We just bought all Kitchen Aid appliances. We got the counter depth french door fridge, the dual fuel slide in range, the wall oven/microwave combo, the dishwasher and the range hood. Sorry we haven't really had a chance to use them all yet but we had the same dilemma and also read about the kitchen aid self clean blow up problem. We bought the extended warranty on the ovens and the fridge but are hoping that we won't need to use it. Mind you, we havent' quite got the range hood working properly yet but hopefully this week someone will solve our problem for us. Good luck with your appliance shopping

The bigger question is what have you been cooking on/in? If you're going from your standard run of the mill electric coil, gas or even glass top range to a pro range you will notice a huge change in cooking performance no matter which brand you choose. When are you looking to resell? If it's in the next 5-7 yrs, I would go least expensive of the two as you likely won't get the difference in cost back out of it. Most buyers out there (not the buyer that frequents GW) will be thrilled to see a pro range no matter the brand. A buyer that frequents GW will likely be more picky, but then again they are not your average buyer. I have the GE Monogram rangetop and double ovens. I am very pleased with them. The Monogram has the double stacked burners like the Wolf and simmers just as low if not lower. My ovens bake and roast marvelously on standard as well as convection settings. I've got 8 settings on the ovens (not including Hi Broil & Lo Broil) and have found that we primarily use 5 of them--Conv. Bake 1 Rack, Conv. Bake Multi-Rack, Bake, Conv. Roast & Broil. I haven't made homemade bread yet, but I will use the Proof setting when I do. I personally would save the money and go with the GE Monogram especially if I wasn't planning on staying in the house & I didn't have a clear preference for either brand over the other. If you don't have any experience cooking with a Wolf or a Monogram (or any other pro range for that matter) you won't even notice any differences as you have nothing to compare your new pro experiences with other than your standard electric coil, glass top or gas range. And as stated above, either of these ranges will stand head and shoulders above those models. Hope this helps!

I've been designing my kitchen in an old house and have looked at different several range options because of challenging design issues. I'm not real clear about your layout with the pennisula and the offset of it from the corner. Ideally, you should have a minimum of 18" counter space on one side and 12" on the other. I've decided to put my stove where the sink is and put the sink in an island. Don't get a commercial restaurant range what ever you do. They are not made for residential use and pose greater clearance and ventilation issues. They aren't self cleaning. It is code for GAS TOP cooktops (check your county or state) to have 6" of non combustible material the back and sides of the stove top, whether there is a wall at the back it or not. If you have no wall behind the range and no wall within 6" of either side, you could get a slide in range with pop-up hood (ventilation) Thermador makes a good one, but not cheap and takes up room in back of the stove top. A slide in possibly with IKEA's stainless child protector that sits on the front of a stove top, but I don't see why you couldn't use it at the back if you have even the tiniest ledge for it to sit on. It is just a 3-sided piece of stainless, about 6" tall and totally removable. Make sure that you get a range with ventilation to the outside, whether it is a slide-in with a downdraft, pop-up or hood. Does anyone think keeping the oven open a bit till it cools would help with the moisture and/or oxidation problem? Most ovens should be kept open while broiling, don't they? All ranges are made to install into cabinets with wood, so I doubt that the sides or the range itself are an issue. The clearance specs most likely refer to the stove top. You should check out the IKEA catalog online or go to a showroom if feasible for small space design ideas. They also have their own appliances made by whirlpool, but no dual fuel. Sealed burners can't be repaired and are expensive parts. But a sealed range top under the burners are a different story, make cleaning easier and stuff from getting into the oven section. All ovens vent some heat and moisture somewhere. In a free standing range there is usually an opening behind the cook top under the back control(?) panel. Wiping spills and splashes in the oven quickly with water and vinegar will help keep the enamel from corroding. self cleaning can only do so much, and it's not practical to use it too often. A silicone liner on the bottom is great for containing spills from the oven bottom. Anyone know of a product out there to inhibit rust and corrosion that is non-combustible? Maybe something for salt water boats? I think all of the ranges out there are crap. The electronics _ _ _ _! and are probably made to last until the extended warranty expires. Sometimes they last! Parts come from China with the exception of the upper range of American made products like Wolf. Good Luck!

Sorry to hear you are having issues with your Bosch dishwasher. I have had Bosch dishwashers in 3 different kitchens in the past 25 years and never had a single problem or service call. I know you don't want really want to hear that about people that have not had problems but I do think there are more happy Bosch owner than unhappy ones. I am not sure if you have contacted Bosch or an authorized Bosch service rep. yet but if you haven't I think you should. They might be especially responsive if they know that you have posted about the problems with your Bosch dishwasher on this forum. Perhaps this link will help: Bosch Service As an aside, I see that several posters have suggested that using Cascade instead of Finish Tabs may be the problem. I just want to add that I currently (and in the past) almost exclusively use Cascade along with whatever brand rinse agent I happen to have bought and have not found either to be a cause of any problems. Good luck in finding a solution.