Awesome. Thanks

Thanks, all. You have eased my mind somewhat, as well as helped me decide to go for dual fuel!

Can anyone comment on the stainless being more of a warm or a cool tone? It will be very near a Kitchenaid dishwasher, which is more on the cool side, though not as much as a Hestan, which was another opition...

Hard to say for me…I find stainless has a tendency to take on its surroundings so if you use warm lighting and have warmer colours in the kitchen the stainless appears warmer. Here’s my Sofia near a Blomberg dishwasher and Falmec hood and a standard sink.

Thanks so much for the photo - it really helps seeing the range in a real kitchen!

@Fridge Magnate I love the design of your toaster and kettle! I wish some company would make 30" ranges that pretty. :) . Before your post, I hadn't heard of Falmec hoods, but with the purchase of a Sofia I can get half off a Sofia hood OR a Falmec hood. Are you satisfied with yours?

Couldn't find info if FM is just re-branding Falmec or vice-versa, or if they are slightly different in some way...

@Ovenbird thanks, the kettle and toaster are Smeg which is Italian…I think they’re a sister company to Bertazzoni but I’m not 100% on that. Falmec and Fulgor Milano are also both Italian and I got mine from the same place. Not sure how they’re related but the Sofia hoods look just like some that Falmec make. I love my hood…I know it’s not the traditional T style or pro style which may perform better but I think it’s beautiful…and it’s 500cfm so it does a decent job and it’s easy to keep clean.

@Fridge Magnate Bertazzoni is making some really beautiful ranges with their Heritage line, with delicious ball knobs like your on your toaster, but Alas! It is not being made in 30" (my husband's only sticking point, as we have a small kitchen). Plus, it doesn't have the easy-clean coating of the Fulgor Milano. Glad to hear your hood is easy to clean - I haven't had the baffel style before, but I sure think it looks nice. Yours looks to me just like a slightly narrower version of FM's and Falmec's "pro style." Falmec's is listed as 600 cfm but right next to that - on the same page of their website under "Technical features" - it says the motor is 500cfm! Maybe this is normal? I haven't researched hoods much, but I suspect the FM hood is exactly the same (since they look alike and are both available for the FM promotion.

This thread (i was looking for reviews on-line) is so interesting and relevant to us right now, but, boy, there are so many differing opinions! We are preparing for a total kitchen overhaul and just came from a major appliance showroom. We were fairly certain that we wanted a 48” Wolf dual fuel (LP) range, but now it seems that we’re leaning more towards the FM Sofia. A. it’s close to $4K below the Wolf, but it offers things (e.g. higher BTUs, 2 oven fans in the main oven) the Wolf version doesn’t. My husband also likes the burner set-up better, plus a couple of other things. I think, as a rule, that buying an appliance nowadays is a crap shoot….you could get lucky, or not. We had never even heard of FM, but the salesperson assured us they’ve been selling them for years. What to do??? Sad fact: according to CR most people are not happy with their appliances’ performance, with a few exceptions.

@coray - You are SO right. I'm going through a remodel now as well. After much consideration, I chose Wolf double ovens and a FM induction range top. Every place I went assured me that the Wolf was the best oven out there and that the service was readily available if needed. My decision to go with the FM range top was my strong desire for knob based controls and the fact that no one makes an induction range top except FM. This meant I didn't need a seam in my marble. Let's see what happens. I am several months out from install, but I'm hoping I am happy with the decisions I made.

Thanks, Design Girl….I’ll be thinking about it some more. We did find out Wolf will take at least 6 mos to get, but no biggie, really.

Our Sofia dual fuel range still looking and working beautifully after nearly 6 years of nearly daily use in a household of 5. It’s our favorite kitchen appliance.

Thank you, Fridge….that is good to hear! We did go ahead and order one, so I’m

hoping for a good one, as well!

hey y all...I m thinking about using the self clean on my Sofia dual fuel range...have any of u had issues when using this function...I m particularly concerned about the circuit module...I had to replace it a couple of years ago and am concerned it may blow it again...thanx merry xmas

We purchased a 36 in FM Rangetop 6 weeks ago. So far, we really like it!

