thoughts?

No single brand has the best in every category. Don't get hung up on using the same brand throughout. Shop for the features and quality that suit you, but be consistent with the finish and get door handles that are close. To illustrate, we bought an LG French door refrigerator, GE gas range, Kitchenaid DW and are getting a Sharp MW, all in SS. Those particular choices are what worked best for us, not necessarily for you. Many people who do a lot of cooking may invest in a high end range or cooktop/wall oven. It is really about priorities and needs. Our priority was a 30 CF refrigerator; we didn't need a particularly large or high end range. Sharp had the only over-the-counter MW; and we picked a Kitchenaid DW over a Bosch (same price point) simply because we could get local repair service on the Kitchenaid whereas the closest authorized Bosch repair service was 30 miles away and would charge $100 per trip on top of any parts and labor not covered by warranty.

Some brands offer a discount if you buy a suite of appliances but what they are doing for the most part is piggybacking some of their slow-selling appliances with their better products.

Thank you! After weeks of discussion this is pretty much the route we will be taking!