I'm with dixiechick. Narrowing down my choices (I think) to Therm ME or new Elec w wave control (non-Ikon). Would appreciate feedback too on these models and/or if issues have been resolved.

Many thx.

Anyone else????? Have let Friday go by without ordering. If I don't watch out, I will have a beautiful new kitchen sans oven, just a big hole in the cabinet (any suggestions for decorating!!!!!!?)........Please share your opinions.....
Thanks

We have a Thermador oven. I just checked their website, and the one we bought is no longer pictured, but I've included a link below to a photo I found on the web.

Shortly after the oven was installed, it was recalled because the insulation surrounding the ovens hadn't been installed properly. I called Thermador, they arranged for someone to come out and check it, and everything turned out to be fine. I've since used the self-cleaning feature, and nothing dramatic happened -- other than my oven was magically cleaned.

I like it very much, and I also like the arrangement -- microwave on top, oven on the bottom -- because the heights work well for my height. I also like the fact that the door feels very solid, which I didn't find to be true for a number of other brands that I looked at. The temperature seems to be true, and I haven't noticed anything unusual about the time it takes to preheat -- long or slow.

The only thing that took a while to get used to is the fan, which I've been led to believe is pretty standard now for ovens, given all of the electronic equipment. On this forum, I believe a couple of people have complained that these fans stay on well after the oven is turned off, but I haven't had that problem -- except once, when I used the broiler for about an hour. But the fan is *not* whisper quiet, which was a little shocking at first, likely because the oven was the first kitchen appliance installed in our gutted first floor. It echoed!

I'd compare it to the sound of my VAH fan when I'm standing a foot or so from the cooktop. But, my oven is at one end of my kitchen, and so the fan noise isn't particularly intrusive unless I'm standing directly in front of it.

Let me know what else you'd like to know and I'd be happy to help out.

Here is a link that might be useful: Photo of my Thermador oven

We installed the Thermador Masterpiece oven, as well as the matching warming drawer, and the 30" induction cooktop.

We had trouble with the oven, it would not get to the proper temperature, nor hold it.
The good news is that the local Thermador repair folks are terrific. The person that came out to work on it was tennacious and did not try to brush it off or take any quick way out. He ended up reordering some electronic circuit board, which I think solved the problem.
It did make us nervous enough that we have subsequently purchased the extended warranty.

The oven appears to be well made, and looks very nice.
No problems with the other pieces.

It works well now, and we love the roll out shelf and the light.

I was not overwhelmed with the Thermador customer support, They were one for four in their responses on
other questions, (mainly about the induction cooktop).

Local service is very important to me and this was OK.

Kay & Carguy: Thx for your responses. Sure is helping me out a lot with decision making. Couple of questions if I can continue to pester....

1. How long ago did you purchase your Therm's???
2. Kay, did you purchase an extended warranty too?? Would you both advise to do this??
3. What other brands did you compare before purchasing Therm? In particular, did either of you consider Dacor and/or Electrolux??
4. If you had to do it again, would you purchase same brand/model??

1. How long ago did you purchase your Therm's???

Mine was purchased in January or February 2007, and installed shortly afterward.

2. Kay, did you purchase an extended warranty too?? Would you both advise to do this??

No, I didn't purchase any warranty. I guess I figured that the oven would either work as anticipated, or be a lemon. If the latter were to be true, I would replace it rather than deal over and over again with repair calls. Time is money!

I should add that when I called Thermador re: the insulation, they were very nice over the phone. So, my experience was the opposite of Carguy's.

3. What other brands did you compare before purchasing Therm? In particular, did either of you consider Dacor and/or Electrolux??

I can't specifically remember the exact brands, but I spent a lot of time driving around to all the showrooms in my area -- and some beyond -- to actually see and touch all of the ovens on my list. I *believe* that I didn't like the looks of the Dacor, and that my husband didn't like the handle. I don't remember about Electrolux one way or the other. I also remember that we didn't like the looks of the Wolf and Viking ovens either, or the feel or the Jenn-Air.

