Viking has a mixed reputation on this forum due largely to reliability issues. If you want to go high end, there are other brands to consider - Wolf/Subzero, Capital, Miele, Gaggneau, etc. Also, you're much better off selecting individual appliances, not going with a package from a single brand. There's a lot of info on this forum. Good luck.

You will find a lot of discussions on this, here and in the appliance forum.

I owned a viking 6burner gas range and electric wall oven for 8-9 yrs. I like gas ranges, and the extra power that units like this have. I had a persistent problem w ignition on one burner anc I hated the noisiness of the fan built into the wall oven to cool it down when you turn it off ( a common issue with newer wall ovens I believe). I did not like viking service.

In my new kitchen I chose a LaCanche Citeaux. The primary driver was the look, which I think is probably true for most people buying high end ranges. So far I love it.

We have 5yr old Viking 36" All gas range - Love it

Viking is a brand people with no first hand experience love to hate & bash - Do your homework

Skip the Viking fridge - it's a KitchenAid fridge with different skin/handles and a 40% price markup.

I would not be looking at Viking, personally. Too many horror stories about after sales experiences, reliability problems, etc. Wolf and Subzero are far superior options over Viking stuff at this stage of the game, so if you are talking about beaucoup buck kitchen upgrades, I would
1. NOT be looking at all one brand -- no marque is the best of everything

2. Steer clear of Viking due to quality/service issues reported here and elsewhere by real owners with real problems.

I purchased an open burner (30", 4 burner) Viking just this past year. I've had no problems with it at all and I'm very pleased with it thus far. I did a lot of comparison shopping before I bought it, and it finally came down to the fact that it met my needs without being over priced (I had gotten it while they were running a special rebates, and if I remember correctly got about $750 off when all was said and done). I wish I could have gotten a larger one however, I had an issue with a pipe being in the way and didn't have the money to move it so had to stay with the 30".

For me, it's been reliable, cooks extremely well and I'm one of the happy customers.

"Skip the Viking fridge - it's a KitchenAid fridge with different skin/handles and a 40% price markup."

Are Viking and KitchenAid sister brands like Whirlpool and Maytag?

No. Kitchenaid is owned by Whirlpool and is one of their upscale lines (it was bought from Hobart back in the 80s)

Viking has not been swallowed up so far, but it is privately held by Fred Carl, the founder, and his family, and doesn't have a Wall Street board of directors to answer to.

Viking buys all appliances they don't specifically manufacture, and then badges them with their name.

Laguna - you shouldn't get a "package" of anybody. No one cares about being matchy-matchy anymore. Buy appliances individually based on what you want to spend for that specific appliance and what features you want. No reason to buy a Viking fridge when a Kitchenaid would be as good or better; or if you want to spend more on a fridge, buy a Subzero fridge. It should be noted that a counter-depth french-door fridge doesn't hold a lot. Make sure you look at them carefully, and judge their capacity before you spend the money. If you have another fridge in the garage or basement, you should be OK, but if not, you might want to consider a fridge with greater capacity than the counter-depth french door style.

If you don't cook a lot, no reason to get a professional-style cooktop and spend so much. If you love to cook, or are looking forward to cooking more, spend the money on that, but there are other brands of cooktops and ovens to look at besides Viking in that price range. Perhaps you'd like a DCS cooktop and Electrolux ovens.

I don't understand why you want a cooktop with a separate oven underneath, then another oven to the side if you say you have a small kitchen, and it seems like budget is a factor. Why not get a cooktop and 2 wall ovens, and free up space under the cooktop for deep drawers for great storage?

Regarding the Fisher-Paykel dish drawers, I recommend them as a single drawer if you already have a full DW, and want additional DW capacity for glasses and the like. The dish drawers don't hold a lot. There was a recent thread on the Kitchens Forum called "30 days in the life of a Fisher Paykel" that you should read. I recommend a Kitchenaid full DW (though be aware that a KA DW will stick out from your cabinets an inch or so) which has a abit more capacity than most DW's. If you want to spend more, then get a Miele DW.

I was struck by your mention of an over the range ("OTR") microwave. If you are going the "higher-end" route, you should not get an OTR MW. Most of all because they don't have the exhaust capabilities for higher-btu ranges. Some even melt on the bottom, and many have their electronics buzz out by being mounted above a professional-style cooktop. And be aware that the Viking OTR MW's are rebadged Sharp MW's. Viking just puts their door on the Sharp and the Viking badge, then DOUBLES the price. If you are determined to get an OTR MW, just get the Sharp and save about $500. But even if you get the lower-end cooktop/range, I do not recommend an OTR MW. They have so many disadvantages. A proper hood is much better, and you will be happier with it.

Hello, jumping in with a somewhat related question - hope you don't mind....

I'm debating between the Viking Professional Premier wall oven(s) and the American Range electric wall oven(s). I can get a deal on a Viking floor model because Viking has apparently changed the trim on this year's version. I'm looking at these two in particular because I need an oven that will take a 3/4 full sheet pan...

Thoughts?

Thanks.......

