We faced this same issue 1.5 years ago, and initially Wolf was one of our finalists. We wanted a very powerful induction unit for boiling & stirfry, which seems to be best in a single burner unit. We eliminated the Wolf because it is 2 burner, with the larger burner in the rear (less convenient), and less powerful than others available, but this criteria may not apply to your situation.

You may be able to mix the Wolf gas cooktop that you like with an induction cooktop with the same footprint as the Wolf induction, such as the Gaggenau or Miele. Also look into the suitability of a module from Diva or Cooktek.

We ultimately decided upon a DCS 36" range paired with 15" Gaggenau induction & teppanyaki cooktops. You should be aware that the Gagg induction unit usually has its control knob installed in the front, like a range or rangetop, although I have heard of at least one kitchen with it mounted on the countertop to the side, but that could interfere with drawer space.

We're very pleased with the Gagg induction power but not at all pleased with the hum it makes, which Gagg describes as "audible". However, this does get masked with our VAH on, which we always use when boiling or stirfrying.

Thanks so much. We don't do a lot of stirfry, so that's not a concern. However, the power of induction is what draws me - so having Wolf not be as powerful as the others is a concern.

How quickly can it boil 5 quarts of water compared to the Gaggenau and Miele? (Diva and Cookek are not an option for us - noone sells them in Maine, and even though I know I could buy them "long distance", I want to be able to have them serviced locally if something were to break down). I'm actually not sure if anyone in Maine sells Gaggenau - I'll have to check that out ...

Thanks again!

_Susan

Shouldn't you actually be asking yourself wheter the WOLF or whatever is powerful enough to cook stirfry and not whether it is more or less powerful than - X - cooktop?

Going with the biggest or cheapest or fastest is usually a one trick pony. Sure, it's easy to compare at quick glance but it's easy for someone to come along and beat you in that one narrow catagory. It's kinda like saying my Ferrari has more power than your Lexus. Very true, but unless the criteria is how fast can I go in a straight line or around a track, the xtra power of the Ferrari is kind of moot. In intown med. traffic both are going to get you to your destination in the same ammout of time. Comfort , styling, price , quietness, relaibility, on the 2 cars - all things that probably go into making your descision are far different and harder to compare.

Thank you, antss, for your response.

In my first post, I asked for people to chime in with their experience with Wolf induction. From the number of people who have responded, my guess is that there aren't many people with this brand induction. That in and of itself tells me something.

As for specifics, I thought my second post was pretty specific - how quickly can it boil 5 quarts of water (and then ask the same question of Gaggenau and Miele). However, in reading other posts, this is not a good judge of induction - it's just an easy test for salespeople.

So - my pursuit of induction continues ... but probably without Wolf.

-Susan

The reason you don't see many wolf induction hobs is because they were late to the game and their production was delayed too. Couple that with the fact that induction is not all that popular in terms of units sold and that indiv. hobs are not popular either, an induction hob is not setting sales records.

Induction is going to be a it of a crap shoot for you in Maine. You have Sears there right?> They sell induction tops, bet thier servicer hasn't seen many calls and doesn't stock a heck of a lot of parts either. If speed and reliability is your 2 main criteria then you might want to consider a very highoutput single wok burner like those from Viking or Thermador.

The chance that someone has timed a 5qt boil on the Gaggi, Miele, and Wolf induction hobs around here is just slightly north of none. You could prob. do an energy clac. taking the wattage of the units and BTU equiv. and temp rise ect... to get some sort of comparison. Easier is to just see which has the most horsepower.............I mean watts.