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Wolf 36" gas range - Go or No go?

7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago

As a part of the kitchen remodel, we are considering moving from electric cook top to Wolf 36" pro gas range with 6 burners. The oven in this model is also gas, not electric. I'd like your feedback on this stove please:

1. Does it hold up well for a lot of cooking?

2. Is it easy to clean?

3. Does it make any annoying noise? For example, I read that Thermador makes clicking sound on sim. Also, I read one comment somewhere that Wolf gas oven makes some kind of noise - not sure if it was an exception or the norm for Wolf.

4. Whats your experience with the quality of the product and customer service?

5. Any other annoyances that I should know about?

Are there any other brands you recommend?

Comments (20)

  • 7 years ago

    I personally prefer Bluestar's burner design by quite a lot; but to be fair, Wolf makes perfectly good stoves. You won't make a mistake picking one of their gas models.


    On the other hand, as far as ovens are concerned, Wolf has had a long-standing issue with the enamel coating failing and leaving little bits of glass all over your food. According to the reports on Houzz, this only ever happens after a couple of years and thus rarely would be covered by warranty. There are still too many reports for my taste to believe that Wolf has gotten the problem under control. Personally, I would be hesitant to buy any of their ovens until there haven't been any problem reports for a couple of years.


    So, if you want to go with the Wolf stove burners, I would get a range top and pair it with a different brand of wall oven. Alternatively, if you aren't set on gas, you could also look at an induction cooktop (induction range tops are almost impossible to find, unfortunately). I really like gas, but in many ways induction is quite comparable and Houzz has many happy homeowners who prefer induction over gas.

  • 7 years ago

    The Wolf all gas ranges do not have the blue interior that is reported here and elsewhere to chip but even the black seems to have had issues. Maybe not as visible.



    https://www.classaction.org/media/sharp-v-wolf-appliance-inc_1.pdf



    I would consider BS too. What type of cooking do you do? What type of cookware do you have?

    Thermador is the only one that clicks because it comes on and off to simmer. I think the Wolf gas oven clicks on and off too. You could ask the dealer. It used to have a glow bar but it seems it was changed to a spark ignition.

  • 7 years ago
    I can only tell you from experience. I have a Wolf it’s not the 36” it’s the 48”. It is ALL gas. Actually where we live it’s propane so the orifices had to be changed out. That’s done before it’s delivered. Mine is 18 years old and has had one service call in 18 years. I don’t know about the new ones, but I love mine. There are no electronics other than the igniters. No timer, no self cleaning. Plain and simple it does what it’s suppose to do. I have worked it hard. Best of luck in your decision.
  • 7 years ago

    My son in law has the 36” all gas Wolf range. He is a better cook than I will ever be. He loves his range. No service issues whatsoever.


    I am on my second house with several Wolf products. Very pleased as well.

  • 7 years ago
    I mostly cook Indian food, with other cuisines in the mix from time to time. There’s usually lot of stir fry and curry.
  • 7 years ago
    I use All Clad D5 pots and pans mostly. I have two Le Cruset Dutch ovens that I use from time to time. In addition to these, I have collected some antique case iron skillets to use with gas stove.
  • 7 years ago

    I also own a Wolf product. I have the 36" dual fuel range. The burners are exactly the same as the all gas is now.

    I would certainly look at BlueStar. In looking at burners, you will hear the term "open burners" and "sealed burners". Different manufacturers use this term to mean different things but it refers to the burner tray and whether it comes apart for cleaning. Wolf used to have a "semi open" burner with a tray that came apart for cleaning but changed to the sealed burner in 2013 on their gas ranges.

    BlueStar has some other very important features that some cooks prefer. It has a star shape. This is great for cast iron or steel pans, which are poorer conductors of heat, as it applies heat more evenly if the pan is sized to the burner. This shows the BS and Wolf.



    Another difference is that Wolf is capped and BS is not. The capped and sealed burner were developed with idea that it would be easier to clean but many BS owners would disagree with that. The cap causes the flame to flare out on highest heat. Wolf has the dual stacked burners so the flare is less than something like five star or even Thermador.



    With high heat, this can impact performance. I don't mind the flare with Wolf's burner because I am using big frying pans but some want to keep the high heat more to the middle of the pan. BS has burners of different sizes.


    Service is important unless you can work on appliances yourself. One brand or another may or may not have service in your area. Wolf has great service during the warranty. After the warranty, you must use their service people. In my experience, I had the interior blue chipping at 4.5 years(an issue for at least 10 years) and they would not give me a price to fix it only that it would be a minimum of $800 for labor and would only guarantee the new liner for a year. BS has had some good and some bad reports for service over the years.