@fred brill while self-clean ovens are designed to withstand the extremes of a self-clean cycle if there was any concern about a failure I would definitely wait until after a holiday if I was planning some big meals. On the small chance that it doesn't survive the self clean you'll have a very difficult time getting it repaired before Christmas at this point. A buddy of mine who owns a service company says that pre-Thanksgiving and pre-Christmas is crazy for cooking equipment service requests because so many people either do a self-clean right before the holiday or they've been putting off that repair or pesky issue until right before the holiday when they want to use the appliance. I also have the FM dual fuel...going on 6 years now and I've only self-cleaned it twice. Both times though it went without issue and it did a brilliant job of it I might add. The cooling fan kicks up to a higher speed at some point during the self-clean to protect the circuitry. Hope this helps.

thanx fridge magnate...ya a technician told me the self clean can be hard on the electrical components.....think I ll just give it some elbow grease insted...merry xmas

I’m no expert, but after doing some research into ranges recently I saw that apparently self-cleaning is hard on most, or all, ovens. In fact, we recently had our own problems with our old Kenmore range. It was repaired (at least I was able to use the oven for our Thanksgiving 🦃), but the self-clean function is officially dead. A friend of mine has (I believe) a Thermador oven, and she had the same problem. We recently leaned with Easy-Off, and it worked great. I think we’ll skip the self-clean in the future with our (on order) Sofia.

I purchased a FM Sofia series in April 2021. 36”. All went great and was loving it until 3 months ago when our oven stopped working. It would not lit up some days. Service came out twice and of course the times they were out here it worked. Finally about 5 weeks ago it just stopped working. I had to go through a lot to get my stove replaced. I had not done any research on this brand and wish I had. Love the look and the power of the stove but once I experienced issues with the oven I found so many reviews reporting oven issues. Many Which keep repeating even after parts are replaced. I am waiting for my replacement stove and pray this one is good. I really love the look of the stove. I paid $5400 but that price included a zephyr hood which I also love. Hoping you have great luck with yours and praying my replacement is a good one with no oven issues. I do have one question regarding the crates. How do you clean them? I clean mine once a week but the grease won’t come off. And don’t want to scratch them or use chemicals. Amy suggestions??? Also pls share cleaning products you use for oven. Thank you so much

Good luck with the replacement Olga! It’s nice to see Fulgor Milano is standing behind their product. Sounds like an ordeal leading up to it though. Hopefully all’s well that ends well in this case. There’s a cleaning video on YouTube. I use the same techniques and my Sofia still looks great. The grates are porcelain coated cast iron so they’re pretty durable. I only use soap and water but I use that nylon pot scrubber seen in the video and it works great. If you use stainless or aluminum pans you might see some white or silvery residue show up on the grates…it’s from the pots, not the grate wearing down…I’ve removed these marks pretty easily with a steel wool…doesn’t take much effort.

Oh, no, Olga….I hate that for you! (And of course I hope ours will be a reliable Tue-Thu fabricated piece😉). Is your oven gas or electric? We did order the 48” dual fuel, so fingers crossed….it’s always a bit nerve-racking when spending a lot of money on an appliance, at least for me. I’m not sure why our salesperson suggested FM, as we were prepared to pay for a Wolf, but I’m guessing it has something to do with availability, and Wolf had a 6 month+ lead time. Since our kitchen won’t even be installed until (most likely) at least early July now, it seems we had plenty of time. Well, here’s hoping for the best, and good luck with your replacement!

@coray - I ordered my appliances in late June of 2021 - My Wolf double ovens were the first to come in February, so 8 months. The SZ fridge came in next (9 months), as did the Bosch Dishwasher. The last to come in (have not yet received) is my FM induction range top. Not expected until the end of March. That's funny as it was in stock when I ordered it 9 months ago. Geez, a baby can be born before we can get appliances.

This is good info. We purchased a FM 36 inch rangetop last Oct21. Hopefully we won’t have problems. Currently clean it with Dawn dish detergent and water, but would like to know how to clean brass rings on burners. Does anyone know how?