At the time we were making our appliance decisions, we had rejected the idea that all of our appliances had to be the same brand, but -- and it sounds a little nutty, I know -- we wanted the handles on the appliances to complement one another. (We ended up with the "pro" handle on the Thermador, which is like a steel dowel, and feels good in the hand.) So, we narrowed our choices based on which manufacturers would give us the set-up we wanted (microwave/single oven), then narrowed the list further based on the handles and other aesthetic criteria, and then tried to actually get our hands on every oven left on the list. Assuming all the ovens basically perform the same task, I was kind of amazed at the difference in the way the doors actually felt. As I said in my earlier post, the Thermador felt solid in a way that the other ovens didn't.

4. If you had to do it again, would you purchase same brand/model??

Yes, assuming that there wasn't another brand that would better meet my criteria. With what I purchased, I especially like the fact that the microwave is close to eye level, and that it's off the counter. The height of the oven is also good for me; not too low that I have to crouch to see what's happening inside (as with an oven below a cooktop) and not too high that it's uncomfortable to pull things out of the oven (as is sometimes the case with the top oven of a double oven set-up). This, of course, has little to do with Thermador, and more to do with the microwave/single oven combination.

I sometimes wonder whether I should've bought double ovens, but I really only think that's an issue during holidays when I have a lot of people at my house. But, when I think about it, holidays are chaotic for reasons having nothing to do with ovens. I'm a big believer that I can cook anywhere, and around anything; having a single oven just means being a little more organized.

Hope that helps!

Kay.....

ABSOLUTELY HELPS ME OUT!!!

Many thx

qb

Thanks so much for the responses. I went to a showroom yesterday and looked at both ovens. As much as I like the idea of a larger oven, the Electrolux (non-icon) is one of the best LOOKING ovens on the market. The wave touch control panel is great and to me better looking than the Masterpiece. The sales lady said that it performs well also. Since I have a little of the vanity thing going on in my kitchen, I think I have decided to go with the Electrolux oven. It has two rolling racks, as opposed to the Masterpiece, which has only one (others can be purchased as accessories). I also Love the idea of one touch "roast a turkey" feature..... It does not have a proofing mode, but since part of my house still has old fashioned space heaters and since I bake bread VERY Seldom, I don't think I will miss that feature. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, unless some revelation hits me between now and tomorrow morning, I THINK????? my decision is made.
queenbee - hope that doesn't add to your confusion!!! I have been hasseling with this for 6 mos now and have finally decided to act, caus' it ain't gonna git any better!!!!!!!! GOOD LUCK with your decision!!!
CC
Any commets from anyone else?????

Well, the responses have sure helped me out. We've definitely ruled out Dacor (too $$$$) and took a good 2 hours today checking out the Thermador ME oven. Hubby's real sold on this one, so it may turn out to be the one. The sales rep was EXTREMELY knowledgeable and we've been told they can do a good deal on all 3 appliances we want: conv oven & combo conv/mw + Miele DW, so it's very tempting, however, I still want to check out the Electrolux in a couple of days. Figure we should know by next weekend which brand we're going for.

Your responses to my Thermador purchases have helped a bunch. Now I can sleep better. And stop driving my family nuts.

The new model Thermador ovens, both the Masterpiece and the PRO models are much better than the older models.

Greg

Thanks to all who responded. Due to a medical situation that reared its ugly head, I was unable to complete the purchase of my new oven as planned. May be a blessing in disguise. I am happy to hear the positive response for the Thermadore. Can anyone tell me about the performance and function of the Masterpiece???? I know it is a larger oven..... Does that really matter????? I think I will return to the store and look at both of them again and download the specs for each. Again, thanks for your input and I am sorry it took so long to get back...but!!!!
Queenbee - Did you buy yet?????? What?????

Dixiechick: No haven't bought yet. Had decided on Therm and then started secondguessing myself with a couple of good deals I spotted on Jenn Air and AEG in my area - all to save $$$ you know. My hubby's fit to be tied, however, after getting home from my appliance sleuthing, I checked online on both the Jenn Air & AEG; Jenn Air actually has a smaller internal oven capactiy size. LOVE the European look of the Jenn Air, but claims of 3.8 cu ft. are confusing - website says 3.3 - which is WAY too small for us, but will have to call the app store to confirm. The AEG (European Electrolux) has a really good reputation, but again, the oven capacity just looks a tad small for what we're used to here across the pond. Even tho' they both have some nifty features not found on other brands, that won't make up for the fact that you just can't cram Shaq's foot into a Cinderella sized slipper. Crunch time is tomorrow morning when we sit down and review everything (that is if my hubby's still talking to me). Suspect it'll still be the Therm, in which case, I'm sure I'll be whisked off to the app store pronto before I change my mind again!

