Hi Annie. I agree with neu2you. I did a lot of research on ranges before deciding to go with Wolf. Not a single appliance dealer recommended Viking although a few carried it. Some stopped carrying Viking because of their frustration dealing with Viking when assisting customers with issues. Others carried Viking but did not recommend it in comparison to other companies like Wolf and Miele. The consensus is the new company is working towards building quality units and providing better service but is not there yet.

We need to replace a 30 " GE gas cooktop that is about 18 years old in a granite countertop. the cutout is 28.5 x 19.5 inches. all the new GE models have a width of 19 5/8. after some research it seems that only a new viking model will fit. any other suggestions?

Annie - what did you go with? Considering the same -- Viking has the name -- but is it worth it? Is the higher end KitchenAid better? Interested to hear what you did --

I have a 5 burner 30" gas Viking cooktop. I like it but don't love it. The 5 burners are really useless you have 5 very small pans going. It is a challenge to fit 2-3 large pans at once. However, I remember I choose it at the time bc it seemed to be the largest 5 burner 30". I am sure it is a problem with all 5 burner 30" cooktops though, you cannot realistically use all at once.

Our Viking cooktop only 6 years old failed. Some burners wouldn't ignite. Some didn't register that they were lit and kept clicking ad nauseum. I found Viking completely uninterested in standing behind their product. They crow on their website that they acknowledge their previous models had issues and have now improved due to Viking being acquired by a new corporation. But when I called to ask what specifically they had done to make it worth my while to invest in a new Viking cooktop no one could tell me anything other than they were now owned by a new corporation, and by gum that meant something! When I asked if they would be willing to offer me a replacement unit, or pay to upgrade the defective electronics, or at least give me a discount on a new model, they declined on all counts. I told them I would be happy to relate my experience with their company online — good or bad — and so that's what I'm doing. I ended up going with a DCS CDV-2365H and I love it — SO much better than the Viking. Build quality is great. High output burners. Incredibly low simmer on all burners. And it was $700 less expensive.

Kitchenaide would be at the bottom of my list. From everything I have seen they may talk the talk but they do not walk the walk. Meaning they look the part (at least on the surface) but do not perform.