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

I am VERY ticked off to see this happening in the upper oven of my Wolf Ls. I can't check the lower oven as I'm running the self-clean now, but I don't remember seeing anything like this when wiping it out before the clean. I'm not sure though as I expected the porcelain issues to look differently. CR@P!!

^You haven't seen anything bad about it because there really isn't anything bad or good to see yet, LOL. It's a brand new design. It looks like an awesome oven based on their website. Whether you should buy one depends on whether you are willing to help the manufacturer test their product in the field. It didn't seem that the rollouts of the RNB and Platinum ranges went quite as planned, hopefully this oven will be different. If I were redoing my kitchen, and I had it in the budget, I would probably give it a try. I guess I'm just the "early adopter" type. I like playing around with new stuff like that. So far I've tried 2 unproven appliances, KA steam assist oven and GE Profile french door fridge, I have not regretted either choice. However I am aware the majority of people do NOT enjoy being beta testers so even thought I might take the risk, I could not recommend that anyone buy a product like this so early on unless they are very aware what they are getting into.

I have duel 30" Therm convection circa 2006 and love them. Others here have indeed had problems but I've only run the self-cleaning once or twice and I think that's where the trouble came from. I do hammer both ovens at 450 & 525 often (bread and pizza) for hours on end and both ovens at the same time and they have been problem free. They also seem to stay clean at that temp. As for top, bottom or both - both if you have the budget:for the flexibility. If only one, figure out which height you are most likely to be most comfortable with using most often and choose that one for convection. One note - my ovens are loaded with neat convince features like the temp probe, delayed bake, timed bake, etc... I use none of them. I do use the standard bake, broil,roast, proof, warm, fast preheat, and the convection pairings, but none of the "smart" features. Carefully consider your cooking style before paying for the next upgrade in the line. I was so very tempted to kill the budget with an extra 2k or so on the Meile with the internal rotisserie and a few other features - pretty sure I never would have used those either.