M, What width is your RNB? The 36" and wider have an obvious extra 1" in the side walls of the oven. The 30" only has 2", no other stove (even low end) has such a shallow side wall. Perhaps they use different insulation?

When we started our remodel, we had the choice between keeping our existing 30" RNB, switching to a 36" range, or getting a range top.

All of these options have their pros and cons, and they were all considered seriously. In the end, we decided to stay with our existing range. It has worked beautifully in our old kitchen, and it's still the best option for our new one. Of course your personal circumstances could easily be different.

I might be mistaken, but I think in most cases when people reported scorching it wasn't actually from the side walls. It was from the front door which might have been pushed in too far

For upper end ranges I think I'd stick with Wolf or BS RNB. BS RNB has better burners, Wolf (AG) has a better griddle. Seemingly the Wolf also has a better oven and broiler though from talking with a lot of BS owners that's not necessarily the case with the RNB.

That said, if money is a strong consideration, there are a lot of much more cost effective options. A good cook/chef can create a great meal on just about anything. Perhaps the only thing totally off the table with lower end ranges would be sauté, some pan frying, and Wok. Otherwise a higher end range is perhaps easier and more enjoyable to use.

Cost is a concern for us. We could make it happen if we felt it was going to really give us enjoyment that we do not have now. We like dependability....the mid range stoves all have so many complaints for their costs (mid 2k & up). We looked at the Bertazzoni since it was attractive and less $, But we are irritated by the shallow pans under our sealed burners that is virtually always dirty and thought that shiny ss would look pretty much the same. The Thermadore has a deep pan at least. The BS seems like less would show on it or drop down into the bowl. We just want a fun stove, reliable, simple and easy to fix if needed, none of that electronic gadgetry on all the stoves today (work on a computer, don't need one to cook with!).

We bought a 60” Viking professional dual fuel range about two years ago now. We bought it because 1) we got a phenomenal deal on a floor model, 2) we loved how it looked and felt, 3) it was simple... not a bunch of electronic stuff. My hubby is extremely handy and felt like he could easily fix it if needed. We knew when we bought it that it was “as is” from the store and they were not going to provide any warranty for us. We were told by our salesman that the store owner had been the exclusive Viking dealer for many years in a large area, but Viking had recently started selling through other stores, so the owner gave Viking the proverbial finger and stopped carrying them altogether. Our range and matching hood was the last bit of Viking they had left and we got a sweet deal. (We weren’t originally looking to get a 60” range, we were looking for 48”, but were able to adjust our remodel plans to easily accommodate such a large piece of equipment.) I’ve been very happy with it to be honest! We had a very minor cosmetic issue when it was installed... we didn’t bother going through the store, we contacted Viking directly. All it was was a sagging trim piece on the front of one of the oven doors, didn’t affect function at all. Viking sent out a repair man, he was unable to fix it and Viking said they’d send out a new door. It took a few months to receive the door, but it’s not like I was left without a working oven in the meantime. I should mention that my range is one of the colored ones... so I assume they didn’t have that color just laying around. I wasn’t irritated by the timeline, but I did wonder if it would’ve taken that long had it been a functional issue. All in all, they got the oven door replace, looked perfect, and they didn’t charge me a dime for the new door or for the two visits from the repair man, so I was very pleased. I do like it better than any range or cooktop/double oven configuration I’ve had in the past. The nicest stuff I had previously was Kitchen-aid, and while I was always very happy with their customer service (the few times I’ve had to use it) I do feel like my Viking is nicer to use. The stainless steel that IS on it is more difficult to scratch, I much prefer the cast iron grates, and I have a black enamel surface on the top. It’s not really easier to clean than stainless steel, but it looks better even when it’s not clean, and it doesn’t scratch like all my previous ss tops. I also MUCH prefer the broiler function in my Viking ovens compared to my old KA or any other brand I’ve had in the past, it’s infrared and broils a lot more evenly. My old KA was terrible for that and I had to rotate things a certain way to get things evenly browned. My Viking does tend to cook a little higher and faster in the ovens than I was ever used to, and even more so when the ovens get dirty... but that’s been fairly easy to adjust to. I’ll include a before/after photo collage of my kitchen because it shows my range off nicely. I call it my “command central.” Hahaha! Like I said, hubby felt confident he could keep this range up and running for many years to come (We were just “done” trying to pick an appliance based on reviews anymore. Every brand has a ton of awful ones) but my hubby is very handy... he designed and built all of our kitchen cabinetry and did our entire gut job kitchen remodel himself. The only thing he hired out was the granite counters on the perimeter, but he did consider fabricating soapstone on his own. I know he could’ve done it, but he felt he’d bitten off enough of an elephant already. LOL! Hope my own review of my Viking range helps you. I know they get awful bad raps on this site because people don’t trust them yet. We didn’t entirely trust them either... we held our breath, made a decision, and prayed for the best. So far, so good. LOL!

Look at the BS RCS. It's their cheapest range but it's often overlooked, to it's detriment imo. It has all the great features BS ranges enjoy, but its burners are not as powerful as the RNB. I've had mine for 3 1/2 years and it's great. I really wanted the RNB, but we were trying to keep costs down and we weren't convinced the RNB was worth the extra money. I worried the 15K burners wouldn't be powerful enough but they are more than enough. The burners sauté wonderfully, stir frys are a breeze, the burners simmer well, the range is easy to clean and a lot of fun to cook with. And the oven works beautifully.

I've never heard about rusting screws, but to address your other concerns, I've had no problems with my oven heating up cabinet walls, and my oven door (I have the V1 btw) doesn't get overly hot. And I've read they redesigned the oven door for the V2 (which came out shortly after I bought my range).