I now have delivery and installation of my DCS "30 AG range AND the DCS "30 convection oven (the new one with knobs). Love, Love, Love them both! DH is over the moon as well. Have not really had a chance to cook with either much as we're still fitting the granite (blue pearl) countertops over the (Kohler) kitchen farm sink so plumbing and fixtures are not complete and I'm still camping out. But so far both of these are knock-out appliances! I'm blown away with what the convection oven can do (in terms of cooking methods) and anticipate bringing my culinary skills to a whole new level now that I have all kinds of precision at my fingertips. I'm beyond happy!

After Viking was sold to it's new owners, they've made a lot of changes. They needed to. Crap quality and customer service was why they were sold in the first place. That's the new product that's the result of those changes. Who knows if they've actually had a sea change and are now producing high quality products that they are willing to stand behind? Someone is going to have to test them out as the guinea pig. However, so many people have been burned with them in the past that you're not likely to find someone who is willing to take the chance that they've actually changed. If you do, report back. Someone has to be the first!

I have a Wolf DF but have used a couple of the GE convection ovens, one for a week in a rental condo and my SIL has a Profile that I have used intermittently. Here are a few of the differences and questions that I would have about the GE. I would read the manuals to get an idea of what they are supposed to do. There are two types of convection ovens. There are ovens that move air with a fan only and there those that have a third element with the convection fan. This is helpful if you have your oven packed out or baking several racks of cookies. From what I can see the Cafe has a fan only. The Wolf actually has dual fans and convection elements. There is an all convection mode that uses just that heat. I haven't used the all convection mode on mine because it heats so evenly on just the conv bake and roast modes but it is probable that these elements come on during these modes to and contribute to that evenness in heat. The Wolf has roast and bake modes in conventional and convection. The roast mode brings heat more from the top to help in browning. The bake mode brings more heat from the bottom. The Cafe has bake and roast mode but the manual is not clear on how it works. The Wolf has dehydration and proof modes as well. There is a stone mode but I don't use that. It is possible that you can use the oven in the GE to dehydrate if the temperature goes low enough in the convection setting. The GE in the convection mode auto corrects the temperature that you put in which I found to be very irritating. I don't know if you have used convection before but it is a "rule of thumb" to decrease the temp given in a recipe by 25 degrees. This oven does that automatically. The problem is that is not always the way it works. Another thing I noticed on one of the GE ovens is that the convection fan only ran intermittently. I think my SIL's fan runs all the time. I also have a single wall oven --a wave touch Electrolux. It has a third element as well but not a dedicated convection mode. It heats very quickly(7 or so minutes to 350 degrees)and evenly. I use it the most. Most people that have them here like them. When I first bought it there was a problem with the enamel and they replaced the oven immediately. I had a Dacor oven and range before that for about 7 mos that never worked and they finally bought back. Wolf makes a great oven as well but for more $$.

I agree that all-gas is the way to go for a range. Makes things much easier overall. If you want electric, don't get it just for the fuel source. In practice, the difference is negligible. Get it for unique features that you need. I suggest pairing a all gas range with a combination steam wall oven. As far as the has range is concerned, Wolf is a fine brand. They certainly have great brand recognition, and their gas ranges generally are well liked. But as @wekick pointed out, you get more for your money with a Bluestar, if your goal is finding a powerful workhorse of a range. The burners have a much more even heat distribution, which allows you to use thin carbon steel skillets and woks. Speaking of woks, the built-in wok ring is super convenient and brings the flame closer to the wok. The burners go up to 22kBTU or 25kBTU, which makes a huge difference when stir frying (rather than "stir sauteeing"). The open burners are a breeze to clean. Is often just a quick wipe with a camp cloth. We also have an old Viking in the in-law kitchen, and I have used other closed burners before, and I hate how I can never get them clean without a big effort. Even on the 30" Bluestar model, the oven is big enough to hold a full commercial cookie sheet (this big cavity comes at the cost of longer preheat times though). There is no annoying cooling fan for the (non-existent) electronics. And you get the most amazing infrared broiler. I love how much power is has. Gets used all the time. And because of the simple straight forward design, if you ever need service, any technician will feel at home with this range. In fact, Bluestar uses many industry standard components, so frequently the technician would have the parts on his truck already, even if he doesn't specialize in Bluestar. There is a reason why Houzz loves this brand so much. But as I said, while Wolf is missing some of the power features of Bluestar, it's still a great brand and you won't make a mistake with either one.