth it.

Kitchenaid vs Wolf, Viking, etc...depends on YOU. Don't let someones impression of what is or isn't "high end" steer you and as for the mix and match, unless you are receiving a sponsorship from one brand, I would think that you'd want what YOU want and what has been reviewed to be the best of each in your affordability range. I wish that they'd all remove their labels (Wolf doesn't put a big fat tag on it's 48" hood) For a basic rundown of ownership (as of today). Ferrari's are impressive but they come with a high maintenance cost and a repair lag time.

Sub Zero owns Wolf

BSH Home Appliance Corp owns Thermador

Whirlpool owns Jenn-Air & Kitchenaid

Samsung owns Dacor

Viking is its own

For cooking look at your cooking options (dual fuel for example) if you don't have natural gas, you may consider installing a propane tank to fuel your cooktop but may hate gas ovens as I do. a Dual Fuel range is an ideal scenario in that case. Gas on top, electric ovens.

If you have a religious situation where your appliances need Sabbath mode, that would guide you.

Do you want something built in the USA? or where can you find a local repair person to fix something when it goes wrong.

I'm in real estate and I can honestly tell you that one man's Thermador means nothing to a person who could care less about cooking. So live in your home with things that work for you. Every single appliance line has it's share of lemons and every person is going to have their own view on what is superior.

I replaced my Bosch 36" gas cooktop with a Wolf 36" gas cooktop when installing granite counter tops. I was sold on the aesthetics and kept hearing about how much control you could get from the burners. The red knobs are to die for, but I'm so disappointed with the burner heat control. When cooking something simple like fried eggs, it's either not enough heat or they get scorched. There's an entire dial dedicated to heat control and there's not a setting that gives me that low medium heat I find I so often want to cook with.

I mentioned this issue on the survey Wolf sent and they sent me an email saying they didn't have my correct phone number so couldn't call. Ha! I emailed them my phone number and of course they didn't call. Buyer beware. I'll never buy a Wolf or Subzero product again.

Diane, this may or may not work for you. We purchased a Kenmore gas range. A couple of the burners were too high, even on low. Manual said nothing about how to adjust. After Googling "Kenmore low flame adjustment" (or something similar), we found instructions on how to find and adjust the small screw on each burner. It made a huge difference! I am guessing other brands might be similarly adjusted. Screw is not easy to find. Good luck!

I talked to several repairmen--THOSE are the people you want to talk to before deciding on what appliance to purchase--and the most consistently APPLAUDED appliance is BLUE STAR. I'd love to trade in my Viking cooktop and Wolf oven for BS. Viking and Wolf are over-rated, over-priced PR BS.

Maybe, maybe not. I've had repair men tell me a Miele DW was a complete waste of money. My experience is it's 15 years old and still runs like a charm. But not all repairmen service all brands though they sure have their opinions on all of them; even the ones they don't service. So if they're not servicing a Miele or a Wolf, how are they forming their opinions? Everyone has a bias.

I am very surprised, Dianne, that you can't get a good flame with your Wolf- mine goes from the merest whisper of a flame, to full blast! Love my Wolfie, and my six year old Subzero fridge has never had one issue either.

I haven't seen any activity on here recently. Wondering if anyone has any new comments. I am looking at all new appliances and wondering which way to go. I currently have a subzero frig that is 25 years old which I love. I just had the subzero repair man out. Said he could do a complete overhaul on the unit for under 2k but cautioned me about do an entire kitchen remodel around a 25 year old frig.

I would love to get all Wolf/Sub Zero products but really don't have 25k to spend on appliances. I do love that they are an American company and am willing to spend more for that. Additionally right now if you buy a package you get an additional 3 years warranty.

I replaced the dishwasher as soon as I moved in. It was a Kitchen aid and I replaced it with a Kitchen aid. That is what I had in my last house and was happy with it. Tried Samsung and it was junk! Guy came out and said I have to run hot water before I start the dishwasher, to which I responded then I may as well just wash them. Made them take it back and got another Kitchen Aid.

Right now I am leaning toward another Sub Zero frig. I absolutely love it. Some people complained about having to wait to open it. Yes you do. It vacuum seals, your food last a lot longer. Worth the wait in my opinion.

Leaning towards a Wolf cooktop. Most people seem to be happy with that.

Here is the main debate do I go with a Kitchen Aid or Wolf wall oven? Wolf is twice the price, but then if I spend that I get the additional warranty on all 3 products.

Comments/Suggestions?