Ceramic broilers are not as durable but the average home cook will not use a broiler enough to wear it out. Wolf and Capital have similar broilers but the Capital is behind glass. If you wait for the Wolf broiler to heat up before placing food under it virtually all fat/debris should incinerate before reaching the broiler. In my experience some splatter does accumulate over time. The Capital has optional motorized rotisserie. You can't place the food on spike after the broiler has fully heated up because you will burn yourself. Ergo glass. It makes it easier to clean. I think the top rack position in the Capital is closer to the broiler than in the Wolf but not 100% sure on that. That makes it more likely to get splatter if you place the rack that high. But easier to clean.

Unless you decide to go with an induction cooktop, I would definitely get gas. Cooking with gas burners gives you so much more control than electric. Whether to go dual fuel is a bit more of an issue particularly since it costs a good bit more. Some people prefer electric ovens for baking but a good gas convection oven will bake just fine and will actually be better for roasting meats. Also, a gas broiler is much better than an electric one. I have an all gas range and am quite pleased with it.

I also am trying to make this decision, but I have restricted the argument (for myself) to induction versus gas. I have lived with gas and currently use an induction hob (underpowered and featureless). Nevertheless, I have come up with my own list of pros and cons for gas, induction, and radiant electric and would love to hear comments on their validity and on where I am misinformed. (I am leaning towards induction despite my long list of cons--cleanup and quick, even heat are so important to me!) GAS PROS: 1. easily adjustable--continuous control from simmer to boil 2. intuitive to use--small flame versus big flame 3. familiar to most repair services--cheaper and easier to fix (parts not ridicuolously expensive) 4. can use the same pot on all burners (not always true--some ranges have different size burner heads which dictate small or large pots) 5. can span burners with griddle or roasting pan 6. no need to buy special pots 7. cooktop will work in a power outage (may not be true for oven) 8. heats the kitchen in the winter 9. cooktop/range makes a statement unlike a flat piece of glass 10. can char a pepper CONS: 1. difficult and time consuming to keep clean 2. knobs, if too close to burners get hot 3. requires vigilance to avoid burning/melting equipment (plastic pot handles or utensils) that gets too close to flame 4. some burners cannot achieve a true simmer, so sauces can burn since the flame is not evenly distributed across the bottom of the pan (a simmer plate can help with this) and hot spots at higher temps depending on the pot/pan 5. heats the kitchen in the summer 6. depending on btus, may require a high level of ventilation 7. some electric wall ovens cannot be placed under a gas cooktop INDUCTION PROS: 1. easy to clean in seconds 2. spills don't burn onto the cooktop 3. cooktop doesn't pose the same burn hazard as does gas or radiant electric 4. doesn't heat the kitchen 5. easily adjustable with a finger 6. easy to maintain a constant low temp with no hot spots--evenly heats the pan 7. doesn't melt the handles of neighboring pots or equipment 8. ventilation requirements are less due to less residual heat from cooktop 9. efficient in terms of power to the pan versus lost to the surrounding air 10. fast to heat CONS: 1. May require expensive wiring upgrade 2. Won't work in a power outage 3. Requires pans that the cooktop can recognize (i.e., magnetic and flat on the bottom) 4. Size matters when it comes to recognition of pot or pan and the hob--can't switch pots around easily 5. Not intuitive when deciding 'levels of power'--no visual on the differences between the levels 6. Restricted to the levels of power of the cooktop--"some may have various 'steps' and 'halfsteps' to create a broad range, others my not have as many levels, so you don't have as much control--not continuous 7. May have difficulty getting the cooktop to recognize finger presses (learning curve for the 'right' touch 8. Cookware may buzz even if magnetic 9. Cooktop may buzz and click as it cycles off and on--some are louder, longer, and more annoying than others 10. Power sharing can limit when you can use boost on the different hobs 11. Special requirements for install clearances and ventilation in the cabinet 12. May require for warranty purposes that the same brand of wall oven be used under induction cooktop 13. Sliding pans may scratch the cooktop as will salt 14. Controls on the actual cooktop surface reduce the available space for pots 15. Often expensive to repair due to electronics involved 16. Not as much of a statement in a kitchen--just a piece of glass on the counter 17. Cannot span hobs with a roaster or griddle on most induction cooktops (unless cast iron to radiate the heat but may risk damaging the electronics under the cooktop by doing so)--few cooktops have a griddle feature 18. Cannot char a pepper--or light a candle! RADIANT ELECTRIC PROS are similar to induction EXCEPT no special pots required CONS 1. food burns onto the cooktop and is difficult to clean if left 2. surface gets hot and can burn hands or items on cooktop 3. don't have immediate control over cooking temps (i.e., can't reduce temp without lifting the pot due to the residual heat of the cooktop) 4. Slow to heat 5. Sliding pans can scratch cooktop

There are actually two types of gas broilers. There are regular gas broilers like this. The heat tends to go straight up so they are not that hot. The other type of gas broiler is called an infrared gas broiler. This is the type kitchenworks is talking about. This is on the higher end ranges. It is very hot and even but can be small in the area covered. Electric broilers are infrared too but may not be as even. Look at how many passes the heating element takes. Some cover more areas than others. You really have to look at all of them to see the size. I do think the broilers contribute to taste but not so much according to the fuel but how much heat you get to your food. In order for the broiler to brown whatever it is your cooking, it has to be able to dry the food so the Maillard and other caramelization reactions can take place. Regular gas broilers don't do this well. I gave up a little heat with my electric broiler compared to an infrared gas broiler but needed a wide broiler because I use mine more for appetizers. It has been plenty hot but we grill outside for meat.