Comparing 48" Ranges: Thermador, Viking, and Wolf
sacwest
8 years ago
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Trevor Lawson (Eurostoves Inc)
8 years agoJoe Henderson
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Wolf vs Thermador 48inch range
Comments (1)The big things that stood out for us were that the Thermador simmer entails the burners clicking on & off over & over & over--gets very annoying especially if your kitchen is open to your family room vs. the Wolf that has the double stacked burners that are able to simmer using a continuous low flame. As far as the ovens, I can only comment on the Thermador--don't know if it's still a problem, but after about 5 years, the control panel slowly dies until you can't see what you have set the ovens to and you cannot see the time or timer anymore & the self-clean fried the electronics (as has been reported on many self-clean ovens). Even though the control panel issue has happened to many, many customers Thermador does not acknowledge the problem so you have to pay for the part + an authorized tech to come out 2x to verify that's what's wrong, then order the part then 2nd visit to install. Other than those issues, it bakes, roasts & broils beautifully. Have you looked at the GE Monogram rangetop? It has the higher power burners (all burners vs. having different BTUs on different burners) + it has the double stacked burners and allows for super low simmering like the Wolf. That's why we opted for Monogram and love it so far!...See Morewolf/viking/dcs 48' df range
Comments (3)You need to check out whether or not DCS has upgraded their ovens on the DF. When they first came out 5 years ago the electric ovens did not have true convection, did not have hidden elements and did not have rolling racks (even though their electric wall ovens had those features). If they haven't added those features I would definitely go with the Wolf DF. My the way I've had a AG DCS 30" range for 5 years and have been very pleased with it....See MoreHelp needed on 60" range for kitchen reno: BS/Wolf/Viking/AR/Thermador
Comments (23)Actually MUA is not required by Code everywhere, only some areas. Regardless of Code requirements, the OP needs to do MUA with 1200 cfms because that much suckage carries with it the risk of sucking back CO into the house, i.e. backdraft. It's a serious risk because with that much cfms pulling air out of the house, other exhausts will be pulled in, like from the water-heater, furnace, chimney and dryer vent. That backdraft is bringing poisonous carbon monoxide into the home. You can get away with no MUA with an exhaust that is 400-600 cfms and if your house is drafty and not a newer super-insulated house. But not at 1200 cfms. At 1200 cfms, cracking a window will not be enough. You will need to install an MUA system. Either add that to the expense of your renovation, or choose a different cooking setup. People not willing to install MUA is a main reason why people forego the 60" ranges and their exhaust requirements, and opt instead for a 36" rangetop and separate ovens....See MoreThermador Pro Grand, Wolf, or Bluestar 48 in all gas range?
Comments (34)@Lisa “I think that Bluestar can be out, I'm feeling that the BTU's are just overkill for my needs” There is more to it than the BTUs. Bluestar also has a 48” range with ring, capped burners and a sealed burner tray, the RCS. Most people buy BS for the star burners though and they have one in the 36” that is lower BTU than the RNB and it is the star burner but that doesn’t help you. There may be some other things on the RCS that would be benefits. You mentioned the griddle. One of the big problems with griddles is getting them evenly heated. There are two things you can do to help this. You can make the heat source over a greater area and/or you can make the griddle of a material that conducts heat well. Thermador has done both. They have a cast aluminum griddle which has very good heat transfer properties and the heat source, which is electric is wide. It is supposed to be nonstick though so durability might be an issue. Wolf used rolled steel which does not heat as evenly as the aluminum. They do try to provide a more even heat with an infrared burner. Wolf depending on where you read on the website has a 1/2 thick surface. VVVV This is BlueSta,s burner. The griddle is half as thick as the Wolf griddle. I would also consider an add on griddle. It leaves all of your burners open if need be. They are very inexpensive. This would be more of an issue with a 36”/6 burner. You can use whatever metal you want as the griddle. I know some who have aluminum, aluminum nonstick and rolled steel. You can have almost 50% more cooking area with a 2 burner add on than you do with a built in. Some people use these as a holding area or like a French top. This is the Royal Industries version and Chef King makes one about like it in rolled steel. I have picked this griddle up full of food and and put it in the oven. This is why the built in is smaller. The size is constrained by the burners next to it. The add on kinda steals a little space from the neighbors being 15” wide. You also have a lot more heat available because the BTUs for the builtin griddle are around 15K total and the Thermador is a little more. The heat for the add on can be whatever the heat of the two burners is combined. 30K + The built in does give you a way to consistently have the same temperature. When you turn it to 350°F, it heats to the same detergent each time. The add on griddle is like adjusting a really big pan. The aluminum add on adjusts very quickly. Wolf takes a little longer. As as far as simmer BTU ratings, BS does not disclose It. Wolf and Thermador are both very low but the Thermador does that by clicking on and off. Wolf has the dual stacked burners. As to these types of burners on prostyle ranges, they are wide. If you can find a place to see how they are with your pans that might be helpful. This is all of them together. The top two are capped burners. This gives you more flare on high heat. The Wolf is stacked so it seems like the flare is not as bad as some. The BS capped burner would have a little more flare but check it out in person. The bottom two are a triple ring burner by Capital and the BS Star. As you turn up the BS, the flame stays more within the footprint of the burner because the flame goes out from the sides of the star rays. The Thermador is more like a modified ring in that as you turn it up, it flares. The star has better heat dispersal if you use cast iron or steel which are poor conductors of heat. The capped burner can leave a cooler middle in the pan unless you are using heat conductive pans like heavy aluminum or heavy copper. The open burner tray just makes it easier or more difficult to clean depending on your perspective. Check the oven size. The BlueStar has enough room, that you can fit a full commercial sheet pan or 2 half sheets side by side. Check with Thermador, I don’t think the 30” oven on the 48” is big enough. Wolf is not that big. Check the broiler size. These are infrared and tend to be smaller....See Morecookncarpenter
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoUser
8 years agosacwest
8 years agosacwest
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoTrevor Lawson (Eurostoves Inc)
8 years agowekick
8 years agoJoe Henderson
8 years agobarryv_gw
8 years agoamg765
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoJulia
8 years agoJulia
8 years agoSub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove
8 years ago
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Trevor Lawson (Eurostoves Inc)