I fail to see what a 1-2" difference is going to make.
But no I do not have back pain.

I think your emphasis on ergonomics is well placed. We designed our kitchen with primary emphasis on usability and even went with a custom sink to get the depth we wanted (we needed shallower than common in order to make reaching the bottom more ergonomic for us). Back pan depth wasn't a big issue for us, but I'd encourage you to go with your instincts on what usability factors are important to you and back them up with in-showroom tests.

If you've tried out different depth ranges and find some that hurt and some that don't -- I think that's more important than other features you might get with a 'pro' range. Do remember to measure from the front to the center of the back burner. How often will you use the back burner?

Do you want the pro range for looks or some other feature? Although we went with a Capital Culinarian, if we found the burner placement problematic like you, we'd have purchased a range that better fit our needs. For us, ergonomics trumps incremental features like open burners, etc.

Also take into account the use of the oven (perhaps you cold sit on a stool to use it, if so, try it out at a showroom) and the height above countertop that the pans sit -- perhaps an induction cooktop might be an even better ergonomic fit. Or can you go wider to get more front burners? Or a 5-burner stove to get two front burners and a middle one?

Gee. I've never noticed it and this was never mentioned to me. I have a Viking. I do suffer from back issue but so far so good.

Umm, no. Gotta admit, though, that's a new one. Back pain, huh?

-Stooxie

The sink is more of an issue for us too. We put in apron front sinks and not so deep as well. Some of the sinks are set so far back and are so deep-a real back breaker for me. No problems with the range.

I have terrible back pain, but no, I have never even thought about it or experienced it while cooking. Now bending over for the oven is a different story...

Does it matter if it's just you? If it's you who is doing the cooking, what works for you is what matters. Most people with incidental back pain have it in the lower back, where it's more about bending than reaching. With your issues, a single wall oven at the right height would be better than a range oven, and a cooktop would likely have easier to reach burners.

Have you considered induction? :)

Consider where your feet are placed. A range that is 27 inches at the burner/plating surface is usually 24" at the floor and also has an open space for your feet between the stove legs. This means that you can get right up to the burners the same as with a 24" top surface.

And you don't want to be too close to the front burner anyway or you may burn the fabric of your clothes. Consider that 2 or 3 inches a little safety zone when you do lean.

Interesting--I never thought about this. I DO get that weird upper back/shoulder pain from a misplaced sink faucet and have done as you do with the "super spout". You don't want that when you're cooking.

Do the front burners also fail the stir test?

AND...are you short? If you are (like me), is it possible that a lowered counter paired with a rangetop instead of range would work? Or maybe even lowering a range to the lowest setting (and probably having the sourrounding counter a few inches below standard as well) would be enough.

Anyway I've never met anyone else with that type of back pain. Perfectly normal except when doing dishes waaaay back (or dissecting critters under a scope which is probably what broke me). Now I know to look out when replacing a stove.

zartemis: Thanks for the thoughtful reply. Amazing how ergonomics, while often based on just a few inches here or there, can make all the difference.

plllog: Thanks for the ideas. And induction is a great one! Love my gas, though ;)

Wasn't curious if it was just me just for curiosity's sake, was looking to see if anyone had tips or tricks. You know, like pulling the pots closer to them while stirring, etc.

emilner: I almost replace my single wall oven with the 48" double oven range...until I bent down in the showroom and realized how much different it felt to bend so far to reach the oven. Something i never would've thought of!

alexr: such a good point. And so glad I stood in front of the Thermador Pro Grand today, standig as close as I could. The oven door handle really prevented me from bellying up to the thing. It's definitely excluded.

fori: so good to know I'm not the only one!! The lowered countertop is a brilliant idea!! It can even work for a range, as the legs are adjustable by around 1 3/4 inches. I will be having my cabinet/countertops built around the lowest range height. Thanks!

I would actually try out the height of the counter top. I think it is the bending over to reach that makes my back hurt. I'm not sure how this would work with a range but for sinks I saw a display with a higher counter top that actually brought the sink closer and was more comfortable even though I am short. Maybe stand on a block to see in the show room if lower is better or worse. Sewing on a machine hurts my back as well and it is better to have it higher so my back is straighter. The ergonomics all depend on how tall you are and how long your arms are.

Here is an interesting configuration.

Here is a link that might be useful: American Range

I have a 30-inch DF Wolf, and have cooked on it for 6+ years, and have never had back pain while I cook. I do use the front burners for sauteeing or stirring, and I use the back burners for long simmers, melting butter, chocolate, etc. So I rarely reach into pots that are cooking on the back burners.

Perhaps that's why I've never had any back problems.

I'm almost 65, so definitely older, and would expect to have a sore back if it were in the cards with this range.

Another option to consider: if you have medical insurance or medicare and a medical condition contributing to your back pain, ask your doctor for a referral to an occupational therapist for a home evaluation. We've had several over the years and recently for multiple family members and they often have great ideas and know what resources are available to make life easier, safer and healthier for you (some are better informed than others). You can also get their opinion on ideas you get from this forum and others (and we've gotten ideas from here and elsewhere they hadn't thought of, so ....). Since home ergonomics wrt to medical condition is what they are trained in, we trust their opinions on things like the depth of the sink being important versus some random person here saying it's not. It's also gone the other way -- I'll bring up a potential issue and they'll explain how to handle it by changing how we do the activity rather than spending money.

They'll evaluate your actions with respect to your specific medical issues hands-on and can help you determine if changing how you use the appliance, getting an adaptive device, or buying a different appliance would be most helpful.

Definitely do a mockup! I once thought I needed a shallower sink or a lower counter and just getting a long faucet fixed it. I don't know if height alone would make up for it.

I think Rhome410 of the kitchen forums has a lower run of cabinetry for her rangetop. It seems like such a luxury, but the rest of the world is made for tall people so why the heck not make your kitchen fit?

I was really torn between the 48" CC range and doing a range top and double oven. In the end I went with the range for a few reasons. One- I use the infrared broiler everyday, and sometimes it gets real smokey (esp if I have some lamb chops right under it :). I would not be able to vent a wall oven and I also would not want to go electric. The other problem I had was with a double wall oven I would have to find another place to put the micro. I would not want an under the counter model so I was stuck.

In the end I deal with it, I even sit on the floor if I am trying to get the perfect char on something. (I even went as far as considering a dedicated salamander)

Discovered today that the Wolf AG is designed perfectly ergonomically for me :) The burners are 2 full inches closer to me, which makes a world of difference.

So it's either get the Wolf AG, or slide the pots closer when I'm stirring, etc.

Thanks for all the input!

I'm going to say no as well. It is much less of an issue since the burners are much closer to you than the total depth of the unit. I wouldn't think twice about a professional style range.