Sorry, just took a look at this thread again and noticed your question...by the time I got to Miele, I had decided on induction, so I didn't give the Miele an actual test drive. I did give it a pretty thorough inspection at the Miele place, though, and thought it was a very sexy range -- and the performance seemed very similar to the Wolf dual fuel. I say that b/c the Miele also has the stacked burners, which I really liked, but the BTUs are higher than Wolf (which top out at around 16k, I believe -- Miele was closer to 20k or so -- I can't quite remember). The Miele ovens on the 48" range were very nice -- the smaller one is a speed oven, and the bigger one is a regular convection. The speed oven wasn't a big plus for me personally, since I really wanted a steam oven as a second oven, but there are people on this forum who love their speed ovens. One thing I really liked about the Miele oven, which Wolf doesn't have, is the burst of steam option, which is great for baking (you can program up to 3 bursts of steam for up to 6 min. each during cooking). I didn't care that much about the MasterChef options on Miele, but again, others love these. At any rate, the Miele seemed very similar to the Wolf, I liked the steam option on the oven better and liked the Miele burners better (also, if you're interested in a grill, theirs was excellent and seemed very similar to the Wolf, which I think is the best in the business). If I had stuck with a range, I would have been very tempted by the Miele.

I have had the Thermador cook top a little over a year and I think I've had about 25% down time. When it works, this cook top is great but the combination of untrained service people and really bad service policies at Thermador work to make this unit unusable unless you hardly cook at all. The unit has 36 little Hobbs under the glass, a mother board and 4 other boards to make it all work. The 36 Hobbs are very stable and haven't caused any problems. So there's only 5 parts that can go down. Sounds simple, no? Think again. Thermador has not done anything to train their techs on this stove top. So when the computer on the unit puts out an error code a tech may not even recognize what the computer is trying to say. I've had to look over the shoulder of some of these dummies to point out the error code the unit puts out. When you finally figure out which of the 4 support boards needs replacing you find that the replacement parts are not available and have to be back ordered. This is a matter of weeks, not days. Lastly, the telephone support from Thermador is no picnic either. It's basically a call center staffed with people having only the ability to take messages and pass them to a non-responsive 2nd level. Presently, my unit has been down since early December 2015. It's now January 6. Thermador has decided to replace my unit. As mentioned in previous posts, getting your cook top replaced is a nightmare in itself. I had to do that in my 1st month of ownership. There's a mysterious 'AR department' that is accountable to no one that outsources the replacement activity to a 3rd party. That process can take months. In California there's a lemon law that applies to appliances as well as cars. I think that is my next step.

Surface mounting makes replacement easier because it doesn't need a highly customized hole. Nominal 30" units run from 28"-32". With flush, you'd need an exact fit. With surface, you only need there to be enough support for the edges. A slightly smaller or larger unit might fit, or the counter can be adapted for it to fit (e.g., a little more plywood underneath, or a slightly enlarged hole). I have a stainless frame (which looked better near the stainless gas with black grate than all black would have). I have no need to hang pots over the edge, but there's nothing about the frame that would prevent it. I'm guessing you're talking about the kind that's just a vertical border, and that might be a problem, however... If your pots are that oversized, you may not like the cooking. There will be a distinct hot spot in the middle where the inductors are. An inch in diameter (half an inch all around) over is expected. An inch in radius (an inch all around) over is perfectly doable. By the time you get two inches past the ring, you're losing a lot of ease of cooking. That said, you can use a silicone mat, both on the stove and on the counter, to equalize the height. Marble is rock. It can take a hot pot. What you don't want do, especially where it's weakest, is thermal shock, which could promote cracking, so a trivet is a good thing to have. If it warms along with your pot, gradually, it'll be fine. As to scratches, etching, spots, etc., that's another story entirely, but all of the above can be helped by the silicone mat.

@Patricia Colwell and any other opinionated readers - I really appreciate your advice. I am about to remodel my kitchen and am struggling with being pinned in by a 42 in built in KitchenAid SBS that I detest. I want to do the Frigidaire columns but they are off the market for now (I did email 5 minutes ago to see when they are returning to market and might hold on remodel until they are back). On the same wall is a Kitchenaid Microwave/oven combo that is near death. I am planning to steal that space to free up refrigerator space. I will then convert the cooktop area (other side of the kitchen) into a dual fuel range in one space. This will reduce the number of new cabinet boxes I need so I can reface and do new countertops. My only appliance requirement is the longest possible life followed by good service and available parts. I do not care what brand anything is. The first bid for a Subzero 48 in fridge and a Wolf dual fuel range is $25k. Again, I do not care about brands and I just can't get to needing to spend this much. Appliance guy just rebid with Dakor professional duel fuel range and built in 48 in fridge for $18k. This is crazy to me as I am reading that Dakor is owned by Samsung, many people get lemons, service before AND after Samsung purchase is non-existent with 3rd year warranties not being honored in year 3. I will give him his chance Monday to sell this but I would probably rather spend $25k as I have the impression this purchase (based on internet reviews) is roughly equivalent to lighting $18k on fire. I don't enjoy cooking but with 4 kids, require 6 burners to cook the typical combo of pressure cooker, multiple pasta pots due to Gluten Free and non-GF along with a few other items - generally 5 pots on the stove at once for dinner. Sorry for being so long winded and hijacking this thread but like Amanda Paulson, I will find the money to buy the appliance that is proven to work the best and last the longest. I do not care what brand anything is so I really appreciate Patricia's feedback with mixed brands. The Betazzoni has some pretty awful reviews also, so can share how long you have had it? Questions for readers: 1. I believe (after many dying appliances) that I never want an appliance again with shared functionality. I really want to separate the fridge and freezer, maintain counter depth/built in look and not spent 5 figures. Any known options? 2. I am breaking my rule in #1 and combining the oven and cooktop into one unit (due to kitchen layout that is not affordable to change) - what is the best dual fuel range and the 2nd best give $10k for Wolf is just not working for me? Reliability is #1 and I do not care about brand names or resale. I care about not messing with the appliance for the next 15 years and it working every time. Thank you, thank you in advance for thoughts, opinions or facts destroying any of my beliefs. I am open to rethinking everything. One last comment: I know the world loves Bosch dishwashers but I have had 2 in the last 12 years and both died around the 5 year mark (household of 6 and we run 1-2x per day but Whirlpool and KitchenAid have lasted longer). I am back with a KitchenAid dishwasher. The first one leaked and messed up my wood floors. Was purchased through Costco so ultimately, dishwasher 3 (yes, there was a problem with #2 but service was great) has worked beautifully and Whirlpool was easy to work with and settled at $5k for repairs to floors. I would buy Whirlpool/KitchenAid again in a heartbeat as a brand and especially through Costco for what it's worth as the problem was dealt with and once I got a unit that didn't leak, it has been perfect for 2 years now.