I had GE OTR microwaves in my previous home. The first one had a recall on it and techs fixed it free, of course. Then we got rid of all the almond appliances a year ago and bought all GE since we turned the house into a rental. Never a problem with the GE OTRs in 11 years. We built a new house in the mountains of New Mexico and I outfitted the kitchen with mid-range appliances in 2010. By far my favorite is the GE Profile Advantium 120 microwave-oven combo. It's mounted at countertop height in the wall near my Maytag Gemini gas (LP) range. I was always short on ovens in every other home, not now! I have a small upper oven and a large convection oven in the range, plus the versatility of the Advantium that gives me microwave, convection oven, speedcook, and warming oven. For small items or toasting I use the countertop toaster oven. Caveat: when the Advantium was first pulled out of the box the lower right hinge didn't work correctly. I thought it would be a simple fix, so let the installers leave. Mistake! The guy the appliance store sent out the following week tried to fix the hinge without the right tool (specialized one he didn't have in his kit) and he scarred my cabinet AND the Advantium. Fortunately, I had the appliances department manager as my salesman, so the appliance store replaced the oven and we re-installed it ourselves (piece of cake, just plug it in, slide it in the wall, screw in a few screws to hold in place). Re-installing an OTR would be a different matter entirely. Anyway, I do recommend the Profile Advantium 120, and think an OTR unit would be a good choice for you. There is a learning curve and the instructions must be followed carefully regarding which trays to use for microwave (glass) vs. convection and speedcook (metal tray). What I definitely don't recommend is any gas range with a black porcelain top surface, it's impossible to keep clean looking. I'm happy with the performance and two ovens on my Maytag Gemini, there weren't many double-oven ranges on the market when I bought 20 months ago. I would look hard for a unit with a stainless top if I had it to do over.

No personal experience, sorry. All I can do is speak generally from the viewpoint of someone who uses the range (and hood) quite a bit. My wife and I have an Italian "designer" hood. It looks pretty spiffy, but if I had it all to do over again, I would have gone less for the looks and more for the effectiveness and ease of cleaning. I would have gone for a more restaurant style underside with baffles, a more pronounced "hood," etc. I would not even consider a hood such as the one you named. Nor would I entertain the purchase of a hood with glass or any exposed surfaces on the underside. Everything under there gets greasy quick and I don't want to worry about trying to shine stainless steel in that area. I want to use a heavy grease cutter in there, put as much of the undersides in the dishwasher as I can, put it all back together and get back to cooking. Here is a link that might be useful: range hoods

Correction - there are actually 36" from top of range to bottom of cabinet. If I get the "hated" OTR (e.g. Viking) there would be about 20 inches between the bottom of the MW and the gas range top. There is a window in the kitchen (but not next to the range). I sacrificed a counter to make an Eat In area. So I am sort of married to this OTR MW concept instead of a hood. I would like to have a pro style range, because it's what I am used to from my previous place. But with the MW clearance, I am concerned. I am not finding consistent clearance requirements from the Viking range and Viking OTR MW installation documents online. So, I should rephrase the question: is 36" between top of pro-style range and bottom of upper cabinets sufficient? Thanks!

Your question can only be fully answered if you say the size of the cooktop - 30", or is it wider? Every Code in the country will have requirements that you cannot have combustible surfaces over the cooktop, whether it's gas or otherwise. I am saying this because we have seen posts on this forum from people with 36" cooktops who want to put a 30" OTR MW above it. That would go against any Code in the country, because it would leave 3" on either side of the MW of combustible material. If your cooktop is 30" wide, you won't be going against Code to install an OTR MW above it. Also note that the cooktop/range manufacturers sometimes have instructions in their manuals about whether an OTR MW is OK above them. That is because a high-btu cooktop, like a Bluestar or Wolf, is too powerful for the puny exhaust capacity of an OTR MW, could even melt the bottom of the OTR MW, and become a hazard. If you have one of those powerful cooktops, and the manual says that only a hood can be installed above it, you will void the warranty if you install an OTR MW instead. If you are not talking about a high-btu cooktop, you should be fine. If you are able to place a MW elsewhere, I advise you to do that. An OTR MW allows only a cramped space between it and the cooktop, exhausts poorly, is very noisy, and tends to break after 2-3 years due to its exposure to high heat wearing out the electronics. You also have to reach up to pull out hot bubbling items. A hood is a better choice if it's possible for you.