Barkeeper’s Friend does a great job on the brass rings. https://youtu.be/sXRGDQ-2k4o

@Design Girl: That’s funny, yet so true! Our FM 48” Sofia actually shipped late December and is waiting at the appliance store, ca. 90 min from here. We’re still waiting for the FM mic/speed/convection oven and the Zephyr undercounter bev fridge. (Not to mention our new sofa, ottoman and a pouf, which allegedly shipped Feb 1, fabricated in the same town as the appliance store, 90 min from here!😉) Yes, it’s a different world, isn’t it? Fingers crossed….if all goes well we hope to have all the big pieces (windows, cabinets m countertops, tile) done by August.

Has anyone had any experience with the Sofia 36” gas range getting very hot on your backsplash behind while using the oven. We’ve had our range for 6 months and I’ve just noticed this. I’m concerned it’s changing the colour of our quartz backsplash behind it. I know you can purchase different back guards for it, not sure if this will help. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry, @croots, can’t help you there (just got our 48” Sofia yesterday), but I’ll certainly keep my eye on that! It hasn’t been the easiest install: just converting the burners from NG to LP took forever (fiddly work for small hands), and upon finally pushing it back into its tight spot hubby noticed that the gas hook-up is in the way of the rear, middle leg (which I could see from a mile away, voiced openly, but, in the words of Gus Portokalos, “nobody listen to me!”😉), so out she must come again (no easy feat), home’s gas must be disconnected and the hook-up must be changed! It’s never easy, I guess, but needs must, as they say…..I can say Sofia is looking good and sturdy, well-made from what DH could see, so fingers crossed that she’ll perform well, too!!

@croots I dont have gas but in my experience i didnt think it was a good idea to put a quartz backsplash behind any stove for the reason you are talking about it is not heat safe

How about clay tile??

@coray - I know regular tile is ok, but I would reach out to the manufacturer to check on heat resistance. There are many pics on this site of scorched quartz behind a gas stove.

Oh, gee…..I had no idea! Thank goodness we didn’t go that route. Our last oven vented at the top so we never had any heat issues, or maybe we just didn’t notice….the old range had that odd part coming up 8”-10” in the back. This one is flat so we might notice it more….we shall see.

Only the all gas gets hot at the back vent, not the dual fuel. It's where the exhaust from the oven burners exits.

Okay, that’s good then….ours is dual fuel.

Any reports on the 30” induction range that some here are getting or thinking about? I am looking at 30” induction range options.

enduring - Same here. I just brought a 30 in duel fuel and want to put a 30 in induction beside it. Hopefully, the contractor is right and it won’t be a problem. However, all I’ve found in stock so far are the 36 in- which are a little more than I want to pay honestly.

@enduring if I ever replace my dual fuel I would get the Sofia induction version because I'd like to try cooking with induction now...plus cleanup will likely be quicker.

I bought the Sofia and it has been working great. The only thing I don't like about it is that the knobs are easy to accedently turn on with the hips if you lean on the front. My kitchen is very small so that happens a lot. I also got the back splash in hopes that stove top cooking accedents don't flow into the grill at the back. But the back spash isn't sealed at the junction of the stove top so liquids can still get in to the back grill. I see that most stove tops have these grill slits in the back. Anyway, I think I'll get a little silicone caulking for high temps and caulk the junction.

Agreed….our knobs do the same thing. We usually don’t have a problem with this because we are aware, but when we still had contractors working in the kitchen they constantly tried to turn on my oven. Overall, though, we are very pleased with our Sofia. We have the 48” dual fuel, and the smaller oven is spacious enough to be our primary oven; we only use the right side oven for large items (turkey, cookie sheets etc).

@enduring maybe reach out to Fulgor Milano service to see if there's something they can do to give the knobs more resistance?

I bought a 36'Sofia induction range and hood and a FM dishwasher, for my new house but have not moved in yet. I read some terrible reviews about Sofia electric oven. Does any one else have oven condensation collecting under the glass surface?

