Don't know if the NXR could be said to boost resale values of the house more than the Berta ranges or vice versa. Neither brand is well known. The Bertas do look spiffier and you can get them with colored finishes.. The NXR is, frankly, plain and definitely industrial looking. THe NXR might look fine, though. Have you seen the Fine Homebulding spread that I've linked to below? It's an article about a transitional neighboorhood reno (Bay Area, though) with a 36" NXR and a Kobe hood. Gives an idea of possibilities. The Berta range and hood combo sounds like quite the deal. Is that dual-fuel Berta a 36" or a 30" unit? Price seems way low for a 36" dual fuel Berta. Last I recall hearing here was that a 36" all-gas Berta could be had for $2999 but that the dual fuel models were a lot more expensive. Also, what do you know about the hood that goes with the Berta range? Here is a link that might be useful: Fine Homebuilding: Alex Nerland's kitchen with NXR This post was edited by JWVideo on Wed, Sep 4, 13 at 18:57

Well, as is usually the case, the rest of the house renovation went over budget. So we kept our Thermador for now. I absolutely LOVE the cooktop. And the oven cooks very evenly but the fan is just so loud. It is super frustrating. However, we visited a high-end appliance showroom and looked at the newer 36" Thermador. It didn't seem near as loud, so I wonder if the Thermador engineers figured out a different fan mechanism. If you decide on the Monogram, I'd love to know what you think!

Really, if "clean fanatic" has easy-to-clean as the #1 priority, then induction is the best choice. Done. The next step is to research for a local appliance dealer with a great service reputation - because appliances at every price point can run into problems so the ease of getting them addressed will directly impact your satisfaction with whatever you choose. Finally, induction is in many ways a tech product, so get out there and use them before you buy. You may, for example, find you don't like push button controls and steer towards a range with traditional knobs - better to find these preferances out before you purchase.

I have both. I started out wanting a 30" gas cooktop (Bluestar) and a 15" induction hob. I ended up with a 30" Miele induction cooktop and a 15" gas wok burner (Miele). I rarely use the Wok burner. I came from a 48" Dacor Rangetop and the Miele blows it away in terms of performance. I did not want a Rangetop because I have small kids around and knobs are fun! For my cooking style, an induction cooktop is preferred. I make everything from scratch. I also use pressure cookers. Making a bone broth using a pressure cooker on Induction is just wonderful! I make a lot of Asian cuisine which has onion bases and before induction, there was very little I could do to prevent burning of the onion paste/curry. With induction, I don't burn the curry anymore. I don't fry foods often but had a hankering for fried chicken last weekend. I made this easily with the induction cooktop. I make a lot of my food from scratch because friends and family have a lot of food allergies so when they come over, they can eat easily. For instance, the fried chicken was gluten free using rice flour and potato starch. A lot of people report how easy it is to cook rice on the induction stove, I don't cook rice on the stove since I prefer the rice cooker for plain rice but when I make things like paella and other mixed rice dishes, the induction cooktop allows me to manage the temperature to a very fine degree. I also use a flat bottom wok on induction now. When I want to use the round bottom induction wok, there is an adapter that I can use on Induction. I also use the round bottom on the Gas Wok hob but rarely any more. As another point, I work in IT and have used Windows Machines for over 30years. I started with DOS based machines. I never thought I would be a Mac fan at all. I resisted it and finally purchased one in 2015. I have not looked back. There is a tool for everyone and you can get what works for you. I try to base my decisions on accurate information and my personal experience. I would ask that you go to showrooms where they have induction cooktops available for testing and make a meal that you would normally make at home. This was the best way to get me to change my configuration. When I went to the show room, I made Pasta and sauce that I make on weeknights. It was so easy to do with induction. I also like that I don't set my kitchen towels aflame anymore:-) One of the points people bring up is the need for new cookware. I never realized it but all my cookware was induction capable from the beginning. I had mainly Demeyere, All Clad, Le Creuset and Cast Iron pans. Good luck!