Well - it's a done deal.

Thermador MEM1ES 27" single wall oven
Separate Thermador MCES? combo mw/conv
Miele Optima DW

All delv'd in 3-4 weeks time.

Got a pretty good deal - everything incl in price except installation fees, so went for it. Am I ever glad this part is over! Now we just have to concentrate on updating cabinets, paint and flooring.

Dixiechick, Queenbee,

Sorry, I haven't been on GardenWeb for a couple of weeks, and missed your followup questions.
We have had our Masterpiece oven since September.
The 4.4 cubic foot interior size is what sold me on the 27" from Thermador.
We had a previous 4 cubic foot oven, and we did not want to do with less.
The only down side to the oven size is that the oven will not fit into a standard depth oven cabinet.
It requires surgery to the back of a standard depth oven cabinet.
That kind of cutting is not unique to Thermador,
and they do get the larger inside capacity for the exterior size.

Good luck with your oven.
We love the way our's cooks.

Carguy

Carguy: Was 1/2 expecting issues re cabinet depth and in fact, warned hubby of same with this model. He pooh-poohed me. We'll see.......

Question: Our cabinet (where new apps will go) is currently 24 1/4" in depth and 30" wide. SO HOW'D YOU GET AROUND THIS PROBLEM OF NOT ENOUGH CABINET DEPTH carguy?? What surgery did you have done?? The app sales rep assured us that the installation tech (highly recommended) really 'knows his stuff' and can slice/dice/chop the cabinets to make 'everything fit'. What should I be looking for or making sure the tech. attends to???

qb

If you are having an installition tech do the install, he will undoubtedly, cut out the back of the cabinet.
I installed into a 27" standard oven cabinet. and so I had
close tolerances and careful front surgery to do on the cabinet.
Installing into the larger cabinet should be easier for your tech.
I was doing the install myself, and when I encountered the depth issue, I called a carpenter friend that does a lot of kitchen installs. I asked him how often he has this kind of problem and what he does about it.

He told me that it happens about half the time, and he just starts cutting the back until he gets enough space. If cutting the back panel isn't enough, he said that he just "starts hacking the drywall away" until he gets enough space.

I had enough depth after I cut a sizeable piece out of the back panel.
It amazes me that the appliance manuf. don't design to the standard cabinet size spec, and don't warn you that this could happen. I had a real sinking feeling, when I first realized that it was not going to fit into the cabinet.

It turns out that cutting the back panel does not compromize the structural integrity of the cabinet.
BTW, I installed into Thomasville cabinets. But I did check other brands of cabinets, and it was going to be a problem in all of them.

If you were concerned about oven size, why didn't you get a 30" oven? That is monstous inside. I could not fit a 30" cabinet in, but I would have preferred to have the 30".

Goodluck
Carguy

In the end I could only get the 27" masterpiece, which
was particularly lamentable as the 30" is only 100 dollars more.

joebayarea:

Yes, it is a bit of a pain, however, the upside is that the Thermador is still one of the biggest cubic capacity ovens on the market - especially at 27". I really don't think we're going to miss an 1" or so, either side!

Hi All,

My wife and I are considering Thermadore ovens and I stumbled across this thread. Does anyone have updates on how they like their Thermadore ovens?

Thanks,
Neal

Neal, I like my Thermodor oven much better since Thermador finally gave me a full refund for the product, which simply did not work, and wheeled it out the door.

This, only after 12 frustrating months dealing with a customer service system that is obviously set up to avoid any meaningful dialog with and resolution for their customers.

If you get an oven and it happens to work, you might very well be happy. If something goes wrong, you might very well be in for a world of frustration.

Google "thermador customer service" and do the same for another brand you are considering to see if you can glean anything from what the rest of the world has been saying.

Thank you for replying and for the advice. We'll keep researching.