Av - glad to see your post - Viking is a brand people love to bash - but few (that bash) have actual experience. We have 36" AG range for almost 2yrs now - I'm a big cook & we have a busy household - Love this range it's powerhouse & does what it is supposed to. I like that all burners are 15K so now guess work on configurations - - 15K x 6 is plenty of power for me, I have never felt the need for more. I have Viking portable griddle over 2 burners - works great! The broiler, oven, convection features are all great - I have even started baking much more than previously because I love how even this oven bakes I was the skeptic did research - went to appliance stores to see demos then went to a Viking dealership where I saw products & their competitors perform side by side - that is was sold me Getting it in a color - bonus Good luck Here is a link that might be useful: Viking 36

Don't know if the NXR could be said to boost resale values of the house more than the Berta ranges or vice versa. Neither brand is well known. The Bertas do look spiffier and you can get them with colored finishes.. The NXR is, frankly, plain and definitely industrial looking. THe NXR might look fine, though. Have you seen the Fine Homebulding spread that I've linked to below? It's an article about a transitional neighboorhood reno (Bay Area, though) with a 36" NXR and a Kobe hood. Gives an idea of possibilities. The Berta range and hood combo sounds like quite the deal. Is that dual-fuel Berta a 36" or a 30" unit? Price seems way low for a 36" dual fuel Berta. Last I recall hearing here was that a 36" all-gas Berta could be had for $2999 but that the dual fuel models were a lot more expensive. Also, what do you know about the hood that goes with the Berta range? Here is a link that might be useful: Fine Homebuilding: Alex Nerland's kitchen with NXR This post was edited by JWVideo on Wed, Sep 4, 13 at 18:57

I would recommend a 36" cooktop 100% over a 30" cooktop. The reason is that in a 30" size, the knobs on the cooktop will take up valuable cooking space. Please visit an appliance store and check out any brand's 30" cooktop, and you will see what I mean about the knobs on a 30" cooktop. There is very little room left for a larger fry pan or pot when you lose those inches from a 30" cooktop to make room for the knobs. I do not entirely agree that a 36" cooktop requires a 42" vent hood. It's a nice-to-have, but you will be fine with a 36" hood. Just make sure the hood is deep enough to exhaust the front burners (i.e. don't get a hood that is shallow from front to back, even if it's a bargain). Another alternative if you do not want to lose valuable countertop space to a 36" cooktop, is a 30" "rangetop". A rangetop is basically the top part of a range, without the oven underneath. That means the knobs are across the front, like a range, rather than taking up valuable cooktop space. Another advantage to a rangetop is that it will be easy to switch out to another rangetop in the future if need be, cause there is no countertop cutout. A cooktop on the other hand, has a countertop cutout specific to that particular cooktop. Should you need to switch out the cooktop some years from now, it will be very difficult to find a cooktop with that exact cutout to fit. We have seen that situation several times on this forum. And, many people prefer the more "professional kitchen" look of a rangetop, but that is individual taste. The disadvantage to a rangetop is that it is more expensive than a cooktop. Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchenaid 30-inch Rangetop (Looks like there are rebates available from KA right now!) This post was edited by alwaysfixin on Sun, Dec 16, 12 at 12:32

I didn't do a lot of searching before choosing my KA 6 burner. It is installed, but not yet hooked up. But one thing I really like is that the granite gets cut in under a flange, so there is no "crud crack". Another thing I like is that my counter run is extra deep at 27" (29" granite), so the rangetop was set back nearly to the wall and nearly flush with the countertop. Here is mine, followed by the floor model which is set in a standard run and protrudes an extra 3+ inches.