Random questions to which you seek an answer
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Don't know about "best," but Wolf makes a terrific range of… Ranges. And ovens. Speaking from experience using them and with no comparative expreience on the others here.
They feel commercial grade, where Viking was always targeted at the high-end home.
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Surprisingly, one of the most reliable appliances we've bought is a Bertazzoni range. I picked up our dual fuel 30" range for less than half of retail from these guys:
It had damage on both sides but once we installed it, you'd never have any clue that it wasn't perfect which is most of the reason we were able to get it for such a great price.
Otherwise, I know Wolf is great but you definitely pay for it. Blue Star ranges are supposed to be incredibly well built and great performers but they're not cheap either.
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Never had a Viking, but it's surprisingly pleasant to go to Greenwood, Mississippi and tour their factory. If you do a custom order, they'll put your picture on the unit and send you photos as it proceeds through assembly. If I remember correctly, everyone who works on it signs the back, which is kinda cool.
They also have a hotel, restaurant, and cooking school in town. Didn't go to the cooking school, but the hotel and restaurant are excellent. Or at least they were ten years ago…
Damn, I'm old.
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Never had a Viking, but it's surprisingly pleasant to go to Greenwood, Mississippi and tour their factory. If you do a custom order, they'll put your picture on the unit and send you photos as it proceeds through assembly. If I remember correctly, everyone who works on it signs the back, which is kinda cool.
They also have a hotel, restaurant, and cooking school in town. Didn't go to the cooking school, but the hotel and restaurant are excellent. Or at least they were ten years ago…
Damn, I'm old.
I'm friends with the Carls, a good family. Though I haven't had the pleasure, it doesn't surprise me that the factory visit is a nice experience.
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Thanks for the feedback guys - WOLF is the preferred range/oven combo by builders down here for higher end installations, where Viking was always spoken about as the pinnacle growing up.
My mom had a Daccor she has had for nearly 20 years with no issues, but I’ve heard horror stories.
I’ll look into the Other you guys mentioned as well.
But Inwill admit, from an aesthetic POV, the red knobs do something for me lol [emoji23]
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The scuttlebutt about Viking is that product quality declined in the last few years. They have been acquired by some other company, but I don't know whether that will be good or bad.
That said, I've seen a spontaneous electrical fire in the convection oven of a Wolf before so anecdotally I could criticize their quality and safety.
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I have a commercial grade 36" gas range / oven, and a 30" electric wall oven. Both Jenn Air, no problems with either. OK, don't go by me, House built in 2011, I have Jenn Air fridge, dishwasher, range, commercial grade, and wall oven microwave combo, never had problems, but according to consumer affairs there are. Oh well.
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I had a Jenn Air. I posted about it once before:
@Chris:My oven is a horrible piece of crap. It unpredictably runs anywhere from 50°F-75°F (10°C-24°C) cold. I spend a solid half hour adjusting it to get the proper temperature each time I cook. It has a digital control panel on the front that shorts out if it gets wet. I've replaced it 3 times, because (duh) occasionally things get spilled on the front of a stove. The digital clock runs about 2 minutes per week slow, so I reset it every month or so, when it gets 5 minutes or more off. The burner control knobs catch on clothing, the glass top cracked when I clipped it with a pot, and there are other, lesser issues. I hate it intensely, but the damn thing refuses to die.
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I actually like Jen Air, and would install if I had a pier and beam home with a down draft. All our homes are slab unless it’s rather older, and even most of them Have ductwork for a vent hood. My grandparents had Jen air in their MCM house we sold of theirs and they worked like a charm.
Anyone use Thermador? I kind of like their intensely commercial looking kit in a residential
Space.I have a client who owns an appliance repair company and I asked her the same question. She said just buy Bosch and enjoy the warranty which will replace everything every 5 years. Which is accurate, as my parents had their dishwasher replaced in year 9 after their remodel,
And then again for free in year 4 of the second models installation. Whoever writes their warranties either 1. Is an idiot, 2. Has a misconstrued sense of German reliability… but I do like their stuff and will probably replace my broken GE dishwasher with a BOSCH if our house dosnt sell soon...Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I’ve always wanted an AGA Cooker. They are fantastic
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^ smart lady. The certainly aren’t green or energy efficient but I might never leave the house if I had one of those.
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I actually like Jen Air, and would install if I had a pier and beam home with a down draft.
The down draft was one of the things I hated about mine. It did nothing except pull the burner flame sideways.
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For max, "I aint ever getting out of here", you need one of these (my gran had one in her farmhouse)….Hers was solid fuel and required a considerable level of commitment to keep going, but jeez, I loved it. But then again, I did not cook then, now I cook, an Aga is the last thing I would buy.... :o
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^ smart lady. The certainly aren’t green or energy efficient but I might never leave the house if I had one of those.
Her new(ish) one runs on gas and heats four rooms so It probably pays it way. But that bit of the house they live in is a few hundred years old and was built around a hearth where the aga is now.
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My first job after leaving school was assisting in delivering and fitting Aga’s and Range cookers…...heavy bastards and cost a fortune to repair. Most modern ovens in the UK are made by one company in India and simply branded for the market (my family mostly work in this field), and are all complete crap.....the cookers not the family.
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I sourced a scratch and dent (notice a pattern here?) Thermador panel ready dishwasher that has been great! We received 2 notices regarding recalls and their service people have been great and we haven't had to pay a dime for any warranty work. I'm pleased with it and their commitment to their products. I was hoping to buy a Thermador fridge but never could find one for a price that worked for me.
As far as down draft ventilation, stay far, far away. They never work anyway nearly as well as a traditional vent hood setup…
