i have the 36" DCS drop in gas cooktop-- have had it for ~ 5-6yrs. we could not easily put in a hood above our island cooktop (existing- we just replaced cooktop) so we put in a dcs pop-up fan- just needed to get the granite cut to fit it since the cooktop that was there was a jennair down draft... i love the cooktop--- has worked without any issues since we got it and simmers extremely well. i chose it because i liked it's appearance best when compared to similarly priced 36" cooktops!! (i specifically liked the grates better than the kitchenaid and bosch, which is the 3 i narrowed it down to.) the fan is just fair,(better than the downdraft tho!) but i don't do alot of frying at high temps which might result in alot of smoke or grease.

Thermador is extremeley reliable. I had a Thermador 36" electric coil cooktop for 18 years, 4 burners and griddle in the middle, not one problem, still works, but we did a big house reno including the kitchen, so went with new appliances. I now have the Thermador built in oven, very good unit, largest capacity out there too. It is pure convection, pure convention or combo of the two. The only small negative I have is the spacings of bars on the oven racks themselves are a bit wide, only time I notice it is if I do a large batch of banana loaves and instead of doing 2 large loaves, I make 6 mini loaves. Then you have to space the mini loaf pans exactly right so they dont keel a bit. I went with a Viking 6 burner induction cooktop. I had a Dacor built in oven previously, same type of model, either pure convection, pure convention or a combo, worked great, but had a few issues at the end, ie: sensor went (they dont have thermometers) and was fairly expensive to replace. Also, Dacor does not seem to keep parts in supply for as long. If I kept it much longer and would need parts, some would not be available. My friend has a Thermador star burner gas cooktop, she likes it a lot and has no problem with simmering. I would buy Thermador again in the blink of an eye, they are extremely reliable from my experience.

Sorry weedmeister, I guess I forgot to check off that I wanted any responses sent to my e-mail, so all this time I thought no one had responded to me. Our 36" height counter will have granite installed on it. The cabinet to install/surround the 30" wall oven would be 33" width. Thanks for clarifying that the 4 1/2" toekick area was a maximum and not a minimum. My builder tells me that he thinks he could make it work, but it will definitely be only a couple inches off the ground. The alternative is to change the kitchen design and put the oven to the left of the cooktop where my 33" wide drawer base was going and move the drawers under the cooktop instead. (I'll lose one drawer and they would now be only 30"). Not sure of this compromise and not sure if the oven will look weird sitting to the left of the cooktop, though it may be easier to put things into the oven directly from the cooktop with this configuration. I'm still plugging away, but at this point my builder is at a standstill until appliances are picked so electrician can come in. Any other thoughts appreciated.

Have you looked at Capital? The engineers behind the highly rated DCS of yesteryear left DCS and started Capital. I do believe DCS is now owned by Fisher Paykel. Have you read the reviews on the Appliance forum? I love my Capital 36" range. They have changed the grates (there was an issue with possible tipping pots). Their customer service is great. I called and told them that my oven racks weren't rolling like they did in the showroom, and they sent me a new rack. It glides so smoothly. Plus this range (if you get the self clean) comes with a rotisserie. If you have room for the 36", I think you should go for it. It is so nice having multiple large pots and pans on the range without hanging off the side. Even if you don't use all the burners at once, just the extra room is great. But remember, bigger range, bigger ventilation system needed. You need to add that into your budget. Here is a link that might be useful: Capital's Website