I have to echo about the OTR microwave not being appropriate for a professional range. The amount of heat that they throw out is enormous - don't underestimate it. I was stunned how hot the top of the stove is when I started just using even the oven. You can feel heat radiating out of it on the stove top - it's really intense. My hood gets really hot to the touch from it. A microwave over there would certainly get ruined a short amount of time, let alone the problem that they would not be able to handle the cooking coming off the top of the stove.

Do not even consider.

We have had a very positive experience with our Vikings appliances.

Everyone in my family cooks, and my daughter is an executive chef.

We have a 6 burner gas range with a highback shelf, hood, on the roof exhaust (really quiet), and a 36" fridge. They have worked well for over 6 years.

The range and hood are very easy to clean - I usually take them apart twice a year, spray with easy-off, and soak the pieces of the deck, burner bibs. The grease filters in the hood go in the dishwasher.

I'd also advise to get a painted finish (rather than SS).

Get the highback. A microwave oven doesn't belong above a cooking surface.

To answer your question about if it's worth it for you, you need to consider your kitchen and the value of your home compared to thiose in the area if you plan on selling in the next 5 years. Perhaps every other home has mid range appliances and the extra 6 to 10K as you mentioned would be better spent upgrading your old bathroom or something like that. Just a thought.

To ME, no Viking would not be worth it.
FAR to expensive and apparently not very reliable.

If you feel you must spend $6000+ on a stove for it to be good then I would suggest Wolf or Capital, Blue Star etc.
If you prefer a great stove at a good price I would go with an NXR.

Thank you so, so much for your advice! I really appreciate it! Now that I'm thinking about it more, I do not think we would do an OTR MW, even if we did go with the midrange appliances. We have one now and the vent/hood feature is pretty much useless and makes little to no difference.

The only reason I am considering the higher end appliances is for resale value, and kitchens are a MAJOR selling point. Home prices in our neighborhood range from $500,000-800,000 and ours sits in the $600,000 range; we've already done many improvements (extensive landscaping, sun room, finished basement w/ another bedroom, bathroom, media room, office, and wet bar, etc.) The kitchen is the only part of the house that we left as-is since moving in, so it has prefab (cheap looking) cabinets, lower grade appliances, THIN, THIN, THIN granite which looks horrible, ugly 80's style recessed lighting (even though the house was built in 2001...) and no backsplash whatsoever, so pretty much anything we do would be an improvement.

Maybe it's just worth going with mid-range brands and spending an extra couple thousand dollars adding features a buyer is looking for; warming drawer, two dishwashers, island prep sink, etc.

There is SO much to think about, it is getting really overwhelming!

Thanks again!
~Laguna

Laguna
That is what my wife & I are doing also, getting house ready to sell in about a year or so.
That is why we chose the NXR range, it has the looks and solid function of the much more pricey ranges but has the price of a cheap Sears Kenmore.
Another item that you might consider is adding a small wine cooler under the countertop if you have room.
Can add one for under $500.

Nunyzbiz,

I took a look online at NXR ranges and they look FANTASTIC, especially for the price point! Thanks for the recommendation!

Are there any brands that manufacture refrigerators that look like Viking or Subzero at less of a cost? Perhaps one with the tall grille on top?

Laguna

It depends on who you are buying the appliances for - yourself or potential buyers.

We talked to a lot of people when we were deciding on appliances. Some Viking owners implored us NOT to get a Viking because theirs had been such nightmares.

I can tell you that a good percentage of million dollar plus newly developed homes in North and Central NJ advertise either Viking or Wolf appliance packages. These developers spend a lot of time choosing components that will help them sell homes for the most money.

So while the Viking may not be the best range for the money, it likely has one of the best resale values.

We don't plan to sell any time soon and chose a Capital Culinarian. We had a couple over for dinner recently who are both good cooks. They were so impressed with the CC that they're thinking of replacing their 5 year old Viking with one as the Viking is giving them headaches.

Burntfingers - we faced the same situation in November. Went to order the Elux Icon and the dealer had the Viking DEDO530 on the floor that Viking had discontinued. Not sure if that is the unit you are looking at. Dealer offered it for a little less than the than the Icon. Asked the board here if anyone had experience with Viking electric ovens as it seemed most of the negative comments concerned the gas ranges. We received no responses with direct experience. In the end we took a gamble and bought the Viking, figuring if it was a bad unit, someone on GW would have reported in.

Unfortunately, the installers dropped it when delivering so installation did not occur until December. The dealer's techs said we could not order a complete door so they would order the individual parts and assemble a replacement door. While the door worked, it was crooked and you could see the insulation. The dealer's techs came out twice to try to satisfy and were not acceptable. Finally, my wife called Viking and the CS said they would definitely be able to ship a new door intact. The point is that we felt the CS of Viking was good in our instance (as this is also a negative written often).

As to performance, my wife and daughter love it. For baking, items come out very consistent once they got used to the convection features. Our only experience has been with 27" ovens that did not have convection features. This is a 30" with convection, so that in itself would be an improvement with any choice made. I have not used the infrared broiler yet (which is why I thought we should get it) but the convection roast uses the broiler and that feature I have used with good results.

