fun2cook, In general, the higher BTU burner will boil water faster. But...there's more to it than that (such as the design of the burners, etc), so it isn't necessarily the case that the Monogram will boil water faster than the Wolf. Second, if there is a difference, it will be very small. 15k and 18k are pretty close. Asking people to boil water and report their results to you may not be that helpful because there are a lot of other variables that you can't hold constant, such as the type of pan, temperature of the water when they start, etc. Appliance Advisor (linked below)tried to take this kind of water boiling test seriously and asked people to send him results holding a lot of factors fixed. You can see his results at the link below, though I am not sure either of the models you are interested in are tested (but double check). The lesson you should draw from his test results though is that most of the 15-18k BTU burners boiled water in roughly the same time, give or take a couple of minutes. I'm not sure what you mean that the stainless quality seems better or worse on some models. Is it just the finish you don't like? I presume you aren't referring to the thickness of the metal. Burner ignition problems plague nearly all cooktops. I wouldn't make that a deciding factor. So, how should you choose? I would suggest the following: 1. Are the placement of the highest BTU burners different on the two models? Do you like one configuration more than the other? This is where you'll boil the pasta water and do your highest heat cooking. 2. Do you like the looks of one more than the other? 3. Do you prefer one placement of the knobs more than the other? 4. You said there each can simmer on all burners. Otherwise, I'd say pay attention to the simmer capabilities. 5. Is the price difference meaningful to you? Here is a link that might be useful: Appliance Advisor water boil test

@summersucks....How are things going with your duel fuel range? Have you noticed any chipping of the porcelain?

I agree that the Wolf cook tops are nice - my parents just did a massive renovation (gutting) of an entire house - and they put a Wolf 5 burner cook top in - granted it's not the commercial scorch your eyebrows of the BlueStar and others in that sphere, but I have cooked on it several times and think for the everyday cook it is just fine - and has a nice fit/finish to it (at least to my eye). We are just starting to build a new home and I will be looking very hard at the 36 inch Wolf range top (I want and would use an integrated griddle quite a bit - so want to do a little research and hand's on experimentation on that part before I make a final decision)

I saw the newest Wolf induction cooktop and I was impressed with its versatility. Specifically, I am speaking of model CI365T/S. I really like the burner layout with the four burners that can be bridged on one side and a larger oval burner on the other side. It offers what seems to be the most flexible layout. There are other induction cooktops with "flexible" zones but they are in a layout that is less versatile, most commonly with a large round hob in the center and the flexible zones on either side. My building does not have gas so when I upgrade, I will be looking at induction. As of now, I think the Wolf is my favorite but I am a year or two out and something new may change my thinking.