and doesn't get commission or bumps for promoting one line over the other - we asked Unless said salesman is a relative or long time friend I would not trust him farther than I could throw him. The Thermador columns are very good. I would rank them in a class just below Sub-Zero. They are made by Bosch in Turkey. All thermador ovens are made in LaFollette Tennessee. They get consisently bad reviews in their class. Even if you can't find a review on a particular model I think the smart move is skip this one. Wall Ovens- Take a serious look at Gaggenau and Wolf. The Gaggs are really top notch,have side swing doors so you don't have to reach over a hot oven door,and hold temp amazingly well. They can reach 350 in about 6 minutes or so. Rangetop- I think the T'dors are just mediocre. Take a serious look at Capital Culinarian and Bluestar RNB. Enter Capital Culinarian in the Youtube searchbox and look at the vids. T'dor has at least two suppliers for hoods. My guess is the Masterpiece line is made by Broan and is ok but nothing great.

Hello out there- I am really hoping for your advice

Buying a suite of appliances from one brand is almost always a bad deal and no retailer can possible sell every brand available in the US. Induction is not amazingly superior to gas. Although induction is superior to typical sealed gas burners induction is not superior to commercial type open gas burners. There are pros and cons to each. KitchenAid induction is in fact inferior to American Range and Capital Culinarian range tops. Many induction cooktops produce a buzz noise and KA is in fact notorious for it. The younger you are the more likely you are to hear it and some people refer to KA induction as teenager repellant. LOL Both AR and CC have a higher high plus you can use the multiple power burners all day long. In the KA you can only use the single power hob for a time limited and it pulls electricity from other hobs so you can't use all induction hobs at maximum rated KW at the same time. Induction is in theory more even in heat distribution but in reality undetected. KA has a lower low but not really useable below what is provided by dedicated simmer or small pot burner in the CC and AR burners. When induction breaks it can't be used until replaced with specific part or assembly. Gas burners can only have two things that break; generic spark modules or igniters, and you don't need them because you can light with a match or lighter. Those commercial burners will give 50 years service life while the induction will be in the landfill with no longer made antique parts. No appliance company makes the best appliance in every category. KA's main competitor is GE Profile. Profile makes better ovens while KA ovens have a reputation for dying after self-clean cycle. KA makes the best American type dishwasher while GE dishwashers suck. Miele makes even better dishwashers. They clean better, have fewer problems and use less water and electricity. The one advantage of some KA dishwashers is they can dry plastics better. KA refrigerators have shown to be more reliable than GE but less reliable than Samung. It is better to buy the best appliance in each category and shop for best price than to buy a suite of some good, mediocre, and bad appliances. Even if you get a rebate and matching handles.

"I'm considering the thermador or wolf range" Is this because you prefer a sealed burner tray? I think these two both have the lowest rated BTUs for simmering. Gas ovens in the 36" size do not have as many variables as electric ovens, with the exception of the BS Platinum which has the heating element in the back, none on the bottom. You can not turn the convection fan all the way off with this range. It might be OK for roasting though. The Capital Culinarian has a model with some additional features like self clean and a rotisserie. Electric ovens are a lot more complicated. What do you consider gadgetry? One person's gadgetry is another person's appreciated tool. :-)). If you are considering a combi or steam oven, there are threads on these that would help you understand the differences. I bake quite a bit --cakes, cookies, pastries more than bread these days but I have an Electrolux that I love because it is so nimble. It preheats to 350F in 7-8 minutes but I do let it preheat for 30 minutes for real baking. You can put something in like a casserole during the preheat and it won't burn. Some ovens warn against putting food in during the preheat. There is an optional "fast preheat" but I don't think it is much faster. If I open the oven for a few minutes to baste or change trays out the recovery is rapid, about 1F per second. I keep an oven thermometer in there and the temperature varies no more than 5F from the set temp from what I remember as I haven't paid attention to it lately. It does have some different modes. In the Electrolux, they are fairly simple but they allow you to direct heat more from the top for roasting with higher speed fan or you have standard bake with more heat from the bottom or the same with a low speed fan. It does have a third element (also called true or European convection) but this is incorporated in other modes rather than a separate mode. Some ovens have a dedicated mode that use this element and a high speed fan and it is marketed as best for even baking with multiple racks but oddly there is also more potential for hot spots. I have it with my Wolf DF oven but it always baked evenly with just the conv bake so I never have used it. These modes require a bit of a learning curve but I love having them. The controls are very intuitive and easy to use. I think it bakes pretty evenly but I rarely use three racks at a time. I bake smaller tiered cakes sometimes and I do not need to switch them around. Sometimes I have switched some cookies with higher amounts of sugar which would be more sensitive to any differences in temperatures The only down side with this oven has been blue enamel chipping. There were chips when it was new and it was replaced immediately. At about 5 years, it had crazing after the self clean and the liner was replaced under the extended service plan. It has been ok but I don't use the self clean. It does not seem to be as much of an issue with Elux as the Wolf ovens. Many electric ovens have a hidden bottom bake element as does Elux and I don't think that is as good for pies. The Electrolux ovens have been redesigned to have dual fans and blue enamel on the racks so they can go in the self clean. I think they still make one like mine though, single fan. There is a dual fan Kenmore made by Electrolux too. There are a few differences though. I would very carefully read the use and care manual on any ovens you are considering to see if there are any quirks that would be deal killers. Reliability is a big gamble. If you have any electronics, I would buy the longest extended service plan you can buy but look at who is providing the warranty and read for any exclusions. There is usually more than one source for this. Many people like Bosch too but I have not personally used it. Gaggenau and Miele have many fans but have many modes and are much more expensive. I have always had very simple ovens before and use the 30" wall over a lot more than the range oven. For one thing it heats a lot quicker and and the ergonomics are so much better. If I had it to do over, I would never buy a range but rangetop and two separate ovens. Pick each separately.