I labored over these decisions for months, as well. Switching to a pro-range instead of separate cooktop & wall ovens would have made my layout allot easier to figure out! Plus I loved the look, but from a pure functionality standpoint separate made more sense to me. As to the wall ovens, I feel your pain there too! I did decide on the Advantium over a single convection oven. I love the idea of two ovens, but two full sized ovens were overkill. We'll be emptynesters in just a few years! Here's how I finally made my decision. I decided that I really wanted a built in microwave. My current micro is above my oven, but has the trim kit. I never really liked the look. Anyway, after pricing built in microwaves I realized that for appx. $100 more I could have the Advantium. I will gladly pay $100 for all the Advantium offers. My only trouble now is that I cannot decide between 120 vs 240! I was driving everyone, including myself, crazy over this kitchen remodel too. That is until I realized that it is a process & I should treat it as such. I actually decided to do my remodel in stages - each decision affects another - so this is my way of working through it. I just couldn't visualize it on paper & 2x2" samples. My new fridge & DW arrived yesterday. The new configuration of my fridge (single door opening to counter space) will make my kitchen more functional & might lead to an easier remodel. If it does not then a major remodel will be in order. Next will be any changes/moving of the cabinets & granite countertops. Last will be the ovens as I'm still stuck on my "which Advantium" decision. I will then be able to make a more informed decision of the color, SS vs Blk, once the Uba Tuba is in place. So, to make a long story short TAKE YOUR TIME! Kitchen remodels are expensive; not a place to make hasty decisions just to get it done (Words of wisdom here!) Good luck!

Hello, I'll chime in on the Miele dishwasher...of the Futura series (newest), the Dimension seems to be the best bang for buck with features in terms of cost. The Classic is the entry level nd the Diamond I believe is the most expensive. We have two, a Dimension as our primary and a Classic for overflow. Love the both! Good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: miele dishwashers

We are in N. CA about 90 min north of Sacramento. We have 1 good (but small) appliance shop in town. We will go to Sac or the bay area for decent appliance shops. Thanks for the feedback, folks. After reading I think part of my thought process was that, over the years, I have had incredibly good luck with appliances. I think I've had maybe 2 or 3 services calls for all appliances I've owned in the last 20 years...perhaps I am blinded by that track record. We had both single and double electric ovens on the list. However, it does look like a range-top with single oven, convection microwave, and a warming drawer will meet our needs. If we did double oven, the microwave would be a standard micro and we would eliminate the warming drawer. As far as how we used our oven, we both cook and bake, but much more of the former. We have just a single oven now and we make it work, but my issue is usually with the semi-frequent 2nd dish that needs cooking and also warming up plates (it's a thing for me). As far as induction, I'll take a look again, but the one time I messed with it, I wasn't a fan. as far as the fridge, the idea of a built it is more about "we're dumping XXX$ into this thing, we want to switch from a full size bottom freezer/french door fridge to a side by side counter depth, so let's get the xtra room". Thanks again for the feedback.

Don't pick appliances because they're all from the same manufacturer! None of them do EVERYTHING equally well, IMHO. And re: Consumer Reports - be careful. Read the USER reviews too. Quite often, it seems the CR reviewers and the actual users are on two different planets - things CR rates highly get 1 or 2 stars from the users - repeatedly. This is not an isolated thing. Read as many reviews as you can all over the net, then go look at stuff. And if all that has died is the microwave and everything else is working fine, just replace the microwave. Microwaves aren't really considered repairable items these days and some of them barely make it to the end of the warranty. What you want is a microwave that performs well and meets YOUR needs. What do you want your microwave to do? How big, how much power, what settings, what interface - which can get really annoying if it's not to your liking! A few years ago, some idiot decided that microwaves with knobs for setting time (really???) instead of touch screen buttons were the way to go - and voila, practically all of them did that (what is this - 1975 all over again?) Thank goodness that bit of idiocy seems to be fading - but the point is, there are fads in appliance design too and you never know when one appliance is going to go toes up on you. The microwave is the least expensive item, and the one most likely to have to be replaced long before any other appliance. For that reason, I would never build a microwave in - if it dies and the line is no longer made, then what? Your cabinet may not be the right size for whatever you want to get next. Our microwave lives on an open shelf above the wall oven for this reason. Buy things based on your needs and wishes - not the wish of the store to sell you a whole bunch of appliances you weren't even considering before walking in. BTW - Kitchenaid calls some of their fridges "cabinet depth" and they are 30" deep. A counter depth fridge in my books shouldn't be much deeper than your cabinets - and most kitchen cabinets are 25" deep.