I'm going with all Miele. The Wolf porcelain issues scare me and Wolf/Subzero has lost some of it's appeal to me now that it's the go to brand for high end kitchens. We're going with a very sleek modern look and Miele fit right in. I'm also a big fan of German engineering. I would have gone with Gaggenau but it's ridiculously overpriced and there's no local dealer.

In the past, I've been thrilled with my Miele washer, content with the matching dryer, dissatisfied with my Liebherr fridge, super happy with Miele dishwasher, so so on Miele gas cooktop, and very happy with Miele oven. Having been largely Miele over the last 12 years, I'm looking at a new build and tempted to go all Miele this go round, though I'm wary on the cooktop, and I'd have to be well convinced to spend that kind of dinero. Most people here will prefer mixing up the brands to pick what is best or best value (performance for cost) in each individual category. I've needed very little servicing on the Mieles, though when you do it is expensive, typically. I'm still researching myself, and no experience with the brands you mention other than 2nd hand, but the above is my own experience with Liebherr and Miele. Appliances are very important to me (so much so that I procrastinate working by browsing an appliance forum :) ), I'm a big fan of good engineering and things that just work well. I work my appliances hard.

If easy clean is important in a cooktop, have you considered induction? I think I will opt for gas, as that still just seems more my cooking style, but the easier clean is a big plus for those who have induction. Thought I'd throw that in there.

I have just one compact oven to rule it all in my kitchen, a Miele combi steam oven. After having been to a number of Miele cooking classes/demonstrations for their various types of ovens, I am quite impressed with their whole line up for ovens, be it a regular oven with self cleaning, a plain steam oven, a steam combi oven, a microwave combi oven. In europe, two new products are already out, a steam and microwave combi oven and a pressure steam oven (meaning a built-in pressure cooker appliance).

The other brand that I was quite impressed during my search was V-ZUG who produces steam combi oven for Wolf.

Gas hob wise, I may have chosen Capital or Blue star, if they are available down here for domestic wok cooking capability, but ended up with another European brand Asko/ATAG for their new Fusion Volcano wok burner design. It is the closest thing to an open burner that can focus the flame to the middle of round bottom wok.

Apart from wok cooking on gas, an induction wok burner is also an option, but it still is quite expensive down here in Oz. For the rest of cooktop, induction is really neat.

lapsangtee: regarding Induction. I have a radiant electric cooktop and

was recently fixing Chili. I now know why people buy Induction, you don't need to keep watching it. With the Chilli on the radiant cooktop (at the very

Lowest temperature), it kept starting to boil every few minutes. I was continually removing it from the cooktop, Because I have a small Chicago

kitchen (read: little space), I need to put the induction cooktop over the undercounter oven. Apparently, Miele made the Induction cooktop shallow to

allow for this. Do I want to spend that much $$$. No, but I probably will because I will not buy another electric radiant cooktop and my condo does

Not have gas.