I like CR, but there is a caveat to their reviews. They are geared towards the middle... they very often underrate high-end appliances / stereos / wines / cars / etc. Why is that? 1. They have a set of criteria to use when rating. Time to boil, ease of cleanup, etc. Design, durability, "feel"... these don't really enter into it as much. 2. Reliability ratings come from customer feedback. High-end items are made in smaller production volumes, and consequently don't have as much "real-world" usage, so there may be more reliability issues. But, feedback more often comes from people who are upset with a product rather than satisfied with it, so a smaller pool of possible reviews can greatly skew actual findings. (See CRs obvious dislike of Sub Zero, Viking, etc due to reliability reports). I do think their reviews are useful on high-production items (Toasters, Blenders, Common Cars, etc), but wherever "style and feel" are involved, I tend to ignore what they have to say.

Consumer Reports is simply another alternative source of information. Its greatest weakness is the lack of detail they provide in HOW they arrive at their ratings. They do not reveal the numerical weighting, test subscores, and how item price plays into the final reported numbers. Often missing are details about methods, installation particulars that could affect outcomes, lab environment, ancillary items such as consumable products used in testing, etc. Yes, CR is something less than optimal and as a member I have communicated my displeasure with them about not being more forthcoming with details. On the other hand, Consumer Reports is NOT in any manufacturers pocket, does not accept ad money, buys all of the test items on the open market, and tries, within its budgetary constraints, to test items that people want to know about. The egalitarian necessity of concentrating on mass-market appliance alternatives over custom kitchen high-end gear is apparent when one realizes they can test 5 side by sides for the price of one Sub Zero. Testing 5 side by sides will likely provide useful information for more people than the one Sub Zero they toss in. But as tastes migrate to more expensive gear, CR does try to keep up. In any case, I still use CR all the time and appreciate how handy they can be when it comes time to evaluate a product. I use my phone to look up stuff all the time and I find the results useful far more often than not. But I am a tester and I understand testing methods, including the sometimes frustrating limitations of operational testing, which is what Consumer Reports does. I think they are a good adjunct to have available for consultation when evaluating a purchase, and should be used in concert with other sources, including enthusiast forums like Gardenweb and other internet outlets. I think advice to "avoid" CR is not necessarily the best advice, personally, but suit yourselves in that regard.

Plumberry - you have posted 5 times on this thread, and been asked several times to be more specific, but I STILL can't see anywhere where you've mentioned which fuel type you are interested in. I don't know what you meant by "5 burner". So, I figured maybe some of your older posts might have mentioned what you are looking for, and they indeed all said you want induction. If that's the case, the Thermador induction cooktop is nice; conversely I would never recommend a Thermador gas cooktop-- so do you see how it's important to mention the fuel type? The recommendations you are seeking will vary a lot depending upon what kind of cooktop you are looking for. Your criticism of Antss was unwarranted and unfair. Antss is a valued contributor to this forum. He has excellent insight. Each of his posts on this thread has been direct, to-the-point, and clear. Yours have not. If you want people to help you, you shouldn't make it so difficult for them to do so, and it is inappropriate to call people arrogant and unrefined (??) when they try to help you. From your posts on this thread, it sounds like you strongly believe Consumer Reports has the most expertise and valuable advice. Then, just go with what they say. As Mojavean pointed out, CR has reviewed the Wolf range, and you can just use that review for your cooktop choice, since you have indicated you don't need to be specific among the Wolf appliances.

When I started designing our house and planning our kitchen, I wasted my money on the online subscription to CR. I quickly found that they didn't have any info on the brands and models I was interested in. I started researching on-line and found GW (specifically the appliance forum) and it has been, by far, more help than any other resource. We got a survey once from CR...I felt the questions they asked did not allow for the whole story to be told about an appliance. For instance, we had to repeatedly replace parts on our just-out-of-warranty, reasonably high-rated and not-cheap Maytag fridge, paying exorbitant shipping prices in addition to the price of the parts. The survey only asked about repairs requiring a service call...Which we didn't do. Their testing is too limited in scope and length of time. I like to hear from people who use an appliance in a real kitchen, under usual family conditions, and over time. That's where GW excells...with a chance for happy and unhappy owners to share their experiences. Have to say, though, that if they're recommending the 500 Series of Bosch dw, I agree. We have 2 (but Integra rather than Evolution), and both of them do a great job.