There won't be many reviews of the Benchmark series because they didn't come out very long ago. I do know at least one person on this forum has one though, and they love it. Cooktop: To be honest I don't really like gas cooktops so I'm not too familiar with the different offerings out there. If I had to buy one I would get Bluestar or Thermador because I believe they have the best burner designs (most powerful and most even). There are other factors to consider though like grates and burner/control layout and unfortunately I think both of those have center controls. I think the best thing you can do here is go to a showroom and maybe bring your pans. Personally I prefer induction cooktops, or, if it has to be gas, a rangetop. Hood: It's a fan in a metal box. Not much to go wrong. Buy the one that you like the looks, features and price of. Stay away from the no-name, obviously made in China ones that are only available online. Dishwasher: Bosch vs. Miele is a tossup. They are both good quality, Miele slightly more so but with a price to match. Again pick the one with the looks and features you want with a price you can afford. Make sure to bring your dishes to the showroom and make sure the racks will work for you. Fridge: What type do you need? Freestanding/built in/integrated? What width? French door/single door? (I'm assuming bottom mount since you mention drawers) This post was edited by hvtech42 on Wed, Jan 28, 15 at 11:23

DreamDancing & Gma_j...I've been using my GE Profile Trivection DO for several months now and I have no complaints...I think they're great! Yes, there is some heating up of the kitchen, but as Lambic said, the heat has to go somewhere! (If there's an oven that vents to the outside...that would be the one to not heat up the kitchen....is there one?) I've heard some people complain about the preheat time and/or the length of time the fan stays on...but I have not noticed either to be excessive. As a matter of fact, the oven is usually preheated long before I'm ready for it! As to the fan, I've found that if you crack the oven door, the fan stops within a few minutes. Even if you don't, it's only about 15 minutes or so. The best part of my new oven....the Trivection technology...it's great! My baked potatoes are done in less than 30 minutes, mac & cheese in 20 minutes (instead of 60 min), etc.

John, 1)Did Smart money talk about resale value of the home? Real estate agents/money lenders love Wolf. It is the brand de rigueur for the nouveau riche poseur elite. If you are building your Kitchen to impress real estate agents,potential buyers,and friends then yes Wolf is best. 2)The previous generation Wolf oven had some reliabilty issues. To its credit Wolf hired an outside consultancy to do extreme testing of it's ovens to find weak spots. It completely redesigned some parts while leaving others alone. It has been about 3 years or so since the current generation came out and so far so good. However, both Gaggenau and Miele have long established records of excellent oven reliability. Wolf will "probably" be very good.Gaggenau and Miele you can take to the bank. Having said that there is always some chance you get a lemon,that is why they have warranties. 3)Before I purchsed my Gaggenau I sought friends and friends of friends who had high end kitchens. I live in West LA. My best friend lives in Yorba Linda in Orange County.I have one sister who lives in Anaheim Hills in Orange County and one sister who lives in the Palos Verdes section of LA County. I offered to cook a meal including beef wellington and chocolate souffle if they let me test their oven and monkey around in their kitchen. Checking things out like ranges and such. I found takers that had Thermador,Wolf,Miele, and Gaggenau. Could not find anyone with a Kuppersbusch. I got good results with them all.I eliminated Thermador when I researched and found reliability problems but I like the results in the order of my rankings. 1) Gaggenau 2) Miele 3) Wolf. All are on my recomment list because they are much better than the GE/Whirlpool/Viking ovens that I have previously used. And I really like the side-opening doors. It lets you get real close without fear of burning yourself.

We've narrowed down our choices to the Therm., Monogram & Jenn Air - all 27" because of spacing issues in our kit. So far tho', the Therm is front runner- even if pricier than the other 2. Very clean lines and seems to have bells/whistles we need + improvement on pre-heat function. Hubby and I are going out today to check out Monogram+Advantium. May be forced to go 30" route, but that means a whole new cabinet & $$$ which we're really hoping to avoid. Kay's link is helpful. I got a lot of feedback off that one. Bottom line seems to be (according to others here on GW) get whatever model you really like, with as minimal number of repairs reported as you can get. Based on some of those reports, we are getting an extended warranty no matter what the make/model of the wall oven/combo mw, etc.