i have the 36" DCS drop in gas cooktop-- have had it for ~ 5-6yrs. we could not easily put in a hood above our island cooktop (existing- we just replaced cooktop) so we put in a dcs pop-up fan- just needed to get the granite cut to fit it since the cooktop that was there was a jennair down draft... i love the cooktop--- has worked without any issues since we got it and simmers extremely well. i chose it because i liked it's appearance best when compared to similarly priced 36" cooktops!! (i specifically liked the grates better than the kitchenaid and bosch, which is the 3 i narrowed it down to.) the fan is just fair,(better than the downdraft tho!) but i don't do alot of frying at high temps which might result in alot of smoke or grease.

I have to tell you I tossed and turned over this last night. I hadn't done much research on the Wolf before going in (thought it was a non-contender due to budget) but I looked over the Viking information and thought I had a good idea what they offered. On this forum it seems people either love the brand, or hate it. For every good review, you read a bad. Although I haven't found a lot of scathing reports on Viking's cooktops (maybe I just haven't dug deep enough) like foodonastump said, you at least partially prejudice the brand after being on these forums for years. Other Appliance websites had several 4* reviews on the Viking. The salesman, who wasn't pushing anything in particular and who seems to have been straight up with me on his opinions, said structurally the Wolf, the Viking, and the DCS win out. For reliability and brand reputation for cooktops, He said Wolf and Viking were both "up there" and either one he thought we'd be happy with. He's been selling appliances for close to 30 years and had most (if not all) the information in his head regarding features,benefits, reputations etc.... He was big on reminding us how "MOST PEOPLE" use the appliances so we didn't get hung up on a feature that, for us, really didn't matter in the end. I am fully confident that if I told him I was a gourmet cook (or striving to be one) he could have/would have pointed me to appliances that served that purpose better. I know looks only get you so far, but it is a driving force when you feel the tug of indecision. With the assumption that either cooktop would do the job, it became about 5 burners or 6, use of space, styling, knobs, BTU's, price, reliability, and how we felt when we looked at the thing.... I've heard the Gagg name spoken very highly of on this forum and when he lead us over to their cooktop, I was excited....then quickly disappointed... I HATED the look. It could have been the best cooktop in the world but It just wasn't for me. All the Stainless and brass clashed in my eyes.... I didn't think it would look right in my kitchen. So, I think you have to like the look, although I agree it shouldn't be the first or only thing you consider. I think my husband, having never read anything negative or positive on either brand. made assumptions that we were comparing apples to apples. He saw a bigger, beefier (manly) pro look cooktop with an extra burner and picked the Viking. I accepted his decision until we were walking out the door, and I got a glimpse of our Icon Designer Wall Ovens. I thought immediately that the Wolf's styling would go better with them than the Viking Pro look. There began my fretting.... That lead to more reading, and re-reading the hate some have for Viking and fear that this will be us. After all these years of waiting, and all the time and money spent (we don't have lots of extra money, these are big splurges for us) I just didn't want a disappointment. Last night I told him I was concerned about the choice. He told me he is ok if I decide to switch to the Wolf. I totally agree that the Wolf name is more appealing based on what I have read on this forum, but not based on personal experience with either brand. I LOVE the look of the Viking, it's beautiful, I loved the knob position, plus they were smooth and the burners fired up quickly and reliably. grates were heavy and seemed to stay put. The higher 16k BTU sounds good, but not sure it really matters over Wolf's 15K.... I did not get to play with the Wolf, it was taken off display due to some remodeling. It was there, on a shelf to look at only. Although I didn't go ga-ga over the look of the Wolf, I thought it was pretty with a nice mix of Pro & Designer looks that blended better with the Icons. I thought the simmer feature was a good to have. I wouldn't miss the 6th burner and would appreciate the added space the Wolf would give us. The brand reputation is a huge driving force for me. Wolf just has a better one. I think if any appliance has the potential of being a disappointment in terms of reliability and customer support, it would be the Viking...based on what I have read here. I just feel, all other things equal, the Wolf has less change of being a disappointment.

If I lived in Europe and were looking at high end gas cooktops I would do the following. Miele CombiSet CS1028 It is a 15" SuperBurner Gas Wok Cooktop with 27,300 BTU Output. Miele KM360 24" Sealed Burner Gas Cooktop with 4 Burners You have one restaurant quality burner to stir-fry, sear, sauté, grill, a dedicated simmer burner for delicate sauces, and three additional burners for normal use. It takes 39" of counter-top space, so just 3 extra inches of what you were originally looking at. This post was edited by deeageaux on Sat, Jun 29, 13 at 23:35

First which is more important, stove top or oven cooking? If you do more of one than the other, that is were you should concentrate on the best scenerio. Second, from what you have posted, it appears you cannot vent outside. If this is correct then consider an induction cooktop. It is more efficient than traditional electric and gas. It is faster than gas but doesn't radiate heat around your pan. You pan IS the heat source, so you are not venting out as much heat as you would with either of the other two stove tops. Electrolux, Bosch and Diva have great 30" tops with good size burners. Most of the other brands offer a good selection in 36". Downdraft ventillation is better than nothing, but you fight science. Heat travels up and with it goes smoke, grease and smell. A downdraft is limited.