Can't speak for the wolf, I have a cluny. We use our gas oven all the time, particularly if cooking meat. It works great. The cluny also comes with an electric oven, so we have the best of both worlds. The doors do get hot, but I don't think they are so hot as to be dangerous. To be honest, I've never brushed against them and thought "ouch, that's hot!"

Like you I feel in love with the looks of the Lacanche and then went to see one in person. I was disappointed that the oven racks were so hard to pull out and push in. Maybe they have fixed that. I know they fixed the thermocouple issue. Anyway, that was 2008 and for that much money I wanted nicer racks. Wound up getting a Blue Star, after I saw that in person compared to the Wolf.

Whatever you get -- make sure you see the alternatives you're considering live before you decide.

Front of the door on our Wolf AG gets hot, but not too hot to burn. The top edge of the door can though, at least the door we had did (our door was replaced a few months ago for another reason). I burnt my leg just above my knee when I leaned against the door edge while I had it open (taking something out or putting something into the oven).

cat mom, sorry to hear about your burnt leg. After reading your post I just had to touch the top of the door on our Capital Culinatian as I was taking a Pizza out of a 425 degree oven. It was warmer than room temp, maybe 100 degrees, but I could have held my hand there indefinately.
jmcgowan you may want to look at the CC the burners are 23,000 BTU compared to the Wolfs 16,000 BTU. Fit finish and price are pretty much the same as wolf.

Leg's all healed, and doesn't look any worse for the wear, tg. The door was replaced because the original door wasn't sitting straight (hinge? warpage?)--heat/moisture escaped along one side. Perhaps this also allowed too much heat to escape/vent along the top edge of the range along that side of the door as well. Of course, I haven't pressed my knee to the top of the new door to test this out!!

Thanks for the replies! Cat_mom, glad your leg is ok. Cheril17, how off do you think the temp is?

Do you mean the hot spots? I'm not sure because I don't bake in this oven but read about this extensively in one of the Lacanche threads (maybe 37 or 38). I almost didn't get the range because I thought it was plain stupid to spend so much for an appliance that didn't perform to perfection. It was really an impulse purchase for us (I actually wanted induction) and I was very worried I'd made a mistake. It's a dream to cook on, though. My only regret is that it doesn't have an automatic gas shut off if the flame goes out. Had I known this at the time, I probably wouldn't have bought it. The new ones, however, don't have this problem. Oh, and what Sayde says about the oven racks, absolutely true. The racks are crap!

I've had a Lacanche Sully for two years and love it. I have one gas oven and one electric. I use the gas oven almost every night; I brown meat on stovetop then transfer to oven. Works beautifully.
I use the electric for baking (although i bake much less frequently). I do rotate my pans when baking cookies. Don't for cakes, though. Round pans must let more air circulate and bake more evenly. Maybe convection option is better for bakers. I wanted a gas oven for roasting, and also wanted an electric oven with broiler, so no room for convection.

As for racks, it's true they definitely don't glide! But I find that as long as I don't push them too far back, they're pretty easy to pull and push. It doesn't bug me, although racks that really glide would be very nice. But I have heard that most oven racks tend to get gunked up and stop gliding over time. Don't know if this is true.
I do like my french top very much, especially in the winter when I like to do lots of stews, braises, and use my tagine (my latest obsession). When I'm doing a big dinner it's nice to keep things warm on the corners, or toast nuts without worry (heat is much more forgiving).
All in all, very very happy with my range. My dishwashers are another story!