I bought the Bluestar. If my only choices were the Wolf and the Thermador, I would select the Thermador. Why? The Thermador burner is in a star shape, somewhat similar to the Bluestar burner. The Wolf burner is the double ring shaped burner.

I want the most effective burner shape in contact with the bottom of my pot or pan. That is why I would select the Thermador over the Wolf. It's design allows for more contact and more effective use of your fuel.

I've had all three. In order of preference for range tops: Bluestar, Thermador, and Wolf.

Thanks homechef59. We also considered Bluestar, but are a little worried about service should we need it. And the cost is a bit more.

One other thing to consider is the Thermador "simmer" or low heat settings have an annoying clicking noise when set at the lower temperatures. This is a result of the flame going on and off at this setting. It is louder than you might think it should be for this application. If you simmer a lot or just want to set to lower settings , this can be quie annoying. Also, it is my personal experience tha be quality of the Thermador stainless is inferior to other brands in this price range.

What type of cooking do you do with high heat? What type/size of pans?

My wife is an ex-chef. High heat mainly for bringing water to a boil, which she does just about daily and things like searing steaks. Interested in a grill option b/c we grill a fair amount, too. Large pans. Stainless steel (I think.)

The clicking on the Thermador is only when set on Extra low- a feature to keep temperature around 100 degrees. Meant for delicate sauces or keeping food warm. The simmer setting does not click.

On the 5 burner cooktop, there are 2 burners with the "X-Lo" setting. The center burner, or high output burner, and one other side burner have this setting. Since the center burner is the largest burner, the "X-Lo" setting is needed for more than just simmering due to the burner capacity. This burner is more often used with larger pots and saute pans. Therefore, the reality is the clicking noise is engaged often when cooking and not just for delicate sauces.

erdman_bd, I'm a former chef myself. I only cook at home, too. You were asking about the Thermador 6-burner range top. It is very different from the 5-burner cooktop. I've had three of these Thermador 5-burner cook tops. Those clickers firing are a little annoying. They cycle on and off in response to how low you want the simmer. It's usually between 30 seconds and 60 second. The burners are anemic and not the star shape of the 6-burner Thermador range top. Don't confuse them.

Do not be concerned about servicing of the Bluestar range top. It couldn't be simpler to work on. I've had mine for two years and never needed service. I hear a choir singing every time I turn the knob. While you may need to replace a cracked thermocouple, it only requires a screwdriver. They include two of them in the box. There are videos on YouTube that show you how to do it. Any commercial servicer can work on it. Any basic repairman could work on it. I'm a girl and I can work on it. That's the beauty of it, it's such a simple device. It doesn't need a lot of attention. Those open burners make all the difference in the world.

If you can afford a Wolf range top, you can afford a Bluestar. The old Wolf open burner range top was a nice unit, but they don't make it anymore. Take the time and go find a unit and test fire it. I gave up other things in my kitchen in order to get one. I'm glad I did. Don't worry about service. It's a non-issue with a range top. An oven is another matter, but it's not a problem with a range top.

thanks homechef59. I've read that the Bluestar doesn't simmer as well. Have you experienced that?

It has an excellent simmer burner. You can adjust it with a screw if you want it lower or higher. I haven't bothered to adjust it. I usually run the knob all the way past high to the low stop and forget. It doesn't have the clicking on and off. It's a continuous flame. I have a simmer diffuser plate that I put on top of it if the simmer is too high. I make great rice with it. In all fairness, I used this plate on my Wolf and Thermadors, too. You can adjust all of the burners with the screw adjustment. Mine was properly calibrated out of the box and required no adjustment.

Well I might have just been up-sold to a Bluestar. :)

So about those double ovens...on to the next search!

Once you have one in your hands, I don't think you will be sorry. It's the one area of the kitchen where I think you should stretch. I can make do with middle of the road dishwasher, ovens and refrigerator. The cooking surface in my home is used more frequently than the oven. That's why I place a higher priority on it than the other items. To each his own.