    If you can see these burners live, you can get a better idea but here are some videos that might help.


    https://youtu.be/MZdZxyOUX58


    https://youtu.be/3K2DR2ub1sA



  • PRO
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Induction does a poor job of stir frying and I still prefer gas I have a Bertazzoni 6 burner with a wok burner all gas and it is 12 yers old the only issue is it has no self clean oven but has not been a huge deal for me.

  • 7 years ago

    I've used Wolf all gas and love it. Never had any problems with it. Another option you might consider is Bluestar all gas. I have used and like them both and wouldn't hesitate to use either again. From my experience, I do feel the fit and finish is better on the Wolf, but the Bluestar has more power in its burners and the oven racks roll out very smoothly and can fit larger trays. The drip trays on the wolf are better designed and operate better, so better for cleaning. And I prefer the Wolf griddle to the Bluestar (which takes too long to heat up). Depends on your cooking style too, but both will get the job done with great performance.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Thank you for all the info. Do the wolf cook top and range top differ from the full range in terms of durability and reliability? Which one is better?

    I see Blue Star come up repeatedly in different threads. What are your thoughts on those for the home? I live in San Jose bay area. If you are in the neighborhood, are there enough repairmen for this, if needed?

    I don't want to pay my hard earned $ to Wolf if the product wont last. I need a reliable stove so that I can cook 2 times a day without any hick ups.

  • 7 years ago

    We've had a Wolf 36" all gas for about 17 years. Ours is 4 burner + 12" griddle. It's important to note that ours is the older semi-open burner. Overall we've been happy with it. The only maintenance issue we've had is ignitors and after getting tired of having service fix them and of fixing them myself we just keep a lighter nearby for when it's needed.

    We are largely replicating our current kitchen in our new kitchen except planning a 48" 4-burner + 24" griddle (we've found the griddle to be much more useful and versatile than burners so want more of that). We're still kind of debating BS vs Wolf.

    Both ovens appear about the same assuming RNB. I believe the BS Plat is not as good.

    Wolf has a larger and better broiler

    Wolf griddle is more even across it's surface and slightly more even over time (thermostatic griddles turn on and off to regulate temp and Wolf stays within a slightly tighter range).

    I strongly prefer BS burners and really dislike the new Wolf burners.

    I'm torn between better burners or better griddle. I may have to spin a bottle when the time comes.

  • 7 years ago

    BS burners are awesome. Agree with you that the Platinum doesn't sound like an improvement over the RNB. Can't comment on the griddle, as we don't have one.


    I understand why in your situation you want to upgrade to 48". Are you going to go with the default BS configuration that has the griddle in the center? That puts the two cooking areas pretty far apart. On the other hand, moving the burners to one side means that it could be too crowded for anything but really small pots. Or are you planning to use your griddle to put pots on there as well?


    I am surprised you plan on having a range. Two ovens close to the ground sound less attractive than getting wall ovens. Also, two identical ovens sound less useful than making at least one of them a CSO.


    So many decisions :-) I know you have given it a lot of thought. So, it's always fun to hear how others arrived at their final choices.

  • 7 years ago

    Given that you're currently using an electric cooktop, you might try induction before purchasing an expensive gas appliance. The well-liked Frigidaire FFIC3626TB is so inexpensive at $650*, you could replace it after a few years if you decided you didn't like it. Reviews also on HD.

    *Click 'Add to Cart' to see this price.

  • PRO
    2 years ago

    I am torn between Monogram Thermador and Wolf 36 inches all gas range. I am reading the above comments and am more confused. Wolf was a no brainer but i didnt like that it didnt have a timer also. Now i read that the enamel falls off. Terrible.

    Please tell me what you think of Monogram. thanks.

  • 2 years ago

    In CR's tests, the 30" Monogram ZGP304NTSS was the only recommended pro-style range. The 36" Monogram ZGP366NTSS is similar. If you didn't want to spend that much, you might consider the slightly less-powerful 36" Cafe CGY366P2TS1. Compare specs and check prices at dealers.

  • 2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    For all gas a Bluestar RNB is kind of the easy choice if cooking is important. Wolf for those who think the Wolf name is important. Monogram if something about how it looks is most important.

    More here: https://bamasotan.us/2020/12/the-kitchen/


  • 2 years ago

    I have a Wolf 36" dual fuel range, installed in 2015. Minor issues with the knobs that don't like to stay on setting sometimes, but I work around it and it's fine. No issues with the blue interior.

    @opaone, don't make those of us who have a Wolf sound like a snob "Wolf for those who think the Wolf name is important". You're the one who sounds snobbish.

  • 2 years ago

    Kate, I've owned 3 Wolf ranges. The older ones were OK, the newer not so much. If cooking functionality is important then Wolf is not a good choice. Choosing a Wolf today is about the nameplate, not how it performs.

  • 2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    I'd still buy one in a heartbeat.

    I'd be interested to hear why you are so negative on Wolf's "performance". It has burners. It has an oven. They all work. What's your problem with it?