Hi Michelea! I'm actually new to appliances, since I just took a job in appliance sales here in Texas. I just got back from a GE Monogram training in Kentucky though, and one of the things they focused on was a feature comparison between their 48" range and a few others, Wolf included. We actually sell both Wolf and Monogram at my store, but not FiveStar. Basically what I've learned from our other salesmen here is that FiveStar will work, but it won't look pretty doing it, and its not worth the price. I'm told they're primarily commercial based, so you'll see them in a lot of restaurants, but because they're not seen by the customers they're not what you'd call "prettied up". As far as the other two though, one of the things it comes down to is the stylistic choice. Is your kitchen a place where company is going to be a lot? It doesn't sound like you'll be doing too much high level cooking, so while all those BTU's sound good and may be nice to have, it probably won't be fully utilized. Wolf is pretty well known for their big red knobs on the front, as well as the flip up screen so that you don't have crouch down to read or play with the controls. They do have the name as well which is usually synonymous with a high quality product. Personally though, I liked what I saw of the Monogram. It has a nice beveled finish on the front which I haven't really seen on any others, and you get more with what you pay for it with all the extras. For example, if you plan on having any large parties, the Monogram can fit a full size caterer's sheet in the oven, which is not something they all can do. Plus it comes with grill/griddle covers, a cutting board, and every grate on the top can be flipped upside down to accommodate a wok. Basically, they have it set up so that they're not bombarding you with extra costs, and their range tends to be cheaper to boot. As far as service goes, I can't really comment on how good/bad any of them are since I really haven't had to deal with it yet. Anyway, hope this helps a little bit! By the way, if you find out any of this is different, feel free to point it out. I'm still learning here, so I wouldn't call myself an expert! ;-)

Hello again. I am a member of the Manhattan NKBA as such monogram invited me and about 12 others to their experience center in Louisville last year for a few days. This was not to sell their products but to show us how to use them and also to pick our brains as to what consumers want and what they can do better. One part consisted of us going around a room with 4 pro ranges ( 48" models) and clipboards simply comparing the 4 and features. The Thermador simply had amazing quality and everything felt great and solid. Things like opening the door etc. We also had specs and the burner output on Thermadors star burners is the best in the industry. Knobs feel good, there is great lighting and it is all easy to read. We were told that WOLF has amazing customer service. I am aware of that. Their range was the worst. Compared to the others it actually felt " cheap" borderline rickety and I can not believe I am saying this as I always loved the way it looked.. The GE had a lot of great features. Like racks that can stay inside the oven when self cleaning. I do believe I remember all the others have to be removed as they are plated and can not withstand the very high heat.Clean by hand this means. The oven capacity was also very large. Top is easy to move pots and pans around on as the entire cast iron surface is large and level. You can flip the iron around and have a moulded surfaces for wok pans... The parts are pieced together and can easily fit into a dishwasher. The knobs are easy to turn and read. Soft closing door. Great burner output. Easy to install with feet that have huge wheels under them. Can be leveled easily. The list just went on..... Still our main criticism was that it looked " boring" LOL. Not much personality. It's still pricey and it all checked out but a secret part of me wanted those red knobs... I know it's probably a sick personality flaw of mine... Like lusting after Loubotin shoes. We all know they hurt but want them anyways... After all this I just ordered a 30" dual fuel monogram for my place in New York. I will get it next week. I have an older Viking in Florida and all the lettering on the front has come off simply by cleaning it! I like the Viking but that alone is a shame. No one seems to sells those decals to have them stuck back on!!! I have no idea how I am cooking on that thing. I believe VIKING was sold last year and its been upgraded since then but I have no personal experience with the newer models so far.

The end result was the best product I have ever cooked and was comparable to some of the better restaurants I've eaten at. I think there are a couple of issues at work (aside from the quality of the meat): (1) our outdoor grill isn't the best. Temps can be difficult to control and there are some hot spots. (2) when you grill inside, you will tend to control the cooking much more because you're right there. In the Pacific NW, only a masochist will sit outside tending to the steaks in the winter. It's much easier to stay on top of things indoors. (3) my technique is different because I have a super hot grill AND a moderately hot oven in one unit. This makes searing the meat on the grill and finishing it off with indirect heat in the oven much easier than cooking with a typical outdoor grill (at least for me). Ease of clean up really depends on what your objective is. My objective is to get things I can feel with my fingers off. That is very easy with a regular scotch bright cleaning pad. However, I don't really care about carbon buildup on a day to day basis. That would be a serious pain to get rid of after every meal. I suppose at some point I might have to resort to putting the grates in a trash bag and spraying a bunch of Easy Off on them but I don't think that will occur for awhile. In the meantime, I hide the blackened grills with the grill cover (that's what it's for!). The small oven on my unit is NOT self-clean. We originally thought that we would use the small oven only on holidays when the large one was full with a turkey. As it turns out, we use the small oven for most of our meals as it can easily hold a full sized pyrex dish (i.e. 9 inches wide by whatever the depth of the oven is). Seems like overkill as a toaster oven replacement but it would certainly do the trick. As the small oven heats up a lot quicker, we use the large one only for pizzas and turkeys. As for the price, check Craigslist. We got our unit from a local wholesaler that generally doesn't deal with the public (contractors only). However, when they end up with older models, they dump them on Craigslist. When I found my unit, the place I bought from had two in stock. I did a little more looking around and found a couple of other places up in the Seattle area that had 3-4 each for similar prices. Obviously, all of the contractor supply outfits in the region (and maybe the country) were dumping them all at once.

I think I have that one. Mine is 2008 4 burner duel fuel with a grill. It was actually a rebranded DCS at that time from what my appliance guy said. I LOVE my range and will take it with me when I move. The burners are 18k btu each-the simmer is amazing as well. My only complaint is a common one with most bakers is that I have uneven heating in the oven, even on convection. But I just have to rotate pans and keep them from the back right corner. I paid $6500 for it in 2008 if that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.