We are weeks from starting a major kitchen renovation that once completed will include a 48" range. When in the planning phase, our KD asked us to confirm some appliance choices, so at that time I did what I felt was a fairly comprehensive review both in store and online (yes, I have spent so much time reading your collective posts I feel I know some of you), and came up with the GE Monogram dual fuel with 4 burners, grill and griddle. Here are some of the things I liked about it at the time:

Dual fuel: I am a baker, though this will be my first foray into convection. And I like the proofing function of the oven(s).

Self clean: Can't help it -- I'm just not good at manual cleaning ovens and I want this range to last. And BOTH ovens are self clean!

Ovens: Larger oven is good size for roasts, and both ovens are convection!

Grill: BTUs are comparable/better than Wolf's grill

Repairs: While this is a bit of a crap shoot, there aren't hundreds of posts about repair problems with the GE monogram like there are with Wolf, Viking, and Thermador. Sure, not as many people have them, but so far, they haven't got the piles of hate mail from this forum's members like the others do

Burners: The sealed vs open burners are not a deal maker/breaker for me, and the BTUs, while not BS level, seemed adequate for my needs.

Here's where it gets sticky...as our demolition date is getting closer, I called the appliance store where I had looked at the GE range before AND THEY NO LONGER STOCK THEM! The next closest place I could get one is over an hour away and is the only place that would service it (or so said the place that gave them up recently, which they stated was part of the reason for no longer carrying them). So it has sent me reeling back to GW for guidance. I live in Maine and given the touchy nature of pro-style ranges in general, I am wary of getting a brand that will be hard to get serviced, nor do I want to be forced to get one that is unreliable simply b/c there are service providers locally. I went to look at a DCS 48" range today that I thought had nearly all that I wanted and was discouraged about the size of the main oven: the clearance from the bottom rack to the top heating element is only 9"! I am not spending an arm and a leg on a range only to struggle to get a roast into it!

Then I read about all the praise on the Capital Culinarian and my head was turned. It seems so fickle of me, but now I am really considering it. Yes, it is only AG, has one oven that is not self clean or convection, and really seems more geared to the high BTU-minded folks, but I am attracted to its lack of bad reputation, and it seems like it has good "bones".

So here are my questions:

Anyone out there buy a range without relatively easy access to repair service? Am I crazy to think about doing this? (FWIW, I had previously ruled out BS and American since they don't have retailers or servicers near me.)

Why haven't I heard more detractors on the DCS oven size? I don't think I am underestimating the problems this could cause with large things like roast turkeys.

Is the CC oven similarly small? The sales agent for the DCS said that the kickplate is taller (more European in style?) and cuts down on oven height. The CC looks like the kickplate is similar in size, but given that the oven is gas, this might not be as much of an issue. Any cc owners out there able to comment?

Is GE Monogram a sinking ship? There is a part of me that feels like a good product would have more vendors, but I also know that Wolf/Sub-Zero CLEARLY spend loads on their marketing to be the most visible, and it has worked for them -- when people want to make their kitchens look fancy, they usually get a Wolf or Viking, regardless of reputation.

Are there larger issues I am not taking into account? Would love any and all suggestions as I feel like I need to get this question back into the "resolved" column soon.

The one benefit this process has afforded me is that I now know that I don't want a griddle. This does put a point back into the GE column -- I didn't like the way they had 2 burners on one side of the grill/griddle and 2 on the other. It would make it hard to move heavy pots off the heat. Now I can have 6 burners and the grill. Problem solved.