The cooling fan noise is less than the Maytag it replaced. Also we have used the self-clean function once and we had no problems with the electronics. The outside of the cabinet is warm (I never felt the cabinet with the old oven so I have no comparison), but I put a 30" oven in a 30" cabinet. It met all of Vikings recommendations for clearances and I monitored the inside of the cabinet for potential scorching a lot early on (and during the self-clean cycle). At this point there is no damage being done to the cabinet, so my early concerns of excessive heat from the sides have been alleviated.

Anyway, very long post to say that we are very satisfied with this unit and are glad we chose it. Good luck in your decision.

I recently bought a condo that came with Viking built-in appliances. The gas cooktop and built-in oven I can live with, although I don't like them nearly as well as the Gaggenau appliances I have in another house. The Viking refrigerator and the dishwasher totally suck! I can't wait to get them yanked out and replaced with a Sub-Zero fridge and a Miele dishwasher.

The Viking refrigerator has a single compressor with cooling in the refrigerator section provided by circulating and exchanging chilled, desiccated air from the freezer compartment into the fridge compartment. Consequently, anything not carefully wrapped or covered, dries out very quickly in the refrigerator section. The Sub-Zero system of two compressors, with no exchange of air between the freezer and refrigerator compartments is far superior. If you're going to go with a high end fridge, be sure to go for one with a dual compressor system.

The Viking dishwasher cleans okay, I just hate the racks, which no matter how I try, will not accommodate wine glasses, are hard to load, and don't hold nearly as much as a Miele. I also miss the top cutlery tray.

Steelcfo, thanks for your report! You have a different model than the one I'm looking at, but I'm glad to hear someon is happy with a Viking wall oven...

TorontoTim - only the Viking counter-depth free-standing fridges are built by Whirlpool (in Amana, Iowa)

wa8b - Viking now makes their own dishwasher and it's pretty awesome, although the Asko-made units weren't bad.

The Viking built-in fridge is built by Viking. When Amana got out of the built-in fridge biz in the late 90s, they sold the tooling to Viking. Viking struggled mightily with this product service wise until about 3-4 years ago. Now they are very nice and I wouldn't say it's a bad fridge at all.

Viking has really come a long way with making better quality products. They have a dedicated testing facility that puts all their products through life-spans of use. They have a gentleman who used to work for Whirlpool running this testing lab and he's very thorough.

Viking has also upped their warranty to 3 years on most of their products.

I used to hate selling Viking because of service related issues, but my confidence is much better now. No other brand can offer so many matching high-end products that perform well.

Look for package rebates. Through our distributor, my store is offering a $1500 rebate for buying a Viking 36" or larger pro range and built-in fridge. Plus additional rebates for adding other items like a hood, dishwasher, etc.

I have an entire Viking kitchen and can tell you that I would never consider purchasing them again. Not only have I spent over $1500 repairing my refrigerator ($6,000 cost) over the past 9 years, but have also paid over $250 to fix my $1,500 micro/convection oven. I have lived with duct tape holding the button on this microwave for 3 years as I refuse to pay the $500+ in order to fix it. I am told that the entire sub control system would need to be replaced. After doing research, I found that my Viking is actually a Sharp in disguise. Her is a real money saver... If your button on your over the range microwave has popped out, DO NOT allow them to replace the entire subunit at $533. Instead, order Sharp part number FDECAB029MRK0, it is the Open Button Assembly. I bought mine from Partstore.com for about $30. With a little finesse you can remove your old button with no tools. If you remove the stainless steel cover over your existing button, you can place it over the Sharp part and then gently place it back in. Be advised, the reason your button probably popped out was because a small piece of plastic broke inside, likely as a result of steam from your stovetop weakening the plastic. Please be sure to use your fan when cooking on the stove top, or do not use the burner directly below button. Hope this helps, I saved $500 by doing my homework!

I have a Viking Professional built in that is a pos. Spent lots of money $15,000 and every month have had to manually defrost. Went through 5 service specialists that can’t resolve the problem - spent over $1,000 in service fees between our “home warranty“ AHS and direct support outside AHS WITH Nutter Appliance in San Diego, CA. Highly recommend not purchasing a Viking Professional built - in. Too complex for anyone to fix and breaks frequently. Worst refrigerator/freezer I have ever owned. My 20 year+ Amanda refrigerator/freezer that cost <$2000 Is still chugging along and that is where I have to move everything from the Viking pos every month during manual defrost. Plan to buy a more reliable appliance very soon - definitely not a Viking!

We had a genuine restaurant stove for almost 15 years. when the oven thermos went and I couldn’t get it fixed we bought a Viking 36” 6-burner with oven. The oven has been totally unreliable. it doesn’t keep the proper temp and the burners need constant adjuatment to provide even gas distribution. we built our kitchen around our old stove so I had to replace it with a similar size and configuratio but if I did it all over again I would get a Wolf cooktop and two Samsung electric wall ovens.

We were given an old upright Viking in 1988..35 years later, we have a 50 year old working (filled) Viking freezer, living year round, (in Ontario) in our garage..We will never own a better appliance, neither will you..