@Rubina Khan you can read terrible reviews for any product out there. Most people don't rush to the internet to declare their product has no issues. So, an induction range has a glass cooktop surface and a 4 pane glass door. Where specifically is condensation purportedly collecting? If you're referring to reviews on Amazon then it sounds like the owner dripped some liquid into the vents at the top of the door. The vents are necessary for the active cooling feature that keeps the door glass safe to touch. This is important for people with young children but yes, if you're not careful you could end up dripping something into the vent like if you're basting a turkey for instance on the full extension rack....

No oven issues here, and no condensation. One thing I read several times is that the (admittedly wonderful) self-cleaning function kills electric ovens. (I had issues with my last 2 ovens but don’t know why.) With this oven (now 18 mos old) we have decided not to self-clean anymore.😭 Looking at Fridge Magnate’s range photos I think I need to clean my burner area more often😬😬 . It’s actually hubby’s job, but he is slack, so it falls to me….guess I’m slack, too too😩.

Fridge Magnate - You are an awesome resource for this group. I have been reading for a few years now and when ready will still consider Sophia due to your very practical answers and assurances about this product - thank you! I have evolved to considering induction range top from gas over time, which would also have a less invasive vent required, I think. What quick pro/con list do you have to offer between these two range top choices?

@snowwhitegehrig - I don't have the Sophia, but do have the FM induction rangetop. I've had it for about 2 years and have not had any issues. I love it.

No issues with my range, except that the knobs are accidentally turn on when I brush by them in my tiny kitchen.

@enduring which model do you have? Did you go with the induction range? Did you reach out to service to see if they have a solution for your too-easy-to-spin knobs as I suggested?

@snowwhitegehrig that's great to hear. It's Sofia by the way rather than Sophia...Thanks for the kudos. I personally have had the dual fuel range since 2016 and love it and fortunately have not had any issues with it. This was my first range that had a gas cooktop so it took some adjusting but I really fell in love with the fact that all the burners were the same spec and could do full power or low simmer on each allowing me to cook what I want, how I want, where I want. It's also my partner's favorite piece in our kitchen. However, if I were to replace it, I would definitely want to try induction next. There's something visceral and primal about cooking over an open flame however I anticipate that the move to induction would garner, a) quicker, easier cleanup and less smelliness if something spills over, b) more instantaneous control over temperature, c) way more power available (boiling in seconds rather than minutes). The one drawback I would see is that a gas cooktop will stand up to more abuse...a pot dropped too hard or maybe even a spice bottle dropped at the right angle could damage the glass. But, I'm always up for trying something new. Induction is the way of the future I suspect...many areas / states are starting to ban gas in new construction so...

@Enduring, how would you rate the noise level of the ovens when the fans are running? We are considering a 48” Sofia induction range for our new to us house, in place of the Viking gas range that is there now, but haven't been able to see a working range yet.

@Fridge Magnate, thank you for the response. Wondering if youk have or anyone has comments on the difference in vent for gas vs. induction. I am assuming vent for induction could have different requirements. Less invasive to install perhaps, smaller, less power required etc.?

@snowwhitegehrig - I Don't know exact specs but induction cooktops need much less venting than gas as there is no gas fumes to remove. After 2 years, I've used my vent maybe twice.

With gas you always want to be running the vent because, well, you’re burning a fuel in your house that produces carbon monoxide. I recall reading somewhere that you should have 100cfm for every 10,000btus of gas power. For my 30” dual fuel that would be 72,000btus total on max for all 4 burners but my hood is only 500cfm but manages just fine. With induction, I suppose your main concern is odors, smoke and steam. If you had one of the Sofia 48” induction ranges with the griddle you might be searing meat on high temps and that can produce a lot of smoke…I think you’ll still want to have a decent vent hood. Down drafts are nice but are borderline useless in my opinion and should never be used with gas cooktops. I have read that in some cases the steam from induction will condense on your hood because there’s no residual or excessive heat to heat the surfaces of the hood like you get with gas or radiant…