It's probably too late but I'll add my two cents. I put Wolf/SubZero in my kitchen in my last house. When my microwave broke a second time when it was just out of warranty, the factory said that was just wrong and they gave me a completely new convection microwave and installed it for a processing fee of $50. They made sure I was 100% satisfied. Fast forward to new house - Kitchen Aid appliances came with the house. Nice fridge, ok dishwasher but double ovens and cooktop are awful. Take too long to warm up and cool down. Really poor quality and they are only 3 years old. I wouldn't give you two cents for their cooking appliances. I think Wolf has the best cooking appliances on the market. Miele dishwashers are also the best. I hope this helps.

I reused my Asko that I bought when we moved in. Chose it over Miele as I liked the rack configuration better, and felt, and still do, that they are nearly equivalent in performance and quality (not trying to start a war). The bar dishwasher gets used maybe once a week. I got the Thermador only because I got a reseller that bundled it into the fridge towers and wine tower at a substantial discount. I agree its not of the same quality, but so far its perfect. Its as quiet as the Asko, and on the simple tasks of washing glasses, no problem. Its a glorified Bosch unit, and those aren't awful. What I really wanted was a panel ready unit as the wet bar would look awful if all those appliances would dominate the bar without panels. I had the same VAH in my old kitchen (except 42, 900cfm). I don't mind the cleaning aspect, but then again I'm under no delusions about keeping it pristine. Between grilling and high heat stir fry it gets dirty fast, and keeping any hood clean would be futile. The VAH performance is amazing. I was able to vent it directly out with one 90 degree turn on 2 8 inch ducts. (you can see in pic) It is much quieter than I expected as my old unit was 900 cfm but had more turns in the ductwork. This is the 27 inch deep model, which matches the depth of the CC. I did not opt for a wider than cooktop version only because I prefer the matched look, wanted to maximize my cabinet space, and functionally, I cook the smoky stuff in the middle anyway.

Congratulations on being able to get what you really want!! That's what it's all about. Do a search, or just go through the last few pages of threads, and you'll find a thread bashing high end, and extolling the virtues of mid-range appliances, where I finally chimed in to explain why some people buy high end. You can get the BTU's with Blue Star, American Range, and some of the top end of the mid-range. SubZero has the air filter, and all of the top of range fridges have persnickety temperature controls, but people don't usually buy them for these reasons. Some people buy the Miele fridge because it's super quiet. Generally, people who buy high end appliances are looking for design and marginal features. I rejected a lot of perfectly good refrigerators because I didn't like their shelves. I rejected almost every dishwasher because I didn't like their racks and/or drying features. When I decided that I would give up features on the warming drawer I'd chosen because it went up in price, it's because I also gained: That is, I forewent the open sides and gained the option to panel it (for half the price since my cabinetry is by the job rather than by the piece), but only looked at the two models because I insisted on particular temperature settings. The de rigeur SubZero of the past was partially because the refrigeration was so much better with the dual compressors, etc. A lot of fridges have caught up with that, which is why they're pushing forward with new features like the air filter. If you have a fridge/freezer in one unit dual compressors will make both parts work much better. Otherwise, the main appeal of the SZ for all these many years has been that it's built-in and doesn't stick out. There's lots of competition in appearance nowadays. European units do a better job of flush integrated. You can do it with SZ, but it's not as graceful. SZ is the only one I know of with the individually opening drawers on the bottom. But for all of the high end units, it's just a matter of getting it the way you want it. If you like the features, looks, and function of the KA and GE, get them again! I think there's nothing sillier than buying appliances for snob value (unless you're selling within the year). Troll the internet. Go shopping. Check in here. Decide on the units you think will work best for you. For me, that ended up being a bunch of high end stuff, because I'm really picky about shelves, lighting, and other marginal features. But that doesn't make them better. Just better for me.

Do you mean in general or are you comparing different brands? What do you mean by high end? $4K or $40K? Pros and cons might be different depending on what type of cooking you do, your cookware, how you use your oven, your kitchen and your budget. Have you considered the cost of ventilation along with the cost of the range?