Check the power of each burner. Rangetops often have more power. Continuous grates--which might be available on either--are much better than Euro grates which sit above the plane of the cooktop so it's easy to knock your pot off, and are somewhat better than individual grates that are sunk into the plane of the cooktop. Another thing to check for is if it can be lit with a match during a power outage. A difference that a lot of people don't notice is configuration. Having the knobs on top takes up some space, so in the same width the burners may be squished together just that tad too much for comfort on a cooktop. The knob assemblies et al. on a range top often take too much cupboard space. Do you need a utensil drawer right underneath?

If the burners and grates are the same, if you're not worried about the knobs viz safety, and you have the simmer rings or other features you might want, then obviously what's left is "impressive" for the rangetop. It's all those features, powers and sizes, however, that affect your cooking. For that, go to the makers' websites and look at the installation and use manuals, and compare what you actually get from each.

I've got the Bluestar range top. I like the large area to slide all of my pots and pans. You have more cooking real estate in the same place by having the controls in the front. It makes using big pans a lot easier.

Having decided on the range top, I prefer the open burner set up of the Bluestar and the Capitol with a preference for the Bluestar burner design. The Thermador range top would be my choice for closed burner range top decision because of the their burner design. I would select it over the Wolf because of the burner shape.

Pillog pretty much covered it.

A cooktop needs a specific cutout of your counter. Should you need to replace the cooktop in the future it will be nearly impossible to find a new one with that exact cutout, even with the same brand. We have seen this problem come up many times. A countertop fabricator usually needs to be called in. A rangetop on the other hand is simply dropped into the 36" space, without a specific cutout. Easily replaced if need be.

I'm still trying to decide between a 48" Thermadore and Wolf natural gas rangetop with griddle; Thermadore burners seems easier to clean however use an electric griddle while Wolf uses an infrared griddle.

I've decided rangetop is the way to go for sure.

Is there a large price gap on the wolf and thermador 48" pinebaron?